Chapter Text
Harry was feeling so much better. Their talk had done him a world of good, and it must have been good for Draco, too, because the rest of his week on his ward seemed to be much less stressful. He actually seemed happy now, for the first time in weeks, and Harry was so relieved for him that he could cry.
They had fallen back into an easy routine, but their bond had deepened. Draco was finally, finally being more open with him. He would come home from work and actually talk in detail about his day, even if nothing noteworthy happened. He was keeping Harry filled in on his progress with his mysterious patient, sharing details about his research, talking about how frustrated he was about not being able to figure out what had happened to her.
It was all Harry had wanted. He'd just wanted Draco to communicate with him, to trust him. He needed that, so that secrets or miscommunication between them didn't fester into insecurity inside of him, but he hadn't known how to ask for it before, how to convey how important it really was, how much Harry just needed some reassurance once in a while, but it seemed like Draco finally understood.
He didn't even say anything about it. He didn't brag about the fact that he was doing Harry a favor, he didn't complain, didn't call Harry too needy or annoying, didn't roll his eyes or act like he was inconvenienced. He just simply made the shift, like it was no big deal.
It was, though. It was a big deal. It made all the difference in the world.
It was finally Draco's last day on Creature Induced Injuries, and Harry couldn't wait for him to get home. He was in the process of making dessert for later when he heard the Floo roar to life for probably the sixth time that day.
"It's Uncle Theo again!" Scorpius shrieked, and Harry huffed out an exasperated laugh, watching Scorpius run to the living room to tell Theo, yet again, that no, Draco was not home yet, but his eyebrows shot up in alarm when he heard Scorpius squeal, then shout.
"You're not Uncle Theo!"
Harry cast a Stasis Charm on his batter and grabbed a towel to wipe his hands as he hurried into the living room, smiling when he saw Scorpius sitting on Pansy's lap.
"Hey, everything okay?" he asked.
"Oh, everything is perfectly fine. I just wanted to see if I could take Scorpius for the night. Blaise and I have his little cousin staying with us, he's Scorpius' age and it's been quite a long time since they've seen each other."
"Oh," Harry said, surprised. "Well, let's call Draco and ask," he said, digging the two-way mirror Hermione had charmed for them out of his pocket.
"Draco," he said into it, waiting several minutes before trying again, but got no reply. That wasn't like him, he always answered the mirror. He must be very busy.
He snapped the mirror shut, worrying his lip for a moment. He didn't want to overstep, but Scorpius was looking at him with huge, begging eyes, and it was hard to say no.
"Well," he hedged, "I don't want to give permission that's not really mine to give, but why don't you go ahead and take him, and I'll have Draco Firecall you later and let you know if he can stay. I know he's at least fine with daytime visits with whomever."
Which was the truth. Harry took Scorp to the Manor, or the Weasley's, or Andy's all the time. Pansy was Draco's best friend, it was probably fine, but it would be better to ask first, just to air on the safe side.
"Whatever you say, darling," she laughed. "Scorpius, go pack a bag, love."
"Yay!" he cheered, running upstairs to get his overnight bag.
"Perfect timing, honestly," Harry told her with a laugh. "It's his last day on that awful ward; it'll be nice for him to have a break."
"Oh, I know," she winked. "I thought you two might enjoy some privacy, if you know what I mean."
"Oh," he let out a slightly embarrassed laugh, cheeks heating up. "Well, thank you?"
Scorpius ran back down, hugging Harry quickly before going to stand in the fireplace, tapping his foot impatiently.
Pansy rolled her eyes affectionately, ruffling his hair.
"Don't mention it, darling," she called out to Harry, taking Scorpius' hand. "Enjoy your evening, and don't forget to have him call!"
They were gone, and Harry was left with not much to do now but wait. He chuckled, shaking his head, then returned to the kitchen to finish his dessert.
He was lounging on the couch, contemplating whether he should start supper or get an early shower when Draco stepped through the Floo. Harry grinned, jumping up and attaching himself to his boyfriend, standing on tiptoe to nuzzle his face into Draco's throat affectionately, breathing in his comforting scent.
"You're home," he sighed, relief washing over him. "You're finally done. Next time you go to work, you'll get a fresh start. Are you excited?"
"I'm mostly relieved," Draco replied, huffing out a laugh and wrapping his arms around Harry's shoulders, keeping him close. "Where's Scorpius?"
"Pansy picked him up a while ago. We tried letting you know through the mirror, but you didn't answer," Harry said. "I told her it was okay to take him, but that you'd let her know if he was allowed to stay when you got home. I didn't want to make a choice like that for you."
