The Fairytale Curse

- By BiSciFiGuy -

Pairing: Harry P/Draco M

Genre: Drama

Rating: M (Violence, gay sex)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or character histories or places or anything except my own plot. No copyright infringement is intended. I am not responsible for any underage readers who come across this story.

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A/N: This is a one shot that grew from my twisted little mind after seeing an advertisement for orange juice. And yes, as usually I am bringing some of my favourite characters from other stories into my own little universe.

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Some of the most common trades in the world are safely practiced in the light of day, but some trades, like the oldest one in the world is best practiced at night. This old profession was practiced by women for the length that there existed people to write about it. But men too practiced this profession, though more in secrecy than the women. This was Draco's profession. Whatever you chose to call him, whore, rent boy or even slut, he did not care. It was what made him happy and it paid the bills; he needed the money since he gave up his fortune along with his wand. Whether it was summer or winter, week night or weekend, whether he was working the streets of the town or simply being lazy and getting himself rented from the local agency, Draco was there, earning his living. He didn't mind who he went out with, men and women of all ages, all religions and all walks of life came to him to be satisfied. Their needs were as varied as they themselves were. He sold his services to widows who had too much money and too little time, they would hire him for weekends of expensive parties, and even more expensive champagne that would usually mean weekends filled with sour old lady kisses, and if they were able to bring themselves to forget their long dead husbands there would be uncomfortable, dry sex on sweetly scented beds. Other times he would sell his services to desperate men, burning for sexual encounters with their own sex but bound to their wives and children. All these men wanted were to be with a young man who would give them an hour or two of pleasure and then expect nothing more than a couple of notes tossed on the bed. Draco didn't care much who he was with, he was indifferent to the dead eyes of his clients. He had learned this indifference through the years of walking the streets; it had even become part of his attraction.

He even had some regulars, who would rent him at regular days throughout the year or the months. A woman, named Julia, who passed through the town once every two months when she visited the University to lecture to the many eager young minds who lived in the town. She would invite him to the Friday night class and he would enjoy listening to her speak about the glories of micro-biology. After the class he would take him to dinner and they would then retreat to her favourite restaurant where she would speak to him as though he was her therapist, speaking of the problems she had with her husband, how he worked more than he was home, how she felt cheated out of love. By the time the restaurant closes she would have bemoaned every aspect of her life and inevitably the night would end with her saying: "He is a good man, I know he loves me". She would then lean forward and place Draco's fee into his open palm as she planted a chaste kiss on his lips. That was all she ever wanted.

Another regular was a man named Greg was a young forensic scientist for America who dropped by once every six months and took Draco on for a night of gambling and drinking. A night with Greg always ended with the man curled in a ball, telling Draco of a man who works with him who he was in love with but could never have. These were night of easy fees, and he would go home, well stuffed with incredible tasting food and expensive alcohol. Often he let his client take him shopping, which kept him in good shoes and even better attire.

Draco awoke at his regular time of three in the afternoon. He stretched, placing his hands on the headboard and enjoying the feel of the cool wood beneath his skin. He turned his head as he did every time he woke up and stared at the photo on his bedside table. It was the only personal item in the room. He couldn't help but smile every day when he saw the photo. It had been taken seven years earlier. It was a simple black photo frame but the picture inside moved repeatedly in a cycle that Draco had seen and even fantasised about so many times since it had been taken. The annoying Creevey boy had taken the picture. Draco and Harry had been arguing again, they had stood face to face, their noses almost touching. There was a moment during that particular confrontation that Draco had been sure Harry had wanted to lean in to kiss him. The picture showed both Harry and Draco leaning forward after some particular harsh words, both sets of eyes fluttered as though wanting to close in preparation for a kiss but the Weasley bitch had interrupted and the moment had passed. Draco had never admitted it to anyone but for as long as he could remember he had been in love with Harry Potter. From the moment he had met the raven haired boy in the school entry hall he had known there was something there. At first he had thought it was just a desire to be friends but as puberty cam about the blonde became more and more sexually attracted to the brunette.

Draco closed his eyes as he remembered that particular day. His muscles protested the prolonged stretching. His previous night had not been one of his best nights. It had started out as a simple Friday; he'd spent the first few hours of the night in the company of Julia. She had eaten a sweet dessert after dinner and her lips had tasted of chocolate when she pressed her full lips against him. He had been heading home, happy with the easy take he had made. A man had stopped in the street next to him and had offered a tidy sum. Draco had been quite impressed with the offer and had gotten in the car. He had regretted the decision as soon as he had reached the man's house and seen the various devices the man had in his basement. It had been quite a work out and Draco's muscles were sore from the strange positions he and the man had gotten themselves into. But the money had been good and he was willing to turn himself into a pretzel for that amount of cash. He could well afford to take this particular Saturday night off but Draco knew that at any moment an unforeseen circumstance could arise and he would need the extra money. Before his night started he would have to head to the bank and fill his savings account some more.

He finally got out of bed and settled himself under the shower. The warm water soothed his aching muscles and as he looked into the mirror he promised himself to in future ask the client exactly what they wanted before agreeing to go with him or her. As he continued to enjoy the water he examined his body. It was important for him to keep his body fit and well toned for his clients. He never allowed his weight to fluctuate more that a kilogram or two either way. He was careful to feed his skin if it happened to be dry, or swab it if it became too oily. He was meticulous in examining himself for any sign of a sexually transmitted disease. He would rush to the clinic at the merest sign of a rash. He had obviously gotten the occasional doss of crabs but those he had disposed of easily and quickly.

He again considered taking the night off, he had no specially booked clients but it was Saturday after all, it would meant that the theatre crowd would be out and the student from the university would also be out and about. He never got good punters from the university crowd but occasionally one of the rich frat boys would pick him up and he would have a nice young, muscled man guy pay him for his services. He sighed again and got out of the shower, the inspection of his body complete.

In the room he looked at the full length mirror in his closet door. Usually he wore simple clothing, not making it clear that he was for rent. But this particular night he wanted to be risky. He slipped on a pair of black skinny jeans; they clung to him like a second skin. The tight emerald green shirt he put on showed off his lean muscles, the nipples showing clearly through the material. A pair of green and black shoes completed the outfit. On a whim Draco pulled the bottle of hair gel from the closet and carefully created a blonde Mohawk. He smiled at the reflection and carefully slipped a silver chain around his neck and a leather bracelet around his wrist. He liked the look and planned on using it again.

He was off just as the sun began to settle itself beneath the mountains; the money had been deposited earlier that day, he had received several curious looks from the people in the bank but since the town was a university town the people who lived within its borders had become used to students and their outfits. But some of the townies knew Draco for what he was and several of the older women frowned at him. One particular woman who owned a health store shop in the town knew him well. She and her husband had been in the bank and she had almost sneered at him when he passed her and her husband. Draco smiled back at them and even winked at the husband. The man had turned bright red and looked away. Draco's smile broadened as he knew he had touched a nerve in the older man. It was a small victory, knowing that the old bitch's husband was into him, but it was a victory nonetheless.

This particular Saturday turned out to be a rather slow night. He had walked the streets for two hours, waiting for the theatre crowds to come out of the old buildings. Usually he would have had at least two tricks before eight but this night had been hard going. And to make matters worse the weather had decided to become unfriendly, perhaps even melancholy. Lightning flashed in the sky above him and cold droplets of water splashed on his face. Since he was not wearing much clothing Draco made his way hastily down the street. The street was filled with Hotels on every side, all of which had once been his very own playground but one by one the hotel staff had gotten wise to his profession and he had been seen out of the door and politely told never to return. He walked faster as he felt raindrops coming faster and finally spied his target; the Bushwell hotel. It was one of the few places he was still completely welcome at, thanks to the front desk clerk. Draco liked the man, named Spencer; he was two years older than Draco's twenty four and was tall and lean, his face open. Spencer was an artist trapped in the body of a hotel clerk. He always had a joke to share or a new eccentric sculpture to share. It would be good to see Spencer, especially on such a slow night, he was one of the few people Draco might have called a friend if he entertained the idea of having such things. The tall man had even rented Draco for a couple of hours two weeks before, Draco had promised the man a special "friends only" rate, Spencer had taken him to dinner, nothing fancy like his usual rich punters, but Draco had enjoyed the night immensely and as agreed had returned to the hotel with Spencer and had spent the remaining time pleasuring the eccentric young man in his quarters in the basement of the hotel. Draco had spent the night curled in Spencer's arms and the morning after had not taken the money Spencer had left for him on the pillow.

