Work Text:
South Africa – 29 September 2003
He was halfway across the living room, already reaching for the door, when he realised that he didn't want to leave.
Lufkin Alley, London - late December 2002
It had taken so long for Harry to even give them his address. It wasn't even his real home, more like a safehouse or something along those lines. No one knew where their friend lived nowadays. Not the former Gryffindors, not the former Slytherins and none in between. Lovegood might know, but if she did, she wasn't talking.
Harry had all but disappeared after graduating from Hogwarts. Adrian can't say he'd been surprised. He had known that Harry was itching to leave this hellhole as soon as he could. 'As soon as he could' turned out to be just after graduating. Not even a week later. The guy visited all of his friends without letting on that something was going on. None of his friends knew that the surprise visit was a goodbye.
As far as Adrian knew, Harry hadn't completely left Britain behind, but he certainly didn't live there anymore. The twins once let it slip that Harry had used an international portkey to visit them, but they clammed up pretty quickly after that slip-up. Even if they hadn't, Adrian wasn't sure they knew much more than that. If they did, Adrian knew that they would still be in Britain. They would have followed after Harry, if only because he was their friend, and relationships inside the Weasley family had become rather... strained.
Harry's invitation to see him had been a surprise. They had stumbled into each other quite by accident a few hours after Harry first landed back in Britain. The former Slytherin was pretty sure the younger man didn't have time to visit anyone, yet, and probably didn't expect anyone to recognise him. Joke's on him. Adrian spent enough time listening to Terecen rambling about Harry to recognise him, even with all the physical changes and light makeup used to disguise himself further.
They had been close once, close enough to be considered good friends. Then... Adrian wasn't even sure. He knew he had messed up, somehow. He wasn't sure how, but he knew it was his fault. One day, they were friends, and the next, Harry was acting as if nothing was wrong, but Adrian knew he was avoiding him. He still cursed his drunk self. Normal people remembered what they said or did when they were drunk. Adrian didn't, though. Miles and Graham had assured him that he did nothing wrong, and Adrian knew that if he had tried to take advantage of Harry, Terence would have killed him, so that couldn't be that either. He and Harry hadn't been left alone once. Adrian remembered talking with Harry, a bit isolated from the rest of the friends, but still in the same room. He faintly remembered Harry's earnest gaze on him, but he couldn't, for the life of him, remember what the talk had been about.
The address Harry had given him led to a remarkably normal-looking building in an alley close to Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. Adrian didn't usually go there because that's where most creatures rented their habitations.
Harry's apartment was nice and cosy, but rather... empty. It was obvious he didn't live there, but he probably used the place whenever he was around, reinforcing the idea that it was more of a safehouse than anything else.
Harry didn't look too surprised when he knocked at his door. True, they had convened to meet up there, but... it wouldn't be the first time Adrian missed an appointment (everyone in his entourage knew that). Normally, Adrian would have felt insulted that someone thought he was predictable, but, well, it felt good to know that Harry had known he would come regardless of how unsure and awkward they had both been when they had agreed to meet up later.
The reunion itself had been fine. There were blanks and awkward silence, of course, but that was to be expected. Neither man had been particularly social before, and it hadn't changed much since. Adrian enjoyed his quiet corner in the Department of International Magical Co-operation for a reason. He rarely had to talk to people. He had no idea what Harry was doing these days, but he wouldn't be surprised if he, too, had taken a quiet job.
At least, he wasn't, until the subject was broached, and Harry told him that he was working in a magical reserve.
“You – what?”
“I work at the Nganga Reserve in South Africa,” Harry repeated, grinning.
South... South AFRICA? This guy not only left the country but the continent too, uh.
Adrian fiddled with his beer bottle before glancing at his old friend. Harry had grown since the last time he had seen him. Gone was the waif of a child, replaced by a confident-looking young man.
The Pucey heir swallowed nervously as his gaze dropped from Harry's face to the t-shirt that left very little to the imagination.
Fuck.
His stupid crush on the younger male was supposed to have vanished with the guy's disappearance.
Nevertheless, he forced himself to relax, content to listen to Harry as the other man talked about the Abada (some sort of donkey-looking creatures with horns as well as appendices of an ox and a stag) they had welcomed in the reserve the week before, or the Adandara that Harry tended to, and that refused anyone else's care. The wildcat had taken to Harry and no one else and would just follow him around when he was doing his rounds around the reserve. Sometimes, his colleagues drop by in what they jokingly called a 'headquarters' only to see Harry napping on the couch, a large wilcat curled up on top of him.
