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Wooing the Reluctant	By : makochan0217 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 23188 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 12
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter book series is owned by JKR. I am not her. I make no money and I only plan to use her characters for some fun before returning them, much happier.

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Title: Wooing the Reluctant

Author: Makoto Sagara

Series: Harry Potter

Archive: the usual suspects (ffnet, affnet, Foreverfandom, my site, mediaminer, makochanupdates on LJ, thehexfiles, hpfandom, and the harrydraco community on LJ); anywhere else, ask first.

Pairing: Draco/Harry, past Harry+others, past Draco/others

Rating: NC-17 (eventual; this chapter PG)

Warnings: Slash, ooc, angst, language, humour, EWE

Disclaimers: I don’t own Harry Potter and his friends. They belong to a list of people, including the wonderful JKR, Warner Bros, Scholastic Publishing, Raincoat Books, and others. I’m only borrowing them for entertainment purposes.

Author’s Notes: Thank you to all of my reviewers! Your kind words mean so much to me as I work on this. It’s definitely a nice break from my other works, which are rather heavy at this point in time. And many, many thanks to Skeren Dreamera for helping me get passed the block that this play date seemed to have caused. Silly Harry and Draco did not make it easy!

Chapter Five - Do Not Allow Your Intended to Back Out.

Timid lovers are fine, but persistent lovers are the winners.

However Draco thought his day with Teddy was going to turn out; it certainly hadn’t been like this. He was on a tentative date with his Intended, while his young cousin danced and pranced about like one of the animals he was making a huge fuss over. Not that the blond would have taken back accepting the scamp’s heartbreakingly adorable invitation, mind you.

His other companion, the handsome and delicious smelling Potter, was spending most of the time looking everywhere but at Draco. He would have been offended, if he couldn’t see and feel the tense way the other man held himself as they walked side-by-side. If only he would say something, then perhaps this wouldn’t be so awkward.

“What do you hope to gain by this stupid stunt, Malfoy?” Potter asked as they stopped in front of the lion enclosure. The blond was forced to look at the Gryffindor’s profile, and he found it just as delicious as being able to look at him full on.

“This is neither stupid, nor a stunt, Harry,” Draco said eventually, shaking his head to clear it of the desire that was threatening to break free. How he yearned to reach out and grab the other man and take him right there, public place or not; it was enough to nearly overwhelm him. “I am completely serious in my intent to woo you.”

“But it’s right stupid,” Harry growled, keeping a close eye on Teddy, who was tapping at the glass as the large cats lazed about on sun-warmed rocks. “We don’t even like each other.”

Draco allowed a brief smile to grace his face as he thought. “I think we’re a little beyond simple like or dislike, Harry,” he said. “You and I seem to find ourselves continually thrown into each other’s ways. I am simply choosing to… speed up the process.”

“You don’t even know me,” Harry shouted, making the people around them stare briefly before going about their business. The black-haired wizard blushed in embarrassment, much to Draco’s delight. It added a certain charm to his ruggedly handsome face. “That stupid article was utter bollocks, and you know it.”

“Why does everyone think I was anything but sincere when I gave that interview?” Draco asked rhetorically. “Look, Potter, you and I cannot avoid one another. We’re rich, powerful, handsome and well-sought after. It was inevitable that we would fall in each other’s way again. Besides, you’re the godfather of my cousin, who I happen to rather think well of, regardless of his parentage.”

“And that’s how you think of Teddy then?” Potter growled, practically oozing danger. “That he’s just some sub-human, part-werewolf spawn?”

“Please, don’t be stupid, Potter,” Draco shot back, feeling as if the other man had smacked him full across the face. “Theodore is a charming, sweet little boy, who is my cousin’s child with a werewolf.” He smiled as he watched the child they were speaking of tapped the glass enclosure harder, determined to get attention from the ‘pretty kitties’. “I happen to be rather fond of him, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

Potter didn’t answer, instead staring off with his jaw clenched. “He’s my godson, and I’ve told Andromeda that I have no intention of taking him from her, even though I’m sure she’s terrified that I will take the last of her family away.”

