Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Contract Under Love	By : CelticKitsune Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 32702 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from Harry Potter or anything related to it.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Contract Under Love
Chapter 5
Harry didn't think that there was anything that could ruin the good mood that he was in when he got back from Diagon Alley. He hadn't realised how much he had missed his two best friends while he was stuck in Malfoy Manor. Even if he had only been there a week, not having anywhere to go had been reminding him far too much of his time trapped at the Dursley's; knowing he was allowed to leave the Manor helped with that. The only problem he had now was what he was going to do when Ron and Hermione went back to school in a few weeks.
Harry really didn't want to go back, he didn't think there was much point in getting his N.E.W.T.'s, but if Draco went back then he felt like he would have no choice but to return to Hogwarts as well. It was something he would have to speak to the blond about.
The trouble was that Draco didn't appear to be home. Harry had gone looking for him when he and Narcissa had gotten back, but his fiancé was nowhere to be found; so Harry, not wanting to spend the rest of the day cooped up in his room, made his way out to Narcissa's garden.
The blond woman wasn't out there at the moment, which left Harry to actually walk around and do a bit more exploring.
The garden was far more beautiful and well kept then anything his aunt had ever tried to achieve; Harry had been fairly good at keeping the flower beds free from all weeds but he was no expert gardener, unlike whoever it was who attended to this one.
As he walked along the path through the garden Harry saw a section that had a patch of lawn. Pausing, he smiled to himself and went to sit down on the patch of grass, sighing as he lay back and stared up at the sky, letting his mind wander. He wondered where Draco kept vanishing off to, his fiancé had been doing it all week. Harry made a mental note to ask Draco that as well when he saw him, which Harry could only assume would be during dinner.
Harry closed his eyes letting out another long sigh, thinking that maybe he should have gone with Ron and Hermione instead; he would, at the very least, be less bored at the moment.
A shadow fell over him and Harry frowned as the warm sun was blocked. Opening his eyes, he blinked up at Draco, who was leaning over him. The blond boy was looking down at him curiously. “What are you doing?”
“Trying not to be bored anymore,” Harry replied.
Draco smirked. “Is it working?”
“Not really.” Harry shook his head before sitting up and stretching. "I probably would have fallen asleep if I lay here any longer," he admitted.
"I never understood how anyone could fall asleep on the ground like that," Draco commented as he shook his head.
"I've slept worse places before," Harry said standing up and dusting his pants off. "So where were you?" he asked, looking at Draco. "Your mother and I got back but you weren't home." .
"Just out," Draco said dismissively. "I thought you and mother would have been gone longer."
Harry frowned, not sure how to feel about Draco avoiding the question; his first thought was that Draco was hiding something, and the idea that Draco might be keeping things from him actually hurt a bit, but Harry shoved that feeling aside. He and Draco were getting along better, but there was no reason for the two of them to share everything with each other.
"I found out today that Ron and Hermione are going back to school," Harry said running a hand through his hair. "And your mother told me you were planning on going back as well?" Harry didn't mean to make it sound like a question, but he couldn't help but hope that Narcissa had been wrong.
Draco raised an eyebrow at Harry. "I am, I need my N.E.W.T.'s if I want to go into my chosen profession," Draco admitted. "What does me going back to school have to do with you being home early?"
Harry tried not to look frustrated as he answered. "If you go back to Hogwarts, then I'm going to have to go back as well. I don't like the fact that I'm being forced into returning to Hogwarts," Harry said, doing a fairly good job at keeping his temper in check, and giving Draco a chance to explain.
"I was planning on returning to school before the whole thing with this contract even came up. No one is saying you have to go back," Draco pointed out, looking confused about Harry's outburst. "I have to go back if I want any chance of having a good career. But you don't have to, though I can think of one good reason why you should go back."
"And what would that be?" Harry didn't believe that there was anything the blond could say that would be convincing enough.
Draco sighed, taking a moment before answering; Harry was obviously angry enough about the situation and Draco was sure that this was going to make things worse. "If we stay here, it would mean we are done with School and would have to get married in a week, instead of next year."
Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "But the contract says..."
