Chapitre 02
Harry had honestly - and perhaps a little naively - hoped that no one would come and talk to him today. He was surrounded by his friends and his husband, anyone with a bit of intelligence would surely have understood that he did not want to be disturbed. Under any circumstances. He had come to the Leaky Cauldron to relax. Not to listen to any more nonsense. Especially not from them! When he turned around, he saw the three people he expected to see. Namely Hermione, Ron and Ginny. The first one being the one who called out to him.
« Yes, » replied Harry, forcing himself to remain calm, « what can I do for you? »
« We just wanted to come and say hello, and find out how you are, » said Hermione, « we haven't heard from you since the last time... »
« If you wanted to hear from me, why didn't you just send me an owl? It's not necessarily up to me to contact you, is it »
- No, no. You don't have to. But it would have been nice if you had, » sighed the young lady.
« Hm. » Say Harry hoping it would end all conversation.
« It's quite a coincidence to be here at the same time. »Try Ron.
Harry saw the twins holding back laughing at his side, while Draco grabbed his hand firmly, scowling at anyone looking at him - including the three people in front of them - but Harry knew better than anyone that the blond man was greatly amused - he didn't hold back laughing, no. The Malfoys were distinguished and didn't burst out laughing in public. It was blasphemy just to think of it! - and crushing Harry's hand was simply a sign that he wanted to do everything he could not to burst out and confess that they already knew that the other three weren't there by pure coincidence.
« Indeed, » replied Harry in a hoarse voice of restraint, « especially since I know for a fact that normally Hermione is supposed to be working at the department today. And you're not the kind of person who takes a day off just to come and have a drink at the Cauldron and spy on the people there, are you, Hermione? »
« No, no, absolutely not! » Answered the brunette too quickly, « I've... swapped days with a colleague in need, yes. »
« Oh, I can see... As for Ron, you don't have an shift today either? » Returned Harry innocently.
« Not today he didn't. Never on Saturdays! »
It was utterly ridiculous, Harry sighed inwardly. They could at least be honest. It's not like it's going to kill them! The blond who had let go of Harry's hand - which was now almost completely crushed - was clearly beginning to be annoyed by their behaviour and even the twins were beginning to show signs of discontent, something that was very rare in them, which was joy of life incarnate.
« Hm... If you have nothing else to tell me, I'm going to have to leave you. » Started Harry.
The four companions began to turn towards the exit, wanting to leave at all costs. They had too many people trying to listen to them as best they could. And even though Draco had been clever enough to have thought of it when Hermione had called out to them and cast a silencing spell around them, it still made Harry uncomfortable.
« Harry wait! » Cried Ginny, « why don't you come and eat at the Burrow? »
« ...When? »
« How about tonight? » replied the hopeful redhead.
« Hmm... Who will be there? »
« Hermione, Ron, Mom, Dad. Maybe Bill, too, and the twins if they agree to come. And then you! » Ginny exclaimed glad to have caught the dark-haired man's eye.
« Oh, I see. I see. But that's not going to be possible, I'm sorry. » Say politely Harry - Draco had educated the dark-haired man well enough to keep him in society, it had been a very long training session. Very hard, too. -
« But... why?« Asked Ron, « you haven't been here in years! Everybody really misses you! And you know that Mom's cooking is the best in the world! I'm sure you'll have a great time! »
« Ron's right Harry, » continued Hermione, « it's going to be a great evening. It will bring back memories! We'll be able to reconnect. »
« As I've just told you, » The brunette started slowly, « it's not going to be possible. You're not my priority, and as much as I'd love to spend the evening with George, Fred and Arthur, maybe even Bill, I can't tonight. »
Everyone had noticed that Harry hadn't mentioned the three people in front of him, not even Molly. They decided to ignore that fact. Even though Ron seemed to be getting redder and redder, and seemed to be at the end of his patience. Hermione elbowed him in the ribs to calm him down, having warned him beforehand not to make a scene. They wanted Harry back. Not make him leave without turning around. They'd given them a chance, in a way. To waste it now would be unwise. Even the youngest one was more or less behaving as agreed!