“Actually,” Draco said eventually. “My aunt is rather afraid that I am only out to court you so that I can harm you.”

“Aren’t you?”

“No,” the blond drawled. He was very irritated at having to repeat himself so much. “As I have already said, my whole purpose for wooing you is because I find you attractive, smart, and rather the only person who doesn’t suck up to me for my name and money. It’s quite refreshing, isn’t it?”

The blush he received in answer was enough for his ego, and he wisely didn’t press the issue. After Teddy had had his fill of the lions, he ran up to the two men and wrapped his tiny arms around Draco’s legs. “Cousin Draco, Nana told me they have wolves here. Can we see them? Please?” And even if Draco had been ready to tell the boy no, the wide green eyes silently pleading with him did him in.

“Certainly, Teddy,” he answered, lifting the little boy up and standing. “Your Uncle Harry will have to show us where it is, however. I’ve never been here myself.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The three spent a fair amount of time watching animals, and Teddy spent a great deal of time trying to coax the wolves closer to the bars of their cages to play until Harry took his hand and explained that that would be dangerous to everyone involved. Draco watched with an amused air, noting the way the man deftly handled the irritated child. It was after the wolf incident that he mentioned lunch as a distraction, and he was pleased to note that his Intended jumped on it like a lifeline.

When Harry handed him a hamburger in paper wrapping, Draco raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

“Don’t make fun. Just eat it, Malfoy. It’s rather good,” Harry scolded while placing what appeared to be fried chicken pieces in front of Teddy with chips and a syrupy drink to round out the boy’s meal.

“It appears to be beef, cheese, some sort of condiment, wilted lettuce, an overripe slice of tomato and a red onion slice,” Draco assessed. “And it’s dripping.”

“Then, don’t take it out of the wrapper completely,” the black-haired man snapped. “Honestly, Malfoy, I know that you don’t eat Muggle food, but it’s quite good and inexpensive. Well, it would be if everything here at this zoo wasn’t totally overpriced.”

“Uncle Harry, why do you keep calling Cousin Draco by his last name?” Teddy asked around a mouthful of chicken. “Nana says that you’re supposed to be nice to people you know.”

“And your nana is right, Teddy,” Harry answered, “but Malfoy and I aren’t friends, even if we have known each other for a long time.”

“Teddy, what your Uncle Harry is trying to say is that we didn’t always get along when we were children, and I’m trying to take the opportunity now to get to know him,” Draco said before Potter could pollute his cousin’s mind with nasty words about how he’d been as a teenager.

“Oh…” The little boy looked at the paper cup holding his drink and then frowned. “What does opportunity mean?”

Draco watched as Potter floundered as he thought, and decided that he’d take mercy on the other man. He wanted to win him over, after all, not alienate him or make him feel stupid. “It means a good chance, Theodore.”

Teddy scrunched up his nose. “I hate it when anyone calls me that. Nana only calls me that when she’s upset. Like the time I painted all the walls in my playroom bright orange.” He smiled widely before gobbling down the rest of his food. “May I go play with the other kids, Uncle Harry?”

“Yes, Teddy, but make sure that you come right here when I call,” Potter answered. Teddy gave out a whoop of joy and ran full tilt to the playground equipment that was crawling with children of all ages.

When Draco was sure that Teddy wasn’t going to return right away, he turned to the other man. “Since you are so sure that we don’t know one another, I propose an exchange of information.”

“You mean a little tit-for-tat?” Potter said as his face scrunched up in thought.

‘Oh, Potter, you make that sound so appealing, but I’m sure that’s not what you really meant,’ Draco thought sadly. “If one must say it like that, then yes. How would you like to begin?”

“Er, I guess,” his Intended said, running a hand through his perpetually messy black hair. “When did you start coming to see Teddy and Andromeda?”

