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“Go!” Draco shouted as he threw the tennis ball for Ethne and she took off like a racing broom, speeding after the ball.
He shaded his eyes with his hand and watched as she ran after it, her lovely red coat gleaming in the sunlight, her fur flying behind her. Draco loved her. He owed her his life, in all honesty.
She returned with the ball and dropped it at his feet, “Good girl,” he praised, scratching behind her ear before he threw the ball once more and she sped off in pursuit.
Draco shaded his eyes, expecting to see Ethne’s graceful, lithe form catch the ball, and watched in shock as the ball he’d just thrown was snatched out of the air by a boxer who then took off running in the opposite direction.
From the moment Draco had adopted her, Ethne had been spoiled rotten; she’d never had to share her food, or toys, or literally anything. As such, he was not surprised when she went chasing after the boxer, barking her fool head off.
“Salazar,” Draco hissed under his breath before setting off after her. The dog raced back to a guy with a beard and a man-bun and Ethne followed. When she reached the man, however, she seemed completely disinterested in the ball as he pet her.
It was a few more moments before Draco reached them and once he did, he stopped in complete shock; it was a bit longer, but he knew that messy hair.
“Sorry about that. Chase is a complete arse,” he said before looking up and blinking, apparently equally shocked.
And if Draco hadn’t been certain before, he was now. He would have known those eyes anywhere. “Potter?” he asked incredulously.
“Malfoy?” the other man spluttered. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Playing fetch with my dog until that ruffian came and snatched her ball away,” he replied, gesturing to the boxer who was laying on the ground, contentedly attempting to rip the tennis ball to shreds. “I thought that much would have been obvious.”
“Godric, sorry,” he said, moving over to the dog, “Chase, drop it, you absolute monster.”
“Ethne, heel,” Draco said, calling her to his side as they watched Potter fighting to get his dog to forfeit the ball.
After a moment, Potter was successful and handed the slobbery ball over to Draco before launching a frisbee for his dog. Draco hesitated, then threw the ball for Ethne so she could run, too.
“Sorry again,” Potter said as he tucked a loose curl back up into his bun, exposing a flash of his tanned, muscled abdomen as he raised his arms. “He’s as nice as they come but he has no manners.”
Ethne returned and dropped the ball at his feet, Chase also returned and an all out tug of war between Potter and the dog ensued. He threw the ball for Ethne and turned to watch them tug. “Potter, what in the world?”
“What?” he asked through clenched teeth.
“Do you enjoy getting your shoulder dislocated every time you’re attempting to play fetch?” he asked.
“Not especially,” the other man grunted as he finally freed the frisbee from the dog’s clutches and launched it once more.
Ethne returned and dropped the ball at Draco’s feet, tail wagging as she waited for him to throw it, “Good girl,” he murmured before throwing the ball.
“That was amazing,” Potter said.
“It’s basic training,” Draco replied then realized how that sounded. “Not that you haven’t trained your-”
Potter waved him off, “It’s fine, you’re not wrong.” He scratched the back of his neck, Draco watched the flex of his tricep and thought to himself that it was really past time that he get himself laid again. Potter continued, oblivious to Draco’s weird attraction struggles, “I’m really bad at commands.”
“It’s not as hard as it seems,” Draco replied. “May I?” he asked as his dog returned with the frisbee.
“Yeah,” Potter said, gesturing to the dog. “Be my guest.”
“Chase, you said?”
Potter nodded.
Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out a little treat, he held it in the air, making sure the dog saw it, “Chase, drop it,” he commanded as he dropped the treat. The dog dropped the frisbee in order to gobble up the treat, Draco picked up the frisbee, and then once the dog was ready, he threw it for him.
“That was actually quite clever.”
Draco nodded, “I can’t take any of the credit, I learned it on YouTube when I was training Ethne.” She returned and dropped the ball and he sent it flying once more. “It also helps if you don’t engage with the tugging,” he added, “just hold the toy but let your wrist go limp. If you’re tugging, they think you’re playing with them. It’s counter-productive.”
“Huh,” Potter said as Chase returned.
“Here,” Draco said, holding out a treat, “You try it.”
Potter took the treat from his outstretched hand and mirrored Draco’s motions, “Chase, drop it.” The dog went after the treat once again and Potter snatched the frisbee up off the ground. Once he’d thrown it he turned to Draco again, “That’s fantastic.”
Draco gave him a little smile, “keep practicing it at home and he’ll have it down in no time.”
They were quiet as they played with their dogs for a while longer before Potter said, “I haven’t seen anyone from the wizarding world in ages.”
“Nor have I,” Draco replied. “I hadn’t realized that you’d left it.”
Potter nodded his head, “It was too much,” he confessed, scratching the back of his head. “The pressure to be what everyone expected and wanted, I couldn’t go anywhere without being mobbed, I just,” he shrugged, “I couldn’t do it anymore.”
Draco nodded, “I can understand that.”
“What happened to you was horrible,” Potter said, green eyes turning stormy like the sea.
He shook his head, “People died.” He swallowed, glad for the distraction that Ethne provided when she returned once more. “And everyone needed someone to blame. Who better than the teen who let monsters and murderers into Hogwarts?”
“You weren’t even convicted,” Potter protested.
“Yeah, but it didn’t change what I’d done,” Draco replied, “And everyone knew it.”
Potter was quiet for a moment, “You were just a kid,” he said softly.
“So were you.”
“Yeah but I was an orphan, and the family and friends that I wanted to protect would have died if I hadn’t fought.” Potter shook his head, “It wasn’t the same for you.”
“Don’t make me into a saint, Potter,” he protested.
“No, I’m not,” the other man replied. “I’m just saying I don’t know what I would have done to save my parents if I’d been given the chance.”
Draco wasn’t quite sure what to say to that, he wasn’t accustomed to anyone from the wizarding world addressing him with any semblance of empathy.
“Do you want to get a coffee?” Potter asked.
“What?”
Potter glanced over and him and tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear, “There’s a coffee shop I like a few blocks away. They’re dog friendly,” he added. “Would you like to go get a cup of coffee with me?”
“Why?” Draco asked.
The corner of Potter’s mouth tipped up, “I don’t know,” he replied. “But it’s what my gut is telling me to do and my gut is never wrong about an adventure.”
“An adventure? I thought we were talking about a cup of coffee,” Draco replied, feeling slightly wrong footed.
“A cup of coffee to start,” Potter replied, “But if my gut is right, and it nearly always is, I have a feeling that you, Draco Malfoy, might be the greatest adventure of my life.”