Get Up, Stand Up

Draco was pacing up and down the lawn in the Weasley’s backyard, wringing his hands together and glaring at anyone who tried to talk to him. Harry, meanwhile, sat comfortably on the Weasley’s back step watching him. He had a mug of tea in his hands and Ron and Hermione sitting next to him talking in low whispers about their plans for after they left the Burrow.

Harry was mostly ignoring them, it’s not that he didn’t want to plan their search for the horcruxes, it was just that he’d only left Privet Drive yesterday. The immediacy of having to leave after Moody had died had disappeared overnight and for just a moment he wanted to stay here, surrounded by people he loved and not worry about Voldemort. He’d been consumed by Voldemort for the entire summer so far, not a single moment had he had to just relax and enjoy the summer. And he knew very well how quickly that summer was going to end.

So, he ignored Ron and Hermione and watched as Draco paced, waiting anxiously for his Aunt and Uncle to arrive with his sister. He knew their time together was incredibly limited, it was less than a week until Bill and Fleur’s wedding, and he wanted to try and make the most of it.

“Draco! Come sit down, they won’t arrive any earlier just because you’re pacing,” Harry called out. Draco shot him a look and was about to say something when two figures appeared at the gate, walking through the protection charms. 

“Ella,” he said and started forward.

It wasn’t Ella or his Aunt and Uncle, Harry had to stifle a laugh as Sirius and Remus came into view and Draco cursed.

“Not exactly the welcome I was expecting,” Sirius said, looking from Draco to Harry with confused amusement.

“He’s waiting for Ella,” Harry called back. He put his mug down and jumped up to greet his godfather, who leaned in and swept him up in a bear hug. Harry grinned at the enthusiasm, “It’s nice to see you too”.

“We have something we want to talk to you about,” Sirius said, straightening up.

“Right now?” Harry asked, looking from him to Remus. Remus wasn’t making eye contact with him and he kept shuffling his feet.

“Yeah, do you have a minute?” Sirius said, he put his arm around Remus’ shoulders and grinned.

“Uh, sure, we can go into the kitchen? It should be empty,” Harry offered.

“Perfect!” 

Sirius, with his arm still tight around Remus, marched them into the kitchen. Harry trailed behind them, he shrugged when he passed Ron and Hermione’s questioning looks. The kitchen had been left deserted after Mrs Weasley had left to go shopping, dishes were washing themself in the sink and a stray broom was banging itself softly against the counter. Remus muttered a quick spell and the broom clattered to the floor and then he was looking anywhere but at Harry or Sirius. 

“What’s going on?” Harry asked, feeling his heartbeat pick up. “Has something happened?”

Sirius looked at Remus and then nodded, smiling brightly.

“Don’t look so panicked, Harry, it’s good news!” 

Harry just waited, eyes soaking in Sirius’ grin and Remus’ stiff posture. The tips of his ears had turned pink and he was still refusing to look at Harry. He raked a hand through his hair and took in a deep breath, looking over at Sirius as he spoke.

“We’re getting married”.

“Really?” Harry asked, “you’re not joking?”

“Harry, I’ve waited twenty years for this, I’m not going to joke about it now,” Sirius said with a laugh. Remus elbowed him slightly and finally looked at Harry.

“Are you OK with this? I understand if you’re not-”

“Of course I am,” Harry said, “this is great! When’s the wedding? Can I come?”

“You’re the most important person in our life, Harry, of course you’re coming,” Remus said. “But we don’t want to make a big deal about this-”

Sirius rolled his eyes, “Moony doesn’t want to make a big deal, I’ve been trying to marry him for twenty years so-”

Remus elbowed him again and gave him a look, “we decided to keep it small, just family really”.

“And we decided to do it today,” Sirius said with a grin, “so, we’ve come to kidnap you”.

Harry stared between them in amazement, he had never seen Sirius look so happy or so young. He had that same glint in his eyes as he did in the photos from his parents wedding and his face, while prematurely lined, was full of a joy Harry rarely saw. Remus was much the same, although his own emotions were tamped down quite a bit, he thought he looked much more like the boy that his father had known.

