Discovering Love and Lost Memories

Harry lounged in bed next to his mate, reading the paper and waiting for the blond to awaken. Dobby had popped in earlier to deliver the paper, tidy up the strewn about clothing, and ask Harry what he wanted for breakfast; none of which had caused the blond to wake up.



The paper, not surprisingly, had much to say about Harry and Draco that morning. Two articles graced the front page. One from Skeeter, who was again reiterating the atrocities against the newly coupled pair, and the other was surprisingly an interview with Ronald Weasley.



It was titled, “Draco Malfoy: Up to Death Eater Tricks Again,” and it outlined, in a surprisingly well stated way, how the youngest Malfoy was tricking the Wizarding World’s Savior into thinking he was the father of two Death Eater spawned children. It also claimed that Draco had either tricked or Imperioused the doctor into believing the children were Harry’s, and that Harry was far enough under the spell to go against the Ministry and apperate from the Ministry building, breaking several wards and laws.



He testified under Veritaserum (the story claimed) that the Ministry had not treated Draco badly, and the accommodations the young man had been placed in were above par, and far better then the young Death Eater deserved.



Harry was both amused and furious. His supposedly best friend was going against him publicly. One of the two people he had thought would never betray him…part of the only family he could remember. But then, Ron was Ginny’s brother, and Ginny would have gone to her family and told her sob story about trying to protect the man she loved, and about how he had turned on her, and that he had likely been cheating on her, because she had, after all, caught the pair in the tail end of certain activities.



Harry sighed, and Draco’s body curled towards him once again before he opened his eyes and blinked the sleep from them. Harry smiled at the blond and ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back from his face. Draco smiled back, fully aware of his own morning wood; one rub up against the brunette in bed with him, and Harry was soon aware of Draco’s situation as well. He sought to remedy the problem.



-xxXxx-



Hours later, Draco and Harry were clean and dressed. They had been discussing the stories in the paper and the situation at hand all morning. It was now approaching two p.m., and Draco was trying to convince Harry to take him shopping for some new clothing, as much for the need of new clothing as to get out of the house for a while. Harry was unsure if it would be safe, but Draco was very convincing.



So Harry had Draco dress in some of his more Malfoy appropriate robes, applied a resizing charm, and made sure the house was well secured and shielded to avoid alerting the Ministry’s secret base to the apparition of two people. Then Harry took hold of his mate securely around the waist, and apperated them to the clothing shop in Diagon Alley.



Madam Malkin’s appeared unchanged to Draco as he stepped in the door. The owner herself came to greet them upon noticing Harry Potter’s entrance, though she seemed less interested in Draco then the Boy-Who-Lived.



Draco had little time to care though, because as soon as it became apparent that Harry was her main interest, Harry suggested rather loudly to the blond that perhaps they should take their business elsewhere, if the owner had no sense to attend to the person who needed attending. Draco smiled broadly, oddly pleased that Harry was defending him so. The woman quickly changed her attitude, and smoothly ushered the pair back into a private fitting area where she and her head assistant went about trying to placate the blond while suggesting different fabrics and colors that might please him.



Harry sat watching nearby, pleased because Draco was. He was also glad that they had made it there unmolested, or recognized. He was just starting to relax when an odd creature moved into the room, sniffing nervously. It was quickly followed by a woman with blond straggly hair. She scooped up the creature and gently petted its furry head, before finally looking up to see Harry sitting nearby, and Draco standing on the stool meant for fittings.



She smiled. “Hullo Harry. Draco.”



Draco nodded to her as Madam Malkin fussed about him, placing pins at intervals only she and her assistant seemed to understand.



Harry stood and moved closer to her. “Luna…what are you doing here?”



“Oh, I came in after my Aracnibunni. Isn’t he just the sweetest?” she asked him, presenting the odd looking creature for Harry’s inspection. It was strange looking, having the appearance of both a bunny and a spider. The top half looked enough like a fluffy white bunny to pass for one, despite its odd eyes (there were six of them), but the bottom half displayed six bone-like legs that moved seemingly of their own volition.



Harry moved back a step, though Luna seemed not to notice. She cuddled the thing again, acting as though nothing was weird about her new pet.



“So, Harry. My father and I have been reading some interesting things about you and Draco. Though I guess they’re true enough, since you are here with him. But I wonder, Harry, which are correct?”



Harry smiled. If anyone was going to be on his side, it would be Luna.