The hotel door slid open just as the melancholy clouds unleashed their tears and wept an ocean onto the town. Draco was happy to be out of that downpour and at the fact that hotel lobby was filled with richly dressed men and women. He thought that surely he would find a good client within this throng of guests. He smiled brightly at all the people he passed but the smile faltered when he saw a new face behind the front desk. He had a carefully tended beard, his hair was cut short. His face was set in a most uncaring expression as he surveyed the people around him. Draco sensed that the man had a distinct dislike for all those who passed by him and resented almost every person he came across. The man immediately left the front desk with a hushed whisper to his co-worker. His movements were smooth and efficient as he walked towards Draco. Draco pretended to be staring out the large windows at the rain while still checking the man out. His walk reminded Draco of a person who had tasted authority. Draco assumed that the resentment in the man stemmed from losing that authority. Draco guessed that the man had either been a lawyer who couldn't pass the bar or a medical school dropout. When he drew close Draco saw the name tag; it proclaimed the wearer to be "Alex".

"Excuse me... sir". The last word came from the man's mouth like something he chose to spit on the floor rather than a sign of respect.

"Yes" Draco replied, not taking his eyes off the rain.

"Are you a resident of this hotel?" Alex asked.

"Actually I..." Draco began, only to be cut off by Alex's words.

"Because if you were not a resident of this hotel then the management would prefer if you leave immediately". Ales said, proud of the small bit of authority he bore in the situation.

"I am waiting for someone". Draco said but even as he spoke he could see that the man did not believe a word he was saying.

"Perhaps you can give me the name of the person you are waiting for and I could have him or her summoned?" Draco almost cringed as the man spoke. He had to think of something quick.

"I'm waiting for Spencer". Alex's eyes bulged as he heard the name.

"Spencer?" The man spat the name from his lips.

"Yes". Draco replied, feeling his confidence lift again.

"Spencer no longer works here. He has been fired for improper conduct in the hotel dormitory". Alex said and touched Draco's shoulder.

"Don't touch me". Draco spat at the man, he was ready to play indignant customer and make a scene if need be.

"Look buddy, I know your game. I know exactly what you are doing here in my lobby. Don't you dare get all cocky with me, I will get the police on your ass so fast it will make your head spin". Alex's voice had risen slightly and some of the guests had turned to look. He smiled politely at them before turning back to Draco, anger still flashing in his eyes just as lighting flashed outside. Draco's eyes darted to the storm outside and he changed tactics.

"Come on man; look at that shit going on out there. I won't be the cause of any trouble I just want to stay out of the rain". Draco hated the begging tone of his voice but the storm outside promised misery and he was willing to give up some of his dignity to avoid it.

"You are not a paying guest at this hotel so whatever happens to you is none of my business. So are you going to leave politely or am I going to have to have you escorted out in cuffs?" Ales said, his voice a whisper now, knowing that the guests might hear.

"You're a real fucker". Draco spat back.

"I may be but it's a step up from a cock sucking whore". Alex spat and roughly pushed Draco towards the door, which slid open politely.

"Get your hands off me". Draco shook his body and looked out of the doorway. It was really coming down in sheets and he really didn't want to be outside in that. He turned once to look back but Alex was still standing just a few paces behind him, making sure he left. Draco sneered at him and Alex waved in mock politeness.

The rain was cold as it came down around him. The steps of the hotel were slippery and he nearly fell as he stepped off the last one. The rain had already soaked through his tight clothing; his shoes were heavy and made sloshing noises as he walked. His carefully constructed Mohawk was a thing of the past, the strands of hair clinging to his forehead. The hair gel ran down his face and his back as he made his way through the rain. On the corner of the street he saw one of the theatres he had been waiting for to empty. The light from the entryway looked inviting and warm and he rushed towards it. A car driving way too fast for the weather passed by him and a splash of water washed over him and he cursed, it was impossible for him to be any wetter but now he was covered in whatever had been in the puddle. He walked up the steps of the theatre and stood for a moment under the jutting roof, just enjoying the fact that there was no rain pouring down on top of him. He looked around the theatre lobby, it was a simple place, he'd picked up clients here many times but the lobby was emptying, the intermission of whatever play had shown had passed and the theatre goers were heading back in.

"Damn it". Draco cursed as he reached into his pockets for his cigarettes. He could just as well head home; there was no way he was landing a client the way he looked. His cigarettes came from his pocket in a soggy mass of paper and tobacco, the matches were equally ruined. He tossed both into the nearest waste basket kicked the container for good luck. It made a metallic sound that echoed through the lobby and he silently prayed that there wouldn't be another uptight, glorified clerk that was going to kick him out of this refuge. Draco stared down at the cigarettes and felt a lump form in his throat, he wanted to cry, for the first time in many months he hated what he did to survive, hated his life and most of all he hated snobby manager Alex.

"You look like you really need a smoke". Draco's head jerked to his right, the tears were still in his eyes but he tried to blink them away as he tried to focus on the stranger beside him but all he could see was a proffered cigarette held up between two well manicures fingers. There was a delicate wedding band on the man's finger. Draco took the cigarette and the match that was lit in response was brought to the tip of the cigarette. Draco inhaled deeply and looked the man over. He was somewhere between forty and forty-five. He was dressed in an expensive black suit, blue shirt with matching black and white striped tie. His hair was styled in perfectly planned disarray. But what struck Draco most about the man was his bright blue eyes and the kindness the blonde saw in them.

"Thanks". The blonde muttered.

"The name is Sandy Cohen". The man said, and held out his hand. His voice clearly accented from America but where exactly Draco had no idea. Draco looked at his own sopping hands for a moment before reaching out and taking the man's hand in the universal gesture.

"Draco". The blonde said, still looking into the man's eyes. He had never seen anything quite like this man's eyes.

"Is it just Draco?"

"Yes".

"Well just Draco, you seem to be in a very unhappy state". Sandy remarked and appraised Draco with his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that". Draco said, he would usually have shook off the comment, he would never have apologised for his appearance but something about the man's demeanour threw him off his game.

"No need to apologise. We all get caught in the rain sometimes". Draco nodded. He was waiting for the man to make his move.

"Would you like to have a drink?" Draco smiled slightly as he pulled on the cigarette.

"Does a drink include the choice of coffee?" Draco asked and it was Sandy's turn to smile.

"Of course it does. The offer includes anything you want". Sandy said and reached into his pocket to retrieve a phone.

"So, do you live nearby?"

"I am only visiting but my place is close by". Sandy said, his hand came to rest on Draco's shoulder and the blonde felt such warmth from the man.

"Do you have an umbrella?" Draco asked, ready for the man to lead him to his house.

"I will have my driver bring the car around; he will also bring an umbrella". Sandy smiled again and proceeded to make a call on his phone, the conversation went quickly and they stood in silence for several moments until the car arrived.

"Shall we go?" Sandy said and Draco nodded, stubbing out the cigarette in the waste basket. Sandy's driver had appeared from within the big black town car with an equally large black umbrella. He escorted the two men down to the car where he opened the door for them and both slipped into the backseat. The door slammed shut and Draco sent up a prayer that Sandy Cohen would not have any weird fetishes or want to try any strange positions.

