Nearly

”This is the way to the kitchens?” Harry says in a hushed voice as he trails after his daddy. 

Remus nods and sidles up to a large painting of a fruit bowl. Giving Harry a secretive smile, he gestures for him to come a little closer before he tickles one of the pears in the painting… The pear wiggles as though laughing and suddenly the whole painting dislodges itself from the wall, revealing a square hole behind it. 

”After you…” Remus says smoothly. 

Harry beams and eagerly clambers inside the hole, looking around in wonder as he finds himself in the largest and busiest kitchen he’s ever seen. At least a hundred house-elves, if not more, scurry around the room, preparing food and doing dishes, along the walls of the room. Whereas in the middle stands four long tables that Harry guesses are replicas of the four house tables in the Great Hall.

”Visitors!” one house-elf squeaks excitedly and hops down from the tiny step-ladder that’s allowed it to reach one of the cupboards. ”Welcome, Sirs! Welcome!”

”Harry Potter, Sir!” another voice squeals and Harry turns around to see none other than the house-elf he freed from the Malfoys almost a year ago, looking almost exactly as Harry remembers with its pencil-shaped nose, tennis ball-shaped eyes and huge bat-like ears. The only thing that’s changed is the elf’s clothing. Rather than a filthy pillow-case, the elf is now wearing a ghastly tie over his bare chest, short shorts made of some weird, shiny muggle material and a stained tea cosy as a hat.

”You…” Harry says. ”What… What are you doing here?”

”Dobby has come to work at Hogwarts, Harry Potter, Sir! Professor Dumbledore gave Dobby a job, Sir!”

Remus puts his hand on Harry’s shoulder and gives him a questioning look. 

”Oh, daddy, this is… Er, I’m sorry, what’s your name again?” Harry asks the house-elf. 

”Dobby, Sir!” 

”Right, Dobby”, Harry repeats and then turns back to his daddy. ”Dobby used to belong to the Malfoys, he’s the one who tried to stop me from getting to Hogwarts last year… He was trying to save my life, but…”

”I see…” Remus murmurs. ”Well, Dobby, it’s nice to meet you.”

”Yeah, Dobby, this is my daddy, Remus Lupin”, Harry says hastily. ”And he’s a teacher here at Hogwarts, as well.”

”Oh, Professor Mister Remus Lupin Sir, such an honour it is—!” the house-elf squeals and gives Remus one of his deep bows, causing the tea cosy to fall off his head. 

”Have you been here all year?” Harry asks curiously.

”Oh, no, Harry Potter, Sir”, Dobby says, readjusting the tea cosy between his giant ears. ”Only a week, Sir… You see it’s very difficult for a house-elf who’s been dismissed to get a new position, Sir… Dobby has been travelling all over the country looking for work, Sir… But no-one is wanting to pay Dobby, Sir, that is the problem, and Dobby is wanting to be paid now, Sir… But Professor Dumbledore took Dobby in, Sir! So Dobby is still a free elf, Harry Potter, Sir! And Dobby is paid one galleon a week and gets one day off a month!” 

”That’s… Great, Dobby…”

The house-elf nods eagerly and his big, round eyes fill up with tears. 

”And it’s all thanks to Mister Harry Potter, Sir!”

”Yeah, don’t mention it”, Harry mumbles. 

”Dobby”, Remus interrupts gently as the elf continues to gush over Harry. ”Would it be at all possible to make Harry here a fry-up or something? He hasn’t had any breakfast yet…”

”Oh, yes, of course, Mister Professor Lupin Sir!” Dobby squeals excitedly. ”Come sit, come sit, and Dobby will make you the best meal ever, Sirs!”

”Nothing for me, just a cup of hot chocolate, please”, Remus says as he steers Harry over to one of the tables and sits down, then waits for Dobby scuttle away before he turns to Harry with an expectant look. ”Want to explain?”

Harry sighs and slumps a little in his seat. 

”I… I kind of tricked Mr Malfoy into setting him free last year, that night when you all came to the school because, you know…” 

Remus nods slowly, but doesn’t say anything. 

”Anyway…” Harry mumbles. ”That’s the real reason Draco’s not allowed to be around me anymore…”

Remus nods again, looking even more apprehensive and seemingly weighing his words carefully, he finally licks his lips and says, ”And how are things with Draco now?”

”Oh, much better!” Harry exclaims happily. ”We actually slept together last night—!”

Remus eyes widen comically in alarm.

”Not like that!” Harry adds hurriedly. ”We were just talking and happened to fall asleep!”

”Right…” Remus says faintly. ”That’s… That’s fine, Harry, just… Just don’t tell your dad.”

”But we didn’t even do anything”, Harry says, blushing furiously. 

”Nevertheless…” Remus mutters. 

Dobby returns carrying a massive tray full of steaming hot breakfast foods and Harry’s stomach immediately grumbles. Remus smiles his thanks to the house-elf and grabs the massive mug of chocolate from the tray and sips it carefully while he watches Harry butter a slice of toast. 

”You sure you don’t want any?” Harry asks, piling jelly on top of the slice before stuffing half of it into his mouth. 

”I can’t really stomach much food this soon after…” Remus says. ”Maybe just a piece of bacon…”

Harry hands him the plate of bacon, but flashing back to the many textbooks he’s read on werewolves, he suddenly remembers one of the symptoms of being a werewolf is a taste for raw meat even when you’re not transformed into your wolf form. 

”I’m sure Dobby will grab you some raw bacon though, if you prefer”, he says. ”I wouldn’t mind.”

Remus gives him a surprised, if a little misty look, ”That’s very considerate of you, Harry. Thank you. I’m fine with this though…”

After they’ve finished breakfast, Remus walks Harry to the dungeons and gives him a big hug before returning to his own quarters. 

