Hello my lovely creatures-- it's Sunday. Snooker day! Enjoy! As always, feedback is most welcome... title: snooker 2/20 pairing: draco malfoy / harry potter, ron weasely / hermione granger implied rating: nc-17 author: rotschopf warnings: angst, violence, fluff, sexual situations, spiders, language - it's a text document, there's tons of it. disclaimer: still not my pleasure slaves. no harm intended. no profit made. for entertainment purposes only. started: May 24th 2004 beta: silentauror , who is my personal grammar & plot Merlin. Thank you, luv! feedback: yes, hit me! harder! archive: TDDM, my lj, skyehawke, the hex files, poisonsdarkfics only summary: almost five years ago, harry potter left draco malfoy to die on the battle field. now he begins to realise that it's all about safety, fouls and balls... as always, all my stories can be found at groups.yahoo.com/group/TDDM 02. Snooker, green: The friendship that can cease has never been real ~o0o~ They settled into a comfortable rhythm over the following weeks. Harry would ask when Draco would be playing next. Then they would meet after the games and go to what was swiftly becoming 'their pub' (unless either of them had an early morning the next day) and leave the other with a shy peck on the cheek until their next meeting. Once they had found out that their pub had a snooker table in the back room, Draco had begun to teach Harry how to play. Harry had no illusions about ever being as good as Draco, let alone beating him. He felt ashamed of thinking Draco would only teach him to gloat and taunt him about his less than stellar performances, as he proved to be a very patient teacher. In fact, Harry was convinced that Draco enjoyed their sessions as much as he did. It was one of those quiet evenings at the pub when Ron and Hermione deliberately sought them out. Harry should have known they wouldn't let him hide with Draco forever. Actually, he had expected them to intervene much sooner. But when they had gotten together after Harry had befriended Draco, Hermione would only ask if he was still seeing Draco, and Ron would mutter something about Malfoys being evil and slimy gits who couldn't be trusted by any means. Harry would say that he and Draco were friends, so naturally they would go out and have fun together. Hermione would shake her head in misunderstanding while Ron hid his anger in a pint of Guinness or a bottle of butterbeer, and their get-togethers would resume as they always did, without mentioning Draco again. Until their next meeting. Harry was brooding over a particularly tricky shot while Draco was watching him, nursing a pint of Guinness and a pack of Lucky's. "Harry! What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?" Harry flinched, his concentration gone. He didn't move, though, staying bent over the table, the cue still poised in his hands. His eyes flickered over to Draco who seemed unfazed by the sudden intrusion. But Harry noticed the almost undetectable frown on the blonde's face. "'Till you gave me a heart attack, 'Mione, I was trying to concentrate on potting the red ball." "Finally found something you're better at than Harry, huh, Malfoy?" Ron said in a mocking voice. "Couldn't stand to always lose, now, could you?" Draco stabbed his fag out in the ashtray, not looking at either Ron or Hermione. "I'll be at the bar, 'k?" Harry nodded, straightening up again. He smiled to himself when Draco passed near enough to brush his fingers against Harry's in a very reassuring manner; Harry returned the gesture. He waited a few moments before he finally turned to face his friends. He half sat on the table, in a way he knew would send Draco into a fit, the cue providing something he could hold onto until the storm had passed. "Well?" Involuntarily, he started to fiddle with the stick in his hands, but that was the only detectable sign that he was nervous, his cigarettes still lying next to Draco's abandoned pint. "What do you mean, 'Well'?" Hermione huffed. "What are you doing here?" Harry specified, readying himself for the inevitable confrontation he knew was coming. Ron blinked. "You didn't expect us to just sit back and watch Malfoy take you away from us, did you?" "What?" Harry blinked. "What are you talking about?" "You've been hanging out with him for weeks now," Hermione said, her voice quivering ever so slightly, as if she was hurt. "Are we not enough anymore? Are we such bad company that you have to neglect us in favour of Malfoy?" Harry's eyes widened. "Are you insane? I've missed none of our get-togethers, now, haven't I? I'm spending as much time with you now as I did before I met Draco. So don't tell me I'm neglecting you for him because that's simply ridiculous." Ron snorted. "So, it's Draco now, huh? Tell me, Harry, how long have you been fucking him?" "Ron!" both Harry and Hermione shouted. "I haven't been fucking him," Harry added. "Are you planning to?" "That's really none of your bloody business. I'm enjoying his company, alright? He's a very good conversationalist and a patient teacher." "And we're your best friends, Harry. We have a right to know what's going on," Hermione said, without missing a beat. Harry smirked, looking at his friends through his lashes. "No, you don't. That's the point. You are one part of my life, Draco is another, and neither part is to question my involvement with the other." "But Harry--" Harry held up his hand to stop Hermione's lecture before it even started. "Don't, Hermione. I appreciate your concern, but it's absolutely uncalled for. You'll simply have to accept that Draco's a big portion of my life, one I'm willing to neither share nor give up.." Ron worried his bottom lip between his teeth; he was nervous. "You've changed, Harry," he finally said, an almost disappointed note in his voice, which was covered by an even thicker layer of jealousy. "You