“What do I need? Dress robes? Invisibility cloak?” Harry asked, already trying to move.

Sirius laughed, “hold up, Harry, just a minute. We don’t want anyone to know so there’s another part to our getaway plan”.

“Tonks’ parents house still has all of our protective charms surrounding it so it’s safe,” Remus said. “And we thought we might be able to escort you there under the ruse of bringing Draco’s sister back”.

“Does that mean Draco can come?”

“If you want him too,” Remus said, “we thought you might like him there”.

“And, well, he’s technically family,” Sirius said with a smirk.

“Right,” Harry said, he still wasn’t used to just how closely linked all the pureblood families were out there. And thinking about how his godfather and boyfriend were actually second cousins was just weird. "What about Ron and Hermione?"

Sirius looked over to Remus, eyes bright and smile wide, "oh come on, what's two more?"

Harry tried to smother a laugh at Remus' put-upon face. He was starting to get the feeling that if Sirius had his way the whole of the wizarding world would be at his wedding. Unfortunately for him, he was engaged to someone completely uninterested in grand public affairs that had him at the centre. Harry watched their interaction with interest, it was very obvious they had known each other for a long time.

"Very well," Remus said, smiling a little. "It'd be nice to have them there".

"We could invite all the Weasley's if you want?" Sirius teased, "maybe the Order as well?"

Remus glared at him, "not if you actually want to get married today".

Sirius just laughed and pulled Remus to him, smacking a kiss onto the side of his head, uncaring that Harry stood right there. His arm wound around Remus' waist and held him tight enough that he couldn't pull away. Remus sighed and looked to Harry.

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" he said.

"Probably not," Harry replied. "I'm going to get the others".

***

Draco was only a little pissed that he'd been waiting outside for no reason as there had apparently been no intention of bringing his sister today. When Harry had run up to him and whispered the news he'd been surprised, the surprise had grown into happiness and then dropped to annoyance as he realised what he'd been doing for the last hour. He'd swept back inside to grab some of his things, listening as Harry, Ron and Hermione pounded up and down the stairs trying to find clothes.

He'd overheard some talk of Ron and Hermione sneaking away and not telling Mrs Weasley at all but Hermione had shut that down quickly. Instead, they had left her a note saying they were all going to collect Ella, that they were in the care of Sirius and Remus, and that they would probably stay for dinner. Hopefully, Mrs Weasley wouldn't panic at the note or summon them home immediately.

When they were ready it had been easy enough to leave, they stepped just beyond the protection charms and disapparated. Harry had gone side-along with Remus as he was the only one yet to turn seventeen and pass his test. Draco landed surefooted and steady outside the gate of his Aunt's house. He didn't manage, however, to stifle a laugh as Ron stumbled on landing and cursed. Harry shot him a look at the sound while Ron flipped him off. Draco hadn't minded, it had been pretty funny.

"This is where you've been staying, right?" Harry asked as Draco reached for the familiar gate.

"Yeah, it doesn't feel like I only left yesterday".

"Are we going in or not?" Ron grumbled.

Draco glared at him and pushed open the gate and straight through the protective charms, they recognised him immediately and let him pass, appearing safely inside Andromeda's front garden. Harry came through next followed by Hermione and then Ron, Sirius and Remus bringing up the rear. The inhabitants of Number 7 Hillcrest Lane must have been notified of their arrival as the door burst open and people flooded out.

Draco only had eyes for Ella, she had seen him appear and started running for him on excited toddler legs. She wasn't gaining much speed but she was so delighted at the running that he didn't move, he knelt down and just waited for her to reach him and swept her up in a hug. She was smiling widely, her blonde hair pulled up in two pigtails and her grey eyes big and bright. Much to his dismay, she was wearing a pair of tiny muggle jeans and a shirt that read 'Cool runs in the Family'. She also still had half of her lunch on her face.