Adrian wasn't afraid to admit (at least to himself) that he was jealous of Harry's colleagues.
“You really like it there,” he mused out loud.
He was so sure he had said something rude, but Harry only blinked and smiled softly.
“I do. It's different from Britain. In a good way.”
Considering how people hounded Harry every time he was in Diagon Alley with his friends, yeah, Adrian could understand. If it wasn't the random person accosting him, it was the press or politician wanting to be seen shaking Harry Potter's hand. It had already been annoying for Adrian and the others; he imagined how unbearable it must have been for Harry and his closest friends.
Hogsmeade, Scotland - Early January 2003
They met up again, a week later, in a different safehouse. This one looked a bit more lived-in, but still not as homey as Adrian would expect from Harry, indicating that he probably didn't spend much more time here. Harry had told him he would be back at the Reserve in a few days – apparently, he had been all but forced by his boss to take a few weeks off after an injury that Adrian still barely knew about. The Pucey heir refused to say anything out loud, but he didn't want the weekend to end. He didn't know if he would see Harry again after this. The guy had made a run for it as soon as he could, intended on getting out of Britain as soon as he graduated, and he did. Adrian had no intention to beg him to stay, but at the same time, he didn't want the evening to end.
He just... really didn't want to say goodbye.
“You know,” Harry started as he refilled Adrian's glass of wine. “If you ever find yourself near the Soutpansberg Mountains, you could - you know?- send me a letter? I'd be happy to host you.”
Adrian blinked, trying to make sense of it. He wasn't quite drunk, but he could tell he was tipsy enough that his brain worked more slowly.
“The what?”
His friend laughed and leaned back on the couch.
“The Soutpansberg Mountains. It's where I work. The reserve is in the middle of nowhere. Only trees and mountains. I mean, there are the occasional villages, but it's more like small hamlets.”
“Just your type,” Adrian said, grinning as he raised his glass.
Harry snorted, but imitated him, and their glasses met with a quiet chime.
“I might just take you up on your offer.”
Adrian never thought he would go anywhere near Africa (or any other continent, actually), but, you know, he was never given an incentive like that.
The night progressed, no longer hindered by awkward silence. The wine helped, but it might have also been that the two men were much more relaxed this time around.
By the end of the night, Adrian didn't want to leave, but he didn't want to impose.
Harry left two days later, having been recalled early because the Adandara he was taking care of had been depressed in his absence and refused to feed. Harry explained it all to him in a letter before Adrian could find out from anyone else.
Adrian folded back the letter with a heavy heart. Every time... he thought, sighing.
“I told you so,” Terence told him, without an ounce of sympathy for him.
Adrian groaned.
“What do you want me to say?”
“That you're an idiot, to begin with. That would be a good start. Merlin, you're such an idiot. I TOLD YOU SO!”
“I know!”
Terence had warned him. Not for the first time. He had warned him back when they were at Hogwarts, and after they had graduated. He had warned him to say something to Harry before he missed the chance, and like an idiot, Adrian hadn't... and had subsequently missed his (multiple) chance(s).
Terence's only response was to hit him on the shoulder with a rolled newspaper.
“Ow! Stop that!”
“It obviously didn't hurt enough if you're not moving your arse to run after him!”
“This isn't one of your romantic movies, Terence.”
“OBVIOUSLY. If it was, you would already be on your way to get permission for an international portkey, DUMBASS!”
Adrian sighed and unfolded the letter again, knowing he would get no sympathy from his old friend.
It's a bit weird, Harry was saying in his letter. Adandaras usually only let themselves be approached by women, but Kuume is very particular. I guess Noah wasn't wrong when he said that she took a liking to me.
She wasn't the only one. Except that Adrian was too stupid to stake a claim.
