Resanesco

He strode down the hallway, eyes darting around as he searched for even an inch of colour in the immaculately white walls. Reaching the end of the long corridor, he looked left and then right, wondering which way to go. He had just turned right when he heard a door opening from behind and a familiar voice called after him.

"Mr Sandford? This way, please."

He froze, rooted to the spot. After a moment, he heard footsteps echoing down the hallway, making their way towards him before finally coming to a stop a few feet away.

"Mr Sandford? Is something the matter?"

Clearing his throat, he slowly turned on his heel, a grim smile on his face. He watched as familiar silver eyes went round with surprise, his heart racing.

"Didn't know you were a private Mind Healer, Malfoy."

Malfoy frowned slightly but instantly rearranged his features into a pleasant expression, a barely-there smile on his pale face. "And I didn't know you'd changed your name, Potter."

Harry shrugged, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I'm sure you understand, considering the obscurity of your choice for a meeting place."

Malfoy nodded once, his eyes taking on a steely shine. "Well then, Mr Sandford, shall we?" he motioned to the room he had exited and began walking towards it, his white robes billowing behind him.

Sighing, Harry watched as Malfoy stopped at the door and waited for him. Nothing to do now but to follow through with it, I suppose.

Ginny strode into his study, arms crossed and a frown on her face. "You got called in again?"

"Yeah, just a follow-up case, won't take long," he grunted as he buttoned up his Auror robes.

"Harry!"

He glanced at his wife, fearing the worst. Just as he had suspected, she was glaring at him with accusing eyes. He turned towards her slowly, biting back a sigh.

"Ginny, you know how this works—"

"What's the point of being Head Auror if you're going to be called in for the smallest of things?" she demanded, her voice shrill and her tone icy.

"Gin, come on, don't be unreasonable—"

"Oh, I'm being unreasonable, am I?

"Ginny—"

"I told you mum was coming over for supper today. You promised you'd stay home."

He opened his mouth to reply, but there was nothing he could say. It had completely slipped his mind.

Ginny instantly seemed to realise that he'd forgotten—her cheeks flushed and her eyes glistened as she took in a deep breath and steadied herself before shooting him an icy glare.

"You forgot."

"Ginny—"

She shook her head and strode out of the room, barely pausing to slam the door shut. He sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to dispel yet another oncoming headache. He wondered if he should go after her, but the whooshing of the floo and the sound of Molly's bubbly voice stopped him. Making towards the fireplace, he grabbed a fistful of floo powder, ducked beneath the mantle and carefully straightened up.

"Malfoy Manor."

He cracked his eyes open at the sound of the door closing. Sighing, he watched as Malfoy—or Draco, rather, as the man had insisted it was important for them to break away the barriers of formality in order for this to work—strode up to him. Draco smiled genially as he eased into the armchair opposite the sofa Harry was sitting on, clasping his hands together.

"Are we ready to pick up from where we left off?"

Harry nodded and managed a smile, his body tensing the more he tried to relax. The look in Draco's eyes shifted to one of mild concern. "Harry, if you don't want to do this—"

"No. No, I was just…" he trailed off, shaking his head with a sigh. "No, you're right, unless I talk about it, you won't be able to come up with a solution."

"You won't be able to come up with a solution," Draco said softly, leaning forwards and resting his elbows on the armrests.

He nodded. Inhaling through clenched teeth, he let his agitated mind settle before continuing to relate one of his most recent fights with Ginny—he had been too upset to successfully recount the tale before.

"It's my fault for keeping this a secret from her, I won't deny it, but—but I can't believe—she thought I was cheating! On her! With someone else! How could she even—how is that possible? She's my wife!"

Draco nodded very slowly, his expression unchanging. It was impossible to tell what was going on in his mind. It was well over ten years since the war, and Draco had settled down remarkably—what with his steady job and the level of maturity he had shown since their very first session.

"Have you ever thought about…telling her?"

Harry instantly shook his head and bowed it, closing his eyes. "No. No, of course not, there's no way I would tell her—or anybody, for that matter."

"And why is that?"

He sighed deeply. "Because I don't want people to worry. I don't need them to worry. I've had enough people worrying about me this past decade and if I see another person with pitiful eyes, I swear I'll—" he broke off, gritting his teeth.

Draco tilted his head slightly. "But you could always tell Ginny and get her to promise not to tell anyone else, considering this secrecy is what seems to be the root of the distrust she has towards you."

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "There's no way I could tell her that I'm secretly visiting a Mind-Healer because I'm still traumatised about the War and not tell Hermione and Ron about it. The guilt would kill me before anything else," he grumbled.

Draco nodded as though he knew exactly what Harry was going through. Maybe he did, Harry wouldn't know. He grit his teeth as he willed his headache to go away—the longer he thought about Ginny and their fights, the faster the migraines seemed to come.

Draco said something and he glanced up at the man, seeing the concern in his stormy eyes.

