Doing a Double Take

Finding Malfoy, of course, turned out to be quite easy. With the wizarding world now thoroughly integrated into the muggle one, one quick Google search was all it took. "Draco Malfoy tea shop" was a straightforward search term that yielded "Charming Tea", a shop in Maida Hill that seemed very quaint. Enchanted, Harry read through the online description. It appeared to be a small cafe dedicated to introducing muggles to classic magical teas and biscuits, along with some other baked goods. It was listed as a nonprofit, yet seemed to be doing very well. It was a quick apparition jump from the one nearest Sirius's school, and it was open late enough that he could go for a quick drink after his classes were done.

Harry couldn't stop thinking about visiting Malfoy and his tea shop, and it plagued his mind. He, however, thought he was doing a good enough job hiding it. Good enough, that is, until Neville and Luna knocked on his door on Tuesday night. "Good evening, Harry," Neville said cheerfully. "I see you're thinking about Draco Malfoy again."

"What, how, I-" Harry spluttered.

"You get this crease between your eyebrows," he supplied helpfully. "Plus you sort of twitch your lip- only on the left side though! I've only ever seen that face on you when you're thinking about him. Want to tell us?"

The three of them moved to the dining room, where Harry had already set the table with a vegetarian curry. Luna smiled serenely at the setup and muttered a quick thanks as they sat. "You know, Harry," she said as they began to eat. "It's okay if you are thinking about Draco. He's quite nice these days."

"How do you know that?" Harry prodded.

"Well," Neville started, "he wrote us these apology letters when we started our magical supply shop. Asked if he could meet us in person to further apologize and ask for some help. We were curious, so we met him for some tea. He was very charming."

"Of course he was charming, he's a Slytherin," Harry interjected.

"No, not like that," Luna reassured him. "He's very babbly these days. When we first saw him, I think he rambled for an hour straight. Kept taking tangents and apologizing every other minute."

"We've stayed in touch," Neville jumped in. "We supply all the wizard specific ingredients for his shop. I know he buys the muggle ones from some charity groups. He's really impressed us."

"He was also very knowledgeable about our type of relationship," Luna added sagely.

Neville and Luna had been in a dedicated queer-platonic relationship for about a decade. It had taken a while for the rest of the group to understand, but they had been patient. Neville and Luna loved each other dearly and wanted to spend their lives together, but just as friends. They lived together, vacationed together, and even had adopted a daughter together. Harry had to admit, they were definitely the most functional and put-together couple in their friend group. He also always knew they could provide steady advice to him, which is why he pressed forward.

"It is about Malfoy," he admitted. "I found his profile on 2Wands."

"Oh, excellent!" Luna cried. "I helped him make the profile. What are your thoughts?"

"He's gorgeous and I can't stop thinking about it."

"So you'd say the profile was effective? Did I do a good job?"

Neville laughed heartily. "I can't say I'm surprised, Harry. No one focuses that much on another classmate without some underlying feelings."

"I didn't like him then!" Harry whined. "He was pointy and a git! But now he's got flowers and tiny braids in his hair and stupid mugs and a charming smile. Why does he have to be so beautiful?"

Luna smiled gently. "He's always been beautiful, Harry. Just now he's free to live without expectations."

They finished their meal quietly. Before they left, Neville turned back to face Harry. "Seriously, mate, he's not what we thought he was. Just go to his tea shop."

With Neville and Luna out the door, Harry collapsed back onto his sofa with a grunt. He had just resigned himself to an evening of overthinking when his floo lit up, and Ginny stepped out. She smiled warmly at him. "I hear you're overthinking again."

She plopped next to him and leaned onto his shoulder. Despite desperately wanting to go to bed, Harry was grateful for her presence. He had dated Ginny for a couple years after the war, mostly just in name. They understood each other more than anyone else had, and that was perhaps why they had broken up so neatly after Emilia had gently asked if Harry had considered that he might be gay. The transition to friendship had only brought them closer. This had confused Ron and Hermione, who had flooed over with ice cream after they had heard the news, only to find Harry and Ginny together on the couch, arguing with each other while watching the Bachelorette.

Now, Ginny patted his knee. "Why don't you just go visit him?" She asked.

"I'm afraid," he admitted. "He's an entirely different person than I ever thought he was, and you know how I struggle with absolutes. I just don't know how I could be attracted to him with all our history."

Ginny chuckled. "Have you considered that maybe you're attracted to the things that separate him from his history? Daisy snuck a screenshot of his profile. He looks entirely different and so much more relaxed. You were already obsessed with him. Maybe this is just the way your obsession is transitioning into adulthood."

"It's been over ten years," Harry replied with a groan, "I should be over this by now. Why is he so compelling to me?"