"I'm afraid I can't offer you coffee till we get to our destination but I can offer you something a little stronger now?" Sandy said and opened a small mini bar set near the front.

"I'll have a double whiskey please, on the rocks". Draco said and Sandy nodded. He poured the drink for Draco and a glass of water for himself.

"You are not going to drink?" Draco asked, usually it took married men copious amounts of alcohol to be able to sleep with a man.

"No, not while I am on the job". Draco frowned, what could the man possibly mean. A small panicky voice shouted in the back of his mind but Draco chose to ignore it. There was no way the man could be a hired gun or an agent of the government or someone who worked for his father, the man was too clean cut. But one never knew. Draco vowed that at the first sign of trouble he would dash. The heater in the vehicle was turned high and Draco felt his limbs regain some of their feeling. He enjoyed riding in the car but kept looking suspiciously at Sandy, usually these married clients would be on him as soon as he'd swallowed his first drink, desperately straight acting and desperate to take it in the mouth but not Sandy. No; Sandy sat politely on his side of the car, paging through documents and occasionally looking at his watch. Draco sipped his drink as the car moved silently through the streets.

The blonde had just taken the last sip of his drink the car pulled to a stop.

"We have arrived Mister Cohen". The driver's voice said from the front seat. Draco smiled at Sandy as both men opened their doors. Draco looked up at a six storey apartment building; he had seen it several times but had never been in it before. Sandy joined him and touched his hand to the small of Draco's back.

"Please, follow me". Sandy said and the two men walked through the foyer of the building. A young Asian man stood at the desk facing the elevators. His black hair was thick and styled. He wore a black uniform; the top quarter of the black jacket was yellow as though someone had poured yellow paint on him while he was standing upright.

"Good evening Mister Kim". Sandy said and the man smiled.

"Good evening Mister Cohen". He nodded towards Draco.

"Good evening sir". This time the last word was spoken politely and Draco smiled back and Sandy pressed the elevator button.

"Up to see our mystery man again?" Kim asked and Sandy nodded.

"Yes we are". Sandy replied and the lift opened. Once inside Draco frowned, who was the mystery man the receptionist was talking about? Draco shook his head as the door closed, but not so much as to miss that the receptionist was checking him out, the moment before the doors slid shut the young man winked at him. The elevator rose silently to the sixth floor and opened right into the foyer of an apartment. Draco couldn't help but be impressed. The apartment was stylish without being overly so. The living room was off the foyer, separated by two small steps leading down. Doors to the left and right led to adjoining rooms. Sandy gestured to the door on the right and Draco followed him. The door led to the kitchen, which was also modern and uncluttered. A bagel slicer stood on the island in the middle of the white room. Sandy clicked the coffee machine and it began sputtering, filling the room with the aroma of rich coffee. Draco had the distinct feeling that he was being watched, perhaps by the mystery man the receptionist had been referring to. Sandy nodded at the coffee machine as though he approved of it understanding his order for coffee and then turned to Draco.

"I believe that we have to discuss your fee". Sandy said and Draco nodded.

"Well. I have already been in your company for an hour, so I believe that I will have to charge for that". Sandy nodded as Draco spoke. The man seemed almost uninvolved in what Draco was saying, the coffee machine protested behind him and Sandy turned again to further instruct the mechanisms inside. Draco knew that if he played his cards right he would be able to take this man for quite a bit of money, he seemed rich enough, surely he could afford to pay well for what Draco had to offer if this was merely a holiday or business trip home. Draco stepped silently up behind Sandy while the man worked on the machine, speaking silently to it. Sandy turned back to find Draco right behind him, his piercing blue eyes widened when he saw the blonde and Draco took his chance and pressed his mouth against Sandy's full lips. The man's hands came up and settled on Draco's shoulders but instead of pulling him in to intensify the kiss Sandy pushed him away.

"Don't you like kissing?" Draco asked, somewhat confused.

"Yes, I do like kissing, but only my wife". Draco nodded; he had had men like these before.

"So it will just be the sex then, shall I start here". Draco whispered and took Sandy's belt in his hands so as to undo it. The older man's hands grabbed his again.

"I believe you are misunderstanding the nature of our agreement Draco".

"What?"

"I am a lawyer, and like I said I am married to the most wonderful woman in the world. But this, what you are doing, is not why I brought you here. I am merely the go between".

"What?" Draco asked again, dumbly.

"I work for a man and he has been looking for a specific young man and I have been helping him achieve his goal for the last five years". Sandy explained.

"So what are you saying, you work for this guy and you pick out his sexual favours for him?" Draco said, he felt an idiot for making a move on Sandy, he looked again into the man's eyes, there was lust in them, no desire to be with another man, all that were in those crystal blue orbs was kindness. As he stared Draco again got the feeling of being watched.

"Well, yes. In a way but..." A sound like a giant running dog filled the room, truncating Sandy's sentence. The scurrying sound ended in a loud crash of metallic object and the distinct explosion of glass followed by a piercing sound that made Draco's ears hurt. Sandy was pushing past Draco already, heading towards the hallway that leads from the kitchen to the rest of the apartment.

"Please have some coffee I will be back as soon as possible". Sandy said and was gone from the kitchen. Draco obliged the request and poured himself a cup of steaming liquid. He wanted to warm up and the coffee would help calm him after his disastrous performance with Sandy. He sighed as he sipped the rich coffee, it was a brand he had never tasted before and he savoured the taste. He looked around the kitchen, waiting for Sandy to return from whatever it was that had occurred. The lawyer had seemed worried but not overly frightened by the strange sounds but soon Draco became worried when the man did not return. He placed the empty coffee mug on the counter and began to make his way towards the hall. As he reached the door he heard footsteps right on the other side of the doorway. Suddenly Sandy was there, standing framed in the door. His hands, shirt and face smeared with blood.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked. Sandy seemed bewildered for a moment and then nodded.

"Yes, I am fine. It was just a small accident. I apologise but my client can no longer see you tonight, let me escort you out". Sandy again put his hand in the small of Draco's back and began pushing him towards the elevator.

"Wait, shouldn't we call an ambulance, are you hurt?" Draco protested but Sandy shook his head.

"Don't worry Draco, it is not my blood and a doctor has been summoned". Sandy dug in his pockets and pulled out several bills and without looking at them stuffed them in Draco's hand.

"Please, I don't need to be paid, I..." Draco protested again as the elevator arrived and the doors opened.

"No need to feel bad Draco, this is what my client wants. Please forget you were ever here". Sandy said and the doors closed, hiding his bloody clothes and face from Draco's view.

The lift descended and opened again in the lobby. Kim was waiting patiently behind the reception desk. Draco stumbled out and looked into the man's eyes.

"So, did you get to meet the mystery man?" Kim asked.

"No, there seems to have been as accident". Draco replied.

"Yes, I was alerted to call the mystery man's private doctor". Kim said.

"Why do you keep calling him that?"

"Because that is what he is, a mystery man". Kim said and shrugged. Draco frowned, it was beyond odd to have man living in the building and not even knowing his name, but perhaps, Draco thought, he was the only one not allowed to know the name of the mystery man. Since leaving school Draco hated using people to get his way but he decided to use this receptionist to gather more information about Sandy Cohen's mysterious client.

"Look, my name is Draco; would you like to have coffee with me tomorrow?" Draco asked and Kim blushed.

"Sure, I get off work at four, so I will meet you at Isabella's at half past?" Draco considered the offer, he knew Isabella's well, and it was one of his favourite places but he hadn't been there in weeks.

"Be seeing you then". Draco said and walked from the foyer. He would head straight home, even if he were offered the key to the world's gold reserves he would turn it down. It seemed to be turning into a very weird weekend.