Harry finds Seamus and Blaise still hanging out in the Common room and challenges the Irish boy to a game of Exploding Snap as soon as Blaise has slaughtered him in yet another game of Wizarding Chess. 

”You seem very happy…” Blaise comments lightly. 

Harry ignores him, and Seamus suggestive smirk as well. 

”Had a good night’s sleep?” Blaise continues, just as lightly and Seamus snickers. 

”Shut up, both of you”, Harry says, grinning. ”Hey, where’s Draco anyway?”

”Hospital Wing”, Seamus says. 

The grin slides right off Harry’s face again. Blaise rolls his eyes and gives Seamus a gentle punch on the arm. 

”Ow, what was that for?”

”Learn some tact, Finnegan”, Blaise retorts. ”Draco’s fine, Harry. Madam Pompfrey just wanted to do a check-up…”

”A check-up?” Harry echoes. ”What for?”

Blaise shrugs and turns around in his seat, yelling at Pansy on the other side of the Common room, ”Hey, Pans! What was Draco’s check-up for?”

”Just another routine one”, the girl calls back with a dismissive hand wave. 

”Another one?” Harry says. 

”Oh, what, he didn’t tell you? I thought you were best friends again?” Pansy taunts. 

”Merlin, I hate her…” Harry mutters and turns back to the Exploding Snap game. 

”I think it’s just for checking weight and height, as stuff like that”, Blaise says.

”I’ve never had one those”, Harry says. 

”Now that is surprising…” Pansy says in a loud, carrying voice so that the whole Common room hears it. ”I would think Madam Pompfrey would be very curious to investigate what’s stomping your growth—”

”Like that’s a big mystery”, Seamus says. ”Having to look at your ugly mug would stop anyone’s from growing!”

Pansy and Daphne’s suppressed snickers stop abruptly and they splutter in disgust. 

”Boys are so gross!”

”Not all boys”, Pansy corrects Daphne, glaring at Seamus and Harry. ”Just the really immature ones…”

*

On the morning of June thirteenth, Harry accompanies his friends to the train station in Hogsmeade to see them off before he makes his way across town where his dads have hugs and brunch waiting for him. 

”Harry, there is something I have to tell you…” Remus says as he gives him a refill of hot chocolate. 

”What is it?” Harry asks, looking curiously between his dads. 

”I have resigned from my post as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher—”

”What, no! You can’t!”

”It’s already done.”

”But, why? You’re the best DADA teacher Hogwarts ever had!”

”Thank you, Harry”, Remus says with a small smile. ”But I’ve made up mind. I put you and the other students at risk, and I won’t let that happen again—”

”But nothing happened—!”

”Harry”, Remus says loudly and fixes him with a serious look. ”This is not up for discussion. It’s done… Now, don’t worry. Dad and I have talked about it and we’ve decided to keep the house, so you’ll see me just as often as you’ve seen dad this past year… Okay?”

”But… What will you do?”

”I actually have an idea for a textbook”, he says, exchanging a look with Sirius who immediately reaches out and gives his hand a squeeze. ”I always loved teaching, but if I can’t do it directly then maybe I can do it indirectly…”

”I’m sure it’ll be great, I just don’t think it’s fair…” Harry mumbles. 

Remus gets up and starts collecting everyone’s empty plates. He leans down and gives Harry a kiss on the temple before walking over to the sink.

”Didn’t we have some of that chocolate cake left?” Sirius asks loudly, giving Harry a subtle wink.

”Oh, yes! I think —” Remus says eagerly, moving over to the pantry and digging through the contents with an almost childlike enthusiasm that makes Harry grin. ”Yes, we do! Harry, do you want a piece?”

”Yes, please!” he says quickly. 

Harry has just climbed into bed when there’s an insistent rapping on his window. Putting his glasses back on, Harry reaches for his wand.

”Lumos”, he mutters.

With a jolt, Harry spots a familiar-looking eagle owl hovering outside the window, scratching insistently against the glass pane… Bertram… Draco’s owl… 

Harry is so quick to scramble out of bed that he gets his leg tangled up in the cover and falls to the floor with a thump, bumping his head on the side of the nightstand, but the dull throbbing barely even registers as he kicks the cover away and hurries over to the window. 

”Harry?” Remus calls from the lounge. ”You all right?”

Harry unhooks the latch on the window and beams as Bertram swoops inside and lands deftly on top of his shoulder. 

”Hey there…” Harry croons. ”What’s that you’ve got for me?”

The owl sticks his leg out and allows Harry to untie the small roll of parchment. 

”HARRY?” Remus shouts again. 

”Yeah, I’m all right!” Harry shouts back.

As soon as the string comes off the owl’s leg, it takes off again and Harry absent-mindedly shoves the window shut with his shoulder while unrolling the message… His heart leaps at the sight of the familiar handwriting… 

Harry! 

You won’t believe what’s just happened! Mother has been trying to talk some sense into Father ever since last summer — and she finally got through to him! He no longer disapproves of our acquaintance! (Well — he does — but he no longer forbids it!) 

And that’s not all… Father has managed to get tickets for the Quidditch World Cup this summer and, by way of apology, he says I can invite you as my guest! 

You will come, won’t you? You do forgive me, don’t you? Oh, please say you forgive me and that you’ll come to the World Cup, Harry!

Heart hammering in his chest, Harry hurries over to his desk and accidentally knocks over a toppling pile of books as he rifles through the mess looking for a quill. 

”Harry!” Remus shouts again. ”What are you doing in there?”

”Nothing!” Harry yells back. 

