Taking Him In

the aftermath and a decision

The bitter sweet aroma of fresh coffee could be smelled the moment you walked past the building. From inside it dulled slightly due to their noses adjusting to it. All around the small Cafe there was chattering. A couple small groups of friends had obviously gathered here due to the warm sense of familiarity it brought. Not only that, but it was a place where you could be yourself and have fun because no one would judge you. Well placed lights made the place bright and cheery. The walls were a cream colour filled with interesting, and colourful paintings.

A bitter taste filled Draco's mouth as he took a sip from the cup in his hand. He could feel the exhaustion from this morning settling and wanted to keep it at bay for as long as possible.

Across from Draco on the other bench sat Harry Potter. His past self would have laughed if someone had told him they'd be living together one day and having pleasant conversations like the one they were having.

They'd been discussing Draco's job choices. It was obvious that a career in the wizarding world was going to be difficult to obtain. There were many that held grudges against the Malfoy's and very few would be willing to hire him due to his death eater status. The few that would accept him would not suit Draco in the slightest. So they'd hesitantly agreed it should be a muggle job. The court had never said anything about where he had to work. So then it was just discussing where and what. Draco had been baffled by the many job availabilities in the muggle world. Harry had explained a lot of them and jotted down the things Draco seemed interested in.

They had also discussed the possibility of what would happen to Draco if Harry gets hurt. Considering this seemed to happen often, it was a rather important topic. Unfortunately for Draco, Harry had more influence in the choice. The end result was that Draco would go to the Weasleys. Which Draco wasn't happy with, but he brooded quietly knowing the alternative would be Azkaban. He'd rather avoid that.

For a moment Draco thought over how he got in this little Cafe in the middle of who knows where. The blind faith he'd put in Potter was rather strange he had to admit. Although that was a topic Draco didn't want to think of at the moment. Instead he thought of his side of the day as Harry chatted on. That included what had happened with Karkaroff and how Harry had basically seen him naked. Then being thrown into the lives of the Weasleys who seemed to have mixed opinions on him. Molly being incredibly kind, had made Draco unsure of himself. Dealing with insults was not an issue, but a lack of arguing made him nervous. What could Molly want from him? It was a long time before Harry returned, and Draco was worried that Harry had forgotten him.

When Harry had finally felt better, or rather been allowed to leave, he immediately went to make sure Draco survived at the Weasleys.

The state Harry had found Draco in had shook Harry to the bone with laughter. Hair products no where to be seen, Draco's hair was a mess. It also looked like it had previously been ruffled in one of the Weasley's head locks. Another thing had been the complete style change. The Weasley hand-me-downs were entirely strange to see on Draco Malfoy of all people. Then to see Molly tending to his every need was a strange picture when you realize their families had been feuding for a while. What really got to Harry though was the pure look of discomfort, and the look that screamed "Help!" when Draco finally noticed Harry there.

Draco glared at the table after the memory reappeared. How dare Potter laugh at him at a time like that? That was one of the strangest experiences of his entire life and Potter was laughing about it. First a hugely traumatic event, and then another.

Shortly after, when Harry stopped laughing, they had left and visited Hermione together to explain what had happened. Hermione had luckily been at home. It was a quick visit. Knowing his friend wasn't best buddies with his housemate, he'd hurried it as best he could and not miss too many details in his explanation. Multiple times Harry had to reassure Hermione that he was alright throughout the story. He had kept the healers wrist bracelet that had recently marked him as a patient. After Hermione understood, she had asked them to stay a while. Politely they had refused Hermione's offer of tea and had raced away.