"It says we need to be married by the summer following our final year at Hogwarts,” Draco said, sounding frustrated as he cut Harry off. “If we drop out of school now, that would make this the summer following our final year." Draco continued watching Harry, who was looking conflicted and angry. “Like I said though, you don't have to go back.”
"And what am I supposed to do?" Harry snapped. "It's not like I can stay here while you're away at school." Harry clenched his hands into fists in an effort to not lash out at Draco; it wasn't the blond's fault that they were in this situation and Harry knew it would be unfair to the blond if he took his anger out on him. Harry closed his eyes and tried to calm down a little bit. He hated this, once again things in his life were so far out of his control.
"You could go and stay with the Weasleys," Draco suggested, "or maybe move into one of the Potter properties?" Draco knew that he wasn't being very helpful but he felt that Harry was making this into a bigger problem than it actually was. "There are plenty of other things you can do besides stay here."
"But the best option is for me to go back to School," Harry said in annoyance, running a hand through his hair again and making it stick up more than it already was.
Draco nodded his agreement. "I think it will be, but I'm not here to try and run your life for you. As you have said many times, you have plenty of people trying to do that already," he said as Harry started pacing back and forth. Harry walked in tight circles mumbling to himself and Draco let him, just standing back and watching for now while Harry worked things out in his own head.
Draco let this continue for a few more minutes before he grabbed Harry's arm stopping the other boy from his angry pacing when it seemed like Harry was doing nothing more than making himself even more angry. "No one is forcing you to go back, Harry," Draco said with a small sigh, holding his hand up to stop Harry from interrupting him. "You do not have to decide right this second either. We still have two weeks before the start of school, as long as you have decided by next week we will still have plenty of time to get your books for school."
Harry shook his head. "No, I've already decided what I'm going to do, I just don't know how things are going to work. I would really like to avoid Dumbledore for right now, but that's not possible if I go back to school."
"So then just don't worry about things that haven't happened yet," Draco suggested in amusement. "There is such a thing as over-thinking a problem. So, are you going back to school, or not?"
Harry sighed and nodded. "Yes, I'm going back," he said, looking at Draco and hoping that he was making the right choice. Though, in the end, it didn't really matter because Draco had made it so Harry was the one making the choice and no one else, and that thought alone made Harry smile.
Draco smiled too, nodding his head once. "Alright then, that's one problem dealt with. Now it's a bit late in the day to go back to Diagon Alley; I suggest we go this Saturday, I should be free by then.”
Harry frowned, still curious as to what Draco had been doing that would keep him so busy during the summer. “That should be fine, I suppose... I kind of wanted to make plans to see Ron and Hermione again this weekend,” Harry admitted.
"It shouldn't take too long to get our books if we go early enough in the morning, that would leave you the afternoon to go see them,” Draco assured him. “Though, now that I think about it, if we're going to be getting married next year I suppose you're going to want your friends there as well...That means I may have to try and get along with them,” Draco said, making a face, obviously not fond of the idea.
Harry grinned. “It's not really all that bad is it? I think it would be an improvement if you and Ron could be in the same room without fighting.”
Draco nodded. “One thing at a time then. We have a year to work on it I suppose.” Draco still didn't sound too happy about the idea, but Harry had to smile at the fact that the blond was obviously willing to try.
------x

The next few days were a lot easier for Harry this time. He was excited that he was going to get to go to Diagon Alley again so soon, and knowing he would once again see Ron and Hermione also had him extremely happy; but what made it easier this time was the fact that Draco seemed to be around the manor more often.
It made Harry happy just knowing that the blond was around for him to bother; and Harry took advantage of that, not wanting to be locked up in his room by himself. Harry had taken to following Draco around, trying to work out what it was that was that had been keeping the blond so busy and learning the layout of the manor a bit better in the process.
Whatever room Draco decided to spend his time in, Harry would find a spot in a chair close by and read whatever book he could find. This was often Draco's office and Harry was quite happy to sit and read his book while the blond pored over stacks of papers, though he was still no wiser about what his fiancé was actually up to. The only thing Harry knew for sure was that Draco was sending and receiving a lot of owls each day.
