Hey guys! I finally started a new story! Harry/Draco (explicit slash of course) So here's my warning. MANSEX AFOOT! 3 I will probably be updating this about every two weeks. (I know..forever lol) But it's only going to be a short story. (Probably about four chapters) So it shouldn't be too bad. Besides, the chapters are much longer than my usual.

Oh yeah..I don't own Harry Potter...blah blah blah! You know the drill. Read on and review!

Summary: Ron and Hermione disagree with Harry's take on his celebrity, but Draco doesn't, so Harry decides to befriend him. Secrets are revealed and Harry begins to wonder about himself, and what secrets he may be unconsciously hiding. Post DH. EWE.

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PART 1: Becoming Friends

"I can't believe Hermione is making me go shopping." Ron groaned as he shuffled his feet down Diagon Alley. Ron never went clothes shopping on his own since birth. He grew up with mostly hand-me-downs and hand knitted clothes from his mum. Even on the rare occasion he got something new, his mum would go out and buy it for him.

But now, as a grown man, he passed on the job to his girlfriend, Hermione. Normally she didn't have a problem doing the shopping. I knew this because I was always the one to accompany her. But her work with the Wizengamot and work with Magical Law kept her too busy to bother with shopping. So now I was accompanying a very reluctant Ron.

"I mean she's taking a holiday in two weeks, couldn't this have waited?"

"I'm pretty sure the purpose of a holiday is to enjoy your time off."

"Girls enjoy shopping. It's like quidittch to us, shopping is."

"It's really not to bad Ron. We'll be in and out."

"With these crowds? I doubt it. We'll probably get stuck here all afternoon." He groaned once again for emphasis.

"Well, I could always use a little persuasion to get out quicker." I suggested, and he looked as happy as he would on Christmas morning.

"Yes, do it. Anything, I hate being around all these people." He gestured towards the group of people staring at me from a distance. I've grown use to it, but I think Ron was getting a little bitter from being referred to as Harry Potter's best friend all the time.

We got to the crowded shop and I immediately took to the first associate I could find.

"Excuse me miss," I said putting on my most charming smile. She turned and squeaked just a little, obviously realizing who was talking to her.

"Mr. Potter. How can I help you?"

"Please call me Harry," she immediately blushed, and I knew it was working. "I have a little problem I was hoping you could help with."

"Of course, anything, Harry." She blushed again and I placed my hand on her arm and moved in to whisper to her.

"See my friend and I really need to do some shopping, and well, we sort of bring a crowd with us. I was wondering if it'd be possible for you to lock the doors and not let anyone in while were shopping."

"Oh," she said nervously, "I would love to help, but I can't lock the doors. It's our prime season, and if we locked everyone out for one person, we could lose a lot of business."

"I understand, truly I do, but it won't be more than thirty minutes, I promise."

"I'm sorry, but there's really nothing I can do."

"Hmm," I hummed quietly. This has never failed me before, and I wasn't about to give up that easily. "I know your boss wouldn't mind. She's done it for me before." Which was true enough. Granted it was a lot less busy and it was to stop a bunch of second year Hogwarts students from following me around.

"I'm sorry." She said a little more sternly, and I quickly changed me tune as well.

"Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to speak to your manager."

"She has the day off Mr. Potter. Come back another time and see if she'll accommodate you." She didn't seem to believe talking to her manager would change the situation one bit, but I thought differently.

"Could you call her for me? I would really like to speak to her."

"Listen Mr. Potter, I have plenty of customers who need my assistance. I don't have time to make ridiculous floo calls to satisfy one's needs at any given moment."

"Is that how you speak to your customers? I suggest you call her now before I do it myself."

"Do whatever you want, I have to get back to work." She stormed off in a huff and began talking to a different customer.

"That didn't go so well," Ron laughed from behind me, but I didn't find it so funny. I have never been denied something as simple as a quick private shopping, and wasn't about to start now.

"Come on." I began walking towards the back of the shop and straight into the back room, Ron following behind.

"Um, I don't think we should be back here."

"You heard her. Do whatever I want. Well, I want to speak to her manager."