"Opposite sides of the same coin. Even if you're different, you're still very similar. There's really no cons to at least seeing him once. If it goes poorly, then you know. If not, then maybe you can be happy. I'm tired of you being jealous of all your friends and pretending you aren't. You do a shit job of that."

Ginny stood and patted him on the shoulder. "Go to bed. Maybe get some tea after work tomorrow. I think it'll do you good."

She left through the floo again, and Harry sighed. He was definitely overthinking, she was right. Malfoy was cute and gay, and it wouldn't hurt to at least drop by and see what his tea shop was.

Harry kept this mindset the next day, staying determined throughout work. Daisy and Carter wished him luck, and once classes were done, he went to the apparition booth and jumped to the neighborhood. It was quaint and small, with small shops lining the cobblestone streets. A few people milled around, window shopping at a mixture of muggle and magical stores. He walked down the street, nerves eating him alive. Eventually, he stopped in front of Charming Tea. The exterior was covered in flowering vines, swooping around a metal sign with the cafe name, along with a logo of a mug shaped like a cauldron. Harry could smell bergamot and hear gentle chattering wafting from an open window. With a deep breath, he pushed open the door.

"Hi, welcome to- eep!" A voice called, and Harry swore he saw a flash of platinum drop behind the counter. A boy with teal hair took the spot behind the register. He rolled his eyes before saying, "Welcome to Charming Tea, where we mix muggle and magical to make a perfect brew. Have you been before?"

Harry shook his head. The boy grinned. "Then you're in for a treat. I'd normally get my boss to help you, but seeing as he's hiding under the counter- stop hitting me- I guess you'll have to settle for me."

A loud thunk came from in front of Harry, and, with a hand rubbing his head, Draco Malfoy appeared. Harry was immediately charmed, a breath caught in his throat when he saw the flour on his apron and cheeks. His hair was pushed back with a headband made of flowers, one that looked suspiciously like something Luna would make. His hands were practically trembling as he sorted himself out. But nothing compared to when he started to speak.

"I do apologize, Potter- er, Harry- er, Mr. Potter- er, Harry Potter, sir. I just dropped a, uh, something behind the counter. Oh, my wand! Yes, I dropped my wand behind the counter. Needed to get that. But now I have it so I can take your order. Or, whatever you came here for. I'm guessing tea or a biscuit, since that's what we sell her. Yes, that would make sense. So, do you know what you want? Oh, I haven't talked through the menu, I should do that."

The boy tapped poor Malfoy on the shoulder and pushed a lemon tart into his hand. "It's got calming draught in it," he explained to Harry. "Mr. Malfoy told me it interacts well with the lemon. A good treat to have before an important meeting or presentation, or apparently for meeting you." He stuck out a hand in greeting. "I'm Jonah, sir. Came here from the US a bit before the integration. I'm a muggle but I know enough about the wizarding world, and about you. Neville and Luna talk about you all the time."

"Do they?" Harry asked lightly, storing a mental reminder to kill Neville and Luna the next time he had the chance. "For some reason, they seem to have thought I wouldn't want to know a single thing about this establishment."

Jonah snorted. "Luna said you and the boss might hurt each other if you're left in the same room for too long. I, however, think you look an awful lot like Mr. Malfoy's last two boyfriends-"

"Okay, Jonah," Malfoy interrupted, flushed. "I think that's enough. We could probably do our jobs and offer Mr. Potter something to eat and drink. On me! You don't have to worry about paying, just go ahead and sit down and I'll bring you something. Just, please stop talking to each other before I die a little bit more."

Harry blushed and nodded before stepping from the counter. He looked around the shop. It was filled with mismatched armchairs and small tables. Blankets and candles were everywhere, with bookcases pushed against walls and filled with muggle and magic games and books. It felt a little bit like a common room back at Hogwarts, except with a lavender and tan color theme. It was cozy, and Harry sank himself into a leather loveseat near a fireplace. There was a stack of magazines on the table next to him, each one filled with both muggle and magic gossip. Harry opened one and flipped through it absent-mindedly. He had just reached an article about himself when Malfoy cleared his throat behind him.

"I, uh, brought you some tea and a lavender scone. Oh! I should explain it. This is an earl grey crème with some orange peel in it, I have that mixed with a confidence brew. It's really good before important meetings and presentations, but also can help to relax you and clear your thoughts. And the scone has a nutrition drought in it. It's helpful when you're busy and need a meal but don't necessarily have time for a meal." He placed the scone down first, then carefully lowered the tea. Harry stared down at the mug, which was shaped like a kneazle with the tail curled to be a handle. Malfoy flushed. "I'm sorry, all our mugs are a little weird, it's stupid really, I'm sorry-"

"Malfoy," Harry interrupted, placing a hand on his wrist. "It's fine. I like the mug."