“Mother decided that after the war that she wanted to reconnect with the last of the living Blacks. Father was in Azkaban to serve his life sentence. I was wandering aimlessly and didn’t see any reason to discourage her, since she was so upset. After a few visits, Mother begged me to come along. Truthfully, I hadn’t given any thought to that part of my family, ever, but it made Mother so happy. Aunt Andromeda was a surprise though. I thought she was Bellatrix returned from the dead,” Draco finished with a chuckle.

“Oh, yes, I pulled my wand out on her the first time we met. It was only her husband, Ted, that kept me from blasting her into next year,” Potter said with his own chuckle.

“Once I saw Teddy, it was love at first sight.” Draco sighed, knowing that he was giving more than he’d previously thought he’d have to this early in the game, but Potter had never played by the rules. “I’d always wanted siblings growing up, but that was impossible. Mother couldn’t have more children. So, when I was entrusted with my darling cousin, I was instantly lost.”

“I felt the same way when I first held Teddy. I remember Remus showing me pictures of him when he was a few weeks. He was so proud, I thought he’d burst from it all. And being with Teddy was like having my parents’ friend and Tonks back.”

“Hm,” Draco muttered noncommittally. “My turn, Harry… Why didn’t you become an Auror?”

Green eyes turned on him, making him feel an inch tall. “After it was over, I was so damn tired. I didn’t want to deal with that shit anymore. Not even Kingsley becoming Minister kept me from finding it repugnant to work for the Ministry. So, I started looking at what careers I could use my N.E.W.T.s with. Healing was the next logical step.”

“It goes with your saviour complex then?”

Harry snorted, shaking his head. “I want to help people and be useful. I guess I never really got over seeing what happened to the Longbottoms when I met them in fifth year, and I’d like to find a way to help cases like that. Besides, Mind Healers rarely are called on to save patients at a second’s notice, Malfoy.”

“Draco.”

“What?”

“My given name is Draco. I would prefer it if you would call me by it from now on, Harry.”

“My turn now, Mal-Draco,” he said uncomfortably, blushing and shifting in his seat. “Why are you trying this stupid courting business now?”

“Mother and Pansy have been nagging me for years to actually do something with my life, instead of just waiting for something to happen. I think Mother was hoping that I’d do something with my N.E.W.T.s or volunteer work, but Pansy wanted me to get married.”

"Let me guess, your little announcement ruined her plans to marry her and now I’ll have to watch my back every second until some stupid moron takes pity on her or she’s shipped off to Azkaban for attempted murder?” His tone of voice was bitter, resentful, and just a tad bit jealous. Draco had to bite the inside of his cheeks to keep from breaking out into a victorious grin.

“No, nothing as dramatic as that, Harry. My goodness, has that actually happened to you since the end of the war?” He received a dark look in answer and gave a tiny chuckle. “No, Pansy and Blaise Zabini just told me about their engagement a few days ago, actually. I had to force the chap to finally do so, even though he’s been absolutely mad about her for ages.” He leaned back in his chair and looked at Harry for a few quiet minutes. “My turn, did you read up on the courting traditions like I suggested?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry looked up at Malfoy – no, Draco, his mind insisted – before answering. “Yeah, Hermione and I spent two days going over all the books on courting and bonding available in the old Black library.” He sighed heavily. “According to tradition, you have twelve rules to follow, but they never specified how long it would go on.”

The blond stared at him. Those startling grey eyes that up until today had only looked at him with varying degrees of anger, rage, disdain, and disgust over the years they’d known one another were eerily focused on him. Harry found that he couldn’t look away. It was extremely disconcerting. “The courtship goes on as long as it takes for you to agree and consent to the marriage. Until then, I must prove that I am worthy of your time and affection.”

‘That has to rankle. Malfoy’s used to getting what he wants when he wants. He’s rich, smart, funny, and good looking – when did I starting thinking that?! He must be used to people throwing themselves at him.’ Then, something that Harry had heard made him frown. “There are rumours going around about you. I started hearing them during the very short time I dated Lavender Brown. You’re a playboy and a flirt.”

“That’s not exactly a question, Harry,” the other man said softly, never losing that intense look in his eyes. “Why don’t you ask what you want to know?”

