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The Optimal Balance	By : TheMightyFlynn Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 17124 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe and characters belong to JK Rowling and associates. This was written for fun. I make no money from it.

Chapter List
- 1-The Optimal Balance
- 2-Ch. 2
- 3-Ch. 3
- 4-Ch. 4
- 5-Ch. 5
- 6-Ch. 6
- 7-Ch. 7
- 8-Ch. 8
- 9-Ch. 9
- 10-Ch. 10
- 11-Ch. 11
- 12-Ch. 12
- 13-Ch. 13
- 14-Ch. 14
- 15-Ch. 15
- 16-Ch. 16
- 17-Ch. 17
- 18-Ch. 18
- 19-Ch. 19
- 20-Ch. 20
- 21-Ch. 21
- 22-Ch. 22
- 23-Ch. 23
- 24-Ch. 24
- 25-Ch. 25
- 26-Ch. 26
- 27-Ch. 27
- 28-Ch. 28
- 29-Ch. 29
- 30-Ch. 30
- 31-Ch. 31
- 32-Ch. 32
- 33-Ch. 33
- 34-Ch. 34
- 35-Ch. 35
- 36-Ch. 36
- 37-Ch. 37
- 38-Ch. 38
- 39-Ch. 39
- 40-Ch. 40: Epilogue
- 6
- 7
- 8
A/N: This chapter starts exactly where the last one left off :)

“It’s alright, she’s just over there.”

Draco turned to see that Harry was right: Lily was standing at the mouth of the alleyway, speaking to someone he couldn’t see. He found it slightly odd that Harry hadn’t panicked when he had realised that Lily was speaking to someone, but the reason soon became clear. Ron Weasley stepped out and entered their alley after a couple of seconds, smiling as Lily chattered at him. Draco felt his stomach drop towards his shoes; this was not something he had been prepared to have to deal with that day, despite the fact that he knew Ronald worked just a few blocks away. His shoulders tensed as he automatically straightened his posture.

“Harry! You said you’d be at Eeylops, not down some bloody nowhere backstreet!” Weasley stepped up to them and offered Harry his hand. It took a few seconds, but he did turn to Draco, his smile turning forced. “Malfoy.”

“Ronald.”

Draco had taken to using the Weasel’s first name since the Christmas holidays the previous year. It seemed to annoy him for some strange reason, but wasn’t something he could really complain about without seeming petty and childish, making it the perfect way for Draco to get under his skin.

“Uncle Ron, come with me! I’m going to get a pet today!”

Draco held back from following when Lily dragged Ronald away down the alleyway. A small tug on his wrist turned him back to Harry, who was watching him with a hopeful expression.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t mind…” He trailed off when Draco raised an eyebrow at him. “Forgive me?”

Ducking his head, Draco sighed. “You found time to owl him before we left and tell him to meet us at Eeylops.” It was a statement rather than a question. “Did you believe I would have backed out of coming if I had known?”

“Would I have been wrong?”

Draco had to admit that, up to a few months ago, Harry would have completely correct. He would have cried off the second he had discovered that Harry had invited any of his friends along with them and Lily, simply because there was too much animosity still between him and them. Now, though, it was different. Now, he wouldn’t just be disappointing Harry – which he could handle quite well with a few strategic touches and a night spent together – no, now he would also be disappointing Lily, which he wasn’t sure he could handle. As much of a surprise as it had been for him, he had come to care for Lily quite quickly and he knew for a fact that she had had more than her fair share of disappointment from the adults in her life over the past few months. He couldn’t add to that now even if he wanted to. He glanced towards the end of the alley where Lily had disappeared with Ronald into the seething masses of Diagon.

“Yes, you would have.” Draco was unable to prevent the gasp he let out when Harry grasped both sides of his face and pulled him into a quick kiss. “Harry?”

“I love you.”

Draco knew for a fact that he probably looked completely dumbfounded as he stared into Harry’s eyes, but all his concentration was focussed on preventing himself from giving away much more than he was comfortable with in public. Considering how close they were standing to Diagon Alley, Draco knew they ran the chance of being caught by either the press or someone who wouldn’t think twice about selling their story. Taking a deep breath to collect himself, he merely raised an eyebrow in question, not ready to fully trust his voice in the face of such surprise. Harry stepped a little closer, a grin on his face that Draco knew meant no good.

“And if I wasn’t absolutely certain you’d hex me into a puddle of goo, I’d have you pressed up against the wall there.” Harry paused for a few seconds when Draco's breath hissed out between his teeth. Glancing around quickly, Harry stepped closer still. “I’d have my hands under your robes and my tongue down your throat and I would have you whimpering and begging me to take you home right now.” He released Draco's wrist and stepped away the second Draco reached for him, grinning wickedly. “If I didn’t know you’d hex me for it.”