This also continued after dinner as well; each night Harry would grab a random book and go knock on Draco's door. Despite the annoyed look that the blond would give him, Harry didn't think that his fiancé really minded the company at all as he always allowed Harry in without complaint. They didn't talk, content to sit in their own seats, reading, until Harry got too tired and would drag himself back to his own room.
Friday night was no different. Right after dinner Harry ran up to his room to fetch his book, either ignoring or just not noticing the disproving look from Lucius. Draco followed Harry upstairs at a slower pace, and couldn't help but smile when he saw the black-haired boy already waiting in the hallway for him. Having Harry follow him around and invade his room every night this week should have annoyed him, but Draco was finding it more amusing then anything.
“Must be a good book, if you're that eager to continue reading it,” Draco teased as he opened the door to his room and allowed Harry inside first.
“It's really not,” Harry said, even as he sat in his normal spot next to the fireplace and opened his book to start reading. Draco smiled again, going over to lean against the back of Harry's chair so he could see the book Harry was reading.
"If it's not that good, then why are you reading it?" Draco asked. Harry just shrugged a shoulder, he was very aware of how close Draco was standing at the moment.
“You'll have to let me read it when you're finished,” Draco said, pulling away from the chair and leaving Harry to read.
Harry looked up when he felt Draco move away, and frowned as he watched the blond. Everything was so strange recently, and not just because of the engagement. Harry wasn't quite sure what was happening; for starters he didn't find Draco to be nearly as annoying as he had in the past and then there was the fact that Harry actually wanted to be around the other boy. He was also upset whenever he was unable to find Draco in the manor, though Harry tired to tell himself that was because Draco was the only one around to talk too. However, now that he thought about it, he realised that wasn't quite true; he could easily go out and visit Ron or Hermione whenever he wanted. He might have only found that out a week ago now, but he still found himself wanting Draco's company more than anyone else's.
"Are you going to read? Or stare at me all night?" Draco asked sounding amused. Harry blinked then blushed brightly, looking away.
"Sorry, I was just spacing out a bit I guess." Harry looked back at his book, but he still couldn't seem to make himself read any of the words in front of him. Draco had caught him staring and Harry wondered now if the blond knew how often Harry had been staring at him in just the past week alone. Shaking his head, Harry forced himself to focus on the book he was holding.
Draco smiled as he watched Harry struggling to keep his attention on the book he was supposedly reading, but every now and then green eyes wandered away from the page that hadn't been turned once in the last hour. It had been the same nearly every night this week. Draco had been surprised the first evening that Harry had knocked on his door, being an only child Draco was used to being on his own in his room for hours, but Harry didn't seem to like being in his room alone. Draco didn't mind the company, so he allowed Harry to sit in here and read. However, over the last two nights, the smaller boy hadn't gotten much reading done.
Draco turned his focus back to his own book and continue reading. He only got a few pages in when he heard a soft thud. Looking back at Harry, Draco frowned, seeing the book on the floor next to Harry, the smaller boy slumped slightly in the chair.
"Harry?" Draco stood up and put his own book aside, walking over to stand next to the chair Harry was in. Draco couldn't help but chuckle when he saw that Harry had fallen asleep. He wasn't too surprised by that, after all Harry had mentioned before that he had had trouble sleeping recently.
The only problem now was that Draco didn't want to wake him, but Harry couldn't spend the night in the chair either. Thinking about it for a few moments, Draco decided to just move Harry onto the bed, it was easier then moving him to his own room and risk waking him. Draco carefully lifted his fiancé from the chair, noticing how light the other boy was; it made Draco worried about how many meals Harry was skipping.
Draco settled Harry on the bed and stepped back watching as his fiancé shifted slightly before snuggling down into the bed and drifted further into sleep. The blond couldn't help but smile at that as he continued to watch Harry for a few more moments before turning to his wardrobe to get himself ready for bed
Once he was dressed the blond turned his attention back to Harry once again, he really didn't want to let Harry sleep in the clothes he had been wearing all day, but that meant trying to get Harry changed without waking him. Deciding that was a risk worth taking, Draco grabbed an extra pair of pants from his wardrobe and carefully got Harry undressed.
