Rivaling Affections

Authors Note: Many thanks to Alexandra for her beta skills. A fun new twist in the story. I'm having lots of fun with this one so I hope you all enjoy.

Chapter 3 Home is where the Malfoy is

“You called, Minerva?” Harry asked as he walked into the Headmistress’s office. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of Draco sitting across from her, but he composed himself quickly enough that he was fairly certain no one would notice.

“Malfoy,” he said with a quick nod in the Slytherin's direction.

“Potter,” he responded likewise.

“Harry, I was just trying to make living arrangements with Mr. Malfoy and wondered if I might ask you a favor?” she asked demurely.

Harry groaned silently. Whenever she asked if she could ask Harry for something, it tended not to bode well. “Yes, of course, Minerva, ask away.”

“Well, I was wondering if Draco could stay with you,” she said frankly.

Harry shook his head as if to clear his ears. “Pardon?”

“Draco doesn’t like the idea of sleeping in the dank dungeon quarters, and I can’t blame him, so I was wondering if you could put him up,” she added.

“Why don’t you just create the same passage for the Manor that you do with me?” Harry asked.

“Well, for one it’s too far, and for another Narcissa is adamantly against us tampering with the Manor wards,” she replied briskly.

“And you’re okay with this?” he asked, turning to face Draco directly.

He only shrugged lightly. “It would only be temporary until I finish having a place of my own built,” he said. “I have no interest in staying at whatever hovel you probably call home for an extended period of time,” Draco added testily.

Harry rolled his eyes. “You really want me to have to put up with that, not only here, but at home as well?” he growled at McGonagall.

She smiled sweetly and shook her head. “I’m sure Draco would stay out of your way, Harry.”

“I would,” he promised with a sneer.

“Fine,” Harry said before storming out of the office. It was too much for Minerva to ask of him, but he would do it. It was only temporary and surely he could put up with Draco for a short time. Plus it would be nice for Andromeda and Teddy to get to see their family.

He flew swiftly down the stairs and down the corridor leading away from her office as he stewed. A panting breath came up behind him and a pale hand clamped down on his shoulder. Harry shuddered at the touch and moved away, glaring at Malfoy. “What?”

“I suppose you just want me to wander all over Hogsmeade looking for your house?” Draco scoffed.

The idea of Draco knocking on every door until he got to Harry’s made him grin widely. “It would be very entertaining, yes,” he answered and began to walk away.

Draco groaned behind him and strode quickly to catch up. “Could you just show me where it is and then I’ll be out of your hair for the rest of the day?”

Harry rubbed his hand lazily across his stubbly chin and pretended to ponder the request. “Make it a year and you’re on,” he said.

Draco rolled his eyes. “I can’t very well promise not to see you again for an entire year. I’m working and living with you,” he stated snidely.

A shudder ran down his spine again at Draco’s words. He was about to be living with Draco, another gay man, whom part of him was attracted to. Not the logical part, but the part that hadn’t had sex in a while.

“Come on then,” he said at last, and quite grudgingly. Sleeping in a room across from Malfoy was not going to be easy if he didn’t quiet his mind.

--

Draco was surprised by Harry’s home, and he wasn’t a man that was surprised very often.

He hadn’t really known exactly what to expect when he imagined Potter’s house, and he had been purely mocking him when he referred to it as a hovel. Draco assumed that someone with Harry’s wealth and clout would flaunt it to the rest of the world. He had imagined some giant sprawling manor house for the war hero, not this beautiful cottage, nestled at the end of a quiet lane.

The walls were mostly cobblestone, with old redwood beams accenting the wall edges and the windows. There was brilliant green ivy growing up one side of the home, cut away to reveal leaded glass multi-paned windows.

The front yard was a beautiful garden made of low growing flowers and a spattering a fruit trees. An iron and stone fence surrounded the home, which was actually quite large despite Draco’s initial impression. Harry led him up a stone path that weaved through the flowers and shrubs and up to a front door with a large iron knocker.

He opened the door and an enticing fragrance hit him almost immediately. It smelled of apples, cinnamon and vanilla and he hoped desperately that it was pie. His mother didn’t bake, so he didn’t imagine that Andromeda did either.

Harry hurried into the house, leaving Draco standing in the doorway admiring the surroundings. He found himself in a small foyer with a coat rack and a little bench to the side of it. A large painting of an oleander sat over the bench. The main walls were made of the same stone that was on the outside, but the interior walls were a rich textured beige that set off the furniture and window dressings nicely.

The beige carried up into the ceilings where it was punctuated by the rich redwood beams flowing across the space several feet above him. The floors were the same smooth wood and planked under his feet in intricate patterns.

Straight ahead was a small wooden staircase, to his left was a massive wooden archway leading into a cozy sitting room and to his right was another arch leading into a large dining room. Harry had gone right, so Draco followed.

The dining room was coated in brilliant light from the window. He could see the garden and the green of the ivy and thought briefly of Harry’s brilliant emerald eyes. The furniture in the room was simple but Draco could tell it was expensive. It was a darker wood than the floors and each chair that surrounded the large table was covered in sage green fabric.

The table was set as if for a formal service, and the centerpiece was composed of large yellow and burgundy sunflowers.

Adjacent to the dining room was a doorway and Draco followed through it into a massive kitchen.

