Build Me a Home
(Or, That Time the Weasleys and Hermione Learned Never to Barge In and Draco Gets to Boss Around Beefy Men)

There was something decidedly weird about Draco. For one, he was dressed in ratty clothing (ratty for him anyways, for the average person he would still have been dressed finely). Two, he was venturing through Muggle London like he had practice. As in, he had done this before. More than once. Draco Malfoy, he who hates all Muggles because they used to burn witches at the stake and other various misguided notions. The Draco Malfoy was leading him throughout Muggle London like he did it every day. Harry could feel his brain melt out his ears in shock, but totally not the point.

The point was Draco Malfoy knew how to navigate through Muggle London.

To a real estate office if the words on the frosted glass meant anything. For all he knew, to a wizard Muggle real estate really meant antique shop full of torture devices not used since the 1400s.

Harry gave his boyfriend a dubious look, but in his heart he was glad he had cancelled the day's plans with the Weasley family. Draco had obviously put effort into this and Harry didn't see the former Slytherin put a lot of effort in anything except completing his Potions Mastery. It was…exhilarating. It was like having a part of the old Draco from school back. He was so much more intense. The normally gray eyes almost equal to molten mercury now and all of it was focused on him just like how it used to be in school. He had missed feeling like he was Draco's universe.

"Mr. Malfoy!" a cheery woman with streaked gray hair greeted them. "I've been looking forward to seeing you again. And I see you've taken my suggestion on wearing shabbier clothes." Harry wondered how she could say that with a straight face. Maybe she had seen Draco looking "nice?" "Where we're going we're going to get dirty."

"Never doubt the word of a professional," Draco smiled back politely. "If I may introduce my partner, Harry Potter. Harry, this Melinda Warren, our new real estate agent."

Surprised, Harry shook the woman's hand. The lack of a spark in her eyes at the mention of his name reinforced his belief that this woman was just a Muggle. How had this happen? And what did Draco hope to accomplish by bringing him here? People didn't normally go to real estate offices for dates, did they?

"Pleasure to meet you ma'am," Harry said automatically. Manners had been ingrained in him almost as long as they had been ingrained in Draco. His just weren't as snooty.

"Call me Melinda," Melina smiled. "We're going to be spending quite a while together, I assure you Mr. Potter."

"Then please, call me Harry," Harry returned demurely.

Draco smiled slightly at him and Harry felt himself grow hot under his shirt. When had been the last time Draco looked so pleased? Guilt ate away at him and for the first time, Harry wondered how broken their relationship had been before that support group. He couldn't even recall the last time they had gone out together and fuck, Draco had been able to get used to Muggles and London and Harry hadn't even noticed. Worry and guilt made his stomach flip and he vowed to give the other man more attention. Harry should at least be able to tell when Draco left the apartment...

"Not a problem, Harry." Melinda shuffled a few papers around her desk and picked up five thick manila folders. "Now, Mr. Malfoy—"

"Draco," he interrupted.

"What a delightful name," the woman said with a touch of awe and Harry swore Draco preened. "I wanted to name my son Leo, but my husband named him Wyatt when the nurse put me under some asthenia." She got back on track with a shake of her head. "Anyways, I was thinking we could see five places today and then another five next week? Would that be acceptable?"

"Think you can get the time off?" Draco asked Harry.

Harry got the impression Draco was asking him so much more than he thought he was. Although Draco was a former Slytherin, he was still a Slytherin, veiled meanings and questions dashed with surliness. Harry considered the question with gallons of paranoia and believed he may have figured out what Draco was asking but not asking: Can you get the time off work and from your friends?

The decision wasn't a hard one to make.

"Consider it done," Harry agreed.

"Wonderful," Melinda beamed. Harry realized he had been out of the Muggle world for a long time now, but when had they gotten so…perky? Or was that just Melinda? "Let's go to the car gentlemen and we'll be on our way."

"What did you think?" Melinda asked, gesturing towards the house and yard. Her sleeve was covered in God only knew what because Harry certainly hadn't wanted to.

"It was nice?" Harry asked bemused. His inner Aunt Petunia was screeching in his ear even now to get burn the damn thing down and start from scratch. He gently tried to hush her so he wouldn't insult Melinda. She seemed too nice to sic an imagined version of his aunt on.

