A huge thank you to alexanderavery998, who beta'd the first seven chapters in autumn 2019.

I've been working on this fic since 2017, and I love it to bits, so I really hope you guys enjoy it too!

-J

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Written: March 2017 — May 2020

Full Summary:

After quitting the Auror department at the ripe old age of twenty two, Harry Potter finds a nice, uneventful job in an apothecary. At least, it's uneventful until his old rival Draco Malfoy comes into the shop.

They strike up an unlikely friendship, which evolves into an increasingly convoluted scheme, which then snowballs spectacularly out of control into a tangle of lies and blurred lines.

They'd agreed to a fake relationship — in Harry's case, to get the wizarding world to take him off his 'perfect saviour' pedestal, and in Draco's case, just to be given a chance in wizarding society at all — but neither of them expected just how difficult that might really turn out to be. Especially when the stakes grow ever higher, and they both start falling for each other. Just a little bit.

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WARNING: This Story Contains Implied Sexual Content/Sexually Suggestive Content, (one instance of) Sexually Explicit Content; Mild Homophobia, Accidental Outing; Triggered PTSD

(specific warnings will be at the top of relevant chapters)

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Title original inspiration from '18' by Anarbor.

(Photo featured on cover by Vasilisa A./Hoang Thien Nga [user: @lisaeeva] via Instagram; 'Le Pain Quotidien'. FFN unfortunately does not allow links, but if you PM me, I can direct you to the original post. All edits Mine.)