Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Persistence	By : stacygalore Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 1417 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I make money from writing this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
�Persistence�

By Stacy Galore

Chapter 3: Reticence

Theodore sat at his usual table at a small caf� down the
street from his flat in London. He
spent most of his time here, rather than at home, writing and chain-smoking,
sipping on various incarnations of caffeinated beverages. Today was like so many others. The world would disappear around him as
he sank deeper into the pages of his journal, scrawling poetry, expelling his
thoughts for the day, or scribbling down story ideas. If he had work, he�d spend hours there, his fingers
clattering feverishly across the keyboard of his laptop computer. You see, Theodore was a freelance
writer, but he was only known as such in the muggle world. So it was here, in the muggle caf�,
that one could regularly find him.
But the thing is, Theodore didn�t want to be found. Not by anybody in the wizarding world,
at least.

So it came as quite a shock when a familiar blond-haired man
walked through the door and sat down on the bright side of the caf� at a table
in front of the picture window.
Theodore preferred to sit in the darker, cozier end of the caf� where he
could concentrate on writing with little distraction. The blond young man took off his grey blazer, rolled up the
sleeves of his crisp, white shirt, and smoothed down his silk necktie,
indicating he intended on staying a while. The courteous waitress, whom Theodore knew as Elsie, came up
to the blond and offered to hang his wool coat on the rack – it was on the
seat in front of him, looking too expensive to be draped over the back of a
rickety, wooden chair like that.
Before relinquishing his coat, the blond pulled out a rolled-up
newspaper from the pocket and placed an order with a charming smile. Elsie blushed. What girl wouldn�t react to an alluring
grin like that - a smile that made one think it was meant just for you? He relaxed into his seat and opened the
paper, obscuring his face. But
Theodore didn�t need a second look to connect a name with the face. Reading the Daily Prophet at Caf� Novus
Ars was none other than Draco Malfoy.

All Theodore could see now was the very top of Malfoy�s
head, his blond hair illuminated by the sun shining through the window behind
him, giving the illusion of a glowing aura. Theodore knew that Draco�s presence was not a coincidence. For one, this was a muggle caf�, and,
from what he remembered, Malfoy did not patronize non-wizarding business if he
could help it. Besides that, men dressed
like bankers did not just stroll into this caf� off the street. It was in a decidedly bohemian part of
town, in an area where artists had just begun to breathe new life into the once
drug-ridden streets with restaurants and galleries. Though signs of
gentrification were evident, the neighborhood was still rather seedy in spots. A man like Malfoy wouldn�t be caught
dead in a place like this, where the proprietor, Magdalena (or Magda, as
Theodore called her), had wild dreadlocks, arms completely decorated with
tattoos, and a face full of piercings.

Malfoy could only be there for one thing – to find
him. But he sat there, quite
comfortable with his paper and coffee, with no apparent signs that he was
indeed looking for somebody. He
made no indication that he recognized Theodore, even though he was in plain
sight, sitting just feet away – the arrogant prat was waiting for
Theodore to come to him. Not
bloody likely. The two of them sat
in the caf� for a good part of an hour, both too proud to acknowledge the
other�s presence with even so much as a glance. Theodore didn�t need to look at Malfoy. He could feel his presence from across
the room, feel it stirring up old emotions he thought had been long dead. It was completely overwhelming and he
almost walked out of there. But he
didn�t want to give the other man that satisfaction. This was Theodore�s territory he�d infringed upon after
all. Eventually, Malfoy folded up
his paper and walked out of the caf�, managing to completely skip over Theodore
with his eyes.

The next day, Theodore walked into the caf� at his usual
time, stopping at the counter to greet Magda with a peck on each cheek as he�d
done for years. After idle chit
chat, Magda nodded her head towards somebody in the room and whispered, �Get a
load of Mr. Posh Pants over there.
Second time he�s been in here this week.� Theodore casually turned his head to catch an inconspicuous
glance, though he already knew whom she was speaking of. Malfoy was sitting at the same table by
the window, this time the paper was folded neatly on the table and his eyes
cast down upon it. Magda continued
with a snort, �Bet he�s one of those real estate blokes who buys up small
businesses to build fancy apartment buildings. Gentrification, my arse.�

Theodore nodded, playing along, not letting on that he
actually knew the identity of Mr. Posh Pants. �You won�t sell though, right Magda?�

�Of course not.
Business is slowing down, but I�m not too worried. With the amount of time you�ve spent
here writing, I should get royalties from every book sold,� she joked.