"Shit, sorry. I must have forgotten to grab it this morning," Draco winced. "But I'm fine if he stays, I don't have to be involved in every decision, I trust you; as long as I know where he is, it's fine. And it's just Pansy and Blaise."
"It's okay, you had a lot on your mind. But are you sure? It's not really my place-"
"Harry. You're his parent, too. I am completely fine with you making plans for him or making decisions if I'm not around. We're a team, yeah?" he said softly.
Oh.
Harry hadn't thought of it like that. Hearing Draco say those words, that Harry was equally Scorpius’ parent, that they were at team... it felt like a dream.
"Yeah. Okay," Harry said breathed, pressing his face even closer into Draco's throat before pulling back suddenly. "Oh! I almost forgot; Theo has called you about six times today. I told him you were at work, but he seemed really excited about something. You might want to call him back."
Draco frowned. "Right. I'd better do that, then."
He gave Harry a quick kiss, then focused back on the fireplace, settling down on the floor to make his Firecall while Harry headed to the kitchen to give him some privacy and start supper.
Draco talked to Theo for a while, and Harry was chopping up a head of broccoli, humming quietly to himself, when Draco joined him.
"Everything alright?" he asked, glancing up at him.
"He's got a date with Audrey," Draco informed him.
"Does he?" Harry asked, pleasantly surprised.
Draco nodded, going over to stand behind Harry, resting his chin on Harry's shoulder, watching him work. "Needed a bit of help figuring out how to woo her."
"Well, you are an expert on wooing," Harry said seriously, and Draco laughed.
“I’m not really that surprised, though, you did tell her he was in love with her,” Harry told him mischievously, reminding Draco of his drunken conversation with Audrey.
“What?! I most certainly did not!” Draco protested, looking positively scandalized.
“Oh, but you did,” Harry laughed, reaching up to pat his cheek. “Last time we went to the pub. You gave her an uncomfortably large tip, and told her to save it for her wedding to Theo. She said she wasn’t marrying him, but you argued with her. I believe your exact words were, ‘Not yet, but you will. He loves you; Theo never likes anyone.’ It was rather sweet, actually.”
Draco stared at him, horrified.
“No. Absolutely not. That never happened, Potter. Not a word about it, ever, to anyone. Don’t even think it, he’ll be able to see it all over your face. You’ve got absolutely no slyness in you at all.”
Harry laughed loudly at that, rolling his eyes fondly. “Fine, fine. My lips are sealed. Are you hungry?" he asked, leaning back slightly into Draco.
"Not very," Draco said lowly, settling his hands on Harry's hips. "It can wait."
"Okay," Harry agreed easily, eyes falling shut as his boyfriend pressed in closer to him. "It can wait."
Draco made a small noise of contentment. "So," he said, leaning in to kiss Harry’s neck gently. "We have a free evening. Any ideas for how we can spend it?" Draco asked huskily, grinning against Harry's skin when Harry's pulse quickened under his lips.
"I can probably think of a few ideas," Harry breathed.
"Do you want to tell me, or do you want to show me?" Draco said, pulling away with an eyebrow arched in challenge, already shedding his robes as he headed for the stairs.
Harry growled, chasing him out of the kitchen and pinning him to the stairs, kissing the breath out of him.
Draco moaned, arching up into Harry, and Harry flicked his wrist, vanishing Draco's robes, reveling in the sharp gasp he let out when he felt the cool wood against his bare, heated skin, a flush already spreading down his chest.
“You’ve got to stop vanishing my clothes, Potter,” he groaned.
“Is that so?” Harry asked, smirking, reaching down to palm at his cock. “But then how would I do this?” he asked, fingers slipping lower to brush over his entrance.
Draco grunted, canting his hips up to grind up against Harry. “Fuck it, I’ll buy more.”
Oh yeah, this was definitely a better way to spend the evening.
*
“Draco Lucius Malfoy!” Astoria’s voice rang out through his living room later that week.
Draco had started his new rotation, and it was already going better than the last, even though it had only been two days. Apparently, his new Lead Healer was the man who had helped Scorpius when Harry had brought him in with anaphylaxis, and he was also working with Healer Swynford, the lovely woman who was assisting him. He’d told Harry that they were married, and he seemed to really like them both, having nothing but good things to say about them. Harry was so happy for him.
Scorpius was in bed, and Draco was currently studying up on plant and potion poisoning while Harry laid sprawled out on the sofa, his head in Draco's lap and Fish sleeping peacefully on his stomach while Harry dozed lightly.
He jumped at the unexpected voice, however, dislodging Fish from her comfortable perch. She meowed pitifully in protest until Harry stroked her little back and she settled back down. He waited for Draco to nudge Harry off of his lap so he could get up, but he seemed content to completely ignore her.
