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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
- 42
- 43
- 44
Chapter 43- A Minor Disturbance

�� Gloriana
made a soft tch noise under her breath. Harry turned to see her shaking
her head slowly and sadly.

�� A minor
disturbance, Mr. Potter,� she told him, giving him a faint smile. �Such a
passionate young man as Blaise is always making them. Not often in front of
strangers, of course, which is the only thing that usually enables me to keep
them out of the Prophet.� She sighed and stood, clapping her hands in
much the same manner as Blaise had done. Most of the conversations died, and
the attention of the room refocused on her instantly.

�� I am sorry
for my son�s atrocious behavior,� she said, and cocked her head to the side. �I
see that I shall have to have Antonio bring out the final course a little
earlier than planned.�

�� Antonio
turned out to be the name of a wizard servant instead of a house-elf. He might
even be the chef, Harry thought, considering how proudly he walked beside the
enormous floating platter of meat. Harry didn�t even recognize the head
of the ferocious creature lying on the plate, though he managed to recognize a
ridiculous number of spines and horns. It caused a burst of laughter and
applause from the wizards and witches surrounding him, though.

�� Gloriana
caught his eye. �Genuine Calydonian boar, Mr. Potter,� she said. �You don�t
often get them now. I had to commission the hunt for one months ago, and then
of course there�s the problem of getting them to Britain...� She shook her
head. �Some meats are too delicate to be Apparated.�

�� Though
Harry knew how dangerous it would be to become drunk here, he couldn�t help
picking up the glass of wine at his elbow and toasting her. �Gloriana,� he
said, �you certainly know how to turn a blunder to your advantage.�

�� She laughed
at him, soft and low. �When I said it was a minor disturbance, Mr. Potter, I
meant it,� she said. �Nothing should be allowed to interrupt this, your first
genuine entertainment since you left the Ministry. I know what happened when
you and young Draco went to the Half-Globe. Enjoy your dinner, and I do urge
you to try a slice of the boar. Not to everyone�s taste, but that which isn�t
to everyone�s taste can still be quite fine.�

�� She gave
him a little bow and glided away, leaving him to ponder the meaning of her
final words. Harry was sure that was exactly as she�d intended it.

*

�� Draco had
never been able to anticipate the neat way that Gloriana Zabini would catch him
and guide him away from the places he intended to be. That was not the only
reason he found himself unable to appreciate the full range of her talents, but
it was surely one. He managed to smile at her when she took his arm and led him
towards the center of the floor. There had not been an announcement about
dancing, but there didn�t need to be; the moment the house-elves saw their
mistress there, they scrambled, and music began to play from the walls. It was
a tune Draco knew well, one played at dinners and parties he could attend from
the time he was eight or so.

�� He knew
Gloriana had chosen it because it was loud enough to cover the sound of their
talk and he and she could both follow the steps without thought. That didn�t
keep him from resenting what she�d done, either. He still took her hand and
smiled at her as they locked eyes, but he said, �I suppose you think I put your
son up to this, Mrs. Zabini.�

�� Always best
to attack first, with her, and he had the satisfaction of seeing her eyelids
flutter briefly. But she said, �No. It is obvious where Blaise received his
courage, and obvious what I must do to deal with it.�

�� Briefly,
Draco felt sorry for Blaise, but then dismissed it. His rebellion had been too
long in coming, and his mother was in too much of a position of power over him.
She would win, because she always did, but it was Blaise�s laziness and
weakness that had allowed this in the first place.

�� Besides, he
needed all his sorrow for himself right now.

�� Then I
can�t imagine what you think we have to speak about, Mrs. Zabini,� he said, and
spun her with one hand on her hip, his feet tapping the dance floor in a
designated rhythm, his stare never faltering from hers. They were nearly the
same size, and Gloriana was an accomplished and sophisticated dancer. Draco
imagined they must look striking from a distance. It was the only satisfaction
he could derive from the dance, at least. �As your son is the only thing we
have in common.�

�� We have a
common concern for the welfare of Narcissa Malfoy in mind, also, I should
hope,� said Gloriana, and the soft tone draped over the words made them far
worse than if she had fallen on him claw and fang. �Ah, Draco, you are a
disappointment to your mother.�

�� Not as
much as Blaise is to you, I think.� Draco spun her, and then recovered her,
hating the moments her face was out of sight. Surely, whatever she was planning
would show first there.

