Chapter 1
The door chimes as Draco enters the shop. He wasn't really sure why he was there, but he needed a new hobby and Pansy told him to come here. Draco was thankful for his best friend, and, even though he did have his doubts, this did seem like something he could potentially be interested in. He'd been painting all his life, but lately he's lost his spark. It doesn't bring him the joy that it once did. Instead, it just stresses him out. There's always a deadline to meet or someone else to please and it's just become too much for Draco. So he decided to take a break. Actually, Pansy and his mother decided he was going to take a break because apparently he became “a grumpy old man” every time he talked about a current job. So he finished everything he was working on and decided not to take anymore commissions until he found joy in painting again. Taking a break left him with a problem though. Since he's no longer painting, he doesn't really have anything else he can do. Painting has been his only constant hobby since high school, and now Draco wasn’t sure what to do anymore. He wasn’t even sure what he was good at besides painting. He’s never really done anything else. Sure, he loves to read, but reading wasn’t really something he could be paid for doing and make a living on. No, he needs something to really keep his hands busy or else he's going to go stir-crazy and starve. He’s always been a very hands-on person, and painting was definitely a hands-on activity.
So that's what brought him here to Potter's Pottery. He can’t help but roll his eyes at the shop’s name. The owner was an artist, and aren’t artists supposed to be artistic and creative? Nevertheless, he continues into the shop. Draco makes his way around the shop slowly. He wants to admire all the pieces of work that obviously took a long time to create. He drags his fingers across some of them, admiring the artwork on the outside as well as the structure itself. He goes through pretty much the entire shop before he continues to make his way towards the empty counter at the back. Draco looks around for a minute, checking to see if there was anybody here that could help him. He hadn’t seen anyone during his self tour of the store, so he finally decides to ring the bell that’s sitting next to the register.
"Just a second!" he hears a voice call out from upstairs. Draco just rolls his eyes and waits for the man to come downstairs. While waiting for the man, he takes a look around the counter. It’s messy but not unorganized. In fact, he bets that the potter who owns this store knows exactly where everything is. Draco continues to look around the counter before a vase catches his eye. It’s mostly hidden, and it’s probably not something that was truly meant to be seen, but Draco can’t take his eyes off of it. He wants to move closer to get a better look, and just as he’s about to take a step towards it, a messy haired, green-eyed man comes down the stairs.
"Sorry about the wait, I didn't hear the door chime and my piece was in a precarious state" the man, Harry according to his name tag, says. Draco doesn't hear any of it though; he's too busy staring at the gorgeous man in front of him.
"Um" Draco stutters. The man just smiles as Draco clears his throat and tries to start over. "It's okay I was just here looking for a new hobby and I thought I might try pottery because I'm a painter but I can't paint anymore or I'm going to go crazy and I can't keep reading because I need something to do with my hands because I don’t know how to sit still for the life of me so anyway I thought 'hey why not pottery' and my friend Pansy had found this place online and so now I'm here and do you offer lessons?" The words stumble out of his mouth before he can stop them and he feels his face flush as he looks down at the floor, embarrassed by the confusing jumble of words that escaped him.
"Normally we don't offer lessons," Harry starts with a small laugh at Draco’s mess of words, "But I do offer private classes if I have the time and the student truly has an interest" he finishes. Draco stares at him for a minute trying to think of a way to convince Harry that he truly does have an interest, but before he has time to reply, Harry speaks first. "You seem like someone with a lot on their mind, and I can see you being an excellent potter if you put your mind to it."
"Yes!" Draco practically yells. "I want to learn. I'm ready to learn." The man smiles at his eagerness, excited to have someone as excited about pottery as he is.
"Excellent. I have to finish my current project before I'm ready to start lessons, but that should only take me until the end of the week. Are you available to start on Monday at 4:30? And then we can figure out a schedule from there?" Harry asks Draco.
"I'll be ready for Monday." Draco readily replies. "How much is this going to cost? I can't imagine it's going to be incredibly cheap."
"Well, cost depends on how many lessons we do, what projects we work on, and how advanced you want to go. We can discuss all the options on Monday, but I really must get back to my project. I have a deadline I need to meet."
Draco, knowing all about deadlines and the stress they can cause, thanks Harry for his time and shows himself out of the shop. He starts his walk back home, but all he can think about is the dark haired man.
"Harry" he says, testing how the man’s name sounds with his own voice. He smiles at the feeling and a slight spring is added to his step. He can’t wait to tell Pansy about this new man from the pottery shop.