FLATMATES. NOT BOYFRIENDS.

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.

Harry Potter is the love of Draco's life. This is a fact that Draco struggles with nearly every day.

The trouble with being in love with someone the Ministry appoints for Draco to live with is that Draco could never actually tell Harry how he feels. And he feels it a lot.

He never refers to Harry as his flatmate, although it is exactly what he is.

During their eighth year of required Muggle Studies, Draco and Harry became partners. Even though Harry spoke on Draco's behalf at the Trials, Draco was still required to do a six-month probation in the Muggle world. He had to get a Muggle flat. A Muggle job. And, he wasn't allowed to perform any type of magic for the six months. Thankfully, his Muggle Studies partner volunteered to accompany him as his "supervisor" for the project.

Therefore, Harry isn't just Draco's flatmate, he's also Draco's project supervisor. A Ministry appointed supervisor.

Draco is sure that Harry will probably be horrified if he knows how Draco feels, so Draco keeps it all to himself. Because he needs this. He needs a project supervisor, and he needs Harry (even just as a flatmate).

For their first assignment to prepare Draco for his Muggle life, Harry accompanies Draco as they go purchase a bed together. The flat comes furnished, but Draco insists he needs a new one. Muggle shopping for beds is a good adventure. He pretends that he and Harry are together, they lay on the mattresses together in shops, and Harry negotiates the price with the sales-clerk as if it's not Draco's bed, but their bed.

Draco smiles to himself and lets Harry do all the talking. The salesclerk doesn't need to know that Harry isn't going to sleep on the bed. She doesn't need to flirt with Harry more than she already is.

Part of his probation is also utilising the Muggle form of mail. Instead of owls, Draco sends the letters to the Ministry via what's considered "snail mail," and the Ministry sends the letters off via owls. It's a highly long and boring process, but Draco puts up with it.

Draco takes upon himself the task of informing all their friends about their new address. He writes up post cards and addresses them to his friends and Harry's friends with their address in Muggle London. At the bottom of it, he writes, "With love, Harry and Draco," because, after all, they do live together.

0++-++0

Draco goes on dates. He meets Muggles at pubs and they ask for his mobile number, which he's acquired with Harry's help. He gives it to them, because he thinks it's customary for Muggles to exchange such information.

Not everyone rings him, but much to Draco's surprise, many do, and they ask him out for dinner. They are all mostly polite, but they are all definitely scared of Harry.

Draco likes that about them.

"I don't think your flatmate likes me very much," Jacob tells Draco one evening when they are walking back to Draco's flat from a pub.

"Why do you say that?" Draco asks, confused. There is no reason for Harry to like or dislike Draco's dates.

"He shook my hand so firmly, I thought he was going to yank it off my shoulder," Jacob says, rubbing his arm.

Draco doesn't remember that, and then realises that he was still in his bedroom getting ready when Jacob had introduced himself to Harry.

"I think you're overreacting," Draco says and of course, hopes for the opposite.

When Draco gets home from the date, Harry barely shows any interest in his stories. Draco chalks it off to fatigue and returns to his bedroom. An hour later, Harry is knocking on Draco's door and asking if he wants to share a bottle of scotch.

"So do you think you'll see him again?" Harry asks paying far too much attention to his glass, and Draco wonders if he's going to Transfigure it into an Ogden's Firewhisky.

"Probably not. He's a bit paranoid, I'd say," Draco answers and drinks his Muggle scotch. Harry doesn't need to know that he'd rather be seeing him than any other man.

"Oh," Harry says with a disinterest.

Why does he ask, anyway? Draco can't help but wonder.

0++-++0

Things go well for a while, and it's just Harry and Draco again. That is, until Draco's mother visits and insists on sleeping in Draco's room. Draco has to sleep on the sofa and he's slightly annoyed that his mother gets to feel his new comfortable bed with a good night's sleep rather than Harry. She should have asked to sleep in Harry's bed.

