Disclaimer: The characters of the Harry Potter Universe are the property of JK Rowling. All Canon characters, plots, and situations are not mine and I do not intend to make any profit from this.

A/N: Rated M for language and mature themes

A fine thread

Happy

Draco stepped into the balcony of his room in the manor. The autumn morning had brought its own chill into the air. He could see the mist forming in front of him with each and every breath. He sipped the hot steaming coffee from the cup. The black bitter liquid burned his throat. He recently started enjoying this muggle drink. He heard a tiny pop behind him.

"Young master, the mistress is waiting for you in the green room," an elf spoke in a squeaky voice.

Draco groaned and nodded his acceptance. The elf disappeared in the same fashion. How the woman kept track of his schedule he did not understand. He dragged himself sluggishly towards her room. He knocked on the large green doors as he approached his mother's suite.

"Enter," the elegant voice of Narcissa Malfoy called him from inside.

Draco righted his posture and went into the green room. There she sat already dressed up for the day. Draco recollected that he had never seen his mother in rumpled clothing or unmade hair. She always was the ultimate picture of sophistication.

"Come here Draco. You seem well," She beckoned to him.

Draco went to her and gave a kiss on her forehead. "Mother," he said and sat down in the chair next to her.

"Do I have to send an elf to fetch you Draco? You never seem to have time to come and visit me," Narcissa said daintily mixing sugar into her tea.

"You know how it is, mother. It really had been a tough year. Our profits have been better than last year. Without father's presence, things have been really hard," Draco said taking a long sip of his now lukewarm coffee.

"Must you drink that horrid drink, Draco? What happened to the good old tea," Narcissa admonished him.

"You can place all the blame on Blaise for this, mother. I got used to this. Tea is good but coffee gives you a kick-start on any morning. You should try some," Draco said finishing the last of the remaining coffee.

Narcissa sighed and put her cup down. A moment of vulnerability passed upon her face. "It has been two years. You are doing a very commendable job Draco. Your father would be very proud of you," she lovingly rubbed her thumb over her son's wrist.

"So what is this I hear about Potter? He has been coming to Manor and you have been visiting him. Should I worry about that?" Draco's eyes twinkled mischievously as he gently teased her.

"Nonsense. Get your mind off the gutter now. The only person I have ever loved is Lucius. Don't mind he is in Azkaban now. Whatever he had done, he did it for us. I just can't wait to have him back. Anyways, Harry Potter is not my type." Narcissa replied throwing an arrogant smirk at Draco.

"Thank goodness for that," Draco said leaning back into the chair. Because of the chosen one's testimony, his mother and Draco had escaped the cold prison. But Lucius was sentenced to a 5-year period in Azkaban for the crimes he had committed in the name of Lord Voldemort. Harry Potter played a very crucial role in that. He claimed that because of Narcissa's simple lie, he was able to defeat the dark lord. Due to that, Malfoys were able to improve their tarnished name.

Draco picked a butter croissant from the breakfast tray, but his eyes fell on the big picture from today's edition of Daily Prophet. "No luck for Potter in finding her," he asked munching on the warm pastry.

"Nothing yet. It has been almost a year. Harry is leaving no stone unturned. He borrowed some books from the Library that specialize in location charms," she explained.

Draco simply nodded, his concentration on nothing but the crunchy pastry in his hand.

"He came here with Ginny yesterday to pick up Teddy. Such a lovely boy and Potter is so good with him. I'd tell you he would make a fine father," Narcissa continued.

"So when are the wedding bells for them?" Draco asked.

"He doesn't want to get married until he found her," Narcissa said taking the Daily Prophet into her hands. Her fingers were slowly tracing the outline of the girl's picture.

"So what is the real reason you called me here? I know about your Slytherin ways mother," Draco asked as he turned his attention on her totally.

"The other day I got into talking with Mrs. Greengrass," Draco groaned quite loudly at this turn of events. Narcissa threw a stern look at him but continued. "She was talking about Astoria and her interests in Potion making. She wants to take a tour of Malfoy industries. Who would be better than you for that? So I graciously offered your services. She is expecting you at her house this Sunday morning," Narcissa dumped all of it on Draco.

Draco was gaping at her.

"Do shut your mouth Draco. It is just a tour. Don't behave as if I am asking you to marry her," Narcissa chuckled.

Draco's eyes widened at his mother's cheeky comment.

"We are having a friendly quidditch match this weekend mother. I cannot take her," Draco said and tried to make a quick exit.