�� Of course
not,� said Gloriana, and stepped neatly aside to avoid another couple who�d
decided to join them. �But Blaise has an excuse that you do not. He has been a
disappointment to me for far longer. Draco, Narcissa is concerned about you.
And after speaking with young Mr. Potter this evening, I think she has a right
to be.� Her eyes were large, brown, guileless.

�� And
deadly, Draco reminded himself. Men who thought they were smart fell for
the deceptions in those eyes.

�� You don�t
like him?� he asked lightly. �The disapproval of a beautiful woman is something
we must all strive to avoid, of course.�

�� You would
do well to remember that your mother is also beautiful.�

�� Draco
caught a grimace just before he made it. This was the first time he could ever
remember Gloriana failing to respond to a compliment. She believed in what she
said.

�� Which, of
course, increased his paranoia, and his inclination to wonder why she had
wanted to say it to him.

�� And the
actions of brash young men can determine the future,� he said. People whirled
near them now, but the music still covered the majority of the conversation,
and at the very worst, whoever might hear those words would think they referred
to Blaise.

�� They can,�
said Gloriana. �But only when beautiful women do not make their disapproval
clearly felt.�

�� And so you
disapprove of someone who will not continue his family line?� Draco hated
stabbing out in the dark like this, but he had no idea what else to do. And it
was true that both Gloriana and Narcissa shared a common concern for
grandchildren. What Draco couldn�t figure out was why Gloriana thought putting
pressure on him would enable her to win Blaise back.

�� Unless, of
course, she was considering a marriage between a Zabini child and a Malfoy
child in the future...

�� But Draco
didn�t think that was the case. Both Narcissa and Gloriana would have pressed
down more sternly if it were. And with so many wizard families having only one
child and traditions loosening, they couldn�t be sure there would be a son and
daughter pair inclined to obey their parents twenty years from now.

�� Do you
feel it?� Gloriana asked him.

�� Draco
realized she had guided him skillfully to the outer edge of the dance floor, so
skillfully he hadn�t noticed, and now stood still, clasping his arm and forcing
him to pay attention. He drew his breath in harshly, far more annoyed with
himself than her, and then cocked his head.

�� He noticed
nothing he hadn�t noticed all evening, though, and gave his head a sharp shake that
people would, hopefully, think was only to remove sweat from his forehead.
�Nothing, Mrs. Zabini. I�m sorry.�

�� After so
long living with it, perhaps you do not,� said Gloriana. Her hold on his arm
tightened. �I can feel it, Draco, because it has not invaded my home
before now. It is your Mr. Potter�s magic.� She leaned nearer still, and Draco
wondered who would report tomorrow that Mrs. Zabini was considering taking a
Malfoy husband. �It would be wise to keep a wizard that powerful, if you would
date him and pull him into our circles, happy. Not to make mistakes that might
lead to him losing control of his magic.�

�� Draco
stared at her. He had no idea why Narcissa would have told Gloriana about
Harry�s loss of control at the Manor. No matter how he sorted through his
thoughts, he couldn�t see what advantage that won his mother. Did she really
think Gloriana could persuade him out of his relationship with Harry where she
had failed?

�� Perhaps
she is so far gone into delusion as to believe anything.

�� Draco took
a moment to rub at his mouth and then shake his head again. �I plan to keep him
very happy, Mrs. Zabini,� he said. �If you doubt my commitment to him
because I�ve had so many lovers before, let me reassure you now. You�ll need to
send invitations to the Manor in his name and mine for years to come.�

�� Gloriana
stared into his face for a moment, her study intense. Then she sighed and
actually made him a little curtsey, another thing that Draco couldn�t remember
happening before.

�� When the
time comes, Draco,� she said, �I trust that you will remember I tried to help
you, and to balance between the disapproval of a beautiful woman and the
actions of a brash young man.�

�� And she
turned away.

�� Draco
couldn�t pursue her and demand an explanation. For one thing, how would it
look? For another, he knew as surely as he knew his own name that she wouldn�t
give him one.

�� He shook
his head again, like a horse surfacing after a long immersion in cold water,
and then went towards the table and Harry.

*

�� Harry found
that he could enjoy the food heaped on his plate, even the slice of gamy
Calydonian boar, as long as he didn�t look towards the center of the room.

