Assigned to door duty at the school, Draco stepped out of the way while Harry held the door for Eli, who was carrying a pie that he was bringing for the schools Halloween festival that would be held after the children's concert. 

"It's good to see you, Eli." If he concentrated on the boy, maybe Draco could get through the afternoon without embarrassing himself too badly.

"Mr. Potter," Draco greeted. "Happy Halloween." The blond kept a fake smile in place as he took the Auror's coat from him and waited for him to hand Eli's over as well.

Draco was wearing a nice red turtleneck sweater and sharply pressed black dress pants and this was the first time he'd seen the Gryffindor since that night he'd come to the blond's house. Even though he'd had two and a half days to prepare for the moment, the Slytherin found himself entirely unprepared.

"Happy Halloween," Harry murmured in return. His hands brushed Draco's as he handed over his coat. His expression wasn't exactly relaxed, either. If anything, he looked very uncomfortable standing there in his dark gray trousers and ivory fisherman's' sweater. More handsome than any man the Slytherin had ever seen, but uncomfortable nevertheless.

Draco clutched the coats to his chest. "Everyone is in the gymnasium. Go on in and make yourself comfortable. The kids will be putting on their concert in a few moments." The blond teacher focused on Eli. "You can drop that off on the long table and then head over to the music room to get ready."

Eli took off to drop off the pie and find his friends, leaving Draco and Harry to share a more genuine smile at the retreating back of the eight year old boy. The two former lovers stood there alone, next to the open door for a silent moment that dragged on too long.

Harry started to lift his hand to reach out towards the blond.

Draco swallowed and deliberately looked out the open doorway to see if any other parents were coming. From the side of his vision he saw Harry's hand lower, his fingers curling. "I guess that must be everyone," the blond stated lamely.

Harry leaned over and his arm brushed Draco's as he looked out, too. "Seems so," he answered.

For a moment, Draco speculated if Harry had made the contact deliberately. "I wonder how Eli's making out with getting ready," he spoke nervously.

"Relax," Harry said as he put his hand on the back of Draco's neck in a friendly gesture. Even through his turtleneck sweater, he felt singed.

Definitely deliberate.

"He knows to be on his best behavior."

Draco shifted and Harry's hand slid down his spine then fell away as the blond looked up at him. The moment was lost as two last minute parents came through the still open door, smiling and saying hello to the teacher. The blond returned their smiles and greeted them cheerfully before closing the door. Harry had disappeared down the hallway towards the large gym.

Draco made his way towards the music room to help with any last minute emergencies before the kids came out to put on their play. Eli sidled over to him when all the students had made their way behind the curtain of the stage that was set up.

"I got grounded," he whispered as he motioned for his teacher to lean closer. "For a whole week, except today."

Never had Draco heard a boy so happy to be punished. He hid a smile. "I'm glad it didn't include today."

"Me too," the boy affirmed. "Dad said you might give me a ride on a horse."

"I just might," Draco replied. They could have time later today, in fact, if Harry approved.

"You know what? My dad hates horses, but he said he'd maybe ride too."

Draco couldn't help himself. He brushed his fingers through the boy's hair, rumpling it a little. "Sounds great," he grinned.

Eli nodded and peered out behind the curtain. "There's a lot of people here, huh?"

"Mmm-hmm, but I'm sure you'll do fine. You practiced hard, right?"

Eli nodded, swallowing a little and let the curtain fall closed. Mr. Bole, the music teacher called all the children together and Eli ran off to find his spot, waving goodbye to the blond. Draco waved back and then made his way out into the gymnasium to watch the performance.

"Cute kid."

Draco glanced over at Dee who was grinning at him. "He is," the blond agreed.

Dee's grin widened and she raised her eyebrows at Draco in an unspoken question.

Before the now blushing blond Slytherin could retaliate a voice came from behind them, causing Draco to whirl around.

"Excuse me."

"Hello again," Dee stuck out her hand. "How's it feel coming home again?"

Harry flashed a dimple as he smiled then turned his attention to Draco. "Returning has given me some pleasant surprises. Did you make those peanut butter cookies I saw in there?" he asked the blond.

Draco shrugged, feeling suddenly flushed. The lights in the gymnasium dimmed and everyone took their seats. The Slytherin was very aware of Harry as he took the wooden chair beside him to watch the concert, so much so in fact, that he had a hard time concentrating and missed parts of it. Dee, sitting on the other side of the blond, smiled cheekily whenever Draco looked at her, making him blush even more.