Finally finding a somewhat rumpled quill and a blank scrap of parchment, Harry quickly scribbles out his reply. 

Swirling around, he looks for Hedwig but her cage is empty. 

”Dad! Daddy!” he hollers and launches himself out of his room. ”Have you seen Hedwig?”

He thunders into the lounge, barely noticing the frowns on his dads faces or his dad dabbing at a growing wine stain on his shirt front and Remus taking the dripping wine glass from him and placing it on top of the coffee table. 

”Harry”, he scolds. ”You should be in bed—!”

”I know, I know, I know”, Harry says hurriedly. ”I was — I will be — just need to send this letter to Draco really quickly, okay? Please! Have you seen Hedwig—?”

”Calm down. Breathe.” Sirius says, rolling his eyes. ”I guess you two are on speaking terms again, then?”

Harry beams and waves the letter from Draco excitedly, ”He just sent me an owl!”

His dads exchange an amused look, but try their best to remain stern. 

”Harry, it’s really late”, Remus says. ”The letter will have to wait until morning.”

”But —”

”No, no buts.”

”But —”

”Harry…”

”Okay, but can I go to the World Cup with the Malfoys in August?”

”What?” both his dads say in unison. 

”Ehm…. Please?…” Harry adds uncertainly, his excitement quickly ebbing away at the looks on his dads faces. 

”Absolutely not”, Sirius growls. 

Remus shoots his husband an uneasy glance, then turns back to Harry with a sympathetic look. Harry stares back, horrified… He can’t believe it… How can his dads begrudge him something like this? How can they even think twice about it?

Remus sighs and holds out his hands, ”Let me see the letter…”

”Remus…” Sirius growls in warning. 

”Just…” Remus holds up a hand. ”Let’s just take a moment and think about it—”

”Unbelievable!”

”Harry, can I see the letter?” Remus asks again and Harry eagerly kills the distance between them and hands it to him, wringing his hands anxiously while his daddy reads it. ”Harry, I’m really happy for you, and Draco, I am… But you’re thirteen—”

”Fourteen soon”, Harry mutters. 

”And to let you go to the World Cup on your own”, Remus continues. ”That is a very big ask…”

”It won’t be just the two of us, Mr and Mrs Malfoy will be there—”

”That is not reassuring”, Sirius grumbles. 

”Sirius, please”, Remus says, giving his husband a frustrated look. 

”Fine, Mrs Malfoy will be there”, Harry amends. ”And so will a hundred thousand other witches and wizards. Lots of witnesses. So, it’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. You won’t have anything to worry about besides Krum catching the Snitch and Bulgaria winning the Cup…”

His dads just stare silently at him for a long moment. Finally Sirius heaves a tired sigh and turns to Remus. 

”He really is a Slytherin, isn’t he…”

Remus lips twitch and he nods. 

”So…?” Harry says hopefully. 

”Tell you what”, Sirius says. ”If you go to bed right now and go to sleep, your daddy and I promise to talk about it…”

”That’s a yes!” Harry squeals happily and bounces on his feet, then quickly spins on his heel and hurries back to his bedroom.

”That is not a yes!” Sirius calls after him. 

But the next morning, as Harry comes bounding into the kitchen, both his dads greet him with looks of fond exasperation and Sirius rolls his eyes and gives him a nod. Harry lets out a happy squeal and lunges across the table to throw his arms around the man’s neck in a massive hug. 

”There are some conditions”, Sirius mutters half-heartedly. 

”I don’t care, this is the best day ever!” Harry exclaims and bounces over to his daddy to give him a hug as well. 

Remus chuckles fondly and returns the embrace. 

”Well, it’s about time you had a good one…” he murmurs gently and strokes the back of Harry’s hair, before leaning back to peer into his face. ”I’ve already written a letter to Narcissa to set up a time for us to floo call and go over the details, and I also took the liberty of inviting Draco over for lunch — hope that’s okay?”

”Are you kidding, that’s amazing!” Harry exclaims and hugs him again. 

”He’ll be here in about two hours. You might want to clean your room a bit before he gets here…”

”Why? He knows how messy I am…” Harry says and takes a seat at the table. ”What are we going to cook?”

Remus raises his eyebrows in surprise, ”You want to help me cook?”

Harry nods eagerly, reaching for the butter. 

”All right… Well, what’s some of Draco’s favourite foods?”

”Ehm, well…” Harry says at length, as he thinks about all the times he’s watched Draco move bits of potato and vegetables around his plate. ”He likes boiled things, like potato and veggies… I don’t think he likes pie very much, because he never eats bread or stuff like that… And he doesn’t sauces, or pasta… Or meat…”

Sirius snorts behind his coffee cup, ”Should have known he’d be a fussy eater…”

Remus doesn’t say anything, just frowns. 

”Yeah”, Harry says uncomfortably. ”He doesn’t really like to eat a lot, I guess…”

”I’m sure we can think of something”, Remus says. 

Just to be sure, they end up cooking a wide assortment of different foods and by the end their kitchen table is so crowded with little dishes it looks like a miniature version of one of the Hogwarts House tables during one of the Welcome Feasts. Harry grins proudly, even as his stomach flutters nervously… Maybe it’s too much… Maybe Draco will think we’re food freaks… Maybe —

”Harry…” Remus says gently. ”Go wash up, he’ll be here any minute.”

Harry hurriedly runs out to the bathroom to wash his hands and his face quickly, then tries his best to flatten his hair before declaring it a lost cause and runs back out again. Remus gives him a surprised, but amused look when he comes back and sits back down at the table, tapping his fingers against his empty coffee cup nervously. 

”Aren’t you going to go wait in the lounge?”

