Title: In Which A Child Is Key

Genre: Humor/Tragedy (This makes better sense when you read it…)

Rating: T

Warning(s): Nothing harsh, except a perverted Harry in the beginning….

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I would be worrying about finishing the seventh book by July and not sitting here writing a fanfiction about my own works! In other words…I don't own anything except the Dell laptop I typed this on.

Summary: Harry asks Draco to do him a favor. Draco obliges. Little did they know that the favor would lead to more than the three people could have ever bargained for.

Knock. Knock. Knock. The sharp raps beat repeatedly into the sturdy cedar of the wooden door.

"Malfoy! It's Harry! I need to talk to you!"

"Give me a minute," came the voice from the other side of the door. A moment later the door opened to reveal none other than Slytherin's former House member, Draco Malfoy. "You couldn't have waited another ten minutes, could you, Potter?"

"Why, would you have done pleasuring yourself then?"

"As if I need to Potter," Malfoy scoffed. "No, if you would have waited, I could have finished my shower and gotten dressed."

Harry had finally realized that Malfoy had in fact just gotten out of the shower. The only thing that kept the blonde from flashing the neighbors was a loosely tied towel around his waist. Water dripped from his soaked hair, falling off his every edge, forming a puddle on the floor around him.

"Oh, sorry about that," Harry said; the embarrassment evident in his voice.

"Why, Potter, I do believe you're blushing," Draco said with a grin and a roll of his eyes. He reached up and took hold of Harry's thick black hair and pulled him forward. "Get in here, it's freezing." He closed the door with a sharp bang, then he let go of Harry's mop-top. "Make yourself at home Potter. I am going to get dressed."

"Oh for the love of Pete-" Harry groaned. Draco felt the magic rift in the air before he felt the effect of it. He let his traditional smirk mold his amused features as he realized Potter had transfigured his towel into a pair of baggy black sweatpants. He turned around to face the green eyed boy whose smirk mirrored his own.

"Have you got a thing for me, Potter?"

"What makes you think that, Malfoy?"

"You gave me pants, but failed to clothe my torso. So either you're pathetic with magic, on your prefer me half naked. Which is it?"

"Well, ever since we came up with our truce I honestly cannot stop thinking about you. Everyday I think about living with you so that I can watch you walk around with everything hanging loose, no clothing to shield the view. I want to wake up beside you every morning after falling asleep to the sweet motion of your lips against mine…" Draco gulped loudly at the realization that at some point during the conversation, Harry had gotten off the chair and sauntered over. Draco found himself sitting on the couch, Potter hovering over him. "If you really wanted too, we could just skip the part where we sit and chat each other up and then just run to the bedroom. First there gets to top…" Harry said, bracing himself on the arm of the chair, preparing to sprint around the small apartment to find the bedroom before the other man.

Draco could not make his voice work, no matter how hard he tried. He wanted to tell Potter to shove off and sit in his own chair, but all he ended up doing was give the look of someone trying to read an article written in code; they form every word with their lips but no sound ever comes out.

Potter let out a gale of laughter and gave Draco a sharp tap on the cheek. "Pervert, you're not that lucky. Besides, Ginny would be pissed if I got to you before she did…" Harry said with a wink as he stood and sauntered back to the armchair. "For future reference, where is the bedroom?"

"One, I'm not gay. I never have been, and I never will be. Secondly, I would have gotten to top; I'm already on my bed."

"You sleep on the couch? I thought you were above that," Harry said with a feigned shock.

Draco picked up a small pillow lying on the couch and threw it at Harry who caught it laughing. "I do have a bedroom, but in this scenario I'm not allowed to tell you where it is for fear of being buggered by a gay man married to a woman…" Both boys gave the other a confused look and shrugged it off. "So, back to business. Why did you come to find me, Potter? You of all people knew to look for me in a Muggle community, there has to be a reason for it."

"Actually, I have a favor to ask of you. No, it has absolutely nothing to do with sex, or anything related to sex. Well, if you want to be technical, it's one of the many results that can occur from sex and-"

"Potter, just spit it out!" Malfoy said, becoming irritated with the other boy's babbling.

"I wanted to know if you were busy tonight," Harry said slowly.

"Only if somehow Pansy followed you here, and let me tell you, if you did that I will be forced to kill you," Draco said shuddering at the thought of his clingy former Housemate.

"No, she didn't follow me…nobody did. No, Ginny and I were wondering if you could watch after Autumn." At Draco's blank look he added, "Our daughter."

"Oh, that Autumn. I don't believe I've met her come to think of it," Draco said thoughtfully. "No matter, if you really want me to I'm free. I don't have much to do here though…"

"She won't mind, she's happy just sitting around and watching. Well, I had best be getting home, they'll begin to wonder whether you murdered me or not," Harry said with a reminiscing smile. "Would bringing her over at nine be alright?"

"Perfect, I'll see you then Potter," he said as the two shared a handshake at the door and Harry pulled the door shut behind him.

Draco sighed as he walked back into his living room. He ran a hand through his blonde hair that was due for a trim. He pulled his hair away looking disgusted. "Nasty, dry shampoo," he scoffed and headed back to the bathroom for another round of scrubbing.

