Inevitable

3 | Coffee & Confusion

Harry walked into his favorite cafe in Diagon Alley to pick up some breakfast and was greeted by the mouthwatering scent of roasting coffee and baked goods. Harry closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Paradise.

He was struck from behind without warning and stumbled forward, but he caught himself and spun around, wand raised.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see y— Whoa, Potter!" The blond raised his hands in surrender, grey eyes wide.

Harry relaxed and holstered his wand. "Sorry, Malfoy. Auror reflexes. You alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry I bumped into you, I was distracted. What brings you here?"

"Breakfast," Harry shrugged, "it's my day off, so I thought I'd go out. You?"

"Same. And this is the only place in the area that makes good coffee."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You drink coffee?"

"I lived in the U.S. for five years. I'm afraid I developed a bit of an addiction."

Harry smiled, "Me too."

"Well, what's your excuse?"

Harry suddenly felt uneasy under Draco's scrutiny. "I didn't sleep well, after... Well. You know. I needed something to help me stay awake during the day. Coffee did the trick."

Draco looked unsure how to react to this revelation. "Are you sleeping better now?"

Harry couldn't meet his gaze. "Sometimes." This was an obviously lie, but Harry wasn't ready to admit that he still had nightmares about the war after seven years.

"Have you considered—"

"Excuse me. Are you two in line?" Draco was interrupted by a small, elderly witch, indicating the open counter in front of them. Harry gave her a winning smile, and she practically melted at the sight. "No, Ma'am, you go right on ahead."

"Oh! Thank you!"

Harry turned back to Draco. "Let me buy you breakfast. To say thank you for healing me last week."

"I was just doing my job, Potter."

"I know, but still— I want to. Have breakfast with me. Please, Malfoy?" Harry directed that same toothy grin at Draco, and he was powerless against it.

"Alright."

Harry bought them both breakfast and they found a small table near a window and sat down.

Talking to Draco was surprisingly easy, now that they weren't constantly at each other's throats. His quick wit and dry humor made Harry laugh harder than he had in years.

They talked about Quidditch, and about their jobs, and about various schoolmates from Hogwarts, but mostly they discussed their (admittedly) ridiculous feud in school.

"You stayed up all night making those stupid badges instead of writing your Transfiguration essay and had to face McGonagall empty-handed the next day?" Harry wiped at tears from his eyes, his laughter finally dying down.

Draco's eyes sparkled with mirth. "It was terrifying. She took twenty points off Slytherin, but it was worth it."

"How?" Harry snickered.

Because I got your attention for a minute, Draco thought.

He placed a hand on Harry's arm as he laughed. "I don't remember," he lied smoothly, "But it seemed worthwhile at the time. Maybe I should have showed her the badges and told her I was practicing Transfiguration."