Two Houses (HarryxDraco)

Chapter 30

They spent another couple of hours wandering around the zoo before returning to the hotel. Draco counted his blessings that they got back with a couple of hours to spare before heading out for dinner. He and Harry used their time wisely, falling into bed for the second time that day before taking a very long shower together. Dinner with his classmates was pleasant enough; Liv had taken them to some Mexican restaurant just 'round the corner from the Globe Theatre. What he didn't enjoy was having to hide being affectionate towards Harry in the company of others. Initially, sneaking around had an appealing thrill to it. Now, it was just annoying. He had to stop himself several times from touching Harry, tucking a stray hair behind his ear or kissing him, so he tried to keep his hands occupied by holding his drink in both hands. It looked as though Harry was struggling too. He reached out only to stop and plant his hands firmly on his lap before giving Draco an apologetic smile. The situation was only made worse by seeing Theo and Ginny. He glowered at the happy couple sitting at the opposite end of the long dinner table, laughing and joking (urgh, and kissing) to their heart's content. Draco stabbed his shrimp enchilada with his fork, wondering why he and Harry were partaking in this silly charade in the first place.

Ah yes, this had been his bright idea, hadn't it? Because he was too cowardly to confront his parents—or Harry's family for that matter. He imagined they'd have a few choice words for Harry about their ill-advised relationship. Oh, who was he kidding? The entire bleeding wizarding world would have something to say about it. Draco sighed and picked at his food, although his appetite had waned somewhat. Ron nudged Draco on the arm and nodded at the enchilada.

"You going to eat that?" he mumbled through a mouthful of food.

Draco shook his head. "Knock yourself out."

Ron speared the cheesy tortilla and plopped it onto his plate before tucking in. Draco grimaced at his atrocious table manners but said nothing. The fact that Ron had spoken to Draco in an almost friendly manner wasn't lost on him, and given how low he was feeling right now, he was rather grateful for it.

As they were finishing up their meal, Liv handed out their tickets for the play before escorting them the short distance between the restaurant to the theatre. As they sat waiting for the performance to begin, Draco took in his surroundings: looking left and right, every seat was filled—the place was packed with Muggles. He glanced over the balcony and spotted a large group of them huddled together at the foot of the stage, stepping from one foot to the other in a vain attempt to stay warm. Draco pulled his coat a little closer to his neck and shivered.

"There weren't any theatres available in the vicinity that happened to have a roof?" he huffed. "This is hardly ideal weather to be sitting out in for the next two hours."

"Tell me about it," Harry mumbled. He checked that nobody was looking before he drew his wand and cast a silent warming charm on the two of them. Draco sighed and relaxed back into his seat as the gentle heat crept up his arms and legs.

"You're getting better at nonverbal magic," he noted appraisingly. "You just need to work on doing it without a wand now."

Harry smiled and rolled his eyes. "Thanks very much, Professor Malfoy."

"Mm, I like the sound of that," he murmured, earning him a licentious grin from Harry.

Harry opened his mouth to reply, no doubt with some witty retort on the tip of his tongue, but he and the rest of the theatre immediately fell silent as the lights around the theatre dimmed. It might not be the warmest of places, but one thing Draco did appreciate was that now that the audience was plunged into darkness, he could hold Harry's hand without worrying about anyone seeing them. As stage lighting grew brighter, the first actor dressed in period clothing came into view.