"Just sleep with Mr Potter," she says as if it's the most normal thing in the world. "You don't have to pretend for me."

"Pretend what?" Draco asks with a scowl but she closes the door, leaving Draco alone in the hallway.

He trudges his way to the sitting room where Harry is sprawled on the sofa with a book. Brilliant. Now he's going to see Draco in his dressing gown.

"Should have got a three bedroom flat like you'd suggested," Harry says and gives Draco a once over. Even dressed, Draco feels naked. He isn't sure if he likes or dislikes the way Harry is looking at him.

"Well, I suppose I can't argue much with my project supervisor," Draco says rolling his eyes and pushes Harry's legs away. Mostly, he just wants to touch Harry's skin.

"You can sleep in my bed," Harry says and looks just a tiny bit surprised by his own offer.

"Where will you sleep?" Draco asks, hoping that Harry would also say his bed.

"Next to you, of course," Harry says like it's no big deal at all and stands up to offer his hand to Draco. Draco takes it and Harry is leading him to the room like they belong together. They do belong together, Harry just doesn't know that part.

They lay next to each other and Draco discovers that Harry fidgets in his sleep, a lot. He also gets hot easily so he opts to remove his shirt and throws it on the floor.

Draco doesn't sleep. Almost the entire night, he stares at the back of Harry's head, wondering how he'd react if he would just wrap his arm around Harry's waist and pull him close. Draco doesn't. Because he's not sleeping, therefore, he's not dreaming.

Still he tells himself to wake up.

His mother makes breakfast the next day. She says that she doesn't know why Draco had bought such a comfortable bed if he shares his nights with Harry. Draco tries to tell her that they don't actually share a bed every night and she rolls her eyes before kissing him on the cheek and Disapparating.

Draco decides to go on another date.

Draco had met Thomas at a French restaurant when he and Harry had gone out with Granger. Thomas is English but he speaks French perfectly. When Thomas had first rang him up, Draco had made an excuse, but when he'd called the second time, Draco decided to heck with it. The only way he can get over Harry is if he continues to date Muggles until it's time for them to be completed with this project (and for Draco to move on, physically, and emotionally).

Thomas picks Draco up in his car. Draco's only ridden in a Muggle car once before so he's very excited about this. Harry rolls his eyes when Thomas opens the car door for Draco.

That's what Thomas had said, anyway.

The date is nice and Thomas is very polite. Although, he's also highly determined that Harry hates him. "I swear. The way he was looking at me, I thought he was going to slash my tires with his mind," Thomas says.

Draco knows that Harry can actually slash the car tires with his mind but he wouldn't actually do that. He hopes. He quite likes Thomas's car.

Thomas also says he has the perfect friend for Harry. He offers that they could double date. Draco agrees.

Harry does not.

"Why not?" Draco asks sceptically.

"Dating Muggles is your thing, Draco. Not mine."

"Are you sure? Thomas says that the bloke is very nice."

"I don't really care what Thomas says," Harry snaps before he marches back into his room and slams the door.

Draco drops the matter entirely, but decides to go on a second date with Thomas.

0++-++0

Draco does not act jealous around Charlie Weasley. Charlie fucking Weasley who has somehow become Harry's best mate. Whatever happened to Ron Weasley? Draco wonders.

Charlie spends all day in their flat when he comes to visit. He insists that Harry play Quidditch with him. Harry, being the gentle soul that he is, tries not to look that excited about it. Charlie knows that Draco can't use magic, therefore, he cannot play Quidditch, which uses a magic broom, requires them to use a Notice-Me-Not Spell in a Muggle field. Quidditch is the opposite of what Draco is allowed to do. He thinks about offering to play football or basketball, which he's learned about via the telly, but refrains.

They finally do go out for a few hours of Quidditch, without Draco, and Draco takes the time to catch up on his reading. He decides that he's going to read Muggle celebrity gossip magazines and write a comparison between them and the works of Rita Skeeter.

