Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

November, 2006

"Hermione Granger!" Harry practically shouted at the Mediwitch running the front desk as he ran into the hospital, startling the poor girl. "Sorry, sorry," he said breathlessly, offering her an apologetic smile. "I'm just excited."

She softened, turning to her paperwork to hopefully look up what room Hermione was in. She told him the room number and he ran to the lifts, tapping his foot impatiently while he waited for it to take him where he needed to go.

Once he arrived on the correct floor, he hurried down the corridor in a half run, counting the rooms until he came to the right one. He didn't bother knocking.

"Where is she?" he asked, head whipping around, until he noticed a glowing Hermione sitting up in bed, looking at him in amusement.

"Relax, Ronald just took her for a little walk around the floor and to let his family know they can come visit. They'll be back soon," Hermione laughed, shaking her head fondly at his excitement.

He broke into a grin, rushing over to scoop her gently into his arms. "Sorry, love, I'm just dying to meet her. How are you feeling, 'Mione? You look incredible, are you sure you just gave birth? Are you in any pain? Do you need anything? What can I do?" Harry babbled.

"I'm fine, almost no pain at all. It all happened so quick, and Ron was a bit of a mess and forgot to call you. I'm sorry we weren't able to send word sooner."

Hermione had wanted Harry to be there when she went into labor, but by the time he'd gotten Ron's panicked Patronus saying that Hermione was having the baby, she was already in the process of being born. He'd had to excuse himself from Scorpius' birthday party with about a thousand apologies, and rush right over, but he, unfortunately, missed the birth. Scorp had declared that she'd come on his birthday, and Harry couldn't believe she actually had. He would swear that kid had willed it into existence if he didn't know that wasn't exactly possible.

He was slightly disappointed he hadn't been able to be there to welcome his new niece or help his best friend during labor, especially since there was no way Ron had kept a level head and probably had stressed Hermione out more than he'd helped her, but he was just happy that they were all alright and little Rosie was here.

"Don't even worry about that," he chastised her. "Hopefully Ron didn't panic too much," he joked, and she laughed brightly.

"He fainted, Harry! One of the Mediwitches had to levitate him out of the room until he came to. It was so ridiculous I couldn't even be upset. He did make it back in time to see her birth, at least."

Harry groaned, looking at the ceiling, facepalming. "I can't believe he actually fainted," he chuckled.

"Oi! I didn't faint!" Ron's voice called from the doorway. "I passed out, and it was very manly."

Harry whipped around, taking in Ron's slightly indignant face before his eyes settled on the tiny pink bundle in his arms.

"Oh, my God," he whispered, heart pounding as he stood, slowly making his way over to Ron, eyes glued on the baby.

Ron shifted her in his arms, pressing a kiss to her little head before holding her out for Harry to take her. "I'd tell you to be careful, but you have way more experience than I do holding babies," Ron chuckled.

Harry blinked back tears as he took Rose in his arms, cuddling her close as he studied her face.

She was beautiful. Barely a fuzz of bright red hair on her head, and perfect, pink little lips. Her features were so tiny but she was staring at him intensely, like she was already trying to figure him out. Already like her mother.

He laughed wetly, giving her a kiss on her teeny, tiny nose, causing her to scrunch up her little face and sneeze.

"Oh, God, she's perfect," he breathed. "Absolutely perfect."

"She is. You will be her Godfather, won't you, Harry?" Hermione asked. "I can't imagine asking anyone else."

"Of course I will," he choked out, grinning, his eyes wet. They were tears of joy, though; he was so, so happy for his best friends, and so happy that Rosie was finally here.

"You hear that, sweetheart? I'm going to be your Godfather. Your mummy and daddy are going to get so sick of seeing me," he chuckled quietly, but when he looked at their faces, looking at him holding their new baby with nothing but love and patience, he knew they wouldn't, not really.

They were best friends; a trio, always.

*

December, 2006

"Hello, darling. How was little Rose?" Draco asked, kissing him on the cheek.

Harry had just returned from a long afternoon of visiting Rosie. Scorpius had gone with him, but Harry had dropped him off at the Manor for a sleepover with his grandparents before coming back home, and Draco had told him he had some things around the house to catch up on, so he'd begged off coming. Harry suspected that was code for needing some time alone, so he'd just kissed Draco goodbye and told him to enjoy his afternoon.

"Still absolutely beautiful," Harry replied, taking off his jacket. "She's going to be a handful, that one. Only five weeks old and already very demanding, just like her mother. I still can't believe she actually came on Scorp's birthday," Harry laughed. "I told Ron that we'd be happy to take her any time so they could get some rest, though. Apparently, she's a bit of a night..."

Harry trailed off as he finally caught sight of their living room. What the hell had happened in here? It looked like a flower shop exploded. The last time Draco had gone so overboard had been Valentine's Day, and Harry wracked his brain, trying to figure out what special occasion he'd forgotten, but he came up empty.

"...owl. Er. What's the occasion?" he asked, bewildered.

"Wedding planning!" Draco exclaimed with a wide grin, and Harry felt his stomach lurch.

Oh, fuck.

Draco had been on Harry for months about planning their wedding, asking him a million questions about flowers, food, stationary, suits versus robes, venues... and Harry kept shrugging him off, giving him non-committal, half-answers every time he brought it up.

It wasn't that Harry didn't want to get married; he did. So badly. But he hadn't exactly considered the fact that Draco was incredibly dramatic and showy, and would definitely want some grand, expensive, elaborate event when he'd proposed.

The thought of having a huge wedding that they couldn't hide, of being the center of attention like that, made his palms sweat and his stomach churn in protest. God. He wanted to make Draco happy, he truly did, and he would, but he just... he needed time to adjust to the idea. Harry resisted the urge to scratch his neck where it was prickling.

"I have everything set up for you. I hoped this might be easier for you? I know you don't really enjoy shopping and planning, so I thought we could just spend the evening going over some ideas and pin down what you want here at home, and I could handle it from there. And!" Draco added excitedly, holding a bottle out with a flourish, "I got your favorite wine!"

Harry softened, giving him a small smile. He couldn't ruin this for Draco when he'd gone to so much trouble for him, trying to be as considerate as possible.

Draco must have noticed Harry's hesitation, his sharp eyes zeroing in on Harry's cheek, where he knew his dimple wasn't visible. Shit.

"Um. Is that okay?" Draco asked, sounding a bit insecure.

"Sure, darling, just let me go change. I’ll be right back," Harry told him, trying to inject some excitement into his voice.

He hurried upstairs, feeling guilty as he changed into an old pair of gray joggers and a black t-shirt. What was wrong with him? He should be thrilled that his fiancé went to so much trouble, that he wanted to be involved and was so excited to be married that he'd brought the wedding planning to Harry. It was so sweet, really. He was being ungrateful, and he knew it.

Harry sighed, running a hand through his messy hair until it flopped into his eyes. Not bothering to fix it, he made his way back downstairs so Draco wouldn't be kept waiting.

When he stepped back into the living room he looked around, feeling slightly overwhelmed. This was... it was a lot. There were dozens of bouquets and centerpiece examples lining the room, all painstakingly arranged by color.

"You've certainly been busy today," Harry tried to joke, giving Draco a slightly forced smile.

Draco smiled at him and ran a nervous hand through his hair before he scooped Harry into a tight hug. "Come on, darling," he murmured, lacing their fingers together and gently leading Harry to the kitchen, where he was surprised to see multiple plates of food and cake scattered all over the island and countertops.

"Now, I have everything set out in a specific order so it's more like an experience for you, and less like a chore, alright? Start with food, end with cake."

Oh, God. There was more? It wasn't just flowers in the living room? How much was there to look at?

Harry nodded slowly, chewing his bottom lip. He scratched at his neck absent-mindedly and eyed the multiple plates of food. Draco had Harry sit at the island, and pointed at each meal, explaining what he was eating, and they both tasted them together. After they'd both tried them all, Draco lined the plates back up neatly.

"So, what did you like? Or not like? These options just sounded the best to me, but we can always try something else, if you weren't crazy about any of them, or even a different caterer," Draco said earnestly.

"Um. The roast beef was good. So was the salmon. But I know you like lamb best, we can just go with that?" Harry answered hesitantly, eyebrows furrowing the tiniest bit in consternation.

He should just pick the options he knew Draco would like best. Harry didn’t care about any of this, but Draco clearly did. If he was going to do this, he wanted Draco to be happy.

