Drarry/ Two sides of the same Snickle / Drarry 8th year

Chapter 14 - Date, part 1

————Date————-
Draco's POV:
Mother wrote to me yesterday to inform me that she believes she has found a wonderful suitor and she wants me to come home to meet him today.
I am going on a date with Harry Potter today and I refused but I did neglect to tell my parents why. I still can't quite grasp the concept myself so I definitely do not want to spring it on them.
The last they heard of Harry Potter he was straight, dating the she-Weasley and we hated each other.
Mother was all for mending and building relationships with everyone after the war. Father not so much. He was determined to find a partner for me and then continue to talk to no one but mother and I. It is because of him that I haven't told them about my friendships with the Gryffindors in my letters. I regret it now because it would have made it easier to tell them about Harry.
I really like Harry. I think I've always fancied him quite a bit but we've really build up a friendship this year. He's very understanding and he is really good to me, really good for me I think.
I take a little more straightening potion from the pot styling my hair in the mirror.
I am surprisingly nervous for this date. I've been on other dates before, with complete strangers even but never with someone that I actually really like.
Harry was up and ready before me this morning and he woke me up with some flowers, a new edition of a potion book i like and kisses.
He really is wonderful.
I look over my outfit in the mirror. Harry told me to dress fairly casual and comfortable. I chose black trousers, a purple shirt, a black jumper and boots for comfort. I put on a few rings including my Malfoy ring and I put a watch on even though I could just cast a tempus.
When I am content with my appearance I sling on a black suit jacket and cast a shrinking charm on a small bag, placing it in my inner pocket.
I carry a long, dark grey coat over my shoulder and head downstairs.
"You look great, as usual," Harry flirts taking my hand and squeezing it. I smile smugly making him laugh.
He's wearing black skinny jeans, a dark grey jumper, boots and a coat. He looks handsome, he's even somewhat tamed his hair.
"Oooo first date boys, how romantic," Pansy teases. I glare at her and Hermione giggles.
"What would Lucius Malfoy say about you and a half blood?" Hermione teases dramatically, this girl is strangely obsessed with blood status.
"I don't care what he thinks, I will go out with who I like. Although I do need to tell him that at some point because mother and father wanted me to meet a suitor today."
"What?" Harry says frowning, "like date other people too?"
"It's more like an introduction to new people than a date," I say dismissively and Harry glares at the floor.
"I don't want you to do that," he says and I frown.
"What are you saying?" I ask curiously, he has only asked me on one date, that's not necessarily an exclusive things.
"I don't want you to meet, or date anyone else, Draco. I don't intend for this to be a one time thing. I really like you and I want this relationship to grow exclusively. I am sorry if that's too much for you right now."
I take his hand in mine leaving into him.
"No, I would absolutely love that, I am glad you would like that too. I will alert mother and father that I'm seeing someone and do not wish to disclose details as of yet."
Harry grins widely, "great."
"Harry Potter doesn't share," Hermione teases and Harry laughs her off but secretly winks at me.
"Come on Mr Malfoy," he says holding out his arm.
I eye him curiously but take it and we head down the the village getting a glare from Nott on the way.
"So Potter, where is it that we are going? Do we need glamours? I'm sure we don't want 'deatheater and saviour out on date' splashed across the papers."
"No glamours. Today is a muggle date. Hopefully we will do a few things you haven't done before," Harry says cheerfully. I'm sure we will, I have never really been in the muggle world before.
I take his arm as we apparate. Muggle London? I look at the murky water, the Themes. Harry smirks at me holding out a hand which I take.
"Just a warning, muggles can be less accepting of homosexual relationships. It was only legalised in the 60's" Harry says as I digest this information.
"Gay muggles have only been able to get married since the 60's and you call me old fashioned," I laugh and Harry sniggers.
"No they still can't get married Draco. It was made legal to be gay in the 60's."
My jaw drops and Harry laughs.
"That's awful, so backwards. How can you make a person illegal?" I tut and Harry nods in agreement.
"It's never been illegal in the wizarding world. I think the pure blood families frowned upon it a few centuries ago, mostly from the difficulties it caused maintaining a blood line. And I did keep it from my parents for a while but, the fact that I didn't want them involved or aware of intimate details of my life also played a large part in that. What about your family? Muggles right?" I ask Harry as we walk down the semi busy street.
"Yeah like I'd give them another reason to call me a freak," Harry chuckles darkly.
"What does that mean?" I ask squeezing Harry's hand gently, I always thought he lived with his mother's sister and her family growing up.
"My aunt Petunia did not like my parents for the magic. That hatred extended on to me. She indoctrinated her husband and son also.