"It's definitely a good thing you like it," he babbled, eyes glued to the hand on his wrist. "We only have weird mugs. No normal mugs here."

Harry took his hand back and picked up the mug. "So," he began, "what have you been up to since, you know."

Malfoy rubbed the back of his neck before sitting in the armchair across from Harry. "Well, you know, had a bit of a house arrest stunt. Wand was snapped, so I had to get a new one once I was free. Not that I mind!" He added, seeing the horror on Harry's face. "I know you did the best you could, and I'm sure I would have ended up in Azkaban without your testimony. Which I probably deserved. The Azkaban! Not your testimony, which was very nice of you when I hadn't been nice to you. But anyways, I sort of wandered around for a bit after that, got a Potions mastery so I could brew, and then I opened this place!"

"What made you want to open a tea place?" Harry asked. He took a sip of the earl grey, which was phenomenal.

"Well," he rubbed the back of his neck, "it was right after the big merger. There was tension on both sides of things, and I didn't know how to help. But I can brew! I do that pretty well. And I wanted to show how our potions could help both sides of things. It's kind of common ground, I suppose."

Harry nodded. "I understand that. That's why I started the school I'm working at."

Malfoy cringed. "It sounds like everything is much better than it all was at Hogwarts. Not that I didn't love Hogwarts! But I'm so bad at math now. Why didn't they teach us math?"

"No idea," Harry laughed. "Also art! And music! There's so much magical culture that's never taught to kids. My school combines magical and muggle curriculums so that students can actually come out well rounded."

"I could have used that. The muggle side of things."

Malfoy looked embarrassed, his hand continuously rubbing at the back of his neck. "I like to think I'm better now, but what if I'm not? What if I'm just faking it and I just don't know that I secretly hate this new normal? I mean, I don't think I am, but what if I'm actually just evil and don't realize it?"

"I don't think you'd be here, giving me tea and scones, if you were evil," Harry reassured him. "You'd probably be trying to commit murder or something."

"The only murder I'm committing is killing people with kindness!" Malfoy said, before wincing. "Oh that was so bad. I should go. But enjoy your tea and scone. I'm just going to-"

He awkwardly stood up, tripping over his own feet on the way up. He gave a jerky wave goodbye before speeding to the kitchen. Harry looked after his as he left, feeling insanely charmed. He dropped his chin on a palm, coming to the conclusion that he was absolutely fucked.

~•~

"Open up, bitch!" A voice called from Harry's front door.

Harry put down the spoon he was using to mix a dip. He rushed to the door, and opened it to find Dean and Seamus. Dean immediately pushed past him. "I need to find your kneazle," he called as he went. "Seamus was being stupid this week and I desperately need something fluffy to cuddle."

Seamus rolled his eyes and turned to Harry. "I accidentally ate the last biscuit."

"And I keep telling him, you can't accidentally eat a biscuit! You do that shit on purpose."

Harry snorted and went back to the kitchen, Seamus close behind. "What's today's snack spread?" He asked eagerly.

"I'm making a spinach artichoke dip, and I got some American snacks this week. They're called pizza rolls?"

Seamus snatched one from the tray. "I fucking love those American snacks," he moaned. "They may be crazy, but they know how to make some good shit."

Dean joined them in the kitchen, Daisy the kneazle in his arms. "Shay, if you reach in my pocket for my bag, you can take out the wine. I was feeling merlot this week, I brought plenty of bottles."

The clinking sounds as Seamus rummaged through the bag definitely provided confirmation. He pulled out two bottles to start and waved his wand to summon the glasses. As he filled the three glasses, he said casually, "So clearly something is going on with Harry. He usually makes four types of snacks, this isn't even close to as much food as usual. Which is fine, but I need to be nosey."

Dean looked closely at Harry's face before gasping. "It's Malfoy! He's got that wrinkle, Shay. Look! Oh my god, this is going to be just like sixth year."

Harry pushed him away. "Why does everyone know what face I make when I'm thinking about Malfoy?" He whined. Seamus just smirked and patted his shoulder.

Seeing as there was no way for him to get out of it, Harry reluctantly pulled out his phone and showed the pair Malfoy's profile. Dean whistled lowly. "Oh, he looks just like that guy you dated a year ago. Definitely your type. What are you going to do?"

"I might've gone to his tea shop," Harry mumbled, embarrassed.

Seamus laughed loudly. "Oh my god, are you stalking him again? You know you could have just messaged him on the dating app like a normal person?"

"It didn't feel right!" Harry argued. "We've got so much history. What was I supposed to do? Just message him, 'Oh, hey Malfoy. I know it's been over a decade since we tried to kill each other, but you've gotten fit and I'd like it if you fucked me. Thanks!'"

