Summer Rain

Chapter 11

Draco sat in Harry's living room with his legs crossed and bored look on his face. Across from him on the couch sat Ron and Hermione with a tiny toddler sleeping in a pram parked next to them.

It hadn't even been half an hour after the phone call, and Draco had barely managed to get dressed, clean shaven and his teeth brushed before there was insistent knock at the apartment door. Draco hadn't been surprised to find the Weasley-Granger family standing there, but he had been extremely pissed off.

Hermione had stated that she was worried about Harry and just came over to check on him. Draco had, rather generously he felt, allowed her to briefly look in on a still-sleeping Harry and to feel his forehead before firmly indicating that she should leave Harry to rest.

Draco wasn't stupid. He knew that the real reason she was here -- and with her husband as backup -- was to try and glean any information from Draco about Harry.

"So, has he been alright since breaking up with Lucas?" Hermione asked.

"He's been fine," Draco said boredly with a smirk. "Surprising, hey?"

"Why did you come back, Malfoy?" Ron demanded. "He was perfectly happy until you turned up again." Oh, it's just so easy to antagonise them, Draco thought with dry amusement.

"Harry is well aware of my reasons for both leaving and returning," Draco answered, not revealing anything, and not intending to either. "He also appears to continue to be perfectly happy."

"Harry is good at hiding is true feelings," Hermione pointed out.

"I wonder why," Draco muttered under his breath before giving them a fake smile. "Lucky for me I've always been able to read him like a book and know when he needs to talk. A gift I don't seem to have lost during my absence."

"He's been talking to you?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"No, Weasley, we've just been sitting here in silence for three days picking our teeth," Draco replied sarcastically.

"I think you've just confused him so much turning up here sick and pathetic and he's only taken you back out of guilt!" Ron spat. Draco gave him a cool look.

"Another thing I have discussed with Harry," Draco emphasised. "And I do feel you will be digging your own grave if you take that line of questioning with him. It rather makes it sound like you feel he is incapable of his own thoughts and decisions. I have a sneaking suspicion Harry won't appreciate that," Draco cautioned smugly.

"Why are you such a nasty bastard? Five years ago, I actually thought you were a decent person," Hermione accused with a sniff.

"Hermione, I have not said anything remotely untrue or rude during our conversation. In fact, I rather think the shoe is on the other foot and I, myself, have felt offended at some of the things coming out of your husband's mouth. I believe he has also managed to offend Harry, which I will not tolerate and will respond accordingly. Now, I believe you came to see for yourself that Harry was ok. You have seen that he is not; he is ill and needs rest without any added stress," Draco said pointedly.

Hermione glared at him and then gave him a smug look before pulling a magazine from her bag. "Lucas gave me this. His sister left it when she stayed with him a few months back. It's something I think Harry might find interesting." She flicked through the pages, came to the page she was looking for and handed it to Draco.

Draco looked down at the page and found a picture of himself gazing mysteriously at the camera in nothing but a pair of tight, white men's underwear. Before he could stop himself, Draco burst out laughing. "Oh, yes. I'm sure Harry will find that very interesting!" Draco laughed and wiped some tears from his eyes.

"Does he know you've been flaunting yourself practically naked in Australian women's magazines?" Hermione asked with an accusatory tone. Draco frowned and pretended to consider her answer and she got a tiny triumphant gleam in her eye which Draco just had to wipe away.

"Yes," Draco answered and snorted as he tried to stifle another wave of laughter. The looks on both Ron and Hermione's faces were enough to set him off again. "You honestly think Harry would be bothered by seeing me like this? He's seen me like this repeatedly over the last few days, and wearing less than what you see me in there, I might add," Draco taunted and Hermione's eyes flicked back down to the page and she blushed.

"Harry wouldn't put up with you doing something like this!" Ron roared and Draco smirked again.

"You mustn't know him very well then," Draco couldn't help having that dig. "I've told Harry everything, including all about my career with very detailed descriptions of the things I've modelled. Trust me, he was very much not disgusted." Hermione huffed in annoyance and was about to say something in protest when Harry padded out of the bedroom door clad in his ruffled pyjamas with his hair sticking up every which way. It was obvious he had just woken up and had come looking for Draco, though he started slightly when he saw Ron and Hermione there and Draco didn't miss the flicker of a frown across Harry's forehead before he hid it again.

"Ah, hi guys," Harry greeted them, sounding all stuffed up. "What are you doing here?" Harry plopped down in the space right next to Draco and cuddled up into him when Draco put his arm around him.

"Draco called and said you were sick and had to miss dinner, so we thought we'd drop over and see if you were ok," Hermione explained.

"Oh, well, thanks for your concern. I just need rest, I think," Harry replied.

"We just thought something might be wrong because you usually still come over even if you aren't well," Ron explained. "We were worried when you didn't want to come."

"But I did want to come. It just wasn't an option. I felt like shit when I got home from work. I was throwing up and just wanted to sleep afterwards. I didn't want you guys to catch it," Harry was stretching the truth quite extensively, but he didn't want his friends to suspect anything was wrong. He was ready to talk about anything with them yet. He sniffled and scratched his nose. "What's that?" Harry asked and indicated the magazine next to Draco.

"Oh look, babe." Draco handed the magazine to Harry. "Hermione came across one of my shoots in this Aussie magazine. What do you think?" Draco smiled smugly at Ron and Hermione over the top of Harry's head.

