Roommate Wanted

"WHAT?! You've got to be shitting me!" Harry yelled, wide-eyed, at Hermione.

"No, Harry, it's really him," Hermione said, giggling, passing the form over.

"Draco Malfoy's gonna be your roommate!" Ron sang out, laughing.

Dean clutched his stomach as he laughed hysterically.

"You called him perfect, Harry! Hahaha, you think Malfoy is perfect!" he coughed out.

"I most certainly did not call him perfect!" Harry said.

He groaned as he felt his headache returning. He reached for his pack of cigarettes and tapped it against the tabletop, catching a cigarette as it fell out. He stuck it in his mouth and lit it with his wand, inhaling deeply. Dean reached for the pack and took a cigarette for himself. Harry thought hard, puffing away, then finally spoke up.

"Okay, what do you think I should do?" he asked.

"I don't know, it's up to you. Do you want Malfoy as a roommate?" Hermione asked.

"Well, it depends. If he's still a ferret-faced prat with anger management problems, then no. Maybe he's changed since the war," Harry said, shrugging.

"Well, Malfoy would have known he was applying to become your roommate. Your name was on the ad, right?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, it was. Hmm, I didn't realise that. So he knew he was me and he applied. Bit dodgy, to be honest. Argh, I don't know, he is the best candidate so far, so maybe I'll just ask him up for an interview, and we'll see."

Draco Malfoy climbed out of the taxi and stared up at the building. It was huge, white, a posh place. It wasn't modern, but an old beautiful building with an air of romance. It had been recently refurbished; the interior of the building must be luxurious. Across the road was a strip of little boutiques and cafés, and people were sipping mugs of cappuccinos at the little tables under the umbrellas outside. Lush green trees lined both sides of the street. It would be a nice place to live, Draco mused.

He didn't even know what he was doing here. It seemed like fate when Harry Potter's ad for a roommate flew right into his face right after he broke up with his boyfriend of a year and was kicked out of their shared apartment. After thinking about it for three days, he sent off the application form in a fit of what-the-hell's. The apartment was in a rather exclusive and sought-after suburb, after all. He didn't even expect Potter to read his form, let alone send him an owl, saying he was the best candidate and would he like to come for an interview?

The truth is Draco didn't have anywhere else to go. His parents disowned him after he ditched the Dark side in the middle of the war. Most of the wizarding world thought he was dead. His only and best friend, Blaise Zabini, lived in France half of the time with his fiancée, so they barely saw each other. After the war, Draco decided to enter the Muggle World to look for a job, and was hired by a posh restaurant. Over the years, he picked up new skills and soon worked his way to the top position: head chef, which provided him with a large and steady income. Then he met Jack, a muggle-born. They dated for a year, Draco even moved in. But now...even that's gone down the toilet bowl.

Draco sighed and pulled out the cigarette he'd stuck behind his ear earlier. He lit it with his wand subtlety, knowing that even though many wizards and witches lived here, it was still a Muggle street. If someone asked, he could just say it was a novelty lighter.

Draco checked out his reflection in the glass door, making sure he looked presentable.

He had grown his hair longer, and now it fell past his ears and over his forehead. It was messy, in a sexy surfer-boy way. From the outside, it looked casual and effortless, but Draco had really spent hours in the bathroom with his unnecessarily huge supply of hair products. He had grown taller and more muscular since his Hogwarts days, and filled out the grey sweater he was now wearing nicely. He also had a scar through his left eyebrow, a result of that little spell his father had sent flying at him when he ran away from home. Below that, framed by light lashes, were his steely grey eyes which usually wore a look of disdain.

Draco threw his cigarette onto the ground and put it out with the toe of his shoe, took a deep breath, and finally pushed the door open.

A single knock was heard at the door. Harry glanced around quickly and nervously, making sure the house was neat enough, and then gathering his courage, he made his way to the door and opened it.

There was Draco Malfoy, although the man standing at the door certainly didn't look like Draco Malfoy. He looked like the kind of guy Harry would probably start stalking home if he saw him on the street.

"Malfoy?!" Harry spat out in a shocked tone.

"Hi, Potter. Long time no see," Draco replied in a pleasant tone, and extended his hand.

Harry reached out and shook it, then gestured Draco in and closed the door.

"Umm, please, sit," Harry said.

Draco sat down on the couch and looked around, admiring the apartment. It was huge, light and airy, complete with a high ceiling and huge glass windows. There was a small balcony, with window boxes where someone had planted some pretty red flowers. And either Potter was one hell of an interior decorator, or he had hired a professional, because the place looked like something out of a magazine.

