Seeking the Dragon

\'Hermione has a point,\' Draco thought. He understood that getting
Ron in a better mood would be best for everyone; if anything, it
would allow him to feel more safe under Ron\'s roof.

Quickly, he got up off the bed, trudged to the bathroom, and
checked himself over in the mirror. After taking stock of his poor
appearance, he splashed some water on his face in an effort to wash
away the tear stains. His eyes were still slightly red and puffy and
his hair was a mess. He ran a comb though it to hide the slept-on
look. Thoroughly satisfied that he had removed all evidence of having
sobbed himself to sleep, Draco crept to the study room door.

Draco anxiously knocked on the door. "Ron," he called,
"we need to talk." He paused a moment, awaiting an answer.
Hearing nothing he knocked again, this time shouting.

"Weasel, if you\'re going to hide the whole time I\'m here,
what was the point of inviting me?"

Ron didn\'t know what got him more riled, being called \'Weasel\' or
being told he was hiding. Either way he knew he would have to face
Draco sometime. After all, Draco did have a point; there was no sense
in inviting him if he was going to hide. Getting up from his desk, he
walked over to the door, reversed sil silencing and locking spells he
had cast, and flung it open, causing Draco to jump in surprise.

"What do you want?" Ron shouted. \'Oh, way to go, Ron,
what a way to start off the next round,\' he thought to himself.

"You do realize that it isn\'t polite to hide from your
guests," Draco said with a smirk.

\'Damn that vile smirk,\' Ron thought. He cracked a half-hearted
smile at Draco\'s attempt at humor. Draco\'s humor had intenntended
effect; it broke the tension between them long enough for Ron to
rethink his words.

"You\'re right, I haven\'tctlyctly been a welcoming host,"
Ron said sheepishly.

"And here I thought you Weasleys were all about hospitality,"
Draco chuckled.

"Around here you have to fend for yourself most of the time.
I\'m not used to having visitors that aren\'t family."

"Oh? What about the Potters? They aren\'t fy. Ay. Anyway, can
I come in and sit down? I can\'t stand having conversations across a
doorway, I feel like you\'re going to slam it in my face at any
moment."

"Oh, sorry. Find a chair," Ron said, inviting Draco into
the room.

Draco looked around the room. He saw the desk was practically
covered with what he presumed to be paperwork from Ron\'s job. There
were also pictures at each end. The one of Ron, was a Wizard photo
without a doubt for tmagemage was sticking its tongue out and making
faces at him. The other was of himself flying during a Quiddich
match. It seemed odd to him that Ron had another Muggle style picture
in here. He couldn\'t figure out why Ron had any pictures of him at
all. He looked at Ron and saw that the redhead appeared on edge,
though he couldn\'t tell why

After Draco sat down by the desk, Ron seated himself and began to
talk.

"The Potters are very much like family. They have stuck by me
through quite a bit."

There was a long silence before Draco spoke.

"Due to their Gryffindor loyalty, no doubt," he sneered,
then regretted the words the moment they escaped his mouth.

Ron rolled his eyes at the blond\'s comment. "Malfoy,"
Ron whined, "do you think you could drop the Gryffindor-this,
Slytherin-that routine? Like you said, we aren\'t in school anymore."

"Old habits, you know," Draco said.

"So I see," said Ron. "I know you didn\'t come in
here to argue. You could have done that in the doorway."

Ron took out his wand, giving Draco a reassuring look before
calling out, "Accio coffeepot." The coffeepot came to rest
on the desk near Ron\'s hands. He tapped the coffeepot twice,
muttering a few words, and then the cold coffee was steaming again.

"Would you like some?" he asked Draco, summoning two
coffee mugs.

"Yes, please," Draco answered, feeling confused. Ron\'s
abrupt change in mood was puzzling, but since he knew the Gryffindor
could lose his cool in a heartbeat, he supposed he could also regain
it just as rapidly.

After he and Draco took their first sips, Ron spoke.

"I should apologize for blowing up at you. I don\'t think you
meant for our conversation to turn into a shouting match." Ron
took another sip, watching Draco\'s apprehension fade away, before he
continued. "While you\'re here we may as well try to get along.
There aren\'t many places I can hide a body." It was Ron\'s turn
to smirk at Draco. "And I\'m sure this is probably a lot to
digest."

"Weasley-err-Ron, you\'re right, this is all a bit too much to
take in. I come home to find my family\'s home reduced to rubble, I
find out my parents were killed while trying to avoid capture, and to
top it all off, I find out that you were behind keeping the estate in
my hands. I must admit, I am grateful that I still have the land, but
I have to know, why did you get involved? It\'s not like we were
friends or anything before I left."

"True, you and I weren\'t friends by any means." Ron
hemmed a moment before continuing, "I got involved because I
couldn\'t tolerate those self-serving hypocr in in the Ministry. If
your family is anything like mine, your land has been in the family
for generations. To take that away, along with everything else, would
have been punishing you for being a Malfoy. That\'s not honorable and
is really no better than Voldemort who punished Muggles for being
Muggles."

"But I don\'t understand, why you?
Wasn\'t there anyone else that had a problem with this? Even a former
Ravenclaw, should have seen a problem with the logic of it all,
right?"

Ron merely shook his head. It finally dawned on him exactly how
far outtouctouch Draco had been, while away.