"Not so fast Draco. I am well aware of your match on Saturday. That's why I told her you would be meeting her on Sunday," she said and walked towards him swiftly. "I have never objected to your roam-around-the-world-on-broom trips, where you picked up all these muggle habits. You are doing this. At least that would take her off my back," Narcissa sighed.

Draco felt resigned. Narcissa had modified her ways after the war. She mended her broken bond with her sister. Through Andromeda and her grandson, she made an unusual friendship with Harry Potter. The chosen one sought her guidance in rebuilding his home that he inherited Sirius Black. From then her guidance extended to many other things. All the while the boy-who-lived was trying to fill the gap left behind by his best friend.

He turned towards her. He slowly gathered her into her arms and reassured her, "I will meet her on Sunday."

Narcissa nodded and moved back into the room giving Draco the opportunity to exit the room. "So will Potter join us this time?" Draco called over his shoulder.

When he did not receive an answer Draco turned around. He saw that she was busily penning down a letter with her quill. He chuckled and went off on his way just missing a small smile on his mother's face.

Rest of the week went off as usual, and soon the day of the Quidditch was here. He usually teamed up with Slytherins for a friendly match. But recently few Gryffindors started to make their way into their game. No thanks to his mother now Draco had to play host to the annoying Gryffindors.

"Malfoy," Potter greeted politely.

"Potter, Weaselette," Draco responded.

"You keep calling me that ferret, you can say goodbye to your family jewels," Ginny was as haughty as ever.

Ginny was always a safe bet. She responded with vigor every time Draco threw a remark. She showed the same spirit in the game too.

"Always a pleasure," Draco bowed.

Ginny shot a threatening glare at him and moved towards the pitch but Draco did not miss the slight amusement behind her eyes. Potter was looking happily at his girlfriend as she walked towards the pitch, as she owned it. Even among the Slytherins nobody dared to cross her. He could see Blaise already attempting to flirt with her, even though she did not give him the slightest attention.

Draco's attention snapped back to Potter. "So the weasel is not joining us today?"

"Ron's busy. He is tracking one of the missing death eaters," Potter replied walking towards the pitch.

"Not tracking Granger anymore?" Draco asked falling in step with Potter. Draco knew that was a sore topic between him and Ron. Their friendship took a big blow when Hermione Granger went missing. They searched for her frantically for few months. But when months passed by without any clue, Ron gave up and fell into work without any further thought. He never gave himself any free time to avoid the thoughts about a certain bushy haired Gryffindor. He took long and absurd missions spent days away from here.

Ron slowly seemed to have made peace with the fact that Granger was gone for good. Whenever he was in London, his mornings were spent in his work, while his evenings were spent at many of the pubs. Those evenings mostly ended with him being locked up with one of the girls he had picked up randomly for that day. That annoyed Potter the most. The small rift had been growing larger even with the interference of all the Weasleys. Although, the Malfoys stayed away from that altogether.

Potter never gave up. He still conducted anonymous searches. He went on tracing any clue about Granger. Even now when he was indulging himself in Quidditch, Draco could see the worry lines near his eyes.

"Draco, over here," Goyle called him swinging the beater bat with his arm.

Draco moved towards him as Potter went to the other side.

"You are with me and Weasley," Goyle said as Draco mounted his broom. Ginny soon joined him on her own broom after giving Potter a lingering kiss. Blaise looked ready to puke at the disgusting display. She paid no attention to him and gave a two-finger salute to Draco zooming off into the air.

Potter joined his other teammates. While he was the seeker, Blaise played the role of a Chaser leaving Adrain Pucey for the Beater's spot. As for Draco's team, Ginny was the chaser and Goyle was the beater. Draco took the role of a seeker. Since there were only six of them, the keeper position was also handled by the seekers. Thus another interesting game had begun.

Draco loved flying. That was one of his favorite activities. It gave him freedom. The cold rush of air through his hair, the wind battering his face and the mere facilitation his broom provided to go against the natural forces. The feeling is amazing. Draco felt on top of the world. He couldn't believe his own eyes as he spotted the fluttering little gold ball in his vision. Potter was busy defending the goal posts from his tenacious girlfriend. Draco dashed towards the snitch before Potter got a glimpse of it. His heart soared as his fingers closed on the tiny ball. He proclaimed his victory quite loudly showing off his prize. He felt like he was the most contented man on the earth.

And why not, he put his company on the top charts. He enjoyed his bachelor lifestyle without any commitments. And he had finally defeated Potter. What more could he want? Yes, Draco Malfoy was the happiest man on the earth.

"Look out Draco," Ginny yelled.

But it was too late. He heard a whoosh and a loud bang when the bludger made contact with his head. Draco saw stars, as his vision slowly turned dark and gravity called dibs on his falling body.