Draco blinked as Harry stepped further back, allowing him some breathing room. His skin was tingling with heat, his heart racing and his mind beginning to cloud over with the images Harry had placed there. When he finally began to re-take control of his senses, a blush began to creep up his neck. He found himself stuck between the need to follow through on Harry’s prediction to hex him senseless and wanting to cloister himself away and study exactly why it was that Harry was able to have that kind of effect on him with only a few whispered words. His fingers twitched towards his wand without him even thinking about it, causing Harry to chuckle.

“I knew that that would be your response.”

Glancing up proved to be the wrong move: Harry was leaning back against the wall Draco had claimed a few minutes before, his arms crossed loosely over his stomach and a lazy grin on his face. Draco's stomach flipped, causing the blush to deepen. He shook his head and stared determinedly at the ground in the hope that he would soon be able to regain control over these ridiculous emotions. A small sound from Harry caused him to automatically look back up.

“You’re cute when you’re overwhelmed.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “I hate you, Potter.”

“I know.” Harry smirked. “Come on; we have a no doubt incredibly annoying animal to buy.”

With that, he made his way slowly down the alley towards Diagon. Draco's eyes followed him, finding himself unable to look away from Harry’s arse in the jeans he favoured. It was a few minutes after Harry had disappeared into the crowd that Draco finally managed to gain proper control over himself again. He smoothed his hands over his hair and clothing, silently acknowledging that when he was flustered, knowing that his appearance was immaculate helped him to regain control much faster. Taking one last deep breath and letting it out slowly, he stepped away from his quiet spot away from the noise and bustle and into Diagon. He turned and headed in the direction of Eeylops, images of how he could subtly take revenge on Harry flashing through his mind.

*~*

“Look, Harry, I know that he’s your… I just know, alright?” Ron paused and scrubbed a hand along the back of his neck, looking more awkward now than Harry had seen him look in quite a while. “I think I’ve dealt with this whole divorce thing quite well, considering it was my sister you divorced. And before you say anything, I also know what she did. I’ve accepted that she needs the kind of help that only professionals can give her. The thing is…”

Harry sighed as Ron trailed off. Trying to merge the new life he so desperately wanted with the old life he loved was still proving to be difficult, with the fact that Harry’s friends didn’t get along with Draco being one of the hardest things for him to deal with. He knew that Draco had opinions that he didn’t voice about Ron and the rest of Harry’s friends, but it seemed that Ron in particular didn’t have a problem voicing unasked-for opinions on Draco.

“Dad? Can I get a dog?”

Harry had no real idea where Lily was in Eeylops, but he knew she couldn’t get into too much trouble. He grinned as he responded. “A toad, a cat or an owl, Lils. You know that.” He turned back to Ron when he heard Lily sigh loudly from across the store. “We have nearly this exact same conversation every time we’re together these days, you know.”

Ron sighed. “I know.”

“Well?”

“You want the truth?”

No. “Sure.”

Instead of continuing straight away, Ron stepped out into a slightly larger space so he could pace in front of Harry. Technically, Harry knew he should use the time to brace himself for whatever it was that Ron thought he needed to hear, but all the extra time did was cause his nerves to jump unpleasantly. All the warmth he had been feeling after his little interlude with Draco had abruptly left him nearly the second Ron had cornered him in Eeylops, leaving him with a feeling of resentment he had to fight to not show. He refocussed when Ron stopped pacing and faced him.

“I don’t think you should be letting Lily be around him so much.”

Harry’s mind went blank with what he hoped vaguely was only shock at Ron’s words. “Who?”

Ron shot him an exasperated look in response. “Malfoy.”

The confusion still flowing through Harry’s mind seemed to have short-circuited his higher reasoning skills, as all he did for a few seconds was blink. “Why?”

“He’s a Death Eater, Harry,” Ron responded slowly, sounding like he thought Harry had lost complete control over his senses. “Besides that, it’s Malfoy. Who knows what kinds of creepy things he has stored away in that house of his. What if she finds something and it curses her?”

Indignation rising in his chest, Harry took a deep breath in an attempt to keep his voice even. “Ron, you were part of the team who cleared the Manor after the end of the war. You know there isn’t anything left there that could–”

“You think he hasn’t found other things to buy over the years?”

“No, I don’t think he has.” Harry moved up so he was standing directly in front of Ron, his hands clenched by his sides. “I would have found it by now. You know I would never endanger my children by letting them stay in the same house as someone I don’t trust.”

“They’re not just your kids, though, are they?”

Harry’s eyes closed involuntarily as an idea as to what was really going on occurred to him. He brought a hand up so he could pinch between his eyes, hoping to ward off the threatening headache.