used to share everything with us." "That's where you're wrong," Harry drawled. "And you know that you are. I never shared every little titbit of my life with you, and you never questioned my wish for privacy before. There are a hell of a lot of things you don't know about, and believe me, you don't want to know about them." "But it's Malfoy, for Merlin's sake!" Ron cried. "Have you forgotten everything he's done to you in school? To us?" "No. No, I haven't." Harry sighed. "But when I look back and recall what Malfoy's done... I see a cruel kid with deadly pale skin, gelled back hair and a constant sneer on his face. A spoiled brat that had to hide behind his cronies because he thought he was better than everyone. A cold hearted person who acted solely on his father's bidding. But when I look at Draco I don't associate any of those memories with him. This is Draco, not Malfoy, and I'm not breaking things off with him 'cause you can't get over yourselves. People can change. Life changes people. And he has changed. He grew up, and it's time to leave those silly childhood quarrels behind us." "We don't want to see you hurt!" Hermione tried again. "Hermione. I'm twenty-two. I'm turning twenty-three in a bit more than a month. I've faced more mortal peril in my life than I could ever wish for, and I'm still standing on my own two feet, relatively sane. I think I'm capable of looking after myself." They stared at each other, neither of them backing down. Eventually, Ron sighed and looked at Hermione. "Come on, 'Mione. Obviously, we're wasting our time." "It seems so, yes. If you come to your senses again, Harry, you know where to find us." Harry just quirked his brow, but said nothing, watching the retreating backs of his friends. He had known it wouldn't be easy if he befriended Draco. That he would be caught between two fronts. That it would take some serious persuasion for them to accept Draco in his life. But he hadn't reckoned with his friends backing off so easily, more or less abandoning him. He hung his head. He couldn't help the feeling of loneliness creeping up his spine. Ron and Hermione had gotten closer the past few weeks since Harry had passed the comment to Hermione. Maybe, they had felt guilty about standing by idly while he and Draco had gotten acquainted with each other, and had just felt the necessity to at least say something at this point, although they didn't care as much as they used to. "Thought you'd leave with them." Harry looked up, grateful for the interruption to his train of thought. Draco was leaning against the doorframe, seemingly nonchalant, his eyes focused on the floor. "Why would I do that?" "They're your friends." Harry smiled. Draco was obviously anxious, a fact Harry thought that was absolutely adorable about the blonde. "C'mere," he said, extending a hand for Draco to take it. To his surprise, Draco moved into his arms, hugging him slightly. "They're my friends, yes. But you're my friend, too. And I'm here with you. I'm not going to trade them for you, or the other way 'round." At last, Draco looked up, a smile quirking his beautiful mouth. "Feels good, being your friend I mean." Harry grinned, shaking off the thought of how inviting Draco's lips looked right now. "Feels good to me too." His grin faltered ever so slightly. "Actually, I'll have to put our friendship to test quite soon." "Oh?" "Remember that I signed up for England?" "Yeah, of course I do." "Well, there's a game coming up. Against Ireland." "Oh. Okay." Draco nodded. "So, when're you leaving?" "Two days." "And when's the game?" Harry averted Draco's gaze. "In four weeks." "You'll be gone for four weeks?" The tone in Draco's voice left no room for speculation that he was very displeased about that particular revelation. "I'm afraid so." "That sucks. That absolutely sucks. Who am I going to play with on the snooker table?" Harry chuckled. "What about those professionals you're so fond of?" Draco pouted. "Not the same." "True. They actually have a chance at beating you." "Yeah, I guess so," Draco mused, but his eyes were dancing with mischief. He punched Harry lightly in the chest. "Brat, you know that's not the reason why I play with you. It's not the same. I enjoy playing with you for fun more than any tournament." "If you want you can join me in Ireland anytime you want to. You know. Just pop over?" Draco shook his head. "Actually, as great as that sounds, it might be a problem to 'just pop over'." Harry frowned. "Why? What's keeping you?" "Well..." Draco moved out of Harry's embrace, and Harry couldn't help feeling lost without Draco in his arms. "I never got my license." "You can't Apparate?" "I didn't say that. Only that I never got my license." "Oh. How did you get here then after the games?" "Floo. Knight Bus." "That's why you always took so much longer than me to come here." Draco blushed. "Yeah, I guess so." "So, we really won't see each other 'till I come back." "I didn't say that either. There's a little charity tournament coming up which I quite frankly expect to win, and after that I will do some trick shot stuff. Depending on that, I will be joining you before the game or not. But I will be at the game, if nothing else. I promise." "You really want to join me? I mean, there will be thousands of wizards. Aren't you afraid of being recognised?" "The magical world forgot about me the second my father was kissed and I didn't show up for my trial. Besides, I've been to the wizarding world for things like hangover potions. And we don't want to forget the scar and my glasses." "I just want you to be safe." "I will be, don't worry. But-- enough of this sissy talk. Let's play." ~o0o~ Coming up next in Snooker 3: "You do realise, Harry, that you're almost naked in a room with your gay ex-enemy?" Draco said, quirking one brow. Take care & happy reading! luv & hugs The Drow