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Better Late Than Never	By : SlythindorMalfoy Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 22997 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and it's characters. All rights go to J. K. Rowling and Warner Bros. I do not make any money from this story.

Chapter List
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- 3
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter and it's associated characters etc. All belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Bros.
A/N: I am soooo sorry for the wait. My classes have been taking up all my time. I'll try really hard to avoid another long wait. I'd like to thank my wonderful beta djaddict. She truly is amazing. Any remaining mistakes are all mine. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review! All warnings are in the first chapter.
Review Responses:
Moon Whistler: thanks for the review! Hope you love this chapter!
delia cerrano: thanks a lot! Sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoy this one!
djaddict: I guess you'll just have to keep wondering. :P
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Soft murmurs and the clinking of cutlery on plates echoed softly throughout the restaurant as the two men ate in silence. Harry ordered the pasta with a creamy mushroom sauce. It was fantastic. The restaurant definitely lived up to its name, 'La Bonne Cuisine'. Malfoy had ordered cheesy mashed potatoes, with well-done steak and steamed vegetables on the side. Even though he had his own lunch, Harry kept imagining how Malfoy's lunch tasted. If his reactions were to be taken into account, it was pretty good.
Harry was enjoying himself immensely. They barely talked but he liked that. The quiet atmosphere was soothing and helped calm his thoughts, which was exactly what he wanted. Occasionally, he would sneak glances at Malfoy. He watched as he ate with such finesse, it was fascinating! Every bite was savoured. Harry felt like he was in a trance just watching the blond eat. There were many times he had to rouse himself from staring too much. He only prayed his lunch companion hadn't noticed. He was somewhat confused about his sudden interest in Malfoy but brushed it off as not really seeing him for so long.
The Malfoy heir had changed a lot from what Harry could see. His face seemed more defined, the angles sharper, but that only enhanced his good looks. He was not ashamed to admit that yes, Malfoy was handsome. Obviously it was just from a platonic viewpoint. That also explained how he noticed that Malfoy's hair was loose and framed his face perfectly. The platinum colour reflecting the sunlight streaming through the window. Yes, that would explain his keen observations. It couldn't be his fault that through his platonic perusing he noticed how broad his shoulders were. He could only imagine how his chest looked. He wondered if it was muscular and filled out...wait...what?
'What the hell?' Harry thought. 'Why the bloody hell am I thinking about Malfoy's chest? And his hair reflecting the sunlight?' He mentally shook his head. Maybe his head had become a bit scrambled. That would definitely explain his current thoughts.
He was trying, and failing miserably, to keep the sudden images out his head. A frown marred his face showing the mental battle he was having with himself.
"Is being in my company that awful Potter?" A drawling voice asked. Harry jerked and looked up to see Malfoy watching him with an arched eyebrow. He refused to acknowledge how his heartbeat seemed to speed up.
'Oh Merlin. Calm down Harry.' He thought wildly, 'He can't read your bloody thoughts you idiot!' He looked up to see Malfoy still watching him, arched eyebrow moving higher.
"Uh. No Malfoy. My mind was elsewhere. I apologize. Um. How long has this place been open?" He asked. The sudden change of subject was obvious and he hoped Malfoy got the hint.
"Only about a week." He replied. The only indication that he noticed the subject change was a slight narrowing of his silver eyes. "I must admit, I was pretty surprised at the quality of the food they have here. You know, to open in Diagon Alley of all places." The haughty tone in his voice was unmistakable. Harry smiled and shook his head. Some things would never change.
"Yeah. It's good." He stated simply.
The rest of the main meal continued in silence. Harry didn't mind. The silence wasn't oppressive. It was sort of comforting, like when he sat with Al. There was no pressure to have conversation.
"Hello gentleman." A voice interrupted the calm. "I see you have finished your lunch. Would you like dessert?" Harry looked up to see their waitress standing beside the table.
"Yes we would. Thank you." Malfoy replied, before perusing through the dessert menu. Harry did the same. It didn't take him long to decide. Treacle tart was one of the first few options.
"I'll have a Cinnamon mocha cream with tortilla crisps please." Malfoy said. Harry opened his mouth to order but Malfoy continued, "A treacle tart with vanilla whipped cream for my companion please." Malfoy had turned to him for confirmation. Harry could only nod.
'What the hell!? How did Malfoy know what I wanted?' He waited till the waitress left to give the blond an inquiring look.
"Come on Potter. Why are you so surprised? We ate meals in the same place for almost seven years. You always chose Treacle tart for dessert."
"You watched me?" He asked incredulously. He watched with a tiny bit of satisfaction as Malfoy fought not to squirm. His eyes had widened just a fraction before returning to normal. As if nothing had happened.