***

"Seriously Harry, I can't believe you got the girl fired for doing her job properly." Technically I didn't get her fired, but there was no point trying to make that argument again. I just called the manager and told her the situation, then she proceeded to yell at her employee. If the girl didn't feel the need to argue back, she would have kept her job. I see no way how I should be blamed for her need to back talk to her superiors.

"Well her manager didn't seem to think so." I said smugly. I was tired of listening to her rant about this. Yeah, I may have been a little out of line, but so what. I saved the entire wizarding world when no one else could, I think I deserve a few privileges, even simple ones at private shopping.

"I can't believe you're defending what you've done! Even Ron thinks you were out of line!" I looked over to Ron, who seemed mortified. I wasn't sure because what she said was true and he didn't want to admit it to me, or if it wasn't and he didn't want to admit that to his girlfriend.

"Listen, if she would have just locked the doors for a few minutes, this all could of been avoided. Her job is to satisfy customers, not refuse them."

"So you think she should just lock the doors when anyone decides they don't like shopping in crowds."

"No, not anyone."

"You don't deserve special treatment just because you're famous Harry."

"Not because I'm famous, no. But for what I'm famous for."

"I can't believe you. Is that why you stopped Voldemort? Is that why we spent a year chasing horcruxes with you? You wanted some extra privileges, is that it?" She looked an awful lot like Mrs. Weasley when she scolded me, which still happens time to time even though I'm twenty three years old.

"You know that's not it, but hey, I risked my life time and time again to save people. I watched my friends and family being murdered, but I kept fighting. Not because I really enjoyed watching loved ones die and risking my life. I did it because I had to, because no one else could. So yeah, I think I deserve a little special treatment."

"When did you become so arrogant?" I just stared at her. She was wrong, so wrong. But I was not going to fight with her all day. I had work to do. My lunch was almost over and I had to get back to the office.

"I should get back to work. You coming Ron?" Ron shook his head, knowing Hermione would take his leaving with me as taking my side. I didn't care. I'd walk back alone.

Just as I was leaving the diner, a familiar voice sounded from behind me.

"Of all the things I've heard come out of your mouth, that was probably the least stupid of them." I turned to look at Draco Malfoy. I've seen him almost every day for the past 3 years, since we both work at the Ministry, but this is the first time he's ever spoken to me.

"Um, thanks?"

"Honestly, don't listen to your friends," he spat out the word as if talking about them caused him harm, but I just ignored it. "If it hadn't been for you, our world would be reduced to slaves, dead mudbloods and blood traitors living in fear, if their lucky. We owe you, Potter."

I just laughed. "We? You can't honestly be referring to yourself? If I would of lost, surely you'd be fine. Pureblood and all."

"Weren't you listening. The mudbloods would be dead, Potter. But me, I'd be a slave." I let his words sink in, knowing he was right. Thats all death eaters were, slaves to Voldemort. Personally, I'd prefer death. Of course, that would have been my only other option if I never managed to kill him.

"I guess." I answered and he just rolled his eyes.

"Well, see you Potter."

"Bye." Then he disapparated. I thought that was stupid considering the Ministry was a block away, but I decided to focus more on his words, and less on his laziness. This being the first conversation since the night Voldemort died, when I saved his life after he tried to kill me. Well maybe not so much him, but still. He certainly wasn't fighting for me.

***

After that day, Malfoy and I would nod or say hello when we ran into each other, but nothing more. It was a little awkward considering he was my childhood nemesis, and now he was a friendly acquaintance but I didn't care. Most of the people who said hello to me, I didn't even know.

Hermione's been giving me the silent treatment since that day, but I never saw too much of her anyway. Ron didn't mention the subject at work at all, so I take it that the situation didn't bother him as Hermione said it did.

But today was our weekly lunch together. Every Friday we would eat out of the Ministry's cafeteria to meet up with Hermione, and I wasn't looking forward to it.

"You good to go?" Ron asked as he poked his head into my office.

"Uhh, yeah," I threw some paperwork into my desk roughly and got up to grab my robe."Is Hermione going to speak to me today?"

