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Learning Life Over	By : Meander Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 69712 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 18
- 19
- 20
Thanks again for the reviews! This story is still much fun.

Chapter 19- Is There Such a Thing As Too Much Smugness?

�� Draco took
breakfast with his mother in the morning, not something he often did. He could
feel the suspicion radiating from Narcissa�s direction the moment he sat down
next to her, gave her a dazzling smile, and called for tea. Trippy popped up
with a steaming cup immediately, of course, done just the way he liked it.
Draco took a sip and closed his eyes in pleasure.

�� Is there
something wrong, Draco?� Narcissa�s voice was the sound of perfection. Draco
could hear the flaws under the surface, though. He wondered if he could hear
them better because he�d become used to listening for them since he became
obsessed with Harry, or if Harry�s presence itself rattled her enough to sound
strained.

�� Of course
not,� he said, and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. �I simply realized
that I�ve recently spent very little time with you lately, my dear mother. And
I wanted to correct that.�

�� Really.�
Narcissa sipped her own tea, never taking her eyes from him. She hadn�t reacted
to the kiss, either.

�� Yes.�
Draco turned away from her, as if to hide the disappointed expression he�d let
his face fall into. She sat up, though. He did make sure to hide his
smile.

�� Draco.�
She sounded concerned for him. She was good at that. Draco had even believed it
once- or maybe that concern had been real when he was still young enough to do
himself an injury. She�d gone to Snape and made the man swear an Unbreakable
Vow to protect him, after all. But every piece of evidence argued that since
he�d become an adult, she considered him not only able but obligated to look
after himself, which included finding a suitable wife to settle down with. �Is
something wrong? Has something changed?�

�� Draco put
down the scone he�d started to pick up. �Yes,� he said. �I should have listened
to you, Mother.�

�� About
what?� Her hand settled on his, light as an early winter snowfall. �What has
happened?�

�� Harry.�
Draco gave her a plaintive look. �Having him here destroys the dream. I thought
the person I saw from a distance was the real one. And now that he�s
close to me, I realize that he has- � He waved a hand in the air, then said
emphatically, �Flaws. No manners. No appreciation for what it would mean
for someone like me to be with someone like him. It�s no good, Mother. I can
try to imagine him as the perfect partner for me, but he isn�t, and never will
be.� He sat back, folding his arms over his chest, and pouted.

�� Narcissa
practically purred. She knew how to deal with him when he was like this, Draco
knew. He�d been like this until he was twenty, and then a few spectacular
fights when he tried to assert his independence had begun his mother�s coolness
towards him. She crooned, though, to let him know how sorry she was, and how
much it hurt her to see her son hurting. �What are you going to do with him,
Draco? You can�t simply cast him out, of course, not when you put so much
effort into bringing him here, and not when you took him to Gardenia�s concert
yesterday.� A shade of coolness there; she had never approved of that part of
Draco�s plan.

��

�� Draco
sighed, and leaned his cheek on his hand. �I was thinking a strong Obliviate
would do it,� he said. �But of course I can�t Obliviate everyone who was
at Mrs. Parkinson�s concert.� He threw up his hands, and then leaned back and
looked at her. �I thought you might have some advice, Mother.�

�� Of course
I do. Mothers always do.� Narcissa gave him a fleeting smile, and for a moment,
Draco could think he was a child again, to be bathed in the warmth of her
protectiveness. But she thought more of manipulating him than watching over him
now. �I would suggest that you encourage him- subtly- to retreat into his
emotionless shell, Draco. He lived that way for years before you happened
along. He�ll live that way just fine after you send him off again. His life is,
and should be, no concern of yours.�

�� Draco�s
skin crawled, even though he had been sure that she would suggest that. And had
he really wanted to drop Harry, that would have worked. Harry�s trust was so
fragile right now, so dependent. He could have fractured it and sent Harry back
into being the work-addicted Auror so easily.

�� Just then,
Harry entered the breakfast room from the far side, and paused, eyes wide and
confused. �Draco,� he said. �Trippy told me that you were here. She didn�t say
that you were eating with your mother.� His eyes darted back and forth, as if
he were begging for guidance.