"Really, Tonks?" Draco said. "I've been gone for 24 hours".

"I had to get in while I could," she said with a laugh, her hair was bubblegum pink with the ends a soft violet. It grew down just below her shoulders and looked like she had actually taken the time to curl it for the occasion. The hair was in stark contrast to the rest of her; bare feet, ripped jeans and a t-shirt that read the name of some muggle band he had never heard of. Tonks had followed Ella out with her parents just behind. They looked much readier than Tonks, both dressed quite smart in dress robes of navy and black.

"And you've brought more people," Ted said, beaming. "See, Remus? I told you people would want to come".

"That was not exactly my issue with it," Remus muttered.

"It's not too late," Andromeda said, her eyes glittering.

"I blame you for this," Remus said to Sirius, making him laugh. "Anything we can help with Andromeda?"

"Nothing at all, you two can go get ready," she said firmly, "we'll handle the rest"

Remus looked like he was about to argue but Sirius took his hand and said, "best not, love, she won't back down". Sirius then pushed Remus inside and they could hear them arguing softly all the way through the house and out of sight. 

"Right, first things first," Andromeda said, she stepped forward and pulled Draco into a hug. "I'm glad you're OK, Draco. Tonks told me all about your journey to the Burrow".

The hug was quick but warm and then she was stepping back and taking in the rest of them, she smiled at Harry in greeting and Draco remembered that this was where Harry had crash-landed after their escape. Ron and Hermione lingered at the back not saying much of anything.

"Uh, this is Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley," Draco introduced, he withheld his eye roll out of nothing more than respect to his aunt.

"Hello," Hermione said, "I hope we're not intruding".

"Of course not," Tonks said, laughing. "Sirius was under strict orders to try and round up as many people as he could, looks like Remus won this one though".

"He just doesn't want to take any attention away from Bill and Fleur," Andromeda said, sounding fond but also exasperated. 

"I don't think they'd mind," Ron said and then paused. "Actually, Fleur might... and Mum... they're both pretty wound up".

"And Remus might kill all of us if we try," Ted said.

Ella started to wriggle while they laughed and Draco put her down on the ground, watching as she wandered back inside, obviously bored by the conversation. Draco, apparently, didn't hold as much of her attention as he used to. 

"Everyone inside, we've got things to finish," Andromeda said, leading the way in. 

Draco was the first to follow, snatching up Harry's hand and dragging him along, ignoring Tonks wriggling her eyebrows in his direction. They were talking again, telling them that things were almost ready and that they only needed to finish putting out chairs and some last-minute decorations before they could go and get ready themselves. Everyone who was of age pulled out their wands while Harry was forced to still do it all manually. Draco lost sight of him after about half an hour of sticking up twinkle lights only to find him playing with Ella inside.

He hovered in the doorway watching as Harry rolled around on the floor to make Ella laugh, whenever he paused for too long she would jump on him only for Harry to grab her and bounce her higher. 

"Well, that's adorable," Tonks said beside him.

Draco flinched in surprise, "shut up, Tonks".

"No really, that's about as much cuteness as one woman can take," she said, "I'm going to interrupt".

"Don't you dare," Draco hissed, at the same time Ella let out a peel of laughter as she finally managed to land on Harry's stomach, eliciting a dramatic groan.

Tonks laughed but when she spoke again it was soft, "he's not going back to Hogwarts, is he?"

Draco didn't look at her, he didn't need to. He had never spoken of Harry's plans with anyone else but it wasn't hard to figure out amongst those in the Order, they knew of Harry's importance and the whispered rumours of the prophecy. And Tonks wasn't stupid, she had seen Draco this summer and knew that his own plans might not involve Hogwarts, it would have been easy to connect after that.

"I don't think so," Draco whispered, not looking away from Harry.

"And you?"

He shook his head, "I don't know if I can".

"Where will you go?" she asked, "mum and dad will let you stay here, you know".

"I know," Draco said. But he also knew he couldn't put them at risk. As soon as the world knew that Harry Potter had never returned to Hogwarts they would know he was up to something, Draco would be one of the first people they came hunting for to try and lure Harry out. Not to mention how Voldemort felt about him personally, he wouldn't be safe here but more than that, no one else would be either. He'd been thinking about running off into the muggle world and going into hiding but he didn't know if that was possible, he doubted he'd be able to care for himself out there let alone Ella.

There was always Sirius' offer though.

"I'm still thinking about it," Draco said. "It depends on who the next Headmaster is".

"Hmm, I guess so," Tonks said and then grinned. "Right, go and get changed, I know you need time to make yourself pretty".

Draco flipped her off but he did go, he went straight for Harry and crouched down next to where they were playing. Ella looked up at him with a smile, chattering away with only some words making sense. Her hair had fallen loose and one pigtail was on the brink of falling out, Draco sighed and picked her up.

"Come on, let's go undo what Tonks did to you," he said. Draco was a few steps up the staircase when he realised Harry was following him, he turned to look at him and raised his eyebrows in question. Harry just shrugged and kept following. They made it into Draco's room and Harry closed the door behind them. 

"Don't even think about it, Potter," Draco said sternly. "We don't have much time".

Harry grinned at him and sat on the bed trying to look innocent, "what? I'm clearly here to babysit".

"Right, I'll believe that when I see it," Draco said. "Why don't you go and get changed in the bathroom?"

"Why would I? All of my stuff is in here," Harry said.

Draco looked around and sure enough, there was Harry's emerald green dress robes hanging on the back of the door, right by his own. He took in a deep breath and just passed Ella over to Harry while he went to find her an outfit for the wedding. Andromeda had clearly pressed and steamed Draco's and Harry's robes but had done nothing for Ella knowing that Draco would probably want to organise her outfit himself.

He dug around in her closet, cataloguing her clothes in his head for when he had to pack for her, and finally found a few appropriate outfits. It was the height of summer so he didn't want her too covered up so he'd pulled a light violet tulle dress that Andromeda had bought her a few weeks ago and another white one with a soft green bow around the middle. He held the white one up to Harry.

"Do you think they'll care if she wears white to the wedding?"

"No. Wait, why? Is that a thing?" Harry asked, perplexed.

Draco nodded, "huge fashion faux pas. But does it include toddlers? And is it in effect at a wedding with no bride?"

"Let Ella pick," Harry suggested, "then we can just blame her if they get mad".

"Excellent idea," Draco said, sharing a smirk. He held up both dresses for his sister. "Now, Ella, which one do you want to wear?"

Ella looked up and immediately grabbed at the white one. Draco threw the other back towards the closet and hung the white one up on the door, it was never a good idea to dress her until the very last moment. Ella had a way of always finding something to wipe on nice, clean clothes. Shoes were next and then something for her hair, it was ridiculous how much she had for a girl of just over one. But with a doting Aunt and cousin she was well stocked with accessories.

"Are you just going to stay here while I change?" Draco asked, grabbing his dress robes.

"Pretty sure that was the reason I followed you," Harry said lightly, wagging his eyebrows. "Besides, its not like I haven't seen it all before".

Draco threw a pair of balled up socks at him, "how about you go check in on your godfather, he's probably so nervous he's sweated through two shirts".

Harry laughed but he did get up and go, not before cornering Draco against the wardrobe and kissing him firmly. Draco watched him go, a little annoyed at himself for sending him away. He looked over at Ella when she started giggling.

"Not a word," he threatened but that only made her laugh more.

***

"Were they nervous?" Draco whispered to Harry, squeezing his hand.

"Sirius kept undoing his tie and panicking over whether he should have his hair up or down," Harry whispered back, "and Remus put his shoes on the wrong feet".

Draco laughed softly adding to the buzz of anticipation around them. Ella was on his lap while Harry was on one side of him, next to the aisle, and Tonks on his other. She was sporting a long olive green dress and heels and had threatened Draco on pain of death to laugh at her. Behind them were Ron and Hermione both managing to clean up nicely, in fact Draco hadn't seen Hermione looking as nice since the Yule Ball. She was wearing a soft pink dress that went down just passed her knees and her hair had been brushed up into a neat bun.

On the other side of the aisle sat Andromeda and Ted, and next to them in a stately black robe was Professor McGonagall. She had smiled at them on arrival despite their shock at seeing her and proceeded to take her seat as if she had always intended on being in this place at this time. To round off the small group was Hagrid sitting behind them, he had shown up only five minutes ago and squeezed himself onto a reinforced chair. 

Draco looked around taking it all in, the small assembly of white chairs and the lights twinkling all around them. The garden had been cleaned and cleared and either Andromeda or Sirius had managed to get a small arch put up at the front despite how insistent Remus was on keeping everything simple. It was covered with small white flowers and it moved with fluttering of little fairy wings, under it stood the official who would marry them. He was a tall man with a bald spot at the back of his head, red cheeks on a very placid face.

"Mostly I think they were worried about each other," Harry finished, "and excited".

The music started then at precisely 5:00 pm, a quick spell from Andromeda and the violin began playing itself, a soft melodic tune echoing over the sunlit garden. They all stood up slowly, turning to the back door of the house where the double doors were open and waiting. They appeared together, resplendent in robes of black and lined in silver and gold. Remus had his hand firmly held by Sirius and by the look of it, Sirius was not about to let go anytime soon.

They walked down the aisle together, Remus' cheeks were pink and he couldn't meet any of their eyes but he looked much happier than Draco had ever seen him. He looked lighter and younger and if the way he looked over at Sirius was any indication, there was no place on earth he'd rather be. Sirius, meanwhile, was beaming so hard his face might break. He kept glancing sideways at Remus almost as if to make sure he was still there and then smiling wider at each glance.

They reached the end of the small aisle and turned to face each other, Sirius glanced over at Harry and winked before returning to Remus. They took their seats and waited only a moment before the official began speaking.

"Ladies and Gentleman," he said, his voice soft but sure, "we are gathered here today to witness the union of Sirius Orion Black and Remus John Lupin".

Tonks let out a loud wolf whistle at that, earning her a sharp look from her mother.

"On speaking to Sirius and Remus I have learned that the road leading us all to this moment has been long and at times, desperately hard, for both of them. And yet it is their unshakeable love for one another that has made it possible. Over time I have seen my share of relationships and through all of them it is easy to see the truly good ones, the couples who will stand the test of time as one. And from the moment I met them, I knew that they would not only thrive in this marriage but revel in it".

Draco squeezed Harry's hand in his, glancing his way and seeing the happiness etched there. Harry tore his eyes away and met Draco's, smiling widely.

"And now I believe Sirius and Remus have vows they wish to exchange," he said, nodding to Sirius.

Sirius took a deep breath, his smile wobbling. 

"Moony, I wrote my first vows to you when I was 16 years old," he said, Remus startled in surprise and his eyes began to well up. "They were... well, I'm not going to lie, they were pretty terrible".

Their audience laughed a little at that and Sirius blushed but continued, "And then James found them and teased me for weeks, I think it was payback for all I ever said about him and Lily".

Everyone was still laughing but it had turned a little sad, especially when Sirius and Remus both turned to Harry for a moment. 

"James never gave them back and so at 18 I wrote my second set of vows for you," he said, "and these ones were only slightly better than the first. Unfortunately, James found these ones as well and the teasing continued for months. And then, when I was supposed to be writing my best man speech for James and Lily's wedding I instead found myself writing my third set of vows... for you. And I don't know what I did to deserve it but James found those as well. What I didn't know, until that moment, was that James had kept them all-"

He pulled his hand from Remus' and dug into his pocket, pulling out a wad of folded paper.

"-and he gave them back to me... and he told me that if I didn't do better than this rubbish, I didn't deserve you".

He laughed softly and wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, "I didn't know that I wouldn't have the chance to use them... but for twelve years I wrote vows to you in my head and I dreamed of this moment because despite everything, despite both of us having been broken almost beyond repair, I knew we would be here one day. I knew because you are my family, Remus, the best I've ever known. And because of that every vow I ever wrote to you comes down to this: you are my heart, my soul and my home. And there will never be a day where I don't love you". 

Draco could hear Hermione beginning to sniffle behind him and turned in time to see Ron pass her a tissue, she wasn't the only one either, his aunt and McGonagall were both trying to stealthily wipe away tears. Hagrid wasn't even trying to contain it, he had tears running down his cheeks even as he beamed. The official turned to Remus and nodded.

"Sirius," Remus started, clearing his voice and resting his hand on the wad of papers, "I hope you know that showing me these vows is the worst decision you've ever made and that I will hold them over you for years to come".

Sirius barked out a laugh, his eyes shining brightly as they focused on Remus.

"You have always been the confident one, the brave one, the funny one," Remus continued, "and for the longest time I never understood why you chose me, of all people, to love. And then one night when I was being particularly miserable a friend of ours told me something I'll never forget. She said: Merlin's beard, Remus, pull your head out of your ass and just believe him when he says he loves you".

Remus huffed out a laugh and shook his head, "it really was that simple because you had been telling me for years that you loved me... and all that time you were just waiting for me to choose you back".

He took a deep breath and squeezed Sirius' hands, his voice going serious. "There have been too many times over the years that our story has changed. We've lost friends and family, we lost trust and hope, we lost so many years and so much potential. But through it all I never lost how much I loved you, even when I hated you, I loved you. Because you, Sirius, you make me brave. You make me feel loved and wanted every single day. When I'm with you I forget that I was ever lonely or unloved because you just wipe it away. And so I am choosing you - today and tomorrow and every day after that. I love you".

The Official began speaking again but Draco was lost in thought, he hadn't known how long their relationship had spanned. When he watched them exchanging their rings it dawned on him how similar they were to him and Harry. And in a brief moment of panic, he wished with everything he had that he and Harry would not be torn apart like they had been. He wanted Harry to be with him from this day on and for a ridiculous second he understood why Sirius had written vows at 16.

Draco couldn't look away from them, Harry's hand held tight in his own and Ella's head resting on his chest. He had never seen two people this happy before. The wizard waved his wand over them and a swirl of golden light entwined around them, encircling where their hands were held. The light burst into a shower of golden sparks, raining down over them as they leaned in to kiss.

There was a moment of silence before Draco heard cheers and whistles and applause. There was more stifling of tears and subtle blowing of noses, but neither Sirius nor Remus seemed to hear. They were staring at each and laughing as Remus reached up and tucked a strand of Sirius' hair behind his ear so softly that Draco felt like he was intruding. The sparks faded amidst the noise and finally, Sirius and Remus turned to their guests.

They all stood and with a sweep of his wand, the wizard had all the chairs gone and replaced with a dance floor. The violin was joined by more instruments and they began a lively tune in the background. Draco noticed immediately when Harry disappeared, at the earliest appropriate time he had sped off toward his godfather, hugging him and Remus in turn. Draco followed a little slower with Ella on his hip. She had been so good during the ceremony that he was prepared to let her go a little wild tonight.

He put Ella down on the ground knowing she was safe and walked over to join Harry. The happy couple were surrounded by all of their guests, few of them as they were, and it looked like Remus had let his guard down enough to let them celebrate properly. Sirius was laughing and refusing to let go of his new husband while also trying to shake the hands of all of his guests. He turned slightly and saw Professor McGonagall just off to the side watching them quietly, dabbing away a few tears as they fell.

A lull fell in the conversation for a second and the music picked that moment to get louder but slower, drawing them all into the new song.

"Oh," Remus said quietly, "I like this one".

Sirius beamed, bowed in a very overdramatic way and held out his hand, "may I have this dance?"

Remus rolled his eyes but took his hand. Sirius swept him around in a perfect turn and they were off, dancing slowly but well to the music.

"I didn't know they could dance," Harry mused, watching them with wide eyes.

Draco laughed, "it's a rich pureblood thing, Sirius probably knew how to dance before he could walk".

"Wait," Harry said, turning to him with a grin, "do you know how to dance?"

"Of course," Draco said with a huff, "how uncultured do you think I am?"

"Prove it," Harry said, eyes bright. Draco sighed but inside he was bubbling over, he took Harry's hand and with a very casual movement spun them out onto the dancefloor. 

"Mate, what are you doing?" Ron called out, looking a little panicked for him. Draco wasn't surprised, the only dancing either of them had ever done had been at the Yule Ball which if he remembered correctly had been very poor.

Harry hadn't heard him or he didn't bother replying. He also had no idea what he was doing, he had no idea where his hands were meant to go or what his feet were supposed to do. Draco left him floundering for only a moment before he helped him out. He moved Harry's hands so they were in the correct Waltz position and then smiled and whispered, "just follow me".

Harry only stepped on his feet a few times before he got the hang of it, it shouldn't have been surprising to Draco, not with his athletic ability and excellent co-ordination, but before long they were moving smoothly around the dancefloor. They caught glimpses of Sirius and Remus sweeping along near them and soon enough, Ted and Andromeda joined them. The rest of the guests stood around the outside with a drink. When the song ended they all applauded and Sirius stepped in and kissed Remus hard on the mouth, eliciting cheers from their guests as well as a small groan from Harry.

Sirius stepped back from Remus and turned around the dancefloor pausing in front of Professor McGonagall. He grinned and held out a hand, "Professor?"

She looked at him with exasperation and then took his hand, "always up to no good, Mr Black".

"It's Black-Lupin now, Professor," he said with a grin.

In the meantime Remus had come over and snagged Harry and they were doing a very poor imitation of dancing, but they were laughing and chatting while they did it. Draco retreated to the sidelines to find Ella but she was nowhere to be seen, he heard laughter and turned quickly back to the dancefloor. It was now taken up mostly by Hagrid who was turning in a circle with Ella perched up high on his shoulders, her hands fisted into his hair and laughing with delight. He sighed, she looked like she was having fun so he let it go. 

"Come on, let's show them how it's done," Tonks said, her arm around his shoulder.

He raised his eyebrow at her, "are you sure you know how to dance? I've seen you trying to walk".

"Rude, for that I'm going to step on your feet much more than necessary".

She dragged him out and managed to get him to laugh while she tried to spin him but managed only to trip on her own dress. He was saved by Andromeda while Ted took his daughter off to dance much slower and safer for everyone. The night moved slowly with dancing and drinking, Ella was constantly being picked up and spun around and whenever Draco had the chance he was pulling Harry away to dance with him or kiss him. They traded partners constantly and Draco, at one point, found himself dancing with Professor McGonagall and then with Sirius (in which they were immaculate). Hermione had eventually been pulled onto the floor by Ron and Draco struggled not to laugh at their awkwardness. 

Eventually, they drifted off to chairs to drink and eat, only Sirius and Remus remaining to turn slowly on the dancefloor. Harry had his head resting on Draco's shoulder while Ella slept in his lap, Ron and Tonks were playing a game of trying to throw a toothpick inside a bottle with Hermione perched on the arm of Ron's chair. His Aunt and Uncle were quietly watching their surroundings and smile softly, often whispering to each other and McGonagall was sat with Hagrid trying to get him to stop crying.

"Draco?"

"Yeah, Harry?"

"I know now's not the best time but..." he spoke softly, watching Sirius and Remus dance, "will you promise me something?"

Draco didn't even hesitate, "of course, if I can".

