Discoveries and Revelations

Disclaimer: Don't own them, not making a single penny out of them. Just love to make Draco and Harry do dirrty things. =P

A/N: Lovely reviews, people! Thank you all so very, very much! You make me want to write and write and write more glorious fan fictions with Harry and Draco as the centerpiece. I have another plot brewing from the background and I do hope you will read that as enthusiastically are you are following this one. =)

Anyway, on with the show...
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CHAPTER FOUR:

Harry was quite surprised to see that Draco was enjoying himself as they walked through the shopping district in Muggle London. He was expecting Draco to either be brooding and unresponsive (of which he was quite ready to handle) or throwing hissy fits at everyone and everything (which he was more than ready and willing to handle). However, Draco was very manageable the entire time, pleasant even. His eyes were wide with wonder and amazement at all the things that he saw, ooh-ing and aah-ing at practically everything he saw (like the elevator, the escalator the blinking neon lights and everything else that Draco saw). He pretty much resembled a small child let loose inside a toy store on a bright Christmas day.

“I’m starting to think that Muggles really are smarter than they look, being able to come up with all these things and gadgets without the use of magic!” Draco gushed. He was particularly enthralled by the television set. Draco even asked Harry if they could purchase one for the headquarters. Harry chuckled and shook his head.

“Can you imagine how Mr. Weasley’s going to react to that?! He might refuse to go to work and just stay home to figure out how Muggles got all those people and things shrunk and inside that box without magic!” Harry told Draco.

Draco pouted and whined in protest. “But why not? That’s not reason enough, you know.”

At this point, Harry was very much reminded of a toddler about to throw a terrible tantrum with the expression on Draco’s face. “Because,” he started to say as he gently grabbed hold of Draco’s arm and steered him away from the appliance store’s display window that featured the latest television set models, “for the telly to run, we need to have electricity in the house. And we, being wizards, have no need for electricity.”

“Can’t we get electricity at Grimmauld Place?”

Harry considered Draco for a moment. It was a valid question after all. Then he shook his head as he smiled at his companion.

“Sorry, Malfoy, but we really can’t, at least not just yet. Maybe after the…” Harry dared not finish his statement as his brain froze on the word ‘war’ that almost left his lips. He did not want to talk about it, not even think about it. At least not until it was really and truly inevitable. Right now, he just wanted to enjoy this nice time he had outside of his house with the most unlikely companion he could have.

Harry looked at Draco. He gave Draco an embarrassed smile and led the blonde to a nearby shoe store. “It’s kind of complicated, you see.” His smile widened until he was grinning stupidly at Draco. “You never took up Muggle Studies back at Hogwarts, did you?”

Draco looked haughtily at Harry. “I don’t see the connection of your question to our discussion, but I will indulge you nonetheless.” He turned up his nose and sniffed. “I never saw the point of studying about such irrelevant stuff,” Draco replied in his signature snobbish air. Harry was just about to say that Draco really and truly was an arrogant prat, but the retort died on his lips as Draco suddenly ducked his head, looking sheepish.

“But now, I can at least admit that it wouldn’t have been such a waste of time, had I known that they are truly smart, resourceful and creative.”

Harry gave out a loud, shocked laugh at the admission and he tugged at Draco’s arm more firmly. They entered the shoe store and Harry led Draco to the gorgeous displays inside.

“C’mon, let me buy you your very first pair of trainers,” Harry offered jovially.

* * * * * * * * * * *

It was a tiring day, but Draco had to admit that he enjoyed himself immensely. They were finally done with their shopping and he and Harry were sitting inside a colorful ice cream parlor at the shopping center. He was having what Harry called a banana split, and he was relishing every spoonful that he placed in his mouth. He had always loved ice cream, but he had never had this delectable Muggle treat before (of course). Harry, who was having the more conservative bowl of rocky road ice cream, was smiling widely at him.

“What in the name of Merlin’s baggy Y-fronts do they put in these things?” Draco blurted out after a particularly heaping spoonful of ice cream, banana, whipped cream, and nuts.

Harry chuckled. “Just the usual. Chocolate and vanilla ice cream, banana, nuts, marshmallows, and whipped cream. Oh, and chocolate syrup.”

Draco looked at Harry like he was seeing the brunette for the first time in his life. “But that’s impossible! Surely there’s got to be some sort of taste enhancing potion in this! It tastes absolutely marvelous…it’s almost orgasmic!”

Draco realized that he kind of said the last statement a bit too loudly because Harry suddenly shushed him. “Shh…not too loud, Malfoy! I don’t think you’d want these Muggles to think that you’re some kind of pervert who likes to molest their desert, do you?”

That was when Draco noticed that Harry was blushing furiously. He couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Harry’s crimson face.