He managed to change Harry quickly without waking the other boy, but was really surprised by how deeply asleep Harry seemed to be at the moment. He wondered if Harry was just really tired after all the missed sleep he had been getting, or if his mother had used her old trick and slipped something into Harry's dinner that night. Yawning and settling himself down into bed, Draco decided Harry was most likely under the effects of a mild sleeping drought and made a mental note to thank his mother in the morning for making sure Harry got a decent night sleep for once.
----------x
The following morning had Harry waking up slowly; he felt more groggy then he usually did when waking up, all he wanted to do was curl up and go back to sleep for a few hours. But as he shifted to get comfortable again and get a little more sleep, he felt something tighten around his waist.
Harry was then awake instantly, sitting up and jerking away from what was holding him. The only thing this managed to do was cause Harry to roll off the bed, while also waking up Draco, who sat up quickly when he heard the loud thud followed by Harry's cursing.
“Harry?” Draco moved to the side of the bed and looked down at Harry, who was rubbing his shoulder that he had obviously landed on. “You okay?”
“Draco?” Harry frowned, looking up at the blurry outline of the blond. “What happened?” Harry asked, his frown deepening as he looked around; even without his glasses he could tell that he wasn't in his own room, which meant that he was most likely still in Draco's.
“You fell asleep reading,” Draco said, reaching over to the bed side table to grab Harry's glasses, handing them to the green-eyed boy, who took them. “I didn't want to wake you, so I allowed you to sleep in my room last night.”
Putting his glasses on, Harry looked back up at Draco. “You could have woken me,” Harry said standing up.
“I don't think I could have honestly. You were so deeply asleep that I was able to move you from the chair to the bed, and even got you changed out of your clothes; you didn't even twitch,” Draco informed him as he stood up off the bed. Harry blinked, seeming to notice for the first time that he was in fact in a pair of Draco's pajama pants, and nothing else. The blond was also in a similar state of dress and the realisation of this had Harry's cheeks turning red.
“Oh... well.... um, thank you, for letting me sleep in here then,” Harry said and glanced around to see if he could find his own clothes, not that it would help the fact that Draco was still shirtless and sitting on the edge of the bed. Not seeing his clothes anywhere, Harry could only assume that a house elf had already collected them to wash. “I'll just...head back to my own room now then,” Harry said and practically ran from the room.
Draco watched curiously as his door slammed shut behind Harry at the other boy's hasty retreat. He hadn't expected the smaller boy to get flustered like that, but Draco had found it rather amusing. He never would have thought that Harry Potter of all people would have gotten flustered so easily.
----x
Narcissa was sitting out in her garden like she did every morning; she looked up and smiled when she saw Harry come out to join her for breakfast. “Good morning, Harry, you look well rested this morning,” she commented as Harry sat down in the seat across from her and started dishing up the fruit he seemed to favor in the morning.
Harry smiled at her and nodded. “I think I managed to sleep the whole night actually,” he informed her and she smiled back at him.
“I am glad to hear that,” she said and continued eating her own breakfast, the two of them falling into a comfortable silence as they ate. It was one thing that had really started to worry Narcissa, knowing that Harry hadn't been able to sleep since coming to the manor nearly two weeks ago, but she was glad to know that the boy had managed to get a full night sleep, with the help of a simple sleeping drought slipped into his food.
Draco joined them a few minutes later, pausing in the doorway that lead out into the garden. He couldn't help but be happy about the fact that his mother and Harry really seemed to get along well. “Good morning, mother,” Draco greeted as he moved to join the other two for breakfast. This caught Harry's attention; nearly two weeks at the Manor and this was the first time that Harry had seen the blond eat breakfast.
“Good morning, Draco, joining us this morning?” she asked as her son took a seat.
“Yes, Harry and I have a busy day today. I am unsure if we will be back in time for dinner tonight,” Draco said and Narcissa looked at him curiously.