"Draco, this may come as a shock to you, but your father was
an excellent fighter. Don\'t let this get out or they\'ll probably burn
me alive, but I actually admired his skills in battle. If your
parents had been fighting against, instead of for Voldemort, they
would have been seen as war heroes. Unfortunately, for them, the only
one the Ministry wanted to punish more was Voldemort. My brother
Percy, the power grubbing git, practically worshiped your father."
Ron watched as Draco\'s eyes grew wide at this realization. "Percy,
became your father\'s right hand. Most of the time he worked with the
Ministry, he leaked information about the who and the when to him."

"You must think I\'m an idiot, Weasley. There is no way you
can get me to believe that my father would possibly work with anyone
from your family."

"No, Draco, I don\'t think you are an idiot. Like I said this
morning, things changed during the war. Percy was so cunning, and
power mad, he managed to convince your father to trust him. He earned
that trust by getting involved in planning some of the raids, he gave
the Death Eaters enough information that they could get away. It
wasn\'t long before he cut ties with our family and took the dark
mark."

"You mean he gave up being Fudge\'s lapdog for a little
promise of power?" Draco asked.

"Not just a little. He was given the chance to lead a few
surprise attacks. I was still working as an Auror back then. Percy
was one of those Death Eaters that attacked my father. He owes his
life to Harry and Hermione, I would have killed him if they had not
stopped me. Percy\'s partner in the attack just happened to get caught
in the crossfire of a family tiff. Poor chap should have known better
than to work with someone who could double cross his own family."

"Especially the Weasley family." Draco muttered.

"What\'s that supposed to mean?" asked Ron.

"How many others in your family make objects quiver when
angry?" Draco inquired.

"I don\'t know, I\'ve never seen it happen."

"If your relatives\' magic is half as strong as yours, I\'d
rather not be the one pushing them far enough to find out."

"Why? Uh, not that I would encourage you to cross them, but
why do you say that?" Ron asked

"Oh, I don\'t know, maybe the fact that just a while ago, I
was wondering what would hit me first; the stuff you have hanging up
or a blast from your wand."

"Sorry, I don\'t usually work myself up like that. It can be
rather destructive."

"Really?" Draco asked, smirking. "I never would
have guessed." he teased, slouching back in his chair with his
arms crossed and looking as though he were ready to burst with
laughter. "Is that why the Potters\' pictures are in your guest
room?"

"Sort of. The last time I had them out in the den, I turned
Hermione\'s monochromatic. For the sake of the pictures I moved them
in there since I don\'t go in there very often. Besides, I\'ve got one
in here too."

"Where? The only pictures I see are the one of you making
faces at me, and that Muggle picture of me. How did you get one of
those anyway?" asked Draco.

Ron looked down at his hands and fidgeted as he spoke. "Creevey
took it. I asked for a copy just before the end of sixth year. I
suppose you saw the other one in the loo, too." He gave Draco a
half smile. "This one of me," Ron began as he poked at the
picture\'s chest, "is actually of Harry, Hermione, and myself.
They have one just like it."

Ron turned to speak to the picture, "Ron, could you go get
the other two, please?"

"Which two?" the picture asked with a devilish grin on
its face.

"The real two, Ron." came Draco\'s reply. He had no idea
what compelled him to say it, but the image of Ron was gone from the
frame before he could change his mind.

"Are you sure you\'re ready for that?" Ron asked.

Draco shook his head. "I have to face them sometime, right?"
He looked Ron in the eye. "Might as well get it over with."
he said with a sigh.

"True, but don\'t you think you should wait another day?"

"I probably should. I\'ve been talking to Hermione\'s picture
in the guest room, don don\'t think it will go too bad." Draco
gave a weak shrug. "It\'s her husband I\'m worried about."

"She\'ll keep him undertroltrol, unless you call her
Mudblood."

"Somehow, with the three of you around, I don\'t think that
will happen anytime soon." Draco chuckled.

"Good choice." Ron said.

"So how soon do you think they\'ll be here?"

"Knowing the two of them, they\'ll be taking the Muggle way
here."

"Why do you say that?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

"For starters, I don\'t have a fireplace for them to make an
entrance by Floo and unless they\'ve hired a nanny in the last day or
so, their daughter will most likely be with them. So, that leaves
Apparation out." Ron explained.

"Do you think they would be as welcoming of my appearance as
their pictures were?"

"Trust me, Draco, this is my home and they are my friends, I
doubt very much that they would be so disrespectful as to start
fighting here."

"Look at this from my point of view, Ron. Ten years ago, we
were sniping at each other, now you want to be friends. You are
asking me to trust you, your friends, and your sudden turnabout. I do
hope you can understand my suspicions. For all I know, I am setting
myself up for an ambush."

"Draco, I do have an idea of what you must be feeling. Don\'t
forget, if this were ten years ago, I don\'t believe that these walls
would still be standing. Surely, there would be no way we would be
sitting here chatting in the way we are."

Just as the two were settling into a relaxed conversation,
rehashing the events of the past ten years, the trio came back into
their frame. "Sorry we can\'t make it today, Malfoy. We can\'t
find anyone to watch Maia this evening. She can be quite a handful."
Harry said apologetically.

"Afraid I\'m going to corrupt your little wh..."