“So that’s it, is it? You’re also blaming me for the children not wanting to see Ginny.”

It was the only explanation for Ron’s behaviour that Harry could think of. He knew it should have occurred to him that Molly’s mention of Ginny’s birthday the last time they had been together wouldn’t be an isolated incident and it now seemed likely that she had recruited Ron to her cause. The bell to the store tinkled and Harry re-opened his eyes, his hand dropping to his side. Draco seemed to assess the situation quickly – Harry facing off with Ron in one of the aisles, his hands clenched and obviously on the defence – and moved to stand beside him, his hand resting lightly on the small of Harry’s back.

“Harry?”

Ron snorted in what sounded very much like disgust. “No,” he practically snarled. “I blame him.”

Harry merely sighed. This was also a discussion he had had with Ron many times over the past few months. It was something that he was rapidly getting sick of talking about, but he also sort-of understood where Ron was coming from with this one. The disintegration of Harry and Ginny’s marriage would look, from the outside, as though it had been caused by Draco; that Draco had stolen Harry away from Ginny. Taking a calming breath, he nodded to Draco to indicate that everything was fine before returning his attention to Ron.

“You know full well that the kids not seeing Ginny is completely their own choice. I haven’t stopped them or tried to influence them in any way and neither has Draco. Do you really think I would have stayed with someone who was trying to manipulate my children?”

“Not if you’re being manipulated yourself, no.”

Harry reached to grasp hold of Draco's wrist when he felt his posture stiffen even further beside him. “Draco?” He waited until he was certain he had Draco's attention before continuing. “Would you mind finding Lily for me? Ron and I are going to have a word outside.”

Draco's attention immediately went straight to Harry, pinning him with a searching look. Harry held his gaze for a few seconds, trying to project a sense of ‘everything will be perfectly fine’. It must have only been a few seconds before Draco nodded, a short, sharp movement that told Harry he would be recounting everything that had happened in Draco's absence later on in the day.

Harry turned on his heel and marched through the cramped store, winding his way around baskets and carry cages. The daylight and fresh air that hit him the second he was outside was a little stunning, but he continued on, walking with determination towards a secluded spot just behind Weasleys Wizard Wheezes. He could only hope that Ron was following behind him, as he absolutely refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing Harry looking for him in the crowds.

“Are you going to hit me for insulting your girlfriend’s honour, Harry?”

Harry let out a tired laugh the second the gate closed with a clang behind Ron. Turning, he took in the sight of Ron standing with his arms crossed across his chest, his feet braced apart and a scowl on his face.

“Fiancé, actually.” Harry raised his left hand and waggled his engagement ring so it caught the sunlight, provoking Ron in a way he knew would piss him off further. “I thought you of all people would remember that, what with how obsessed you apparently are with who I’m currently sleeping with.” Ron’s reaction of rolling his eyes seemed to light a spark in Harry’s chest, sending adrenalin pumping through his veins. “That’s not a new obsession of yours, though, is it? You’ve had a vested interest in who I was sleeping with for twenty years now, right? In fact, the only person I’ve dated that you’ve approved of was Cho.”

“Harry–”

“No,” Harry interrupted him, on a roll now that he really didn’t want to break. “Ginny I could understand to a certain point. She’s your sister and you felt you had to protect her, I get that part. What I don’t understand is why you continue to try to influence my personal life? Now that Ginny is gone and out of everyone’s hair for the next few decades, why not just let me get on with my life? The only person I could have tried sleeping with after the divorce that you could have any right in trying to stop me would be Hermione and let me tell you right now, mate: she has the wrong bits.”

Harry could have seen the punch coming from a mile off. He watched as Ron’s face twisted into a grimace, as his muscles bunched, as he drew his arm back and as he began to swing. Harry allowed it to happen, though, thinking that maybe if Ron got some of this out of his system, then things would start to calm down a bit. He did manage to brace himself and turn to a position where he knew the blow would deflect off and not cause too much damage to his jaw, though. The punch seemed to jar his brain for a few seconds, holding off the flash of pain as he struggled to keep his feet. His eyes squeezed closed and he let out a noise that sounded like a wounded Hippogriff when the pain finally hit him.

“If you ever speak about my wife like that again…”

Harry opened and closed his mouth, working his aching jaw and checking for loose teeth before responding. “So it’s perfectly fine for you to abuse Draco – the man I love – and I have to stand here and put up with it, but you get to punch me the second I bring Hermione into the discussion? Beautiful double standards you have there. Nice to know.”

He blinked his watering eyes open when Ron made no response. Standing there in the small courtyard behind the shop with the sounds and smells of Diagon all around them, Harry took the time to assess the situation. He had just allowed Ron to clobber him – quite deservedly as well – for suggesting that he may be interested in Hermione, his vision was slightly blurred by what he hoped were only tears of pain brought about by said clobbering, and his ears were ringing. Straightening up caused Harry’s back to ache as well, reminding him that it had been a long time since he had been training with the young recruits in the Corps.