“You are going to be buying your school books? Surely it will not take you all day to do that, even on a weekend I imagine it wouldn't take that long,” Narcissa said.
“We have plans to visit with Harry's friends after, and I thought it might be nice to eat out tonight,” Draco admitted and Harry looked a little surprised about the latter, his fiancé not having mentioned that before.
“Very well. Shall I inform your father for you?” Narcissa enquired, to which Draco shook his head.
“No, I will inform father before we leave.” Draco waited for his mother to nod once before he started eating his own breakfast.
Harry could only shake his head a little at the interaction between Draco and Narcissa. After having seen them talk to each other a few times, he had come to the conclusion that that was just how they spoke to each other but Harry couldn't help but feel that it was a little too impersonal. Though Narcissa clearly did love her son, that was something that Harry didn't doubt. It was just that Harry couldn't help but compare the relationship between Draco and Narcissa, to how Molly was with her own children.
“Are you finished eating already, Harry?” Narcissa's voice broke into his thoughts and Harry blushed a little when he found not only Narcissa but Draco looking at him.
“Sorry, I was thinking too much,” Harry said, picking up an orange slice and eating it quickly.
“We can leave when you are finished eating, Harry,” Draco informed him and Harry smiled, picking up a few more orange slices to take with him.
“We can go now,” Harry said with a grin as he stood up.
“Wait for me by the fire place in the main entrance. I will be right there, after I have talked to my father,” Draco said. Harry nodded and went back inside to wait for Draco, knowing that he could now at least find the main fireplace in the entrance without help. Draco stood up as well to follow after Harry, but paused for a moment and looked back at Narcissa when he remembered something.
“Thank you," he said with a grateful smile at his mother. "Harry really needed the sleep. I wish I had thought about giving him the sleeping drought.”
“I am surprised that you had not thought of it yourself, with all the times I've had to give it to you.” She smiled. “But I do not mind, after all, even I could see he needed the rest. Now go and speak with your father, before Harry comes to find out what is taking you so long.”
----------x
Diagon Alley was busy when Harry and Draco arrived, even though it was still early and most shops were just opening. Harry wasn't surprised by the number of people, as he had always had to do his back to school shopping towards the end of the summer when the Weasleys brought him. But even though he was expecting it to be crowded, Harry still wasn't happy about how many people that were pointing and staring at him. However, it was a little different today, because people weren't staring just because he was Harry Potter, but because he was with Draco Malfoy, of all people.
"It always appalls me at how no one seems to have any manners," Draco scoffed. "They're acting as if we don't see them pointing at us," he said, glaring at someone as they walked by.
Harry chuckled. “It is annoying,” he agreed. “But I find it kind of funny too. They're all acting like this is the first they've heard of it. I know for a fact that it was in the paper again after me and Narcissa came here a few days ago.”
Draco looked at Harry and smiled. “Maybe they learned something during the war; never believe what you read in the paper.”
Harry laughed then shook his head. “No, I highly doubt anyone would learn that lesson all that quick. The Prophet is the only real wizarding newspaper so there isn't really any other way to get any information about what is happening in this world," he pointed out. "At least in the muggle world people have access to more than one source of information.” That got Harry thinking about why no one had tried to start up another news paper. Sure, there were magazines like Witch Weekly, and the Quibbler, but Harry didn't really count those as a good place to go if you wanted good solid facts. Then again, the Prophet wasn't good about printing facts either.
"There are other ways to get information that you need without reading it in the paper," Draco pointed out, though he didn't elaborate as he lead Harry down the street heading into Flourish and Blots to get their school books. The book store wasn't as busy as Harry thought it would have been considering the number of people walking the street outside.
Both Harry and Draco were able to get all the books they needed, but Harry couldn't help but notice that Draco had a few more books than he did. “Extra reading?” Harry asked looking at the four extra books that Draco had aside from his normal school ones, tilting his head slightly to try and read the title on the side of one of the books. Harry blinked and looked back at Draco. “Healing magic?” Harry questioned.