�� Narcissa
even gave him a warm smile, or at least a smile with no unusual coldness in it,
which for her was practically an embrace. �I don�t mind you joining us, Harry,�
she said, and sat back, gesturing for him to come forward. Draco knew why she�d
done that. She was making it easy for him. He could be cold to Harry, and she
would be warm, the perfect hostess who strove to make amends for her ungrateful
son and let Harry down gently, while simultaneously making sure Harry had
absolutely no expectation of Draco�s feelings ever again.

�� And Draco
would take that opportunity, according to the plan he�d worked out with Harry
yesterday.

�� But Harry
was the one who would prove unexpectedly stubborn, and refuse to play his
proper role.

*

�� Harry had
lingered outside the breakfast room listening to Draco and Narcissa talk. He
had known in advance what the content of the conversation would be, if not the
exact wording. Draco had told him what he intended to do, after all, and he had
managed to very neatly predict his mother�s behavior.

�� But hearing
it had-

�� It had
hurt, and Harry had no idea why.

�� Or, well,
yes, he did, if he were honest with himself, and it cost him nothing to be
honest with himself inside his own head, where no one else could hear him.
Draco played the part too well. He sounded alternately bored and frustrated
with Harry, and full of those same anxieties Harry had been sure would plague
him. They were of two different worlds, and he couldn�t fit into Draco�s. His
mind knew it and admired it for the magnificent performance it was.

�� But what
his ears had heard was the only person he could really count a friend in
the world declaring that he had no interest in him, or that his interest had
been mistaken, and the friendship embarrassed him.

�� Draco was
important to him, God knew why, and Harry had felt about two inches tall while
listening.

�� But he had
years of Auror training behind him, and careful acting lessons to make suspects
think one thing of him when another was true, and so he wavered in and made his
eyes and voice waver, too. Narcissa welcomed him, just as Draco had said she
would, and left the ground open for Draco to deny his interest.

�� He did it
perfectly. His eyes narrowed, and he gave a polished sneer that cut into Harry.
That was when Harry knew that this friendship was real, and he barely kept
himself from scowling. He had faced sneers like that from people he was
indifferent to without a qualm. But put one on Draco�s face, and suddenly his
insides were twisted up and he ached in an imitation of the way he�d often felt
when he was fighting with Ron or Hermione.

�� An
imitation only. It�s nothing with him like it was with them. Harry told
himself that firmly, and listened to Draco�s words, as he�d been instructed,
while sipping his tea with the manners of a wild boar.

�� It seems
that you were right after all, Harry,� Draco said, with politeness that could
not hide the sneer. �I should have left you alone in the life that you believed
was so perfect. I�m sorry to say that our interests haven�t coincided. I�ll
make arrangements to return you to that life.� He eyed Harry�s tea and
shuddered, making no disguise of how disgusted he was by Harry�s slurping.

�� Harry
fought the impulse to set the cup down and apologize. That was not the
point of this charade, damn it. The point was to blame Harry, to make Narcissa
think he was the instigating party in the friendship, and then to embarrass her
completely when she was certain of and acted on that assumption.

�� No,
thanks,� he said, and if the cheerfulness in his voice was hollow, Narcissa�s
stare was worth it. He picked up a scone and deliberately slapped a squelching,
obscene amount of butter on it. �I find that I like the high life. I�m not
ready to give up this taste of it yet.� He bit into the scone, making butter
roll down his face, and winked cheekily at Draco.

�� Draco
didn�t respond. Harry, concerned, was about to ask through the mouthful of food
what was wrong when he realized that Draco was staring, obsessed, at his lips
and tongue. Harry nearly growled. Of all the times for him to think about
sex! Come on, Draco, focus!