"It was a piece of shit," Draco snorted in amusement. Sadly, Draco didn't have a problem with saying whatever the hell he wanted. One of the many reasons he loved the other man.

Really.

Most of the time.

And he was right, the house was horrible. His inner Aunt Petunia cooed at Draco for voicing the thought she never would say through her mouth or Harry's own. Life was unfair like that. The house, or maybe more appropriately named cottage, looked like a hard wind would blow it over if the pond and stream that had gotten out of control in the backyard didn't try flooding it first. The yard consisted of weeds that ruled what should have been green and lush like evil warlords. That had been the outside and already Harry's inner gardener was crying while Aunt Petunia sneered. When Melinda showed them inside, it was worse. The wood was rotten and it looked like termites had gotten into pieces and then gave up half way through the job. It was dusty and dirty and Harry really, really didn't want to go upstairs but Draco was already five steps up and had sent him that smirk (smirk number three, "I dare you"). So, Harry had trudged up the stairs wishing for a full body protective charm or maybe some bleach and rubber gloves. He kept his hands pointedly away from his wand, finding his hands naturally drawn there to stop the creaking floors from collapsing.

The cottage had two bedrooms upstairs plus a bathroom with missing fixtures. "Porcelain must've been worth some money," Draco commented dryly.

"At least this one has all the door knobs." Melinda said.

Downstairs had another bedroom, a sitting room and a kitchen. Harry couldn't help but notice with some squeamishness the snake skin on the floor. A snake, a growing snake meant there was a source of food nearby which meant rodents. Aunt Petunia promptly suggested he burn the cottage down before bugs could come from the wood work and kill them.

Harry was about to scold his boyfriend and then he saw the smirk on Draco's lip (smirk number five, "I think I'm so God damn clever") and knew he was missing the bigger picture but for the life of him, he couldn't figure it out. Damn Slytherins and their need for subtly.

"Okay, it was pretty run down. Maybe we should move on to the next place?" Harry wiped his feet on the dead grass so he wouldn't track in too much dust and grime into Melinda's car.

Melinda's and Draco's shared glance did not escape the budding Auror but he didn't know why they had done it. Those wankers. Aunt Petunia gave a sigh of relief and then they caught sight of the next house.

The property line was distinctively marked by a large stone wall with moss growing on it. Harry approved and was optimistic about this venture. Maybe this house would be better than the last one. Everything was so green. Absently, Harry thought they must get a lot of rain.

Then he saw the inside of the house and nearly ran into Draco trying to walk right back out.

Water stains were everywhere and Harry could see mold growing in most of the wood. If that wasn't a mushroom growing in the corner of the room, Harry had a feathered boa in his closet at home. The floors were wet and Aunt Petunia was demanding in his head if someone had let an unruly child fill the house with water like it was a pool.

"Come on, Potter," Draco said with false joy and Draco may not be smirking but he sounded like he really, really wanted to and Harry wanted to really, really hit him. "Where's that courage you lions boast about?"

"You're a Leo?" Melinda asked from behind Draco.

"Erm," and how was Harry supposed to answer that?

"Yes, he is." Draco said and pushed Harry further into the house so she could join them in the sitting room.

"This house is bigger than the first one in terms of size." Melinda began. "This house has a basement that I'm afraid is, um, flooded at the moment. Downstairs has a kitchen that with some counters would look very nice, a dining room and library in the back which leads out to the backyard. There are four bedrooms upstairs and an attic. There's holes in the ceiling roof which I'm afraid has damaged the floors of the second level and all the windows should be replaced – the wind broke the glass years ago."

They're insane, Harry thought weakly. They wanted him to walk into a death trap full of rat droppings, mold and weak floorboards. Insane. He was an Auror and not even then did he have to put up with this much grime. And Draco seriously wanted to buy a house like this? It would take weeks of cleaning and repairing, if not months. It was like they were purposely baiting him by showing him all these terrible houses and oh. Something clicked in his head and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Melinda and Draco.

"We're not going to buy a house are we?" Harry demanded of the now completely innocent looking duo.