I suppose I was also a financial burden, not that they fed or clothed me."
"I'm sorry Harry, I didn't know any of that," I say sadly rubbing his hand with my thumb. I feel very guilty now, for assuming he had a perfect life. And for adding to his struggles.
"I suppose I didn't know how hard it was in your house either," Harry says squeezing my hand. I suppose not, I didn't even let my closest friends know how horrible it was in the manor with the dark Lord and his deatheaters.
"So where are we going?" I ask again, changing the subject of conversation to something more positive.
"Ah well lots of places," Harry smiles, "that's actually my favourite thing about the wizarding world, being able to apparate. It means we can go to a few places today?"
"I want to take you to places that are important to me. I know you've probably been on a lot of dates with wealthy suitors so I was a bit stuck with what to do. But I thought it might be nice to go to some muggle places that you might not have been to. A few of them are places I went to growing up and a few are places I went after the war."
"Well i definitely won't have been to muggle places, but I did not go on lots of dates as you imply," I say and he rolls his eyes.
"I haven't, anyway, dates set up by my parents were normally supervised so they were always uncomfortable."
Harry laughs pulling me close to him.
"Well I am rather grateful that Lucius isn't watching my every move," he sniggers, "otherwise I wouldn't be able to do this." He spins me around in his arms pulling me against him. He presses his lips to mine, standing on his toes slightly to reach me better.
I dip down slightly and kiss him back.
"Yes I am very grateful for the lack of my parents presence," I laugh as he takes my hand.
"We are going to get a tea or coffee in a little café in Surbiton station, before we go to the first place. I used to come here when I got older to escape my family. They had the best coffee and they'd let me sit for hours before kicking me out."
I frown at the floor as we walk, it was hard for him.
We enter the very small and fairly dingy looking cafe and Harry grins. "I know it's not what you are used to, very common, very muggle. But trust me."
I nod as he orders me a cappuccino to go. He gets the same. The pretty girl behind the counter smiles at him.
"You've been gone a while, we've missed you," she says winking at him. He smiles and shrugs.
"I have more things to do lately, I haven't got the time to come and sit here anymore, but you guys are still the best cafe around."
She giggles.
"Are you and your friend stopping for brunch?" She asks watching me curiously. Harry smiles and shakes his head taking the coffee.
"Not today. I have a long date planned. Don't I Dray?" He says winking at me.
I roll my eyes at him but nod thanking her for the coffee. Her face falls slightly but she smiles.
"I hope you have a nice day boys," she says and we thank her.
"Come on gorgeous, first place," he laughs, pulling me towards him as we leave the shop.
"So you left out the part where the cashier has a massive crush on you," I sneer taking a sip of the warm liquid. He isn't wrong about it being very nice.
"Don't be silly Dray," he laughs and I scowl.
"We've missed you," I mimic in her high pitched voice and he smirks.
"Jealous," he teases and I scoff.
"You wish Potter."
He grins pulling me to a secluded area and apparating with me.
I continue drinking my coffee keeping my hands warm with it as we walk towards large gates with 'London Zoo' above them.
"A muggle zoo, like a wizarding one but with different animals?" I ask and he nods.
"I didn't know there were wizarding zoos."
"Oh yes. Rufus Scamander owns a few around the world. They are conservation and protection programmes really. The Canadian one is very impressive. And the safari he has in Africa."
"Ooo some brilliant ideas for our future dates," he says kissing my hand with a twinkle in his eye.
"I came here once before I had ever even heard or Hogwarts. My guardians never took me anywhere, they left me with a neighbour or when I was older, locked in a room. But one time my neighbour was in hospital with a broken leg so I had to come with them. It was my cousins birthday," I squeeze his hand gently as he explains. "It was the first time I ever got to go anywhere nice really. And more significantly it was the first time I ever used very strong magic. Unintentionally of course."
I laughs leaning into his arm. He casts a quick warming charm over me as we head through the animal exhibits.
We chat about many things looking at the animals and appreciating our surroundings. It is a muggle zoo but it is surprisingly well put together and they have a lot of rescues which I like to see.
We spend a few hours looking at the animals before we reach the end of the zoo, the reptile house.
"It was here," Harry says to me quietly as we look at the snakes. I made this whole sheet of glass vanish and reappear locking my cousin in," he giggles and I smirk. From the sounds of things he deserved it.
"That is very impressive, especially for someone who didn't even know they had magic," I compliment and Harry winks cockily at me.
"I still come here to talk to the snakes, to check they are okay. If one is unhappy I try to help, or I steal them and return them to their habitat."