�� Whether it
was his glare or the moments passing, Harry never knew, but Draco did snap out
of it, and clear his throat, though his cheeks had flushed a light and becoming
pink- no, it was just a light pink, Harry thought, determined. �That�s not your
choice, Harry,� he said, actually shoving his chair back with enough force to
make it clatter. �I was the one who brought you here, and I�m the one who�s
going to send you back.�

�� Now,
Draco,� Narcissa said, placatingly. She thought she and Draco were in a
conspiracy against him, Harry knew, not the other way around, or at least she
should if their plan was working, and it seemed to be. �I�m sure that Mr.
Potter didn�t mean- �

�� Of course
I did,� Harry said, interrupting his hostess. Narcissa darted him a scandalized
look. He absolutely ignored her. If he were playing true to character, of
course, he wouldn�t even notice his breach of propriety. �I�m not going
anywhere until I�m damn good and ready. And yes, Malfoy, I know about the Obliviate
you could use on me, and I have charms against that,� he added, in a
patronizing fashion. �Meanwhile, how much do you think the Prophet would
pay for the story of how the Malfoy heir kidnapped the Hero of the Wizarding
World and tried to make him into a sexual playtoy? Against his will, no less?
And watched him for two years, enough to prove his obsession if anything does?�

�� Draco�s
eyes widened.

�� Mr.
Potter- � Narcissa began.

�� You
wouldn�t,� Draco hissed, leaning forward. This close, Harry could see the glint
of laughter hidden in his eyes. That reassured him as nothing else could have
done. This friendship wasn�t a fluke, and Draco�s hateful words really had just
been part of the game they were playing with Narcissa. Harry felt immensely
better.

�� Wouldn�t
I?� Harry bit into his scone again, never looking away from Draco�s eyes, never
giving up the challenge. He could feel the flaring heat there, and the tug low
in his belly. He told himself this was no time for him to be thinking of
sex, either, and didn�t let the flush color his cheeks. �I have the story
written already, Draco, and a certain reporter named Rita Skeeter who�s never
completely lost interest in me. She does a piece on me every year for the
anniversary of Voldemort�s defeat. Give me an excuse, just one, and that story
is away to her faster than you can say Obliviate.�

�� I didn�t
realize you had such a strong attachment to Malfoy Manor, Harry.� Draco lifted
his chin and lowered his voice. �Or is it me that you have such a strong
attachment to? What would Skeeter say if she knew that, yes, I tried to make a
toy of the Hero of the Wizarding World- and he likes it?�

�� Harry�s
eyes went to Draco�s mouth. He told himself to ignore that. �Keep dreaming,
Malfoy,� he murmured, and felt his bored tone was worthy of a prize. �I have a
taste for high life, not you. But I deserved a holiday, and you�re not going to
drive me away from this one before I�m damn good and ready.�

�� Money and
power can make many things happen, Harry.� Draco pulled condescension off
perfectly, damn and bless him. �I�m sure that we could offer you- something- to
persuade you to seek your holiday elsewhere.�

�� Draco,�
Narcissa hissed. Harry wondered if she was more offended at the mention of bribery,
or the crude way in which it was offered.

�� Magic
makes more things happen.� Harry took another impolite bite of his breakfast.
�Or had you forgotten that I�m the most powerful wizard in Britain, Malfoy?� He
laid his scone down. �Shall I remind you?�

�� The table
rose from the floor. Meanwhile, his scone rose along with it, and then began
performing a looping dance around the table, orbiting it and moving towards
Narcissa as it did so.

�� Harry kept
his eyes locked with Draco�s, and so saw the flare of surprise deep within
them. Harry had said that he would put on a show. He had never mentioned that
it would be wandless magic, or that he would do this much of it. In truth, it
was draining, but Harry knew how to conceal signs of that strain. He�d done it
before to frighten a few cowards into surrendering.

�� He hadn�t
expected the flare of arousal that followed the surprise. Draco appraised him
the way a starving man would appraise a loaf of bread. His hand twitched. Harry
knew he was a second from reaching forward, gripping the back of Harry�s head,
and pulling him into a deep kiss.

�� And why
do I know that so well? Focus on friendship, first, Harry, and not sex. Harry
shook his head as if to clear it, and then let the table and the scone settle
back into place. He thought it particularly neat that, while he set the table
down in the exact same indentations its legs had made in the carpet, the scone
fell into his hand. He swallowed the last bite and studied Draco, waiting for
his reaction.