Ron, Hermione and Ginny were always watching Harry, sitting at the table further away. They had honestly come here on a whim. Didn't think about what to do when they got there... Should they go and talk to him? If so, when? Should they go now? Or should they wait a little longer. And if they didn't go, what were they going to do? Stay here for several more hours, wait for the brunette and the other three to leave so they could finally leave too? It had become so complicated!
« Well, what are we gonna do? » Ron grumbled, « I know we came here when we were sure Harry would be here, but honestly, I can't really see why now! I mean, we can't hear what he's saying because we're too far away and there's a good chance they put a silencing spell on. So I'm not so sure if it was a good idea after all. »
« I agree with Ron, » sighed Ginny, « and seeing him all happy like that without us. Without you and Ron as best friends, and me as Harry's girlfriend or even wife... It just doesn't make sense! »
« I don't know, honestly. If we're ever going to talk to him, you've got to behave yourself, » sighed Hermione. « Ron, don't have a seizure! You don't get angry, and you stay calm and composed. You know very well how it's going to end if you make a scene here. »
« I know, » answered Ron, « I'll stay calm, I promise! »
« And Ginny. You're an adult, you can't behave the way you did last time, » Hermione warned, « absolutely no flirting. No insult to Malfoy, no matter how much we feel like it, except to upset Harry, it won't do us any good. Let's be diplomatic, » Hermione warned.
« But then, if we do that, what do we say to them? » Questioned Ginny, « we can't just say we listened to the twins talking to each other and decided to follow them, can we? »
« Absolutely not! We just pretend it's a coincidence! » Said Hermione.
« All right, » replied Ginny.
« Wait, I think they're getting up to leave, » whispered Ron, « maybe we should go now then? »
« Yes, we should. » Said Hermione.
So they had talked about it. They knew what to do. And getting angry because Harry didn't count them among the people he wanted to spend the evening with wouldn't help. So Hermione took a deep breath, trying to stay calm and not show that it had hurt him anyway, to hear the brunette talk like that, and then started talking once she was sure his voice wouldn't tremble.
« Why can't you tonight, Harry? » She asked, convinced she had a right to know.
« I've got things to do. I'm busy, I just told you, » sighed the brunette.
« Speaking of which, » said Draco's nonchalant voice surprising them, « maybe we should go Harry, you don't want to be late. »
« Yeah, I don't. That wouldn't be a good idea, actually, » Harry grinned.
« But late where?! » Hermione asked, getting impatient.
« Late where they have to go, Hermione, » replied George instead of the dark-haired with the green eyes, « That makes sense, doesn't it, Dear Fred? »
« Indeed, it makes total sense to me, Dear George » said Fred, « asking for explanations and more information like that doesn't seem very polite to me, don't you think? »
« That's true, it isn't. I'd even say it's an invasion of other people's privacy. And if I'm not mistaken, it's not very, very legal... » continued George.
« I think you're not wrong, twin of my heart, » added Fred, « and I thought people at the Ministry and in the Aurors of our country would be aware of it! »
« We are aware of that. But it's not as if we're strangers and have no right to know these things, » Hermione replied strongly, seemingly forgetting the rules she herself had set up earlier, « we have a right to an explanation of why and how Harry can't be present at the Burrow tonight as he should have been as soon as he returns permanently to our country. A return that we should have been told about by himself and not by the Wizard's Gazette a week later! »
« Exactly! » Ron and Ginny exclaimed at the same time.
Harry looked at the heads of the twins, who strangely turned the same colour as Ron's when Ron learned that Harry had been selected - against his will - for the Triwizard Tournament in fourth year at Hogwarts. This was not a good sign. Nothing good at all. Draco, on the other hand, was getting angry, really angry, and the last time Harry had seen him like that was two years ago. And a sandstorm had started in a place where, theoretically, there is NO sand. It had lasted a little over three days. Harry didn't want to go through that again. There was absolutely no need for another scandal. He sighed, suddenly weary. This was supposed to be a good night. Why did it turn out this way?
« Harry, » says Ginny, « what could be more important than us tonight? »
« My son, Ginny, my son is and always will be more important than you, » Harry replied coldly, removing the silencing spell (something only the twins and Draco noticed.)
At the sight of the heads of the three people in front of him, Harry quickly understood that they had not thought at all to receive this answer. Was the fact that Harry was married and had a child so hard to take in? Was it so hard to believe that his family, his real family, came before them? People that Harry had decided to leave in the past?
