PICTURE PERFECT

Chapter Seven


Harry wasn’t surprised that he didn’t get much of a chance to be with Draco for the week. He saw him in classes, and sat with him at lunch, at either the Gryffindor, or the Slytherin table. Dinner, Draco had in his rooms as he worked on the drawings. Breakfast he usually grabbed something quick to eat, due to sleeping in because he was up late drawing, or finishing up school assignments.

Draco locked himself in his room for hours on end, not letting anyone else in, except for Travis Cline, who worked for the muggle magazine, and was arranging the showcase with the gallery for him. It was now the end of October. The gallery would be showcasing his art at the beginning of December.

Harry waited anxiously for the last class of the week to end. It was Care of Magical Creatures. He waited until Hagrid dismissed them, then handed Hermione his book bag to take back to the dorm after a hasty goodbye, then strode determinedly towards Draco who was talking with Blaise and Pansy.

Draco saw the determined way Harry was stalking over to him, and smirked at his Gryffindor. “Took you long enough,” he grinned, “you’ve been staring at me all day.”

Harry stepped up to Draco, leaned in to place a soft kiss to his smiling lips, then took his books and handed them to Blaise. “Could you take those back with you, Blaise? Draco will be busy for the rest of the day.”

“Sure Harry,” Blaise laughed.

“But, I need to work on . . . ” Draco began, then gave a squeak when Harry picked him up and put him over his shoulder. “Harry! Put me down right now! I have work to do.”

“Not tonight, Dray, “ Harry grinned, sliding his hand up the back of Draco’s leg. “We’re going out.”

“But . . . Harry.”

“Have a good time, you two,” Pansy called out, laughing as they watched the two of them . . . well Harry . . . walk to the Hogwarts entrance gates.

“You neanderthal! Put me down!” Draco laughed.

“Not yet,” Harry laughed, sliding his hand up under Draco’s robe to grip his bottom. “This is a good position for you.”

Draco closed his eyes as Harry’s hand glided between his legs. “Where are you taking me?” He asked.

“We’re going on a date,” Harry simply said.

“A date?” Draco asked, smirking at Harry’s back. “I don’t remember agreeing to go on a date with you, Potter.”

“Fine,” Harry dramatically sighed. “Draco, would you go on a date with me?” He asked, still walking towards the gates.

“No,” Draco replied, trying not to laugh.

“Tough,” Harry grinned, swatting Draco’s bottom, before stopping at the gates. He loosened his hold on Draco’s legs, to let him slide down to the ground in front of him. He brought his one hand up to stroke the side of Draco’s flushed face. “Will you do me the honor by having dinner with me?” He softly asked, looking into Draco’s eyes.

“Yes, I would love to have dinner with you, Harry,” Draco smiled, turning his head to kiss the palm of Harry’s hand. “So, where are you sweeping me off to?”

“I made reservations for dinner, then thought we could go dancing.”

“Pretty sure of yourself, weren’t you?” Draco grinned. “What about Severus? He’ll wonder where we are.”

“Already talked to him. He even suggested a club we could go to after dinner,” Harry smugly smiled.

Harry then brought out his wand, and transfigured their clothes to look more mugglish, now both wearing fitted black dress slacks, and button down shirts. Draco’s shirt was black. Harry’s was a royal blue. Instead of the robes, they now wore leather jackets.

“Nice,” Draco smiled, looking down at his clothes. “Not bad for a Gryffindor,” he teased.

“I was thinking of leather pants, but . . . then I’d be thinking of the end of the night instead of during.”

“And why would that be?” Draco asked, putting his arms around Harry’s neck.

“I’d be thinking of how I’d like to peel them off that delectable body of yours, and I want a night to romance you, instead of ravaging your body,” Harry replied, kissing Draco’s very willing lips.

“What if I want you to ravage my body?” Draco softly suggested, pressing closer to Harry’s body. Inwardly his stomach was fluttering crazily that Harry wanted to ‘romance’ him.

“Mmm . . . tempting . . . very tempting,” Harry huskily said, running his hands down Draco’s lower back to cup his ass, “but not tonight,” he grinned.

“At all?!” Draco asked, pulling his upper body away.

Harry tightened his hold around Draco’s waist. “I don’t know . . . I don’t usually put out on the first date,” he smirked.

Draco put his arms around Harry’s neck to kiss the smirk off Harry’s lips. The kiss was tender and soft, with Draco barely noticing that they had apparated away from Hogwarts.

“I may have to rethink that rule,” Harry softly said, as he pulled away from the kiss.

Draco linked his fingers with Harry’s, and kissed the back of his knuckles. He looked around. “Where are we?” He asked.