Soutpansberg Mountains, South Africa – Mid-September 2003
Organising this trip hadn't been easy. Well, scratch that. That was a lie. The journey and organisation of the trip had been easy. It was getting in contact with Harry's colleagues and getting permission to enter the reserve without letting them inform Harry -that hadn't been all that easy. That being said, Harry's colleagues (thank Merlin for Charlie Weasley – the guy had contacts EVERYWHERE) loved their coworkers and had been delighted to do something for him. Something about Harry working too hard and not getting enough rest, which Adrian had no trouble believing. The only actual problem (and that was a big word) was that the portkey landed at the (Magical) High Council of South Africa, where all International Portkeys landed in a room reserved for that. That also meant that he landed in Pretoria. Thankfully, Nia and Imani had reserved another portkey (an intracontinental one) for him, which would make the remaining journey (450 km) much faster for him. He would still land a good 30 km away from the Headquarters, in one of the very few magical districts in the area, but one of Harry's colleagues would be waiting for him with a car.
The journey was exhausting. It didn't matter if Portkey were quicker than non-magical transport. You still felt like your organs had been turned inside out, no matter what, and the landing would usually leave you dizzy. Adrian would know; no matter how many times he travelled that way, he still felt sick whenever he used those damn things – and he had grown up in the magical world.
When he left the magical building, a guy was waiting for him, leaning back against a Toyota Land Cruiser. Adrian recognised him from one of the very few pictures Harry had hung at his safehouse.
The guy – Ethan, must have recognised him too because he waved at him with a large grin and introduced himself to him before telling him to get in the car.
Once they were en route, Ethan turned on the radio, and a local station echoed in the car interior.
“If you love nature, you're going to love it,” Ethan was saying as they left the tarred roads for the more remote valleys.
There was gravel on those roads, and Adrian held back a grimace. He felt the motion sickness coming back with a vengeance. It wasn't fair! Most people were fine inside a car. Couldn't Adrian only be sick at sea? He never went on a boat; it would have been fine!
“Is Harry okay?”
“Oh, yeah,” Ethan replied.
He worked with Harry often enough. Ethan, Adrian had been told, was a veterinarian. He studied in his homeland, in Toronto, before moving to South Africa to study how wild magical creatures, specifically wild creatures found only on this continent. He had loved it there and had decided to stay when he had his job application at the Nganga Reserve and had been selected.
“We've been graced with the unexpected presence of an Ichanti. It's funny, 'cause, you know, people believed that the Ichanti was a single creature, but there have been multiple sightings of it, and it looked different each time. Now, we know that the Ichanti can change appearances, but it's been proven that there have been multiple creatures looking exactly like the Ichanti. So, it has since been declared a species.”
Adrian had no idea what an Ichanti was, but he let Ethan ramble about it. Based on what he said about Harry being a trump card since he could communicate with it, Adrian thought it might have been some kind of snake.
“They're not sighted very often. It's actually rare enough, but it looked a bit injured, so we're taking our precaution. Much like a lot of the creatures we look after, they're not usually too keen on Humans.”
“And it let Harry approach?” Adrian asked because he didn't want to seem uninterested.
Ethan chuckled. Adrian had the impression that the guy would have nudged him if he hadn't been driving.
“You know your boy. He has a thing with animals.”
The British man prayed that his blush was not obvious. 'Your boy', Ethan had said.
Was that how everyone thought of them? Was Adrian saying too much in this?
Finally, they arrived at the staff entrance of the magical reserve, near the aptly named 'headquarters'.
“Harry should be feeding Iris at this time,” Ethan told him when they climbed out of the cruiser.
“Iris?” he repeated with a confused frown.
“Our resident Zouwu. We're not sure how she ended up here, but it was probably the result of trafficking. A rich jackass over there probably bought one, and it ended up on the loose. Still, there are open negotiations with China to get her back to her natural habitat, but they are far from over. For now, we're hosting the Zouwu.”
A Zouwu in Africa? Huh. Why not? He was pretty sure that the temperatures here and the general climate weren't great for a Zouwu, but they were Wixen, so he supposed that they must have seen to it. He didn't really know how magical reserves operated, but he supposed that they must have worked on its... not enclosure since it was a reserve, but... Adrian had no idea, but he knew that they must have done something to ensure the creature's well-being.
“Imani!” Ethan called out.
A young, dark-skinned woman with cornrows and blond box braids turned around. Her dark eyes paused on Adrian before focusing on Ethan.
“This is Adrian – Harry's special friend.”
Adrian had no idea what Ethan had just said, but he had heard Harry's name and flushed at the implication. The tone certainly sounded mischievous, just like Terence and Miles did whenever they were teasing him.