"What do you mean Harry?" Draco asked with a touch too much innocence. Malfoys were never innocent. Ever. Rule #32 in the Auror handbook. Look it up.

"We're going to be buying a work in progress." Harry scowled slightly.

"You were right," Melinda turned to Draco with surprise. "I didn't think he'd figure it out until at least the next house."

"He's in law enforcement." Draco grinned mischievously.

"You're a prat." Harry declared and turned away. Inside, his inner Aunt Petunia and his quaking heart calmed because Draco had planned it. Draco didn't seriously want to buy a rundown, falling apart house. He wanted to buy something to rebuild. "Wait for it," Draco said with amusement but to Harry it felt like his voice was far away. He was still missing something…

"We're going to be rebuilding a house?" Harry asked somewhat stupidly.

"And understanding hits." Draco proclaimed smugly.

Melinda giggled.

"But why?" Harry spluttered. "We have the uh," he cast a look at Melinda. "houses from our parents."

"Yes, but those are Potter and Malfoy "houses,"" Draco rolled his eyes. "Not a Harry and Draco house. Think of it as investment into our future."

"Okay," Harry responded still somewhat shell shocked. Who knew Draco could use his evil Slytherin powers for good?

The next week was spent at the ministry and following up a report about necromancy in a village in Scotland. It ended up being a dud. Only a gang of teenagers using basic levitation spells to make dead animals appear living to scare the locals had been in Scotland. In that same week, Draco managed to explode the experimental potion he had been working on for his Master thesis. The lab he usually worked out of would be closed for the next month to clean it out. Draco refused to comment on what he was working on, but the people at the lab shuddered and moaned that it'd take weeks to bet the magic induced liquid from the walls. Harry heard rumors from his coworkers and whatever Draco had been messing with had caused a bunch of freak accidents to occur within the vicinity. Harry didn't even want to know. Together, they had gone with Melinda to six more houses, an extra being thrown in due to the owner dying, before finally settling on one.

They decided on one of the first houses they saw with the pond in the back and large yard. They had decided on the house because as Draco said, it was an investment into their future together. Harry had timidly offered knowledge about his childhood and how he used to garden. Draco absently said that he had loved exploring the manor's many gardens in his childhood. Together, they decided the yard would be a grace to any children they have in the future. Other prospects about the house both men found pleasing where the large rooms and open spaces. Harry could still recall tight spaces and unequal treatment and didn't want any family member of his to think they were being slighted by getting the "small" room. Draco admitted the basement would work perfectly for his own personal lab if they fortified the walls and foundation in case of an explosion. They began to sign the paperwork with Melinda and her office a week later and Harry was dare he say it? Happier than he had been in probably his whole life.

He finally belonged. Someone wanted him. Life was fantastic.

"You made dinner?" Harry asked somewhat doubtfully.

They currently lived in a tiny apartment in the city and the smells coming from the apartment made his mouth water. He was starving from chasing belligerent kids around the damn countryside. He had been fully expecting to make dinner because Draco simply couldn't. The man had been raised with house elves and despite his brilliance with potions; Draco couldn't fix a meal to save his life. He found the spices and flavors in the kitchen too curious and added the weirdest spices to foods. Harry liked cinnamon and all, but he didn't necessarily want to eat it with spaghetti. Potions required some creativity that Draco had in abundance. Harry didn't really want that creativity in his food.

Speaking of Draco, Harry let his look the man up and down. It never ceased to startle Harry he was allowed to look. In their seventh year, Draco had stopped slicking his hair back and letting it stay loose. But he also started keeping it shorter. Harry hadn't known why until Neville, after noticing the appraising glances he'd give Malfoy, explained. Malfoy had given up the traditional long hair pureblood wizards preferred when they became heads of their family lines. It was a statement that ever pureblood wizard who still followed the customs would take as a declaration of Change (yes, capitals necessary, it was THE change) in the Malfoy family. Harry rather thought it had been an improvement. It made him look less of a bastard and a lot less sick.

Draco gave him a look that called Harry nine types of idiot. "I ordered take out from that Indian place you like."

Harry hid his surprise. Draco was venturing out into Muggle London more willingly than ever. He wondered if it had to do with the fact the blonde was bored. Usually he spent all his free time at the potion labs but since they were closed….