"Yes. Of course, I was just keeping an eye on you. You were my school rival. Had to see what you were up to."
A smirk appeared on the aristocratic face but Harry wasn't fooled. His eyes narrowed in thought. That excuse was weak. He just shrugged it off however. He was confused but he didn't really want to think about it. He just wanted to enjoy the lunch. It wasn't long before the waitress returned with their desserts and silence reigned once more as they ate. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Malfoy's shoulder sag slightly in what he assumed was relief. There was a strong temptation to restart their previous conversation but he resisted.
The rest of the impromptu lunch 'date' continued with light conversation before they got up to leave. He allowed Malfoy to pay without protest. After all, he did ask Harry to lunch. As they walked out of the restaurant Harry couldn't stop a huge smile from forming. The last few hours had been great. He had known there weren't going to be any major problems but he never expected it to go so smoothly.
'Maybe they could try this again?' he thought, but then he almost immediately began to have doubts. 'What if Malfoy wouldn't want to go out again?' He would just feel like an idiot if he got turned down. His Gryffindorish tendencies came to the forefront though. He enjoyed the little lunch with Malfoy and he was determined to have more of his companionship. He felt he deserved it considering the depression that had been creeping up on him lately. He took a deep breath and turned to Malfoy.
"Hey Malfoy. Um lunch was...enjoyable. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind doing it again? We could probably catch up on how our lives have been?" He asked. He had tried to sound confident but he wasn't sure he succeeded.
A quick glance at Malfoy had him doing a double take. He was just staring at Harry, mercury eyes wide in surprise, but, as usual the expression disappeared soon after. The Malfoy mask was firmly in place again. He was surprised he actually got to see a reaction in the first place. A giggle almost slipped past his lips but he fought with everything he had to keep it in.
"Sure Potter. I'm somewhat curious as to how the Wizarding World's Savior has been." He replied tauntingly.
Harry almost gave an audible sigh of relief. He was beginning to think Malfoy wasn't going to reply. He pointedly ignored the jab at being the Savior and instead opted to scowl at the blond.
"Whatever Malfoy. I'll owl you so we can figure out when we can have lunch again. I really enjoyed today. Bye Malfoy." Harry said before waving slightly and walking off. Not hearing the whispered 'Bye Harry'.
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"Bye Harry." Draco whispered as he watched the man of his dreams walk off. He couldn't believe how lucky he was. He knew it was just a spur of the moment lunch outing but he also considered it a first date of sorts. A part of him was still shocked though. Harry had asked for another lunch date! That was certainly unexpected but not unwelcome. It was extremely obvious that Harry had enjoyed himself. The huge grin on his face was proof enough. Draco couldn't deny that he had a great time as well. He had been expecting some sort of confrontation to have occurred. A joke gone too far, or even some level of awkwardness, but it was perfect. He also didn't fail to notice Harry's supposedly discreet glances at him. In fact it would take an idiot not to notice. Harry was that obvious and judging by his expressions, he was confused as to why he couldn't stop looking. He chuckled softly. He would definitely have no problem straightening out his green eyed beauty.
'Well, maybe not straighten him out.' He thought wryly. 'That would defeat the whole purpose wouldn't it?'
His near slip up over dessert didn't bother him at all. Harry didn't push the issue so he wasn't going to think about it. A wry smile appeared on his face as he remembered his reaction to Harry asking him out. He could see Harry was fighting back laughter.
'The short bastard. Only a few hours with him and he's already cracking my mask. I can only imagine what years with him would be like.' Draco thought. He couldn't wait to find out.
With a smile disguised as a smirk on his face, he squared his shoulders and apparated with barely a sound.
It didn't take long for him to return to the manor. Apparition would forever be appreciated by him. It was only a few seconds of discomfort, a small price to pay for instant transportation. Definitely no complaints from him.
As he walked up to the manor, Draco couldn't help but admire it. No matter how many times he saw it. It had been changed a lot since he war. The outside was painted a magnificent pearl white that seemed to glow. At night, it competed with the moonlight, shining eerily over the expansive grounds.
This however, was never home to him. It was just a place of convenience. For some reason though, he couldn't leave it. At least not yet. It felt like something big had to occur first and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out what that something was.
Shutting off his thoughts for the moment, he headed into the manor and straight to his private study. He had a lot of things on his mind. He grabbed a glass of Ogden's Finest off the shelf then sat on his favourite seat, the luxurious armchair facing the window with a view of the extravagant gardens. This study was always the first place he went to when he needed time to himself. It somehow helped to soothe his nerves.