“I am too fucking old to be doing this every time we disagree over how you speak about Draco.”

It took Ron a few seconds, but his posture eventually visibly relaxed. “We’re only thirty-eight.”

Harry let out a soft sigh of relief, not bothering to remind Ron that he hadn’t yet had his birthday that year. “That’s old enough, believe me.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair as he glanced around before just deciding to come out and say what was on his mind. “We need to sit down and have this out properly one day. You, me, Draco and whoever else from the family who wants to sit in. I love him, Ron, and he’s not going anywhere; not if I have any say in the matter.”

Harry was certain that he saw a flash of disgust cross Ron’s face, but it was quickly hidden. “Fine. I can’t guarantee anything though. You do know that, right?”

It was a struggle for Harry to not sigh in response, but he managed it. With a nod to Ron, he moved off towards the gate, casting a Healing charm on his jaw as he did. His hand was on the handle of the gate when Ron called to him.

“Sorry about the jaw.”

Harry grinned and waved before stepping out into Diagon. He kept his head down as he swiftly moved towards Eeylops, not wanting anyone to notice any bruises that may be forming. The last thing he needed was a headline stating that Draco was abusing him, with accompanying pictures as ‘proof’. He only raised his head again once he was in the relative darkness of the pet store.

“Draco?”

“Back here.”

Harry weaved his way towards the sound of Draco's voice, but it seemed that he needn’t have worried about trying to find him. Draco rounded the corner at the end of an aisle Harry entered, a concerned look in his eyes. His concern only seemed to increase the closer he got to Harry and by the time he was close enough to grasp Harry’s chin and turn his bruises towards the light, his hands were shaking.

“I’ll kill him.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Yes, I fucking will.”

Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's waist, holding him close when he tried to sidestep him. “I provoked him. Would it help if I said I also allowed him to hit me?”

“No, it fucking wouldn’t. And I wouldn’t care if you admitted to dissecting one of his children, Potter, I won’t allow him to–” Draco's words were cut off with a sound of protest when Harry dragged him into a harsh kiss. “Harry–”

“Thank you.” Harry couldn’t help the goofy smile that stretched his lips, despite the pain it caused him. “But it’s really unnecessary.”

Draco merely stared down at him for a long time, obviously trying to decide whether it was worth the effort to try to fight him on this one. Eventually, he sighed and relaxed into Harry’s grip on him a little.

“Look at the ceiling.”

Harry obediently tilted his head, waiting for the second the Healing charm would wash over him. The relief he felt when the pain left him had his smile widening.

“You shouldn’t provoke men larger than you because they said something you don’t like about me.”

In the small amount of light reaching their current position, Harry could only just make out the concern in Draco's eyes, but it sent a shiver of delight through him anyway. “I love you.”

Harry more felt than heard the rush of air Draco let out that he assumed was part exasperation and part amusement. “Prat.”

Harry grinned, but didn’t get time to respond before he heard a crash at the end of the aisle. He released his grip on Draco's waist and turned towards the sound in time to see Lily chasing a large, fluffy white cat.

“Lily?”

“Dad! I found the cat I want!”

Harry’s eyes widened as he got a look at the monster Lily scooped up in her arms. It struggled and hissed the second she brought it close to him.

“Are you sure?” He could have sworn he heard Draco snort beside him.

“Yeah, her name’s Bastet. Isn’t she pretty?”

Watching as Lily held the cat up for him to inspect, Harry had to smile. There was no doubt in his mind that Lily and Hermione were two of a kind. Shaking his head, he decided to just give in; there was no way he was up for a debate with Lily at this stage in the day.

“Fine. Come on, we’ll go pay for her.”

“It’s okay; Draco already has.” Lily grinned at him before wandering back into the aisle she had come from. “I’m just looking for leashes and bowls now.”

Harry turned to Draco, who was watching on with an amused expression. “You got her a fluff ball.”

“You’d prefer the Chihuahua she seemed to favour?”

Wrapping his arms around Draco's waist once again, Harry rested their foreheads together. “The fluff ball was a good decision.”

“I thought so.” Draco brushed their lips together briefly before pulling back and straightening his clothing. “Now let’s see if we can speed this up so I can get you home and you can tell me all about what you said to apparently deserve getting punched by your supposed best friend.”

Harry groaned, causing Draco to chuckle as he moved off into the next aisle with Lily. The thought that the next time he felt the desire to invite Ron with them, he would also have to make certain Hermione was there to balance everything out crossed his mind as he moved to join Draco, Lily and Bastet.
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The Optimal Balance