"Yeah, um, about that. She's not coming."

"She's really that angry about it?"

"Well she sort of took it personal that you didn't agree with her."

"You don't think what I did was wrong, did you?" Ron immediately looked away, confirming that he did with no words. "C'mon Ron, you wanted me to have the shop closed off too."

"Yeah, mate, but you should have let it go when she said no. It was so embarrassing."

"Oh, I embarrass you now. Well, don't worry about that anymore. You go on and eat, I'll be here far away from you."

"You know I didn't mean it like that. Just come to lunch with me."

"I'm really not even that hungry anymore, I think I'll just work so I can leave a little early today." He looked as if he was about to protest once more, but then just turned around and walked away.

Hermione's attack did bother me, but nothing like Ron's did. He was always one to defend me. But I guess his relationship is more important that our friendship. I knew it would happen someday, and I'm actually surprised it's taken as long as it had.

***

The next day Ron asked if we could put the whole situation behind us. Thirteen years of friendship seemed more important than a silly argument, so I agreed.

However, the next Friday afternoon, he never showed up for lunch. Neither did Hermione. No one gave me an explanation, but it was clear that our Friday lunches were officially over.

Neither one of us brought it up. We continued to eat our lunches in the cafeteria together during the rest of the week, but come Friday, Ron was scarce. Presumably off with Hermione having lunch out while I ate alone in the cafeteria.

A few weeks into the situation, I've grown tired of eating out of the Ministry's cafeteria. I was itching to go out to eat, but I just hated going alone. Every time I was alone, people felt it necessary to approach me and ask to eat with me. I always felt so rude saying no, and would get stuck speaking to some fan struck girl who would either talk forever, or not at all. Both were not ideal situations.

I asked two other aurors if they wanted to join me, but one said he was too busy working, and the other already had lunch plans with his girlfriend. He invited me along, but I had enough of being a third wheel in my life, so I politely declined.

Just when I was about to give up and have another dull lunch, I spotted Draco Malfoy, in tow with his traveling cloak towards the exits.

"Malfoy!" I shouted successfully grabbing his attention. "Going to lunch?"

"Well seeing how it is lunch time, I thought that was obvious Potter."

"Do you mind if I join you?" I asked boldly and Malfoy just smirked.

"Finally ditching your friends Potter? I've noticed you haven't been meeting with them anymore." I blushed, not wanting to admit it was my stubbornness that forced me to eat alone every week. But another thought dominated.

"You noticed, have you?" I wasn't actually surprised Malfoy would keep tabs on me. It's pretty much expected of him.

"I've eaten at the same diner as your friends for the past two years, how could I not notice?" I suddenly felt very stupid. Not only am I an auror of three years, and have never once noticed Malfoy at that diner. But thinking Malfoy was watching every move I made, when in reality we just happened to enjoy eating at the same place.

"Right. Well," I stuttered "So can I join you or not?"

"If your presence bothered me, I wouldn't have been speaking to you for this long."

"So that's a yes then?"

"Merlin, you're an idiot Potter." Definitely a yes.

***

"How could you think you were the heir of Slytherin?" It was our third week of lunches together. We've been going to the diner we both were accustomed too, but apparently Ron and Hermione found somewhere new to eat.

We've grown into habit of talking of our school days together. It was actually quite interesting hearing it from both of our points of view.

"I didn't say I thought I was. I just wasn't sure if I was or not." He just laughed, but I continued on. "Well when you can speak another language, let alone the language of snakes, without having any knowledge on how or why you can, it's a little disconcerting. It made sense that I was his heir. Other than the Slytherin line, no other known wizards could do it."

"Besides you, Potter. You are always the exception." Something about the way he said those words made me blush.

"I can only speak parseltongue cause Voldemort tried to kill me." He gave a sharp intake of breath when I said the name, but otherwise handled it better than most. Besides, I figured he'd have more to be scared of. He was one of the few people still alive to face Voldemort and live to remember it.

"How does that work exactly?"

"When Voldemort tried and failed to kill me, the first time anyway," he rolled his eyes at this, but allowed me to continue. "He transferred some of his powers to me. Like being a parselmouth."