“Draco, I can hear you moving around in there,” she said impatiently. “Don’t you dare ignore me! I will come through this Floo!”
Harry glanced at Draco, who hadn't even looked up from his book before he scooped up Fish, getting up and wandering over to the fireplace with her to answer the Firecall.
Astoria’s eyes flashed with surprise when she saw Harry instead of Draco, then a smug grin spread across her face, eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Oh, Harry, darling, how are you? I haven’t spoken to you in ages! You look wonderful.”
“Hello, Ms. Malfoy,” Harry greeted her pleasantly. “It’s nice to see you again. How are things going for you in Spain?"
“Call me Astoria, honestly!” she scolded him.
"Alright," he chuckled. "Really, though, how are you?"
"Oh, you know, same as always. I never thought I could grow bored of throwing parties, but it seems that I have. I might be forced to switch to simply attending them instead for a while."
The smirk on her face let him know that she was joking, and he laughed. "How tragic," he conceded.
"Indeed. Truly, though, I've begun a new job. Just something to help pass the time. And it doesn't hurt that the owner's son is quite easy on the eyes," she winked.
"I'm sure he's positively riveted by you," Harry told her, amused. No wonder Draco had liked her; she was quite funny.
“Of course, he is! Now where is Draco? Please tell me that he’s finally gotten himself together around you. That man never did know how to handle being around you, you know, especially when you would wear those strange muggle trousers back in school? You know the ones; grey, made of some kind of flimsy cotton fabric? Did you know they were so worn out that they were almost see through? Didn’t leave much to the imagination, did they?” she said with a tinkling laugh.
Oh, my God.
Harry's mouth fell open, his face going bright red as he barked out a shocked laugh.
She had to be joking. That was actually mortifying. He did own a rather threadbare pair of joggers, though, and had worn them quite a bit, especially in Eighth Year when he couldn't be arsed to put jeans on.
“Astoria!” Draco cried out in horror, almost falling off the couch in his effort to get over to the fireplace, face flaming. Harry stifled his laughter behind his hand as Draco floundered, trying to get her to stop talking. “What in the flying fuck is wrong with you?! Why on earth would you say that! What if I hadn’t told him anything yet!” he shrieked.
Apparently, she wasn't joking, then. Well, he couldn't be mad about that, could he? He loved that Draco apparently had such an obvious crush on him in school. Obvious to the Slytherins, anyway. Draco might be embarrassed, but Harry was hopelessly endeared.
“Oh, stop it, Draco,” she rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Obviously I already knew you’d gotten together; Pansy told me, since you couldn’t be bothered to call and thank me yourself.”
Harry was still chuckling, cheeks still warm with embarrassment at the thought that an unknown number of people might have actually accidentally seen his dick, and slight arousal at the thought that Draco specifically had been intentionally looking at his dick. He leaned in and kissed Draco on the cheek, depositing Fish on Draco’s lap.
“I’m going to go shower, darling. Enjoy your chat.” Harry told him, getting up and heading for their bedroom without waiting for a response, shutting the door behind him.
Christ, he definitely needed that shower. And probably a wank. He looked down at the slight tent in his trousers. Fuck.
Definitely a wank, then.
*
Valentine's Day was quickly approaching, and Harry was feeling a bit disheartened. He'd casually brought it up a few times, just trying to gauge and see if Draco had any interest in celebrating at all, trying to see if he should plan something for them, but he just... didn't seem to care.
Every time Harry mentioned it, he'd just hum distractedly or smile before changing the subject, and Harry had finally accepted that it just wasn't Draco's thing.
That was okay. A bit disappointing, but really, it wasn't that big of a deal. Harry had gone ahead and gotten him a gift, but he wasn't going to force a holiday he wasn't interested in on his boyfriend; Harry had just never gotten to celebrate it before and was hoping that Draco might want to spend the day with him. And who knows, maybe Draco would come around. There was still a week left, after all.
Harry needed a distraction, and the perfect one was coming up; it was finally Harry's turn to host playgroup for their Valentine's party, and he had some fun ideas. Even if Draco didn't want to celebrate the holiday, he could still have fun with Scorpius, and the rest of the kids at playgroup, too.
Harry was currently on his way to visit Audrey to help her with the charity fundraiser she wanted to host for Hermione, and he figured he could run his ideas for the playgroup by her while he was there.
"Audrey?" Harry called out when he entered the deserted pub. She'd asked him to swing by in the morning before she opened for the lunch rush, but it was still surprising to see the little pub so empty.