When they return, Draco emerges out of his bedroom with his new jeans and a black button-down shirt that Harry had said was his favourite. Sure, Draco pretends that's what he wears around the house, and Charlie doesn't need to know otherwise.

They are sitting on the sofa and drinking lagers out of glass bottles. Charlie's hand is on Harry's thigh and Draco pretends to not notice. Instead, he sits on the other side of Harry and Harry offers him a bottle, too. Draco wants to ask about the game and when he turns to look at them, Charlie is running his hand through Harry's hair and laughing about the leaves that are still stuck there.

Draco forces himself to look away, finishes the lager in one swig, anxious to show how he can drink fast, and is just as good as the two of them. Even if he can't play Quidditch and get all sweaty and get that delicious musky smell. Even if he won't so callously flirt with Harry in front of others. Or flirt with Harry at all.

Draco stands up abruptly almost kicking the bottles. He says, "It's good to see you again, Weasley, but I need to get going. I've got a date." This is partially true. Thomas has invited Draco to a friend's goodbye party at a pub and it's not necessarily a date but a reason to just snog. "I have to get ready and put on something more suitable." He rushes out of the room to change out of Harry's favourite shirt because he doesn't want to be kissing another man in Harry's favourite shirt, and because he wants Charlie to think that yes, he really does look that good just lounging around the flat.

The date with Thomas is going well. He's introduced Draco to most of his friends and Draco finds out that the person whose party it is, is in fact, Thomas's ex-boyfriend. Draco wonders if he's supposed to be jealous. He sees the man hanging off Thomas's shoulder and he constantly looks in Draco's direction to see if he's watching. Draco isn't jealous. Draco keeps thinking about that hand on Harry's thigh to even consider about being jealous of Thomas, or the ex-boyfriend.

Two hours into the party at the pub, Draco's mobile rings. Apparently, Harry is at the pub around the corner from their flat and he's drunk. But it isn't Harry that's called him, it's the waitress. "He claims that he's too drunk to move and needs help."

"Where's Charlie?" Draco asks.

"Charlie?" the waitress asks. "Oh that really hot ginger he came in with?" she says and Draco rolls his eyes. He catches Thomas's gaze who is looking sceptically at him. The ex-boyfriend is nowhere in sight.

"He left about an hour ago," the waitress says and Draco's attention is back on Harry; as if his attention could ever actually leave Harry.

"Right."

"So, can you get here?"

"I'll need to get a taxi…" Draco is wondering if he's got enough Muggle cash for a taxi. It shouldn't be a problem but he's always too nervous about things like these.

"I can drive you," Thomas whispers in Draco's ear, giving him a start.

"Brilliant. I'll be there soon." Draco hangs up on the waitress and turns to look at Thomas. "You don't have to."

"I know, but I want to." Thomas smiles at him in such a sweet way that Draco almost feels sorry for him.

"What about your friends?"

"They'll still be here when I get back."

The ride back to the pub around the corner, whose name Draco never learned, is awfully quiet. He wants to thank Thomas, and explain a few things to him. Harry was already drinking when I'd left the flat earlier tonight. He's not usually like this. I'm sure that Charlie just gave him some bad news. But what could the bad news be? Maybe Charlie rejected him. Maybe Harry rejected Charlie.

It's best not to dwell in dreams, Draco.

"I understand," Thomas says before he stops his car in front of the pub.

"What?" Draco asks.

"Call me if you ever get over him." Draco doesn't even argue back. What is he supposed to say? "Or if you ever feel like getting away from him," Thomas adds.

0++-++0

Everyone is laughing and singing when Draco enters the pub. It seems the crisis has been averted. They stumble back to the flat because Harry can barely stand up and he's leaned all his weight on Draco. One thing he'll add on for his report on Muggle Studies—without magic, helping a drunken friend get home is dire. He feels for the Muggles. He really does.

