A Very Public Affair

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Summary: Have you heard the latest? Don't tell anyone but … Exposed: Pureblood in baby battle! Suddenly, Harry was the latest Prophet gossip: the boy who'd had an affair with Draco Malfoy, the notorious pureblood…

Pairings: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley/Blaise Zabini

Categories: Romance, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Alternate Universe (AU)

Author's note: Thank you to all for reviewing and I do apologise for the long delay in updating. I have been studying abroad in China for university and am only now about to return home.

Status: Un-betaed

Chapter Four

The auctioneer brought his hammer down for the last lot and Harry jerked back to an awareness of his surroundings. Hastily he joined in the applause when the amount raised was announced. People had been very generous; the charity had done well. He saw Draco walkover to one of the cashiers, a bag of galleons in his hand, and fleetingly wondered what he had bought; he'd been too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice. But his main concern now was to leave as quickly as possible, before Draco had a chance to approach him again.

Already there was a queue at the cloakroom for coats. Harry stood in line, impatiently tapping his foot, and retrieved his at last. He turned to hurry away but his best friend, Ron Weasley, there with his wife Hermione, stopped him and asked him to have lunch the following week. Harry accepted and got away as quickly as he could. But he was too late. Draco was waiting by the entrance, a coldly determined set to his face. When he saw him Harry stopped, then turned to go back inside.

"Running away again?" Draco said scathingly. "You seem to make a habit of it."

"What I do is no business of yours," Harry retorted icily.

"But that's where you're wrong." Stepping forward, Draco took his arm in a vice-like grip. "It seems that you're very much my concern." And he led Harry past the crowds through to a side-door where with a sharp pull he brought Harry up flush against his chest.

"Do you always go around being this high-handed?" Harry demanded angrily, uncomfortably aware that some other guests had followed him out and had seen them together. That little titbit would, he supposed bitterly, all the gossip columns tomorrow.

Draco brought out his wand and whispered a quiet Muffliato for privacy and without a thought a quick Expelliarmus to ensure Harry stayed. It was the first time he'd managed to get Harry alone and he'd meant to be reasonable, but all he could feel was anger at the way Harry had deceived him. "I have tried every way possible to talk to you," he said shortly. "If you persist in refusing then I'm left with no alternative."

"But I don't want to talk to you. And I insist you let me go."

"You know I'm not going to, so why say it?"

Harry laughed acidly. "Yes, I suppose it is too much to hope that you'd ever behave with any consideration for anyone other than your egotistical self."

Harry's bitterness took him aback. Draco's eyes narrowed as he realised he had more to deal with here then he'd thought. After a moment he said, "Have you eaten yet? How about going somewhere for supper?"

"No."

"No to which?"

Harry turned on him, his eyes full of antagonism. "No to anything and everything you say. I want nothing to do with you."

Draco was not used to being talked to so rudely. His lips thinned and he said, "Isn't it a bit late for that?"

Harry flushed and turned away, not wanting to be reminded of the night he'd spent with him. He'd been trying not to look at Draco directly, but it was hard not to remember the powerful body that was under the immaculate dress robes, a body perfect in its masculinity. Yet again he wondered about Draco's ex-wife, why they'd divorced. But that was nothing to do with him; he'd had enough to concentrate on in keeping Draco from James.

Draco was trying to work out how to play it. Harry's flushed cheeks told him that he was still sensitive about their lovemaking, which surprised him; it had been so long ago. And just for that one night. But maybe Harry was entitled to be sensitive, as it had resulted in him having a child. With his voice more gentle, Draco said, "Why didn't you tell me about James?"

Harry's eyes, a beautiful emerald green, he noticed, flashed fire at him again. "James is nothing to do with you."

"He is according to his birth certificate," he replied evenly.

"You had no right to look that up, to go prying into my life."

"You had no right to keep his existence from me," Draco returned shortly.

Harry hesitated, then thought that he would do anything to keep James away from him. So he said, "Actually-what I put on the certificate wasn't true. I-I don't know who his real father is. There were a couple-a few men around at the time. But I had to give some name, so I just picked yours out of thin air. But he definitely isn't yours," he added for good measure.

For a moment Draco was astonished Harry would cheapen himself in this way but then recognized it for the desperate try that it was. "The dates fit," he pointed out. "And a blood test would prove whether or not I am his father,"

"I won't let you or anyone else touch my son," Harry said fiercely.

"The law will insist on it."

Draco saw that Harry was very tense, his face white and his hands clenched into tight fists. At his most persuasive, he said, "I don't mean James and harm, you know."

Raising his eyes to meet Draco's, Harry said forcefully, "You would ruin his life-as you ruined mine!" with his heart full of resentment, Harry couldn't resist asking, "What made you take so long to sell your godfather's old place?"

"I'm not selling it. I'm just having the contents valued for insurance purposes. I didn't specifically ask for you to do the valuation, if that's what your thinking. I just asked Saint Mungo's to recommend an expert to look over some of the books. If you remember," he added with some irony, "you never told me your real surname."

So it was nemesis, Harry thought with deep chagrin. Just cruel fate that had caught up with him and dealt him yet another blow.

At the sounds of voices at the door, Draco pulled Harry to him and with a turn apparated them away.

With a start Harry flinched in Draco's hold as they both came to a standstill. With surprise Harry saw that they were outside his own building. But if Draco thought he was going to invite him in he was crazy. Harry rounded on him. "Look, I've already told you I want nothing to do with you. I'm not going to talk to you. If you insist on bringing this stupid lawsuit then I can't stop you, it seems. But I refuse to discuss it."

"Well that's a shame because I'm not leaving until we have. And we can talk either here or in your place-suit yourself."

"If you don't let go of me I'll have you arrested for assault," Harry threatened.

Draco shrugged. "That should look good in the papers."

Harry's face tightened at that and Draco could almost have felt sympathy for him if he hadn't been so determined to get what he wanted-and by now he didn't much care how. He'd had his chance to meet him on a reasonable level. He must have fire-called, owled and gone personally to the flat about thirty times, but Harry had flatly refused to even listed. So now he must take the consequences.

They gazed at each other, each determined not to give way. But then a couple of cars pulled into the forecourt, carrying other tenants of the flats. Taking instant advantage of it, Draco held out Harry's wand and said, "Do you want them to see us standing here quarrelling?"

Harry took his wand back with an annihilating look at Draco, and went to the entry panel where he pressed his wand against the button for his flat and the door opened. He lived on the third floor. Reluctantly Harry led the way there. Draco had let go his iron grip on Harry's arm but was close behind, watchful, alert in case he tried to give him the slip.

Remus opened the door for Harry, timing it perfectly as he always did so that he didn't have to ring the bell. Harry took some satisfaction in seeing Draco's eyebrows rise. He'd probably been expecting a young female au pair or a house elf-definitely not an older man with graying light brown hair and shabby but clean clothes who was giving him the critical once-over.

Harry smiled at Remus. "Everything OK?"

"Perfectly fine."

He was still looking at Draco with interest but Harry didn't introduce them. "Hang around for a while, will you, please Moony? This-person won't be staying long."

Remus nodded and went into the kitchen.

Leading the way into the sitting room, Harry shut the door, then turned to Draco. "All right, so you're here. What do you want?"

Draco looked at him for a moment, sensitive to the antagonism in Harry's voice, in the way he looked at him-even in the way he stood, so slim and defiant. But he hadn't come to threaten him-and he certainly hadn't come to beg. So keeping his voice casual, he said, "Could I have a drink? A whisky, if you have it?"

Harry hesitated for a moment, not wanting him to stay, not even wanting to offer him any hospitality, but then crossed to a drinks tray resting on a sideboard and poured him a firewhisky and soda.

Harry had his back to him, so Draco was unable to watch him openly. He remembered that he'd been very thin when they'd made love, his body half-starved from the way he'd been living rough. But he'd been full of fire and passion so intense that it had amazed him then and he could remember it now. Harry was still slim, but his figure was rounded in the right places-perhaps because he'd had a child. But was he still as passionate behind the cold face he turned towards him when he handed the drink?