"You don't have to pick something just because I like it," Draco told him gently. "This is about you, too."

"No, no, the lamb was really good. I liked it," Harry assured him, shaking his head, and pushing his chair back to move on, hoping they could get through this quickly. "What's next?"

Draco blinked at the abrupt change in topic. "Erm. Flowers!" he said brightly, grabbing their wine glasses and going back to the living room where he had about ten different arrangements and quite a few different centerpiece ideas that didn't involve flowers laid out. Jesus.

Harry took his wine back, downing the rest of it in one large gulp before handing his glass back to Draco. Getting drunk might help, actually, he thought, scratching at his neck again before he caught himself and made himself stop.

"Did you want more?" Draco asked carefully.

"Yes," Harry replied without hesitation, shooting Draco a crooked smile to soften his answer.

Draco refilled his glass, and Harry threw back half of it in one go while Draco stared at him with wide eyes. Harry raised his eyebrows at him, asking him to continue, and Draco blinked.

"Oh. Right. Flowers. I didn't really know what colors you preferred, so I just had a few arrangements made up in different color schemes. I thought it might help you to see how they flow, instead of just looking at fabric swatches. I know it's a bit difficult to visualize like that."

Harry stared at the multitude of flowers, eyes darting around the different ones, chewing on his bottom lip. Normally, he adored flowers. He loved yellow flowers, but Draco would decidedly not want yellow flowers at their fancy wedding. "I..." he started, then trailed off, scratching his neck again, not wanting to get the answer wrong.

Draco gestured to four arrangements that were closest to them; one all white and greenery, one in various shades of pink, one in yellows, and one that had warm, jewel tones, like a sunset. "Um. These ones here all have lilies and narcissus in them, in case you wanted to include our mothers..." he trailed off nervously, and Harry softened considerably.

Oh.

That was- fuck, that was so, so sweet of him. That was...

"I think that's a lovely idea, darling," he murmured, eyes roving again until they landed on a pretty, clean, white arrangement. "Maybe just the white one? It's simple..."

"Is that the one you like best, or the one you think I like best?" Draco asked, clearly catching onto Harry's game, and Harry looked at him a little sheepishly at being called out.

"I like the white. It's clean. Elegant. It's..."

"Me," Draco filled in, a bit flatly, eyebrow arched.

"Yes," Harry said defiantly, lifting his chin, and Draco smirked.

"Fine, then. White it is."

They worked their way through centerpieces and place cards, fabric swatches and chair sashes, dress robes and tuxedos. There was more here than Harry ever imagined, and by the time they made it to the invitation samples, Harry was fidgeting even more, unable to hide his discomfort any longer. He'd gone through two more glasses of wine, chewed his bottom lip raw, and his hands were twitching slightly with the effort it was taking not to dig his fingernails into his neck, where he was ninety-five percent sure he'd developed a stress rash.

"Alright, darling, we're almost done," Draco said softly, stroking Harry's cheek. "Just cake and stationary left."

Oh, thank God. Harry was so ready for this to be over. Then hopefully all he'd have to do is show up. He wanted to just... be married.

Draco tapped on a random invitation set. "This is the one I thought you'd like, but we can change anything you want; color, font, wording, whatever."

"It's lovely," Harry replied quickly, barely glancing at it. He didn't care at all what it looked like. "Very nice. That will do."

"Okay... Um. I just used our current names because we haven't decided on if we'll change our names or not. But this set would be pretty for a spring wedding, if you like that more?" he suggested, pointing now to a set with greens and white.

Harry clenched his hands, biting back the urge to either scream or cry, he didn't know which right now. He wanted to go to bed and cuddle his fiancé and never look at another piece of stationary again. He knew he was being selfish, and he felt horribly guilty, but this... it was too much. This was all too much. He hated this.

"Darling? What are you thinking?"

"I hate this," Harry blurted out accidentally, the words just slipping out. His eyes grew wide in shock as Draco stilled. Harry sucked his sore bottom lip between his teeth, worrying it as he waited for a response.

"What?" Draco frowned in confusion.

"I- I hate this. I don't want to do this," Harry repeated. It was out now; he couldn't take it back. He might as well just be honest now.

"I-" Draco croaked, clearing his throat as his voice cracked slightly. "Y- you don't want to do this?"

"I really don't," Harry said pleadingly. "Please. Can we please just... not?"

He felt awful, but God, he did not want a huge wedding like this, where they'd get swarmed with reporters and he'd have to put on a show for people he barely even knew. There had to be some kind of middle ground here, something that didn't make him want to gouge his eyeballs out.

He watched as a myriad of emotions flickered across Draco's face before it settled on utter devastation. "I don't understand. You don't want to marry me anymore?" Draco whispered, sounding absolutely anguished. "Why?"

Harry was horrified. He hadn't meant that!

"Oh my God," Harry gasped, quickly stepping up to Draco and wrapping his arms around him tightly and reassure him that that was not at all what he had meant. "Baby, no. No, no, no, that's not what I meant, at all. I want to marry you, more than anything. I just don't want all of- all of this," he gestured wildly to the pile of fabrics and invitations that covered the table.

A sob tore out of Draco's throat as he sagged against Harry in relief, trying to get himself under control. Christ, Harry was an arsehole.

"Darling, I'm so sorry," Harry said guiltily, fingers still stroking Draco's cheeks and jaw tenderly. "I didn't realize how that sounded. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Draco said shakily. "I knew something was wrong and I just assumed... it doesn't matter. Um. So, you just don't want the stationary? Or you don't want to make the decisions? Or did you-"

Harry cut him off with a firm shake of his head. "No. Yes. I don't-" he made a frustrated sound, running a frazzled hand through his messy hair. "Just- can we please just talk about this? I know this is important to you, and that you want this grand, opulent wedding, darling, and I want to make you happy, but this... it's too much. It's giving me, like, actual hives?" Harry said, pulling the neck of his shirt down a bit, showing Draco the obvious stress rash he had developed over the last hour and a half.

Draco's jaw fell open in alarm. "Harry, I- I'm so sorry. I had no idea you were so stressed out over this. I was just trying to make things easier for you, not overwhelm you. I only wanted to do this for you," he said quietly. "I just want to give you the wedding you deserve."

"And I love you for that, really I do," Harry said earnestly. "This whole thing was so thoughtful and so sweet, but darling, I don't need all of this. I don't want a big wedding. I don't even really want a wedding at all, if I'm being honest. I hate crowds, I hate being the center of attention. It would just be stressful, and probably a media circus because there's no way we could keep them all away, and it would feel like a- a performance. I just want to marry you. That's all I care about. Can we maybe pare this down? Or something? Come up with some kind of compromise?" Harry begged.

Draco stared at him, then took his hands. "Darling, I only want you to be happy. That's all I ever want. We definitely don't have to do this," he said, waving his wand towards everything on the table and vanishing it all immediately. "Not any of it, if you don't want to. I wouldn't care if we just went to the Ministry and eloped, if that was what you wanted. I just want to marry you."

"We could do that?" Harry asked in a small voice, hope rising, and Draco nodded. "Wouldn't you be disappointed?"

"The only thing that would disappoint me, Harry, would be seeing you unhappy in any capacity on our wedding day. It's still going to be the best day of my life, no matter where, when, or how it happens," Draco told him, pushing his fringe back. He ran a gentle finger over the worried furrow between Harry's brows, smoothing it out. "I told you, darling, I've wanted to marry you since I was thirteen; I'm certainly not going to be picky about how it happens now that I finally get to."

Relief flooded through Harry. Draco meant that; Harry could see it all over his pretty, pretty face, those silver eyes showing nothing but sincerity. Draco leaned down, kissing him gently, keeping it sweet and just this side of too heated.

"When can we do it?" Harry asked in a slightly trembling voice.

"Whenever you want. I’ll take the day off work if I have to. We don't even have to tell anyone if you don't want to," Draco told him.

Harry bit his lip, heart thumping. "Well, I'd say right now, but I want Scorp there. We need him with us. I don't want to ruin his sleepover, though. Tomorrow?"

Draco grinned widely. "Tomorrow," he nodded. "I'm going to marry you so hard in fourteen hours."

Harry laughed brightly. Tomorrow. They were getting married tomorrow. Fuck, he couldn't wait.

