Homework

Update 10/05/05: As per the new rules, I\'m adding a disclaimer here.
Disclaimer: Pursuant to copyright law, I acknowledge that I own none of the characters, concepts, or other related material in Harry Potter. I make no money from the writing of fan fiction based on the property of others.

Harry rubbed his eyes wearily. It was already six o\'clock, and he still had a mound of paperwork to dig through before he could go home. He looked out the charmed window of his office and shivered. It had been grey all day.

\'I hate February,\' he said, propping his chin in his hand. His desk calendar squawked indignantly.

\'February is a perfectly wonderful month,\' it said.

\'But it\'s so dark and dreary,\' he muttered, picking up his quill. His calendar was particularly talky, and he was used to having these odd little chats.

\'You should be happy! You have dinner reservations for tonight.\'

\'What?\' he looked up. The calendar was hopping around the corner of his desk, and he stilled it. Dinner with Draco, 6:30.

\'Don\'t tell me you forgot, loverboy,\' the calendar chided. Harry picked up his briefcase and stuffed the papers inside. He would have to finish them later that night, after Draco had gone to sleep.

\'You\'re supposed to remind me of these things.\'

\'You\'ve got time,\' the calendar said cheerily. Harry grumbled as he grabbed his coat from the hat stand in the corner and closed the door behind him. \'Have a nice meal!\' the calendar called after him.


Draco forced himself to stop tapping his foot on the floor. Harry wasn\'t even late yet. He had five minutes to get to the restaurant before Draco had a right to be impatient. Draco knew he came by his obsession with punctuality honestly; he could remember when he was a boy and his parents were on their way to a party, and Lucius would pace in the library while Narcissa fussed over her hair and jewellery. He half-smiled at the memory.

He adjusted the cuff of his designer jacket and clasped his hands together casually. The waiter came by and refilled his water.

\'Where are you, Harry?\' he muttered through his teeth, scanning the menu. He glanced at his watch and picked up his water glass again.

\'Reservation for two under Malfoy?\' Draco looked up and saw Harry at the door. He must have just come from work; he carried his briefcase and his hair looked even worse than usual. Draco pursed his lips and looked back down at the menu.

\'Your table, sir,\' the Maitre D said, setting a menu in front of Harry.

\'I\'m not late, am I?\' Harry asked nervously, setting his briefcase down on top of Draco\'s toe. His lover shifted his foot.

\'You\'re right on time, actually,\' Draco said, closing his menu. \'I think you should order the confit d\'oie with the potatoes lyonnaise and baked chestnuts.\'

\'Uh, okay,\' Harry said, setting down his menu.

\'And I took the liberty of ordering you a bowl of the crab bisque and a glass of wine.\'

\'Thanks.\' Harry looked around at the restaurant and hunched in on himself. \'This place is so fancy,\' he said. \'I feel underdressed.\'

\'Don\'t worry, pet,\' Draco said, looking up. Just as instructed, the waiter brought the wine and appetisers around once he saw that Harry was settled in his seat. \'Thank you.\'

The waiter nodded. He had obviously developed that waiting-staff radar that alerted one to the presence of a big tipper. Muggles seemed to acquire it even more quickly and easily than wizarding folk. Draco spent lavishly wherever he went, and this evening would be no exception.

\'I\'m sorry I wasn\'t here sooner,\' Harry said.

\'And I told you not to worry about it.\' Draco sniffed his wine appreciatively and took a careful sip. It was a charming little aperitif, but he knew he would have to order a more complex wine for the meal.

\'Are you ready to order, sirs?\' the waiter asked. Draco favoured him with a smile.

\'I\'ll have the braised rabbit, and we\'ll be sharing a bottle of the Foppiano with our entrees.\' A California wine, unusual for London, but a trusted favourite of Draco\'s.

\'Excellent choice, sir.\' The waiter turned to Harry.

\'Um, I\'ll have the, uh\'\' He looked helplessly to Draco.

\'My friend will have the confit d\'oie.\' The waiter nodded and left.

\'So, how was your day?\' Harry asked.

\'Uneventful. And you?\' Draco asked, sipping his wine. He sounded uninterested, and Harry knew better than to be offended.