"In the back, love! I'll be out in a mo'!" she shouted out from what he assumed was her office.
Harry removed his coat and hopped up on a barstool, spinning around idly until she popped in.
He stopped spinning and smiled sheepishly at her. She gave him an amused grin in return, eyes dancing with laughter, but didn't comment on his childish behavior, just took the stool next to him and set a few scrolls of parchment and a couple of quills down on the table.
"So! What are your ideas? I'll be honest, I've never done this sort of thing before and truly haven't a clue where to start," she admitted.
"That's alright, I've done a few charity events, and I go to all of Hermione's. The most important thing is to know your audience. You won't want to host a stuffy Ball for the people who come here, right? You want to appeal to the people who already patron your business; that's your crowd."
"That makes sense," she nodded. "What were you thinking?"
"Well, I was actually thinking that maybe it could become a standing event if it goes well," he hedged. "Monthly Trivia night? Muggles do it all the time, it's really popular. You advertise it as a charity event and sign up teams. Each team will pay an entrance fee and the team who gets the most questions right wins a prize. If you planned on donating a portion of your sales, I thought that you could track your drink sales and I would match them each month, if you wanted to keep doing it."
"Oh, that sounds so fun, what an excellent idea!" she gushed, squeezing his arm. "And thank you, love, that's so generous of you."
It really wasn't; it's not like they couldn't afford it. Draco probably had more money than anyone could spend in a lifetime, and Harry had plenty of his own. He was more than happy to donate to people who needed it, and he knew Draco would be, too. He'd already donated to Hermione's charity, after all. Unknowingly, but still.
Harry smiled at her. "Well, great! Did you want me to help you coordinate it? Maybe just the first one? I can probably have Draco come up with the questions, he's smart, and I'm sure he'd be happy to help."
"That would be wonderful."
Harry stayed quite a while, helping her flesh out the details of the event. Audrey would be putting on the first one in April, as that was the anniversary month of Hermione's charity, and Harry had agreed to help act as the host for her, reluctantly admitting that his presence would probably draw a larger crowd, at least until it got off the ground. Hopefully he could wrangle Draco, Ron, and Neville into helping, too.
Either way, Harry was practically bursting with excitement for Hermione. This was so important to her, and he would make sure this event went well, for her, and for Audrey, too.
*
"Alright, buddy! Are you ready to go shopping?" Harry asked Scorpius.
Valentine's Day was tomorrow, and Harry wanted to get Scorpius a cute, festive outfit for the playgroup party, especially because Harry suspected that Scorpius had a bit of a crush on one of the little girls at playgroup. It was adorable how shy he got when she spoke to him, but Harry wanted to give him a bit of confidence.
Obviously, he was too young for a relationship, but he wasn't too young to begin learning how to treat someone he liked. Over Harry's dead body would he grow up to be a toxic arsehole of a partner.
Truthfully, he could use the distraction. Draco had still shown exactly zero interest in what tomorrow was, and Harry was desperately trying not to be overly disappointed. He'd hoped that Draco would come around, give him any indication that he cared about the day at all, but he just hadn't. He clearly either didn't like or didn’t care about the cheesy holiday, and that was fine. Totally, perfectly fine. Really. It was fine.
Draco had to work tomorrow, anyway, but Harry would at least get to spend the day with Scorpius. Maybe he could convince Draco to go get ice cream or something with them after work, though. The man had an enormous sweet tooth, so maybe the lure of something sweet would be enticing enough to get him out of the house.
Harry did get him a couple of simple gifts that he'd left at Grimmauld Place, but he could even save them for another time. They weren't anything crazy; he'd just had his favorite photo of them blown up on a large canvas to hang somewhere in the house, and then he'd also made Draco a box of homemade assorted chocolates. They were safe gifts, things he knew Draco would like regardless of the holiday, and hopefully wouldn't be annoyed by them.
"I'm ready!" the little boy chirped, holding his arms up to Harry. He really was getting too big to carry around, but Scorpius still liked to be held when they Apparated, and Harry wasn't about to deny him that. He'd miss it terribly when Scorp finally decided he didn't want to be held anymore.
The deep, painful longing for a baby reared up inside of him momentarily, but he quickly shoved it away. That was never going to happen, and he needed to let it go. Scorpius was enough, truly. More than enough. More than he ever thought he'd have, and Harry was so grateful to have him. He'd just snuggle Ron and Hermione's baby when they finally had one. Which hopefully would be soon.
Harry was starting to get a bit nervous for them, to be honest. He could see the discouragement on Hermione's face every time he asked them if they'd had any luck conceiving yet. It made his heart ache for them. They'd be such wonderful parents, and he wanted them to have everything they wanted.