“Muggle London,” Harry smiled, expecting Draco’s grimace in being among muggles, then sighed in relief when Draco smiled back at him, and led the way out of the alley.

Harry led Draco down a tree-lined walkway, to a set of frosted glass doors that were built into the side of a cliff. Once inside, he approached the hostess and gave his name, while Draco looked around the entryway of the restaurant. So far, the restaurant had a rustic feel to it, with brass lanterns, wood framework throughout the room, and several aquariums built into the walls showing exotic, beautiful fish. Harry took Draco’s hand in his as they followed the hostess to their table. He noticed that the tables were occupied with couples, including a few with same sex couples that were talking intimately with their heads together over the smaller tables. He sat in the chair beside Draco, and waited for his reaction to the restaurant.

Draco instantly liked the atmosphere of the restaurant. Their table was set far enough away from the others, allowing them to talk privately without being overheard by the other Diners. A pristine, cream colored tablecloth was draped over the table, just barely touching their legs when they sat down. In the center of the table, stood three frosted, flute champagne glasses of various heights, each with a candle lit inside, giving their faces a soft glow from the flickering light. The room had a tall, arched ceiling, geometric skylights, with a large, single handcrafted chandelier that twinkled blue and green in the candlelight. The floor was made of a laminated, natural stone colored tiling, adding to the rustic atmosphere of the restaurant. Around the room, instead of windows, were large aquariums. He smiled when he saw some penguins swim by in one of the aquariums, then looked to the other aquarium where he could see a large polar bear enjoying the attention he was getting from the onlookers in the restaurant. “This is nice Harry. Where are we?” Draco smiled, looking at the penguins again, then back to Harry.

“This restaurant backs the London Zoo. The aquariums are part of the exhibits that people see from the outside. This zoo looks after about 650 different animal species.”

“I’ve never been to a zoo,” Draco said, looking at the polar bear again.

“Never?” Harry asked.

“Never. I always wanted to go, though.”

“What would you like to see the most?” Harry asked.

“I love the big cats, like the tigers, jaguars, and lions,” Draco replied.

“They’re beautiful animals,” Harry agreed. “The reptile house is pretty cool too.”

“Figures,” Draco smirked.

“Just before I found out I was a wizard, I had liberated a rather large Burmese python from his aquarium in the reptile house, using magic that I didn’t realize I could do. That was the first time I talked with a snake. He even thanked me for letting him go, before he slithered out of the building,” Harry said, smiling at the memory of Dudley falling into the empty tank, then banging on the glass as he called for his mommy.

Draco shook his head in amusement, as he looked down at the menu. “Uh . . . Harry, there’s no prices on here.”

“I asked you . . . ”

“Asked?” Draco interrupted, raising his brow.

“Okay then, I swept you off for a date, so I’m paying,” Harry grinned.

“But . . . ”

“I can afford it,” Harry reassured him. “I’ve never splurged like this. It will be fun. Have whatever you want.”

Draco was about to protest, but changed his mind when he saw the determined look in Harry’s eye. They selected an appetizer of stuffed mushroom caps with crabmeat to share between them, and for the dinner, Draco ordered breaded chicken parmigiana, while Harry ordered shrimp stir fry.

Harry placed his hand over Draco’s, brushing his thumb over the back of the knuckles. “So, what else have you never done?” Harry softly asked. “Or where have you always wanted to go, but never been?”

“I’d like to go to a muggle carnival with rides and games, and even see a hokey magic show,” Draco grinned. “The coasting track looks like fun too.”

“Coasting track?” Harry asked.

“You sit in these metal cars, and it follows this track up and down, and loops you upside down a few times.”

“Oh . . . a roller coaster,” Harry laughed. “I’ve never been on one either, but I heard they were fun. Where did you hear about it?”

“One of the second years had gone to Dizzy Land during the summer, and she brought pictures back to show everyone,” Draco replied, smiling up at the waitress who placed their mushroom caps between them.

“Dizzy Land?” Harry asked, putting one of the mushrooms on his plate.

“You know . . . lots of rides, costumed people, a mouse with big ears and red shorts.”

“Disney Land,” Harry smiled. “I’ve never been there either. Maybe we should go there for Christmas, this year,” he suggested.

“It is supposed to be warm there, most of the year,” Draco said. “Maybe we could convince mum and Severus to go on this roller coaster with us,” he added, warmed by the thought of spending Christmas with Harry.

“Anything is possible, I guess,” Harry laughed, trying to imagine Severus on a roller coaster.

“What would you like to do Harry?” Draco asked.

“I’d like to visit some of the old castles of Scotland and Ireland, go to the Bahamas to lay naked on the private, white sanded beaches, Australia to see some of the endangered animals, and go on a cruise ship,” Harry smiled.