�� Draco�s
face twitched, and he glanced at his mother. Narcissa inclined her head a
fraction. Harry could read that, even though he hadn�t grown up around her:
leave it for now. They would confront Harry later.

�� Fine,
then,� Draco said coldly. �As long as you understand that you�re no longer
welcome here.� He strode out of the breakfast room.

�� Harry made
a point of staying and eating, while Narcissa made all the appropriate soothing
noises to him: she was sorry her son was such a brat, she hoped that Harry
would come to some arrangement agreeable to them both, fitting into high
society could be so confusing, Draco had always seen and gone after what he
wanted without considering the consequences, he was very like his father that
way...

�� Harry just
barely kept himself from snorting over that last one. Draco had planned and
plotted Harry�s abduction and healing for over two years. Who did Narcissa
think she was talking about?

�� But as soon
as he could, he excused himself and followed in Draco�s wake. He had to see and
talk to him without masks between them.

�� Because he had
to.

*

�� Draco
wasn�t surprised when Harry knocked on his bedroom door an hour later. He had
expected the visit. The deception had gone off well, but they needed time to
see and talk to each other without it. As Harry entered, Draco waved his wand
and cast a glamour that would make it sound, should Narcissa attempt to listen
in, that they were shouting at each other.

�� He knew his
first question probably wasn�t what Harry had expected, but he had to
know.

�� Was that
magic you performed really wandless?�

�� Harry
paused, still halfway across the room, and regarded him. �It was,� he said, and
then his resolve firmed. �And I know that you liked it, you wanker. I
was looking into your eyes, you know.�

�� Draco shrugged
and gave him a lazy smile. �What can I say? I prefer my partners powerful.�

�� Harry
flushed a bit, but still sat down on the bed beside him, which Draco knew he
wouldn�t have done if he were truly uncomfortable. �What do you think?� he
asked. �Did we fool her?�

�� Draco
smirked and nodded. �Yes, we did. She believes that I want you gone, and the
fault is yours. I�ll be the apple of her eye for a time again, her darling
little boy, but she�ll be gracious to you, the interloper, so that she can
continue to keep up her reputation and look blameless to you. A more pleasant
time for both of us, but we have to snipe at each other on the surface.� He
cocked his head. �Can you do that?�

�� Harry
leaned back and scoffed. �Of course I can.�

�� But Draco
wasn�t so sure. He�d seen the expression on Harry�s face at a few points during
their �conflict.� He�d flinched now and then, as if he couldn�t believe that
his new friend would turn against him. It was enough to make Draco wonder if
this plan was such a great idea after all.

�� Everything
I say in front of her is for the sake of the game,� Draco said now, and leaned
in to clasp Harry�s hand again, as he had yesterday. �Remember that, Harry.� He
wanted to hold him, but Harry would probably resist. Besides, he had a session
with Theresa in a few hours, and he didn�t need to enter it stressed.

�� Harry
slowly nodded. The charged feeling between them was growing again, and Draco
found it hard to look away from Harry. He didn�t mind that, though.

�� When we
finally have sex, it�s going to be spectacular.

�� But, in the
meantime, Draco was enjoying having Harry as a friend nearly as much as he
expected to enjoy Harry as a lover.

***********

�� Minue:
Harry does think of Theresa as a Healer first, and he generally trusts their
intentions. Thinks of them as interfering busybodies who should go bother other
people, yes, but generally trusts their intentions.

�� Emma:
Hagrid is still at Hogwarts, in this universe, and Harry never returned there.
Neville and Luna were never as close in friendship to him as Ron and Hermione
were, and he certainly couldn�t have shared the Horcrux quest with them, so he
didn�t turn to them, either.

�� I do intend
Snape to show up sometime, yes.

�� Jeanette
Russell: Harry barely agreed to talk to Theresa; I shudder to think of the
ruckus if she�d tried to give him potions.��
- 18
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Learning Life Over