*

"Harry! Are you ready yet? We still have to go pick up Scorpius!" Draco shouted up the stairs.

Harry was cursing the buttons on his dress robes, suddenly remembering why he hated wearing robes. There were a thousand buttons and they were tiny.

Harry had donned a fancy pair of robes that Draco had rented for his little wedding tour yesterday, but he'd charmed them yellow. Golden yellow, that got darker the closer they got to the floor, ending in a deep marigold. He figured Draco would prefer traditional wizarding wedding attire, so he was going to suck it up and wear robes. He'd slicked his hair back like he had on Valentine's Day, and left his glasses in the bathroom, putting his contacts in instead. If he could just get these damn things buttoned.

He huffed and hurried out of the bedroom, still fumbling with his buttons. Draco would help him with them.

He was getting married today; to the love of his life, his soulmate. He'd insisted that they sleep in separate rooms last night so he could stay up late perfecting his wedding vows. He'd written them months ago, as soon as they had gotten engaged, but he'd tweaked them probably a hundred times. They were important, and he wanted to properly convey his feelings without stuttering over his words, fairly certain he was going to cry at least once today.

He'd Firecalled Kingsley last night, begging him to squeeze them in today. He'd pouted and everything, but it hadn't been necessary; Kingsley was more than happy to clear time to marry them, especially since it was pretty much the first favor Harry had asked for since defeating Voldemort. That was true, but he didn't like using his name to get special treatment. This was different, though. This wasn't just about him.

"Coming, I'm coming," Harry called as he made his way down the stairs, still fussing with his robes. He'd managed to get the last few buttons done up, at least. "Sorry, darling, I couldn't figure out these bloody..."

Harry's voice died as he paused at the foot of the stairs, finally looking up from where he was fiddling with his buttons, sucking in a sharp breath as his eyes darted wildly over Draco's body.

He was not wearing robes. He was in a perfectly fitted muggle three-piece suit in a dark charcoal color paired with a plain white button up. The trousers clung to his thighs deliciously and made his legs look even longer. The jacket and vest dipped in at his waist, accentuating his trim figure, and a deep, bottle green tie and pocket square paired perfectly.

His hair, though... he had weaved one side of his long, thick hair into an intricate French braid that led into the fluffy bun at the back of his head. Harry had never seen him do anything like that before, and it was breathtaking. He was breathtaking. Oh, God, Harry was marrying the most beautiful bloke on the planet.

"Holy fuck, are you gorgeous," he blurted out, eyes widening.

"So are you," Draco croaked, voice cracking as his eyes roved over Harry's robes.

Harry grinned widely, his dimple digging into his cheek, pleased that Draco approved.

"Muggle suit," Harry murmured, approaching Draco and fingering along his lapel. Fuck, did he look incredible.

"Wizard robes," Draco replied, swallowing thickly and touching Harry's cheek reverently. "You look sensational, darling."

Harry laughed brightly at that. "Sensational. That's a new one," he chuckled.

"It's true."

Harry melted, his whole face going soft with affection. "Thank you, sweetheart. Should we go pick Scorp up now? I told Kingsley that we'd be in around eleven."

"No, I'll go get him. I didn't expect you to wear robes. If you come with me looking like that, they'll know for sure that something is up. I can hide most of mine under my coat, at least. I'll just Apparate."

"Won't they ask why you're wearing a coat?" Harry asked.

"I planned to tell them I'm taking him to Diagon for the afternoon if they ask."

"Very clever," Harry said, nodding.

"Here, take this, and I'll be right back with him," Draco said, holding the miniature garment bag that held Scorpius' outfit out for Harry.

After he took it, though, it seemed that Draco couldn't hold back anymore. He yanked Harry close and brought their lips together, his tongue flicking out to taste Harry's mouth as he brought his hands up to cradle his face tenderly. Harry moaned into the kiss, letting Draco take control, and when he pulled back, Draco's eyes were even brighter, his cheeks flushed with happiness.

"I get to marry you today," Draco murmured, brushing his thumb along Harry's cheekbone.

"Yeah," Harry breathed, excitement swirling in his stomach.

He's waited so long for this; so long to find someone who loved him for him, who didn't expect him to change or put on a show or be something he wasn't. Draco was that person. He loved Harry for exactly who he was, he reveled in all of Harry's ridiculous quirks and ideas, and childlike qualities, and his too-muchness. Draco loved all of him. He couldn't wait to love this man for the rest of his life.

"One last thing," Draco said, pulling out his wand and quickly changing the green of his tie and handkerchief to match Harry's robes, and Harry beamed at him.

"I'll be right back," Draco told him, and he quickly disappeared through the Floo.

Harry paced while he waited, but he returned just a few minutes later with Scorpius in tow. Harry grinned when Scorpius' jaw dropped open at the sight of him.

"You look like a real wizard!" He exclaimed in shock.

Harry burst out laughing. "How about that, huh?"

"I like it," Scorpius decided, touching the buttons on Harry's robes one at a time. "You look like the sun." He looked at Draco curiously when he removed his coat. "Why are you both all dressed up?"

"How would you like to go to a wedding, love?" Draco asked, holding out the little navy blue dress robes.

His face lit up. "Yes, yes! Yay, wedding! Like Auntie Pansy and Uncle Blaise's?"

"Not quite. This one will be much smaller," Draco explained.

Scorpius nodded seriously. "Whose wedding is it?"

He glanced over at Harry, who was chewing on his lip nervously.

"Ours," Draco told him calmly.

Scorpius frowned, a little furrow appearing between his eyebrows. "Yours? You and daddy?"

Draco nodded, smiling at him. Scorpius' eyes grew enormous. "You're getting married?" he whispered, hands coming up to his mouth.

"We are. If you're alright with that."

"Yes, yes, yes, I love it!" Scorpius jumped at Draco, hugging him tightly, then flew over to Harry to wrap his little arms around his legs. "Can we go now? Please?"

"As soon as you get dressed, we can go," Draco told him. He took the small robes out of the bag and handed them to his son. "Do you need help?"

Scorpius shook his head vigorously, then took off in a run towards the stairs.

Draco and Harry both laughed, and Draco followed him upstairs, returning just a few minutes later with Scorp's robes now yellow to match Harry's. It clashed horribly with his white blonde hair, but he looked so pleased with himself.

"Do you love it?" Scorpius asked them both hopefully, holding his arms out to his sides.

"Oh, I love it," Harry gushed, and Draco quickly agreed.

"Yay! We can go now. I'm ready."

Draco laughed, picking Scorpius up and holding Harry's arm with his free hand, letting him Apparate them to the Minister's office. Draco raised a questioning eyebrow at him, and Harry grinned. "He said he'd do it for us here. Complete privacy, no leaks that way, at least until we decide to tell people."

"It's a secret?" Scorpius asked, looking confused.

"Just for a little while, darling. We'll tell a few people, but you mustn't tell anyone at school, or Grammy and Grampy for a little bit, alright?"

"Why not Grammy and Grampy?"

"I just think it would be nice to surprise them," Draco said simply, and Scorpius seemed to accept that.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Kingsley's deep voice rang out behind them. Harry spun around to greet him, seeing that Kingsley was already smiling widely at them.

"Kingsley," Harry greeted. "Thanks so much again for doing this for us, we really appreciate it."

"It's no trouble at all. Shall we begin?"

"Yes, please!" Scorpius chirped, and Harry grinned.

"Yes, please," he parroted.

Shacklebolt motioned them over to an alter that hadn't been there before. He took his spot behind it, while Harry and Draco stood in front of it, facing each other, and Scorpius stood next to Draco.

"Do we have a witness here today?"

They glanced down at Scorpius. "Me, me!" he said excitedly, and even Kingsley smiled at the small boy's enthusiasm.

"Perfect. Let's begin."

Harry glued his eyes to Kingsley, absorbing every word he said, wanting to commit every second to memory. He'd probably watch his own memory back in Draco's Pensieve a thousand times.

"Do you wish to say your own vows?" Kingsley asked, and Harry nodded eagerly. When he turned to Draco, though, he was staring at Harry intensely, his eyes bright with tears. Harry's heart skipped.

"Darling?" Harry prompted him, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"What?" Draco asked, blinking.

Harry gave him a slight smile. "Do you want to say vows?"