As he sipped his drink, he contemplated on his life and his feelings for Harry. Draco had always known he was attracted to his own gender. It had become obvious to him by the time he was sixteen. He had his first sexual experience with a seventh year Ravenclaw. There was no fear of anyone knowing then, because Ravenclaws were discreet as well. What further assured him that yes, he was homosexual, was his obsession with Gryffindor's Golden Boy, Harry Potter. He figured he had always had feelings for him but circumstances and situations presented them in the form of hatred. Harry was his first and only love and he was determined to keep it that way. Draco wasn't afraid that he wouldn't get Harry and he didn't doubt his skills. Harry was his. He had always been his. Draco had just loaned him to the disgusting Weaselette. Now however, he was ready to take back what belonged to him.
He had suffered long enough. Putting up with Astoria just to fulfill a duty almost drove him insane. He almost choked on his drink when the memory of their wedding night came unbidden to his mind. That was harder than facing the bloody task of killing Dumbledore!
There was one good thing that happened after the war that he had no complaints about. His absolutely amazing father had died in Azkaban five years after. To say Draco was devastated would be...stupid. After he'd heard the news, if anyone had bothered to follow him, they would have seen him doing cartwheels in his father's study.
It felt like a burden had been taken from his shoulders. From then on, he had set on a path to become his own person. Draco smiled to himself. Despite having to live with the bitch, his life had been going okay. He had had Scorpius and had opened a law firm with his best friend Blaise. The stigma of being 'Death Eater scum' had died down years ago. Their law firm had grown in popularity, andnow they were two of the most sought after lawyers in Wizarding Britain and even France.
Draco sighed. He had a lot of work to do. He had no clue where his impulsive Gryffindor would want to go next but he was going to plan accordingly when he found out. A predatory grin split across his face. The hunt was on. A quick gulp and his drink was finished. He had things to do.
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Harry couldn't deny there was a skip in his step as he walked towards the Burrow. His day was going great so far. The sun was shining, birds were singing, he had a great lunch with Draco Malfoy and he made Malfoy's mask slip just a bit. Yes, his day was definitely looking up. There was no way the smile on his face was turning upside down anytime soon. He was too bloody happy.
Harry stepped into the kitchen of the Burrow and was greeted with a cacophony of noise. It appeared that the Weasley children had used Grandma Molly as a daycare as well. A twang of sympathy went through him but he didn't think he would be able to help. He had come only for Albus.
The short walk from the kitchen to the living room was like walking through a mine field. There were toys everywhere and now and then a child would streak past him. A small chuckle escaped from him as he spotted Molly in the living room, knitting and watching her grandchildren with a huge smile on her face.
'Only Molly would love this chaos.' He thought fondly. He didn't think there was a better grandmother than Molly Weasley.
"Oh Harry dear! I didn't hear you come in." She greeted him cheerfully when she noticed him.
"Hi mum. I didn't hear myself come in." He quipped before bending to kiss her on the cheek. There were no words to describe how much he loved this woman. She was always like a mother to him and he was grateful that she saw him as her son.
"Where's Albus? I thought he would be down here with you."
"Oh Ginny came here and she took him home. About an hour ago, I think."
"Ah...okay. So, how are you?" He asked, just to seem conversational. He really wanted to get home though. He did not want Ginny to be alone with his son. Especially since he was certain Lily would be with her.
"I'm fine dear. Thanks for asking. Now head on home. You look exhausted."
A wave of relief swept through him.
"Thanks for watching him mum." He said before kissing her again. He was momentarily confused however by the sympathetic expression that flitted across her face. It passed so fast that he was unsure if he really saw it. It definitely left him on edge though.
'What had brought on that expression?' He decided to let it go though, and just left for home.
The first thing he noticed when he got home was the quietness of the house. That was never good. It was like the calm before the storm. Storm Ginny. He gulped nervously. It was inevitable. He decided his best bet was to check on his son first, then sneak into his study, and attempt to not be seen.
Surprisingly, he managed to make it to Albus' room without being ambushed. A small smile appeared on his face as he saw him asleep on the bed with a book acting as a pillow. He silently crept up to the bed, replaced the book with a pillow, and put Al in a more comfortable position. He dropped a light kiss on his forehead and left the room.
A sudden high pitched squeak pierced the air, and Harry would vehemently deny that it came from him when asked. As he had closed the door of Albus' room, he had come face to face with a red-headed demon.
"Where were you?" It hissed.
Harry could see the throbbing vain on his wife's forehead. She looked a sight. All previous fear forgotten. He actually had to fightto keep from laughing, given the situation.
"I went out to lunch Ginny." He answered calmly. He refused to get angry and ruin his afternoon.
"To lunch? Since when do you go out to lunch?" Ginny asked furiously. Harry decided to just stare at her. He didn't realize that he had to report to her and he really wasn't up for this right now.