« Your... Son? » Choked Hermione.
« Yes, my son, Hermione, » said Harry, « I have to pick him up from Draco's parents' house in exactly thirty minutes. »
« You're leaving your son with THEM? » Ron screamed in a rage.
« At THEM? » Harry replied coldly, looking the redhead straight in the eyes, « THESE, Ron, are my son's grandparents. Son who is also Draco's, I remind you. So yes, Ronald Weasley, I leave my son with them, yes I trust them and yes I know what I'm doing. »
« But ... Harry, » Ginny whispered.
« Even if you have to pick up your son from his grandparents, why don't you come after? Or even let Malfoy pick him up and come instead? » Hermione asked seriously.
« I'll kindly let the absurdity of what you just said flow, Granger, be happy about it, » answered Draco breaking.
« I haven't talked to you, » Hermione replied.
« I agree with Draco, » Harry's eyes were darker than a winter's night, « I'm going to fetch my son with my husband, because my son is more important than you, Hermione. And I'm going to spend the evening at my husband's parents' house, because I enjoy those evenings. »
« But― »
« And, » Harry cut off before Ginny could say anything, « if I want to spend an evening with Arthur, the twins or whoever, I'll invite them to my house, myself. You honestly don't make me want to go back to the Burrow. Not now. Or ever. Good evening to you. »
Without giving them time to answer, and not paying attention to the shocked looks of everyone in the room, Harry turned his heels and walked towards the exit, an arm around Draco's waist, mainly to stop him from saying what he was thinking to the three people left stunned behind, but also to calm down before arriving in front of Gabriel, the twins following them without a word, they too not really in a condition to pretend nothing had happened.
As for the other three left behind, they realized that they had totally and absolutely screwed up tonight. It wasn't supposed to happen like that. Harry should have accepted their invitation and been happy about it! Not reject them like that, and then leave without giving them a chance to make up for it. So it was another total failure. Now all that was left to do was to go home...
***
Once the twins left on their side, apologising deeply for the mistake they had made, (they were quickly reassured by the couple. It was not their fault. And better now than when Gab' was with them!) Harry and Draco walked quietly through the darks streets. Trying as best they could to calm down before going to the blond man's parents.
« They didn't get it at all, did they? » Harry sighed looking up at the sky.
« I don't think they did. But at least now you're fixed on what they're thinking more or less, » answered Draco.
« I had at least expected them to change a little. Become more aware of things, » said Harry.
« Maybe they will, Love. Give them a little more time. Maybe one day they'll realize that if they want you back in their lives, they'll have to accept the fact that Gab', my parents and I are part of yours, » tried to reassure the blond man taking Harry's hand in his own.
« Let's hope that's the case... I don't want to make any more choices 'Dray, it's tiring. I think we've earned some peace and quiet, don't you? » Harry asked in a small voice.
« We've earned it, YOU've earned it, maybe more than anyone else, » confirmed Draco.
« Hm... »
Harry was still tense, so Draco tried to change the subject.
« But I never thought I'd see the twins like this one day, I honestly thought they were going to explode, » he says.
« Likewise, it was quite funny to think back on it, » smiled Harry softly, « I'm glad they're with us. »
« You've always believed in them, 'Ry, » replied Draco, « more than their own family. There's really no reason why they shouldn't be with us. »
« True... » whispered Harry, « hey, Dray? »
« Hm? »
« Thank you, » Harry said as he kissed the blonde's cheek.
« Hmm, » smiled Draco, « ready to go get the little terror now? »
« More than anything, » Harry replied.
After arriving at the gates of the Malfoy manor, the couple, now much more serene, headed for the entrance of the huge manor, which had been completely rebuilt after the war, erasing the horrors they had seen and lived through years of terror. They slowly went inside, well aware that they were late, and being like children who had eaten sweets without their mother's permission. Which was of little use, since after barely a step inside the mansion they saw that Narcissa was already there, together with Gabriel. Both hands on their hips and an angry look on their faces.
« You're late, » Narcissa says.
« Late! » Confirmed little Gabriel.