"Of course you do Saint Potter. I can imagine you slinking out of here with a python in your bag," I tease and he laughs.
"The snakes are all happy here today," he says.
"You can still understand them? What are they saying?" I ask and Harry smiles kissing my hand again.
"They are just chatting, that one over there is the mother. The young one, at the front, is saying he is hungry but the mother is telling him they will eat soon."
I smile warmly at the creatures. "I did see on the board that the feeding is at 12 o'clock, that is in five minutes," I tell Harry who smiles.
"Merlin, we have to get you some food too, I didn't realise the time. We will go out for dinner later but we still need something now," he fusses cupping my cheek.
"I'm not that hungry," I tell him and he snorts.
"You are never hungry. You need to eat more. Trust me, you'll like where we are going," he smirks.
"I think I trust you enough by now," I laugh as he whisks us away just as the snakes get their food.
"I'm starting to think that all this apparating is just an excuse to press yourself against me," I tease as Harry pulls me too his body.
He wraps his arm around me tightly, kissing me gently.
"You always see right through me don't you, Malfoy," he laughs as we apparate to what looks like central London.
"So where are we going?" I ask and Harry grins.
"This is somewhere that I went too after the war. I spent a lot of time in muggle London to avoid the press in Diagon. This is somewhere that even in the summer before we were friends, still reminded me of you." He grins as we approach an elegant, small French patisserie, with lines of cakes, pastries and bread in the window.
"So naturally you kept returning to a place that reminded you of me, because you've always found me irresistible," I tease and we push through the door the smell of yeast and sugar filling my nostrils.
Harry just smirks, "yes, you have seen through me again," he laughs making me grin triumphantly.
"What would you like handsome?" Harry asks and I eye the counter curiously.
"I think an almond croissant," I say and he smiles getting an almond croissant, a pistachio eclair and some macaroons.
"How are we going to eat dinner after all of this?" I laugh as the middle-aged woman behind the counter smiles at us placing the cakes into tiny boxes. A young boy around 18 is wiping down the surfaces behind the counter and he doesn't really look up.
"I think you'll manage, you need to eat more," he laughs kissing my cheek.
The woman behind the counter grins at us as we pay for the food but the boy stares at the ground.
"Bloody queers," he mutters angrily in French getting an eye roll from the woman who shakes her head at him. I glare at him, deciding he shouldn't hide behind a language and should be man enough to be rude to someone's face.
"Sorry what was that?" I say in perfect French making both of their eyes widen.
"Do you think you should be treating customers like that, insulting them."
"I did not realise you spoke French," he shrugs looking worried as the woman glares at him.
"That is no excuse, Sebastian, I have had enough of your rudeness. Please go and clean the staff toilets, you should not be allowed near the customers," she tuts. Sebastian glares at me but slinks off.
"I am very sorry, my dear boy. He is an ignorant child, here take this on me," she says loading some chocolate and caramel choux buns into another box.
I thank her and smile taking them as we leave the shop.
"You speak French?" Harry laughs and I nod.
"Of course you do," he chuckles.
"And Greek, Italian and Dutch. I never quite got the hang of Spanish though," I laugh as he rolls his eyes.
"You are just jealous that you barely speak English," I snort.
"Rude, I also barely speak parseltounge," he says making me laugh.
"Very true," I say as we walk down the street, "where are we going?"
"Ah well, there's a little park close to here to have a little picnic lunch. I went there after the war to think," he grins as we enter a small gate to a grass area. He dips through the trees and off the path to a small empty clearing.
"Here we are," he grins, sitting on the grass.
"Eating on the ground?" I question and he rolls his eyes.
"Here you go princess," he laughs conjuring a blanket and cushions and sitting on it patting beside him.
I narrow my eyes finally deciding I'm satisfied and taking a seat next to him. He opens the boxes of food and I take my almond croissant. It really is wonderful, nicer than the ones I've had in France.
I moan in delight taking another bite with the almond filling.
"I don't get that reaction," Harry teases and I smirk offering him a bite. He goes in for another bite but I take it away so he doesn't eat it all.
"You always seem to choose the best food," he says and I nod smugly. We decide to save the choux buns for later and Harry lays on the blanket looking up at the sky through the trees.
I follow him laying back onto his chest and tangling my legs in his.
"This is nice," he sighs, wrapping me up in his arms.
"I have never brought anyone else here before. Even Ron and Hermione don't know about this place."
I smile smugly squeezing him tighter, he strokes my back gently and I feel very relaxed and comfortable in his arms. I have never had a date like this before. I feel so comfortable and happy already.