His thoughts were getting a bit too morose, so he shook himself out of his head and hoisted Scorpius up onto his hip. He thought through his options for a moment before deciding on where they should go, and Apparated them just outside of Twilfitt and Tattings in Diagon Alley.
"How's this?" Harry asked him, setting him down on his feet, and Scorpius nodded in approval.
"Papa likes this one."
"Perfect," Harry grinned, leading him into the store. He saw movement outside the window, and turned to see a stranger waving at Scorpius. He frowned deeply and quickly moved Scorpius further into the store, away from the view of the window.
A store clerk came up to them almost immediately, distracting Harry from whatever the hell that had been, and just about fell over himself to help them when he recognized Harry, offering them drinks and a seat while he went to fetch items for them.
Harry smiled at him and assured him that they would be fine, and they'd let him know if they needed any help. He really just wanted to pick the outfit out by themselves and have some privacy.
They wandered around the store, pointing out fancy shoes and rich, expensive fabrics that Harry would never buy in a million years if he weren't dating a man who would die of horror if he dressed his son in something as common as polyester.
"So, are you thinking of asking anyone to be your valentine?" Harry asked conversationally as they browsed a display of child-sized ties.
"What's that?"
Harry raised his eyebrows. "You know, your valentine. You ask someone you're sweet on to spend time with you, or give them a special gift to show them that you like them."
"Oh," Scorpius frowned, looking contemplative.
"Do you like anyone?"
His little cheeks went pink, and he mumbled something under his breath.
"What was that?" Harry asked, amused, and Scorpius huffed.
"I said, I like Olivia. I like her braid. It's pretty."
"It is a very nice braid," Harry said seriously. "And she's nice to you, right? I see her come over and talk to you sometimes."
"She's the nicest. Luca even thinks she's nice," Scorpius said with wide eyes.
Scorpius and Luca had gotten very close since his birthday party. The shy little boy had finally begun to trust Scorpius after he'd been so nice to him when his mum left him alone at the party, coming up to talk to him willingly the next week, and Scorp had taken that opening and run with it, giving Luca no choice but to be his friend after that. He had decided that Luca was going to be his best friend because he needed a best friend, and Scorpius hadn't stopped trying until the other boy accepted it. It was a bit... aggressive, but now the two were nearly inseparable; even closer than he was with Tommy. Harry thought it was very sweet. Scorpius wasn’t exactly wrong; clearly Luca needed a good friend, and Scorpius wanted to be that for him. He was still amazed at how emotionally intelligent the small boy was at only five years old.
He was such a little Hufflepuff.
"Well, if Luca thinks so then she must be extra nice," he chuckled.
"Maybe Olivia can be my bal-time!" Scorpius said excitedly.
"Val-en-tine," Harry pronounced carefully. "And you can absolutely ask her if she'd like to be."
That seemed to make him happy, but a minute later he was frowning again. "What if she says no?"
"Well, then you tell her that's okay, and that you can still be friends."
"But I want her to like me back. She has to say yes," he pouted.
"She doesn't," Harry explained gently. "We have to respect people's choices, yeah? You can't force someone to like you, and that wouldn't be very kind of you to pressure her. But you can still be friends. There are other fish in the sea."
"We aren't on the sea," he said, looking incredibly confused.
Harry laughed. "No, it's a figure of speech. It means that there are a lot of people out there. If one doesn't like you, it doesn't mean no one ever will. And you’re only five, love," he pointed out.
Scorpius nodded very seriously. "Okay. I can still hope she says yes, right?"
"Of course you can," Harry said softly, squeezing his hand. "And we can make sure you look very handsome tomorrow, too."
That seemed to make him happy enough, and they returned their attentions to the shop. "Ooo, Scorp, check these out!" Harry said enthusiastically, pointing to a display of colorful suspenders. They would look adorable on him.
"I like those!" Scorpius giggled, pointing at a pair of bright red ones.
Harry grinned, grabbing the suspenders off the rack and handing them to him. "Let's see what we can find to match these, yeah?"
They ended up choosing a pair of black trousers, a short-sleeved button up covered in tiny red hearts, and even a little red bowtie to match. He would look precious.
When Harry went to check out, the same man from earlier came up to them, complimenting their choices.
"Thanks!" Scorpius chirped. "It's for my playgroup party. Papa says you should always look your best at a party."
The man's eyes flicked over to Harry, but he smiled. "That's very good advice."
"Can you help my daddy, too?" Scorpius asked suddenly, his silver eyes lighting up. "He should look nice for the party, too!"