"He transferred powers to you?" He asked disbelievingly and I just nodded. "Let me get this straight. He actually gave you some of his powers? No offense or anything, but you're not nearly as powerful as he was."

"How would you know how powerful I am exactly?"

"Maybe not so much anymore, but I know how you were at school."

"How many people do you know that killed a basilisk, produce a full body patronus, survived through the tri-wizard tournament and win it before they even reach fifteen?" He just smirked, but not in the stuck up snotty way he did in school. It was as if he was sharing a private joke with himself. It was, well, nice.

"How come you never boasted about any of this at school? You could have really knocked me down a few pegs back then?"

"I didn't need any more attention back then."

"And now?"

"I know what I've done for our world, and I know people are constantly going to find ways to invade my privacy one way or another. I figure it might as well be for the good things I've done. And if I get a few perks in the deal, why not? Fighting it never helped matters. I figured it's about time I embrace what the world has made me out to be."

"Touché" He replied, the smirk never leaving his face.

***

"Finally ditch the Weasel for good then?" Draco asked me as he sat across from me in the Ministry's cafeteria. It was the first time we've ever talked outside of our diner or the hallways. It was a little surprising.

"No, he just has extra work he needs to get done."

"And yesterday?"

"Sick day, hence the extra work today."

"Hmm," he sounded disappointed, but I let it go.

"How come you're eating here? I never see you eat lunch here." He picked at his sandwich with distaste. "You haven't, had you?"

"No. I have much higher standards when it comes to what I allow into my body."

"So why are you here then?" And how come you knew I ate alone yesterday, I said to myself as an afterthought.

"I just thought you might want the company." I wasn't fooled, and I don't think he expected me to be. He always ate alone, until we started having lunches together or Friday. I remembered how lonely I got from having lunch alone once a week.

"Yeah, you're always welcome." I said honestly. It was true enough. I enjoyed our conversations, but wasn't sure Ron would feel the same if he took me up on the offer.

***

The next day I found out exactly how Ron would think of Draco Malfoy sharing our table for lunch.

"Potter." That's how he greeted me as he sat down. Ron just stared at him as he began to prepare his lunch, obviously brought from home. "Something interest you Weasley?" He said in monotone as Ron just continued to stare him down.

"I'm actually wondering why you're sitting here Malfoy. I've already told you it's not happening."

"What's not happening?" I asked truly confused, but both of them ignored me.

"For your information Weasel, Harry invited me to sit here." Ron looked at me for conformation and I nodded, still a little stunned that he called me Harry.

"Yeah, well he probably just felt sorry for you," which wasn't exactly false, but it wasn't the only reason. "It means nothing. That's never happening, so get over it."

"What's never happening? Are either of you guys going to tell me what you're talking about?"

"No." They both answered at once.

"Just leave Malfoy. Before you make matters worse."

"Before I make matters worse? But you-"

"Just shut up and leave."

"Harry invited me." That was the second time he called me Harry in the past two minutes. I've never once heard him call me that, except when mocking me. It was a little odd.

"Ron, is it really such a big deal? We're just eating."

"Harry, you don't know." He looked back at Malfoy, "But trust me. It is a big deal."

"Forget it. I'd much rather eat alone." Draco got up, leaving his food behind, and stormed out of the cafeteria.

"Um, care to explain what that's about?"

"I can't."

"What do you mean you can't? You tell me everything!"

"Yeah, but I can't this time. I was sworn to secrecy."

"By who?"

"Kingsley."

"Kingsley? But he would only do that if it was auror business, and if it's auror business, you can tell me."

"I swore I wouldn't tell anyone, including you."

"He mentioned me exactly?" He shook his head. "Then tell me. I promise to keep it under the strictest confidences." He looked around and whipped out his wand casting a quick muffliato charm.

"I'll tell you, but trust me when I say, you're going to wish you never asked. I'd gladly give every galleon to my name to erase it from my memory."

"Just get on with it."

"Alright, six months ago, Kingsley asked me to handle a case, but before he told me anything about it, he made me swear to keep it private. I wouldn't have bothered if I've known was it was. But I had to know, so I agreed." He paused looking around once again as if someone was going to break his charm and overhear us.

