Reckless Abandon (Drarry)

Chapter 9

Harry walked down a London street he had never been to before, looking for the address. It was a lower class neighborhood, with small simple flats and lacking the architectural flourishes of the city's nicer areas. At least it seemed quiet and orderly.

Finding the right building, Harry felt odd buzzing the flat. He had lived in the wizarding world so long, muggle technology felt foreign.

"Come on up," a scratchy voice intoned from the speaker, and the door gave a long buzz. Harry yanked it open and jogged up the stairs.

His heart was pounding from more than the light exercise. It had been almost two weeks since they had seen each other. Harry had been pleased to get the invitation to Draco's flat...a chance to know more about the mysterious man. He tapped lightly on the door.

"Potter..." Draco's light eyes scanning over Harry quickly. His lips curved up a little on one side, and Harry's gaze was drawn there. He found it hard to look away, the urge to step closer and kiss him hello almost too strong to resist.

Harry entered, brushing against Draco lightly in passing, but kept going until he was in the living room area. It was a small, simple flat, with a sofa and a club chair near the fireplace. Harry could see a small kitchen around the corner and a hallway leading to the bedroom and bathroom.

The most amazing thing was all the books. Bookshelves seemed to line most of the walls, stuffed full. Harry scanned over the titles, seeing a mixture of non-fiction and fiction. A wide range of topics. Titles Harry recognized from his childhood.

Harry turned to Draco with wide eyes. "You read muggle books too?"

Draco just shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable. He motioned Harry to follow him to the kitchen, and put the kettle on for tea. "All these years, there wasn't a lot I could do when I wasn't working. I didn't have much money or muggle friends. I kept to myself mostly, and got into reading."

"Every book there ever was, apparently," Harry chuckled, glancing towards the stack of books near the small kitchen table.

Draco finished preparing the tea, and carried a laden tray back to the living room. "Hardly," he seemed a little embarrassed, having Harry see such private things and asking him about them.

Harry poured out the tea once it had steeped. "There must have been more to all this reading than just filling the time, Draco." He used his best auror look, calmly waiting for an answer.

Tilting his chin up a little defiantly, Draco took a sip from his mug. "I liked school. I couldn't go for further studies after the war...so I just got books on whatever topic interested me and taught myself."

Sensing there was more to it than that, Harry let it go for now. "So, how was the trip? How is your mother doing?"

The natural, wide smile that took over Draco's face left Harry breathless. He looked so young and handsome in that moment. "It was fantastic. A real eye-opener."

Harry couldn't help but give a pleased smile in return. "In what way? Did you two go to the peak of some mountain?"

It was a weak joke, but Draco chuckled all the same. It was amazing to see him in such a happy mood. "Well, my mother took me on a gondola up a mountain. There was lots of snow up there and we had a bit of a snowball fight."

Harry tried to picture that, Draco and Narcissa acting like tourists, riding a gondola just to enjoy the scenery. He couldn't help but grin at the thought.

"What?" A look of insecurity flashed across Draco's face, and his smile dimmed a little.

Reaching over to Draco, Harry gave his shoulder a comforting pat. "Nothing, nothing...it's just odd to think of you two doing something that is so...so...," Harry struggled to find the right word.