Draco almost stopped breathing when he saw it, beautiful redwood cabinets with ornate carvings on every surface, accented with hammered copper on the counters, backsplash, and hood. A small stone island stood in the center of the room with chairs all around it and ironwork above it that held various copper pots and pans.

He didn’t see Harry at first, but as he got closer he found him leaning into the large iron oven and pulling out a pie. Draco’s stomach rumbled at the smell, which had tripled since he walked through the door.

Harry laid it gently in the center of the stone table and smiled contentedly. It looked delicious and smelled like heaven. “Apple?” he asked, and Harry looked startled for a moment but nodded.

“Caramel Apple,” he corrected, “and before you care to mock me, yes, I bake. I like to… it relieves stress,” he said tersely.

Surprised yet again by the Gryffindor hero. “I wasn’t going to mock you,” Draco said. “It smells glorious,” he added.

Harry smiled widely, and Draco felt a little lightheaded. He had seen that smile on several occasions as a boy, but never directed at him. “Would you like a slice?” Harry asked.

Draco nodded fervently and walked over to the stone island. Harry cut into it and held out his hand for the plate that was swiftly flying toward him. He served up the gooey concoction, sprinkled some fluffy streusel on top and handed it to Draco.

He took a deep breath and savored the smell of it. He had eaten apple pie of course, but never fresh and homemade, usually from a restaurant somewhere. Draco was a bit of a cook himself, but he’d failed miserably at baking. It took a different skill than he possessed.

He plunged his fork into the pie and pulled out a slice of oozing hot apple and took a bite. He could feel his eyelids fluttering as he chewed and a smile curving his mouth as he swallowed. He opened is eyes to find Harry staring in rapt attention, a pink blush tinting his sun kissed cheeks.

“Do you always look so blissful when you eat?” he asked thickly.

Draco smiled wider. “Only when it’s this good.”

Harry sighed wistfully. “I’ll make you pie everyday if you keep looking like that,” he whispered.

The fork dropped from Draco’s hand with a loud clatter and both boys blinked rapidly as if waking up from a dream. Was Potter just flirting with me? Draco asked himself silently.

Harry shook his head and turned away from Draco. He cleared his throat and motioned to the set of French doors off the other side of the kitchen. “I’ll show you to your room,” he said quickly.

Draco nodded and followed.

The house seemed to be set up with the main living area toward the front and the bedrooms in the back. He walked Draco through the other end of the sitting room and down a corridor. He pointed to the first door on the right. “This is Teddy’s room,” he said and kept walking. “A guest bath,” he said pointing to the door directly across from it. The next door he stopped at and opened, gesturing Draco to walk inside. “You can have your pick of this one or the other, but I suggest the next one because it has its own bathroom attached,” Harry added.

Draco nodded and followed him from the room. “The door on the right is mine, and the one on the left is the second master suite,” he said, pointing out the last two remaining doors.

“Where does Andromeda sleep?” Draco wondered aloud.

Harry smiled. “She stays in the guest cottage in the back garden,” he replied.

Draco nodded and went to the door Harry indicated as Draco’s suggested quarters. He opened it and gasped. The room was large, with a private fireplace and a small sitting area in front of it. The furniture was all constructed of iron with rich looking ivory fabrics covering the armchairs.

The bedding was mostly ivory as well, but stitched in wild floral patterns with dark silver that matched the ironwork. Sheer billowy curtains hung around the bed and the ones hanging on the windows matched them closely.

Harry was at Draco’s side in an instant. “What? What is it?”

Draco looked over at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You gasped, I thought something startled you,” Harry replied, still looking around the room at what could have offended Malfoy.

“Oh,” Draco replied with a flush. “I was just… surprised that a Gryffindor could have nice taste in decorating,” Draco said with a smirk, trying to cover his slip.

Harry smiled at the backhanded compliment. “I’m glad you approve. I expect you to stay here most of the time, and not bother me,” Harry stated simply.

“I’ll start now if you don’t mind,” Draco huffed and attempted to shut the door. Harry was of course blocking the way and laughing.

“Would you like anything in particular for dinner?” he asked.

Thinking about Harry’s pie made his mouth water and Draco was finding himself curious as to what other things the man could make. “I’m sure whatever you make will be delicious,” he commented, and couldn’t seem to stop his tongue from darting out and running between his lips.

Harry bit into his bottom lips and raked fingers through his hair, a gesture which Draco found more endearing than he would have liked and found himself wondering what Harry’s raven locks felt like.

He shot Draco a crooked smile and stepped out of the doorway. “Well, see you at dinner, I guess,” he said and turned to walk down the corridor, giving Draco a nice view of his swaying arse.

Draco shook his head and slammed the door a little louder than he had intended and winced at the noise. He took his magically shrunk luggage from his pockets and resized it all on the bed, quickly putting his things away.

He hoped Teddy and Andromeda would help relieve the sexual tension at dinner. He didn’t need to be traipsing down that road with his former enemy. He shuddered at the thought.

Harry as a boyfriend would be nothing but a disaster; they were complete opposites, not a single thing in common. So what if he could bake, or if he had excellent taste in home furnishings, or that his nervous gestures made him feel wobbly. He still had far better prospects than Potter and had no need to further his relationship with his current host.

It would just be wrong.

Authors Note: Please review!