“Are they true? Will you really have sex with anyone you find remotely attractive for the night and then move on to the next conquest?” Harry asked heatedly. He was too agitated to investigate why the thought of the blond with anyone else was making him unreasonably upset.

“No,” Draco finally responded. “I have some standards, after all. The person I decide to spend time with must be strikingly attractive.” There was a slight blush to the high cheekbones and the small ears that made the blond look softer somehow, more human and less sculpture-like. “I will admit that I’m no blushing virgin, but I’ve not slept with hundreds of people either.”

“Why me?”

“Why you, Harry? Why not you? You’re handsome, smart, great with children, loyal, heroic to a fault, you have your own money, and you have such exacting standards that no one could possibly live up to them unless you let them,” the blond answered passionately. “Besides that, you are the only person to ever challenge me constantly. You never kissed my arse because of my money or my father’s name. In fact, you only seemed to hate me more once you met Father.”

Harry shook his head, trying to make sense of what the blond was saying. “No, I never hated you for what Lucius did, Draco. I just hated the fact that you seemed to want to be just like him. He nearly killed Ginny in our second year, and after I helped him free D-dobby, he tried to kill me too. It’s only thanks to Dobby’s house-elf magic that I even made it to third year at all.”

Grey eyes blinked in confusion. “So, you’re saying that if I had tried to behave more like my mother and less like my father, we might have been friends at school?”

“I don’t know. The past is past, so it’s useless in trying to discuss the ‘what ifs’ and ‘could have beens’.” Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “What I’m trying to figure out is what’s in this stupid courting for me?”

The silence was deafening. For a moment, Harry thought that a Silencing charm had been cast, but he could vaguely hear the children still screaming and the other adults watching the youngsters. It was only the blond who was totally silent. He hadn’t noticed the blond haired, green eyed menace approaching on surprisingly light feet across the rubber flooring of the playground. “Well, Draco, what’s in this for me?”

“Everything, you idiot! Everything is in it for you! You’d have exactly what it is that you’ve been telling everyone that you want. Someone who wants you for you. Not your fame, money, name or anything else as asinine and common as that. I. Want. You.” By the time the blond had finished, his hair was less than perfect and his face was flushed in anger. If Harry was honest with himself, the look was perfectly charming and totally attractive. It made him wonder what he’d look like in the throes of passion.

“Cousin Draco, don’t you yell at my Uncle Harry like that!” Teddy yelled, hands on his hips and a scowl on his face. “You’re supposed to be nice to each other! And if you can’t be nice, then you’re supposed to be quiet!”

Harry looked at his godson in shock for a few seconds before bursting into nearly hysterical laughter. Leave it to the child to remind the two of where they were. By the time he managed to control the laughter that was still bubbling beneath the surface, he had to wipe tears away from his eyes. “Teddy, it’s okay. Draco and I end up like this all the time.”

“It’s not right,” the little boy answered.

“You’re right, it’s not,” Harry responded, picking up the boy and hugging him tightly. “Sometimes, adults don’t always remember that they’re adults. I’m sure that your Cousin Draco is sorry that he yelled. Right, Malfoy?”

“Yes, of course. Thank you for reminding me of my manners, Teddy,” the blond said with some dignity. “It’s my turn again, Harry. Explain to me how taking courses at a Muggle university is to help you become a better Mind Healer.”