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The following day Draco was sitting at a corner booth at Isabella's, waiting for the pretty Asian man to drop by. Of course Draco had no intention of dating with the man; he had no intention of even sleeping with him unless he could pay but then he was also sure that the nice Mister Kim would run a mile as soon as he heard what Draco did for a living. The blonde ordered a Cafe Latte from the smiling waitress and pulled out a cigarette. He lit it with a match from the fresh box he had purchased on his way to the coffee shop. The smoke felt good as it filled his lungs. He exhaled the smoke and looked around him. The place was filled with students, everything from the virginal geek boys and girls to the heavy punk rock androgynous beings one often saw. A couple of people checked him out. He was wearing a simple outfit, simple blue jeans with running shoes and a black shirt beneath a black and blue striped hoodie; he'd had no intention of dressing up for Mister Kim either. The waitress arrived with his coffee and he smiled up at her.

"Thank you". She smiled and winked at him. When she turned around Mister Kim was behind her. His face lit up when he saw Draco and he plopped himself down in the chair opposite the blonde. The young man seemed nervous and Draco wondered if he was out of the closet... at all.

"Hello".

"Hello Mister Kim". Draco said; making it clear that the other man had not introduced himself the previous night.

"Call me Harry; Mister Cohen is much too formal when he speaks to me". Draco swallowed, in all the years since the war ended and he had left the magical world behind he had never encountered another Harry. Of course in his business names didn't mean much whether they were real or not. But to have this short, dark haired boy named Harry in his presence was a bit too much, it brought back too many memories of that name etched into scraps of paper with a quill and quickly burned with an incendio spell whenever someone came near. How many night Draco had stood in the Hogwarts bathroom, alone in an empty cubicle, the rhythmic movements of his right hand causing flickering shadows on the floor while his left hand was clutched over his mouth to prevent his from calling out that very name when he climaxed. No, this would not do, Draco decided.

"Are you okay Draco?" The young man asked and Draco shook his head slightly to bring his mind back from the past.

"Yes, would you mind terribly if I called you Kim instead of... Harry".

"Not at all, many people call me Kim so feel free". Draco nodded and signalled the waitress. She glided over and smiled down at Kim.

"Hello, my name is Jo, and I will be your waitress. What will it be?"

"I will have a red cappuccino please". Kim ordered without even touching the menu. Clearly he had been at Isabella's more than enough times to know the menu off by heart. Jo smiled again and took their menus and glided off again. Draco could swear that the woman did not move on feet but hovered a few inches off the ground. He shook his head again and indulged Kim in the listening of the boring life of a front desk clerk in a fancy apartment building. Draco checked his watch and Kim seemed honestly offended.

"Are you bored?" Kim asked; his red cappuccino almost completely gone and Draco's latte swallowed.

"No, I just don't want to be late".

"Be late for what?"

"Just something I have to do. So; tell me about this mystery man that lives in your building". Draco smiled at Kim and the man smiled back eagerly, clearly this was a subject that the bright Mister Kim enjoyed talking about immensely. Draco could just imagine the man; he was more a boy compares to Draco really, talking inventively with his friends about the strange man in his building.

"Yes, the Mystery man". I have been working in the building for just over a year now. The week I started the man who lived on the upper floor moved out and the apartment stood empty for several weeks. People came to look but none bought. It is a rather expensive building to live in". Kim said proudly, almost as though he were living there himself. Draco nodded.

"Yes, I noticed when I was there". Draco said.

"Anyway, one day, it was pouring rain just like last night; Mister Cohen pops through the door, his black umbrella spilling water everywhere. At first he complained about the damn European weather. He looked at me as though I would understand, like I was a foreigner too instead of born and bred right here".

"Mister Cohen is foreign?"

"Yes, apparently he is from California". Draco nodded, that explained the accent.

Then he asked me if the top floor apartment was still for rent. Of course I told him it was and he nodded. I showed him up to the apartment and he looked around, nodding, mumbling to himself. Eventually he pulled out his cell phone and made a call".

"What did he say?" Draco asked, truly intrigued.

"Nothing really, it seemed like a simple business call. Anyway, the person on the other side answered and Mister Cohen said something along the lines of "I found you a great place, you are going to love it'. And then he just put the phone down without saying goodbye or anything. The next morning the papers came through telling me that a man had rented the apartment". Kim took the last sip from his cup and gestured to Jo for a refill, which she obliged politely.

"That doesn't seem strange". Draco noted.

"No, it wasn't strange until later. It took Mister Cohen more than three weeks to move all the stuff into the apartment. I never saw anyone else. Then all of a sudden Mister Cohen vanished, I didn't see him or hear anything about the mystery man for a month. I thought that maybe the guy had died or something but then Mister Cohen appeared again one day. It was one of those really miserable days, the sky was all cloudy and mean and everything seemed grey. Then the doors opened and there was Mister Cohen and someone else".

"This was the mystery man?"

"Not at first, at first I thought he was just the new guy, finally arriving. He seemed sick. He was wearing all black, black sweatpants and black shoes and hoodie, like yours only all black. He was wearing a baseball cap too, the hood of the shirt pulled tightly over his head and a strange mask. I thought for a moment maybe it was Michael Jackson but this man was too well built. It was weird, he didn't speak when I greeted them and his hands were thrust into his pockets. He kept his head down. Immediately I thought he was some other celebrity, hiding something". Kim's cappuccino arrived and he sipped it softly.

"What happened then?"

"Mister Cohen actually helped the man to the elevator; it was almost as though he had trouble walking. Mister Cohen kept referring to the man as 'my client' he never mentioned the man's name. They finally went up the elevator and that was the last I ever saw the mystery man".

"What? He never came back down again?"

"No, he moved into that apartment almost a year ago and I have never seen him again. I know he is still there because once a month Mister Cohen would come visit, brining files and boxes of weird things".

"What kind of weird things?"

"Funny looking vials of medicine, he called them but they didn't look like any medicine bottles I've ever seen. They looked kind of old and there were no labels on them. Once Mister Cohen came in with a file and he slipped on something a kid has spilled and dropped the file. I was there to help him and I saw the file was filled with pictures of guys; all of them looked like they were taken by private investigators. Mister Cohen took the file from me and went up. Then he would leave again, looking disgruntled and tired. And then a month ago it got ever weirder". Kim leaned forward as though he was telling Draco a really big secret. Draco cocked an eyebrow but said nothing, waiting for Kim to fill to bursting with anticipation and tell him.

"Well, Mister Cohen started visiting more often, the first day he arrived he seemed overly excited, the file in his hand clutched tightly and he vanished up the elevator. He came back and hour or two later looking more disgruntled than ever. That was when he started coming into the building every day. About three weeks ago he began to bring guys to the apartment".

"He brought guys?"

"Yes, once or twice a week. All of them with about the same body build and height as you. Not all of them were blonde like you but most of them were. Sandy would take them up only to return half an hour or an hour later shaking the guy's hand and thanking him for his time. I didn't really mind whatever it was the mystery man was doing, I went home with quite a few of them but none of them could ever tell me what they had seen up there. It was almost as though they had forgotten whatever had happened in the time they were on the sixth floor with Mister Cohen and the mystery man". Kim shrugged and drank deeply from his cup. From what the man was saying Draco was sure that Sandy Cohen was working for a wizard. The secrecy, the mysterious amnesia the guys had after being in the apartment, surely that meant a memory charm was used. Draco ran though the list of Dark Wizards who were still at large after the war. Surely the mystery man could be one of those wizards. Draco was sure that whoever this mystery man was, he and Sandy Cohen were looking for him. Draco looked around the coffee shop, he didn't know what he expected to see but he was sure he was targeted and all that remained for him was to run. He looked at his watch again and then at the fast setting sun. It was time to move. He gestured for Jo to bring the bill, which he politely paid even though Kim protested. Outside in the darkness he and Kim stood awkwardly for a moment, several groups of University Frat boys were milling about the area, lustily hunting down girls in their fancy cars. Kim looked into Draco's eyes and leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on his lips while his hand fluttered up to embrace Draco's neck.