”No…” Harry pants. ”Don’t want to seem too eager…”

”Right…” Remus nods seriously, but his eyes twinkle and his lips twitch. 

”Shut up”, Harry mutters, ducking his head to hide his blush. 

A sudden whoosh from the lounge alerts them to the floo activating and Harry looks up at Remus in alarm. The man just smiles at him and gestures for him to go in there. 

Harry stumbles to his feet and runs into the lounge, thudding to a stop inside the door just as Draco climbs out of the fireplace, his robes miraculously clean of ash. He turns around and his whole face lights up when he sees Harry, whose heart skips a beat at the sight and then starts hammering at a wild pace as if to make up for it…

Grinning madly, Harry dashes forward and launches himself at the other boy, nearly knocking him off his feet as he throws his arms around him. Draco lets out a breathy chuckle and returns the embrace. 

”You’re here…” Harry murmurs happily. 

”Yeah…” Draco whispers, tightening his hold on Harry for just a moment. 

”Come on”, Harry says, tugging on his hand. ”Daddy and I have been cooking, but don’t freak out, okay? We just couldn’t decide what to make, so we ended up cooking a whole bunch of different things, but you don’t have to try everything…”

”Ehm…” Draco pauses in the doorway and stares at the spread. ”I don’t think that’s physically possible…”

Remus chuckles and puts the last dish on the table, ”Hi Draco, it’s nice to see you again…”

”Hi Professor Lupin, thanks for having me”, Draco says quickly. 

”You’re very welcome, but please call me Remus… I’m no longer your professor.”

”Hi Draco!” Sirius greets lightly as he shoves past the two boys and takes his seat at the table.

”Hi Mister Black, thank you for having—”

”Call me Sirius”, the man interrupts. ”And sit down already, so we can eat…”

”You’ll have to excuse Harry’s dad, Draco”, Remus says with an exasperated yet fond glare in Sirius direction. ”He can be a little abrupt at times… But please, do have a seat…”

”Thank you”, Draco mumbles again as he and Harry take their seats at the table. ”It all looks… Amazing…”

”You don’t have to eat anything you don’t want”, Harry says quickly. ”But I made the treacle tart, so have to try that!”

”I’m sure Draco will want some actual food first, before he has dessert…” Remus tells Harry with an amused smirk, passing the bowl of boiled potatoes to the blonde. 

”Thank you”, Draco says hurriedly, accepting the bowl. 

He scoops up one of the smaller potatoes and places it on his plate, but sensing the others eyes on him he quickly adds another one as well before handing the bowl to Harry. 

They eat in mostly comfortable silence, Remus breaking it every so often to ask Draco about his studies and if he’s excited about the World Cup. Draco is always quick to answer politely and sits up a little straighter every time Remus talks to him, Harry notices. 

”So you’re rooting for Ireland?” Sirius chimes in as soon as the topic shifts from schoolwork to quidditch.

”Yes, Sir”, Draco says with a nod. 

”Think they’ll win?”

”I think they have a good chance, Sir… Viktor Krum is definitely a better Seeker than Lynch, but I think Ireland has a stronger team overall.”

Sirius nods agreement. 

”Krum is amazing, though”, Harry says. ”I wish I could fly like that…”

”You can”, Draco says with a huff and rolls his eyes. ”I’m going to get that Creepy kid to take a picture of you flying next year, just so you can see yourself… It’s insane, it’s like you’re not even on a broom at all, you’re just…”

He trails off with a blush and just shakes his head. 

”Think Snape will lift my ban this year?” Harry asks, ignoring the comment about Colin Creevey entirely. 

”He better if he wants to prevent Flint from going berserk, which he will if he doesn’t win the Quidditch Cup his last year…”

”Flint, that’s your Team Captain?” Remus asks. 

”Yeah”, Harry says. ”He’s very competitive…”

”So, Draco…” Sirius says suddenly, causing the blonde to jump slightly. ”How come your dad had an extra ticket to the World Cup? It’s been sold out for ages.”

”Ehm, well, Sir, he always —”

”Call me Sirius”, the older man cut in and Harry frowns at his dad.

”S-Sirius, sorry”, Draco says, sitting up a little straighter in his chair. ”Father always intended to let me invite a companion. He originally suggested my friend Pansy Parkinson, but Mother persuaded him to let me ask Harry…”

”That was nice of her”, Sirius says, but there’s an edge to his voice. ”Parkinson, you say? Oh, yes… I know that family… How is Narcissa nowadays, anyway? You know she’s my cousin?”

”Ehm, yes — yes, she’s told me”, Draco answers politely. ”She’s fine, thank you.”

”Good. That’s good. I don’t think I’ve seen her since… When was it, Moony? My dear mother’s funeral, was it —?”

Remus seems to swallows a sigh, ”No, you saw her at King’s Cross with Harry only a couple of years ago. Now—”

”Oh, right, right”, Sirius says dismissively. ”We didn’t get to talk then, though. Unfortunately. You know, she was always one of my favourite family members?” he tells Draco. ”That’s not saying much in our family, granted, but I always liked her enough…”

”I think that’s enough—” Remus says quietly.

”Thought it was nice of her to come to the funeral, not a lot of people did — I wasn’t going to go, right, Remus?” he asks, then continues without waiting for a response. ”Remus made me go. Said I needed closure.”

”I-I see…” Draco mumbles uncertainly. 

Remus shoots Harry an apologetic look, then tries to grab his husband’s hand subtly. But Sirius dodges it and puts his arm up on the back of Remus’s backrest instead, leaning back in his own chair. 