Theodore joked back. �Isn�t it enough that you�re getting
free advertising? I mean, I could
have changed the name of the caf� in the book, but I kept it.�

Magda rolled her eyes and replied sarcastically, �Right. The
customers are just pouring in, now that your book has made the New York Times
Best Seller list.�

Theodore reassured her with a smile, �Things will pick
up. Winter is coming and people
need their hot cocoa.�

�You�re a doll, Theodore,� Magda said with a pat on the
cheek. �I�ve no idea why some
lucky bloke hasn�t snatched you up by now.�

Theodore shrugged with a cheeky grin. �Don�t know. I think I am quite lucky.�

�Indeed. You�re
the last of the Famous International Playboys.� She shook her finger at him. �But one day you�ll wake up old
and completely alone and you�ll wish you�d settled down with somebody.�

�I doubt it, Mags,� he chuckled, �Who could possibly
tolerate me for a lifetime, let alone a long-term relationship?�

�You think you�re alright on your own now, but one day
you�ll want somebody to take care of you.
Now, I�m not saying you should find a girl, have a sham marriage, and
make pretty babies. All I�m saying
is� well� it�s nice knowing you have somebody who�s always there for you.�

Theodore sighed.
�Perhaps that day will come.
But I�m twenty-four. I�ve
got time.�

�A bit. But
maybe you should start picking your bed-fellows based on stability rather than
on looks alone.� She nodded
towards Malfoy again and lowered her voice. �Take Mr. Posh Pants, for instance. He�s a pretty fellow. Judging by his impeccable fashion
sense, I�d say he plays for your team.
And he looks stable. Well,
financially, at least.�

�And you say I�m
shallow,� Theodore scoffed with a chuckle.

�Come on, Theodore.
What have you got to lose?� she nudged him playfully.

If only she knew that he�d already taken a chance on that
man, about ten years ago when they were still boys, believing he had nothing to
lose, only to have everything thrown back in his face. After that incident at Malfoy Manor,
Theodore wasn�t quite the same. He
retreated into a dark shell, enshrouded in self-doubt and
self-depreciation. He�d lost his
sense of self at a point in his life when he was just forming an identity. And it took him years of internal
struggle, heartache, and a journey around the world to find himself again. He wrote down every detail in his
journal, from that ill-fated meeting of lips, to the imprisonment of his
father, to the death of his grandmother and his subsequent abandonment of the
wizarding world just prior to the war.
He translated it all into a fictional novel, minus the references to
magic, and published it for muggle readers, garnering international acclaim.

This is how Malfoy must have found him. In the years after the war, the
wizarding world began to intermingle with the muggle world a bit more. It was just a matter of time before old
school mates caught wind of Theodore�s achievement. He changed the names in his novel, but anyone from his past
could easily recognize themselves in the pages, such was his gift for painting
accurate characterizations. The
protagonist of the story, a young man named Kieran Tate, spent a lot of time in
Caf� Novus Ars.

Magda suggested with a quirk of her pierced eyebrow, �Shall
I send him something sweet courtesy of you?�

Theodore shook his head with a resigned sigh. �That won�t be necessary, Mags. But thanks.� With that, he took his place in the dim corner of the caf�
and opened his journal to a new page.
He lit a cigarette, took a cleansing drag, and poised his pen to the
paper, staring at it blankly as the words organized themselves in his
mind.

November 18, 2005

I spent nearly half my life running from him, hiding from
him, struggling to erase the scar he�d placed upon my flesh and on my soul.
Just as I was beginning to take control of my life, to take the reins out of
the hands of History, Fate reclaims them and steers me back to the course I�d
fought so hard to veer from.

The more I try to forget him and the more I try to live
independently of the hold he has on my heart, the more entrenched I am in the
track he�s made for me. And all
roads lead to him.

To Draco Malfoy.

A/N: Pretty sure the caf� idea was Jenniffer�s (Draco�s
coffee addiction is definitely hers), so I�m giving her credit. Theodore-as-Tortured-Artist might be
both Jenniffer and Daniel�s idea as well.
- 2
- 3
- 4
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Persistence