"Wait" Draco said and pushed Kim away.

"What, I'm sorry". Kim said, blushing deeply.

"No, it's not wrong. It's just; do you know what I am late for?"

"You said you were going somewhere important, what does that have to do with me kissing you?" Kim seemed genuinely confused and Draco saw how naive the guy actually was.

"I'm late for work Kim, I work at night". Still the guy didn't seem to get it.

"So?"

"I work on the streets". Draco said; he hoped he wasn't going to have to say it.

"Are you a rent?" Kim asked and Draco almost smiled that the naive guy would know what that meant.

"Yes I am". Kim's eyes widened slowly.

"I... I didn't know".

"Its fine Kim, don't worry". Draco explained; the young man seemed truly confused.

"Do you want... you know, for the coffee..." Kim gestured towards the closing shop and Draco shook his head.

"God no, I invited you".

"Oh". Kim said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"I had a good time anyway". Draco said, feeling sorry for the young man who had likely thought he would go home with Draco, had probably planned a whole relationship in his head. But the words seemed to placate Kim and he smiled.

"Yeah, I had a nice time too". He held out his hand and Draco shook it. With a shy smile Kim was gone, leaving Draco standing in the darkening street. A car filled with Frat boys stood across the street from him and he turned in the opposite direction, heading home. He heard the car start and turned around, he sometimes had trouble with the testosterone filled overly stimulated frat boys. He knew he was a threat to their overly masculine self image and he also knew that they occasionally acted out their fear in the form of aggression. He watched as the car sped off into the distance, heading in the same direction it had been aimed. He sighed heavily. Even though he was sure he could once have been able to take on all six boys in the car without so much as breaking a sweat, he no longer had the use of his magic, sure it was still there but his wand had been shattered during the aftermath of the war. He had never gone to find a new wand, had not seen the purpose of it since he had decided to turn his back on the magical world. Now however the magical world had found him and he had no choice but to re-invent himself again.

As he walked towards his small apartment he cursed himself for giving Sandy his real name, why hadn't he used one of the aliases he often did? It was beyond careless but he had fallen for Sandy's kind eyes and gentle demeanour. How stupid could he have been? He asked himself and spat on the filthy street. A movement at the periphery of his vision caught his attention and he turned, something or someone was following him. The panic in his chest was thundering brood around his ears, making sounds like crashing waves in his head. He pulled the hoodie tighter around himself and began to make his way faster toward his apartment. His eye caught a moving shadow again and he stopped to look around him. As he turned he thought he saw something move on the roof of the building to his right but when his head turned to catch the shadow it had already moved on. Draco hurried again, surely if he could just make it home he would be safe, he doubted if the thin door to the apartment could hold out against a strong kick much less a well placed charm or spell but at least he would be in his sanctuary. He would be home. He ducked into the alley he usually walked through to get punters, tonight however he did not care about a trick or two, all he wanted was to be safe in his home and but first light he would be packed and ready to move, escaping from Sandy Cohen and whoever the mystery man was. A shadow fell across his face and he looked up, almost gasping.

Oh no, he groaned in his own head. It was one of the frat boys he'd seen in the car outside Isabella's. He silently prayed that the boy was one of the closeted rich boys who were too afraid to come out in fear of losing his inheritance. But no, it seemed his bad luck from the previous night had spilled over. The boy's friends appeared from around the corner.

"Well gentlemen. It seems we have ourselves a fag". The first boy said, he was about twice Draco's size and the blonde felt a twinge of fear forming deep in his chest. The five other boys laughed loudly when they noticed the leader was laughing as well.

"Where is your little queer friend?" The leader of the guys asked, Draco looked him in the eye, refusing to reply.

"Answer me!" The guy screamed and pushed Draco with both hands, making him stumble back but still Draco refused to speak, he knew he was going to get beaten up by these insecure boys and nothing he said was going to prevent that.

"Fucking faggot, you people are a stain on this town". The lead boy spat again.

"You tell him Richard". One of the other boys cheered the lead boy on. It was the catalyst of the confrontation. Richard pulled out a small knife and held it in front of Draco's face. The glint of the metal sent a shiver down Draco's spine. The words the Richard boy had spoken were right out of a statement made by an especially homophobic preacher in the town. Draco looked at the boy and recognised Richard as the preacher's son. Richard's hand shot up and grasped Draco fiercely by the neck. He pushed Draco back and slammed him against the wall. Draco let out an unwilling yelp as his head hit the hard wall. His vision swam.

"Faggots should be marked". Richard said and brought the knife down slowly, tracing a line across Draco's cheek with the point, just hard enough to let Draco know what was coming; it was like a practice stroke that didn't pierce the skin. To Draco's horror a tear sprang from his eye and ran down his cheek. Richard sneered and leaned close to Draco's face.

"That's it queer, be afraid". He pressed the knife against Draco's cheek again, just below the left ear and this time the point of the knife slipped into his skin. Draco cringed from the small nip of pain.

"Beg me". Richard said; the request was so random that Draco forgot his fear for a moment and was confused.

"What?"

"It speaks!" Richard howled at his friends and repeated his question, this time digging the knife deeper into Draco's skin.

"I said beg me not to cut you". Draco shivered when he saw the malice in the boy's eyes.

"No". He said simply, his Malfoy indifference settling itself on his face, hoping if he seemed indifferent to what happened to him the boys would not know what to do, but the bad luck persisted.

"Snobby little fuck aren't you? I will make you beg". Richard ran the knife down the length of Draco's jaw bone, the blonde held out as long as he could until about halfway to his chin he screamed. The boys laughed as the knife kept moving around his face.

"Someone is coming Rich". One of the boys said suddenly and Richard stopped his violation of Draco's face to look around. Draco took the chance and brought his knee up swiftly and planted it right between the boy's legs. Richard doubled over, dropping the knife. Draco didn't wait to see how the other boys would react, he ran down the alley as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Get him". He heard Richard choke from behind him and five pairs of feet began to follow him. He didn't make it very far before the first of the masculine boys tackled him. His head slammed into the pavement and he felt the gravel slice into his palms. Richard was up already and making his way towards Draco as two of the boys lifted him off the ground. Richard was walking slowly, his balls still stinging and he was blinking tears out of his eyes. Draco almost smiled but the cut on his cheek pulled and the pain was too much. He didn't even want to think about how the wound looked.

"I was only going to mark you faggot, but for that you die". Richard said and Draco knew instinctively that the boy was serious. Richard looked around him and bent down to pick up a length of pine that lay discarded in the alley. One of the other boys standing near Draco stepped up to Richard.

"Come Richard, you've had your fun. Let him go". Richard looked at him with malice in his eyes.

"Shut the fuck up Terry". Richard spat and the boy retreated, he cast Draco a look that apologised for what was about to come. Draco kept his mouth closed until the boy was right up in his face, Richard tapped the pipe against Draco's chest and the blonde gave way.

"Please don't" He hated the moaning in his voice but this was for his life. He would beg if he have to.

"If you had just begged when I asked you none of this would have happened". Richard said and gestured to the two boys holding Draco. They lifted the blonde to his toes. Draco saw the pipe lift into the air and he closed his eyes, whishing he could have seen his mother one more time before he died.

The pipe suddenly clanged to the floor and someone screamed. Draco felt the boys holding him let go and he fell to his knees. Only then did he open his eyes. The pipe was on the ground a few paces away, Richard was on his knees several paces further. He was howling like a wounded animal. His friends were trying to lift him up and as they did so Draco saw the white bone protruding from his forearm.

"Jesus Richard, what the fuck happened?"

"Fuck Dan, I have no idea. There was a shadow and... And something else". Richard spat as he finally got to his feet. His eyes locked with Draco's.