"I'm sorry I ruined your date, Draco," Harry says as he collapses on the sofa and removes his shirt. Draco is sure he's confused the sitting room to his bedroom.

"That's alright. Let me help you get into bed."

"You're the best, do you know that?"

"Not particularly," Draco replies.

"Will you make me a grilled cheese, Draco?" Harry asks as he's staggering back to his room on his own. He turns to look at Draco, eyes wide, before he speaks again. "I'll kiss you, if you do."

"Sure, Harry," Draco blurts out before he's helped Harry lay in his bed and removed his trousers. "I'll be right back."

Draco goes to the kitchen to prepare the grilled cheese but he doesn't know what kind of cheese Harry wants so he returns to Harry's bedroom, only to find Harry sleeping and snoring.

So much for that kiss, Draco thinks to himself but he knows that that's not the kind of kiss he wants.

0++-++0

Harry takes Draco to a dinner at the Burrow. Mrs Weasley keeps staring at them as if she's never seen Draco before, or maybe she wants to say something, kick him out of the house, and everyone is forced to stay silent because Harry is there.

"I don't think Mrs Weasley likes that you and I live together," Draco says after they are done with dinner and are sitting in the garden.

"Why do you say that?" Harry asks, looking curious. His eyes squint when he's trying to read Draco's face in the dark and then he pushes his glasses up as if that'll make him see a bit better. It's adorable, really, but Draco tries not to think about that right now.

"I don't know. The longer you and I live together, the less chance her daughter has with you. Or her son, even."

"Her son?" Harry asks, sounding really confused. It's getting really dark in the garden but since Draco can't use magic, he's not going to cast a Lumos. He's not going to ask Harry to do it, either. He hates asking for magic help when he's not allowed to use it.

"Yeah. I reckon if Ginny isn't going to date you, Charlie would have been interested."

"Charlie?" There's a long pause and Draco waits for the worst of the news to arrive. "Why would she hate you for living with me. I mean, we don't even live that way."

Draco tries not to wince. Instead a chill shoots up his spine and he shivers. "Let's go inside before they start thinking we're out here snogging in the dark," he says.

"Yes, because that really would just be so terrible," Harry answers sarcastically and Draco wonders what that means. Would it or would it not be terrible? He immediately thinks of that night when Harry had offered to kiss him for a grilled cheese. Would that have been something Harry would have later considered terrible?

Draco starts to doubt whether or not Harry really is the love of his life.

0++-++0

For dessert, they go to the ice cream place across the street. Harry looks at Draco amused which only causes Draco to scowl.

"You've got hot fudge in the corner of your mouth," Harry says and wipes it away with the ball of his thumb. He looks at Draco and smiles before he licks the fudge off his thumb.

He's the love of Draco's life, no doubt.

0++-++0

The girls at the café where Draco works invite Draco and Harry to their Valentine's Day party. Draco wonders how to approach this topic with Harry. He doesn't want to say that they were invited, because the girls barely know Harry and he'd wonder why they were invited as a couple. Instead, Draco approaches the topic casually. "I've got a party to go to, do you want to come with?"

Harry shrugs and says, "Sure."

Another crisis is averted.

At the party, of course, Thomas is there. With his friend who he'd once said would be perfect for Harry. Evidently Muggle social circles also tend to overlap like the wizarding community, Draco makes a note.

Harry and Thomas's friend, who could give Oliver Wood a run for his money in looks and athletic build, find a corner to talk in and the girls are wondering why Draco's boyfriend is chatting up with some other bloke all night.

"I don't like to act like the jealous boyfriend," Draco whispers to them in private. "It's so predictable. He knows when he's done something wrong."

They give him a knowing smile and commend him for being so confident. He, of course, is nervous beyond all reason and only prays that Harry doesn't kiss that bloke in front of everyone at the party.

Eventually, Thomas wraps his arm around his friend, whose name Draco still doesn't know, and pulls him away.