Harry watched as panic flashed across Draco's face. Either he was nervous, or he'd forgotten to write his own. Harry didn't mind, though, he just wanted Draco to be happy today, and if he needed to repeat the pre-written vows that Kingsley would give him, that was fine. They'd still be married at the end of this either way.

"It's okay. I can go first?"

Draco nodded in relief, taking a deep breath. "Okay," he whispered, and Harry grinned at him.

"I'm going to be honest; I wrote these months ago, but everything I'm going to say is still every bit as true." Draco gave him a shaky smile, squeezing his hands slightly, then released one so Harry could pull the small piece of parchment his vows were written on out of his robes. He winked at Draco, hoping to help him relax, then focused on his paper.

"I never thought I'd have this. When I came to work for you, I had no idea how much my life would change. I'd given up on ever finding love; real love, the kind where I could really be myself and it would be enough for the person I ended up with, the kind where we just wanted to be together all the time and couldn't get enough of each other. I'd given up on having a family. But you opened your door that first day, and just the sight of you, it felt like you breathed life back into me, and then spending time with your son... I never wanted to be away from either of you. You came as a package, a built-in family. I never imagined that I'd find everything I ever wanted with you, my former nemesis," Harry chuckled wetly, marvelling slightly at how bizarre their situation really was.

"I promise to be the best husband to you that I can possibly be. I promise to love you, even when you're stubborn and prickly and cranky. Especially then, actually, because I know that's when you need me the most. I promise to protect and to love you and Scorpius for the rest of my life, and to always put you both first. I promise to never go to bed angry, and to always hear you out if we argue, and to keep feeding you way too much ice cream. I love you so much, sweetheart, and I can't wait to start the rest of our lives together."

Harry finally looked up to see Draco blinking rapidly, releasing a shaky breath. He wanted to kiss him so badly, but he couldn't. Not yet.

"Thank you, Harry," Kingsley said quietly. "Mr. Malfoy, do you wish to say your own vows?"

Harry watched emotions flicker across Draco's face, but then he straightened his back, taking Harry's hands and locking their eyes together.

"I- I always thought it would be difficult to find someone who would love me when I'm always scattered in a thousand pieces. I didn't think I deserved love, and I had impossibly high standards, anyway. My childhood crush had saved the world, after all; who could have possibly lived up to that? It was easier to be alone and focus on things I could control.

Harry smiled slightly at that, and Draco seemed to pick up confidence as he went.

"But you... you showed up on my doorstep, all eager and dimpled, practically glowing with effervescence. You barged into my life when I wasn't prepared and showed me that every piece doesn’t have to be in place to create something beautiful. You barged in and accepted not only me, but also my son, with open arms and an open heart and gave us stability and fulfillment in ways I didn't even know we needed."

Oh, God, Harry was going to lose it. Tears slid down his cheeks and he swallowed thickly, trying to retain his composure, glancing over at Scorpius, who was watching his father with wide eyes.

"I can't promise that dark clouds will never hover over our lives, or that the future will bring us everything we've ever wanted. I can't promise that tomorrow will be perfect, or that life will ever be easy,” Draco took another deep breath, "but I can promise you that you will never have to face another day alone, no matter what is going on or how much we disagree. I can promise to give you honesty and unconditional support, and to love you just the way you are. I can promise to agree to disagree on things like whether lavender or mint ice cream is best, and whether or not it's acceptable for me to talk during muggle films. I can promise to help you love life and fill it with laughter, to show you my devotion with actions, and not just words.

"You captured my heart by being exactly who you are, and everything I've ever wanted. I'm not sure a lifetime is long enough to return all you have given me, but I promise that I will spend the rest of my life trying to deserve you."

When Draco finished, Harry let out a wet, incredulous laugh. Fucking hell, those were the most gorgeous vows he'd ever heard. They were burned into his memory forever.

"There's no way you just made that up," Harry said, voice rough.

Draco blinked, frowning slightly. "Um. I d-"

"Can I kiss him now?" Harry interrupted, not taking his eyes off of Draco.

"Not yet," Kingsley replied, sounding amused. "Do we have the rings?"

"Scorpius has them," Draco murmured, looking over at the little boy.

"I do?" he asked, perking up.

"In your pocket, love."

Scorpius patted his pockets until he felt the little leather box. "I do! I have them, papa!" he proudly held the box out for Draco to take. "I helped," he whispered.

"Thank you, my little star," Draco said, taking Harry's ring out of the box. He took Harry's hand gently and slid the golden band into his finger. It fit perfectly. Harry's heart tightened as he stared at it, admiring how lovely it looked, gleaming against his tanned skin, before he slid the matching platinum band onto Draco's left hand, running his thumb over it reverently.

"If you would please lock hands," Kingsley said once the ring box was back inside Scorpius' pocket.

Draco reached out for Harry, hands tightly grasping Harry's wrists with his fingers, palms pressed together, as Harry mimicked Draco's action, wrapping his own fingers around Draco's wrists the best he could. Kingsley pulled out his wand and touched the tip to their clasped hands, murmuring a quiet incantation. A brilliant blue ribbon made of light weaved itself intricately around their wrists, glowing brightly for a moment before it melted into their skin, disappearing. It was so pretty, and Harry could feel the magic thrumming under his skin.

"Congratulations, gentlemen. You are officially married," Kingsley announced.

Harry grinned, excitement bubbling up as he looked at his husband.

"Now?" he practically begged, fidgeting.

"Yes, now," Kingsley said with a laugh.

"Finally," Harry groaned, grabbing Draco by the lapels of his jacket and pulling him down into a fierce kiss. Their first kiss as husbands.

He was married!

When they broke apart, Draco wrapped his arms around Harry, holding him close. They belonged to each other now, officially.

"Did we plan on changing any names today?" Kingsley interrupted them quietly. He looked slightly guilty for having to ask and interrupt them. "We can do that when you sign the license."

Oh. They hadn't even discussed if they were going to change their names or not. He just assumed they'd keep their own names, mainly so Draco could keep his family name and match Scorpius. He'd love to share a name, but it wasn't that important.

"Er, we didn't really-" Harry started.

"I want to," Draco blurted out, taking Harry by surprise.

"You do?" Harry asked quietly. "I thought you'd want to keep your family name, especially because of Scorp."

They both looked at the small boy, who was happily playing with a floating paper crane on the Minister's desk, poking it away from him and laughing when it flew back.

"I do, and really, if I had to choose, I think I'd rather take yours than have you become a Malfoy. It doesn't feel right, making you give up your name, especially because of who you are," Draco explained.

Harry bit his lip, mind racing. Draco wanted them to have the same name. He was willing to give up his family legacy for Harry.

"Well, why don't we combine them?"

Draco frowned. "Like make up a new name?"

Harry laughed. "No, like hyphenate them. That's what Hermione did. We'd just both take it instead of only one of us."

Draco blinked, then smiled. "Malfoy-Potter?"

A slow grin took over Harry's face. "Yeah. Yeah, that's perfect."

Kingsley had them sign their marriage license with their new names, then vanished it. "All finished," he said, smiling at them both, and Draco kissed Harry again sweetly.

"Finished, finished! My dads are married!" Scorpius cheered, wrapping his arms around them both tightly. Harry scooped him up, nuzzling his face against Scorpius'. His step-son. His son.

"Here, darling," Draco said.

Harry looked over and saw him holding a thick envelope out towards him.

"What's this?"

"Your wedding present," Draco told him with a shrug.

They were supposed to get each other wedding gifts? He didn't know that. Hopefully Harry was enough of a gift today, because he didn't have one to give back. He'd get one later, though. Harry gave him a crooked, slightly confused smile, and opened the envelope.

Harry froze, his entire world coming to a halt. He could scarcely breathe as he stared at the words stamped across the top of the parchment.

Certificate of Adoption.

These were adoption papers.

Harry's jaw hung open, and he snapped his eyes up to meet Draco's. His silver eyes were so bright, practically glowing, shining with so much love it took Harry's breath away.

"Is this really..." Harry began, trailing off when his voice became too thick with emotion to finish.

Draco nodded slowly. "Yes. If you want it."

Harry's eyes filled with tears. "Are you sure?"

This... this wasn't a small gesture. Draco wanted him to adopt his son, his most precious thing in this world. He wanted Harry to legally be his other parent. He didn't even have words for the emotions running through him right now.

"I've never been more sure of anything, darling," Draco told him quietly.

"Wait! What is it?" Scorpius asked, trying to read the parchment in Harry's trembling hand.

"Adoption papers," Draco replied softly.

"Adoption? Who are you adopting?" Scorpius asked, looking offended.

Harry chuckled wetly, hugging the boy even tighter. "You, silly."

"Those papers will make Harry your daddy," Draco told him

"But you're already my daddy," he said to Harry, frowning.

"Yes, but now everyone will know it. This will make it legal," Draco explained.

Scorpius' eyes grew wide. "No one could ever tell me you're not my real daddy, ever again?" he asked, and both men nodded. His eyes lit up with excitement. "Please adopt me, daddy. Please, please, please?"

"Oh, love, nothing would make me happier," Harry told him, rubbing his nose against Scorpius' cheek before turning back to Draco in concern. "But what about Ast-"

"That’s a non-issue," Draco cut him off, shaking his head, leaving no room for argument. "You just need to sign. Er. And the Minister, if he wouldn't mind...?" Draco said, glancing at the man in question.

"I'm already here on a Sunday," Kingsley said. "I'd be happy to do it."

"Can I borrow a quill?" Harry asked, and Kingsley handed him one along with a pot of ink. Harry laid the papers out on the alter, signing the parchment carefully, using his new last name. This was the most important signature of his life.

Draco had already signed them, apparently, but he took the quill and added -Potter after his name. Now all that was left was for the Minister to approve it.

"Are we changing the little one's name as well?" he asked, eyebrows raised in question.

"Yes!" Scorpius shouted excitedly before they could even ask.

"Well, okay then," Draco chuckled, and Harry laughed at his exuberance, eyes tearing up again. “That would be a resounding yes.”

"You certainly sound sure," Kingsley mused, looking at Scorpius.

Scorpius nodded. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy-Potter," he said seriously. "Write that down, please."

Kingsley noted the name change, then signed the adoption papers with a flourish, vanishing them with a small pop. "Congratulations, Malfoy-Potter's," he told them kindly. "Everything is official and filed, done. Feel free to stay as long as you like, though, I'll give you all some privacy."

"Thank you so much, Kingsley," Harry said earnestly, hoping the enormous man understood how much this had meant to him.

"You're welcome, Harry. I wish you all the happiness you deserve," he said quietly, then slipped out of the office, spelling the door shut so no one would barge in on them accidentally.

Draco didn't waste one second scooping both of them into his arms, just holding them close to him for a long time.

They were a family. They'd always been a family, really, but now it was official. No one could ever take them away from him.

They were his, and he was theirs. Forever.

*

March, 2007

"Draco! Hurry up, love, we're going to miss the previews!" Harry chastised Draco.

He was taking ages mulling over the concession stand at the movies, and Harry didn't want to miss the previews, he loved them.

They'd just left Scorpius at the Manor after informing Draco's parents that they were married. They hadn't even known they were engaged, but Draco hadn't been ready to tell them before. Harry didn’t understand why, but he didn't push; it was Draco's family and it was his decision. Everyone else knew, at least, and Harry had to admit, the reaction had been incredible.

Lucius almost popped a blood vessel when Draco had shown him their rings, refusing to believe it at first, then he'd almost had a stroke when he’d found the Chocolate Frog card with Harry's new last name that Draco had slipped under his teacup. They'd run out of the Manor in a fit of laughter as the man sputtered behind them.

Draco was such a little shit, honestly. He was lucky his son's personality was nothing like his own, or he'd have gray hair by now.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Honestly, I don't understand the appeal of watching the previews, darling. They're dreadfully dull," he groaned after finally telling the poor teenager behind the counter what he wanted.

"Because then I can see what other films are coming out, and decide if I want to see them," Harry explained for the tenth time.

Harry had let Draco choose the film tonight, and he'd surprisingly chosen a horror film to watch tonight. Harry loved scary movies, and he was particularly excited to see this one. He had no idea if Draco would actually get scared or not, but he couldn't wait to find out.

Once Draco had gotten his mountain of sweets, Harry led them to the theater labeled Dead Silence, and let Draco choose their seats. He surprisingly picked a row relatively close to the front this time, instead of their usual hidden back row.

Harry quirked an eyebrow at him, but Draco just shrugged. "It's nearly empty. I wanted to sit close. I'm used to this now, I won't disturb anyone."

"Alright, darling, whatever you say," Harry chuckled, following him down the aisle and plopping down next to his husband, smiling as he dumped his gummy bears into Harry's popcorn.

This was going to be great.

*

Draco was wrong.

"I am never going to see another film with you for as long as I live," Draco gritted out, clinging to Harry's hand for dear life as they exited the theater.

Draco did not like the film. He had been fine at first, but Harry could see him growing more uncomfortable as the film got creepier, until he reached over to hold Harry's hand. At the first jump scare, Draco had screamed so loudly it had caused a chain reaction of other people screaming in the theater, and even Harry had jumped, before bursting out into shocked laughter.

Draco was mortified, but he was even more frightened, practically breaking Harry's fingers from how tightly he was holding on to him. Harry couldn't help but laugh, but then he had tried to soothe him, letting him know it was just a movie, not real, and ventriloquist dummies could not actually come to life and kill you.

Draco had managed to sit through the rest of the film, hiding his face for some of it, screeching in fright when any loud noises happened, and cursing Harry out under his breath the entire time.

Harry laughed brightly. "Oh, it wasn't that bad!"

"Yes, it was! I'm going to have nightmares! I'll never be able to look at another doll again! I had no idea that film would be scary!"

"It had the word Dead in the title, love, what did you think it would be about?" Harry asked, amused.

Draco turned an unimpressed look on him, and Harry snorted, pulling his husband into a hug. "I'm sorry, darling, I really didn't think it would frighten you so much. I love scary films, I thought you might, too, you're always so stoic."

Draco softened. "You're forgiven, I suppose, but only because you didn't complain about me nearly breaking your hand. And I'm still never coming back here with you," he huffed, but there was no heat behind it.

Harry smiled. "That's alright, baby. I can come back by myself."

Draco pursed his lips in displeasure, and Harry just smirked. "Come on, darling. Let's go eat. I'll even let you get dessert."

"I don't want dessert," Draco pouted.

Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that so? Not even if I let you lick it off of me?"

Draco faltered, pupils widening. He let his head drop backwards and he groaned dramatically. "I hate you."

"You love me," Harry countered, pressing a kiss to his throat.

"I really do. Ugh."

*

May, 2008

"Hey there, buddy," Harry cooed quietly to the tiny infant in his arms. Scorpius was cuddled up next to Harry, stroking a gentle finger along the little baby foot that was poking out of the blanket he was wrapped in.

"I'm your Uncle Harry. We're going to have so much fun together, just you wait, Hugo," he whispered, the same as he did every time he visited Hugo. He wanted him to remember who he was, to be as close to him as he was to his sister, Rose.

Draco had come with him to visit with him today to meet the baby. Hermione had just had Hugo, their second and final baby, unfortunately, a few short weeks ago, and Harry was in love with him. He wanted to absorb as much baby time as he could, because soon there would be no more babies to love on.

Pansy and Blaise didn't want children, Theo having them was never going to happen, Ron and Hermione were finished, and babies were sadly not in Harry's future. Maybe George and Angelina would have one.

"So, how's it going so far? Was it difficult transitioning from one to two?" Harry asked Hermione as he rocked a very content Hugo.

"Not as difficult as I thought it would be. Rose loves him, and she loves fetching things for me when he needs something, and sometimes when he doesn't," she laughed.

Harry glanced over to where his now eighteen-month-old Goddaughter was snoozing in her playpen, her shock of bright red hair visible even through the netted sides. "That's great news, I wondered how she'd take to having to share the attention," he chuckled. "How's he sleeping?"

"Better than Rose at that age," Ron chimed in. "He's been pretty easy so far in comparison."

"We can't compare them, Ronald, they're two different children," Hermione scolded.

"I know, I'm just saying, Rosie never slept when she was supposed to and I'm less tired this time around."

"Hugo does seem much more laid back already," Harry observed. "Rosie is so head-strong, but Hugo hardly ever even cries."

Hermione smiled, stroking Hugo's chubby little cheek. "I know, he's so pleasant; even when he cries, it's-"

"Let’s have a baby," Draco blurted out suddenly, interrupting Hermione's sentence.