"It was one of the faggot's friends". He said and stumbled forward. Whatever shadow had broken the boy's arm was back in a second. In a flash the boys who had flanked him were unconscious on the ground. One of the boys took off down the alley, vanishing around the corner from where the group had come. Tarry was the only one who remained, he had pressed himself against the wall, staring at Richard and the shadow. Draco saw that it wasn't actually a shadow, it was a man, dressed all in black, a black cap on his head and the hood of the jacket pulled over his face. Unlike the time Kim had seen this man, Draco saw the man's hands were not pressed in the pockets of his jacket but were covered in black mittens. Everything about the man screamed menace but at the same time screamed Wizard. Draco looked at him and for the first time he heard the man speak.

"You like picking on people who are different don't you? I'll bet it makes you feel all powerful, right?" The boys said nothing, staring into the face Draco couldn't see.

"I'm talking to you". The black dressed man said; his voice was heavy with some accent; there was a strange purring sound in the voice. The man punched Richard's broken arm. For a moment Draco found it strange, it would have been much more painful if the Knight in black poly cotton had grabbed him. But no matter what would have been best, Richard still screamed.

"I'm sorry". Richard said.

"It's too late now little boy, let's see how you feel when being picked on... and I promise you, I am a lot more different than this young man will ever be". The figure pulled his hood back, with his back to Draco the blonde couldn't see the man's face but Richard did and he cowered beneath the face.

"Oh god, please don't hurt me. I'm sorry, oh god". The black dressed figure pulled his hood back up and pushed the boy hard with both his hands, Richard fell to the ground. His disguise back on the figure turned to Draco. The blonde couldn't help but scurry away just a little.

"Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you". The figure said and made to kneel next to Draco.

"You fucking freak!" Richard stupidly screamed behind the figure. Draco's eyes flitted to the boy, who was already running down the alley, following his more cowardly friend. But running was no use; the figure growled and gave chase. Within second he had caught the boy, they were nothing but shadows but Draco saw them struggle for a moment and then the dark figure's head dropped to Richard's neck and the boy screamed a scream that reverberated down the alley. The dark figure dropped him a moment later; the boy fell wetly to the ground. The dark figure stumbled back; Draco could see blood dripping from his clothing. He stopped where Terry was cowering against the wall. He leaned down to the boy and Draco saw the wet stain form between the boy's legs and run down them.

"Please". The boy begged.

"I won't hurt you; you at least tried to stop your friend". The dark figure let the boy slide down the wall and let him settle in his own piss.

"Leave". The figure told Draco. "And get your face checked out". The figure said again and Draco wouldn't wait. He took off running; he passed the two unconscious boys and wilfully ignored Richard, sprawled red on the alley floor. He made it home in half the time it would usually have taken him. He gasped as he entered the room, blood poured from his wound. He considered going to the bathroom mirror to examine the wound but his body protested, all the energy ran from his body and he felt ready to collapse. He took a shirt from a chair and pressed it to his face. He fell on the bed and was asleep within moments.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Draco awoke from a day of fitful sleep; nightmares of the previous night had tortured him while he slept. He noticed he had tossed his pillow to the floor; the shirt he had used to staunch the flow of blood had also been thrown to the corner of the room where it lay, red and ruined. Draco sighed went to the bathroom. He looked into the mirror and cringed. The entire left side of his face was covered in blood. He knew that Richard had not sliced open his entire face but it looked like the boy had skinned half his face. Draco leaned down and gently splashed water on his injured face. It stung as he washed the dried blood off. The water ran red into the drain. He watched it until it became mostly clear before he looked up. The wound was gaping, its edges washed white. He saw blood begin to seep from the wound again and he pressed a small hand towel to it. He brushed his teeth painfully and dressed. The blood had stopped flowing again but he took another face towel with him as he went to the clinic.

The tiny doctor at the clinic was not impressed when she arrived to examine him. She knew him well; he had been there several times before when he had had STD scares. She pulled his face to one side and looked at the wound. She looked at the chart.

"Draco, what did you do?"

"I didn't mean to". Draco mumbled.

"You say you got this wound last night?" She asked.

"Yes".

"You should have come immediately. It looks pretty clean and I can stitch it for you but there is going to be a very big scar". Draco swallowed thickly. She explained to him about risk of infection and gave him some a prescription before excusing herself, telling him that she would send someone to stitch him up. The curtain closed and he heard the woman shuffle away. He heard her speak to someone.

"The kid waited all day to have his wound stitched up". The pages of his chart fluttered.

"Doctor Bailey, shouldn't we get Doctor Sloan on this, it's a face wound".

"No O'Malley, he waited too long. Such a pity, he is such a beautiful boy". The curtain flew open and a young attractive doctor looked at him for a moment then the curtain flew shut again.

"I am sure Sloan could do something with the wound".

"George, listen to me. I know this boy; he is not going to be able to pay Sloan, not with what he does". Bailey said in a whisper.

"What do you mean?"

"George, shut up and do I said. I have other patients you know". The curtain flew open again and Draco smiled at the young doctor. He seemed somewhat nervous as he nodded to Draco.

"That wound of yours looks pretty serious. How did you get it?" Doctor George asked.

"I had a fight with some of the frat boys".

"Oh, they are often quite hectic". George said. He carefully injected the anaesthetic into Draco's jaw and the blonde felt his face go numb. The Doctor started the process of stitching up the wound. He kept looking up at Draco.

"You can ask you know". Draco said.

"What?"
"I can see you are burning to ask, so go ahead".

"What exactly is it that you do?"

"I'm a rent". Draco said; the doctor looked at him with a questioning look in his eyes.

"I... I don't know what that is".

"I'm a street walker, a male prostitute". Doctor George's face faltered for a moment but then he regained his composure. They made idle chatting as the young Doctor finished with his face. A white bandage covered the wound and Draco left the hospital with a polite smile at his kind Doctor.

He walked towards his apartment. There was no way he was going to get any punters, not looking the way he did. He looked around and saw that he was close to the expensive apartment where the mystery man lived. He knew this was the man who had been his saviour the previous night. But the hooded figure had seemed too much like a Death Eater and Draco knew messing with them would be suicide, most of them were in Azkaban but there were still a few who were on the loose. Whether the Death Eaters got him or the Wizard authorities he was screwed either way. No, he decided, he would not be going there. Sandy Cohen and the Mystery man could go fuck themselves. Draco noticed the alley he had been in the previous night; it was still the same alley, only he knew what had transpired there. He would not walk through it even though that meant he would take half an hour longer to reach home.

A car pulled up alongside him as he walked, he knew who it was without even looking into the open window.

"Draco?" Sandy Cohen said beside him.

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk".

"I have nothing to say to you".

"But my client wishes to meet with you". Sandy said.

"Oh, I met your client last night and I am most certainly not interested in meeting him again". Draco said and began to walk faster. The car sped up for a moment before coming to a standstill. The door opened and Sandy jumped from the car.

"Draco, stop".

"I said I didn't want to see you or your damn client again. Not after last night". Draco spat.

"Yes that was ...unfortunate and my client feels terrible about the whole incident. He would like to see you to... explain". Sandy said.

"Do you know what he did? There is no way he can explain that".

"I am sure you will understand, Draco please".

"God Sandy, I said I didn't want to see him. Leave me alone!" Sandy grabbed his shoulder and he shrugged the man off.

"Just go!" Draco said and Sandy stopped, shocked. Draco kept walking; he was a few metres away when the lawyer spoke again.

"My client..."

"I don't want to hear it".

"My client is Harry Potter". Sandy said and Draco almost stumbled as though the words were slippery stones placed in his way. He turned around to stare at the man.

"What?"

"My client is Harry Potter". Draco looked into Sandy's kind eyes, looking for any lie but again he saw nothing of the sort.

"Why does he want to see me?"

"That is for him to explain. But I can tell you that he has been looking for you for years". Sandy gestured for the blonde to follow him to the car and Draco did so. The driver held the door open for him and smiled as he and Sandy settled into the backseat.