\'Same old, same old.\'

Draco pushed aside the lapel of his overcoat, which he\'d hung on the back of his chair when he first arrived. He pulled out a small box and slid it across the table.

\'What\'s this?\' Harry asked.

\'Open it and find out,\' Draco said, smiling enigmatically.

Harry lifted the lid and removed the paper from inside. Beneath the embossed tissue paper lay a platinum ring. Harry took it out and looked at Draco.

\'Put it on,\' Draco said. Harry obediently slipped it on.

\'What\'s the occasion?\' Harry asked.

Draco cocked his head. After a moment, he smirked.

\'You really forgot, didn\'t you?\'

\'Guilty as charged.\'

\'Valentine\'s Day?\' Draco prompted.

Harry blushed. Draco found this charming, but kept that information to himself.

\'Sorry,\' he said.

\'Don\'t worry about it,\' Draco said again, smiling into his wineglass.

\'How can I make it up to you?\' Harry asked.

\'I\'ll think of something,\' Draco said, winking. Harry blushed again. He glanced down at his new ring.

\'Did you have this specially engraved?\' he asked, examining the fine etching.

\'Of course.\'

\'You have a serious obsession with dragons,\' Harry accused.

\'As, apparently, have you,\' Draco said, reaching out to touch the tattoo on Harry\'s wrist. His hair trailed onto the tablecloth as he leaned forward, and he glanced at it to make sure he wasn\'t dragging it through anything. He tugged Harry\'s sleeve up a little more and insinuated his fingers under it. A series of stars trailed further up Harry\'s forearm, connected by a fine line of ink. Draco stroked the stars at the head of the constellation gently. Then he pushed the sleeve back down and finished his wine. \'Tell me about work. \'Same old, same old,\' you said. How is that?\' His tone was gently reminding of something, but Harry wasn\'t sure what.

\'Dull. Tedious. It makes me want to tear my hair out in clumps.\'

\'Yes, I can see the results of all that tugging,\' Draco purred. \'Did you talk to your boss about that promotion?\'

Harry hung his head. Draco picked up his salad fork and started eating, watching Harry under his eyelashes. Harry took a few sips of soup and sighed.

\'They passed me over again,\' he said.

\'You can\'t be serious?\'

\'Apparently the department can\'t afford the new salary my promotion would entail,\' Harry said wearily.

\'But they don\'t mind saddling you with the extra work. I see.\' Draco kicked Harry\'s briefcase. \'You\'re going to be up all night to night, aren\'t you. After I go to bed you\'ll sneak out into the study to work.\'

Harry looked guilty, and Draco spun his water glass by the stem. It was a tic he\'d picked up from his father, a sign of his irritation.

\'Harry, pet, you can\'t let them treat you like this. Parlay a little of that celebrity, or something. Tell them there are a dozen places that would hire you to do less work for more money.\'

\'Name one,\' Harry said.

\'My firm would have you in a moment,\' Draco said confidently.

\'And how would that come across? Look, Malfoy\'s brought his dog to work again. No thank you.\'

Draco frowned. \'Is that how you feel?\' he asked.

\'Sometimes,\' Harry said quietly.

\'Finish your soup,\' Draco said, looking away from Harry. He wasn\'t any good at this part. They fell silent until their meals arrived. Draco thanked the waiter and picked up his knife.

\'I don\'t think of you that way,\' he said, lifting a bite of rabbit to his mouth.

\'I know.\'

\'I just want you to do well, Harry,\' Draco said, swallowing. \'You\'re being wasted in this job at the Ministry. Especially with the pittance they pay you. If it weren\'t for the money your parents left you, you\'d be practically penniless.\'

\'I know.\'

\'I love you,\' Draco said urgently, touching the back of Harry\'s hand.

\'I know.\'

Draco took his hand away and looked at the floor.