Harry snorted before standing, intending to go back to Andromeda’s house, but he’d answer the other man’s question as well. “Muggles have two branches of healing that they call Psychology and Psychiatry. The first deals mostly with talk therapy and learning new coping skills. The second deals with assigning medications and behaviour modification. I’m taking courses in the first so that I can incorporate talk therapy with Legilimency to better assist patients. As a Mind Healer, I’d of course be assigning potions, but I’ve also been reading up on Muggle medicines.” Harry smiled as the blond stood up and they all began walking towards the exit of the zoo. It seemed as if his audience was actually interested. “I would never want to have to prescribe them.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, a lot of what Muggles use are rather addictive or used to alter minds too much. Potions, even when they use the same base ingredients, are treated and used differently, so you get vastly different results. There’s a condition that’s called Bi-Polar Disorder. It’s a condition where the brain’s chemicals are out of balance, causing the patient to experience severe changes in mood and behaviour, from extremely high highs and devastatingly low lows. It’s fairly common in Muggles, and the drugs that are used to treat it tend to make patients complain of feeling as if they’re moving around in cotton wool all the time. Now, the same thing here is treated with potions that confront the chemicals and parts of the brain that are malfunctioning to begin to regulate just how much of the chemicals the brain releases at one time. The only problem is that Healers don’t discuss the treatment or what behaviours the patient exhibits. They just assign the potion and then monitor the differences for the set amount of time. There’s no real help outside of that. Hence why so many patients relapse by taking mind-altering drugs, either Wizarding or Muggle, thus destroying their progress and ending up in the special ward at St. Mungo’s for substance abuse.”

“So, you’re determined to use this talk therapy that Muggles tote to avoid patient relapses?”

“Exactly,” Harry answered with a smile. He was rewarded with an equally bright smile from his companion. He tried desperately to ignore the fluttering in his stomach and continue their conversation. It was a topic that fascinated him, and he could tell that the blond was interested in the potions aspect. “Muggle studies show that when the medication is added to talk therapy, group, personalized or both, the patient is more likely to function normally in society. Especially if they have a supportive partner or family.”

“That actually sounds rather ingenious. I never would have thought that Muggles would have something that would improve Wizarding Healing.”

“Yes, well, it’s true that their methods are a little barbaric and involve a lot of risk, but some are actually better than ours. This is a very startling case of that.”

“Did Granger suggest that you do this?” While not trying to be, that question struck Harry deep. It was one that he’d heard numerous times since he began his Healer training.

“No,” he said through his clenched teeth. “I thought this up all on my own.”

“I’m sorry, Harry, I didn’t mean to offend you,” Draco said quickly. “It’s just that while we were in school, it appeared that Granger was the brains of your trio, you were the heart, and Weasley was the entertainment.”

He hadn’t thought of things like that, but Harry could see that it would appear like that to outsiders and he began to relax and chuckle a bit. “No, Hermione is the one I consulted once I figured out what I wanted to do and she helped me pick the best university to study at, but she was just as struck by the idea as you seem to be.”

“I’m interested in the potions versus Muggle medication, to be honest.”

“I could see that. You always were obsessed about potions.” Whatever else they were going to say was interrupted by the large yawn that Teddy gave. “Tired, big guy?” Harry asked. The child just nodded and put his head on Harry’s shoulder. “Well, let’s get you back to your nana, and then you can take a nap.”

“’Kay,” Teddy whispered, closing his eyes.

Harry looked around and noticed that they were at the Apparition point closest to the zoo. He turned to his unexpected companion for the day and smiled. “It’s been an interesting day, Malfoy,” he said, holding out his hand for the other man to shake.

He was surprised when instead of a handshake, the blond kissed the knuckles and back of his hand. “Yes, it has, Harry,” his suitor purred. Again, Harry had to ignore the fluttering in his stomach. “I do so hope that we can do this again. Perhaps without Teddy next time.” Harry nodded dumbly. He could still feel the soft, pink lips as they caressed (there was no other word for what the blond had done) his hand. “I shall contact you soon then.” Before Harry could say anything, those soft lips were sliding against his cheek and then the other man was gone with a distinct ‘pop’.

Shaking his head after blinking a few moments, Harry Apparated to Andromeda’s house, put Teddy down for his nap, and managed to leave the woman’s house without answering a single question about what happened that afternoon. It wasn’t until he was back at Grimmauld Place that he pulled out of his daze, and that was only because that wretched miniature doll of Malfoy was back. “Someone cast an Augamenti, because you’re on fire!”

With a growl and a fierce slash of his wand, the stupid thing was back to being muted and disillusioned. At least for the next four hours. This gave Harry enough time to think about what really occurred with Draco Malfoy that day.

TBC

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Wooing the Reluctant