The Tale of Adrien and \'Rrny

If the world had know Harry Potter was such a great Slytherin schemer, they might fear the Head of the Auror Department a little more consciously. Another Dark Lord in the making, they would whisper ardently, just like Voldemort at his age.

The public remained unaware, however, or secure in their knowledge that the respected Auror Potter only schemed when things that caught his attention were important enough.

Things that, for the rest of the world were, usually, terribly stupid or inconscequential.

Things like making Augustus Von Schwartz’s dream come to life.

The plan was very simple and had taken no small amount of is quite overly large list of contacts and an uninterrupted medical leave to set his cards in order. First he had spied on, not stalked, never stalked, Malfoy for almost a month, always under his invisibility cloak, making sure to make no noise whatsoever, just to make sure he knew as much as he could about the small blond.

By now he knew what side of his bed he liked to sleep in, who his closest friends were, the way he liked his tea, is favorite part of The Manor’s gardens, the way his nose wrinkled ever-so-slightly when he wanted to contain his amusement. Damn it, Harry even knew the shades of silver, gray and blue his eyes shifted between and in which mood he was depending on the color.

Of course, most importantly, he knew the location of Malfoy’s small, private and quite popular shop.

One that catered to the most influential and discreet customers of the world and that offered excellence under the threat of a wizarding oath.

The Dragon’s Lair was the best per-order potion parlor in the world and only the few selected to purchase its products were allowed inside the wards on the doors.

Which was mostly the reason why Harry had almost camped outside the door and peered inside periodically from the only small window, making sure to keep Malfoy in his line of sight and unaware he was being studied.

With every passing day, Harry was more and more convinced Malfoy had to be the one to play Adrien on the film. The resemblance between the Abyss character and the pureblood wizard went far beyond physical, he could tell now. Like Adrien, Malfoy was terribly protective of his secrets and would not hesitate to lie, cheat or steal to prevent any unpleasant situation. He was also fiercely watchful over his only son, Scorpius, and always made sure the boy was well. Like Adrien, Malfoy loved his small family, and it showed everytime his eyes lit up when he got a letter from Hogwarts or a call on the floo from school.

Malfoy also seemed to hold a very aloof posture the whole time, always his head held high, his eyes cold, but could easily get flustered when a customer showed more attention on him than on is products. He could easily picture sweet Adrien’s blush on those pale cheeks when a woman shook his head or another man eyed his body far too long.

Yes, Draconis Malfoy was the man for the job of Adrien Girodelle, whether he liked it or not.

Which brought him to the situation at hand. Him stationed comfortably on a small café next to Malfoy’s shop, eagerly staring at the window and waiting for the blond to pass by and into the store. He just needed the last details of his little plan to work in order to pounce – metaphorically, of course – on the unsuspecting other man and making his wish come true.

His fantasies, however, were interrupted when two small thoughts called to his attention. One, was that Malfoy was almost five minutes late, something he never did.

Two, someone was standing behind him, arms crossed and untamed magic swirling angrily.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Harry turned and almost squealed when his eyes met disbelieving silver ones. Silver was a bad color for Draco’s eyes, his recent investigation told him, stormy silver meant the other man was seriously pissed.

“Why, on the name of all that’s holy, am I not surprised it is you who has been stalking me, Potter?” he asked, running a tired hand over his forehead.

Harry frowned.

“I was not stalking you,” he defended himself. “I’m studying you!” He realized a little too late that his defense was no better than the accusation.

Malfoy sat by his side, frowning elegantly.

“Am I under any suspicion of illegal brewing, Potter?” he asked evenly, eyes storming.

Harry shook his head.

“Is there any help I can give the Aurors with a case? Something work related?” he asked once more.

And again, Harry shook his head.

“Then, Potter,” the blond said resolutely. “I will ask you to stop your annoying and furthermore upsetting behavior before I request a restricting order against you. Stalking me when we were in school only made me doubt your sexuality. Now that you are a grown man and I’m not, it makes me question your sanity.”

Harry flushed embarrassedly, he had not thought about their little cat and mouse game in years, specially now that he was a father, that Malfoy was one as well.

“It’s nothing like that, Malfoy!” he protested hotly. “I just need your help and it is a big one!”

“I hardly doubt it if the rumors your ex-wife told the papers are accurate,” the blond responded, his eyebrow raising in amusement. Harry’s blush deepened.

“THIS IS NOT ABOUT MY COCK!” he roared, attracting the attention of all the other patrons in the small café and managing to get a small chuckle from the blond by his side.

Malfoy grinned.

“Good to know you are still easily reeled,” he said, crossing is arms. “Talk, you’ve got five minutes to convince me or I’m walking out of here now.”

The auror nodded, eyes setting determinately in Malfoy’s.

“I need you to go with me to the Muggle World,” he said seriously. “It is a matter of great importance! Many people would depend on your performance.”

“Are you sure this is not about sex, Potter?” Draco asked again, eyebrows raised.

“Stop! Stop thinking about sex! What’s wrong with you?” Harry yelped. Shaking his head furiously. The blond laughed.

“I may be forty, but my body is full of the hormones of a seventeen year old. Well, that and the fact you make everything sound so dirty,” he explained, hiding his mirth behind his hand. “So, an important matter that I can do that has many people depending on me. How many, really?”

“Millions!” Harry answered, trying to ignore Malfoy’s comment about his teenage hormones or the thrill of excitement that such comment sent down his spine. “Almost the whole world both muggle and wizarding!”

“And you are absolutely sure no one else can do this?” he asked once more, interested.