Imani perked up upon hearing this and hurried to them. She was wearing a Shwe Shwe dress, a soft-looking white gele covering her hair.
She looked him up and down, and Adrian vaguely felt like he was being judged for some reason, before she smiled and grasped his hand.
“Imani,” she introduced herself. “Come. Harry is almost done.”
She didn't let him finish and dragged him with her towards an enclosure.
“I thought it was a reserve,” he said.
He didn't want to sound rude, but he was also surprised. He didn't think he would find enclosures here, of all places.
“It is. We built those enclosures to tend to the injured creatures we occasionally have. They don't usually stay more than a couple of days in the enclosures.”
Ah. That made sense, he figured.
“Harry!” Imani exclaimed as they neared one of the last enclosures. “Your murhandziwa is here.”
Adrian could see Harry now. The young man was turning his back to them, standing in front of a giant feline-looking creature the size of an elephant.
Adrian almost took a step back when a pair of split pupils focused on him, tracking his movement like a predator stalking its prey. How Harry managed to look so relaxed around creatures so big and predatory, Adrian would never know.
He might find that hot.
His friend turned around upon hearing Imani, and promptly froze when his eyes fell on Adrian.
Adrian, for his part, felt a bout of uncertainty hit him and shoved it down. He knew he was welcome. Harry had told him so before. Who cared if the guy didn't believe Adrian when he had told him he might take him up on that offer? He was here now. It was too late to change his mind. For either of them, actually.
Clearing his throat, he awkwardly raised a hand and waved.
“Hey.”
Behind him, he was pretty sure he heard Ethan snicker before Imani gently smacked him on the head and dragged him away.
Then, Harry perked up, his smile brightening.
“Adrian!”
He offered a pat to the Zouwu sniffing his neck, and bounded to him with a few steps.
“You're here! You didn't tell me you were coming!” he said, stopping in front of him.
“It wouldn't have been a surprise otherwise,” Adrian managed to choke out when Harry enveloped him in an embrace.
Adrian would deny leaning into the embrace if asked by his friends, but he did so, shamelessly.
“I'm so glad you're here,” he heard the younger man whisper, and Adrian closed his eyes, feeling his nose tingling.
“I'm glad too,” he murmured back, wrapping an arm around the smaller man's shoulders and dragging him closer.
When they walked into headquarters later that day, Imani and Noah were playing a board game while Ethan was reading. The table had been set, and a young woman in a pair of comfortable jeans and a white shirt introduced herself as Nia.
The atmosphere was good and friendly. Adrian, for once, didn't feel anxious getting introduced to a new, already formed group. They were all welcoming and quite friendly, but not overly so.
He couldn't follow Harry everywhere in the reserve during the day because some creatures were especially wary of humans and strangers. Instead, he stayed in the HQ with whoever was in the cabin at the moment. He enjoyed talking to them and finding out more about the reserve and what Harry did there, what kind of creatures they had here, and all of that.
Adrian almost choked on his saliva:
“You have a Nundu?!”
He didn't mean to sound so incredulous, but he couldn't believe his ears.
Noah snickered.
“We have more than one. Amara and Denzel had a litter earlier this year.”
He was grinning. Adrian didn't know if it was because of the face he was making or because he was genuinely happy to talk about Nundus.
“You have Nundus,” he repeated, although this time, it sounded less like a question.
Noah was happy to confirm it anyway.
“Yep. We've rescued Denzel from poachers a few years ago. It was back during Harry's first year with us, actually. And Amara joined us last year.”
By 4 p.m, Adrian found himself grateful to have done a bit of late research on the area's climate before leaving because he would have been swimming in his usual clothes had he been wearing them. The weather was still warmer than he was used to, but he enjoyed it too.
When it was time to leave, they bid Harry's colleagues goodbye before the green-eyed wizard led Adrian to a 4x4 (because the guy had gotten his driver's license at some point).
The roads there were very different in that area. Adrian thought that if they were in any other vehicle, his motion sickness would have already manifested.
It didn't take long for the car to stop in front of a small cabin.
Harry climbed down from the car with a tired sigh and gestured at the cabin with a tilt of head.
“Well, come in, come in.”
The cabin was small but looked much more lived-in than any of the safehouses Adrian had visited until now. It made sense, he mused, since Harry no longer lived in Britain. The safehouses he used probably belonged to his family, but he never truly had time to settle in before he left, and he didn't come back often enough to leave many 'Harry things' there. There was a green couch and a small kitchenette. The table separating the kitchen side from the living area was filled with work papers. A T-shirt was haphazardly lying on the back of the couch, and a dried, clean plate was resting on the dish mat.
“Here, I'll show you the bedroom,” Harry told him, sounding slightly frazzled. “Sorry, there's only one bed here.”
Adrian almost stopped short upon hearing this, but he managed to keep walking and followed Harry into a bedroom with a double bed.
Weird, Adrian distinctly remembered Harry saying that he had a guest room.
Having caught his confused frown, Harry elaborated:
“I don't live here. This is one of the cabane we can stay in when we have to stay in the reserve for reasons. With Iris injured and refusing to let some employees touch her, it falls on me to keep an eye on her. It's just easier to do that from here. She should be better by tomorrow, and then we can go to my house.
Adrian nodded and put his travel bag on the bed.
“We'll have to share if you don't mind. Or I can take the couch.”
Adrian thought back to the couch in the living room. It looked comfortable enough to rest for a while, but certainly not to sleep. Harry worked hard enough during the day; he needed all the rest he could get, and he wouldn't get that on such a ratty couch.
Like a dumbass, he opened his mouth to remind Harry that they were both Wizards and could just conjure another bed or make the couch more comfortable. Fortunately, he closed his mouth before he could metaphorically shoot himself in the foot.
“Yeah, that's fine. We can – we can share.”
He was rewarded with a smile that made his insides melt. Merlin, he was turning into a second Terence. Disgusting. Adrian had never been into mushy stuff.
They shared a simple meal, the open big window bringing a pleasant breeze into the house. Adrian got Harry caught up on the latest news concerning their mutual friends.
“I'm sure you've heard by now, but Miles and Terence finally settled down on a date for their wedding.”
“Terence might have mentioned once or twice,” Harry replied, grinning.
Judging by the tone of his voice, it was probably way more than once or twice, and since Terence was one of Adrian's only friends owning an actual felly-telephone...
“Will you be there?”
Harry didn't reply immediately, but his lips twitched, and that was when Adrian got his answer. Of course, Harry would never want to miss his friends' wedding. Especially not if rumours were to be believed, and that Terence was to make Harry his best man.
He watched Harry grab their empty plates and walk to the sink to wash them. That was something unique to Harry; he was the only one of his friends to do most things the Muggle way. It's not even that he disliked doing the dishes the magical way or anything; he was just too used to doing it the Muggle way. Somehow, it was still one of the fascinating things about him.
The pureblood wizard stood up, ready to offer his help, but Harry shook his head.
“I'm almost done. I think there's a beer in the fridge, if you want one.”
He didn't, but the offer was appreciated anyway.
Instead, he sat on the couch (it wasn't nearly as ratty as it looked. In fact, it was way more comfortable than it had any right to be with that look) and watched Harry do the dishes.
When he was done, he joined him on the couch, and they continued to catch up. Adrian asked many questions about the reserve and Harry's job. His friend was both working and studying. He had a diploma already, but he was working his way through a Master's degree. All this time, Miles and Terence had talked about Harry's schooling like he was becoming a magical veterinarian, but it was very different from that. Sure, he had studied healing specialised in animals, but he wasn't studying to become a vet, no. It was some mix of animal behaviourist and animal caretaker with a side of healing. At least, Lovegood had been right when she had said that Harry was studying to become a Magizoologist. It wasn't quite as simple as that (if becoming a Magizoologist was simple, which it wasn't), but he did have that diploma.
Sharing a bed with Harry was... It felt pretty normal, actually, once he got over –you know?- sharing a bed with his long-time crush. They had to cuddle because while the bed wasn't small, Adrian was broad, and while Harry was rather lithe, they were still two grown men sharing a simple double bed.
Harry's sleep schedule had gotten better, Adrian mused. He remembered a time when the guy's insomnia would make him stay awake late at night and still be one of the first up in the morning, looking more inferius-like than Snape.
Nowadays, it seems that his friend sleeps much better than he used to. They went to bed early that night, both because Adrian was exhausted from the trip and because Harry was so busy during the day that he had gotten used to going to bed before midnight.