"The case was about this underground club. It's private, and only the members of it know where it's located. Some of the members were being cursed pretty roughly by a group of Wizards who found them out."

"Okay as horrible as that is, I don't see what it has to do with Malfoy, or why it's such a big secret anyhow."

"Well, Malfoy was a member of the club."

"So I'm suppose to be surprised that Malfoy is the member or an underground private club? What do they do, practice the Dark Arts?"

"I wish! No, it's a mens club." Okay, if I wasn't confused before, I definitely was now.

"Umm, this is a problem?"

"For Merlin's sake, Harry. It's for poofters. They have sex there."

"Oh," Realization dawned on me. "Malfoy's gay?" I just didn't know if I could believe that. I was certain I saw him with female lovers in the past couple years. "Okay, even if that's true, why does Malfoy's personal life have anything to do with me?"

"Oh come on Harry. He's after you!"

"What? Why would he want me?"

"Oh let's see, it couldn't be because you're rich, famous, handsome, have a great body.."

"Are you sure you don't want me for yourself?" I joked but he just did a mock laugh before continuing.

"My point is, you're a catch. Why wouldn't he be after you?"

"Well with that logic, apparently all gay guys would be after me. I think you're making a big deal out of nothing. I think he just needs some friends to tell you the truth."

"Harry, he's been stalking you for nearly two years! At first I thought he was planning some vendetta against you, but then I seen him at the club, and I knew. He's after you!"

"You make it sound like he's going to kidnap me and rape me." Ron just gave me a look that said that's exactly what he expected. "Come off it Ron. Even if what you say is true, I'm not worried. I'm sure it's just a little crush if anything."

"Just stay away from him, to be safe. Don't give him the wrong idea."

"That may be difficult." He had a bemused expression on his face, not unlike the one I surely sported minutes before. "We've sorta been having lunch together every week."

"What? But you eat with me all week."

"Except for Fridays."

"Oh." Another problem we never discussed approached. "Right, Harry. I think it's time we put that all behind us. Hermione and I will be at the diner Friday. Just meet us there, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

***

I didn't know what to think of what Ron told me. After thinking more on it, it did make sense that Malfoy was gay. I couldn't recall any female lovers besides Pansy Parkinson. I never even seen Malfoy acknowledge her as such though, even though she tended to boast about it at school.

He didn't show up at the cafeteria again the next two days either, so what Ron said must have had some effect on him. But now it was Friday and I knew he was about to stop by my office ready for lunch, and I could only hope Ron didn't do the same. I didn't want to listen to another one of their arguments.

There was a quiet knock on my door letting me know Malfoy was there. Ron never knocked.

"Come in." He walked inside. Immediately I could tell he was nervous. Which made telling him I couldn't have lunch today that much harder.

"Are we going to lunch today?"

"Ron asked me to eat with him and Hermione today."

"Patching things up with your friends then?" He said a little accusingly.

"That's the general idea."

"The Weasel told you about Cheriwood, didn't he?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're a horrible liar Potter. I know he told you." I sighed, realizing Cheriwood must be the name of his little club for men and nodded. "So that's what this is about." Not a question.

"No, honestly. You're personal life is none of my business. But Ron asked me to meet him and Hermione. They're my best friends. I just want things to be right between us. Why don't you come with us?"

"Yeah cause that would work wonders. Just you and your friends have a great time." He said sarcastically before he began to storm away and a huge bubble formed in my stomach. I grabbed hold of his wrists till he spun around and faced me.

"I swear, this has nothing to do with you." He just looked at me with cold eyes, and I knew I had to do more than that to prove it to him. "After work. Meet me for drinks?" He thought about this then nodded before walking out of my office.

The bubble didn't go away, if anything it got worse. I was attempting to stay friends with my closest friends and my new, apparently homosexual, friend, but I'm not sure how much I succeeded. I was about to have my reconciliation lunch with Hermione, but all I could think about was whether or not I just asked Draco Malfoy out on a date.

***

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