“My, my! Embarrassed, Potter? Spoken like the true virgin that you are.” He laughed harder when he saw Harry’s blush deepen and was giving him a very good imitation of the Malfoy death-glare. “Oh, Merlin’s beard! You are a fucking virgin! I haven’t seen anyone blush this much since Goyle accidentally touched Millicent Bullstrode’s breasts!” Draco was laughing in earnest now, holding on to his stomach as if it would help him retain some of his dignity.

“I should sock you in the mouth now if I hadn’t got any sense about me, you annoying, smug little prat,” he heard Harry mutter under his breath. Draco wiped the stray tears from his eyes and tried to regain his composure.

“Fine, Potter. I’ll try to watch my mouth next time. Wouldn’t want to further humiliate my blushing virgin friend, would I? “ Draco bit out, trying hard to prevent himself from chuckling, and failing miserably. He cleared his throat when he was able to finally pacify himself and continued digging into his ice cream.

“So, Potter, where did you get the money you used to buy me my wardrobe. I have to admit, I was quite surprised that you didn’t mind spending quite a small fortune on me.”

Harry shifted in his seat and placed another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. “I asked Bill to change some of the money in my vault for this particular shopping spree.”

“Why didn’t you just ask your Muggle aunt and uncle for some? Could have saved you and Bill the trouble; I know how difficult those damned goblins could be when you ask them to change galleons to Muggle currency,” Draco inquired. He had heard a little about the Muggles that Harry lived with after Voldemort killed his parents, but he never did hear any stories about them voluntarily. Draco had to admit, he was quite curious about them and their relationship with Harry. That was when he noticed the bitterness and hate that marred Harry’s young face.

“Like those people would ever give me anything out of the goodness of their hearts. They were so happy to see me finally out of their freaking house, I couldn’t have left that godforsaken place sooner. And if they do hear from me again, now that their deal with Dumbledore is off, they would definitely deny that they know me, much less acknowledge me as a relative.” The words were spat out with so much bitterness and venom, Draco was at a loss for words. “So, no, asking money from those good for nothing gits is totally out of the question. I’d rather work my arse off than ask them for even a penny.”

Draco was stunned to silence for a moment. When he regained his bearings, he looked quizzically at Harry, one perfect eyebrow arched high.

“I think this is the very first time I’ve ever heard the great Harry Potter speak so poorly about Muggles,” Draco commented. “I always had this notion that you thought quite highly of their lot,” he added.

Harry was now starting to pick on what was left of his ice cream, his gaze not meeting Draco’s at all. “Well, this particular family of Muggles, no. They’re a bunch of stuck up, sanctimonious losers who think highly of no one else but their big, fat, whale of a son.”

This last statement was spat out with so much hatred, Draco almost fell off his chair in utter shock. He was glad he couldn’t see Harry’s eyes. He admitted that he might piss his pants if he sees the loathing in his eyes. His eyes are very expressive, after all.

Harry suddenly looked up, and there was a strained smile on his face. He took out his wallet and pulled out a few bills from it. He placed it on the table and turned his attention towards Draco.

“I don’t really want to talk about my lost childhood, okay? I’m not ready to fully trust you just yet, so just drop it,” he said firmly. This caused a pang something he can’t quite explain to stir within Draco’s chest. Almost like sadness, was the only thing that came to his mind when he tried to put a name to it.

“C’mon, we’re pretty much done here. Let’s go back to the headquarters,” Harry quipped, his good mood returning somewhat. He stood up and started gathering all the packages and paper bags that they had accumulated throughout their mini-excursion.

Draco was barely paying attention to Harry now, though. He vowed to win Harry’s full trust. It was not just because of his now growing interest in Harry’s childhood, although that was a very big part of it. Right now, though, he wanted nothing more than to find out the entire story as to why he loathed his only remaining next of kin to the point of wanting to curse them off the planet. And being the Slytherin that he is, he was now trying to devise a plan on how he can find out about it. In true Slytherin fashion, a sly, cunning idea started to dawn on him as he followed Harry blindly.

Harry led Draco to a well-hidden corner in a secluded alley where Harry shrunk their packages and stuck them inside the bag he was carrying. He then took out the silver cloak that Draco saw Harry tucking inside his bag earlier and covered them both with it.

“Why, Potter. I didn’t know you cared,” Draco sneered.

Harry nudged him on the side a bit more forcefully than normal and Draco let out a surprised yelp at the pain. “It’s an invisibility cloak, you prat! So that we’re sure no one will see us Disapparate. Now shut up and get near,” Harry retorted.

Draco stepped closer to Harry and the raven-haired boy grabbed him a bit roughly at the waist and did a Side-Along to get them back to #12 Grimmauld Place.
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A/N2: One again, please R & R!