"He has been looking for me for years?"

"Yes. I have been trying to find you on his behalf for the last four years".

"That explains all the guys Kim was talking about". Sandy smiled at him.

"I see you also prefer to do your research". Sandy said.

"Yeah, I tend to prefer to be safe rather than sorry". Draco said.

"Yes"

"So can you tell me anything about why he wants to see me?"

"I can't tell you. What I can say is that you need to remain calm when you see him. He has changed a lot". Draco frowned, he had seen Richard beg for mercy when he saw Harry's face and he was afraid of what might have been going on with the raven haired man.

They arrived at the apartment and Sandy led Draco back into the building. Kim looked up from whatever he was doing and he frowned when he saw the blonde.

"Draco, what happened to your face?"

"I had a small run in with some frat boys". Kim seemed like he wanted to speak more but the elevator opened and Sandy ushered him in.

Back in the apartment Draco was led this time to the library off to the left of the main room. He settled himself into one of the many overstuffed chairs.

"Harry will be here as soon as he can". Sandy said.

"Thank you".

"Pour yourself a drink". Sandy said and gestured to the small bar set between the bookcases. Draco nodded but he was in no mood to drink. But he had medication to drink; the pain in his jaw was killing him. He poured a glass of water and swallowed two pills from the bottle in his pocket. He walked down the shelves and read some of the titles. Most of them were magical tomes but some were from the muggle world as well. The door opened and the lights in the library dimmed. Draco nearly dropped his glass as he turned around. Harry stood in the doorway, his face and body hidden in a dark set of robes. He stepped forward and gestured for Draco to sit. Draco walked through the dim room and settled in the chair. Harry walked slowly into the room; he was still limping as he had been the previous night. He lowered himself slowly into the chair opposite Draco.

"Hello Draco". Harry said, his voice was still scratchy but Draco could hear the intonations of his voice were still Harry's.

"Hi Harry, how have you been?"

"I have been better Draco, and you?"

"I have also been better thank you". The conversation seemed to fade then.

"So why have you been looking for me for all these years".

"I've missed that, you get right to the point". Draco nodded slowly and stared at Harry.

"Look, do you know what a fairytale curse is?"Harry asked and Draco shook his head.

"It's a curse that was developed by a dark wizard who spent time in the muggle world. He learned it from the simple stories the muggles tell their children". Harry explained; Draco was unsure of where he was heading.

"Anyway, it is a simple curse; the victim suffers some kind of torture until he can find his true love. True love's first kiss is the only way to release the victim from the curse". Harry said.

"And you are the victim of such a curse?" Draco asked the hidden face.

"Yes".

"But what happened to Ginny? Wasn't she your true love?" Harry sighed heavily.

"I thought she was but as soon as I was hit with this curse she fell apart. Sure she tried to stay with me but knowing that her kiss was not what would cure me she took her things and ran. I never saw her again". Harry's scratchy voice was tinged with sadness.

"And since then you have been looking for your true love?"

"Yes, I know that if I can find my true love I can finally be cured of this horrible curse", Draco felt a tinge of anger as he looked at his high school nemesis.

"And what did you do, pick up random men and women until you find someone who could release you". Harry lowered his head.

"No Draco, I have only ever been truly in love with two people. I though Ginny was the one, that is why I married her but she was not my true love since she could not break the curse".

"Who was the other girl you were in love with?"

"It wasn't a girl Draco, it was you". Harry said.

"What, it was me?"

"Yes. All through high school I was in love with you. Even when you were mean to me, even when I looked for trouble, all I wanted was your attention. And even if all I got was negative attention, at least it was still some attention". Harry sighed heavily. Draco looked at him and wondered how the strong wilful boy he had known in high school had never acted on his feeling. But then of course Draco himself had never acted on his feelings either. But there was still the one thing Draco had trouble with.

"But what about what you did last Harry, you killed a kid".

"I know, and I hate myself for it. I will never forgive myself for that but I was unable to keep myself from doing it, its part of the curse. I cannot control the anger that develops in me sometimes".

"Jesus Harry, you are human, you should be able to control yourself. No matter what they did to me, he didn't deserve to die, not like that".

"I'm not human anymore Draco". Harry said as he stuck his hand into his pocket. He brought out his wand; it was poking out from inside his sleeve. He flicked it and the lights brightened again.

"What do you mean?"

"This". Harry said and lifted his hands; he awkwardly pulled the hood off his head. Draco mentally prepared himself for what he thought he'd see but nothing prepared him for the face in front of him. He gasped and saw Harry's ears twitched at the sound.

Harry dropped his hands and looked up into Draco's face. Draco looked first at Harry's ears. They were pointed and at the top of his head. They twitched at every sound inside and outside the room. The cars that passed by the apartment building made them turn in various directions. The fur that covered his ears extended all the way down towards his head and ran all over his feline face. The fur was bronze around his face, darker on top of his head and near his whiskers. Draco stared; he had seen many animals in books and recognised that Harry looked like a cougar. All that remained of the Harry Draco had once known was the emerald green eyes. Harry's eyes had always been Draco's favourite shade of green. He looked deeply into Harry's eyes and saw that it was in fact the boy he had been in love with as a teenager.

"You... you've been turned into a cougar?" Draco sputtered.

"Yes. And I will remain this way until I find my true love".

"You think it's me?"

"Yes, it has to be. You are my last hope". Draco nodded as Harry the cat spoke.

"And if I kiss you and the curse breaks, what will that mean?" Draco asked.

"I am not sure; if you want then we can see where life takes us?" Harry said. Draco had been hoping to hear those words for a long time, had played out this very scene in his mind so many times that he knew it off by heart. Of course he had never pictured Harry to be a man cougar and himself a rent boy but all that mattered was the kiss; the kiss is all he had ever wanted. He lifted his hands and placed them on either side of Harry's face.

"Oh Harry, you're fur is so soft". Draco giggled as he stroked the fur. The whiskers twitched and Draco couldn't help but scratch the fur. Harry closed his eyes and purred softly and Draco smiled. Harry's eyes were still closed as Draco leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Harry's lips. Harry purred again and pushed his lips closer, deepening the kiss and Draco's eyes fluttered shut as well. Harry's tongue scratched his own tongue and Draco cringed.

"I'm sorry". Harry said and pulled away. Draco opened his eyes and he felt his face fall. Harry was still the cougar man.

"It didn't work did it?" Harry asked and Draco shook his head.

"I... I have to go". Draco said and pushed away from Harry. He ran from the room, Harry called after him but Draco didn't want to hear it. He stumbled through the hallway and into the main room where Sandy Cohen sat up from one of the couches.

"Draco, what is going on?"

"I can't... I can't do this". Draco said to him and pushed the elevator button. He heard the machine hum and begin making its way up the building. Sandy came up to him.

"Draco, are you okay. What happened?"

"I can't do this okay, I just... need something. I need to think". Draco said and the elevator door opened and he stumbled inside. The doors closed on Sandy's frowning face. The doors sealed the world away and Draco lowered himself to the floor. He felt tears in his eyes and his body shook violently in an effort to keep the sobs from escaping. The doors opened at the bottom and Draco ran from the building. It was raining again but Draco didn't care, the cold water splashed into his face, soaking his clothes. He felt his clothes getting heavier and heavier as he ran. He had no idea where he was going. He turned random corners, dodging cars that sped past him and honked loudly as he ran.

He finally stopped running. His breathing was harsh. He gasped and looked up, he was somewhere in a park, he seemed to recognise it but he was unsure. To his surprise a figure was running towards him. He recognised the boy from the apartment.

"Draco, are you okay?" Kim asked as he stopped, the young man was amazingly stable, his breath was steady.

"No, I'm not".

