InsaneJournal

Unexpected - Chapter 2: Unusual Company
Title: Unexpected
Authors: slashpervert and aveeno_baby.

Betas: brknhalo241, asm614, Mini Mouse, and Indie.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: ADULT!
Genre: Fluff, Smut, Hurt/Comfort
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Length: 94,000 words (40 Chapters)
Warnings (Mark to Read): Language, Explicit, M/M Sex, Masturbation, Oral, Rimming, Anal, Mpreg, and mental health issues such as anxiety attacks. (Characters in this fiction are over 18.)

Summary: Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy have lived together for four years in their country house surrounded by a magical menagerie of unwanted animals Harry rescues. Yet, Harry wants more. He dreams of a family that includes children.

Notes: Post-war, AU after HBP, not DH compliant. Sequel to Undesirable, though can be read separately. Whereas, Undesirable was very dark, this one is very fluffy with some angst. Thanks to corvusdea for help with Latin for spells. Icon adapted by slashpervert from Passion by dirty_darella.
Disclaimer: This is a non-commercial work of fan fiction intended for adult audiences only. No copyright infringement intended. (Full Disclaimer!)

Chapter Number/Total: 2/40
Chapter Title: Unusual Company
Words: 2205 Words



"So how is the menagerie this morning?" That's what Draco called the collection of animals Harry had taken in. He was never actually sure of how many they had, since snakes and various other wild animals also seemed to come crawling into their house to visit Harry.

"Just fine," Harry replied as he leant over to pick up his cup of coffee that already had his mixture of cream and sugar. "I haven't seen any of the snakes yet, but I’m sure they'll visit soon enough."

Even being Slytherin, Draco was never completely comfortable with the fact that snakes came and went at will from his home now. "I'm sure," he answered dryly.

Harry smiled at Draco's reply, sipping at his coffee. "You know they won't bite you or anything," he said, reaching for his plate this time. "Not unless I tell them to."

Draco rolled his eyes but couldn't prevent the smirk. He fingered the red mark where Harry had bitten him only a few minutes ago. "Only you, love," he answered, setting the cup down and beginning to eat his breakfast. "So what's today's plan?"

Harry ate quietly for a while, glancing at the calendar he had put up on the wall next to their bed. "Going to the orphanage today," he said, since it was Tuesday. He volunteered a couple days a week, and while he would have liked to do it full time, the place was pretty far from their home, so that wouldn't have been easy.

Draco nodded. "I have a new batch of Healing Potions for St Mungo's that should be ready today." Draco used to work as a Mind Healer there, until falling in love with his patient, Harry. Now he had his own successful potions lab and supplied St Mungo's, Hogwarts and several shops around Britain.

Harry still found it strange to think that just a few years ago Draco had a job at St Mungo’s. Of course that was before he was given Harry's case. Harry didn't like to think about how things were back then too much; the memories of his time as a ward in St Mungo’s still gave him nightmares sometimes. But he did like to think that Draco had an even better job now, and he got to spend as much time as he could with Harry, when Harry wasn't off volunteering. He finished his food and looked over at Draco's plate as he usually did, eying whatever was leftover. "And oh, when you go down to the lab could you bring Fluffy and Snowball with you? You know they won't get into anything, and I always feel bad about not being able to leave Fluffy out in the house."

"All right. I'm not brewing anything that will hurt them today." Draco pushed his plate toward Harry. "I need to get some supplies. Want to go to Diagon Alley with me tomorrow?"

"Sure," Harry said, placing Draco's plate on top of his empty one. Harry proceeded to finish everything left on Draco’s plate, humming as he finished. "We can stop by the pet shop and see if they've got anything new." And, by "anything new", Harry meant that they'd check to see if there were any injured or otherwise unwanted animals, which therefore weren't going to get sold.

Draco winced but nodded. It was inevitable and he knew better than to argue now. It was Harry's nature to be a "saviour" it seemed. He no longer fought dark wizards, but seemed determined to save every abandoned animal in Britain. Draco himself had stopped at saving Harry. It was all he needed.