“Is that all?” Draco laughed.

“Hogwarts is pretty much the extent of my travels. The Dursleys never took me with them when they went on vacation,” Harry replied, shrugging his shoulders.

“Any plans on what you want to do after you graduate?” Draco asked.

“A few years ago, I had dreams of becoming an auror, but I don’t really want to fight any more bad guys,” Harry grinned. “Maybe, I’ll travel to some of those places, then figure out what I want to do. How about you? What are your plans?”

“Travel, same as you,” Draco shrugged. “Father had invested in several companies over the years that I could work at since I now own most of them, but I don’t think I want to be cooped up in an office all day.”

“I could always use a traveling companion,” Harry hinted.

“I’m sure Granger and Weasley would jump at the chance,” Draco teased.

“Probably, but I’d rather have a gorgeous, blonde Slytherin with me instead,” Harry softly said, as he leaned forward to kiss the corner of Draco’s mouth.

“I’d like that Harry,” Draco quietly said against Harry’s lips. He leaned in closer, caressing his tongue over Harry’s bottom lip, then gave a low moan when Harry’s came out to glide over his, initiating a deeper kiss.

Their kiss was interrupted by a smirking waiter, with their food. They pulled back, and smiled at each other as the waiter set their plates before them. As they ate their meal, they talked of other places they’d like to visit between bites. A few hours later, after coffee and dessert, Harry gave the waiter a plastic card with the bill.

“What was that?” Draco asked, after the waiter left.

“That, was a wizard’s credit card. Gringott’s started setting up these cards for anyone that would like one . . . as long as they have money in their vaults. Instead of having to go to Gringott’s to convert wizarding money to muggle money, the card does the conversion and takes the money automatically from the vault,” Harry replied. “I can use this anywhere in the world.”

“I’ll have to get one of those,” Draco said. “It would make things easier when I want to buy something on our trip.”

“We can also use the cards to take money out of the automated tellers,” Harry added.

“Automated what?”

“It’s where you can get instant cash using the card. No dealing with people, just computers . . . which could be a hassle, but a necessity in the muggle world.”

“We’ve talked about computers in Muggle Studies, but I’ve never tried one before.”

“They can be fun . . . when they’re not crashing or freezing. I used to sneak into my cousin’s room and play around on his. It’s amazing what you can find on the internet,” Harry smirked.

“I’d like to try it someday.”

“Hermione has a laptop that she somehow magicked to work inside the school. You should ask her about it. She also found some wizarding sites that can only be accessed by wizards and witches.”

After the bill was taken care of, Harry got up, and held his hand out for Draco to take, and kept them clasped as they left the restaurant. He led Draco behind a large tree that hid them from view, and stole a quick kiss before apparating them to an alley close to the club that Severus had told him about. Although still fairly early, the club was already crowded with people. They checked their jackets at the coat check, then strolled further inside, towards the bar to order a drink.

Draco grabbed Harry’s hand, and nodded his head towards a table by the dance floor that just became available. “I never figured Sev for a club like this,” he said by Harry’s ear to be heard over the music the band was playing.

Harry looked around the club in approval, seeing same sex couples on the dance floor, and at the tables. The band played an alternative type of music, something like the Collective Soul or Evanescence CD’s that Hermione had back at the dorm. “Severus said that there’s different types of themes each night. He never said what nights he likes to come here though,” Harry said by Draco’s ear, grinning when he noticed the small shiver coming from him.

Harry placed his hand on Draco’s upper thigh, and leaned in closer to lick the skin, just under Draco’s ear. “Too loud for you, Dray?” He asked, letting his teeth grazed the skin.

Draco moaned as Harry licked his neck, glad that the music covered the sound. He tilted his head to the side, so Harry could continue licking and nibbling onto his neck, placing his hand on Harry’s forearm to pull him closer to his side. “Merlin . . . you drive me crazy, Harry,” he breathlessly said, just loud enough for Harry to hear. “Why don’t we finish this date back at Hogwarts, preferably in my bed.”

“Later Love,” Harry said by his ear, pulling away after giving a quick kiss to Draco’s lips. “So, do you think there’s any other of us here?” Harry asked, putting his arm along the back of Draco’s chair.

Draco’s smile brightened after hearing Harry’s endearment. He placed his hand on Harry’s thigh, leaning a bit into Harry’s shoulder as he looked around. “There’s a few here that I can tell.”

“I see one or two also,” Harry said, then motioned to the stage, “like the drummer.”

“How can you tell?” Draco asked, watching the drummer.

“Watch the drumsticks,” Harry smiled. Just then the drummer’s drumsticks had split in half. Before their eyes, the stick grew to the original length not missing a single beat.