"Oh, no," Harry tried to protest, cheeks warming. "I'm fine, I have clothes at home-"
"No, no! You have to look han-some on val-times day, too, daddy! Don't you want papa to think you're pretty?" Scorpius said earnestly, putting out his bottom lip. "Puh-leeeease?"
He really didn't want to. He didn't like dressing up, and he had nowhere to go, anyway, but Scorpius was pouting at him, and Harry could feel his resolve cracking. What harm would it do? He finally turned back to the very interested store clerk and just shrugged helplessly.
"Yay!" Scorpius cheered, swinging Harry's hand back and forth before hugging his arm.
The man grinned widely, ushering them to the men's section of the shop, and insisting that Harry and Scorpius sit down while he ran around pulling things off racks for him to look at.
Harry grimaced, feeling incredibly self-conscious, then guilty as he shook his head at option after option. It was all far too fancy for him. These were probably things Draco would certainly enjoy, but they weren't Harry.
"Mr. Potter, why don't you tell me what your plans are?" The clerk said kindly, looking a bit frazzled after fifteen minutes of rejections.
"Erm... I don't-" he said awkwardly, face flaming, not exactly wanting to tell this total stranger that he didn't have a date for Valentine's Day. "I um. I'd really just prefer to be comfortable..."
The man studied him for a minute, eyes sweeping over Harry's body, then smiled. "I see. One moment, please."
Harry watched him disappear, and Scorpius climbed onto his lap, humming contentedly.
When the man came back, he had only a few items with him this time. "What about this? This seems more... you, if you don't mind my saying so," he said, holding a simple red shirt and a pair of jeans out to Harry. Harry didn't even know they sold jeans in Diagon Alley. These were definitely better quality than what he usually wore, but they were casual, comfortable.
He breathed a sigh of relief, giving the man a small smile. "Yeah, I think this is better."
The man, whose name he hadn't caught, shot him a relieved smile in return. "Excellent. This way, please. Fitting rooms are over here."
Harry and Scorpius both tried on their clothes, and the man cast a few complicated looking spells at them so that the clothes adjusted themselves to their bodies properly.
Scorpius looked as cute as Harry knew he would, but he was surprised by how much he actually liked what the man had picked for him. The shirt was made of the softest fabric he'd ever felt, and it was now fitted to his body instead of being slightly oversized like he was used to. The neckline scooped down a bit, showing off his tanned skin and collarbones, and the jeans were surprisingly comfortable as well, hugging him in a the right places without feeling too tight. This would work, and he thought Draco would probably like it, too.
"You like it?" he asked Scorpius, who nodded enthusiastically.
"Yep yep yep! I like the hearts!"
"You look very festive," Harry agreed, then turned back to the man. "We'll take it all."
He rang them up quickly and packaged up their purchases, thanking them profusely for shopping with them. Scorpius giggled, but Harry just thanked him and led Scorpius outside, breathing a sigh of relief that it was over.
He saw a flash out of the corner of his eye, and someone shouted, "hey, kid!", but by the time he looked over, the person who had taken his photo was already running, probably the same prick who had been stalking them from outside of the store.
He grit his teeth in irritation. Great. Now he'd have to visit the damn Prophet office again to make sure they weren't printing pictures of Scorpius.
Instances of running into the press had amped up again after Christmas, and he didn't know why. Maybe it had been too long since he'd sat for an interview, but he just wanted to live his life. He wanted to focus on his family and spend time with his friends, and not have to constantly be fielding reporters or fans. They were literally everywhere, and it was beyond exhausting. Being rude to them just made it worse, though, and he was tired of having to give pieces of himself to the rest of the world. He just wanted to be left alone. Hadn't he given enough?
He sighed. "Scorp, do you want to go visit George and Uncle Ron at the joke shop?"
"Ooh, yes! And can we get a toy for Fish? Please?"
"Sure," Harry agreed. He knew Ron was working today, but even if he wasn't, George wouldn't mind watching Scorp for a few minutes while he went over to talk to the editor of the Daily Prophet.
The bell above the door rang when they entered, but the shop was packed. He spotted Ron and George behind the counter, busy ringing people up. Shit.
They made their way up front anyway, waving at George when he noticed them, and George nudged Ron, nodding to where Harry was standing off to the side to not block the guests.
"Harry!" Ron greeted cheerfully, hurrying over to give him a quick hug. "What's up?"
"Hey, Ron. Listen, I am so sorry to ask, but can I leave Scorp here for a few minutes? I have to go talk to Cuffe. I can't take him there," Harry said quietly. "I can come help you guys out when I'm done, I know you're slammed."