”My mother wasn’t a very nice woman, not very forgiving… We didn’t have any contact with each other after I told her about me and Remus. She didn’t like that, you see. It wasn’t in accordance with the pureblood tradition. But you know all about that…” he gives Draco a meaningful nod. 

Harry looks uncomfortably between his dads and Draco, who looks paler than Harry’s ever seen him… I’m missing something, he thinks. 

”Oh, Sirius, before I forget”, Remus says lightly. ”I need you to take a look at the grandfather clock in the lounge, I think there’s a Boggart in it…”

Sirius finally tears his eyes away from Draco and gives his husband a weird look. Harry would be inclined to agree, considering he knows his daddy is an expert Boggart-handler and literally taught the skill to Harry and his classmates last year, but something tells him that his daddy is just trying to change the subject… 

”Harry, if you and Draco are finished, why don’t you take Draco into town and have a look at the market? We’ll have your treacle tart for tea instead!”

Harry nods and hurriedly gets up from the table. 

”Come on, Draco. They’re going to fight…”

”We are?” they can hear Sirius mutter from the kitchen just before they slip out the front door. 

”I’m… so… sorry”, he says. ”I don’t know what got into my dad, he never acts like that!”

”It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have mentioned Pansy…” Draco mumbles. 

”Why?” 

”Never mind… Oh, wow, I’d nearly forgotten!” Draco says as he looks up towards the hill where a few of Hogwarts pinnacles can be seen. ”You live in Hogsmeade now! I get to see what Hogsmeade is like in the summer!”

”Yeah, come on, let me show you the market”, Harry says just as eagerly. 

They spend the whole afternoon exploring the town, Harry dragging Draco to look at Zonko’s new line of products and Draco dragging Harry away again so that he can go look for a gift for his mum in the small perfume shop on the corner next to Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop. 

”It’s her birthday soon”, he explains. 

”Your mum’s birthday is in July? So’s mine!”

Draco gives him an amused smirk, ”I know…”

”Oh, right… So are you going to get me present?” Harry asks with a teasing grin. 

”Did you get me one?” Draco counters, but his smile doesn’t waver. 

”That’s different, you weren’t even talking to me…” Harry says, holding the door open for Draco and scrounging up his nose as the fragrance of about a hundred different perfumes suddenly hits him in a heavy wave.

”Actually, on my birthday I was”, Draco reminds him and walks up to one of the display cases. ”Did you hear about that Hippogriff?”

”Oh yeah, I heard it got put down… Hagrid was really upset about it, apparently.”

”Guess who got offered the head as a birthday gift?” Draco says drily, then adding quickly. ”I said I didn’t want it.”

”That’s sick…”

”I said no!”

”No, I mean, that’s sick of your dad to even think of that… Are you sure he wasn’t joking?”

”Father doesn’t joke”, Draco mutters. ”He makes gibes and sarcastic comments, but never jokes.”

Harry doesn’t know what to say to that, so he just pulls a sympathetic face and knocks his shoulder against Draco’s. 

”So… Are you going to get me a present?”

Draco rolls his eyes and smiles, ”I already did, all right…”

”Really?” Harry perks up excitedly. ”What’d you get me?”

”You’ll see in July”, Draco counters. ”Now, help me pick out a fragrance for my mother…”

Harry gives him a scandalised look and Draco huffs, rolling his eyes again. Then looks around for the shop assistant instead. Harry shuffles over to stand at the blonde’s shoulder awkwardly while he and the chipper witch launch into a discussion that is way too passionate for Harry’s liking, considering it’s about women’s perfume… 

”This one is called Fleur D’Interdit and is a collaboration with Muggle designer Givenchy—”

”Muggle?” Draco says. ”Oh no, sorry, nothing muggle. My mother is very… Particular about these things…”

”I see…” the girl says with a grin better suited to a knock-knock joke. ”Then might I suggest this… Comme la Neige by Madam Primpernelle… It’s from her new line of fragrances, just imported form Diagon Alley this week.”

”What do you think?” Draco asks Harry suddenly.

Harry flinches as an arm is abruptly shoved under his nose, then warily gives the exposed wrist a sniff. Draco and the shop assistant stare at him expectantly. 

”Ehm… I mean… It smells good on you…” Harry mumbles awkwardly, blushing furiously.

”I guess that will have to do”, Draco mutters, giving the shop assistant a sidelong look. ”I’ll take it, and can I get it wrapped please?”

”Certainly!” She titters and proceeds to package the tiny glass bottle in a shiny box twice its size. 

”What do I know about women’s perfume”, Harry mutters in his defence. ”I don’t even know any women…”

”I know”, Draco says drily. ”It couldn’t hurt you to make a few female friends, you know…”

”What, like Pansy?” Harry snorts. ”Not on your life!”

”I see you’re still as pigheaded as ever…” Draco drawls, but Harry catches his lips twitch so he doesn’t take it to heart. 

”Daphne is pretty nice, though”, Harry concedes, earning a sharp look. 

”What’s that supposed to mean?”

”That she’s nice”, Harry repeats slowly. ”Compared to Pansy — who isn’t.”

”Here you go, Sir…” the shop assistant twitters, placing a frilly pink and golden parcel on the counter. ”That will be ten Sickles and three Knuts, please…”

Harry turns away as Draco hands over the silver and scans the wall of tiny glass bottles with mild interest… Seems like a lot of silver for such a small amount of liquid, he thinks. But what does he know. 

”Ready to go?” Draco says, sidling up to him and Harry nods and as they make their way out of the shop he asks Draco if he wants to get an ice cream or something in the Tea Shop.

”Not if you want me to still try your treacle tart when we get back”, Draco says promptly. 