Everyone clapped at the end of the show. The kids had worked hard and it showed.

"Dad!"

Harry smiled as his son came bouncing off the stage, boisterously trying to draw his attention. "Pardon me," he excused himself to the blond. 

"I'm being paged." He entered the fray of parents and children that were milling around, making his way toward Eli.

He really was clearly devoted to Eli and knowing what he did now, Draco found himself floundering in a whole new set of emotions. Ones not necessarily mired in the past, ones that seemed very new and even more frightening.

"Mercy, mercy," Dee sighed dramatically as she leaned over towards Draco. "Lord, but he's a handsome one, isn't he?"

Draco's face burned red at the knowing twinkle in his friend's eyes.

"I thought so," Dee whispered, amused. 

"Hey, go for it. Celibacy can't be all that it's cracked up to be." The muggle woman laughed at the mortified expression on her blond friends face. "Come on," she chortled. 

"Help me get the food ready, I think the kids are already snitching stuff off the plates. If that keeps up we won't have anything for the parents."

Draco nodded and followed Dee and some of the other teachers to the tables where everything had been set up, but was still covered.

"Well?" Dee demanded as she pulled off the plastic from the boiled potatoes.

"Well, nothing," Draco returned as he lifted the tops of the large platters of turkey.

"Come on," Dee complained. She was silent for a moment as one of the other teachers passed by. "I know that man was at your house a few nights ago," she continued with a lower tone to her voice.

"He's Eli's father, my student. We were just discussing him."

Dee snorted softly. "That ain't all he is, sugar pie. Just one look at those red cheeks of yours is enough to tell me that."

"It's hot in here with everyone," Draco defended himself petulantly.

"Since when do you conduct parent-teacher conferences at your house at midnight?" Dee questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"It wasn't midnight. It was eleven," Draco shot back, flustered.

Dee gave Draco 'the look' the one that meant that the blond wasn't fooling her one bit.

Draco exhaled, exasperated. "What do you want me to say? That we had wild monkey sex or something?"

"Works for me," Dee laughed. "Personally, that's my favourite kind."

"Favourite kind of what?" Gloria, who was the primary five teacher, and in charge of the food, stood just behind Draco, her eyebrow arched.

Dee muffled her laughter with her hand.

Gloria just shook her head a little, apparently recognizing that she wasn't going to get an answer. "I swear. You two are worse than the kids. Take some of those trays of appetizers around," the woman ordered before she turned on her heel and disappeared once more.

Draco let out a breath, grabbing a tray, thankful for the interruption. He could get through the afternoon. He really could.

XXXXXXXXXX

"No. I really can't."

Draco propped his hands on his hips and eyed Harry. "You mean you won't."

"Same results." Harry eyed the enormous horse standing placidly a few feet away. "I'm allergic," he offered as an excuse. Like his son, he'd changed into jeans after they'd left the school after finishing the monstrously huge and decadent meal that had been provided after the concert, which had almost rivalled the feast at Hogwarts. The Gryffindor kept getting distracted by the form fitting English riding breeches and tall leather boots that Draco was now wearing.

Draco wasn't sure which he found more appealing. Harry dressed in fine wool, looking urbane and dangerous, or Harry dressed in faded blue jeans, looking casual and dangerous. Either way, dangerous was the word he clearly needed to be remembering. The blond kept reminding himself that the Gryffindor was here only because of his son, it had nothing to do with him in the least, but that still didn't mean he couldn't enjoy himself.

The blond Slytherin snorted. "Lies like that will make your nose grow a foot." How could the Gryffindor be so brave, getting on and flying around bareback on a dangerous creature like a hippogriff, yet be such a baby when it came to a plain old horse.

"Come on, Dad." Eli was already in the saddle atop Pokey, one of the gentlest mounts that the rental stables possessed. The boy rocked back and forth in the saddle, clearly anxious to get moving. "You said you'd think about it." Pokey turned her head toward Draco and Harry, her large brown eyes gentle.

"Even Pokey wants you to get on," Draco encouraged.

"I told you, horses don't much like me. I'll watch you both from here." Harry had never really been around horses and there in lied the problem. They weren't magical creatures so the Gryffindor wasn't sure if they could be trusted and he had no idea if he could make one do what he wanted, even though Draco had taught him all the aids and signals to use.