"Oh," Harry said and smiled. He chucks off his robes and throws them into the hall on top of a dirty clothes pile. "I'm going to change. I smell like a dead cat."

"I'm not even going to ask." Draco responded rolling his eyes.

"Probably good idea if you wanted to actually be able to eat." Harry grinned.

Rummaging through their closet, he settled on a simple tee shirt and agonized over sweats or jeans. Would this be considered a date if they didn't leave the apartment? Shrugging, he went with the sweats because if he knew Draco, jeans would be harder to take off later.

Dinner was good and Harry's high from the goodness of their relationship increased. Dr. Anders had been right. Communication was good. They're communication though, Harry was beginning to realize, wasn't in their words. It was in their actions and he felt kind of stupid for never having realized it before. He had already been with Draco for almost three years and he was just learning how to read his boyfriend. What did that say about him exactly? All the things Harry used to wonder about with frustration were now crystal clear to him. Draco's mood corresponded with his success at his potions and Harry's own moods and wasn't that startling to realize that Harry was in almost constant state of stress. After cutting back on his workload and time with his friends and spending more time at home, the stress in Harry's shoulders decreased as did Draco's.

It wasn't that Harry didn't love his job or friends. He really did. But you could love something and still get tired of it. His job demanded a high level of physical strength, magical strength and concentration to minute details. It was no wonder that with working forty hour weeks plus being on call he was a little stressed on the verge of being burnt out. Ron and Hermione were his greatest friends and he loved them to pieces. They kept him alive so many times now, but their arguments had not decreased with getting engaged. If anything, they increased and Harry often found himself in between them. He felt like a child in a horrendous custody battle at times. Other times, they made Harry run messages between the two when Ron or Hermione would threaten to leave the other. It made Harry wonder if they were really meant for each other. Maybe they would happier with other people?

Kissing Draco was better than anything else Harry had ever done. There were so many different types of kisses they had between them. Soft and gentle for the days made for love making. Hurried and desperate for the days one of them came too close to dying. Sensual and teasing for the days they were feeling playful. Sad and lingering when one of them had to leave for a few days. There were so many to classify and Harry loved it. He really should have known the blonde was more of a show 'em than tell 'em kind of guy. He had been a Slytherin and most Slytherins believed love was a weakness to exploit. Harry should have seen the love and concern Draco had for him in the other's actions.

One of the things Harry hated? Being interrupted when things were just getting good.

"Oh sweet Merlin!"

"Harry!"

"My eyes!"

"Well, this is awkward."

"We should have owled ahead."

Harry agreed with his foster father, Arthur Weasley who was staring at the ceiling like the bumpy surface was the most interesting thing he had ever seen. He could relate. He was sitting on his couch underneath Draco who had been diligently working on removing his clothing. Harry had always been impatient and already had Draco's shirt off and had been working on the buttons of his slacks.

Flushing in embarrassment, Harry looked around his disappointed boyfriend and saw Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Ginny, Ron and Hermione all staring with their mouths open, except for Ginny who was eyeing Draco's bare chest like it was something yummy she wanted to lick. Harry openly scowled at her and glared. Mine, he mouthed. She shrugged and gave him an impish smile.

"Could you please make yourself decent?" Hermione snapped at the blonde still on top of Harry. Oh boy.

"Why? It's my apartment." Draco said sitting him, straddling Harry's waist.

"You have guests, you rude berk," Hermione glared, her hands on her hips. Harry absently wondered if she had an inner Mrs. Weasley or if her mother was just a lot like the Weasley matriarch.

"You weren't invited." Draco retorted, still not moving. Harry looked towards the ceiling again and would swear up and down he could see the Mona Lisa in the dots if it meant his "guests" would leave. He knew he shouldn't have installed the fireplace. He knew it.

"Oh but how I wish I was," Ginny said from Hermione's side licking her lips.

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley said appalled. Her daughter smiled sweetly and most assuredly falsely.

"How could anyone want to see that?" Ron asked properly horrified.

"I don't know it doesn't look like Harry was complaining." He hadn't been ten minutes ago that's for sure. Harry thought dryly.