Muggles can be just as petty, or just as giving as wizards, Draco notes that, too.

0++-++0

A week later, Harry brings home dessert from the ice cream place across the street. "You know that bloke Marc that works the counter?" he asks and Draco nods. "He asked me if I wanted to go in the back and fuck."

Draco's eyes widen and he's giving Harry a once over. He's looking for signs that Harry had just been in and out of his clothes. "What?" he finally manages to muster.

"He asked me if you were my boyfriend. If that was why I was so hesitant," Harry says.

"What did you tell him?" Draco asks.

Harry shrugs. "What other choice did I have? I didn't want him to think I was a prude for refusing a hand job."

The response crushes Draco like a pygmy puff.

0++-++0

Charlie Weasley stops by again. This time, he spends most of the evening in Harry's room with a giant case of Butterbeer he's brought over. Draco hears laughing and teasing coming from the room so he does the best thing he can. He leaves the flat and calls Thomas.

"Where are you going?" Harry asks him as he's about to step out of the door.

"Just out," Draco says and leaves. He wishes he could Disapparate.

By the time he's left his building, Thomas is waiting for him in his car. They speed off and Draco thinks he hears Harry call out his name but he isn't sure. He doesn't want to look back.

They sit in a bookshop until it's closing time and then go out for a pint. He manages to sleep on the sofa at Thomas's flat and returns home before he knows Harry would even be awake.

Harry wanders out in the kitchen when Draco is making breakfast. It seems Charlie has left.

"How do you feel?" Draco asks.

"Tired," Harry replies. "Charlie kept me up all night."

"Right," Draco says and locks himself in his bedroom until it's time for him to go to work. He doesn't even know why he asked.

0++-++0

It's their last month of living together, and Draco has become rather used to cleaning the bathroom without magic. He often cleans the bathroom after Harry goes off to bed because he doesn't like how he looks: dirty and worn. It's four in the morning and Draco is only cleaning the bathroom now because he can't sleep.

To make matters worse, Draco also wears an old t-shirt and boxer shorts that belong to Harry. Draco had stolen those boxer shorts out of a bag of clothing Harry planned on giving away to charity. He loves the way they feel on him so he only wears them at night, and only when he's cleaning the bathroom or the kitchen. He never wears them in his sleep. He does have some pride.

Draco is on all fours and scrubbing the floor when he hears the shuffling of feet behind him. His heart drops into his stomach. If only he could Obliviate what Harry has seen. If only he could place a Disillusionment Charm on his clothing.

"Aren't those—"

"They were from a bag of discarded clothing," Draco snaps. "If you expect me to wear my own robes when cleaning the bathroom, Potter—"

"No, of course," Harry says, sounding scared. Draco turns to look at him. "It's just, I don't remember them being so tight. They look—"

"I've washed them a few times," Draco supplies. "They shrunk in the dryer, so I wear—"

"They look good," Harry says, smiling.

Draco straightens up, tugging a lock of hair behind his ear. "Yeah?"

Harry grins at him. "Yeah." He walks a few feet up to Draco and wraps his arm around Draco's waist. His breath is hot and it makes Draco nearly lose all sense of self-control. "Come to bed, Draco," Harry whispers.

Harry's bed, Draco assumes (or at least he hopes). Harry wants to take Draco to his bed. Draco has a hard time processing this piece of information in his mind.

"I'm all grimy from cleaning ," Draco says; it's the only thing he can think of.

"Well, we better take a shower then," Harry says and closes the bathroom door behind him.

0++-++0

Then, finally, Draco gets his kiss. He gets more than that. And Harry tells Draco that Draco is the love of his life.

Harry finally gets to enjoy sleeping with Draco on his bed. Although they don't really do a lot of sleeping the first few nights. Ultimately, they have an official guest room for when Draco's mother returns to visit.

They stay in the flat for one more year, no longer flatmates but boyfriends, before they move in together at Grimmauld Place.

THE END.