The blond circled the reins with his leather-gloved hands and urged Donner closer. The horse he'd chosen for Harry took a few steps, the reins jingling and the saddle creaking.

The sky overhead was turning gray, and they had maybe another hour or two of light left. Harry's and Eli's horses were decked out in Western tack, while Draco's horse was in English gear. That was the style that the blond had been taught and he preferred it.

Finally, Harry stepped forward and took the reins from Draco's hands, just the way the blond had shown him. He reached his foot up to the stirrup, and grimacing, pulled himself up onto Donner's back, looking every bit like he had done this a thousand times.

"Cool," Eli breathed, impressed.

Harry gave Draco a wry look. "Yeah, I might need traction after this and he thinks it's cool."

"Push your heels down," Draco instructed, struggling against the appeal that the Auror possessed.

Harry wasn't wearing cowboy boots, but his heavy treaded shoes possessed a heel of sorts. "Okay." The blond tapped his shin. 

"Pull out your foot. I need to let out the stirrups a notch." The Slytherins head nearly brushed his leg as he worked the buckle, giving him a little more length. "Try that."

Harry stuck his toe through the stirrup again and tried to ignore the proximity of that blond shining head so close to his thigh. He could think of about a dozen things he'd rather do that sit on top of a large animal that could decide to throw him to the ground at any moment, including having a root canal or spending even more hours secretly investigating the backgrounds of every member of the old Pureblood families.

There was nothing unusual in that job: he'd just never found the Ministry's paranoia quite so distasteful before. Harry thought it was just about time to let things settle down, except for getting Snape, of course, rather than chasing after people who's great great grandfather might have done some dark spell once in his life.

There was definitely something to watching Draco moving around him, though, making sure everything was just so.

"Much better," Draco nodded in satisfaction and then he went around the horse to adjust the other side. "We won't go out for very long," he told the Gryffindor. "I wouldn't want you getting saddle sores."

"Not from riding a horse, anyway," Harry murmured, feeling gratified when the blond's cheeks went red.

Draco avoided looking at him, and checked his hold on the reins. Satisfied that he wasn't completely inept, the blond headed to his own horse and swung up in the saddle with economic grace. He clicked his tongue, and the beast turned obediently as a dog, until he was next to Eli.

"Okay, kiddo. Remember what I told you about holding the reins?" Eli nodded, his tongue caught between his teeth, so great was his concentration.

Harry and Eli listened as Draco patiently explained the basic points of riding to the two of them, but the Auror began to get distracted as the sun shone off that pale hair, making it look like some angelic halo surrounding the equally angelic face of the Slytherin. He desperately tried to keep his eyes from sliding below the belt line. Why the hell did Draco have to wear those pants?

"Earth to Potter," Draco drawled, waving his hand in front of the brunets face. Harry blinked and saw that both Draco and Eli were watching him, clearly waiting. "Ready?" the blond asked.

"No, but that hasn't stopped either on of you from dragging me up onto this nag."

Draco made a face, but his grey eyes were sparkling. "Show some good Gryffindor fearlessness here," he joked.

"You do realize there is a perfectly good football game on the telly."

"Da-ad," Eli groaned.

"Fine," Harry sighed in defeat as he laid the rein against the horse's neck putting himself at the end of their small trail ride, behind his son. Sure enough, the animal obediently moved heading away from the pressure of the rein. The stable owner prided herself on the fact that she maintained well trained and responsive animals.

"We're just going to ride out to the Pines and back," Draco explained, as he turned his head to talk to the two behind him. "Just keep following along straight."

Harry lifted his hand in acknowledgment. "Straight ahead, Donner," he said as he spoke to the horse.

The horse plodded along and Harry looked out over the widespread snow covered land, beyond the barns and other outbuildings. A long line of trees stretched toward the horizon, planted to break the incessant wind and the sky was a pale blue-gray. It was almost like he was in another place rather than the town he vowed never to return to, yet here he was.

"What are the Pines?" he heard Eli ask.

"It's just the name a place where my friends and I go swimming when the weather's warm," Draco replied. "It's a small lake a few miles out from the stables surrounded by pine trees."

"Not today, though, huh?"

Draco laughed. "No, Eli. Not today."

Harry shifted in his saddle, settling into the horse's rocking rhythm. Draco's laughter floated on the air. It seemed to curl around him and for the first time in a long while the Gryffindor didn't feel quite so cold inside.