Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I do not own Harry Potter and/or any other characters used in this fic. They are all property of J.K. Rowling.
A/N: A big thanks to my betas, Masochistic Angel and reluctantshipper. Also, this fic is being posted for my one-year HD fic writing anniversary. :tosses confetti:
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"And don't forget the milk, Harry!"
"Yes, Ginny," Harry replied with a sigh. He crossed the living room of their flat and picked up his jacket from the coat rack by the door. He pulled it slowly on and left the apartment.
He walked down the stairs from the third floor until he reached the street beyond. Harry hadn't really intended to go shopping, but his lovely wife had insisted.
Harry fiddled idly with the golden band on his finger as he walked through the streets of London. He came to the local grocery store and went inside. The grocer greeted him cheerfully. It was a Muggle store, but Harry liked it well enough.
He wandered down the aisles, looking for the specified milk. As he walked aimlessly through the store, he reflected on his life. He'd never thought that this was how it would turn out.
He'd always imagined that after killing Voldemort he would somehow have a great life, that everything would just fall into place. Sure, he'd thought this was what he wanted, but did he really?
He'd killed Voldemort after his sixth year at Hogwarts. He'd gone back to finish his schooling, but it hadn't felt right. After graduating, he had proposed to Ginny. They had gotten back together after the war and Harry had thought they were perfect again.
They'd been married after a few years back together. And now, two years after they'd gotten married, Harry was only 23 but felt as though he was 50.
As Harry walked down the breakfast aisle, his gaze fell on the chocolate syrup. Harry laughed to himself as he wished that, just once, he could use that. Ginny was very conventional when it came to sex; she never wanted to try anything different.
Harry didn't know what was happening to them. He loved Ginny, he just felt like it was all wrong. Lately, she'd become more moody, and they fought more often.
Harry was so distracted by his thoughts that he walked right out of the store without buying anything. He said goodbye to the grocer and took his leave. He went down the street and found himself in the bar close to his home.
To his surprise, he saw Ron sitting at a table near the wall. Harry made his way through the rest of the tables to where he sat.
"Hey Ron, what are you doing here?" Harry asked, sitting down next to him.
"Hey mate, not much really," Ron replied. "Just wasting time until I have to go back to the office."
Ron worked at the ministry now. He hadn't become an Auror but instead had taken up his father's position once he'd left it. He spent most of his time chasing after magically modified Muggle artifacts.
Harry ordered a drink and sat with Ron for a while. Ron looked at his friend seriously, knowing something was wrong.
"Harry, are you okay?" he asked finally.
Harry sighed, hesitant about talking to Ron about his problems, given that Ginny was his sister. Then again, he would understand about her being a bit controlling.
"It's Ginny," Harry said, deciding just to be honest. Ron nodded knowingly.
"Yeah, she can be a bit of a handful sometimes," Ron agreed.
"Tell me about it. Can you think of anything that would make her like this?" Harry asked desperately.
"Not really. She is a girl," Ron said as though that explained it.
"You don't understand anything about women, do you?"
"Nope," Ron said. "That's why I'm not married."
Harry rolled his eyes. Ron hadn't really dated a lot since leaving school. After Lavender, he had kind of stayed away from girls. There had been a short fling with Hermione but nothing had really come of that relationship.
"Why didn't I wait?" Harry muttered to himself.
"'Cause you loved her," Ron supplied.
"Yeah," Harry sighed. He was beginning to doubt this.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" A drawling voice cut through Harry's thoughts and he lifted his head. There stood Draco Malfoy.
He was resplendent in Muggle clothes. He was wearing a pair of black slacks and nice light blue button down shirt. His short blond hair was spiked and his eyebrow was pierced. After the war had ended, he had thrown away the image his father had forced upon him.
He still liked to wear nice clothes, but he no longer slicked back his hair. Draco stood looking at the two former Gryffindors sitting at the table.
"Go away, Malfoy," Harry said scathingly. He really didn't feel like trading insults today. Ron just glared at him. Neither had completely forgiven Draco for the part he'd played in Dumbledore's death, despite it being six years ago.
To Harry's disappointment, Draco didn't leave. Instead, he slid into the third seat at the table and smirked at Harry.
"What's wrong, trouble in paradise?" he asked in mock sympathy, the smirk never leaving his face.
Harry scowled at him. "That's none of your business," he growled.
Draco raised a delicate eyebrow at his tone. "You're right, it's not. It's just fun."
"You take pleasure in my problems, Malfoy?" Harry asked, annoyed.
"Yes, Potter, I do."
"Fuck off," Harry spat. Draco shrugged at him then slid off the chair, straightening his shirt. Harry found his eyes straying to the moving hands down the slim waist. He snapped his gaze upward though and scowled at him.
"See you around, Potter," Draco said cryptically. Then he left the bar.
Ron and Harry stared after him, confused on what had just happened.
"What was that?" Ron asked.
"I don't know," Harry said incredulously. He didn't understand why he would see him around. He hardly ever saw Malfoy.
After graduating, Harry had taken some time off and not gone to work. He'd spent his time traveling around the world. He'd gone around all of Europe and had even taken a trip to the United States. Once he'd finished that, he'd married Ginny and been recruited by the English National Quidditch team.
He now played seeker for them. He spent most of his time training. After the war, he hadn't seen Malfoy for three years. He had practically disappeared of the face of the Earth. It wasn't as though Harry had thought to look for him.
The first time he saw him after school was at Hermione's wedding. She and Blaise Zabini had gotten together during the war when he'd pledged to the light side. Harry had been incredibly surprised to find Draco present. He hadn't thought Hermione would want him there, but she was even more open-minded than even Harry could have imagined.
Hermione told him that Draco was married to Pansy Parkinson. Big surprise, Harry had thought. Apparently, they had moved out of the Malfoy Manor and to a less lavish home near the river. Harry cared little of what Draco was doing and had spent most of the wedding ignoring him.
Harry didn't understand what Draco had meant. Why would he be seeing him? He had no idea what profession Draco was in, never having been interested. He and Ron sat at the table trying to figure out his cryptic message.
It wasn't until Harry looked at his watch that he realized he'd been gone for over an hour. It shouldn't have taken him this long to go the store. He jumped up and grabbed his jacket.
"I gotta go, Ron," Harry said hurriedly.
Ron looked at his watch and jumped too. "Whoa, I have to get to work!"
Together, they left the building. Once they were a safe way away, Ron Apparated to work with a quick good-bye. Harry walked quickly back to the flat, hoping Ginny wouldn't be too mad.
He crept up the stairs and pushed open the door, gritting his teeth. He closed the door quietly and winced as it made a loud snapping noise.
"Harry? Is that you?" Ginny's voice floated from the kitchen to the living room. Harry grimaced and began walking towards the sound. "Did you get the milk?"
Harry stopped dead where he stood.
"Oh shit."
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A/N: Please review! I'm thinking weekly updates if I can manage :)