“Yes, I'm going to be apprenticing under Madam Pomfrey this year. It will give me a head start for when I am finished with school and am looking for a job,” Draco explained, though there was a lot more to it than that, but Draco didn't really want to go into full detail about all the hoops he had had to jump through just to get approved for the apprenticeship. And how much fighting he was having to do just to keep the approval.
“I didn't know you wanted to be a healer.” Harry looked at Draco in surprise.
“Not many people do know that about me. Blaise, Pansy and Theodore are the only ones who have known before now,” Draco said as he stepped up to the counter to pay for his books, ignoring the look the shop owner was giving both him and Harry.
“Why keep it a secret?” Harry questioned, putting his own books on the counter as well.
“It's not exactly the profession my father had in mind for me, so I wasn't sure if I would be allowed to pursue it,” the blond explained, his attention turning sharply to the man behind the counter when he heard him snort as if trying to cover up a laugh. “Something funny?” Draco hissed, narrowing his eyes.
“Not at all,” the man said giving an equally cold look to Draco.
Harry looked between the two of them and frowned before stepping in front of Draco and glaring up at the man behind the counter. “This should be enough for the books.” Harry said coldly and put the money on the counter. The shop keeper looked a little startled watching as Harry shrank and gathered up both stacks of books, before taking Draco's hand and leading the blond out of the books store.
Draco allowed himself to be pulled from the store and halfway down the street before he realised that Harry wasn't going to stop walking. Draco sighed and pulled Harry to a stop. “Harry, there's no need to be upset about that,” Draco said and blinked when Harry turned sharply and glared at him.
“He had no right to be rude to you like that!” Harry didn't even bother to keep his voice down, which caught the attention of more than a few passersby.
“It's something I've had to get used to, in my position,” Draco explained.
“That's beside the point! He still had no right to act like that.” Harry was fuming. He didn't know why he was so angry about this; he had known long before now that the Malfoy family wasn't very liked by many people, and even less now after the war, what with Lucius having managed to once again stay out of prison. And with Draco being Lucius' son, the blond boy had to deal with his own share of animosity. But this was the first time Harry had seen it for himself.
Draco sighed. “Harry, there's no need to get this upset over it. Besides this is not the time or the place to be having this conversation.” Draco indicated the small crowd of people that had stopped to listen to them.
Glancing around Harry huffed. “Fine,” he said. “Where to next?” he asked.
“I think the Apothecary, I need to restock my potions kit,” Draco said and Harry nodded, allowing Draco to lead the way, trying his very best to ignore all the people watching them.
The rest of the shopping trip went a lot smoother. The news of Harry's outburst in the middle of the street seemed to have spread through all of Diagon Alley and while people were still staring at them, it was not as openly as before. By the time they were finished and ready to go meet Ron and Hermione, Harry was in a much better mood.
----------x
Ron and Hermione were waiting for Harry and Draco at Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour; both of them had been happy to hear from Harry again so soon, and to meet up with him before school started. Ron, however, was less happy about the fact that Harry would be dragging Draco along as well.
“I really don't get why Malfoy has to come too,” Ron said as he and Hermione sat at one of the outside tables so they would be able to see Harry when he got there.
“Maybe Harry wants you to get used to Malfoy, before the two of them get married next year?” Hermione suggested.
They had already had conversations similar to this one already and all of them had lead back to the fact that there wasn't anything they could do for Harry; if their friend wasn't going to fight the situation he had been put in then the only thing any of them could do was accept what was happening. But that hadn't stopped Hermione from looking into the contract herself. However, she had come to accept that there really wasn't anything they could do about it, unless Harry wanted to lose everything his parents had left him.
“Doesn't mean I have to like it,” Ron pointed out and turned his attention to scan the passing crowd so that he wouldn't miss Harry.
“None of us have to like it, but I don't think Harry needs this to be any harder than it already is,” Hermione told him, and Ron nodded his head in agreement.
“I don't plan on making it harder for him, but that's what you're here for, right? To smack me when I say something wrong?” Ron asked grinning at Hermione; the bushy-haired girl rolled her eyes but smiled back at Ron anyway.
“Ron! Hermione!” Both of them turned in the direction that they heard Harry call them from and Ron grinned, waving his friend over.