Ron cut in, with his hands waving in the air, "Don\'t even get
started Malfoy. I will not allow you to pick fights in my home
either. I like my walls in the shape that they are. I don\'t need you
two getting all worked up and blasting away at each other when they
do come to visit."

"Since when did you become the voice of reason?" Harry
asked.

Ron turned to face the picture, "Considering that I\'ll have
to have Muggles make the repairs, I would prefer not to try and
explain why there are large gaping holes in my walls."

Ron turned to face Draco and fixed him with a steady glare, "You,
Mister Malfoy, need to be careful how you speak. I don\'t believe you
wish to be considered your father\'s duplicate, do you?"

Draco\'s face reddened in anger and hurt. Scathing words were
formed on his lips, but in a fleeting moment of clarity, he stopped
himself from beginning another round of insults and personal attacks.
After another deep breath to regain his calm exterior, he said
flatly, "There\'s no need to insultWeasWeasley."

"Ah," said Ron, "but you were about to refer to
Maia as a whelp, were you not? Even though Hermione can be a bitch
sometimes, I really don\'t see her as having whelps."

"Alright, Mister Weasley, I get your point."
Draco\'s facial expression became a cross between a pout and a smirk.
"I\'ll keep a civil tongue, as long as they do."

Ron\'s stomach growled, interrupting the brief silence. "Are
you hungry Draco? I\'m thinking it\'s close to lunchtime."

"Sort of. What are you having? Or should we dine out?"
Draco asked.

"I was thinking of sampling some of that fast-food you were
telling me about."

"You stand a better chance of seeing Merlin skate backwards
through Hogwarts, than catching me in a fast-food place." Draco
replied with a sneer. "If we\'re going to eat out, let\'s go to a
Wizard restaurant. It\'s been so long since I\'ve been to one." he
suggested.

"Let me think a moment." Ron put his hand to his chin as
if truly thinking of a place. "I should think that someone of
your standards would prefer The Bubbling Goblet, swanky place that it
is, but I don\'t have the classy dress robes nor the fortune to be
dining there. Hmm. I know, we could go to The Three Broomsticks. You
do have robes with you, t?&qt?"

Draco shook his head. "Why would I need robes in America? I
replaced all of that stuff when I left."

"I can let you wear some of mine," Ron offered. The foul
look on Draco\'s face gave him his answer. "Up for some
shopping?" Draco smiled at the notion. "Don\'t be too eager.
I\'d almost say that you enjoyed shopping a little too much, for the
average guy." Ron said with a y gry grin.

"Not to burst your bubble, but shopping for clothes is an
experience to be savored."

"Like a fine wine?" Ron sniped.

"What would you know about wine?"

"Not a lot. I don\'t care for the stuff myself. I prefer the
more common ale and the occasional shot of firewhisky."

"Well, we just need to make you a little more highbrow, won\'t
we." said Draco in a snobby tone.

"What are you getting at, Malfoy?" asked Ron with
suspicion in his voice.

"We are going
shopping for r. Si. Since the both of us need dress robes to go to
The Bubbling Goblet."

"What do you mean, \'the both of us\'? You might be able to
throw away money on dress robes, but in case you haven\'t noticed, I\'m
not exactly in any position to make such an impulsive purchase."
Ron grouched. He hated to admit that he w't a't as well off as Draco,
but he didn\'t feel right about taking charity either.

"This isn\'t charity, if that\'s what you\'re thinking. Think of
it as repayment for letting me stay here while I get things at The
Ministry sorted out."

"I don\'t recall asking you to pay me back." Ron replied.

"You didn\'t. I simply don\'t relish the idea of owing you any
favors. I am offering to get you fitted with robes so I don\'t have to
go to the restaurant alone." Draco said haughtily.

Draco was grateful that Ron had allowed him to stay in his home.
In Draco\'s eyes, the robes and dinner were a peace offering to Ron,
just as Ron\'s unspoken invite was a peace offering to him. It was an
uneasy peace loaded with suspicion, but after ten years of empty
enmity, he felt it was time to put his hostilities to rest.

"It wouldn\'t embarrass you to be seen with me? You must
really hate to dine alone." Ron was being snide in spite of
feeling an inner sense of privilege to be asked to dine with a
Mal &qu "Try not to make me feel like an idiot."

"You just try not to humiliate me, and I\'ll try not to make
you out to be an idiot." Draco smiled knowing that he had
convinced Ron to accept the shopping trip.

"I don\'t know what your game is Malfoy, but as much as I hate
to say this, I\'m trusting you... for now."

"It\'s settled then. Shall we Apparate to Diagon Alley?"

"You still remember how to get there?" Ron asked.

Draco gave the appearance of searching his memory for a moment,
then heaved a sigh. "Maybe we should go by broom."

"The Knight Bus would be a
better idea. It is the middle of the day, you realize."

"Won\'t the Muggles see that gaudy monstrosity appear from
nowhere?"

"Not likely. Muggles see only what they wish to see."

"Very well," Draco sighed again. "Why couldn\'t you
have a fireplace, then we\'d be able to Floo like everyone else."

"I think we should get ourselves cleaned up a bit. I\'ll go
first, since you take so long." Ron said.

"Beauty takes time, you see, first I shampoo, then condition;
I have to make sure my face is cleansed and moisturized properly as
well. A shower is more than just splashing soap and water on myself."
Draco stated with pride.

