Drarry - The Invitation

The Plan

This is an AU Drarry fic. It takes place 3 years after the end of their final school year. Consider a lot of the first books still canon in terms of Harry and Draco always fighting, teasing, childish bullying etc, however Voldemort never returned hence there being no war, no death eaters and no major character death, because this is a light and fluffy fic! :) <3

Hermione and Pansy became best friends towards the end of Hogwarts, hence the friendship group forming between the two trios.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February 13th

The torrential rain and gale-force winds made it quite clear that it was still winter. The journey home was dreadful. Delays and cancellations riddled the first half of his trip and when he finally did make it away from the platform, the heating in the carriage had broken and the onboard bar was 'out of service'.

By the time he'd arrived at Fenchurch Street station, Draco yearned for nothing more than a hard drink and some warmth. He could've easily apparated back to his flat and called it a night, but since he hadn't been home in months, the idea of a cold, unlived room seemed slightly worse.

He'd never really called it his home anyway, considering he was hardly there, more like a stop off place whenever he was in the city, and right now, being by himself in the silence of an empty flat, alone with his thoughts, was simply not an option

He looked up at the station clock; 20:18. Pansy and Blaise would still be in the middle of their dinner date by now and he wasn't even sure he fancied the conversation after such a tiring journey

The corner sofa in the tiny Leadenhall Market pub seemed the most incising, tucked away from the rest of the evening drinkers and shielded around the other side of the bar which was already barely lit by a handful of oil lamps on the walls.

He sunk into the soft leather chair and brought a glass of whiskey close to his chest, letting his head drift back against the seat and his eyelids droop

It was a welcome change, the cosy interior, the subtle scent of liquor, the gentle chatter of office workers flowing through the doors excited that another working week had come to an end. He'd spent the last six months drifting between Paris, Lille, and Strasbourg with work and despite the Michelin starred restaurants and decedent patisseries, nothing beat the comfort of the tiny Victorian pubs dotted throughout the bustling streets of London

The rest of the evening was fairly unremarkable, enough for Draco to let his eyes gently close as the warmth of alcohol lined his stomach and the hum of distant chatter lulled him closer to sleep

Until a voice pulled him back to reality

"Malfoy?"

Draco looked up at the man who'd appeared beside the table. His features were sharp, his complexion deep, much darker than Draco's anyway. The stubble on his strong jawline was barely visible against the dim light but the flicker of candlelight from across the bar reflected in those perfectly round glasses

"Potter?"

__________________________

6 Months Later

"Ta-da!" Ron sang, grinning with pride as he placed a huge dish of steaming lasagne down in the middle of the table between two ridiculously oversized oven gloves "Bon Apetight? Aportite? Or whatever it is they say?"

"Bon Apetit?" Hermione corrected

"That's the one!"

"Smells amazing, Ron" Harry beamed, eyeing up the food with eagerly, his mouth already watering. He was sat beside Hermione at a cosy wooden table in the centre of their kitchen, topping up his drink while Hermione dished a portion of side salad onto her plate