\'Then why won\'t you let me help you\' Let me find you a job somewhere where they\'ll appreciate you. I\'ve got connections.\'

Harry sighed. \'I feel like a kept man sometimes, Draco. Who pays the rent for our apartment? Who\'s paying for dinner? Whose car are we riding home in tonight? You buy me gifts and clothes for no reason at all. And what do I give you in return? A convenient fuck.\'

\'Harry, please,\' Draco hissed. He closed his eyes, forcing himself calm. \'Please just eat. Let\'s have a nice, romantic Valentine\'s dinner, and we can talk about this on the way home.\'

\'Sure,\' Harry said, picking up his fork. \'I don\'t even know what I\'m eating,\' he mumbled.

\'It\'s goose.\'


\'I\'m sorry about what I said at dinner,\' Harry said, as Draco drove through the darkened streets. It had sleeted while they were in the restaurant.

\'And I\'m sorry that you felt you needed to,\' Draco replied. \'I\'ve been pushing you a lot lately, especially with that promotion thing.\'

\'You\'re right, though,\' Harry chuckled. \'I need to quit that job.\'

\'Then will you consider a position with us?\'

\'No, I don\'t think so.\' Harry sighed. \'I don\'t know what I want to do.\'

Draco smiled and patted his lover\'s thigh.

\'Why don\'t you take a break\' Try writing a little, take some cooking classes, read a few good books, work in the garden. You like those sorts of things, don\'t you?\'

\'I don\'t want to be a house-husband,\' Harry said.

\'You won\'t. You\'ve earned a bit of a sabbatical, love. You haven\'t stopped working since I\'ve known you. Saving the world and all that. Slaving away at the Ministry. Pamper yourself for a while. I promise that desk at the Ministry can drive itself without you.\'

\'I don\'t know,\' Harry said, leaning against the window. Draco sighed and drove on.

They kicked off their shoes by the door and stepped onto the carpet. Harry set his briefcase down in the entry and hung up his coat. He turned and helped Draco out of his overcoat, hanging it beside his own. Draco walked into the kitchen and opened a cabinet. Turning back toward Harry, he asked, \'Would you like a drink?\'

\'Can I have a scotch with plenty of ice?\' Harry asked, closing the entry closet. Draco hummed agreement and set about making two drinks. He handed Harry the tumbler with the scotch and poured himself a shot of Transylvanian aquavit over ice.

Draco curled up on the couch and took a sip of his drink. Harry turned on the fireplace and came over to join him.

\'Do you want to talk about it?\' Draco asked, setting his glass on the table beside the couch.

\'Actually, I don\'t,\' Harry said softly, draining his drink. He ran his thumb over Draco\'s ear and down around his chin, stopping at the bottom of his lover\'s lip and stroking gently. Draco sipped his drink and allowed Harry to admire the motion of his mouth and throat as he swallowed. \'I think you\'re right.\'

\'Always.\' Draco smirked. \'What am I right about this time?\'

\'I need to take a break from the Ministry.\'

\'Ah.\' Draco leaned back against the cushions. Harry carefully unbuttoned Draco\'s high collar and pushed it open, nosing aside the heavy silk brocade to kiss the base of his lover\'s throat. Draco slipped his hand into Harry\'s thick black hair, pulling and massaging gently as Harry undid the frogs on his jacket. He let the other man push his thick blond hair behind him. It reached some inches past his shoulders, and Harry often complained jokingly as he pulled a strand from his mouth.

Draco finished his drink and tapped his glass to capture a piece of ice. Harry smiled and leaned up to exchange it with him, sharing the cold and warmth of a kiss. It had melted by the time Harry returned his lips to Draco\'s chest, but his tongue was still cool against Draco\'s skin.

\'I want to fuck you,\' Draco murmured, as Harry untucked his shirttail. His lover glanced up and smiled.

\'As your Valentine\'s present?\'

\'If you wish.\' Draco pushed Harry onto his back, leaning over him. His hair formed a thick curtain around their faces. \'You\'ve been too tired after work of late, and I\'m feeling neglected,\' he pouted. Harry chuckled.

Draco arched sinuously against Harry, rubbing his cheek on his lover\'s chest. Harry groaned softly as the other man unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it open insistently, biting gently at the delicious ripples of muscle he found there. Draco had taken after his father and was tall and broad of shoulder, but while Harry was built more delicately, he was not lacking in power and beauty of form.