"Now you sound my my brother, Percy." Ron mocked,
rolling his eyes.

"Weasley, maybe you should get in the shower before this
turns into another battle of wits. Five minutes should give you a
chance to arm yourself." Draco retorted.

"Malfoy, has it ever ored red to you that maybe, possibly,
you should let your brain control your tongue once in a while?"
Noticing that Draco had been stricken speechless, he stood and said,
"Now if you\'ll excuse me, I\'m going to go splash on some soap
and water, as you put it."

Draco came to his senses just after Ron left the study. \'Didn\'t
know you had it in you, Weasley.\' he thought. Then he got up and went
to his room to pick out some clothing for the coming outing. He
stared at the clothes he had laid out on the bed, trying to decide
which pair of jeans he should wear with his gray turtleneck sweater.

"Your turn." Ron said. He was peeking around the doorway
wrapped in just a towel.

Draco couldn\'t help but notice how well the gangly boy from
Hogwarts had filled out. \'Why would Ron hide such a beautiful body
under those loose old robes\' he thought to himself, and then began to
mentally fit him with more flattering attire.

Draco didn\'t realize he had zoned out until Ron spoke again.
"Draco, did you hear me? The shower is all yours. I\'m going to
go get changed, I\'ll be in my room if you need anything."

"Huh? What?" he replied, sng hng himself mentally. "Oh,
thanks. I\'ll just be another minute." Draco couldn\'t understand
what was going through his mind. He had spent so much time viewing
Ron as the enemy, that he had failed to notice how visually appealing
Ron had become. He resolved to make sure that Ron looked his absolute
best, even if that meant having to give him a complete makeover. Out
of respect for Ron, he picked out a faded pair of black jeans to go
with his sweater, then eadeeaded for the shower.

Meanwhile, Ron was staring down at the clothing he had laid on his
bed. He wanted to make himself look as presentable as possible for
Draco. He chose his least faded pair of blue jeans and a heather gray
sweater. He checked himself over in the mirror and thought better of
the color as it made his hair stand out that much more. He took off
the sweater and tossed it aside, and picked up an earthen brown
colored oxford shirt. \'Maybe I should wear the black jeans,\' he
thought. He shucked off the blue ones and stepped into a black pair.
They were a little snug, but still comfortable. \'That\'s better,\' he
thought. He styled his hair with the usual center part, and feathered
back. He walked out to living room to wait for Draco.

Draco fussed with his hair, for what seemed like an eternity to
Ron. Draco had taken over what little space was left on the bathroom
counter top with his large collection of hair and skin care products,
which only left it looking more like a a fashion model\'s vanity than
the average bachelor\'s bathroom. He despised Ron\'s choice of shaving
supplies but that was the one thing he forgot in his rush to make it
to his flight to England on time. He thought of just using a charm to
remove his stubble but then thought better of that idea, he was out
of practice after pretending to be a Muggle for so long

When Draco entered the living room, Ron reflexively stood to greet
him. Neither man could help but stare in awe at each other for a
brief moment. Ron noticed the dressed down appearance of Draco and
chose to give a faint smile in approval.

Draco was trying desperately to keep his familiar smirk from
turning into a smile. He broke the silence by teasing.

"You need a haircut."

Ron chuckled and and teased back.

"You need hair."

Draco merely rolled eye eyes at the comment. He was glad that Ron
chose to dress Muggle; he didn\'t want to feel out of place nor did he
want to borrow any of Ron\'s robes.

"Ready to go?" asked Draco.

"I thought you would never ask." Ron tea

Both men walked out to the street and held out their wand arms to
flag down the Knight Bus. A loud bang announced the bus\' arrival.
They boarded the bus and Ron paid the fare, saying they were going to
The Leaky Cauldron. The bus gave a sudden lurch forward heading
straight toward houses that actually jumped out of its way. Another
loud bang sounded as the bus then appeared on a busy street. It
suddenly stopped, sending its occupants flying into the aisle and
onto the floor.

As an elderly witch stepped off the bus, he reached for his seat.
Before he could sit back down, the bus made a lurch forward again,
sending Draco backwards. Regaining his footing, and climbing back
into his seat, he said, "We\'re definitely traveling the Muggle
way back." He patted his hair to make sure it was back into
place while Ron snickered at the blond\'s vanity.

"Hold on, our stop is coming up." Ron warned.

Draco flinched and grabbed on to his seat tightly, hoping he
wouldn\'t go sailing into the aisle again. The sudden stop of the bus
only caused him to slide off onto the floor.

"Muggle taxi, most definitely for our trip home." he
grumbled as he and Ron stepped off the bus. "I\'m glad that\'s
over." he said, dusting off on his jeans from the fall on the
floor.

"Oh, it\'s not that bad, once you get used to it." Ron
smiled. "Let\'s get inside and have a drink before we shop."

"Yes. I could use one about now."

They went in and seated themselves at a table in a far off corner.
Ron ordered a shot of firewhiskey, Draco ordered a butterbeer.

"Trying to get yourself pissed already, Ron?" Draco
chided.

"No, I just need something strong if I\'m going to be dragged
along on this little excursion of yours."

"You will enjoy yourself if it kills us both. Just relax and
go along with what I say."

"That\'s why I need the strong one."

"Okay, you win, but just one. I want you to still have your
wits, and I would rather not have to carry you."