Harry set the plates down on the tray and turned to kiss Draco again. "Thanks. Ready to shower?" he asked.

Draco grinned, rolling out of bed and holding a hand out for his lover. He led them into their bathroom. Draco used the toilet while Harry drew back the curtain to turn on the taps – only to find a ball python curled up in the bottom of their shower. It was as thick as his wrist and probably longer than he was tall, and currently its skin was all dry and patchy – clearly in the process of shedding.

"Oh, Draco, look," Harry said, forgetting about the shower as he knelt down in front of the tub to watch the snake.

"Fuck," Draco complained. He took a step back automatically.

"Hey, there," Harry said to the snake, smiling and reaching over to pat his head. The snake had explained his name was something like ‘likes to lie under the house’ but Harry called him Sammy.

The snake's forked-tongue flicked out at Harry's hand. "Hello," it hissed.

Draco only heard hissing, of course. "Why is he in my shower again?" he grumbled. It was difficult enough to share his home with so many animals but he hated it when the wild ones came inside.

Harry touched the snake's skin gently. "Sammy, what did I tell you about sleeping in our bathroom?"

"Not sleeping, shedding," the snake replied.

Harry chuckled, shaking his head. "If I said you couldn't sleep here, what makes you think you could shed in here? Oh, Sam. Are you almost done?"

But they could both see the snake had just started. Draco rested his forehead against the wall of the bathroom and tried to count to ten. "Why couldn't he at least use the other bathroom?"

"It takes as long as it takes," the snake told Harry. "It's cooler here."

"You could've used the other bathroom, you know," Harry said, knowing that this really bothered Draco.

Unfortunately, snakes didn't think about what other people wanted. Sammy liked this bathroom and it was safer for him to shed here than outside, since snakes were more vulnerable when they were shedding.

Draco didn't wait for the hissing conversation to end. He huffed, muttering under his breath as he grabbed his dressing gown and headed for the other bathroom.

Harry glanced after him and sighed. "Well, Sammy, could you do me a favor?"

"What?" the snake asked, licking Harry's hand again.

"Next time use the other bathroom, please? I have a feeling you don't like Draco, and you might be doing this just to bother him, but could you do it for me?" Harry asked, petting his head again.

"I will consider it," Sammy answered, lying his head back down on the cool tiles.

"No considering, Sam. You know this is our home and you're a guest," Harry said a little more firmly.

The snake was quiet for a moment. "As you wish," it answered.

"Thank you," Harry said, petting him once more before he stood up and got his dressing gown, heading out to their other bathroom.

Draco had already started the shower and stepped inside, head under the spray, soaking his pale hair. Trying to let the water wash away his anger as well. It was ironic that there was a time when he would not have left Harry alone in the other bathroom. But while some emotional scars lingered, Harry was pretty much recovered from his ordeals at the end of the war. He was a competent, if very eccentric, man.

"Any room inside there for me?" Harry asked as he stepped into the bathroom.

"I am sure I can manage to fit you in," Draco teased, eyes still closed. It was impossible for Draco to stay angry at Harry, even about the problems with animals his lover brought into their home.

Harry smiled and stepped into the shower behind Draco, trying to step around him to get some of the water.

Draco reached a wet hand out, wrapped it around his lover and drew him under the water with him.

Harry sighed softly, sliding his arms around Draco. "Sorry about Sammy," he said, rubbing his cheek against Draco's chest.

"Mmm, I know," Draco answered with a sigh. Harry collected ragtag animals now the way he had collected people before the war. The blond smiled and pushed his own hair out of his eyes so he could look at his lover.

"Told him he has to use this bathroom the next time," Harry said, kissing his skin. "Are you making anything interesting in the lab today?"

Draco picked up the shampoo, pouring some in his hands and then reaching to lather Harry's hair. He made the shampoo himself, actually, and it definitely helped control that mess of black hair he adored. "Just finishing up a basic order of medicinals. I may start a new experimental potion next week when I've caught up with orders," he explained.