"When I leave... can you take Ella and go with Sirius?" he asked. "I know you won't stay here and risk your Aunt and Uncle but you also can't go back to school, no matter who they replace Dumbledore with... and I know it means going into hiding but- but it also means being safe".

Draco sighed and kissed the top of Harry's head. He hadn't wanted to make this decision yet but he had known it was coming and if he was being honest, he had made it the moment Sirius had offered. With Harry gone they would be one of his only connections to him, being with them meant he wouldn't have to make all of the decisions anymore and it meant more people looking out for Ella. 

"Sorry..." Harry said, "I know it's not right for me to ask but-"

"It's OK, I was getting there," Draco said. "If they'll still have us then yeah, I plan to go with them... it's the best option for everyone".

Harry sat up and turned to him, kissing him soundly. Draco couldn't help but move his hands up to Harry's neck and pull him in closer, he didn't know whether it was the music or the wedding or just the stillness of the night around them, but he needed to kiss Harry. Harry didn't break away, in fact, the way Harry began kissing him back made Draco think he'd forgotten where they were.

It was the toothpicks in their hair that broke them apart.

"There are children here," Tonks mocked, sounding properly aghast.

"She's asleep," Draco replied pointedly.

"I'm talking about him," she said, pointing to Harry. "Poor things not even of age yet!"

"I don't think he minds," Draco said.

"I definitely don't," Harry added. "And my birthdays only a few days away".

"Gross, mate," Ron said with a scrunched up nose. 

Draco sighed and looked down at his sister, she had crashed about half an hour ago but he was loathe to get up and move her. He was so comfortable right here with Harry. But with the sudden conversation he felt a shift in the guests, he turned and saw Ted helping Andromeda to her feet.

"I think it's time to call it," she said, "better let everyone get off to bed, I'm sure Mrs Weasley will be worried about all of you".

"Are you staying here tonight, Draco?" Ted asked.

Draco turned to Harry who shrugged and then down at Ella, he was torn between going back with Harry now and waking Ella up to apparate or staying here and not seeing Harry until later tomorrow. 

Andromeda noticed his hesitation and said, "you're all welcome to stay as long as you don't mind camping on the floor. Nobody loves apparating when they're tired".

"Yes, please," Harry said happily, "I don't like apparating much as it is".

"Is it really alright?" Hermione asked. "We won't be any trouble?"

"We love a full house, don't we, Dromeda?" Ted said, beaming. "A great excuse to cook a big breakfast".

"I'll firecall Molly and let her know where you all are," Andromeda said. She left, saying her goodbyes to everyone and hugging both Sirius and Remus on the way out. They finally tore themselves away from dancing and came over.

"Everyone heading home?" Remus asked. "Do we need to help you get anywhere?"

"We're all staying here," Harry said. "Too tired to get home".

"Probably safest," Sirius said, "you staying too, Tonks?"

She shook her head, "I have to get to work early tomorrow, lots to do".

And with that people started to leave, Tonks ran inside to say goodbye to her mum while Hagrid and McGonagall left to return to Hogwarts. Sirius and Remus saw them off and then said their goodbyes to everyone else. Draco watched them leave out the front gate, Remus was settled comfortably into Sirius' side as they walked and they could hear their soft chatter as they went.

It turned a little colder once they were out of sight and their little group walked quickly inside to help move furniture and lay out camp beds in the loungeroom. Draco opted to stay down here with everyone else instead of returning to his room, he took the camp bed beside Harry's and made sure Ella was safe on his other side. She was so tired she hadn't even twitched at all the moving around and now she lay fast asleep under a light blanket, newly changed into pyjamas. It was past 2am when the lights went out and the room fell silent, Ron's soft snores echoing around the room. Draco turned to look at Harry and found him still awake but on the edge of sleep, he held out his hand and Harry took it. It wasn't embarrassing in the dark and all he wanted was to know that Harry wasn't going anywhere yet.

"Night, Draco," he whispered.

"I love you," Draco whispered back, so softly that he doubted Harry even heard him.