All Harry could hear suddenly was the sound of blood pounding in his ears as he turned to stare at Draco in wide-eyed shock. Did he just...?

No. He'd simply misheard. That was all there was to it. Draco had never so much as hinted at wanting to ever have more children after Scorpius. Harry had just heard him wrong, that was all.

Even as he tried to convince himself not to get his hopes up, it blazed to life anyway, a flame of hope and desperation and want burning hotly in his stomach, almost painfully intense.

"What?" Harry whispered, hardly daring to breathe, but he could feel his heartbeat speeding up a the achingly soft look on his husband's face.

"I want us to have a baby," Draco repeated. "I want to have a baby with you."

Oh, God.

Harry stared at him, unable to move as Ron, Hermione, and Scorpius chattered away excitedly, already making plans, like it was decided, but Harry could barely even hear them.

Where was this coming from? Draco had never once brought up babies. Not once, and Harry hadn't dared, not wanting to ask for more than the man was willing to give him. Had Draco wanted this the whole time, or was this a spur of the moment decision? Did he even mean it? Harry couldn't handle having the idea of a baby dangled in front of him, just to have it snatched away. His heart would shatter.

"Harry? You alright there?" Ron asked, shocking him out of his spiraling thoughts. Harry ignored him, still focused on Draco.

"I-" he croaked, voice cracking. "You- you want to have a baby with me? You want more kids?"

Draco nodded, and Harry sucked in a sharp breath.

"Are you- you've never said..." Harry trailed off, eyes welling up with tears.

"Yes, I'm sure. I want us to have a baby."

He sounded sure. He looked sure. Oh, God!

"Yes!" Scorpius cheered, pumping his arm.

"When? How many? How? I didn't even let myself hope..." Harry whispered, letting Hermione scoop a now sleeping Hugo out of his arms.

"I don't know," Draco admitted. "I don't have a plan or a number in mind, I just wanted you to know. Maybe we can start discussing it or even looking into it, if it's something you'd want soon?"

"Yes," Harry blurted. "Yeah, I want that. I definitely want that." He couldn't think of anything he wanted more. "A baby..."

Draco's lips curved up for a moment before he faltered, and Harry frowned, terrified he'd already changed his mind.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked quietly, but he wasn't looking at Harry, his eyes were fixed on Ron and Hermione. Harry whipped his head over to them, surprised to see how solemn they looked. Something was wrong. Hermione looked so serious, she was wearing the face she made when she was about to unload something heavy, and panic crawled up his throat. Would there be an issue with them adopting a baby?

"Ron and I have been talking," Granger started seriously. "We're done having children of our own. We knew we wanted to stop at two, and now we have them. My pregnancies were quite easy on me, you know, and well, we wanted to offer to surrogate for you."

Harry's jaw went slack, and all he could do was stare at them while his mind raced.

That- that was enormous. He would love nothing more, but there was no way he could let her do that, especially without even taking time to think it through. She would be dedicating nine months of her life and her body to a baby she would have to give up. He couldn't ask her to go through that. It wasn't a decision to be made rashly.

"I- Hermione, you don't have to do that," he said gently. "Surely you need to talk about this more. That's a huge deal, and we've only just mentioned it two minutes ago."

"We knew we were going to offer after we had Rose," Hermione told him, taking his hand.

What?! That was- that was nearly two years ago!

"What?" Harry gasped.

Ron and Hermione both just nodded. "You're our best friend, Harry. You do so much for everyone, and you deserve to have some of that selflessness given back to you. We just want you to be happy; you’re the best father… please let me do this for you."

He had no idea what to say, love for his best friends swelling up so intensely he thought he might burst with it.

"I- are you sure?" Harry whispered helplessly, looking between his friends and Draco, feeling slightly lost. Draco didn't look any better off than Harry felt, sitting perfectly still, silver eyes huge.

"Of course we are," Hermione smiled at him, squeezing his hands in reassurance.

She meant it. He could see it in her eyes, but even if he couldn't, Hermione knew how badly he wanted children. She'd never offer if she didn't mean it. She wouldn't do that to him. Neither of them would.

Harry looked at Draco pleadingly, silently begging him to say yes.

He didn't make Harry suffer for long. He grinned widely at Harry and nodded his approval.

Harry closed his eyes, a single tear slipping down his face, heart stuttering. "I don't even know what to say," Harry said shakily. "Thank you. I can't- just thank you."

Hermione's smile grew, and she wiped her own teary eyes. "As soon as I get the all clear from my Healer, we can start the process whenever the two of you are ready."

More tears spilled over, and Harry let out a wet laugh before he picked Scorpius up, spinning him around with a loud whoop of excitement. He practically danced over to Draco and let Scorpius down before he sat sideways on his lap, kissing him firmly.

"We're going to have a baby," he said, beaming with joy like he'd never felt.

"We're going to have a baby," Draco agreed, pulling Harry in for another kiss.

*

April, 2010

Harry held their infant daughter while Draco held him, snoring softly into the back of Harry's neck. Harry stroked her silky, dark hair as he hummed quietly, trying to get her back to sleep, but she just stared up at him with her big, bright green eyes that were identical to his own.

Hermione had been right; her pregnancy had been surprisingly easy on her. She'd given birth last month, on the eighth of March, and she had been back to work after only nine days. Harry had no idea how she'd recovered so quickly, but he was very grateful she hadn't had any complications or lingering pain.

She was beautiful; the spitting image of Harry with her dark, wild hair and wide green eyes, right down to the tiny dimple in her left cheek. They'd named her Thea, after the Greek goddess of light. It was perfectly fitting, as she had brought nothing but joy and light to their lives since she'd come along. Harry could hardly remember a time before she existed.

Scorpius adored her, always wanting to help them care for her, already moaning about how unfair it was that he had to leave her to go to Hogwarts, in two years. It was adorable. But Draco...

Harry glanced down at his sleeping husband, fondness welling up.

He knew Draco had been sneaking in extra time with her in the middle of the night. Harry had been exhausted trying to do all the nighttime feedings and changes and crying fits on his own so that Draco would be rested for work, where he quite literally had other people's lives in his hands, but after a few weeks, he had suddenly begun to feel more rested, and he eventually caught Draco getting up with her so Harry could sleep more.

He never said anything, not wanting to burst Draco's bubble or interfere with that special private time he clearly loved having with her, if the soft look on his face when he held her in the dark was anything to go by. Harry didn't think he could possibly love Draco more than he already did, but watching him with both of their children had proved him wrong.

He could hardly believe this was his life. He felt so complete, so settled, like every ounce of pain from the past was just a ghost of a memory now. It was hard to remember anything besides being deliriously happy. The only thing that would make his life better was having a whole quidditch team full of children, but that was a thought best left for another time.

For now, he was satisfied.

*

February, 2012

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy-Potter! Why on earth would you do such a thing?" Draco gasped after seeing what their son had done to warrant being called into the school.

Scorpius was sitting next to them, arms crossed, chin jutting out defiantly. "Where are the twins?" he asked begrudgingly, expertly avoiding the topic at hand, hoping to distract them by bringing up the newborn twins they'd had to leave at home.

Draco's mouth thinned, his patience waning. "They're with your Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, and that's not why we're here. Answer the question, Scorpius."

"No. He deserved it," Scorpius said stubbornly, and Harry frowned. "And I'm not sorry."

Scorpius would be heading off to Hogwarts in just a few short months, but he was still attending the same school he'd attended playgroup at until then. They'd been called in to have a meeting with Scorpius' teacher, the Headmistress of the school, another boy from his class and the boy's parents, both of whom were glaring at Scorpius with angry, disapproving looks on their faces while their son sat between them, glaring, even with the black eye he was sporting.

Draco was looking at his son sternly, clearly unimpressed by his behavior, but Harry was more concerned than upset. Scorpius was usually so sweet; he'd never outgrown his sensitive soul, and yelling and throwing a punch at one of his classmates was certainly out of character. This wasn't normal, something serious had to have provoked him.

"What happened, Scorp?" Harry asked gently. "This isn't like you."

Scorpius clenched his jaw, looking away. "He was making fun of Luca again, calling him a baby and telling him that me and Tommy only hang out with him because we feel sorry for him. He made Luca cry."

"That’s certainly no reason to act like a barbarian!" the boy's mother screeched. "He punched my son in the face! He could have blinded him!"