“Which ones do you think are correct?”



“I would say that since you obviously wouldn’t have anything to do with Voldemort, that would pretty much blow Ronald’s theories out of the water. Which reminds me; congratulations on your soon to be fatherhood.”



Harry thanked her quietly just as Draco moved over to join them. He wrapped him arm around Harry’s middle and leaned his head on him.



“Lovegood.” He said, nodding to her politely, before turning to Harry. “Harry, I am absolutely starving.” He looked over at the thing Luna was holding and shrank away. “Lovegood! What in the world are you holding?!”



“Oh, Draco, this is my Arachnibunni. Isn\'t he sweet?”



“Sweet?! That thing has six eyes! And bone for legs! How can anything like that be sweet?!?”



Luna smiled oddly and waved her hand casually in the air as if to dismiss Draco’s words. “Details.”1



Harry smiled at Draco, patted the bulge of his stomach, and bade his blond friend farewell so he could attend to the finalizations on Draco’s new wardrobe. Madam Malkin accepted his downpayment on the clothing, promised to cast resizing spells on the new items so Draco could use them through his pregnancy and beyond, and saw them to the door herself.



-xxXxx-



Draco was halfway through his meal of lightly spiced chicken, happily munching on it despite the horrible service they had received, when one of the servers accidently poured a whole container of cold tea down his new shirt. He stood, sputtering, and suddenly recognized the girl as one who had hung around Ginny Weasley back at Hogwarts.



“You little…!!!” He seethed, cut off only as Harry stood and pulled Draco to face him.



“Draco, you need to calm yourself. She’s not worth it.”



Draco groaned, nodded, and stood still while his mate cast a cleaning spell on his shirt, hair, and chair before sitting down again.



When he was done ridding Draco of the wetness and tea-stains, Harry took a moment to inform the waitress he would be wanting to see her manager before he left. Draco went back to eating. He would not allow chicken this good to be wasted because of some little bitch who thought she was doing the right thing.



-xxXxx-



A short while later, Draco happily tucked into a dessert while Harry went off to the side to have a private word with the manager. A few words were all that needed to be said before Harry received reassurances from the suddenly pale faced manager that the girl would be fired promptly, and nothing like that would ever happen again.



He went back to the table, collected his mate, an extra dessert for later, and paid the bill, which had been reduced by over half for any trouble caused to the pair. They left quickly, leaving no time for anyone to arrive, just in case someone had called either the Weasley’s or the Ministry about Draco and Harry walking about Diagon Alley.



They popped back into Number Twelve Grimmauld Place to find everything in order, though a very cross looking Minister Shacklebolt had apparently been trying to Floo call the pair.



Harry ventured into the study first and dropped down carelessly onto the couch, seemly uncaring that the head of the Minister of Magic was floating in his fireplace.



“Hello Shacklebolt. To what do I owe the honor?”



“I’ve been waiting for over an hour, Harry.” The very cross Minister told him.



“So I expect you’re ready to get to the point.” Harry said, brashly.



Draco entered then, crossing the fireplace’s view to sit on the other side of Harry. “Minister, how good to see you.” He stated, though it was obvious his words did not match his emotions.



“Likewise, Mr. Malfoy.”



For once, Draco didn’t tell the man in the fireplace to call him Draco. He simply leaned against Harry and took to looking at his nails.



“We’ve received word that you left your house, Harry, and that you took Mr. Malfoy with you.”



Harry raised an eyebrow. Draco smirked. “Why? Is that a problem?”



Shacklebolt looked slightly enraged by Harry’s attitude. “You know Mr. Malfoy is still under investigation by the Ministry. Not only did you steal him from Ministry custody, breaking several of our wards and flouting several of our laws, but you then took him out into public as if he were a free man…without permission!”



Harry glared at the Minister of Magic. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware that I needed permission to take my Veela mate shopping for new clothing, which he desperately needs.” Harry said, practically growling and evoking his mate’s Veela heritage as a form of leverage.



Shacklebolt bristled, but calmed himself enough to speak again. “If you insist on continuing to fight us on this matter, Harry, the Ministry will have no choice but to take Draco by force, bond or no bond. You do not want to cross us.”



“No Minister, I believe you’ve got that wrong. You do not want to cross me.” Harry stated, before waving his hand and cutting off the Floo connection.



If they thought he would stand by idly and watch them harm his mate, they were dead wrong.



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