"This is a great place you've got," Draco said.

"Thanks. Uh, do you want a beverage or something?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, do you have any vodka?" Draco said.

Harry seemed surprised at Draco's daring request, but was impressed.

"Sure. Nice choice," Harry said with a smile.

He disappeared into the kitchen and came back with two glasses, handing one to Draco, and then sitting down.

"Well, so I guess I better start with telling you a bit about myself," Harry said. "Um, well, I'm twenty five years old; I work as a sports reporter on the Daily Prophet. Yeah, you must be wondering how I can afford this place - mostly inheritance money. Heh. I also do some spokesperson work for Quality Quidditch Supplies and Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. What else? In my spare time, which is usually every night, I go to my favourite nightclub, Lumos, or I have a party at home," Harry finished.

"Oh, Lumos is great. I've only been there once or twice though," Draco said.

"Yeah, I love it there. Um, okay, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?" Harry asked.

"Okay. I'm also twenty-five. I am the head chef at a Muggle restaurant. Every weekend, I try out different nightclubs around town, and in my spare time I like to invent cocktails in my kitchen while dancing to rock music," Draco said with a grin.

Harry laughed. "Um, cool, cool. Well, that sounds pretty good. I like cocktails."

"Me too," Draco laughed.

"Well, okay, I guess if you want to live here you better know what happens around here. I usually work from home, but I go in my office about 4 times a week. The Daily Prophet office is just a street away. Sometimes I have dinner with my friends and most nights I'm out at Lumos and I get back at 4am, latest. I have parties here maybe twice a week, and it's usually the same crowd that comes. They last until like 3am, so you've got to be able to take loud music and noise til early morning. Also, I smoke. A lot. So I hope you don't mind the smell of cigarettes. I try to keep it to the balcony, though." Harry paused.

"That's okay. I smoke too. Totally addicted," Draco said.

Harry couldn't believe he was having a somewhat normal conversation with Draco Malfoy.

Draco could hardly believe it either. But more importantly, he couldn't believe how much Harry had changed. He was taller and more muscular, but also lean and toned. His hair was cropped short and still as messy as ever, black strands sticking out everywhere. He had gotten contacts, as well and his fashion sense seemed to have improved. And was this partying, smoking, outgoing guy really the shy Harry he knew in school? Draco was impressed by how much they had in common.

There was a knock at the door.

"Ah, they're here." Harry turned back to Draco. "Just one little test to pass. Um, if you're going to be my roommate, you're going to have to get along with my best friends. They're over here like all the time, so..."

Harry got up and opened it. Ron walked in first, followed by Hermione and Dean.

Draco stood up and ran his eye over them. That Weasel still looked the same, but his awful red hair had darkened, and his skin was tanner. And was that really the Mudblood? Draco hardly recognised her. She was taller and slimmer, and that bird's nest she used to call hair was now tamed down into a smooth, layered cut with golden highlights. Along with Harry, she also seemed to have gained some sense of fashion. And she seemed to be holding hands with that guy...what was his name again? David....Tom...Ah! Dean Thomas! Draco remembered.

Harry made the rather unnecessary introductions, and they all sat down. After half an hour of chatting, mostly about what everyone was now doing, Hermione and Dean had to leave, and Ron soon left as well.

"Well, that went all right," Harry said to Draco.

"Yeah, it did," Draco replied, surprised that he managed to actually sit and talk to Weasley. "Umm, can I use the bathroom?"

"Sure."

Harry got up and showed him the way, then when Draco was safely inside, he quickly ran outside to the hallway, where his friends were waiting.

"Wow, how did you get out so fast?" Dean asked.

"Ah, he needed to use the bathroom," Harry said, "Well? So what did you guys think?"

"I think it went good. I did a background check on him last night, and he seems clean," Hermione said, "Did you know he actually left the Dark side during the war?"

"No, really?" Ron exclaimed.

"Wow. So...I think I'm gonna do it," Harry said.

"Cool! Malfoy's kinda okay now," Dean said.

After bidding his friends goodbye, Harry returned inside, where Draco just exited the bathroom.

"Hey. Well, I don't know what's the right phrase to use here, but I guess you're... hired?" Harry said.

"You mean... I passed the test and I'm your new roommate?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, that. We'll try it on a probation period, like, a couple of months, and we'll see how it goes," Harry said.

"Sounds good."

They smiled and shook hands.