Instead they amble down the main street, browsing shop windows idly for a while. Harry lets his fingers brush the inside of Draco’s hand, but the blonde quickly moves out of reach and looks around warily. Swallowing a sigh, Harry shoves his hands in his pockets instead and they walk in silence for a few minutes. 

Suddenly, he feels Draco pinch the sleeve of his robes and pull him to the side. Frowning in confusion, Harry stumbles after him and stops next to him behind a large oak tree next to the rundown old pub The Hog’s Head.

”What —?”

But before he can finish the sentence, Draco’s hands flies up to clamp onto either side his head, the wrapped perfume bottle swinging from his wrist and hitting the side of Harry’s neck. And then Draco’s lips are pressed to his. 

Blinking in surprise, Harry jerks back enough to wet his lips and before he knows what’s happening, Draco is growling something softly under his breath and then licking his way into Harry’s mouth insistently. Harry’s stomach jolts and he eagerly fists the material of Draco’s robes and pulls him closer. As he sucks on Draco’s lower lip and then lets Draco massage his tongue with his own, Harry presses back and grinds their bodies together until his blood is boiling under his skin… 

Draco pulls away with a gasp and stares down into Harry’s face in wonder, as if trying to figure out what just happened even though he’s the one who started it, Harry thinks hysterically and huffs out a breathless chuckle… Draco’s eyes are more pupil than grey… Harry licks his lips again and taking a shuddering breath, he gently pushes his hips against Draco’s again, exhilarated to feel the other boy is just as excited as him…

Draco swallows hard and takes a deliberate step back from him, his cheeks flaring up in a nice, rosy blush that he quickly ducks his head to hide… Harry smiles fondly and reaches out to brush the boy’s hair out of his face… 

”You need a haircut…” he murmurs. 

Draco’s gaze flickers up to meet his, the corner of his mouth twitching. 

”You’re one to talk…”

”Mine doesn’t get in my face”, Harry counters. ”And even if it did, no-one would care anyway, because I’m not half as pretty as you…”

”Idiot…” Draco says and smiles. 

They make their way back to Harry’s house as the sun begins its decline on the sky, the almost orange light making Draco’s hair glow a pale gold… Harry keeps stealing glances at him and no matter how hard i he tries, he just can’t stop smiling.

Remus appears in the doorway to the kitchen when they tumble in through the front door.

”There you are… We were about to send out a search party”, he comments lightly. ”Did you have a good time?”

”Yeah”, Harry says, beaming. 

”I can tell…” his daddy murmurs, shooting him an amused look. ”What did you get up to?”

If Remus notice the blush in both the boys faces, he’s kind enough not to comment on it and just nods politely when Draco tells him Harry helped pick out a birthday present for his mother. 

”And then we just… Walked around for a while…” Harry says vaguely, sharing a small smile with Draco.

”Oh, is that all…? Well, after all that walking, I’m sure you must be hungry…” he says and walks back into the kitchen. ”The treacle tart is still hot and I’ve just put the kettle on…” 

Harry leans in and steals a quick kiss, before lacing his fingers with Draco and leading the way into the kitchen.

”Draco, do you prefer tea or coffee? Or chocolate?” Remus asks as he places the dessert on the table.

”Coffee, please…”

”Where’s dad?” Harry asks curiously. 

”He went out for some air, but he said we could start without him…” Remus says casually, taking his seat at the table and serving Draco a large slice of treacle tart. 

”Oh…” Harry says, his smile finally fading away. ”Did you have a fight?”

”No…” Remus says slowly and serves Harry an even bigger slice. ”We had a discussion, that’s all… And then he went out for some air to clear his head, so he’d realise he was wrong and I was right.”

Harry chuckles, ”Daddy…”

”I’m only joking”, Remus tells Draco as an aside and smiles. 

Draco hesitantly smiles back, after a quick look at Harry for reassurance. Harry grins back and rolls his eyes as if to say parents, so embarrassing…

Harry and Remus both wolf down their desserts at record speed and Harry even polishes off a second helping before Draco has picked his way through his own slice, alternating between tiny little pieces and big sips of coffee to wash them down. 

Remus gives Harry a subtle, questioning look as the blonde is clearly struggling to finish the whole slice and watching him carefully, Harry almost feels bad and considers telling him that he doesn’t have to… But stealing a look at the boy’s lithe frame he decides a few more calories won’t exactly hurt him either… 

”More coffee, Draco?” Remus offers kindly as Draco takes the last sip. 

”Yes, please… Thank you…” 

”You’re welcome… I’m sorry, I’m so used to Harry’s monstrous appetite”, he adds. ”You don’t have to finish the whole slice, if you’re full…”

Draco looks so relieved, Harry almost thinks he might start crying but he just releases a big breath and shoots Harry an apologetic look. 

”I don’t mind”, Harry says quickly. 

”It’s really good”, Draco says. ”I’m just so full…”

”It’s fine”, Harry smiles and knocks his feet against Draco’s under the table.

After they’ve finished their coffee, Remus puts a protective charm on the remaining piece of the tart and tells Draco to take it home with him. Draco thanks him several times, as he and Harry walk him into the lunge. Finally Remus laughs and tells him enough already. 

”It was very nice having you over, Draco. I hope to see you again soon…”

”Thank— Ehm, yes…” Draco mumbles, blushing furiously. 

Remus reaches out and shakes his hand, then leaves him and Harry alone to say their goodbyes. Draco peers up at Harry shyly through his blonde fringe and Harry barely resists reaching out to brush it aside again. He definitely needs a haircut, he thinks fondly. Biting his lip, he glances over at the doorway… He really wants to kiss Draco goodbye, but he feels awkward with his daddy in the next room. Not that his daddy would ever spy on them, but still… 

Draco makes the decision for him and steps into his space, placing a butterfly kiss on his mouth that sends tingles all throughout Harry’s body, right into his fingertips. 