\'You should take a holiday with me, to celebrate my resignation,\' Harry said, choking slightly on the words as Draco nuzzled him intimately through his trousers.

\'They\'ll want at least two weeks notice,\' Draco mused, sliding his hand under Harry\'s underwear and stroking lovingly. \'I\'m sure I can get off by then.\'

Harry said nothing about his lover\'s entendre; to do so would be to encourage Draco\'s bad behaviour, after all.

\'Where should we go?\' Harry asked, pulling Draco back up to eye level. He kissed the strong chin as Draco, humming softly, considered his answer.

\'Someplace a bit warmer than here,\' Draco said, trailing the very tips of his fingers along Harry\'s chest to produce goosepimples.

\'I agree.\' Harry sat up and carefully divested Draco of his jacket and shirt. They struggled for a moment with Harry\'s cuffs, laughing at each other. If you have sex with someone enough times, Draco had once said, you\'re bound to make a fool of yourself in front of them eventually. When they had first become lovers, back at Hogwarts, there was a feeling of competition and tension between them still, and any fumbling would have granted the other boy a sense of victory. Now they were free to be silly and messy and even sentimental.

\'Have I ever told you that you have a fantastic body?\' Draco asked, sliding Harry back into the cushions and tugging his trousers downward. Harry arched his hips to help with the removal.

\'Not recently,\' Harry chuckled, shivering slightly in the cool air. Draco tugged experimentally at the hem of Harry\'s shorts. He bent and pressed a kiss to Harry\'s penis through the fabric.

\'I like this part especially,\' he murmured.

\'I like that part myself, actually,\' Harry said, humming delightedly as Draco slid back up to kiss him again. \'It seems to like you too,\' he mumbled around Draco\'s lips. His lover\'s hand was firm around his sex, giving just the right amount of pressure.

Harry tugged at Draco\'s lips with his teeth, kissing him more aggressively as he pulled him down onto his chest. Their teeth clashed uncomfortably, and Draco chuckled.

\'Take off your pants,\' Harry commanded.

\'Only if you go into the bedroom.\'

Draco stood and allowed Harry to pass him, letting his gaze rake over his lover\'s body as he walked to the bedroom. He picked up their glasses and took them into the kitchen, setting Harry\'s in the sink and tipping a little more aquavit into his own tumbler. When he\'d bought it he hadn\'t dared tell Harry how expensive it was; the small bottle had cost more than his lover brought home in a month. He rolled the fine grain liquor around in his mouth, appreciating its intricacies. Transylvanian aquavit was rare, and Draco could remember his father coveting a case of it for some months before even opening the first bottle. This particular batch was perfectly smooth, and Draco made sure to drain the last drop before setting his glass in the sink. He picked up his shirt and jacket and bent to retrieve Harry\'s trousers, folding them over his arm as he walked into the bedroom.

He closed the door behind him and noted with approval that Harry had lit a fire in the bedroom grate as well. The two fireplaces shared a flue, and the wizards had hired a contractor to pull out the gas lines and replace them with a magical starter, and to hook them up to the Floo Network--the bedroom fireplace was outgoing only, after an embarrassing incident in their previous apartment. Draco would have been happy to burn long-lasting Everhot logs from the local wizarding supply store, like they had in Malfoy Manor when he was a boy, but Harry insisted, and spent a little of his own meagre salary to have real hardwood logs brought by. Now that he\'d seen and smelled the difference, Draco could not help but agree.

\'I\'m here,\' Harry said, stretching across the bed and angling his hips opposite his shoulders, as he\'d seen Draco do a thousand times. It was no less effective with Harry\'s physique, Draco mused to himself.

\'I see that,\' Draco murmured, setting their clothes on the hamper.

\'Your pants?\'

\'Oh yes. Our agreement.\' Draco slowly, carefully unbuckled his belt and slipped it out of the loops. Harry made a little mewling noise and rolled over onto his back. \'Ridiculous creature,\' Draco said, smiling. He unzipped and stepped out of his trousers, leaving them on the hamper with Harry\'s. Harry ran his hands up Draco\'s arms as he slid onto the bed, which the latter noticed Harry had considerately turned down.

