Cinderella

Chapter Two

The Three Musketeers

The next day was very uneventful. He had never thought it was possible, but he had absolutely nothing to do at work. It seemed like the whole world had stopped for some reason.

In his boredom, he decided to look through some old magazines he had stashed away for reading if ever a day like this occurred.

He found a two years old copy of the Witch Weekly and in the front page was a smug looking Draco Malfoy. He eyed it carefully. Malfoy had always been fascinating to look at. There just was something in him that you could not ignore. Harry didn't know what it was, but he really didn't care to find out.

He flicked through the magazine and he couldn't help himself from stopping to read the article about Malfoy.

***

He stood in front of a mirror in his bedroom. He studied his clothes and appearance half-heartedly. He couldn't stop thinking about Harry. Maybe he should just end their...whatever it was and forget he ever laid his eyes on the saviour of wizarding kind.

He sighed.

It was time to go if he wanted to be on time to meet Harry. He glanced in the mirror one more time before leaving.

***

Harry was sitting at the bar, nervous. What if Thomas didn't show up?

He waited for an hour and Thomas didn't come. He felt rather disappointed. He just wanted to talk with Thomas and get to know him better. Maybe the other man was suspicious about his intentions or something?

He left the club and walked home, enjoying the cool night air.

When he arrived to his flat, he found something he hadn't thought he would.

There was Thomas sitting on the front steps.

"Finally! I've been waiting here for an hour at least."

Harry didn't know what to say. He just gaped at Thomas who was smirking playfully.

"Don't you have anything to say?" Thomas walked closer. "Maybe I should try one of my best techniques to get you to talk," Thomas said, running a finger down Harry's cheek.

"You...I thought that--"

"Hush." Thomas put his finger on Harry's lips before capturing them with his own mouth.

***

When Harry was finally free from Thomas' searing kisses, he opened the front door. Thomas looked around a bit. He really hadn't time to do so last time he was here.

"Nice flat you got," he stated politely.

"Thanks," Harry replied, getting a little nervous again. He led Thomas to the living-room. "Would you like to have something to drink? Tea, perhaps?"

"Do you have a Butterbeer?" Thomas asked on purpose to tell Harry that he was not a Muggle.

Harry looked at him for a moment before saying, "Yes, I do. Wait one second."

Thomas nodded, sitting on the couch.

Harry smiled, soon returning with a bottle in each hand.

"Thank you." Thomas took a sip. "Now, tell me a little about yourself, Harry."

"Well, I don't know where to start."

"Start with your childhood," Thomas suggested, taking another sip from his bottle.

"Well, it was a nightmare which I don't ever want to live again."

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Harry nodded. "It's just that so much happened and I'm not comfortable at telling it to a person I just met." Harry smiled sheepishly at him.

"That's all right." Thomas bit his lip. "Would you tell me about your time at Hogwarts, please?"

Harry smirked, suspicious. "Why?"

"I just want to know what kind of adventures did you have there," Thomas replied, trying to look innocent.

"Yeah, right."

"Don't you believe me? Maybe I should convince you with something?" He waggle his eyebrows suggestively.

Harry laughed, smacking Thomas on the arm gently.

Harry's laughter was something Thomas had never heard before. He had seen Harry smiling and laughing from afar, but he was never the one to receive either of them.

Thomas put his arm around Harry's shoulders. "Can you cook?"

"What!?" Harry asked, smiling and not believing his ears.

"You heard me. I'm famished, so it would be better to cook something, would it not?"

"Yeah, I can cook all right." Harry pecked Thomas on the cheek quickly before getting up from the couch. "Come on, I'll show you how good cook I am."

***

"Thomas?"

"Hmm..." Thomas laid in Harry's arms. They were on the couch, their stomachs full after the fabulous dinner Harry had cooked.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm...you already did."

"Would you go to Italy with me?"

"What?" Thomas pulled away from Harry's embrace.

"I'm going to Italy next week and I thought that maybe you would like to come with me?" Harry asked cautiously, afraid that Thomas would decline.

"I would love to, but..."

"But what?"

"I can't. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I understand."

Harry always seemed so understanding that it made Thomas sick. "No, Harry, I think you don't understand. I have something to tell--"

Thomas had been about to reveal his identity to Harry when the doorbell rang.

"Oh, bugger," Harry cursed and got up. "Wait here, I'll get rid of them," Harry said, walking to the door.

Thomas buried his face into his hands. 'What am I going to do? I can't go on lying to him.'

"Harry! Glad you're home, we found the perfect place for Neville's bachelor party--"

"Ron! I'm kinda busy right now, so..."

"Oh, I get it. You are about to shag some poor guy senseless and tell him how special he is, am I right? Come on, Harry, that excuse won't work anymore, you know better than that." Ron pushed himself into Harry's flat.

Ron stepped into the living-room, stopping on his tracks. "Why didn't you tell me that you had company?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I tried, Ron. Believe me, I tried."

Thomas smiled at the two friends. He never had friends like that.

"Hullo, I'm Ron Weasley." Ron offered his hand to Thomas.

"Thomas," he replied.

"No surname? Harry, you got a mystery boy here. Be sure you won't let him trick you, he's too pretty for his own good, you know."

Nobody would have thought that Ron had any objections against Harry being gay, judging by the way he talked. Ron didn't like the fact that Harry fancied men, but he wasn't stupid enough to abandon Harry who had experienced so much in his life.

Ron had been only ten minutes when Hermione apparated in the middle of the living-room.

"Ron! I've been looking everywhere for you and here you are harassing Harry who happens to have a guest!"

Thomas grinned, looking at Hermione. She reminded him of his mother as she shouted at Ron.

The chaos was over right after Hermione grabbed Ron and apparated them away.

Harry sighed in relief. "Finally," he said, sitting down on the couch again. "So, what was it that you had to tell me?" Harry ran a finger down Thomas' cheek tenderly.

Thomas looked at Harry and found himself unable to tell him the truth. "Nothing," he said, leaning in for a kiss.