Ron frowned. "More pictures?"
Harry nodded glumly.
"Go on. Of course he can stay. We'll just put him to work. Right, buddy?" Ron asked Scorpius with a wink.
"Right! I can help!" he piped up happily.
"Thanks so much. I'll be back as fast as I can," Harry said.
Ron waved him off. "Do what you gotta do, mate. We'll be here. He's no trouble."
Harry watched Scorpius zoom into the back room and come back with a little step-stool, placing it behind the counter so he could see the customers, already chattering away. Harry smiled softly at him, giving them a wave before turning and exiting the crowded shop, making a beeline for the Prophet offices to speak to Barnabus Cuffe.
He didn't bother knocking, he just went inside and made his way up to Cuffe's office, ignoring the girl at the front desk who was simpering after him, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
Harry was a very patient man, but enough was enough. There had to be some middle ground here, some better compromise. He had a family now, he didn't want to constantly be on alert, constantly be coming down here to offer them something in exchange for privacy... when would he be able to have a break?
Harry knocked firmly on the door labeled Editor in Chief, Barnabus Cuffe only once, then entered the small office without waiting for a response.
Cuffe was hunched over his desk, puffing on a smelly cigar, and he glanced up sharply when Harry opened the door, lip curling.
"Potter. To what do I owe the pleasure," he snipped, sounding anything but happy to see him. The feeling was mutual.
Harry rolled his eyes, taking a seat without being asked. "One of your reporters took a picture of my son when we were coming out of Twilfitt and Tattings. Intentionally of just him. I wanted confirmation that you're not going to publish him."
Cuffe's eyes glinted when he called Scorpius his son, but Harry didn't flinch, meeting his gaze stonily. He wasn't going to give this slimeball anything he could use, but he wasn't going to deny his relationship to Scorpius, either, not even to this leech; that would only hurt his family.
Cuffe smirked, leaning back in his chair, eyes glinting like he'd won something. "Well, you know I can't promise you what will or won't get used in the papers, Potter. We've been hearing whisperings, you see, and we wouldn't want to deny our readers the privilege of seeing you happy, would we?"
Harry clenched his jaw, feeling a muscle ticking near his eye as his hands curled into fists.
"We have a deal," Harry said lowly.
"It's an old deal, dreadfully outdated," Cuffe dismissed. "I'm afraid it's simply not enough anymore. The public wants more. Shallow interviews aren't cutting it, we have to give them something new."
No," Harry said, anger rising.
"No?" Cuffe asked, eyebrows raised.
"No," Harry ground out. "The only thing I have ever asked you for is privacy for my kids and my family. None of this has anything to do with them. You won't print that photo."
Cuffe narrowed his eyes, aloof mask gone. "I'm afraid you don't hold the cards here this time."
"Not. Scorpius," he bit out through clenched teeth. "Don't forget, I can and will sue you if you print him."
"A loss we are prepared to take, if we don't win. We have lawyers, too, Potter, and I suggest you reconsider your cooperation with us. We need more photos, it's non-negotiable. Unless you’d prefer that we delve into the past of your little Death Eater? I’m sure that will make headlines."
Harry wanted to kill him, and he wanted to cry. Cuffe had him over a barrel and they both knew it. If Harry pissed him off, there was no telling what he'd print. He'd done it before, after all, and he couldn't stand the thought of Draco or Scorpius going through this, being so completely exposed to the public, having Draco’s past dug up, having outright lies said about him, having the public go after him. It was awful enough for Harry, who was universally liked, how would it be for Draco, who was on the wrong side of the war, who had worked so hard to escape that image, to rebuild the name his father had ruined, to expose Scorpius to that...
He couldn't put them through that.
Aside from that, he had promised Draco that he would do whatever it took to protect his son, and Draco, too. If he had to give this monster even more of himself to assure that his family was safe, that's what he would do.
"I want your word, first," Harry said, trying not to show that he'd been beaten. "Scorpius is off limits. In writing. Dated."
"I think we can manage that," Cuffe said smugly, scribbling out a note quickly and signing it.
Harry snatched it from his greasy fingers and read over it, looking for a loophole, but it was fairly cut and dry. Satisfied, he pocketed it. "Fine. Set up the photos or interview or whatever. Owl me."
He didn't wait for a response, he just stormed out of the building, heading back to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. He needed to breathe for a minute. He was so frustrated. He felt like he had no recourse at all. He was never going to have any privacy, and he just... had to accept it. If he didn't, he was going to drive himself insane.
Harry blinked back tears, drawing in a deep breath and plastered a smile on his face before going inside to get Scorpius. Mercifully the store had cleared out while he had been gone. Ron noticed something was amiss immediately, but Harry just shook his head slightly, not wanting to talk about it.