”Bye…” Draco whispers with a small smile, then steps into the fireplace. 

”See you soon”, Harry says. 

Draco nods, throwing floo powder at his feet and with one last smirk at Harry through the green flames, he calls out the address of Malfoy Manor and starts revolving quickly on the spot, before he vanishes completely. 

As soon as the flames die down, Remus returns to the doorway. He’s still smiling, but there’s a tension around his eyes now. 

”Your dad will want to talk to you…” he says. ”I’m going to go upstairs. Give you some privacy.”

”Why…?” Harry frowns, his grin slipping off his face immediately. 

”Because your dad asked for it”, Remus says. ”I just sent Hedwig to get him, he’ll only be a minute… Why don’t you have another cup of coffee while you wait for him?”

”Okay…” Harry mumbles. 

Remus gives him another pinched smile and disappears from the door again. Harry doesn’t know what to believe. His dad has never asked to talk to him alone before. If anything, his dad usually prefers to let his daddy deal with all talks, being a self-proclaimed doer, not a talker and almost proudly rubbish at dealing with anything too sentimental… Remus always says it’s his way of staying macho, whatever that means… 

Harry walks out into the kitchen and resumes his seat at the table as he waits, but he doesn’t have to wait long. Sirius walks in after only five minutes, looking a little windswept and smiling widely, but there’s a tension around his eyes too and it only sets Harry’s stomach into tighter knots. 

”Hey, Harry…” he says and collapses in the chair opposite him. ”Did you have a good day with Draco?”

Harry blinks apprehensively, then nods. 

”Good. That’s good… And ehh… Did you and Draco talk…?”

”Yeah…” Harry says slowly. ”I mean… What do you mean?”

”Did you talk?” Sirius asks again. 

”Yeah we talked, of course we talked, what’d you expect—?”

”I mean, did you talk about what his parents have decided for him?”

”Decided for him?” Harry repeats. 

”Harry… You know the Malfoys are one of the oldest pureblood families in Britain…”

”Yeah, I know”, Harry says. ”What’s that matter?”

”Well, it matters to them…” Sirius says, pulling a face that suggests he, like Harry, couldn’t give a damn about theirs or anyone’s bloodline. ”They’re traditionalists, like my family was… Which means they probably have some deal with another pureblood family in regards to Draco’s… Future…”

”What?” Harry says numbly. 

”These pureblood traditionalists, they like to… Arrange things…” Sirius says slowly, giving Harry a meaningful look. ”I’m sure they’re a lot more flexible about it nowadays, but… I’m almost certain their views on same sex relationships haven’t changed all that much since I was your age…”

Harry can only blink at his dad. He feels light, like he’s not really connected to his body anymore. His head feels hollow, his thoughts far away from him and not really attached to him at all anymore…

”It all boils down to lineage, you know, furthering the family bloodline”, Sirius explains in a much too soft voice, which makes the whole thing worse, more real. ”It’s a very pureblood-typical, outdated double-standard… They don’t care who you keep company with, as long as you marry an appropriate candidate of the opposite gender and produce an heir—”

”What are you saying?” Harry splutters. ”What? Draco will have to marry some girl in an — an — arranged marriage or something?”

”I don’t know”, Sirius says gently. ”That’s what I was wondering if he’d told you…”

”No!” Harry exclaims. ”No, he didn’t tell me that! Of course he didn’t tell me that, that’s — that’s just — absurd!”

”All right, calm down…”

”Is that why you wigged out and started asking about Pansy’s family?” Harry demands. ”Because you think Draco’s engaged to her or something?”

Even as he says it, even as he snorts in derision at the very idea of it, Harry feels a sinking sensation in his stomach as the words settle around them… It would explain a lot, a traitorous voice whispers in the back of his head… Why she’s always hanging around him, always demanding to know what he’s doing and where he’s going… 

Harry’s mind flashes back to that morning in the Common Room when he woke up to Pansy standing over him and screeching, demanding to know why he and Draco were sleeping together… 

Why are you talking like you’re his girlfriend?

Draco, why are you and Harry sleeping together? Is there something you want to tell me?

”Harry…” Sirius says and reaches out to pat the back of his hand, but Harry flinches away. ”I’m sorry, I just don’t want you to get hurt —”

Harry just shakes his head and pushes himself to his feet, backing out of the room. 

”Harry!” Sirius calls after him. 

Harry walks inside his bedroom and slams the door shut behind him. Almost immediately there’s a knock on it. 

”No!” Harry yells over his shoulder. 

”Harry, it’s me…” his daddy’s voice murmurs from the other side. 

Harry says nothing. Just continues to breathe heavily, in… out… in… out…

”Harry, I’m coming in…”

The door swings open with a sigh behind him, but Harry refuses to turn around. He can feel his daddy’s presence like sunlight on his back and it’s a little comforting but not nearly enough.

”Do you want to talk about it?” he asks softly. 

”No”, Harry says immediately. 

”Okay… That’s okay, we don’t have to —” 

Wheeling around angrily, Harry points over Remus’s shoulder, ”Why does he have to ruin everything?”

Remus sighs and reaches out for him. Harry stubbornly bats his hands away, but Remus grabs him again and he allows himself to pulled into the warmth of the man’s chest. 

”You know your dad is as tactful as a hippogriff at a dinner party”, Remus mutters. ”But he means well…”

”Well, he’s wrong”, Harry croaks thickly. ”Draco and Pansy are just friends.”