Harry closed his eyes so that none of the shampoo would get in them. This was one of the things he liked best about showering with Draco. Even though they had been together for years, and Harry was very capable of taking care of himself now, he still liked when Draco did this for him. "Anything I can help with when I'm home?" he asked.

Draco worked practised fingers along Harry's scalp, massaging and working the shampoo down his long black hair. It was currently halfway down his back. Draco loved playing with that thick length. He smirked. It wasn’t the only thick length he liked to play with. He had to pull himself back from such thoughts to answer Harry. "Keep the animals out of my things? Severus broke into the lab cupboard and ate some of the pickled Asheler eggs I was going to use this week."

Harry made a face. "God, he'll eat anything," he said quietly, shaking his head.

It was sadly true. Severus' appetite was as foul as his mouth. Draco rinsed Harry's hair, smiling at the way it shone wetly in the light. "You ready to get out?" he asked, because if they didn't get out soon, he would start doing a lot more than washing his lover.

"Yeah, you washed your hair?" Harry asked, wiping his face off and looking up at him.

"No, you want to?" Draco asked, arching a blond eyebrow.

"Sure," Harry said, reaching for the bottle. "Bend over a little."

Draco smirked and turned, bracing his hands on the tile wall and bending his head so Harry could reach it. It was also a very suggestive pose.

Harry smiled, pushing his fingers into Draco's wet hair and lathering the shampoo up. "Never thought you'd let it grow out like this," he murmured.

Draco had been surprised when Harry asked him to grow it long. Draco had worried it would be too reminiscent of Lucius. Since his father had been one of the men who raped and tortured Harry during the war, Draco tried not to do things that reminded Harry of the man. "Anything you like, love," he reassured him.

"It's different," Harry murmured, knowing that his own hair was different as well, since he had never had it this long before.

Draco relaxed under his lover's fingers, humming softly. One of the things that he loved about their life together was that they could take the time to do things like this for each other. Harry's work was all volunteer and Draco didn't need the money from his potions, he just liked making them.

Harry stepped back and rinsed Draco's hair out, ending their shower soon after that. They moved back into their bedroom, Harry's thick hair wrapped up in a towel. Draco reached for the brush beside the bed, sitting down on the mattress and waiting for Harry.

Harry sat down next to Draco with a smile. "You don't mind that it's so long?" he asked, reaching to unwrap the towel.

Draco grinned as the black hair fell like a waterfall down Harry's back, wet and gleaming in the morning sun. He began at the ends, brushing out any tangles, fingers caressing as he went. "I like every part of you, like touching you," he whispered. This was another part of their daily ritual he looked forward to.

Harry closed his eyes again, always enjoying this part of their day. He appreciated that Draco wasn’t put off by Harry’s scars, physical or mental.

While the brush moved through the hair like silk, Draco cast a gentle Drying Charm and then ran his fingers through the strands, enjoying the feel of them before gathering them into three sections. He braided a long plait down his lover's back.

"Thank you, Draco," Harry said once his hair was dried and braided. He leaned over to pick up his glasses and push them on, looking back at Draco. "Time to go, I guess."

Draco knew how much visiting the orphanage meant to Harry. And he knew that Harry did it in part because he had been orphaned. Draco wondered if another reason was that Voldemort had been an orphan, that maybe he would have turned out differently if there had been someone like Harry to show the young wizard affection. Draco pushed the dark thought away and got dressed, putting on casual clothes because he would be working in the lab today.

Harry dressed in his Muggle clothes – jeans and a sweatshirt with a hood, then kissed Draco and said goodbye to all the animals. Then he was off, Apparating into an alley near the orphanage.


[Draco puts up with a lot...]

Chapter 3

Want to be kept up to date on new posts of this and other stories by slashpervert? Questions about friending or this journal? Click the "Frequently Asked Questions" link below: