Chasing
"And you're sure it was him?" Hermione asks, finding Harry's story somewhat hard to believe. Draco Malfoy being in a grocery store, decked out in muggle wear? The same Malfoy who had tormented her for being from muggles?
Harry called Ron and Hermione over the evening after it happened, feeling that he had to tell someone immediately.
Ron grinned at Harry and reminisced on his friend's past... tendencies. "'Mione, you know how obsessed Harry was with Malfoy in school. I'm sure he could spot his practically blinding hair from fields away."
Harry chose to ignore Ron’s comment, trying to get them to realize the severity of the situation. "Trust me, I know it was him. I saw him walk around the store for ages, and he stood directly before me. No stranger that looked that similar to Malfoy would stare at me for THAT long and then just run off. There's no way it could be a coincidence." He paced around his living room. His thoughts were running wild, trying to come up with all the possible reasons Malfoy could have for being there.
Harry Potter himself would be the first to admit that he had a bit of a stalking problem, specifically in his sixth year and specifically with Malfoy. He had always been a bit of a sore spot for Harry. Harry knew he took it too far, even if his assumptions were correct. And it's not like he was regressing into his past self or anything silly like that. He had to know what was going on with Malfoy. Just out of curiosity. Nothing deeper than that.
Hermione sat with her thoughts while Harry wandered around his apartment. "Well, Harry, even if it was Malfoy, there's no need to get yourself this worked up. Sure, it's shocking that he might be living as a muggle now, but you don't need to go on some wild chase for him." She finally said, having thought of the best way to approach this situation of sorts.
"No, no, you guys aren't getting this. It’s Malfoy. How could he possibly live as a muggle? You both remember what he was like!"
"You also have to remember everything what happened to him during and after the war. His father was executed, and he and his mother had all their money taken from them. Honestly, it makes sense when you think about it. While he was definitely unlikeable to say the least, the war impacted everyone. He has to be completely different now. You, of all people, should understand how people change after the war, Harry." Hermione reminded him.
Ron nodded in agreement with her, gesturing for Harry to sit with them. "Why don't you relax, have a glass of tea with us, and put Malfoy out of your mind?"
Harry sat down and poured himself a glass, tossing sugar in without care of the mess it made. He felt the stares of his friends without even having to look up.
"I know you both think I'm mental, but there's something deeper to this. This is still Malfoy we’re talking about. I'm going to find him, somehow, and see what he's up to.”
His friends both groaned but knew arguing would do no good. Harry had his mind set on this and nothing they said would get through to him.
“Now how do you plan on going about finding someone who obviously doesn’t want to be found?” Ron asked.
Harry sat still for a moment, staring into his tea. “I haven’t got to that part of the plan yet. But I will.”
No matter what, Malfoy was still lodged deep in his head and was gonna stay there. There was no getting him out. Suddenly, he was back in Hogwarts and had to know everything about him. Where he was, what he was doing, what he was thinking. Of course, none of this was possible at the moment.
To spare his friends, he chose to let his thoughts on Malfoy simmer and enjoy his afternoon with them. There was nothing they could do to help him (besides telling him to relax and lecturing him, which was useless), so why continue to rant?
That night, Harry devised his genius plan of trying to hunt Malfoy down. He would start going to every muggle place in town, riding all the muggle public transport, anywhere he thought Malfoy could somehow wind up.
It certainly wasn’t his brightest plan, or most thorough, but it also wasn’t his worst. If Malfoy truly was living like a muggle, then he’d have to go to muggle shops every now and then.
He would ride the subway until he couldn't any longer and apparate home. He rode the public buses all around town. He went to muggle bookstores, clothing shops, and even other grocery stores. He travelled all around town looking for a man who might not be there anymore and who he really had no reason to look for.
The rides were the most relaxing part of it all. Similar to his job, there was a slow pace to it all that Harry found he needed. All he had to do was sit and watch. Watch people get on and off the ride. Observe people around him. Observe what he could see from the outside. It all gave him plenty of time to think, which he enjoyed.
Harry slowly discovered this weird phenomenon as time passed: he saw Malfoy everywhere he went—glimpses of his shimmering platinum hair in the distance. His heart would jump at the possibility of finally seeing him, yet anytime he tried to catch up with the mysterious figure, they were gone.
The (somewhat) rational side of his brain told him that plenty of people had that hair colour, and it did no good to believe that it truly was Malfoy he was seeing everywhere. And then the rest of his mind took over and he just knew. Malfoy was out there, wandering around the muggle world, possibly living in it. Like any other normal muggle.
Harry knew he was somehow going to find Malfoy. The pull he felt toward Malfoy wasn’t random. Sure, part of this was because Harry was worried about what Malfoy could be up to. But another was a deep, selfish part of himself that demanded to know everything Malfoy was doing. Harry felt almost connected to him at times, which is something he would never admit to out loud.
He considered it a sign that Malfoy chose the day Harry was working to go to his grocery store. The chance of it being totally random was just too low. There was something more to this, to them.
He didn’t understand why, and he honestly didn’t want to try to understand it, but he just knew he had to talk to Malfoy. And he knew he would.