Harry\'s skin was wonderfully hot to the touch, and Draco luxuriated for a moment, pressing as much of himself against his lover\'s body as he could. He bent to kiss the hollow at the base of Harry\'s throat.

\'Are these really necessary?\' he asked, sliding the tip of his finger under the waistband of Harry\'s shorts.

\'I suppose not,\' Harry groaned, arching as Draco bit down on the side of his throat. One side was more sensitive than the other, and Harry tried to push Draco away as he exploited that sensitivity. Draco was persistent, smiling as Harry gasped and writhed under him. He nosed his way down Harry\'s chest, tasting the pale olive skin with as much enthusiasm as he had the fine liquor minutes earlier. Harry\'s shorts caught on his foot as Draco tried to slide them off, and they exchanged a grin. Draco slithered back up to capture Harry\'s lips in a kiss, drawing his tongue into his mouth. Harry let his hands move over Draco\'s back, occasionally tensing his fingers when Draco\'s touches made him shudder.

Draco nudged gently at Harry\'s side, and he obediently rolled onto his stomach. He purred when Draco kissed the small of his back.

\'You taste marvellous,\' Draco said, leaning over to grab the lubricant from the bedside table. Harry chuckled and angled his hips upward.

Draco slipped in easily, sighing as pushed past the tight ring of muscle. Harry echoed his sigh, pressing his cheek into the pillow. He pushed back against Draco\'s hips when the other man started to move. Harry closed his eyes, shuddering as Draco\'s fingers trailed down over his hip and wrapped around his member. It was so easy to give in to the sensations.

Before he realised it, he was at the edge. He could feel the tightness coiled in the pit of his stomach. Draco was making that strange sound in the back of his throat that meant he was close too. Harry couldn\'t help but smile.

\'I\'m going to,\' he panted, closing his hand around Draco\'s. His lover thrust harder, faster, pushing them both past the brink. Harry\'s breath caught in his throat as he came, trembling, arching into the sheets. Above him, Draco bit back a strangled cry, clenching his fingers in Harry\'s hip with bruising intensity. They released their breath as one, collapsing into the mattress.

Draco grunted as he pulled out, rolling onto his back. \'That was good,\' he said.

Harry murmured his agreement.


Harry propped his head on his arms and closed his eyes, giving in to the happy, sleepy feeling coming over him. Draco leaned over and kissed the back of his neck, and Harry hummed.

\'Harry,\' Draco said, pressing his lips gently against his lover\'s shoulder. Harry hummed again, arching his neck to encourage more. Draco hooked his leg over Harry\'s. \'Harry,\' he said more insistently.

\'Again?\' Harry asked, looking up at him. Draco smirked, rubbing against Harry\'s thigh. \'God, you\'re insatiable,\' Harry muttered.

\'You know you can\'t resist me,\' Draco coaxed, thrusting playfully against Harry\'s leg.

\'Why can\'t I just go to sleep?\' Harry moaned, rolling onto his back and throwing his arm dramatically over his eyes.

\'You\'ve got all that work to do.\' Draco nudged the arm with his nose. \'If you let me touch you inappropriately some more, I\'ll help you finish all that paperwork.\'

\'Inappropriately?\' Harry asked, glancing out from under his arm. \'More inappropriate than what we just did?\'

Draco wriggled his hips against Harry\'s, pressing his lips together to form a mischievous little smile.

\'Alright, you daft bugger,\' Harry said, pushing Draco off. He stood. \'I\'m going to take a shower, and you can join me, and we\'ll see what happens.\'

\'Okay,\' Draco said enthusiastically, hopping off the bed. Harry shook his head and went into the bathroom.


\'I\'ve got claw marks on my back again,\' Draco complained, looking over his shoulder in the mirror. Harry towelled his hair vigorously and pretended to snap at the other man with the towel. Draco gave a warning growl in the back of his throat, wringing out his hair into the sink.

\'That stuff must add fifteen pounds when it\'s wet,\' Harry said.