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was fine, and her son was no angel, picking on someone just for being shy. He'd been doing it for months. This wasn't the wasn't the first meeting they'd had with the school over Scorpius fighting with this particular boy, but it was the first time it had gotten physical.

"Scorpius, it's good to stand up for your best friend, but you never, ever put your hands on someone else," Draco scolded him. "It's completely unacceptable."

"I didn't at first, and that's not why I did it," Scorpius argued, eyes flashing.

"So why did you, then?" Draco demanded.

Scorpius crossed his arms tighter, seeming to shrink in on himself, not answering.

"Scorpius." Draco huffed, and opened his mouth to argue further, but Harry placed a steady hand on his arm, glancing at him sideways. Getting angry at Scorpius wasn't going to get him to open up, and Harry was definitely better at remaining calm.

Draco bit back his remark and nodded stiffly, silently telling Harry to handle it.

"I know something must have happened to make you react like that," Harry said quietly. "You know you can tell us what upset you so much. I'll always hear you out, yeah?"

He heard the mother muttering under her breath about soft parenting and pushovers, but he ignored her. Yelling at his son would only make him clam up even more and not trust them in the future. Harry prided himself on having an incredibly open relationship with all of the kids in his life, and he certainly didn't need direction from someone who never taught her own child not to bully people.

Scorpius looked at Harry in distress, tears springing to his eyes, and Harry's heart ached for him. Something had definitely happened. Harry waited patiently, finally giving the other boy's parents a withering glare when they started complaining loudly, silently telling them to kindly shut the fuck up.

"Ignore them. You're talking to me," Harry encouraged, and a tear slipped down Scorpius' cheek, which he quickly dashed away.

"I tried to talk to him, and ask him why he was so mean to Luca, and told him I wouldn't ditch Luca to be his friend instead. He got mad, and he said, 'Forget it. I don't want to be your friend, anyhow. Your dad is nothing but a filthy Death Eater."

Harry's stomach dropped, and poor Draco looked like he'd been slapped. "I-" Draco croaked out, looking to Harry in a panic.

They'd never told Scorpius about Draco's role in the war, wanting to shield him from that knowledge until he was older and better able to understand the circumstances that had led Draco to do what he’d done, but clearly that had been a mistake. This was not the way they'd wanted him to find out.

They almost never got remarks like that anymore, it had been almost fifteen years since the end of the war. The boy had to have heard it from his parents. What the hell were they doing, talking about things like that in front of their kid?

"I thought he was talking about you," Scorpius whispered, looking at Harry with wet eyes. "Because I call you dad. I told him he was wrong, because your Chocolate Frog card even says that you're a hero, and he was a liar. And he said he meant my real dad, not the fake one who just plays nice with us because papa is pretty. So, I punched him to make him shut up."

Harry's mouth parted in shock. He was furious. He glared at the couple across the room, who both looked entirely unapologetic, and he could feel his magic crackling around him, but now was not the time to lose his temper.

"First of all," Harry said through clenched teeth, eyes still on the other couple, "I do not just play nice with you or your papa. We're a family, and I love you both more than anything. Do you understand me?" he asked, turning softer eyes on Scorpius.

Scorpius swallowed and looked away, then gave a tiny nod. Harry took Draco's shaky hand in his, trying to soothe him. This was not something they needed to get into in front of an audience. It was going to be painful enough for Draco as it was.

"And secondly, what your papa went through during the war was horrible. It wasn't his choice or his fault, and it is not something we'll be discussing here. We're going home," Harry said, standing up and pulling Draco up with him, wrapping an arm around his trembling form.

"Excuse me, you can't just take him home without punishment!" the boy's mother cried. "My son-"

"Your son is a bully, and he said something incredibly hurtful with no context or understanding whatsoever to intentionally provoke my son," Harry snapped at her, anger flaring up. "He’s lucky all he got was a black eye. How dare you discuss our personal matters, and in front of your child, no less? You don't know half of what you think you do. Perhaps you should teach your children that it's not okay to intentionally hurt other people, and I'll teach mine that he's allowed to defend himself when necessary. It might serve you well to remember that."

Harry held his hand out to Scorpius, who was staring at him with enormous eyes before he hastily stood, taking Harry's extended hand. Harry glanced at the Headmistress, daring her to stop them from leaving, but she just pressed her lips together, nodding, before turning her stern gaze on the other family. Good. Maybe she could stop that boy from tormenting poor Luca any longer. It shouldn't be up to Scorpius to stand up for him.

Harry cast one last disgusted look at the woman who now looked like she was sucking on a lemon, and guided his family outside so he could Apparate them home.

When they landed, he asked Scorpius and Draco to sit on the couch, and they complied silently, but he did notice that Scorpius sat as far away from Draco as possible. The anguished look on his husband's face was heartbreaking.

Harry closed his eyes and disappeared into the kitchen, quickly making them both some hot cocoa with extra marshmallows, then he joined them on the couch, settling in between them.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, don't you?" Harry asked Scorpius gently.

Scorpius stared at him, then nodded, eyes darting over to his father. Scorpius looked so much like Draco had when Harry had first met him, but his hair was soft, falling across his forehead artfully instead of slicked back harshly like Draco had worn his, and Scorpius' eyes were soft, where Draco's had been hard and cold. It hadn't been his fault; he knew that now. He was just raised that way. Scorpius was a perfect example of how upbringing could make a world of difference.

"You can ask me whatever you want, Scorpius. I'll answer the best I can," Draco said softly, his eyes sad.

"Were you really a Death Eater?" Scorpius whispered.

Draco hesitated, then nodded. "I was."

"But... why?" he asked, voice cracking. "Why didn't you tell me? I don't understand. You don't have the Mark."

“We were waiting until you were older, so you could better understand,” Draco explained, rolling up his sleeve and canceling his Glamour to reveal his very faded, but still visible, Dark Mark.

Scorpius gasped and flinched backwards, looking frightened. He'd learned about the war in school, knew vaguely about Death Eaters and what they'd done. Harry could only imagine the horrible things flying through his brain right now.

"How could you do that?" Scorpius whimpered.

"I-" Draco started, his breath catching. This had to be a nightmare for him. He never wanted his son to be afraid of him, didn't want his perception of Draco altered like this.

"Scorp, you have to understand it wasn't that simple," Harry cut in gently. "He didn't want it. He had no choice."

"Everyone has a choice," Scorpius said stubbornly, crossing his arms again.

"You're right," Draco said quietly, meeting his son's gaze. "I did. And I chose self-preservation instead of death."

Scorpius looked angry now. "You were a coward. I can't believe you chose to be so selfish-"

"That's enough," Harry said harshly. Scorpius stared at him with wide eyes. Harry never snapped at him, but he wasn't going to let him call his father cowardly or selfish when he had no clue, no idea, how hard it had been back then.

"Don't ever talk to your father like that. I know you're upset, and I will do my best to help you understand, but there are some things you cannot possibly understand. Your father suffered more than you could ever imagine. You have no idea what it was like, living through that, thank God. He's not selfish now, and he wasn't then, not for making a choice between two impossible fates, and he is certainly no coward. He's a survivor. He was only sixteen, a kid, doing what his father expected of him. Voldemort was living in his house, threatening him, torturing him. If he didn't take the Mark, he would have been killed, and so would your grandparents. You wouldn't exist. It was not an easy way out; it was a burden. It will always be a burden that he has to bear."

Scorpius had tears streaming down his face, and even Draco's eyes were red. He looked so ashamed, and Harry hated it.

"You defeated Voldemort," Scorpius whispered after a long moment of silence. "How could you forgive him for that? How can you love him?"

Draco made a pained noise, but Harry took his hand, gazing at him tenderly. "How could I not?" he said softly, placing his free hand over Draco's Dark Mark. "This- this isn't who he is; it's something that happened to him, and he survived it. He changed. He learned, and he worked so hard to correct his thinking, unlearn habits he'd grown up with. He didn't fold under the pressure, and he didn't give up, even when everyone hated him. He's one of the best people I know, and I would never minimize how hard he's worked to be the person he is today. You should be proud of him, Scorpius; not everyone can live through something like that and come out as strong as he has. He didn't allow himself to remain a victim."

Draco had lost the battle with his tears now, and he clutched Harry's hand for dear life, adoration and grief shining from his pretty, silver eyes.

Scorpius sniffled next to him, looking at his father guiltily before he slowly got up and approached Draco, hovering uncomfortably in front of him.

