Whatever You Want, Draco Malfoy || Drarry

Chapter Thirteen

Despite what Potter had said, Draco assumed nothing would come of his impulsive invitation.

Potter didn't say anything more about it that night. And Draco didn't see Potter for more than a few minutes the next day. He was called away by a patronus who spoke in an unfamiliar, impatient voice before Potter had even started breakfast. This was especially unfortunate because Draco rather liked it when Potter made him breakfast. Potter came back so late; Draco was actually asleep and didn't see him.

Draco woke up in a morning that was verging on noon. The kitchen looked untouched and quiet. He made tea and toaster waffles and left. He spent a few hours chatting with Elle in her flat and found his missing pack of cigarettes under her dresser. She had to go to a doctor's appointment, and Draco was about to look for someone else to talk to when an owl landed on the railing in front of Draco.

Draco carefully untied the small roll of paper from the owl's leg.

In Potter's scratchy handwriting, it read:

I didn't know how else to get ahold of you, so if you're not busy, meet me in front of Sea Life in an hour, and we'll go, alright? Send a message back if you can't make it.

Draco wet his lips, a little thrill of excitement making him smile unconsciously as he read the message again.

He brushed the back of his finger across the owl's soft feathery chest, "No return message," he told the owl, "and I'm afraid I don't have any treats for you. I haven't received an owl in a long time."

The owl hooted mournfully and flew off. Draco hurried down the stairs. At the bottom, he found Samuel staring up at the sky, shading his eyes against the glare.

"Hello," Draco said.

"Was that an owl?" Samuel asked, bewildered.

"Yes," Draco said.

"In London?" Samuel said.

"That is where we are," Draco said blandly.

"That's wild," Samuel said, looking down at Draco. "I've never seen an owl around here. You must've seen it up close, up there."

"I did. They're quite beautiful," Draco said.

"That is the bloody astonishing," Samuel said with a faint laugh.

"I need to go-" Draco hesitated, "Would you know where the Sea Life aquarium is?"

Samuel nodded, clearly still distracted, "Yeah. It's right in the thick of things, next to the Westminster bridge, across the river from the ruddy big clock."

Draco smirked, "Big Ben?"

"Like there's any other I could be talking about?" Samuel said.

"I'm fairly certain there are other large clo-"

"You knew which one I was talking about," Samuel said with a pointed look. "Anyway. Easy. Just take the tube, District line. It's a quick ride; you'll be there in twenty, thirty minutes."

Draco nodded. He had hoped it was somewhere he could apparate, but central London had very few safe apparition locations. Unless he wanted to apparate to the Ministry. And he very much did not.

"I'll walk to the tube with you," Samuel said.

"Do you have work?" Draco asked.

"In a few hours," Samuel said.

"You don't have to come-"

"Nah," Samuel waved his offer off before Draco even managed to say it. "I was gonna head out anyway."