"I told you, you should have nipped Harry's obsession with Draco in the bud sixth year! But nooo. Ron is stupid and doesn't know what he's talking about well now we walked on them nearly having sex! Now who's stupid?" Ron shouted at his fiancée.

"How dare you?" Hermione shouted back. "It's not like you did anything to stop it! You were always with that harlot Lavender."

"She wasn't a harlot, she was a nice girl!"

What happened next was a lot like bedlam erupting. Molly Weasley began to raise her voice lecturing the two men on the couch with mused hair and missing clothing, but Hermione's outraged screaming drowned her out while Ginny interjected her own amused comments, fueling the upset mother and girlfriend.

Bending down, Draco whispered into his ear and Harry suppressed his pleased shudders. "They always like that?"

"Just about." Harry agreed, enjoying the warmth of his breath. "You see the look on Arthur's face? That's his if 'I ignore this it'll all go away' look. Ron has one too. Look." Harry felt him shift so he could get a look of Ron.

"I don't understand. Granger is screaming and he's just taking it."

"Ron learned a long time ago you have to surprise Hermione because everything outside of the first barb doesn't exist." Harry shrugged and grabbed his boyfriend down. "He mostly ignores her. He's good at. I mean look at his mum."

"Huh," Draco said with some thoughtful consideration before deciding Harry's neck looked like more fun than the chaos next to their fireplace.

"I'll catch you later, okay Harry?" Ginny shouted over the din. "I'm getting my dad out of here before you guys traumatize him anymore than you've already have."

Harry made the classic shooing symbol with his hand, already busy with other things. He could only hope she'd take the other three with her or they'd get the hint and leave. He was not installing Floo at their new house. They could knock on the door like normal people. Damn them.

"I've done everything for you and this is how you thank me? By blaming me for the fact Harry's gay for Malfoy! God, you're an insensitive jackass!" And on and on Hermione went.

Thankfully, Molly Weasley seemed to believe lecturing her daughter on proper lady like behavior was next on her agenda because she was gone. Harry decided putting a sound barrier around their room would be a better plan than having sex in full view of Hermione and Ron.

Even if they deserved getting an eyeful for fighting and breaking into his apartment.

His next meeting with Hermione occurred at a teashop the girl loved because it was near her school. Harry also got the impression she also liked it because of the guy who made the pastries behind the counter. Not that Harry would ever say anything even if she was flirting with the guy. It wasn't his problem and it wasn't like he told her when Ron hit the waitresses when they went out. He sort of hoped they would begin seeing other people already. Sadly, they didn't care what he wanted and had set the wedding day for August fourteenth.

"Ron tells me you and Malfoy are buying a house together." Harry sighed inaudible at the disapproving tone. He mournfully put the cupcake he had been about to eat down. No way he would be able to enjoy it now.

"Yes, we are."

"I think that's completely irresponsible of you two." Hermione frowned rather darkly. "You never use to splurge on money like this Harry. Think of all the good that money could do if you donated it to a charity or hospital!" Harry barely resisted rolling his eyes. "Malfoy's changed you Harry, and not for the better. You already have a house. You don't need to waste money buying another."

"Are you done?" He asked. "Good, because I don't really care what you think I should do with my money. It's my money, and I'm going to spend on something that makes me happy. Draco's parents still live at the manor, Potter Manor is a wreck, I don't know anyone who would willingly stay at Grimmauld place and our apartment is getting cramped – and lacks security." He looked at her pointedly and she blushed slightly remembering the previous week. "Both our jobs demand more space and we're thinking about our future needs as well."

"Then just fix up Potter Manor." Hermione said. "You don't need to buy a house to fix a house up to Malfoy's needs."

"Hermione, if you're going to act like this then I'm leaving." Harry said with irritation, the insult towards Draco not unheeded. He softened. "I love you, I really do. You're one of my best friends and like my sister, but you have to let me live my life the way I want to."

He gave her a sad look and put some bills on the table to cover his tab and left her, knowing Hermione would have to come to her own conclusions instead of following his words. One of the things that made her wonderful, she needed back up information. But when it concerned her friends, it was annoying because human emotions could not be controlled by reason or logic.