« Sorry mother, » replied Draco as he headed towards them, « some small problems have slowed us down. »
The blond man's glance at Harry did not go unnoticed by Narcissa, who nodded gently, deciding to wait until her grandson was asleep to talk with her son and husband.
« Try not to do it again, » she says simply.
« Don' do it ‘gain! »
« Yes, my heart, » replied Harry, taking the little boy in his arms, « I'm sorry I was late. »
« Hm hm »
« But some bad people wanted to stop us from coming to get you, » Harry pretended to take offence as they walked towards the big lounge.
« Huuuuuuh, » cried Gabriel, « meanie? »
« Yes, very meanie, » Harry nodded wisely, kissing his son's head, « but Daddy Harry and Daddy Draco beat the bad guys, » he whispered in Gabriel's ear as a confession.
« Daddy mo’e strong, » Gabriel laughed triumphantly.
« Exactly, son, » said Draco coming up behind them, « we're the best, hm? »
Narcissa was watching from the door, the little family. She never thought their life would ever be like this. And she thanked heaven every day for this last chance, which had been given to them thanks to the brunette. Today, when she had been so sure five years ago that she would end up in Azkaban with her son and her husband for the rest of their lives, she was at home with her son, who had found love in the dark-heard man, and had even given her an adorable grandson. It was more than she could ever have asked for. More than she ever would have wanted.
She would never allow people to oppose the happiness of Draco and Harry, whom she now considered her own son. She would do everything in her power to protect the smiles on the faces of these three people so dear to her. But now was not the time for that. Now was the time for lunch. She cleared her throat to get their attention.
« Gentleman and little gentleman, » she said formally, « if you will follow me, we are going to dinner. »
« Yes, G’anny » laughed Gabriel trying to imitate his grandmother.
« We are following you, mother, » replied Draco.
The meal was, as always, excellent. Harry was always happy to come here, in spite of everything that had happened here. Spending time all together - without Lucius - like this, that's what made him happy. Draco, who always seemed to fall back to childhood here, ate clean and quietly. The same for Narcissa, although Harry had to admit that she was not as noble as he might have thought, given all he had been told while he was still at Hogwarts, and how Draco was behaving at that time too. (He had learned from Draco himself that Draco didn't know how he had ended up like that either, despite the public appearances of the Malfoy's, he had never really lacked love from his mother. Gabriel, on the other hand, ate as he always did, and even though he had inherited most of the Malfoy traits in his behaviour, he was still three years old, after all, and the way he ate (because he insisted on eating alone like a grown-up) showed his age. It was adorable. It was everywhere. Draco would be the one to clean it up.
An hour later, Gabriel was asleep in Draco's childhood bedroom, and the three adults met in the small living room for a nightcap before the couple went home for a well-deserved night's sleep.
« So, tell me what happened, » Narcissa asked once they were settled in.
« We met some of the Weasley , » Draco replied clearly, which in itself was not disturbing, « we were with the Weasley Twins and had a nice evening. »
« Until they decided to come and talk to me, » Harry said bitterly, « inviting me to the Burrow without even mentioning Draco and insinuating that my son was not as important as they were! »
« They're worse than kids, » sighed Draco, « kids who want to play grown-ups. »
« Draco, language, » Narcissa lectured, « and Harry, I know it can be... Annoying, but if you keep letting them get to you like this, it'll never end. You have hope that they'll change, and I understand that, but I wish you wouldn't expect too much from them, that it doesn't eat you up, » she finished quietly.
« I know, » the brunette whispered, « and honestly, whether they come back into my life or not, doesn't matter to me. I just want to make sure I don't make a mistake if we ever decide to give it a try. A mistake that could hurt me, but more importantly, hurt Draco and Gabriel. »
« Time will do its work, Harry, » Narcissa answered, « if they have to come back, they will come back. If they have to be in the past once and for all, that's what will happen. Let time do its work, Harry. And live the life you've chosen for yourself, you've earned it. After all you've done for a world that isn't grateful enough. »
« I couldn't agree more, 'Ry, » nodded the blonde gently.
« You're right, » sighed Harry.
The evening ended quietly after that, the little family returned home, and the couple went to bed, huddled together, after making sure that Gabriel was comfortable in his own bed.
Tomorrow was another day. But what would that other day hold for our favorite couple?