"I'm sorry, papa," he whispered, voice breaking. "Dad's right. I- I know you, and I know you're a good person. I don't fully understand, but I'm proud of you, and I love you."

A sob tore out of Draco's throat, and he yanked Scorpius to him, crushing him in a hug. They just sat like that for a long time until Draco fell asleep with his head against Harry's shoulder, Scorpius still cuddled up on his lap.

"We can talk about this more later, right?" Scorpius whispered. "I still have questions, but I'm not angry at him anymore. I'm kind of angry at Grandpa, though..."

"Sometimes I still am, too," Harry admitted, stroking Draco's long hair. "We can visit the Manor tomorrow and talk to him about it, if you'd like."

Scorpius nodded, then closed his eyes, settling in even closer to Draco and Harry. "I love you, dad. Thank you for saving papa," he whispered.

Harry smiled slightly. "Trust me, love, he's the one that saved me."

*

September, 2012

"Darling! Scorpius' letter came!" Draco shouted, darting into the kitchen where Harry was currently feeding their children.

Thea was sitting happily in her high chair, throwing pieces of her cheese toastie onto the floor for Fish to eat, squealing with laughter, while Harry was spooning mashed potatoes and applesauce alternately into their seven-month-old twins' mouths. Draco swooped down to kiss Atlas, then Iris on their little blonde heads before tearing open the letter.

"Oh, excellent! I worried he might not write until later in the week. What did he say? How was his first day?" Harry asked excitedly.

Draco scanned the letter quickly, and Harry grew concerned when his eyes practically bulged out of his head, jaw dropping open in shock as a loud shriek left him.

Harry startled, dropping a spoonful of food onto Iris's belly, causing her to giggle madly. "What?! What's wrong?!" Harry asked in alarm, scrambling to stand up.

"I blame you for this, Potter!" Draco cried, brandishing the letter violently towards Harry. "You and your bloody 'do right-ness', and your stupid, happy dimple and your obsession with the color yellow. You've corrupted my child, and now we have a bloody Hufflepuff in the family!"

Harry stared at him in shock for a long moment, then he guffawed, bending over nearly in half, clutching his stomach as hysterical laughter spilled out of him.

Oh God, that reaction was even better than Harry had anticipated. He knew Scorp would end up in Hufflepuff; there was no way he'd be anywhere else, except maybe Ravenclaw, but Draco clearly hadn't even anticipated the possibility.

Draco frowned deeply, crossing his arms, completely unamused. "This is not funny, Harry! This is a crisis!"

"Darling, you did not seriously think Scorp was going to be in Slytherin, did you?" Harry chuckled, wiping tears from under his eyes. "He talks to the plants in the back garden!"

"So? He's intelligent! He knows they grow better when they can recognize your voice," Draco defended, looking agitated.

"He begged you to stop eating veal when he learned what it was and wrote a letter to the muggle Minister about animal cruelty."

"He's motivated and driven! It's a very Slytherin trait!"

"He cried when we got rid of the gnomes under the house because he thought they were just lonely and needed friends," Harry deadpanned, arching a challenging eyebrow at Draco

Draco faltered. "Wait, I..."

"He hugs everyone he meets, and he got in trouble for yelling at two boys from school who were trying to get him to ditch Luca because they think he's 'weird'," Harry said exasperatedly. Not to mention the one boy he'd punched in the face several months ago for picking on Luca and talking shit about his father. That was definitely more of a Gryffindor move, come to think of it.

"He's loyal and a good friend," Draco countered vehemently, refusing to budge an inch, and Harry almost burst out laughing again.

"Ah, yes, the well-known Slytherin trait of 'being a good friend'," Harry smirked.

Draco huffed, folding his arms, lips pursed, and Harry knew he'd won.

"Face it, darling, you raised a Hufflepuff," Harry teased him, leaning closer to him, eyes sparkling mischievously.

"I won't tolerate that kind of slander in my home, Potter. Get out."

he did bark out another laugh at that before hugging him tightly, nuzzling his face into Draco's throat. Draco immediately relaxed, leaning into Harry's touch.

"I'm so proud of him," Harry sniffled.

Proud was an understatement. Scorpius was an incredible kid, who was going to grow into an incredible adult. He was sweet and caring and empathetic, loving and helpful and smart as a whip. Harry was beyond proud of the person he was growing into and the person he'd always been.

"Me too," Draco whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of Harry's head.

"Yeah. Just think of how proud you'll be when Thea gets sorted into Gryffindor," Harry said with a wink, laughing brightly when Draco squawked in indignation.

September, 2023

"I give up," Draco groaned, flinging a letter across the supper table, scowling when it landed in the bowl of gravy.

Harry plucked the letter out, casting a quick Scourgify on it to clean it off, scanning the contents of the letter quickly. He let out a bright laugh, laughing even harder when Draco's face soured further.

"This is great news, darling," Harry tried to soothe.

"Easy for you to say. You've got two Gryffindor's now! Two!" he cried, throwing his hands up.

It was true; Scorpius was in Hufflepuff, but Thea was a Gryffindor, and apparently now Atlas was as well. "But Iris is in Ravenclaw, love. That's amazing."

Draco crossed his arms, pouting, and Harry laughed again, getting up to go sit on his lap, stroking his long hair.

"You know," Harry murmured, "We could always have another one if you really wanted a Slytherin."

Draco stared at him, deadpan. "Hilarious."

"Oh, come on, you know this big house is too quiet with all of the kids gone."

"The twins have been gone for half a day," Draco said, rolling his eyes.

"Ugh, I know, and I hate it," Harry whined.

Draco chuckled. "Sweetheart, we are forty-three years old. I'm too old to chase around a toddler."

Harry pouted, giving Draco that face that he knew his husband couldn't resist. "Oh, no. No, no, no, don't you dare make that face, Harry, that's not fair," he groaned.

"Baby..." Harry cooed, sickly sweet, then began to sing the song he used to sing to their children when they were small quietly. "Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful?"

"Stop that right this second," Draco whined.

Harry grinned. "Isn't she precious, less than one minute old?"

"Potter."

Harry didn't say anything else, just laughed quietly, snuggling closer to Draco, nuzzling his face into Draco's throat, and the taller man sighed, a low rumble coming from his chest.

"I love you," Harry murmured sometime later, blinking his eyes heavily.

"I love you, too, sweetheart. Come on, let's go up to bed. It was a taxing day."

It had been. They'd put their last babies on the Hogwarts Express that morning and come home to a silent, empty house. Thea was in her Third Year now, and Scorpius had moved out the previous year and was working on his own Healer Internship now, just like his father. He wanted to work on Janus Thickey, though. Harry was so proud of him, but fuck, he missed him so much.

It was all a bit devastating for Harry, though, who had done nothing but care for his children for the past twenty years. Draco was now the Lead Healer on the Creature Induced Injuries ward; he still had his work. All Harry had was his kids, and they were all growing up. He missed them terribly.

Maybe he needed a hobby. Perhaps he'd pick up needlepoint. Molly would be thrilled.

Harry followed Draco upstairs and let him lead Harry into the shower and wash his hair for him, that had more gray in it than he liked to admit. When they finished, Harry cuddled up to him in bed, resting his head on Draco's chest, letting his strong, steady heartbeat soothe his sadness.

When he was almost asleep, however, Draco startled him by letting out an enormous sigh.

"Alright," Draco said, sounding half exasperated, half amused.

Harry frowned. "Alright, what?" he rasped out.

"We can have another baby."

Harry froze, his heart racing. "What?" he whispered in shock. "I- what?"

Draco ran his hand down Harry's arm until he was holding his hand. "We can have another baby," he repeated, voice soft.

"But- Draco, I was only half serious..." he said weakly, struggling to find the will to argue when he just... didn't want to. He had mostly been joking earlier when he'd brought it up, but underneath was real, serious want.

"Well, I'm entirely serious," Draco shrugged. "Let's have another baby. Call it a midlife crisis."

Harry fully sat up now, gaping at him until Draco quirked an eyebrow at him, smirking. "It's just a baby. Scared, Potter?"

Harry sucked in a breath before a giddy grin broke out across his face. He scrambled up the bed, throwing himself on top of his husband, and pressing a firm kiss to his mouth, tongue delving in immediately.

When they broke apart, Harry grinned even wider, pressing his forehead against Draco's.

"You wish."