“Hey mate, I was starting to wonder if we were going to have to start looking for you. I don't think I've ever seen Diagon Alley so busy before,” Ron said as Harry reached the table that his friends were at. Draco followed Harry over at a slower pace, but didn't fully approach the table just yet.
“It is a bit busier today. Maybe it's because it's finally settling in that the war is actually over?” Harry said.
“Maybe,” Ron shrugged a shoulder then turned his attention to Draco who was still standing slightly behind Harry. “Malfoy, can't say it's nice to see you again,” Ron greeted.
“Likewise,” Draco shot back, narrowing his eyes slightly.
Hermione glared at Ron while Harry turned to giving a pleading look to Draco.
Ron blinked at Hermione. “What? It's no secret that we're never going to like each other, I think it's pointless to pretend that we're going to be friends, just because Harry has to marry him.”
“As much as I hate to agree with him, Weasley has a point,” Draco said looking at the witch ,who sighed, shaking her head.
“I know, but it doesn't mean we can't try to get along,” she said hopefully.
Harry continued looking at Draco, and the blond raised an eyebrow at him. “I'm being as nice as I can, Harry, we haven't started insulting each other, so why don't we call that progress and leave it at that.”
Biting this lower lip Harry nodded his head once before turning to look at Ron. “I'm not going to start anything, Harry,” the red-head promised, it was really more than Harry could have asked for so soon.
“Alright,” he said and took a seat at the table with his two friends. Draco remained standing for a moment longer before taking the seat next to Harry. The blond didn't say anything as Harry started up a conversation with both Ron and Hermione, informing them both that he was in fact going back to school with them, as well as the reason behind his sudden change of mind.
Draco was surprised when Hermione turned to him and started talking to him about school, and he found it easier then he thought he would to have a conversation with her. It helped that they were both in Ancient runes and Arithmancy, so they at least had something to talk about.
The four of them spent the afternoon there just talking, until Ron noticed how late it was getting. “Blimey, mum's going to kill us if we don't get back soon,” he said, looking at Hermione, who checked the time as well.
“Sorry, Harry, Hermione promised to help mum with dinner,” Ron explained glancing at Hermione as the bushy-haired girl stood up. Ron leaned in to whispered to Harry. “I think household spells are the only thing spells that Hermione's actually bad at,” he said and yelped when he felt a stinging hex on the side of his head. Looking quickly up at Hermione, he grinned sheepishly. “Well, you can't be perfect at everything.”
Hermione huffed. “I'll make sure to really burn your food tonight then.” Harry laughed at that and Hermione turned her attention to him and smiled. “We'll see you on the train, Harry,” she said, leaning down to hug her friend. When she pulled back, she looked at Draco. “I know you will probably have a reputation to keep once we're back at school, but if you ever want to study I'm usually in the library on Wednesday's and Friday's to do my homework,” she said.
Draco raised an eyebrow at her but nodded. “We shall see,” he said and sat there waiting for Harry to finish saying goodbye to his two friends. Once Ron and Hermione left, Harry looked at him and smiled brightly; it was the first time that Draco had seen the other boy look genuinely happy.
“Thank you, Draco,” Harry said and the blond couldn't help but smile back at Harry.
“Well, I did say that I would try and get along with them.” Draco stood up from his own seat. “It is getting late, we should go eat something. I have a place in mind that I think you might like,” Draco said and held his hand out for Harry. The smaller boy stood up still looking at Draco as he took the offered hand, and in that moment Harry was sure that he and Draco could really make this marriage contract work.
TBC
And that is chapter 5 of Contract done! I hope you all enjoyed it! Next chapter should see them getting to school and get that whole thing started.
I am also very pleased that quite a few of you have already guessed what the potion is that Lucius has been giving Harry. I'm not going to say what it is though, so just know that a few of you have already guessed, and maybe in the next few chapters it will be obvious what it is.
Also, everyone feel free to look me up on facebook! (search Celtic Kitsune) I've been fairly good at keeping things updated on there, so that people at least know how my stories are coming along, because as of this point I have about six that I am writing.
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- 6
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Contract Under Love