Ron ordered another butterbeer as he waited for Draco to finish
his drink. Once they both had finished, Ron led the way to the
entrance to Diagon Alley. After tapping his wand on the correct
bricks, the wall magically parted allowing them access. Draco was
amazed at how much brighter the mood seemed, compared to what he saw
prior to beginning his final year at Hogwarts. Draco led the pair
directly to Madame Malkin\'s Robes for All Occasions. Ron browsed
through all the styles of robes while Draco spoke quietly with a
young witch behind the sales counter.

Ron was eying a set of light tan colored robes when Draco came
over to join him.

"Oh no, Ron, that color is awful. Here, hold these gray ones
up." Draco frowned upon looking at it.

"No, that won\'t do at all. Try this." He handed Ron
royal blue robes. "Hmm," he said, holding a finger to his
chin, "not blue."

Ron was dumbfounded, he thought the brown ones looked fine and the
blue set brought out his eyes.

Draco picked up deep burgundy colored set and held it up to Ron.
"Yuck! What was I thinking?" he said as he cast the robes
off to the side. Draco, scrutinizing the shelf, spotted a set of
robes that were a dark rusty brown color. His face glowed with glee.

"Try this one," he said and handed Ron the robes to hold
up. He stood back to admire his work.

"Perfect!" he exclaimed. "Look in the mirror. What
do you think?"

"I like it." Ron said, not really knowing how else to
react. He was watching his once stoic, former rival, turn into a
raving lunatic, and it was all over robe colors. He smiled inwardly
taking mental note of how natural Draco\'s actions appeared.

Draco continued to scurry around the store, grabbing colors of all
sorts, holding each one up but then frowning at them all. Ron,
watching Draco work himself into a fit, made a bold move. He grabbed
a set of gray-et ret robes and a set of charcoal colored robes, and
handed them to Draco as if they were part of the pile that was being
tried out.

Draco held up the charcoal one first.

"That one makes you too pale. Try the other one." Ron
said and Draco held up the gray-violet robes to show Ron.

"Beautiful," Ron whispered.

"Pardon?" Draco asked.

"I, uh, I like that one. Look for yourself." Ron said
with a toothy grin.

"Very good, Weasley. You may have a knack for this after all.
Now then, about the fit."

"What\'s wrong with the way it fits? "

"You don\'t just walk into a shop and grab clothing off the
racks as is. You have to get it tailored to flatter your build. At
least with dress robes you do. First of all, put it on."

As Ron got changed into the robes Draco called over the
seamstress. Draco was impressed by how color of the robes Ron was
wearing actually offset the stark color of his red-orange hair,
brought out his blue eyes, and warmed up his skin tone. Ron blushed
when he noticed Draco was staring.

"Is something wrong?" Ron asked.

"Quite the opposite. Now pick up those burgundy colored robes
and stand in front of the mirror." Ron did as he was told and
Draco instructed him to hold up the burgundy robes.

"Why didn\'t you like this one? I don\'t see anything wrong
with it."

Draco and the seamstress both rolled their eyes and snickered
quietly between themselves.

"Okay, look at how your hair compares with the color."

Ron eyed himself and made a grimace.

"Now, look at how your hair looks with with the one you are
wearing now."

Ron\'s eyes lit up at the difference the colors made.

"My hair isn\'t so bright looking with these," he said
gesturing to the robes he had on. "My eyes stand out and my
freckles don\'t show up as much."

"Very good, you\'re getting the idea. Now look at how these
charcoal robes look on me."

"You\'re eyes stand out, but the rest of you looks ghostly."
Ron said.

"Exactly. These are the ones that you liked on me."
Draco said while holding up the gray-violet robes.

Ron couldn\'t stop himself from admiring how gorgeous Draco looked
with them.

"Your hair and skin don\'t look so pale now."

He wanted to mention how Draco\'s eyes looked livelier but didn\'t
want to let on how attractive he thought Draco was.

"I\'ll get changed into these and we\'ll get to work on the
fit." Draco said.

When he returned from the changing room, Ron\'s gaze became
starry-eyed and dreamy. He felt like a love-struck schoolboy eying
his newest crush. \'He\'s beautiful.\' Ron thought to himself. \'And
those eyes, look, just... wow!\'

Draco, strutted over to Ron, turning around like he was a runway
model. "You can close your mouth now." he said jokingly.

The seamstress smiled at the pair. "Shall we get started with
fitting Mr. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy?" she asked.

"Yes, Miss, uh..."

"Rowtag, sir, Kim Rowtag."

"Yes, Miss Rowtag, what are some of your ideas for Mr
Weasley, here? We need something to show off that broad chest of
his."

With a wave of her wand she made the shoulders and chest of Ron\'s
robes more form fitting, accentuating his narrow waist.

"How does this look Mr. Malfoy?" Miss Rowtag asked.

"Splendid. A little looser at the shoulder area,"

Miss Rowtag did as instructed. "Perfect. The arms need to be
snug and tapered at the cuff. Good. Flair out the hip area just a
bit." Draco stepped back to admire the work so. &q. "Something
is missing. Hmm, make the collar higher."

"Hey! Stop right there, Draco. What are you doing? My name
isn\'t Snape"

"Ron, look in the mirror. Okay, so maybe we should lower the
collar a bit, but look closely at what you see. Women will be
frothing at the mouth trying to get your attention." Draco
explained.