"Is it the Mystery Man?" Kim asked

"He isn't a mystery man anymore. His name is Harry Potter and I used to be in love with him". Draco said.

"So he has been looking for you all this time, you are what Mister Cohen has been searching for?" Kim asked.

"Yes, he wanted me to help him with something".

"And did you help him?"

"I tried, but it didn't work. All he wanted from me was a simple thing and I couldn't give it to him, I wanted to be the one who could help him, but I'm not".

"And that's why you ran?" Kim asked.

"Yes".

'Draco, I am no expert on love believe me but what I know of it is that when you try to force it, it always ends badly". Kim explained. Draco felt the tears pop into his eyes again and he let them run down his cheeks. He looked at Kim and the young man smiled at him.

"You really think that?"

"Yes I do. When you think of this Harry Potter does your heart beat faster, does your mind run with images of all the ways you can make him happy. Do you feel you can be happy with him?" Kim's voice was soft as he talked.

"Yes, I do".

"Then go back, go to his apartment and do what he wants. When you do it don't think about wanting to help him, just think of how you feel, think of the love, think of wanting to make him happy. That is what love is, letting go of all the things that holds you back". Kim explained. Draco looked into Kim's eyes. The same honesty Draco saw in Sandy's eyes he saw in Kim's eyes. A thought hit him then.

"Can you get me back to the building?" Kim nodded and held out his hand; Draco took it and the Asian man led Draco back to the apartment and back to Harry.

Draco stood in front of the elevator doors.

"What if he doesn't want to see me again?"

"The door opens up into his apartment. He will see you. Trust me". Kim said and pressed the button on Draco's behalf. The doors opened and Draco stepped into the box again. The box closed again, Kim flashed in a smile and thumbs up. Draco looked at his reflection in the doors. His hair was plastered to his head; his clothing stuck to his skin and dripped water onto the red carpet in the small box. The doors opened and Sandy Cohen stood in front of him.

"I knew you would come back".

"You always seem to know what is best. Does he want to see me?" Draco asked as he stepped out of the elevator. The doors closed again and the machine dropped slowly to the bottom floor.

"I don't know, but he is in his bedroom". Sandy said and led Draco to the only room he had not been in. Sandy opened the door and Draco stepped inside. The room was large, an elegant black bed stood in the middle of the opposite wall, a dark green comforter covered the mattress and Draco smiled. There was water running in the bathroom and Draco slowly made his way towards the bathroom. Harry stepped out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a white towel tied around his thin waist. Draco couldn't help but stare at the naked torso of the Gryffindor. His body was well muscled, the pectoral muscles were bulged and his abs were flat and well formed. Draco was amazed at the fur, the bronze fur was soft and clean. Draco stared at Harry's abs, the fur covered most of his body, his shoulders and arms and neck was covered in fur. For the first time Draco noticed that Harry's hands were no longer hands but paws. And most beautifully in Draco's eyes was the fact that where other men usually had a happy trail Harry had a trail of furless skin. Harry looked up and gasped.

"Draco, what are you doing back here?"

"I... I think I'm in love with you". Draco said and Harry smiled.

"I have been in love with you since forever". Harry replied.

"Take me Harry". Draco said and began pulling at his own shirt.

Harry purred again as he stepped forward and embraced Draco. The blonde gasped as Harry's cat tongue brushed over his neck. Draco noticed Harry's wand on the bedside table.

"Draco, your shirt..." Harry moaned and Draco remembered the paws. The pulled open the shirt and began working at his belt while Harry licked at his nipples with his rough tongue. Draco gasped and groaned with every touch of the tongue. His pants fell to the floor and he kicked his shoes off, the pants followed soon after and Draco was naked. Harry looked him up and down, Draco groaned again as Harry began nibbling at his neck, gentle nips at his skin, Harry's teeth were sharper than anything the blonde had ever felt before. Draco's hands went to the bulge that had formed beneath the white towel around Harry's waist. The towel fell away easily and Draco looked down at the curious body, Harry's muscled bronze furred legs were strong as he lifted Draco lightly of the floor. Draco gasped when Harry toppled them both onto the bed. Draco reached down and ran his hands down the furry stomach, the furless happy trail was soft beneath his hand, he looked down again saw that the furless nature of his happy trail extended to his whole crotch, where every other man had hair Harry had smooth skin. Harry purred again as Draco took the large, throbbing member into his hand and began stroking him.

"Oh god, yes, keep doing that". Harry purred in his ear. Draco ran his fingers through Harry's fur, feeling the soft hairs beneath his hand.

"God Harry, you are so beautiful". Draco said and Harry stopped thrusting against Draco's hand.

"What?"

"You are such a beautiful man Harry, cougar fur or not. Are you sure you want to give this up?" Draco asked, staring into Harry's deep green eyes.

"Yes". Harry whispered.

"Take me Harry". He reached for Harry's wand; the cat man looked at him.

"Can I?" Draco asked and Harry nodded. Draco did the spell he had learned in one of the few pornography books he had seen before leaving the magical world. He felt the lubricant form inside him.

"I'm ready". Draco said and dropped the wand off the side of the bed.

"Are you sure?"

"I want you inside me Harry". Draco said again, he reached between them, lifting his legs at the same time. Harry's smooth cock was hot in his hand as he guided it into him. Harry pushed slowly inwards. Draco groaned as his muscles stretched to accommodate Harry's hard length. Harry's eyes closed and he purred as he pushed himself inwards all the way, Draco felt the hairless balls against his skin and he shivered. Harry began to thrust slowly; Draco groaned deep in his throat, he ran his hands up and down Harry's bronze furred back.

"God Harry, yes!" Draco moaned and he bit into Harry's shoulder, Harry's cock was rubbing him just right, he felt the friction on his prostate and he reached between them and took his cock into his hand and began stroking it. Harry's paw followed Draco's hand, the soft pads on his paws caressed the throbbing head of his cock and he gasped loudly, the tiny tufts of fur between the pads tickled his sensitive glands and he felt himself going over the edge.

"Draco, look at me". Harry said, his thrusts becoming faster as he came close to his own climax. Draco looked into Harry's emerald eyes.

"Oh Harry, I'm close". Draco moaned.

"Come with me". Harry said, his thrusts going deep into Draco's hole. Both men gasped loudly as Draco shot his seed up between them, it landed hotly on his chest. Harry shuddered as he came as well, sending his hot spunk deep into the blonde.

"Oh Harry". Draco cried and pulled Harry's head down to kiss his soft furry lips. Harry's body was hot as he lay down on Draco's chest. Both young men lay on the bed, gasping; their eyes closed.

"God Harry that was just how I imagined it". Harry lifted himself onto his elbows and looked down at the blonde.

"You are gorgeous" Harry said and Draco looked into the green eyes again, he smiled and Harry frowned.

"You're you again". Draco said and lifted his hear to brush Harry's human lips with his own. Harry didn't need to see himself to know he was human again. He could feel Draco's hand rubbing against skin instead of fur as he ran his hand up and down Harry's back. Harry looked at the blonde; the left side of his jaw was still covered with the white bandage he had gotten at the clinic.

"You really should have gone to a magical doctor to fix this". Harry said, staring at his long fingers as he ran them delicately along the length of the wound.

"No, I left the magical world behind". Draco said, still looking into Harry's face.

"Will you let me fix it for you?" Harry asked and Draco nodded. Harry lifted his wand for the first time in four years and held it to Draco's wound. The blonde felt the spell working on his skin. He could feel the various muscles and the skin growing into the wound and closing it up. The blonde pulled the bandage from his skin and tossed it beside the bed.

"There, now you are also yourself again". Harry whispered and kissed Draco's lips.

"Oh Harry". Draco smiled at the brunette as he felt Harry growing hard inside him again.

"I think we have a future together, don't you?"

"I totally agree". Draco said as Harry began to thrust slowly against him again.

The End

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed that; it was certainly fun writing it. Please review.