"I asked you a question Harry!" She eventually shouted and no matter how hard he tried, he could feel his infamous temper creeping up on him.
"Ginny, I went out to lunch. That is all you need to know. Now. Albus is asleep and I do not want to wake him with this unnecessary argument." He had spoken as quietly and as calmly as he could but it seemed his wife was not up for listening today.
"I don't care Harry! How dare you brush me off! Why are you being so secre-!"
He didn't hear her after that because he had walked off at that moment, effectively cutting off her tirade. It didn't stop her though, she followed him through the house arguing constantly. Harry ignored her for the most part. However, he could not understand her reaction. She made it seem like he was having an affair or something. He snorted. An affair with Draco Malfoy. Classic.
'The papers would have a field day with that one.' He thought with a smile.
"What are you smiling about? I'm trying to talk to you Harry!" Ginny's shrill, annoying voice snapped him out of his 'happy place'.
"Ginny! I am not in the mood for this right now! So leave me alone!" Harry shouted before storming off to his study. He slammed the door behind him, automatically activating the wards so she couldn't get through. He only allowed Albus access to his study.
Harry paced the room as he tried to calm down. He didn't mean to explode but he just couldn't take it anymore.
"Why the fuck did I marry her!?" He shouted at the empty room. He had been thinking those same words a lot lately.
With a frustrated huff, he flopped down in his armchair. Taking a deep breath, he sought to gather his thoughts. He knew he never thought it would end up like it was now. Right after the war, he had gotten back together with Ginny after she practically begged him to give it another try. He had honestly thought then, that that was what he wanted, that it was the right thing to do. He shook those thoughts off though. They had been married for 16 years and had three children.
'This is definitely not how I envisioned my life to be.' Harry thought morosely, rubbing his forehead in a vain attempt to prevent the oncoming headache.
He had thought being an auror was the ideal job but it wasn't. He was tired of it. Tired of chasing down dark wizards. Just recently, he had a taken a sabbatical from the Auror Corp and he was seriously considering taking a permanent leave. Right now, his ideal job would be to stay home and relax and take care of his children. He would be forty years old in a few years. He just wanted to lay back for once in his life. Working was becoming a bore, especially since paperwork duty was becoming more and more frequent.
A break was what he really needed right now. Thinking about that brought up the lunch with Malfoy. Immediately, all the negative thoughts flew out his head. He couldn't wait for it to happen again. He would write to Malfoy tomorrow. For some reason, he wanted the next outing to be special and hopefully create more happy memories. It wasn't long before he fell asleep on the armchair. A huge smile on his face as he dreamt of blonde hair and perfect smiles.
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Ginevra Potter was living a dream. She was extremely happy with the way her life was going and she had no intention of changing it. She had everything she ever wanted. The main thing being Harry Potter.
Ginny had thought she was in love with Harry during her first few years at Hogwarts but after the war, she had realised it was just hero worship. From then it changed to noticing the benefits she would get from being with him. She was not ashamed nor did she feel guilt. Being Mrs. Potter was bliss. She was in invited to all the important parties and met only those that mattered. She didn't even have to mention her name. Everyone knew who she was and she made sure they never forgot.
She loved her children. Well, two of them. James and Lily were her pride and joy. They were so much like her. They understood that life needed to be lived to the fullest and to show everyone who they were. The Potter name was meant to be associated with wealth and privilege, and there should be no shame in flaunting it.
Albus Severus was the one that irritated her. He was like a bloody mini-Harry. His face always behind a book and always being a suck up to his father. She knew Harry noticed her animosity towards her middle child but she didn't care. It was hard to understand why he was so different from the other two. Wait. She did know why, but she wasn't going to dwell on it. It didn't matter now anyways.
As she sat in the living room nursing a glass of Firewhiskey, her mind kept returning to her husband. His worsening depression had not gone unnoticed by her, she just chose to ignore it. As long as it didn't affect her.
Today, however, made her stop and think. She was beginning to get just a tad bit worried. Harry rarely ever went out to lunch, unless it was with Hermione or Ron and she knew they weren't with him. He always preferred to eat his own home-cooked meals. What further aroused her suspicions was the fact that he dropped Albus off at the Burrow. Usually, he was happy to spend time with his precious son, or take him along wherever he went.
'Is he cheating on me?' The thought crossed her mind, but only for a split second. 'Yeah right!' Ginny thought with a laugh. She knew noble, idiotic Harry didn't have the guts to do such a thing.
Finishing her drink, she dumped the glass in the kitchen sink then went for an afternoon nap. Lily was already asleep so she didn't have to worry about her. She didn't have to worry about anything. Harry just needed a release from his depressive thoughts. Nothing was going to change.
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Better Late Than Never