"Mmmm, very nice," Harry commented with a grin. "Please tell me they let you keep these undies?" Draco's smile fell into a smirk.

"Sure did, and you should see the back of them." Draco wriggled his eyebrows at Harry who grinned cheekily.

"Where did you get this magazine, Hermione?" Harry asked suspiciously and closed it to study the cover. Hermione flushed in embarrassment.

"Um, Lucas brought it over to show us," Hermione muttered and Harry shot her a look.

"Let me guess?" Harry sneered. "He showed you thinking that not only would you guys disapprove of Draco doing this, but that I would also?" Hermione didn't answer but Ron nodded. "That's bloody screwed. He's just goddamn jealous! How would I disapprove if this? It just proves that Draco is not only highly successful in his career, but he looks fucking HOT doing so."

"Thank you, babe," Draco said softly and kissed Harry's head. Harry gripped Draco's hand possessively and narrowed his eyes, glaring at his best friends.

"How could you disapprove of this?" Harry pressed, waving the magazine at them. "All men wear undies, and they're going to sell LOADS to guys who think they are going to look just like Draco if they wear them. You should be proud to be Draco's acquaintance, not judging him for doing something positive like this! After all we've been through and seen in our short lives, I can't believe you would be so shallow as to be disapproving of an advert for men's undies... Oh, that's not it, is it? You're offended because it's Draco. If this was some faceless person you don't know, you wouldn't think twice about the advert, would you? What is this complex you all have with Draco? He's done nothing to hurt any of you," Harry finished quietly.

"Harry, we -" Hermione began.

"No, Hermione. Short of Draco's previous career options, how can you really not be supportive of him doing something like this? I told you I wanted Draco back in my life. You sat here and told me that we were perfect for each other. You know how hard it was for me to not only lose him all those years ago, but also to accept him back. I'm ashamed in you for thinking that something as insignificant as one of Draco's photo shoots would change my mind about how I feel about him. I also can't believe you would think he would keep something like this a secret from me! I really don't appreciate the lack of respect you have for my relationship with him. If you can't learn to be happy for me, then maybe we need to re-evaluate our friendship. There is more to this situation than either you or Ron knows yet. I will tell you when I'm ready. But until then, I think you should both leave and give me some space before I really say something I'll regret." Harry pulled himself up awkwardly and Draco helped him stand. Harry closed his eyes briefly to try and stop the room spinning before he went back to his room and slammed the door.

Draco stood and indicated the front door. "I'll show you out." Ron and Hermione stood up reluctantly.

"Will you tell him we're sorry?" Hermione pleaded. Draco regarded her coolly.

"I really think that's something you should tell him yourself when he is ready to speak to you. Until then, I think you should respect his wishes and give him some space," Draco said. "I can understand why you both have the concerns you do, and also why you are probably feeling protective of Harry. But you really need to learn to consider his feelings before you dive head first into trying to rescue him when he is quite content and doesn't want to be rescued. There is no need to cause either him or yourselves unnecessary grief." Draco opened the front door and held, indicating that the conversation was over. Ron and Hermione gave him pleading looks as they left but Draco merely nodded in goodbye and shut the door on them.

o o o o o

Harry crawled into bed and curled deep below the covers with a miserable sigh, wondering why the hell he had to be so ill while he dealt with all this emotional shit. He was convinced things would be a lot easier if he didn't feel like he had been sat on by a hippogriff.

Fucking Ron and Hermione, Harry thought bitterly. Why can't they just accept my choices and be happy for once without treating me like a child?

Harry's stomach gave a particularly abrupt lurch. "FUCK. OFF," Harry growled at his stomach. "I'm not going to puke. I don't want to walk all the way across the room to the toilet. I'm tired and miserable. Fuck off and leave me alone." Harry was abusing his stomach as Draco came into the room quietly.

"Oh, sorry... I'll go then," Draco frowned and went to leave the room again.

"NO! I was talking to my stomach," Harry said sheepishly. Draco blinked and contemplated Harry's words before smirking in amusement.

"You talk to parts of your anatomy often?"

"Of course," Harry smirked back. "You can't tell me you don't, either. I bet you're just as familiar with the 'Oh god, no, please not now! Just go down! Go down, you bastard! These robes are too thin and I don't have a long enough shirt on today!' speech as any member of the male species." Draco laughed.

"Oh yes, I am familiar with that speech, or other such similar constructions of it." Draco came and sat on the edge of the bed next to Harry. "I'm also familiar with the fact that parts of the anatomy rarely listen and respond accordingly."

"I just couldn't be arsed, Draco," Harry whined. "I feel like fucking shit and I don't want to deal with that fucking shit while I'm sick!" Harry waved his hand at the door, obviously referring to his friends. "She said we were perfect together! She didn't even try and talk me out of breaking up with Lucas. Why is she still trying to convince me that I'm fucked up to take you back?"

"Babe, they don't want me to hurt you again," Draco reasoned.

"But you won't! They don't know the full story. They need to know about the Weasleys threatening you, then they'll understand!" Harry insisted.

"Move over a bit," Draco told Harry and Harry moved over to the other side of the bed. Draco pulled off his jeans and climbed under the covers next to Harry and spooned up behind him. "All this can wait until you're better, love. You've put them in their place. Let them stew over what you said for awhile and maybe they will actually respect your wishes this time. Just rest and get better. Nothing will change over the next few days while you recover, but it will give you space away from them and I think that is what you all need right now."

"You're right, of course," Harry smiled and snuggled further back into Draco's arms.