"Harry, there's no need to rush this. We can have as many sessions as you want—"

"I can't keep imposing on you like this. Especially since I keep coming to your home, instead of your office, I'm sure it's really inconvenient."

Something changed, just then, and Draco's smile was genuine to the extent of being unnerving. And his words were probably the most honest ones that Harry had ever heard from the man.

"It's no bother at all."

The shattering sound startled him far more than it should have—considering he had watched the vase fall off the table and hit the ground as though in slow motion. He swallowed thickly, trying to repress his anger even as Ginny's screeching continued to aggravate him.

"—every time! Do you think I'm stupid? Is that it? Is this my fault?"

"Ginny," he started through gritted teeth, breathing slowly to calm himself. When his wife continued on her tirade as though she hadn't heard him, he slammed his hand on the table—hard. She flinched and turned to stare at him wide-eyed, the colour draining from her cheeks.

They glared at each other for a long, tense moment until she finally threw her hand in the air and turned away from him. "So you refuse to admit it even after all this."

"For Merlin's sake, Ginny, I am not cheating on you!"

She scoffed but he could see that her eyes were suspiciously moist. He would have felt guilty if he weren't so angry.

"What else do you want me to say!" he shouted, raking his hands through his hair. "I've even gone so far as to let you talk to all my colleagues at the Ministry, Ginny! What more should I do for you to trust me?"

She turned to glare at him, her usually warm, brown eyes cold and hateful. "How about you start by telling the truth?"

He snarled, throwing his hand out and striking the other vase on the table—the one he had bought her for their last anniversary. It was her favourite one, but she barely even flinched when it crashed to the floor. She pursed her lips and breathed in shakily, tears staining her cheeks, but he was too furious to care. His blood pulsing through his veins and his ears ringing, he turned and started to walk away.

"Who is she? Is she someone I know?"

He paused long enough to close his eyes and take in a deep breath. A shudder passed through the ground and he knew she had felt it—his magic was barely under control. One more word from her and he would completely snap. He half-turned and inclined his head as he eyed her for a long moment. She shifted uncomfortably and he sighed.

"With the way things are going, I wish I really had cheated."

With that, he strode out of their room and to his study. He clasped the doorknob and stared at it for a long time, his eyes burning. Swearing loudly, he banged his palm against the wood and there was a startled gasp from the left. His head snapped to the side and his heart stilled as he watched his daughter step backwards, her face ashen.

"I was just—I left my bag," Lily squeaked. He opened his mouth to apologise but she spun around and dashed down the stairs, her flaming hair flying behind her.

He swallowed again—or at least he tried to, but the lump in his throat was constricting his airway and making him light-headed. Pushing open the door, he strode into his study and straight to the fireplace, stepping into it and throwing down the green powder. He heard the bedroom door open and Ginny dashed into the study, a panicked expression on her face as she sobbed hysterically.

"Harry—Harry, I'm sorry, please don't go! Let's talk this through—Harry!"

He had half a mind to step out and tell her everything, but he knew he couldn't, not after her accusations and their row, and leaving was far easier than having to lie to her yet again.

"Malfoy Manor."

"Maybe coming here wasn't the best idea."

Harry spun around angrily and poked Draco in the chest. "Well I'm sorry, weren't you the one who said I could come whenever I needed to?"

Draco nodded carefully, his eyes never leaving Harry's burning gaze, as he raised his arm and held Harry's hand. "I did say that, and I do mean it, but is this really what you want? Do you really think running away will fix anything? You of all people should know the answer to that, Harry."

He stepped back, his brows pulling together as he frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked quietly.

Draco raised his hands and shook his head, his silver eyes widening in alarm. "I only meant that you, who walked straight to your death without even blinking, should know that running away won't solve anything."

He let his shoulders relax, belatedly realising that he had his fists clenched. Draco paused for a moment before reaching down and pulling Harry's fist up. He slowly unclenched his fingers and they stared at the red, crescent indentations Harry's nails had created on his palm.

"You're angry," Draco said softly, massaging Harry's palm. He instantly relaxed and let out a shuddering breath, his eyelids fluttering. "And before we do anything, you need to calm down."

"I am calm," he sighed as Draco's ministrations stopped. He looked up into shimmering eyes and Draco smiled that genuine smile that lit up his whole face in a way that not even the crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling did.

"Good." Draco led him to one of the chairs beside the pool in the garden and Harry eased into it, sighing as the cool wood brushed against his burning palms.

There was some shuffling and he inhaled sharply when he felt warm hands on his shoulders. "You need to relax, Harry," Draco said softly but Harry's heart rate seemed speed up instead of settle.

"You're really tense," Draco continued as he kneaded the knots and kinks out of his shoulders, causing him to unconsciously sigh in pleasure.

He could hear the smile in Draco's voice as he spoke. "That's it, just let yourself relax."