”There is not a doubt in my mind about that, Harry”, Remus says seriously. ”That boy is so in love with you, anyone can see it from a mile away…”

Blushing, but feeling a little better, Harry peers up into his daddy’s face. 

”Not dad”, he mutters. 

”Yes, your dad too”, Remus says. ”That’s not what he was trying to say… Come on, let’s sit down for a minute.”

Remus guides him over to the bed and they curl up together against the headboard, Harry leaning his head back against his daddy’s chest. Remus gently combs his fingers through his hair and brushes his thumb over the lightening bolt scar on his forehead. 

”When your dad and I were sixteen, he decided to tell his mother about us… At first, I think she was actually relieved to hear that he hadn’t been consorting with muggle women despite the pictures he insisted on sticking to the walls of his room…”

Harry tilts his head back and gives his daddy a questioning look and the man just shakes his head dismissively. 

”He was doing everything to annoy his parents at that time, but he also wanted to cement his different views, he put Gryffindor banners all over the room as well, and pictures of muggle women and motorcycles… He even put permanent sticking charms on them, so Walburga wouldn’t be able to tear them down when he went to Hogwarts…”

”Why women, though?” Harry asks. 

”Well, ironically enough, the idea of her son being with a muggle woman was far worse than him being with another wizard… Even someone like me.”

”But… Why?”

”Because of the risk of pregnancy”, Remus says simply. ”It’s like Sirius tried to explain it to you before. It’s all about blood with those families.”

”Oh…” Harry mumbles. 

”So at first, I think she was relieved. But when it became clear to her that Sirius actually intended to be with me instead of a witch, and not just… Well… She was furious.”

”What did she do?”

”She disowned him, threw him out of the house… We didn’t have the room, but the Potters took him in no questions asked. Sirius never saw his mother again. He claims not to care about her dying before they got a chance to reconcile, but… I don’t know… If he really didn’t care what she thought, I don’t think he would have bothered telling her about us in the first place. I think a small part of him was hoping that she’d understand, even if she didn’t approve.”

”But she didn’t…” Harry says, feeling his chest clench at the idea… What would I do if dad and daddy threw me out? 

”No, she didn’t. Or at least she didn’t show it. She was a very proud and stubborn woman… Sirius is a lot more like her than he likes to admit. Not in his views, but he does share her temperament… Look, he’s just worried for you, Harry. That’s all. Now, we don’t know anything about the Malfoys thoughts on any of this… And frankly, speaking as your daddy, I think it’s way too soon for you and Draco to be thinking about marriage and other things anyway…”

”He kissed me”, Harry blurts out quietly. 

His smile returning at the memory and looks up to meet his daddy’s eyes. Remus smiles back and leans in to peck his forehead lovingly. 

”Everything will work out fine, you’ll see…” he murmurs and nuzzles Harry’s hair. 

*

Harry startles awake with a strangled scream and sits bolt upright in bed. A searing pain is shooting through his head, his scar burning… Clamping a hand to his clammy forehead and blinking tears from his eyes, Harry looks around in a panic, half-expecting to see a giant snake come lunging at him from the darkness… 

But no, it had just been a dream, a nightmare… But it was so vivid… Harry shivers as images from the nightmare flashes in his mind; Wormtail cowering in front of an armchair… That disembodied, cold voice… Harry would know that voice anywhere —

”Harry—!” 

The door to his bedroom bursts open and Harry startles again. He fumbles for his glasses on the nightstand, but before he manages to get them on his face, the familiar scent of his daddy hits him and he’s enveloped in a warm embrace. 

”It’s okay, pup…” he says. ”It’s okay… It was just a nightmare…”

Remus leans back again and begins to wipe Harry’s damp hair from his face, feeling his forehead. Harry winces in pain when he touches his still-throbbing scar.

”Great Merlin…” Sirius sleep-thick voice growls from somewhere behind Remus. ”You’re drenched, Harry…”

”He’s burning up”, Remus murmurs, gently pushing Harry’s glasses into place.

”I saw…” Harry shudders. ”Voldemort — I saw —”

Harry’s shivers grow more and more violent as the sweat cools on his body and his wet t-shirt clings to his skin. Remus gently guides his arms up over his head so that he can remove it.

”Pass me a dry one, Sirius”, he says quietly. 

Remus pushes the dry t-shirt over Harry’s head and guides him to push his arms through. Pulling the material down, Remus rubs Harry’s back swiftly to warm him up again.

”It was real…” Harry says and Remus hums in sympathy. ”No, you don’t understand… It wasn’t… It was different, it was like it was happening now…”

”Wait, what?” Remus says. ”You didn’t dream about… About Lily…?”

”No…”, Harry says. ”It was now, I’m sure of it, and Voldemort — Voldemort was alive, but I couldn’t see him — there were two men taking care of him, one I didn’t recognise, the other —”

”It was just a nightmare, Harry”, Remus says gently.

”Hold on, Moony”, Sirius says and crouches down next to the bed. 

”Sirius—”

”Hold on! What are you saying, Harry?”

”There was a man, a muggle — Voldemort killed him — and he had a snake, a massive snake that he could talk to and — and — Wormtail — Wormtail was there, he was taking care of Voldemort, him and this other guy!”

Sirius turns to Remus with a grim look, but the other man just shakes his head. 

”You were dreaming, Harry…” he says again. 

”But my scar…” Harry gasps. ”It only hurts like this when… When he’s near…”

”Your… Your scar is hurting you…?” Remus asks carefully and Harry catches a flash of fear in his eyes that he quickly blinks away. 

”It… It was… It’s getting better now, but it was hurting when I woke up…”

Remus nods, caressing his forehead gently, ”I’m sure it’s nothing, Harry…”