“No one at all, many have tried but no one is as perfect as you are for this,” Harry admitted, remembering the millions of clippings he had gotten from the newspapers about the applicants currently in line to audition for the part, none where as young, nor as beautiful as the Malfoy patriarch.

“I’m flattered, really,” Malfoy sighed sarcastically. “What do I get in return?”

“Money, more money than you could dream of,” Harry answered eagerly. “More than the whole Malfoy patrimony, and of course the acceptance and adoration of the whole population.”

“Temping,” the blond said, strocking his chin pensively. Harry felt hope swell inside of him. Of course the money would be an incentive, with the reparation fees the Ministry had charged the Malfoys after their release and the fine he had been forced to pay after the rejuvenation incident he was sure Draco would be happy to be back to his former millionare status. And prestige, exactly, would be an added bonus, it would mean Malfoy didn’t have to wear a cape when he moved through Diagon Alley, wouldn’t have to ward the door to his small shop against uninvited guests nor constantly monitor his child in order to protect him from misguided scorn.

Harry’s eyes lit up, he had Malfoy right where he wanted him.

“Yes, Potter, you offer a tempting deal,” Malfoy said, shaking his head. “I must however refuse your offer.”

“What? Why?” Harry protested.

“Well, while the thought of refilling the vaults of the Manor with gold is tempting, I must confess I am almost finished with that chore already, as you might have known already, my store is prosperous and my clients influential. Money is not an issue for me anymore.”

“But, you work everyday!”

The blond nodded.

“Of course I do,” he said. “Did it occur to you that maybe I enjoy what I do, Potter? That I actually love my job and I don’t want to give it up even if I don’t need to do it for a living?”

Damn it, Malfoy had a point, his plan was crumbling before his eyes.

“The prestige would do you good,” he tried lamely.

“Oh, yes, prestige, another tempting offer, however it is also something I don’t seem to be in need of. Not with the accident,” Draco explained. “I am a hard-working, honest wizard who happens to have a regrettably dark past. I am going to build my reputation from scratch at my own pace and not because of some shady deal I have with you that will most likely end bad for me.”

“What makes you think it would be bad for you?” Harry asked in disbelief. Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

“If it didn’t you would have already told me what it was about instead of trying to bribe me with the benefits, don’t you think?” he asked calmly, staring at his pocket watch. “It’s been a pleasure chatting with you, Potter, however, your five minutes are up and I have potions to brew and you have someone else to try to get to do your deed for you.”

“Malfoy, wait!” Harry yelled, standing up. “It’s the Von Schwartz’s movies! I want you to audition for the main character!”

The blond’s frown deepened, his hands clenching as he stood as well.

“All of this,” he hissed. “This stalking, the sleepless nights and your ass frozen by my door for almost four weeks for a film about vampires YOU want me to star in? For the most air-headed, homosexually loaded, cheaply written piece of crap in the whole wizarding and muggle worlds?”

Harry nodded lamely.

“They won’t film unless they find someone that actually embodies Adrien, and you do!”

The blond huffed and Harry squashed the thought that Adrien most likely did that when he was upset.

It wouldn’t do to lose track of his mind right now.

“Good day, Potter,” Draco snapped, turning around and walking away. Harry flushed, hands clenched and eyes downcast, not really liking what he was about to say, but he was set and determined, and even if it was his last resource, he was desperate.

“I’ll call off your life-debt to me if you do this!” he called. “Both of them!”

Malfoy stopped at the door, his shoulders tense. Slowly, he turned, eyes wide and confused.

“You really want this,” he muttered.

Harry nodded.

“And you will stop at nothing to get it, won’t you?”

Again, Harry nodded.

“Why?”

Harry flushed a deeper shade of red, his hands nervously playing with his napkin.

“It’s silly,” he mumbled. Malfoy walked back to him and sat regally on his chair.

“I’m all ears.”

Harry’s lips trembled, unsure. Then his determination shone through and he found himself raising his eyes to Malfoy’s face.

“It’s the first time in a long while since I’ve felt this way,” he said softly. “Since Ginny left I’ve been alone, no matter what the press says, and while I tried to stay strong for the children I felt, well, lonely, I guess. Von Schwartz’s books are special to me, I learnt to love the characters and to feel for them. They remind me of myself in a way, and not really me at the same time. I feel less alone when I read about them, when I share their experiences. I want to thank Mr. Von Schwartz for that by making his dream come to life on screen.”

Harry blinked, amazed by the words that had just left his mouth. Maybe he needed to let them out to realize they were true.

Aparently, Malfoy was impressed as well, or so he thought as he noticed the wide eyes, lightly parted lips and shameful flush on the man’s cheeks.

“I should tell you how stupid that sounds,” he muttered, avoiding Harry’s gaze. “But I guess I understand loneliness as well, and you really feel deeply about those books.”

“I do,” Harry admitted.

“And you really would forsake not one, but two life-debts if I just went and auditioned for that film?”

A nod.

“If I make the part, do I have to play it?”

Another nod.

Malfoy sighed, eyes set on his folded hands.

“I guess it can’t be helped, if I can get rid of all the leverage you might have on me, I will sleep better at night.”

Harry looked up, eyes wide and a happy smile on his face as he lunged for Draco and wrapped is arms tightly around him.

“Thank you! Thank you so much, Malfoy!” he beamed. “I promise you won’t regret it! You’ll be the best Adrien in the world and everything will be perfect!”

Malfoy squeaked, hands trying to push the other man away.

“Don’t make me regret it already, Potter!” he bellowed. “Let go of me!”

Harry didn’t listen, he was so happy he could practically cry. He could almost envision everyone’s faces when Draco Malfoy took the stage.

He couldn’t wait to take the blond to the studio.

To be Continued.