A few days later, Harry's request for two weeks off was approved. His mini vacation coincided with Draco's forced leave from the potion labs so they could begin planning and remolding the house they had picked. They had already decided the hardest parts (if you asked Harry anyways) by picking the different colors of paint (blue, red, green, purple and yellow) and counter tops and other fixtures. After staring at the floors, the two men decided to simply redo all the wood floors and rip up the carpet throughout the house. Honestly, who put carpet in a bathroom? That was asking for trouble. They settled on a slightly looking worn wood that made Harry think of country houses and chickens. Melinda stopped in on them once and Harry had to call in a favor with the Ministry when she caught them in the middle of performing complex painting charms (the original plan had been to forgo all magical means, until they had tried painting the first room by hand and it got everywhere but on the walls).

They had finally stopped working on the house for a lunch Harry premade at their apartment when they received guests.

"Hey, Harry, I figured you could use some help." Ginny called cheerfully in greeting.

"And what? You decided to call up your harem of boy toys?" Draco asked arching an eyebrow.

She grinned foxily at the blonde and Harry's heart swelled and remembered why he loved this girl as his sister too. His favorite sister this week by the way. "Yes. These are my boyfriends Guillermo, Crowe, Nathan and you both know Colin."

"Hi, Harry," the sandy blonde said helpfully.

"You aren't kidding?" Draco asked stunned.

Harry could relate. Dating four people at once and them being okay with that? Ginny must be some sort of love goddess.

"You only live once."Ginny smirked. "And I plan on living it up."

"With big beefy men?" Draco asked for clarification.

"Yup." She nodded happily.

"Right," Draco nodded eyeing Ginny's boyfriends appraisingly. "You guys get those muscles honestly? If so we need to rip up the floor boards in the front half of the house still and remove the countertops."

They grunted and did as Draco bid and Harry got the impression Draco was having fun bossing people around. Harry was just happy it wasn't him.

"Do they all share the same brain, Weaslette?" Draco demanded over his shoulder when the only noises two of them seemed capable of making were grunts.

"Sort of!" Ginny shouted at his disappearing back.

Harry and her watched them all leave in amusement. Only after everyone had left the kitchen did she look at Harry with a single eyebrow raised. "Well?" Hecould hear Draco direct the biggest of the four to the bathroom and telling him what to do before a horrendous screech ripped through the air.

"Well what?" Harry demanded and tried not to pout. The day had been going so well…

"I heard from Hermione Draco is corrupting you with his spoiled ways." She gave him a look only achievable by females and Draco. "Well?"

"He's not." Harry scowled. "I chose to do this because I'm investing in our future. I want to be with him for the rest of my life. I wish you guys could understand that." He sighed heavily in frustration.

"Harry? I just brought my boyfriends over to help you guys out. Trust me. I'm on your side." She rolled her eyes. "I got the biggest lecture about being a tease from mum and Hermy before I told them I was seeing them all. I get it and I respect your decision to live with Drakey. I just wanted to make sure it was for the right reasons." She smiled. "You look happier."

"I am happier." Harry said softly and smiled slightly at her. "The happiest I've ever been."

"Then that's all that matters." Ginny said simply. "The others will come around. Just give them time."

Harry smiled at her advice and resolved to follow it, especially when Draco came back into the kitchen for his lunch and kissed Harry.

Nothing mattered except their happiness.

Melinda Warren is from Charmed, she's their ancestor and founder of their magical line. I thought it'd be funny to have another super legendary magical being in the HP universe. I hope the Weasley walking in scene didn't disappoint. :) This chapter was rough. (The only ones that will be harder are going to be the Puzzleshipping one and possibly Spirk.) It would not come out for the longest time and I wanted to strangle it. But I got it! :) I tried making Harry more independent but at the same time valuing his relationships. I'm not sure it really came off the way I wanted to, but it's a start. :) And I gave Ginny a harem because I took her Harry away and decided to make it up to her.

A line that got cut out but I love: "We either traumatized him (Arthur Weasley) or he's pulling the, if I ignore you all this won't be real tactic. Ron knows how to do it really well. See how their eyes glaze when Hermione and Molly start screaming?" Harry whispered in Draco's ear.

Thank you for reading and reviewing! :)