"Daddy, hi! I helped Uncle Ron take monies!" Scorpius squealed when he saw Harry, running up to hug him.
"That's great! Did you help him count it so he gave people the right change?"
"Yup! And he almost gave someone way too much twice! He's very lucky I was here."
Harry stifled a laugh, hugging the little boy tightly. "He sure was," he murmured. "The luckiest."
Harry stayed and helped Ron at the register until it was time to go home and start supper, promising that he'd stop over soon to talk. They dipped into the shops to pick up food for supper and some for tomorrow so he didn't have to shop for groceries after playgroup, then Apparated them both home.
When they got back home, Harry sent Scorpius up to give Fish her new toy and he started in on the simple supper he'd picked up, feeling a bit too down to make anything fancy. He'd make them a nice supper tomorrow. At least he'd know it was a special Valentine's Day dinner.
Crippling disappointment flooded through him, and he squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the tears back. He knew he was just feeling overwhelmed from what had happened with Cuffe and it was making him emotional, but that didn’t excuse the fact that he was being selfish. He had no right to be this upset over not having a date for Valentine’s Day. It was just a stupid holiday. It didn't really mean anything, and it wasn't like Draco didn't show Harry that he loved him every single day. He did, and Harry appreciated him so much. He had just hoped that he might get to actually celebrate it, and celebrate it with someone that he knew loved him back.
It wasn't even that he wanted Draco to dote on him; Harry would have happily planned the whole day himself, would have loved to spoil Draco and show him how much he loved him, if Draco had shown a single modicum of interest. But he hadn't, and Harry wasn't going to push him into doing something he quite clearly didn't want anything to do with.
He'd be fine. They'd get through tomorrow, and then he wouldn't have to think about it anymore. Maybe next year, Harry could just not mention what day it was and try to plan something small for them to do together. Draco might not even notice.
He sighed, trying to push the thoughts out of his mind, but he couldn't push away the heavy stone of disappointment that had settled in his stomach.
The Floo roared to life some time later, and Harry smiled as Scorpius ran to greet his father, following him at a slower pace. Draco lit up when he saw him, and something in Harry's chest ached painfully.
It's not a big deal.
"Hello, darling," Draco murmured, pulling Harry closer for a kiss. "How was your day?"
"Hey. It was, um. Interesting," he said carefully. "Scorp got to help Ron and George at the shop today."
"Yeah! I helped Uncle Ron with the monies! He's real bad at counting."
Draco tilted his head back and laughed. "Why am I not surprised to hear that."
"Be nice," Harry chuckled quietly. "Supper is ready, if you're hungry."
"Starved," Draco told him, pecking him on the cheek before following Scorpius to the dining room.
Dinner was fine. Harry knew he was quieter than usual, and Draco seemed to notice, casting him furtive glances now and then, and slight crease between his brows, but he only asked once, and when Harry assured him that he was fine, he had let it go.
After they got Scorpius bathed and in bed, Harry pulled Draco into their bedroom. He didn't want to stay up any longer. He didn't even want to have sex, he just wanted to be held.
When they were both in bed, Harry scooted as close to Draco as he could, wrapping his body around him and resting his head on Draco's chest, listening to his heart beating steadily under his ear. Long fingers came up to card through his hair, and Harry sighed quietly, allowing himself to relax into the touch.
"I had a... meeting over at the Prophet today," he said carefully.
Draco's hand didn't falter. "Did you?"
Harry nodded. "A reporter caught us coming out of a shop today. I just went in to make sure that they weren't going to print Scorp."
Now his hand stilled, his stomach tensing under Harry. "And what did they say?"
Harry shrugged his free shoulder. "That they wouldn't print him." Or go after you, as long as I cooperate, he thought bitterly.
Draco didn't need to know how far Harry was going to go to protect him. Harry didn't even know how far he'd have to go yet. He'd tell him once he knew, but he didn't need to worry Draco preemptively. It didn't matter, anyway. There was nothing he wouldn't do to keep them safe, and nothing Draco said could change that.
He felt Draco relax under him, his hand resuming its soothing motion through his hair. "Good. That's good."
Harry was quiet for a long moment, until he felt Draco's breaths even out, assuming he was asleep. "I'll keep you both safe. Whatever it takes," he whispered, pressing his lips to Draco's chest.
He startled slightly when Draco mumbled to him sleepily in reply, but relaxed again quickly enough, burrowing even deeper into Draco's arms.
"You already do, my darling. You already do."
He could get through this. As long as he had this, nothing else mattered.