"You seem to have changed a lot since we first met," he remarked. "Now you're very self assured, independent. I suppose that comes from having to bring up James by yourself. I'm sorry that you had to bear all the responsibility alone. If I'd known I would certainly have-"

"Have what?" Harry interrupted tersely. "Written out a cheque?"

His chin hardening a little, Draco said, "I would certainly have wanted to help you in any way I could yes. Financially, or in-"

Harry gave a harsh laugh. "You seem to forget-you gave me a cheque at the time so you paid in advance!"

Draco suckered in his breath. So that was it! Vaguely he remembered how upset Harry had been when he'd tried to help him. But his godfather's death had been weighing on his mind. And, yes, he'd felt damned guilty about taking the boy although he'd been willing enough. The classic 'morning after' syndrome. And maybe giving him money had been an attempt to assuage that guilt. But it was amazing to see that he still resented it after all these years. Slowly, feeling his way, he said, "Is that why you didn't tell me about James?"

"James is mine. You were-incidental." Deliberately Harry belittled him. He wanted Draco to leave, hating the way he'd been coerced into this conversation and afraid that at any moment he would ask to see James.

Draco gave a short laugh. Putting down his glass, he went over to where one of James' toy trucks lay in the corner. Squatting down he picked it up, apparently only interested in seeing how it tipped up and the doors opened. But then he glanced up at Harry and his voice was very cold. "But I do not intend to be just 'incidental' any longer."

With dismay Harry saw that he'd only stiffened Draco's resolve, and suddenly his voice rose in anger as he said hotly, "If you'd had children of your own, from your marriage, then you wouldn't have cared less about James! If I'd told you and you'd given me money then, it would only have been for an abortion! You wouldn't-"

He broke off as Draco straightened and strode to confront him. Standing over Harry, and suddenly seeming immensely tall and powerful, he said curtly, "How the hell do you know what I would or wouldn't have done? If I had a dozen children James would still be precious to me. But you have denied me my only son. I've lost the first five years of his life! But I'm not going to let you keep me from him any longer."

Harry squared up to him, refusing to be intimidated, a lioness protecting his cub. "You keep away from him. We don't need you. We never have and we never will." His voice rose. "Now get out! Just get out of my home!"

Draco reached out as if to get hold of Harry and shake him, his jaw thrusting with anger, but the door opened and Remus came in. "You'll wake the boy," he said reprovingly. "Do you want him to hear you quarrelling over him like this?"

Balling his fists, Draco strove to control his rage. "Who's he?" he demanded.

"A friend, he helps look after James" Harry returned shortly.

Draco stared at him in disbelief, then turned and strode towards the door. There he turned and said curtly, "I meant what I said-I intend to be a part of James' life, and if I have to fight you to get that, then I'll do whatever it takes."

His face white, Harry said, "Don't you dare threaten me."

But when he'd gone Harry's legs seemed to lose their strength, and if Remus hadn't grabbed him he would have fallen. Trembling, he leaned against his shoulder. "Oh, Merlin, Remus, what am I going to do? He'll take James away from me! I know he will."

Outside on the pavement Draco banged his clenched fist against the wall, furious with himself for having lost his temper, and even more furious with Harry for having goaded him into it. He hadn't meant to threaten him and he'd ended up doing that very thing. Instead of getting access to James by negotiation, he would now have to fight for it, with Harry probably pouring poison about him into the boy's ears.

He could have returned home, but instead he decided to take a walk while thinking over his meeting with Harry. His anger made him stride out, and he'd reached the corner when he happened to glance back, just in time to see the older man Harry had referred to as a friend coming out of the flats. Without hesitation, Draco cast a non-verbal disillusionment charm, and then followed the man as he headed in the other direction.

He didn't have to trail him very far; within five minutes his quarry turned into the entrance of a large old Victorian building only a couple of streets away. Draco gave him time to get inside and then went to look at the building more closely. At the side of the door was a notice: Werewolf Support Services. Draco gasped in astonishment. Good grief! Harry was using a werewolf to look after his only son! His jaw hardened with renewed resolve; no way was he going to allow this to go on. And what he'd just learned would certainly help his case, he realised with grim satisfaction. No judge in his right mind would refuse him access to James, or even his upbringing, after this.