"Maybe first step is actually calling him Draco," Seamus suggested. "You know, I think if you're thinking that much on a bloke's prick you can probably call him by his first name."

Harry chortled. "I'm more distracted by his hair at this point. And he's got tattoos!"

Seamus and Dean exchanged a look. Dean then leaned toward Harry. "So this isn't just wanting a quick fuck then, is it?"

"I don't think so," Harry admitted. "When I went to his tea place, he was just so different than I remembered. He rambles when he talks and he wears his emotions so easily. I felt like I could just sit there and listen to him talk for hours."

"Ask him on a date then!" Seamus said eagerly. "Did you get his number?"

Harry smacked his forehead. "I should have asked for his number! I could probably still send him an owl?"

Seamus shuddered. "Owls are so formal. No one uses owls nowadays for non-official things. You've got a phone for a reason, mate!"

Dean pushed his shoulder. "Well, this has been lovely digging into Harry's love life, which actually exists for once! But I'm hungry and I want to be wine drunk, so can we get started with our show now?"

Harry and Dean brought the food into the living room while Seamus brought the wine. They settled into Harry's couch and flipped on the television to "Magical Connection". It was a horribly dramatic dating show partnering muggles and wixen and sending them on magical and muggle dates. It was supposed to be some quest for true love, but the three of them instead placed bets on who they thought would last the whole season.

"There's no way, Dean," Harry argued, as he once again tried to defend his couple. "Have you seen the way she acts on the muggle dates? She definitely thinks this is all beneath her."

"She does not!" Dean protested. "Look! They're rollerblading right now and she isn't complaining- oh, well, that doesn't count. Everyone gets mad when they fall. They'll be fine."

Seamus chortled and leaned onto Dean. "It's okay to be wrong. You should be used to it by now anyways."

Dean shoved him off the couch. "If I'm so wrong, how did I predict that Harry would find Draco hot?"

Seamus winced and looked at Harry, who was perplexed. "Why would you think that?" He asked, confused.

"Well," Dean started apologetically, "you know how I've got the magical tattoo parlor? And you know how Draco has a lot of tattoos? Well, we've kind of spent a lot of time together. And he's somehow turned out to be very sweet. And you've got a penchant for floral blonds, so it was kind of a no-brainer."

Harry groaned. "Am I that predictable? And why did you never mention it?"

"Well, mate, you've kind of got a screw loose when it comes to Malfoy," Seamus said cheerfully, patting Harry on the back. "We figured if we mentioned that he's no longer a pointy git and more like an awkward model, you'd go all obsession-mode on us. Also, you needed to see him first before any of us mentioned him. Can you imagine just how badly you would have gone off the rails is Hermione mentioned working with Draco before you had gotten the chance to see how he is for yourself?"

"Hermione's been working with him?" Harry demanded, before lowering his tone. "Sorry, I guess I should have known that. She did mention some of the legal stuff he supported, there'd be no reason for her to know if they weren't at least acquainted."

"No worries," Dean said casually, turning off the television. "We've kind of all been in touch with him. It's hard not to be, nowadays, with everything he does. And no," he added, seeing the question on Harry's face, "I'm not going to tell you what he does. You could stand to get to know him on your own, without just pressing everyone for details. Hey Seamus, do you know what a great way would be for Harry to get to know Draco?"

"Why, yes," Seamus replied. "But I think we should make sure Harry knows."

They both turned to Harry, and said in unison, "Ask him on a date."

Harry groaned. "I can't just ask him on a date. We've only had one conversation in the past decade, and he seemed really flustered! I don't want to make him uncomfortable."

"He's always uncomfortable," Dean said, taking a large gulp of wine. "Half of his personality nowadays is being terrified of making bad decisions. It's dreadfully charming."

Seamus scoffed. "And gets a bit tedious. But he makes for very entertaining company. I think you two are the same brand of mentally unstable. You could really be good together. Or it would be awful. Who knows?"

Dean patted Seamus on the shoulder. "I, for one, think it will be fine. But if not, we're always here with wine and great conversation. However, I think we've meddled enough for today. It's time for us to get back home. There's only so long we can let Teddy babysit the twins before it's considered cruel and unusual punishment. Come on, Shay. If we get going now, I can run a bath for you."

Seamus leapt to his feet and saluted Harry. "Sorry, my dear boy. While I love you, I love a good bath more."

They made their way to the floo, only turning around to face Harry once they were at the mantle. "Take care of yourself, okay?" Dean asked softly. "I think this could be really good for you, but you have to be willing to put yourself at risk. I know how hard that is for you."

Seamus shot Harry a pointed look before disappearing through the floo, Dean on his tail, leaving Harry with more thoughts than he knew how to organize.