Chapter 5
After their last lesson, Draco is a little wary to go back. He doesn’t understand why though. Nothing bad happened last time; if anything he should be excited to go back and have the chance to learn more about Harry. However, he still can’t quite find it in himself to get as excited as he normally would. Draco is nervous. The fact that Harry was bisexual meant that there is a chance for them after all, and that idea is terrifying. It is one thing to say he is gay, but it is another thing to actually act on his feelings and start a relationship with another man. He knows that, deep down, his mother still hopes he will find a woman to marry and have children with so they can continue the Malfoy bloodline. And he knows that an actual relationship with a man could ruin what was left of his relationship with his father. Is Draco willing to risk his family for this?
Apparently the answer is yes because as Draco steps into Potter’s Pottery, all his nerves melt away. He is giddy with excitement at the thought of getting to spend two hours with Harry, alone. A thought pops into Draco’s head that maybe since they shared their sexualities last lesson, maybe they could continue sharing stuff today too. He shakes his head at himself, trying not to get too worked up, and heads up to the front counter to speak with Teddy.
“Hey! Draco!” Teddy says excitedly, “How’s your new teapot treating you?”
“I’d say pretty great. I haven’t had the courage to actually use it, though, so it’s just hanging out on a shelf in my kitchen,” Draco easily replies. “Harry upstairs?”
“Yep! He’s been waiting for you all day,” they say with a wink.
It confuses Draco, but he brushes it off as just another Teddy mannerism. He sends a nod in Teddy’s direction and then heads upstairs to find Harry.
Their workspace is messier than usual, and it takes him a minute to spot Harry. Instead of working on a new piece like normal, he’s in the back corner at a desk that Draco hasn’t noticed before. He gives a sharp knock on the door frame to alert Harry of his presence before stepping into the room further.
“Oh! Draco, hi. Sorry, I meant to clean up earlier but this guy called about the rent and so I had to get all of that figured out and I guess I lost track of time,” Harry says, standing and making his way towards Draco.
“That’s quite alright. I understand how demanding landlords can be. Would you like some help cleaning up? Instead of my lesson, we could clean and then maybe go out afterward?”
Harry seems taken back by the offer to help clean, but he readily accepts, clearly tired from the day. They get to work quickly, with Harry only having to point out where things go a few times, and they work in mostly silence. It’s not awkward. In fact, it’s actually quite nice. Draco enjoys spending time with Harry, even if it’s just cleaning up an extremely messy workplace, and it feels like Harry might too. After all, he did accept Draco’s offer to go out. He doesn’t know if it’s a date, but even if they’re just going out as friends, Draco is excited at the chance to get to know Harry better.
Before they know it, the entire area is clean and they’re on their way out. Harry tells Teddy they can close up early as the two leave, and Draco swears he’s never seen Teddy smile so big. Once outside the shop, Draco and Harry decide to go to a local pub to get some dinner. It’s not far from Potter’s Pottery, so they end up walking there.
It doesn’t take them long, and soon the two of them are sitting across from each other sharing a double order of mozzarella sticks. It feels awfully like a date to Draco, but he tries to keep that thought out of his mind in an attempt to keep himself from getting too awkward. They’re keeping the conversation light, but it doesn’t take long for Draco to break and ask what he’s been wanting for the past few weeks.
“What happened to your birth parents?” he asks, and even he can hear the weariness in his voice.
Harry just stares at him, and Draco starts to regret asking the question. “You know what? Nevermind. You don’t have to answer that, I’m sorry,” Draco says, hoping they can just move on from this.
“No, it’s okay. You just caught me off guard a little,” Harry starts shakily, “They were killed when I was a baby. I barely remember them, but my godfather and his husband happily took me in, and I’ve been living with them ever since,” he finishes with a slight smile on his face. He may not remember his birth parents much, but Draco can tell that Harry cares deeply about the family that took him in.
Draco feels awful for bringing up such a sad memory for Harry, but when he says as much to him, Harry just brushes him off.
“It’s okay, really. I love Sirius and Remus and having a godsibling like Teddy is incredible. They’re my family, and I’m glad they took me in. What’s it like for you at home?”
Draco should’ve seen this moment coming, especially after bringing up Harry’s family, but it doesn’t make it any easier for him to admit to Harry that his father is an asshole who barely talks to him because of his sexuality. Draco is lucky his mom loves him so much, but he has almost no hope for a good relationship with his father again (especially if he starts dating a man).
Harry is practically fuming by the time Draco finishes his short story about his parents, so Draco does his best to convince him that it’s okay before changing the subject.
“So, you’re bisexual? How’d you figure it all out?” Draco asks, hoping to maybe get some confirmation that he was single.
“Yeah. Figuring it out was a wild ride, but everyone was pretty accepting,” Harry starts, “Actually, I had been dating my best friend’s sister when I figured it all out,” he laughs, “Then I figured out I was more attracted to their older brother than I was Ginny. She took it quite well though, and now she’s dating our friend, Luna.”
Harry finishes the story with a small shake of his head and a smile on his face. Draco could tell how happy his friends and family made him, and it made his heart happy that Harry was so happy.
“What about you? How did you figure out you were gay?” Harry asks, bringing the conversation back to Draco.
“I don’t really know. I think I always sort of had a feeling that I was different from the other boys in my class. I did date Pansy for a while, though, while we were in school, and I think she figured out I was gay before I figured it out myself. She’s always been good at reading me.”
Draco can remember the exact moment Pansy figured it out, actually. They had been laying on his bed, him reading a book and her painting her nails, and she suddenly just stopped and looked up at him. Draco can remember her staring for a long time before she told him that they needed to break up because she didn’t want to be his beard.
After a long talk with Pansy about what a beard was, he finally realized that she was right. He didn’t exactly enjoy kissing her, and he definitely looked at the other boys in his class longer than he should have.
Thinking back on it now, Draco doesn’t quite understand why it took him so long to figure it out. He’s glad he had Pansy through all of it though. She has always been a shoulder he could lean on, and Draco really appreciates her.
“I’m so glad to have a friend I can talk to about all of this stuff,” Harry starts, bringing Draco back to the present, “It’s nice that you actually understand.”
Draco just smiles, but he feels himself deflate.
Friends. They were friends.
Dinner doesn’t last much longer after that, both of them having early mornings the next day. Soon they’re standing by the doors, saying goodbye before they head off into different directions. This time Draco does his best not to look back, only allowing himself a half-turn of his head when he reaches the corner, before continuing the rest of the way home with his head down and a sad expression on his face.