\'That\'s why I always get on the scale dry,\' Draco said, running his fingers through his hair quickly to air it out. He wrapped a towel around it and rubbed briskly. It was all rather unnecessary; when Draco had decided to grow his hair out, he\'d made the extra effort to learn a few drying spells. With a flick of his wand it could be perfectly dried and combed.

\'Ugh. My legs are tired.\' Harry sat down on the toilet lid. \'I hope you\'re happy.\'

Draco turned and gave him a sunny smile. With his perfect features and sparkling, straight teeth, it was practically blinding. Harry rolled his eyes.

\'You\'d best get to work, then, Harry,\' Draco said, hanging his towel on the rack. He ran his hand along Harry\'s chin as he walked out into the bedroom.

\'You said you\'d help.\'

\'So I did. Bring your briefcase in.\'

Harry shook his head, but went into the living room and grabbed his briefcase. When he returned, Draco had slipped on a pair of boxers and was lounging on the bed, examining his nails.


\'Wait a minute,\' Draco said, holding out a hand. Harry looked up from the form he was filling out.

\'What?\'

\'I\'ve seen this one before.\' He scrambled through the pile of finished papers and pulled out two sheets. \'Look, they\'re identical,\' he said, holding them out for Harry to inspect.

\'Well I\'ll be damned.\' Harry rubbed his eyes. \'Is it supposed to be in triplicate or something?\'

Draco hummed unhappily and looked at the sizeable stack of untouched sheets.

\'We\'ll never get to sleep at this rate,\' he said, frowning.

\'I suppose it wouldn\'t do to turn in my resignation on top of a stack of unfinished papers,\' Harry muttered.

\'No.\'

\'God, that house husband idea is actually starting to appeal,\' Harry said, after another half hour had ticked by.

Draco tugged the papers out of his hands and snuggled up to him, kissing the back of his neck.

\'You deserve to be a trophy, Harry,\' he whispered, nuzzling a delicate ear. \'Let me keep you in the lap of luxury and make all my friends jealous. Hmm\' Let me parade you at office parties. Satiate my pride. \'Malfoy\'s so successful his lover doesn\'t need to work,\' they\'ll say.\'

\'I won\'t do dishes,\' Harry said, smiling.

\'And you won\'t have to.\' Draco ran his hands down over Harry\'s back. \'Let me keep you,\' he said softly, kissing at Harry\'s shoulder.

\'Then let me finish my paperwork,\' Harry said gently.

Draco sighed and pulled away, looking forlornly at the unfinished stack.

\'You\'re turning in that letter tomorrow, by god,\' he said, picking up his quill and tackling another sheet.


Harry awoke with a start as the alarm blared. It usually took a few minutes for it to get that loud, and Draco nearly always turned it off before that point. Harry sat up and hit the button. The late hour surprised him. Had he dozed off the night before\' Draco was gone already, and the townhouse smelled of coffee. Harry felt panic rise in his chest. He hadn\'t finished those papers, and now he was running too late to finish them before he left for
work.

He glanced around until he found his briefcase and opened it. Inside, on top of the neatly arranged folders, he found a note in Draco\'s beautiful script.

\'Fooled you, didn\'t I,\' it read. \'The work\'s all done. I think it\'s technically cheating to get help on your homework, but I won\'t tell.\'

Harry closed his eyes and let out a relieved sigh. Then he opened them and noticed the footnote.

\'P.S. Don\'t forget the letter.\'


He finished his coffee just as the elevator arrived at his floor. Already in his mind he was composing the letter that would free him of this drudgery. Two weeks seemed almost an eternity. He opened the door to his shabby little office and sat down at his desk.

Harry set the papers in his outbox and pulled his hands away quickly. The stack all but erupted as the forms, propelled by the spells in the paper and the activator in the out box, shot off out his office door towards their destinations. He picked up a sheet of parchment and inked his favourite quill.

\'So, are you going to tell me how it was?\'

He startled momentarily. The calendar was leaning close to his hand, expectant.

\'How what was?\' he asked.

\'Dinner, of course.\'

Harry smiled and set his quill to the parchment. With the first letters he scratched, his smile widened.

\'It was fabulous,\' he said. \'Last night was fabulous.\'

By the time he signed his name, his cheeks hurt.