While the night started off with Adrian's chest pressed against Harry's back, it changed quickly enough. Half an hour after going to sleep, Adrian was lying on his chest, and Harry had rolled over, half lying on top of him. The new weight on his body was a change Adrian welcomed by wrapping an arm around the younger man's waist, content to keep him there.
Harry mumbled something in his sleep and rubbed his nose against Adrian's sensitive neck. He knew the smaller man was asleep because his mouth was slightly parted, and he made the softest noises whenever he fell asleep. It was so damn endearing.
Curled up against him, Harry scrunched up his nose and made a small noise.
“Adri?”
“Go back to sleep.”
He swallowed the pet name that almost slipped out and kissed the other man's forehead. His dark curls tickled his nose before he lay back down, content to let Morpheus lure him into an easy sleep.
29 September 2023
Adrian was leaving tomorrow. That was the original plan. He arrived in South Africa on the 19th and was supposed to leave ten days later, so yeah, Adrian was leaving tomorrow.
Adrian... didn't want to leave. He had fun, getting to know Harry's colleague, exploring the area, visiting the cities and trying the food. More than that, though, it was spending time with Harry again that did it for him. Sharing space in the cabin (he still hadn't seen Harry's home, but he had the feeling that he knew why), sharing meals with him, a bed...
They had a pleasant evening where they enjoyed a homemade meal prepared by Harry and a glass of wine that Adrian had gotten from a more populated area. He wouldn't spend the night. He had things to get done here before he left. He vehemently refused to think about the pang of disappointment that had stabbed him in the chest when he thought that they wouldn't share a bed tonight, and focused on embracing Harry as they said their goodbyes. Sure, he would drop by in the morning, before Harry left for work, but it would be a quick stop.
It wouldn't... be the same;
He was halfway across the living room, reaching for the door after a nice evening together, when he realised that he didn't want to leave. He spent so many times avoiding it, even when it was staring him right in the face, and he almost lost his chance one too many times. He knew that people with less patience than Harry wouldn't have bothered with him.
If he left now... He had the feeling that Harry would never let him get close again. Once burned, twice shy.
Turning around with a new resolve, he was surprised when he almost stumbled into the younger man.
The former Gryffindor stared at him with bright green eyes.
“Stay?” he whispered.
The tone was soft, hesitant. Breathless. Adrian knew that if he declined, he would never get a chance again. Not that he wanted to decline.
He didn't say a word, but completely turned away from the door and went back to the couch, dragging Harry with him.
It was a chance. A chance he hadn't taken before.
He'll take it. One safehouse at a time. He wasn't in a hurry, and he wasn't going anywhere.
3 October 2023
Here's the thing... Adrian's work in the Department of International Magical Co-operation could be done from anywhere. So, when it came time for him to leave and go back to Britain, he just... didn't... go back. Instead, he started negotiations with his boss to work from here, possibly focusing on the relationship between South Africa and Magical Britain.
The next day, Harry brought him to his actual house. He finally trusted him with this one. It was a cabane, just as simple (in appearance) as his cabin in the reserve, but slightly bigger. For one, every inch of it screamed 'Harry'. There were decorations, photographs of friends, colleagues, and landscapes. This place also had a guest room, as he had been told before.
They made no use of that one.
[Of course, there was more to moving to a new country than just uprooting his whole life from one day to the next. He had more to do than just negotiate with his boss and move his things to a cabin near Harry. Let's be honest; he had no use for that cabin since he spent most of his time at Harry's, but they thought it might be healthier for their tentative relationship if they were technically not living together yet. And yes, Adrian was aware that buying a place and not staying there really didn't mean much. He got yelled at by Terence when his friend found out. The Higgs heir was both angry and delighted to find out that Adrian had finally gathered the courage to do something about hopeless crush. The rest of his and Harry's friends were more fondly exasperated than anything, but he still got to enjoy the shocked look on their faces when he told them that he had both confessed and decided to stay with Harry.
Their friends still had no idea where Harry lived, but they now knew that they were on a different continent and that Harry worked in a reserve.
It would probably come up at some point. Who knows? They had to meet up for Terence and Miles' wedding, after all. It would be the opportunity to properly catch up with everyone.
“Say... Does that mean that you're my plus one for the wedding?” Adrian asked as he looked up from his crosswords.
Harry grinned at him.
“Does it? I don't remember you inviting me.”
He shrieked in glee when the former Slytherin tackled him and mercilessly tickled him.]