“There’s also that woman,” Draco said, motioning to the woman who walked by in skin tight leather pants, and a suede looking halter top. “With breasts that big, there’s got to be magic for her to not fall out of her top.”

“Should I be worried that you’re looking at women’s breasts?” Harry teased.

“No,” Draco replied, smiling at Harry. “It just doesn’t look natural, does it?”

“It’s amazing what implants can do,” Harry smirked, then saw Draco’s confused expression. “Muggle women use many surgical procedures to enhance some of their features. We have potions, spells, and charms for that, as they have to do it the hard way.”

“Crazy muggles,” Draco said, shaking his head.

“There’s a male couple on the dance floor who are also wizards. The one has a snitch tattooed on his bicep. Where would a muggle have seen something like that? The other one I think, is a vampire. Watch the eyes, and his teeth when he smiles,” Harry said.

Draco saw the man’s eyes change to black before they closed, and then the longer teeth, that happened to sink into the other’s neck, making the wizard throw his head back and clutch the vampire closer to him.

The two of them continued to comment on the couples around the club, until it got a bit more crowded. Draco meanwhile, was mentally filing away some of these people in his mind to draw later, while he enjoyed the feel of Harry’s fingers combing through the back of his hair.

“You did say something about dancing, didn’t you?” Draco asked, wanting to feel Harry’s body against his.

Harry stood up and took Draco’s hand, leading the way through the dancing couples to the center of the dance floor. “Happy now, Dray?” Harry asked, wrapping his arms around Draco’s back as he started to sway to the music.

“Extremely,” Draco grinned, leaning in closer to press his lips against Harry’s neck, swirling his tongue up to Harry’s ear.

Harry closed his eyes as he felt Draco’s teeth nibble onto that particular spot on his neck that would always send the blood rushing down to his cock. Both arms tightened around Draco’s back, one gliding up between the shoulder blades to pull him closer, the other slipping in under the back of the shirt to touch the heated skin of his lower back.

One song merged into another as the two of them danced for themselves, the desire and want building to a fevered pitch as they grinded their lower bodies together. “Harry . . . please,” Draco whimpered by Harry’s ear.

Harry’s hands cupped Draco’s ass, as he ground harder and faster against him, his release achingly close. “Cum for me, Love,” Harry panted against Draco’s lips.

Draco’s hand slid up to the back of Harry’s head to pull him closer. He moaned against the frantic kiss, his hand gripping the shirt at Harry’s side as his orgasm was wrenched from his body. Harry came soon after, still feeling Draco’s body tremble in his arms.

They held onto each other, slowly swaying to the music, as they came down from their orgasmic high. Harry whispered a cleansing spell against Draco’s neck, for their tell-tale wet spots to disappear from the front of their pants. They finished the dance sharing soft, tender kisses, then sat down for a last drink, before they departed to go back to Hogwarts.



It was close to midnight when Harry and Draco walked hand in hand down to the dungeons, stopping in front of Draco’s portrait that led into his rooms. “I had a good time tonight, Draco,” Harry smiled, drawing Draco’s unresisting body against his.

“I did too, Harry,” Draco replied, leaning his head on Harry’s shoulder.

Harry loosely held Draco against him, until he felt wet lips press against his neck. He reluctantly pulled back, smiling as he lightly touched his lips against Draco’s in a brief kiss, and then stepped back. “Goodnight, Dray,” he huskily said, then turned his back and left, leaving Draco standing there frustrated, confused, but extremely happy with his sentimental, sappy boyfriend.


***


Note: As many of you Pottermaniacs would know, the zoo in London actually exists. Part of ‘The Philosopher’s Stone’ (or The Sorcerer’s Stone - depending where you’re from) was filmed in the Reptile House in the zoo, where Harry talks to his first snake....although he didn’t realize how he was doing it at the time. The restaurant I described in the story was fictional, thought up by myself. Not sure if there are polar bears in the zoo, but I would assume that there are. There are actually penguins exhibited....blackfooted penguins to be precise. One of many sites to get more information on the zoo can be found here: http://www.zsl.org/london-zoo/

Description of zoo ( http://www.worldtouristattractions.travel-guides.com/attractions/loz/loz.asp): London Zoo, which opened in 1828, is situated on the north side of Regent’s Park. The zoo was the site of the world’s first children’s zoo, which opened in 1938, followed by the first reptile house in 1849, the first public aquarium in 1853 and the first insect house in 1881. Today, the Zoo is home to around 12,000 animals, including Asian lions, Sumatran tigers, Sloth bears, Leadbeater’s possums and Death adders. The famous spiral-shaped Penguin Pool, which is Grade I listed, is the home of Black-footed penguins, whilst the Aquarium houses sharks, piranhas and other sea creatures.


tbc