"I thought you were a Mind-Healer," Harry murmured, causing Draco to chuckle. He smiled. Before meeting Mind-Healer Draco, Harry would never have imagined that spoiled brat Draco Malfoy could ever chuckle. As far as Harry was concerned, the Malfoy he remembered from school only sneered and jeered and scoffed. He never chuckled or laughed or smiled in the way the Draco he knew now did.

"I am a Mind-Healer," Draco was saying, "but the mind cannot heal without the body healing first."

Harry hummed at that. It made no sense to him but who was he to argue? A thought struck him as he watched a dragonfly land on one of the lily pads scattered across the pool. "What happened to you?" he asked.

Draco's fingers stilled and a jolt passed through him. Shit. "Sorry, I didn't mean—"

"My son happened."

Harry blinked. "Your son?"

"Scorpius."

He grinned and Draco flicked his head. "Don't laugh, it's a wonderful name."

"I never said anything."

"Yes, but that look on your face speaks for itself."

"What look?"

He had turned to look up at Draco but hadn't realised how close the other man was. He froze, his heart thudding against his ribcage and his breath catching in his throat. The corners of Draco's mouth curved into a slow smile, his grey eyes having gone dark.

"That look," he said and his voice was as silky as the soft cloth of his robes, caressing Harry and making him shudder.

It's from the cold, he told himself stupidly but even his common sense seemed to roll its non-existent eyes at him.

"Dad?" came a voice from inside the Manor, effectively breaking the spell. Draco looked up and Harry turned around and stared at his lap, his heart racing and his cheeks flushed.

"What is it, Scorpius? I'm out here."

A boy who looked like a younger replica of Draco poked his head out and scanned the garden till he found his father. "Oh, sorry, I didn't know we were expecting company."

Draco opened his mouth to answer but Harry beat him to it. "You weren't. I shall take my leave now."

Harry stood and strode towards the patio, refusing to look at Draco lest his heart start beating like crazy again. It's the nerves, he told himself, but he was barely even convincing his own mind.

"Scorpius, is he there? Maybe I should come back later—"

He froze, his mouth falling open as Lily walked out, her hair done up and lips painted red. "Lily?" he gaped and his daughter's eyes went comically wide.

"Dad? What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his eyes going from his daughter, who was trying to pull her extremely short skirt lower down her thighs, to Draco's son, who was looking everywhere but at the three people in front of him.

"I see you've met my son," Draco said, the amusement clear in his voice as he stepped up and motioned towards Scorpius.

"And I see your son has met my daughter," Harry said matter-of-factly, crossing his hands and raising an eyebrow at Lily.

She dropped her gaze and stared guiltily at the floor as Scorpius seemed to scramble around for a moment before thrusting his hand out and saying in a strangled voice, "I'm Scorpius Malfoy, sir, and your daughter and I are—"

"Are?" Harry prompted, giving Scorpius his most intimidating glare. The boy seemed to shrink slightly and Draco was silently shaking with laughter.

"Er," Scorpius said and Lily smacked his arm, rolling her eyes.

"I'm his girlfriend, daddy, will you stop with the Auror face? Can't you see he's trembling like a leaf?"

"I am not!" Scorpius spluttered, turning a deep shade of red that complemented Lily's hair nicely.

"Which of you is the boyfriend again?" Draco asked, taking Lily's hand and blowing a kiss at her knuckles. The girl grinned and hooked her arm around Scorpius's.

"Alright, that's enough jokes for one night, young lady, it's time to go home," Harry said crisply, starting to drag his daughter off towards the fireplace.

"Come now, Harry, don't be such a killjoy, let the children have some fun."

"Well your son's idea of fun and mine may be a little different," Harry snapped, but Draco grabbed his wrist, causing him to let go of Lily, and nodded towards the two teens.

"Off you go, before your father realises I'm barely strong enough to hold him down," Draco said and Lily grabbed Scorpius's arm and dragged him off, Harry calling after her.

"I refuse to accept my daughter and your son—" he started but was cut off by a pair of lips—Draco's lips—pressing against his own.

"One battle at a time, Harry," Draco whispered, leading them back to the garden. Harry eased into the chair and Draco leaned down and murmured, "Now where were we?"

Harry swallowed, his frazzled mind allowing him to admit that there may have been more than some truth to Ginny's accusations. He felt a twinge of guilt at finally admitting it to himself; hurting Ginny had never been his intention, but there was just something about the way Draco could dissipate Harry's anger, leaving him far more at peace with himself than he had been in a long, long time.

A/n: This story was written for Round 1 of Season 3 of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Challenge. As Keeper for the Falmouth Falcons, my prompt for the round was to write about the favourite Pairing/Character of my team's Chaser 1. The gorgeous whitetiger91's favourite pairing is Draco/Harry [with Scorpius/Lily] and her favourite character is Draco, so there we go!

Word count: 2,982.

A galleon for your thoughts and ginormous cookies for your reviews!

Lots of love~

P.S. if anyone's curious, the title, Resanesco means Healing in Latin.