"I don\'t see women dropping at Snape\'s feet, unless it\'s out
of terror."

At this Miss Rowtag nearly choked trying to stifle her laughter.

"Are you okay, Kim?" Ron asked.

"Yes. I\'m sorry, Mr. Weasley. My throat was a might bit dry."
she replied.

Draco was finding it hard to contain his own chuckles. "I
know what you mean. It is a bit dry in here isn\'t it?" His smirk
in the seamstress\' direction said that he understood what she really
meant.

"Right, then. Ron, how do you think I should have these
fitted?"

Ron shrugged in reply. "I don\'t know. Kim, can you make it
tight in the torso area?"

Miss Rowtag nodded and waved her wand making Draco\'s robes fit
snuggly about the chest and waist.

"Now you\'re just copying what I did for you. I know I\'m not
about to win a Mr. Universe contest but, do you think I want everyone
seeing me as a waif?"

"A what contest? Uh, I mean, no."

"Muggle thing. Anyway, the waist and hips need to be a little
looser, the chest needs to be much looser." Turning toward to
seamstress, he said, "Let\'s see that part for now."

Miss Rowtag, smiled and waved her wand again, bringing about the
changes to the fit of Draco\'s robes.

"Say, that makes you look bulkier." Ron observed.

"Precisely. I need vertical pleats down the front, to make me
look taller, a low collar, and the arms need to be slightly puffy but
tight at the cuff." He looked at himself in the mirror. "No,
Miss Rowtag, I\'d like pleats only on the upper body, and the lower
body keep flat and straight."

"Why don\'t you want the pleats on the lower body?" Ron
asked

"It would make me look stretched out, and too much flair in
the lower portion would make me look like an hourglass with arms. You
see, we\'re trying to make me look taller, and not quite as slender.
With you, we\'re trying to make your neck look longer, show off your
chest and biceps, and make your legs look shorter."

"You both look very handsome, Mr Weasley." Miss Rowtag
offered.

"He sure... ahem,
I mean, thank you, I suppose we do."

"Ron, if I didn\'t know any better... never mind." Draco
said.

"What, Draco? I can\'t make comments about how you look?"
Ron protested.

"It\'s not that. Oh just never mind, thinking out loud I
suppose."

"Shall we get out of here then? I\'m getting hungry."

"Yes. We\'ll leave the robes here and go to Florean
Fortescue\'s for a light snack. It will be a while before they\'re
ready."

"We can\'t wear these out yet? They fit just fine for me."

"You really haven\'t done this at all, have you? They were
just fitting charms that she used. The robes will be back to their
original fit the moment we step out the door." Draco said,
almost regretting his tone.

"Like a glamor?" Ron asked with a reddened face.

"Exactly, Mr. Weasley. Don\'t be embarrassed, not many of our
customers are so patient as to go through the fitting and tailoring
process. Some don\'t even realize that we still do custom fitting and
alterations. Now if you two could leave your new robes with me, I\'ll
have the final changes finished in about an hour or two."

"Certainly, Miss Rowtag, we\'ll be back to pick them up later.
Let\'s get changed Ron." Draco said.

The men changed back into their Muggle attire and left their new
robes with the seamstress. They left the shop and walked to
Fortescue\'s for ice cream. Upon entering, Ron ordered a strawberry
sundae and Draco ordered a dish of shaved lemon ice.

Ron was chasing the last bits of his sundae around the dish, his
face twisted in a thoughtful look. "Draco," he said, "thank
you for not making me look stupid in Madam Malkin\'s."

"I was thinking I had and that was why you were being so
quiet." Draco responded.

"How did you get so knowledgeable about what color goes with
a person and what fit goes with a body shape?" Ron asked.

"I spent some time working at a formal clothing store while
in America. Mostly we sold or rented out men\'s formal wear; for
weddings and formal dances called proms."

"Proms?" Ron asked.

"A prom is something that
students hold in the spring of their last and sometimes second to
last years. It\'s some sort of rite of passage tradition. It\'s a
really big event over there, with limousines, and flowers,
regal dresses and tuxedos. Like the Yule Ball at Hogwarts, but the
prom isn\'t held inside the school. It\'s held at some hotel or large
formal restaurant. For some odd reason, the boys also seem to believe
that it is the time for drinking large amounts of alcohol and getting
pissed out of their minds, then trying to shag whoever their date
happens to be.?"

"You tried that last bit with Pansy during seventh year."
Ron pointed out.

"No I didn\'t. I only succeeded in getting pissed out of my
mind, then babbled the rest of the night about Merlin knows what."

"I don\'t know what you said to her, but she got really
protective for the rest of the year. She even tried to get friendly
with me. I thought you two were an item so I figured she was just
trying to make you jealous."

Draco\'s face turned an even more pale shade. "Oh no." he
said quietly.

"What? What did I say? I didn\'t mean anything bad by it."
Ron quickly said.

"Nothing, Ron. It\'s nothing." Quickly changing the
subject he stood. "Say, it\'s almost time to pick up our robes.
Let\'s pay for this and get out of here."

Ron shrugged in confusion. "Okay."

The two of them went to the counter to pay for their ice cream and
left to go back to Madam Malkin\'s. They were promptly greeted by Miss
Rowtag again, and she ushered them to the changing rooms handing them
their new robes.