�� It was
ridiculous. It wasn�t as if he could dance. And he knew, from the expression on
Draco�s face, that he and Gloriana were hardly having a flirtatious
conversation in the middle of the dance floor.

�� And still,
he felt something worryingly like jealousy squirming in the center of his
chest.

�� This is
stupid, he reminded himself, and started a bit when someone slid into the
seat beside him. When he turned to face the person, however, it was Draco,
leaning past him to scoop up a slice of the meat from his plate. Harry could
feel his smile widening, and he barely resisted the urge to touch him.

�� Learn
something?� he asked.

�� Why would
you think that?� Draco ate neatly enough that it didn�t sound at all as if he
were speaking with food in his mouth.

�� Stop
talking with food in your mouth,� Harry told him.

�� Draco gave
him a pointed look, and swallowed.

�� You were
speaking with Mrs. Zabini,� said Harry, with a half-hearted gesture at the
dance floor. �And she�d spent a great deal of time talking to me about
politics. I don�t think you were talking about anything less serious.�

�� It was
Blaise, for the most part,� said Draco, and gave a slight shake of his head.
�That, and she doesn�t like me upsetting Narcissa.� He shrugged, and the shadow
passed from his face as if it hadn�t been, leaving him to lean in and look
keenly interested. Harry told himself other people were still there, still
watching them. Just because Draco made him feel like the only person in
the room didn�t mean it was true. �Politics? What did she say?�

�� Witty
remarks about the Minister.� Harry took another sip of his wine and looked
away, but Draco lightly clasped his wrist.

�� Harry.�

�� What?�
Harry snapped, turning around. The chair rattled beneath him. Humiliated, he
hid his face behind his cup again, and hoped to God that no one had noticed
that.

�� It was
something more than that.� Draco wasn�t quite touching him, but it was amazing,
it really was, Harry thought sourly, how his hand could hover above Harry�s
face, his arm, his shoulder, and manage to make it feel like he was
being touched. The hairs on his arms rose, as if they wanted Draco�s fingers on
them, and God, what had got into his head tonight? �You can read witty remarks
about the Minister in the Prophet. He�s an easy target. It was something
else.�

�� I hate not
being a good liar,� Harry muttered.

�� I love
it.� Draco leaned near enough that this time, his imaginary fingers seemed to
stroke Harry�s hair and ear. Harry shifted away a bit. Draco didn�t seem to
mind. �I know enough people who make an accomplishment of it. Tell me what
you�re thinking, Harry.� He all but crooned the last words.

�� She made
me think about the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and what they were
using me for,� Harry told his plate. �And I�ve thought about it since then, and
the more I think about it, the more certain I am that I don�t want to return to
being an Auror.�

�� Draco�s
hand did touch him this time, lying like a warm cloth on his shoulder.
�Go on,� he said.

�� Harry swore
under his breath. �It�s stupid,� he pointed out, still not meeting Draco�s
eyes. �After all, what else can I do? I�m not trained for anything else. A
public sacking wouldn�t make me a more appealing prospect, either. And I can
still help. I can imagine reading about murders and rapes, duels and curses,
and wondering how many of them I could have prevented.�

�� Draco was
silent for a long moment. Then his light touch grew firmer, and he said,
�Harry, we�ll spend a little more time here, eating, just to show that we can
spend an evening in public without being driven off. And then we�re going to
see Severus.�

�� Harry turned
around then, to stare at him. �What makes you imagine that he�ll agree to see
me? Or that I want to see him, for that matter?� He hadn�t looked at Snape
since a day eleven years ago, across the courtroom in which the Wizengamot
conducted the trials. Snape had sneered at him. Harry had looked away. He
hadn�t hated the man by then. The Weasleys were dead, and everything had
stopped and dulled and frozen.

�� What
matters is that I want you two to meet.� Draco was imperious, head
lifted, eyes wide and icy. �You would have done it anyway, since he�s an
important person in my life, and you�ve become one. But what matters even more
is that he does something he wasn�t trained for, and he does it very well.� He
leaned closer to Harry, and his face was passionate and convincing enough that
Harry couldn�t imagine saying no. �I want you to see that just because you make
a change doesn�t mean your life ends.�

�� Harry
opened his mouth to remind Draco of how much he and Snape had hated each other
in Hogwarts.

�� Of course,
what came out of it, given the expression on Draco�s face, was, �Yes.�
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Learning Life Over