They came out of the changing rooms, strutting and turning,
showing off for each other. "Well, gentlemen, how do they fit?"
Miss Rowtag asked

"They\'re lovely. Thank you, Miss Rowtag," Draco said.

"Wicked!" was all Ron could say. He was now the proud
owner of custom tailored robes, an experience that he now felt was
well worth the wait. "Thank you, Kim."

They went to the counter to pay, then bid Miss Rowtag a good day
and left in the direction of The Bubbling Goblet. Upon entering, they
met an older wizard at the door, who greeted them warmly. The two
were shown to their seats at a small booth.

Draco picked up his menu and studied it intently. Ron chose to
look around, taking in the scene around him. Draco smiled to himself
as he watched his new friend glance around in awe.

"Why is that man setting their food on fire? Do they like it
burnt?" Ron whispered to Draco.

"No, you dolt. It\'s supposed to be served flaming. It adds
flair to the dish. Stop staring and figure out what you want to eat."

Ron stared glumly at the menu he held before him. "Draco, I
realize you want to repay me for letting you stay, but don\'t you
think this is a bit much? I mean, a place to stay can\'t be worth all
of this expense."

"Ron, it\'s not polite to remind your date, err, uh, friend of
how much he\'s spending on you. I\'m sure you can find some way to make
up the difference."

"Oh, sorry. But still, don\'t you..." Ron began to say,
but Draco cut him off.

"How about you let me worry about the cost. Live a little,
Weasley. This is your chance to spoil yourself and it\'s at my
expense, so take advantage of the opportunity while it\'s still
available."

"What are you having?" Ron asked, as he looked over his
menu at Draco.

"I\'m having the French Onion soup, and prime rib. Why? Still
can\'t figure out what to have?"

Ron fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat. "Well...&q he he
said then shrugged his shoulders.

"Would you like help, or do you just want me to come up with
something for you?"

"I don\'t need your... Well there\'s just so much... Oh, all
right, what do you think I should try? I haven\'t had half the things
listed on here."

"Have you had Clam Chowder before?" Draco inquired.

"Yes, I\'ve had Clam Chowder." Ron said indignantly.

"What about shrimp?"

Ron gave a bashful look to Draco. "No."

"You really don\'t go out much do you?" Draco said more
to himself than to Ron. "Ahem.
Anyway, why not try the Shrimp Alfredo." he suggested.

"What\'s that?" Ron asked.

"It\'s a dish with fettuccine pasta. That\'s narrow, flat
noodles, and Alfredo sauce."

"What kind of sauce?"

"Alfredo sauce; it\'s a white sauce with a little bit of
flavoring to it. Trust me, just try it, I think you\'ll like it."

"Say, what\'s this es-car-gots thing? I think I want to try
that."

Draco, nearly choked while trying to stifle his laughter. "Uh,
no, Ron, no you don\'t. I\'m certain of it."

"Why? How do you know? It\'s something new."

Ron took a sip of his water, waiting for Draco to answer.

"I know for a fact that it wouldn\'t be something new for you.
Remember back in second year? On the quiddich pitch?" Draco
paused waiting for Ron to figure out what he was going to say.

Ron\'s eyes got wide. He started to gasp, but hadn\'t taken the
water glass from his lips yet and spluttered water down the front of
himself. Draco tried hard not to laugh while asking Ron if he was
okay.

Ron, still coughing on his water, shook his head. "Ewww,
gross, they actually serve those things as food?"

In a frantic whisper Draco said, "Keep your voice down."
Still chuckling at the sight before him, he answered, "Yes, they
serve snails as food."

A waiter approached the table, "Welcome, gentlemen. My name
is Jonathan, I\'ll be your server this afternoon. May I start you off
with an appetizer? Bread sticks perhaps?"

"Yes, thank you," Draco replied.

"Very well then. Our wine steward will be with you shortly,"
Jonathan said.

"No need for wine, thank you," Draco said

"May I suggest a seltzer water with a slice of lime, sir?"

"Yes, that will be nice. My friend here will be having the
same." Draco said.

"Very well sir," Jonathan answered and left the men to
their conversation.

"Why didn\'t you order any wine?"

"Because, quite honestly, that shot you had is quite enough
alcohol for the afternoon. The Alfredo sauce is heavy enough. I
wouldn\'t want you taking ill in the midst of our lunch."

Ron blushed a faint red. "Oh," he said, shifting in his
seat.

"Besides, the seltzer will help you clear your palate between
the soup and the entrée."

"I see." Ron said.

Johnathon returned with their drinks, and said, "Are you
gentlemen ready to order, or would you like some more time?"

"We would like to order now." Draco replied.

Jonathan looked to Draco first, "Would you like to start off
with a soup sir?"

"Yes, thank you. May I have the French Onion soup?"

Jonathan looked to Ron. "Sir? Would you like to start with a
soup as well?"

"Yes, thanks. I\'ll have the Clam Chowder."

"Yes, sir," Jonathan
gave Ron a disdainful look. Draco merely rolled his eyes at Ron\'s
method of ordering. Jonathan turned to Draco again, "For your
entrée, sir?"

"I would like the Prime Rib and my friend here would like the
Shrimp Alfredo."

"How would you like your prime rib cooked, sir?"

"I would like it to be cooked medium-well, thank you."

"Excellent choices, gentlemen. Will there be anything else?"

"Not at the moment, thank you." Draco said. Jonathan
nodded and walked away, disappearing from the men\'s view.

"I could\'ve ordered for myself, you know." Ron sniped.

"Not when you sound like you\'re ordering at the Three
Broomsticks."

"What? What did I say that was so different from you?"
Ron said heatedly.

"You said, \'I\'ll have,\' and I said, \'May I have.\' You\'ve got
to kiss their arse every so often, or you could end up with burnt
food, or worse. They expect you to be dignified here, not some
commoner walking in from the local pub. Unlike some pub, the staff
here will treat you differently just because of the words you use."

"I don\'t understand the difference."

"Let me put it a different
way. It\'s better if you treat them as if they are doing you
a favor even though they are here to serve you."

"I see."

"Don\'t worry. I won\'t let you embarrass yourself again. Now
when you get your soup, eat it with that larger spoon, it\'s a soup
spoon. The fork with the long narrow tines is called a dinner fork,
that\'s what you eat the main course with."

"Got it. Why would anyone need so many forks and spoons? Do
they enjoy washing dishes?"

"The easiest way to explain it is that they have so many
eating utensils so that you have a clean fork or spoon to eat the
next course with. That way, the flavors won\'t mix from one dish to
another." Draco carefully explained

"Oh, so that I won\'t taste my soup with my shrimp?"

"Exactly. You catch on quick."

"Thanks, I think."

Jonathan returned with their soup. "Here you are gentlemen,
enjoy." he said.

"Thank you, Jonathan." Ron said smiling.

"See? You\'re getting the hang of it. Just don\'t slurp your
soup. That would just be uncouth, and no drinking the last bits
straight from the bowl."

Ron merely nodded in reply, and then quietly sipped his soup.
Taking Ron\'s cue, Draco began quietly sipping his own soup. The two
men stole glances at each other the entire time they were eating,
occasionally trying to see if they could catch the other looking.
Whenever it looked like Draco was going to catch him staring, Ron
would feign looking at some interesting piece of the decor.

Ron was disappointed when the main course arrived. "Draco,"
he whispered leaning across the table, "I think they\'re mad at
us. There\'s more plate than food." Then he started to wave for
the waiter.

Draco snorted into his water glass with laughter. "Ron,
please stop." he whispered loudly. "Don\'t call Jonathan
over here, this is how much we\'re supposed to get."

Ron raised his eyebrows in shock. "What? This is all we get?
How is this supposed to fill us up?"

"Oh for the love of Merlin, Ron," Draco said rolling his
eyes, "It\'s so we have room for dessert. It\'s not supposed to
fill us up. Stop making a scene, you\'re going to embarrass us both."

Ron fumbled with the napkin in his lap, and put his head down,
quietly apologizing. He began to rapidly devour the food in front of
him.

"Are you actually going to taste the food before you finish
it off?" Draco said with a sneer. "Try to savor each bite,
not inhale it like a starving dog." Draco silently thanked the
powers that be that he didn\'t suggest that Ron order lobster.

"I don\'t think I\'m cut out for this place, I\'m doing
everything wrong. I swear, nothing I do suits you. I just want to go
as soon as we\'re finished." Ron said through gritted teeth.

"But don\'t you want any dessert?" said Draco, completely
oblivious to Ron\'s souring mood.

"No. I\'ve suddenly lost my appetite for dessert. Besides,
there\'s probably a special way to eat that, too."

Draco realized, although a little too late, that his sharp tongue
had once again alienated Ron. "Look, I know I\'ve ruined lunch
for you, and you\'re probably not enjoying yourself very much. What
say we go to Fortescue\'s or The Leaky Cauldron for dessert?"

"I don\'t want to go anywhere but home, right now. Just, let\'s
finish lunch and go," Ron\'s voice got louder.

"Shhh, keep your voice down. We can go as soon as I finish.
It doesn\'t look like you\'re going to eat much more, anyway,"
Draco tried desperately to get Ron to calm down.

Rather than finishing the last bits of his meal, he waved Jonathan
over to the table and asked for the bill. Draco looked over the bill,
and left his payment on the table.

"We can go now, Ron," he said with a disappointed tone
in his voice. He was feeling terrible for putting Ron through the
ordeal of going formal, but his intention was to bring Ron up to his
own level, not to embarrass him. He did feel some success but it fell
short of what he desired.

"If you want to ride in a taxi, we\'ll have to go to the
muggle part of London." Ron said as Draco followed him out of
the restaurant.

"Never mind, we can Apparate. I think I can figure out how to
get to your flat. I\'ll just try to follow your lead."

"Just grab my hand, I\'ll guide you." Ron said extending
his hand.

Draco took hold of Ron\'s hand and felt an inner tingle of
something. Ron\'s magic, perhaps? He shook off the thought, but
wondered if that tingle was from a deeper connection than just
feeling someone\'s magical aura. He gave Ron\'s hand an unconscious
squeeze, while he gave Ron a sad yet apologetic expression.

"Ready?" Ron asked, feeling slightly comforted by
Draco\'s touch. He felt deep down that even though Draco was
disheartened by the events during lunch, Draco wasn\'t cross with him.

"You lead, I\'ll follow." Two rapid cracks signaled that
the pair were on their way home.