At nine o'clock Draco Malfoy could be found sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on the cocktail table in front of him. His grey eyes were glued to the television set in front of him. Colors flashed from the box, lighting up the man on the couch and the wall behind him with a mesmerizing array of colors. The swift knock that he had heard on his door only hours before resounded around the apartment. Draco stood up and sauntered over to the door. With a flick of his wrist, the light switched and light flooded the room, casting shadows in the crevices and behind the structures of the seating and tables. With a resolute sigh, he turned the knob of the door and revealed the "dark haired man of his dreams" as they had joked about earlier, and his daughter who clung to his hand as if he would vanish into thin air if she let go.

"Evening, Draco," Potter said, giving the blonde a slight smile.

"Harry," he acknowledged with a slight nod. Then he bent down, settling himself on one knee. "And you must be Autumn," he said with a smile to the little girl.

Autumn met his gaze with a confident smile and held out her hand.

Holding back a small chuckle, Draco took it and together they shared a handshake. "Pleasure to meet you. Well, let's not stand in the hallway all evening, please, come in," Draco said and stood back to allow them room to pass.

"Now you're sure you'll be fine with her overnight?" Harry inquired with a look that told he had been brooding on it all afternoon.

"Positive, Harry, she'll be fine. Just go and enjoy yourself." Draco said taking the duffle-like overnight bag from Harry and set it behind the couch. Harry bent down next to his daughter and kissed her on the cheek, a gesture which she returned to him along with a small hug. "Have fun," Draco heard Harry whisper in her ear. He couldn't help but realize that this was the part of life that he wanted most, but could not have quite yet. Draco just wanted a child of his own, one that he could tell that it would be all right, something his parents had stopped doing for him as soon as he turned five. Tonight was his trial to see if this was what he really wanted…

Harry released his daughter and stood up and pulled Draco into a hug. "Thank you," he said quietly and let Draco go.

Draco watched somberly as Harry walked out of the door without another word, shutting it behind him with a small click.

"So, Autumn, what do you want to do?" Draco asked, expecting the girl to have started walking around, viewing the house as everyone usually did. Instead, he found her standing just where Harry had left her, except now her eyes followed his every movement instead of watching her father. "Do you want to watch television?" The little girl gave a short nod and followed Draco over to the couch like a little duck that was following its mother.

Draco was becoming baffled at the small child's behavior. Most children that Draco knew at her age were hyper and constantly jumping around and screaming at the top of their lungs. Autumn though kept to herself, and she had not said a word at all since she arrived on the door step with Harry. When Draco sat on the left side of the couch, she sat on the far right, pressing herself up against the arm. He was going to ask her if she wanted to watch something else besides the game show he had been watching before they arrived, but it seemed fruitless for Draco knew she would just look at him with those big eyes and stare at him until he asked her a yes or no question.

Looking over at the little child, he came to realize why they named her Autumn. Her red hair was so like her mother's yet so very different at the same time. She had followed the traditional Weasley red, but the black of Harry's hair had caused it to turn into a deep red that made her skin look paler than it should be for a girl her age. Her green eyes that she inherited from her father were the color of the deciduous leaves before they changed colors for the fall.

The clock on the mantle gave off a steady ticking as the game show was replaced by another, each of them slowly getting more boring by the minute. Time seemed to stretch on and on as Draco watched the second game show. When the half-hour block was up, he looked over at Autumn, who at some point had fallen asleep against the arm of the chair. She was so quiet he did not realize her drift off into slumber. With a tired yawn, he leaned forward and pressed the power button on the remote. With a low click the television went black, the room losing what little light it had. The apartment was not hard to navigate through when you lived there for over two years so Draco easily picked up the young girl, who stayed fast asleep, and got her to the guest bedroom with minimal effort. After she had been put in bed and covered so she would not freeze, though he doubted she would in the warm early summer weather, he sauntered off to his own room for a few hours of sleep.

Sleep did not come as easily as he would have hoped though. He spent a good hour of the night just staring up at the ceiling wondering about the small child. She seemed a bit too shy to be Harry and Ginny's daughter. Now, true to the fact that he knew nobody on Harry's side of the family, Ginny's side of the family was nothing close to shy. The Weasley Clan seemed to have quite the knack of being the center of attention whether or not they meant to be.

"Gha!" Draco bolted upright at the feeling of a hand ghosting over his shoulder. His hand turned the knob on his night table's lamp and the dull light exposed the form of Autumn. The little girl looked frightened at Draco's sudden outburst and he immediately flung the covers off of him and got off the bed. "Autumn, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that, I'm just not used to someone else being here," he blathered quickly, though it didn't seem to calm the little girl down any. Draco took a deep breath and let it out then said "What did you need?" When the little girl just stared at him with those glossy green eyes Draco remembered the "yes or no question" rule that they seemed to have silently agreed upon. "Did you get scared?" he asked and she nodded slowly as if ashamed to admit it. "Would you like to stay in here tonight?" The little girl nodded and she walked around the bed to the other side and climbed in, resting her head against the pillow and watching him as he watched her. Draco climbed back into bed and pulled the covers over the both of them, which Autumn did not seem to mind. Once the little red-head was certain that Draco was in bed and was not going anywhere, her eyes fluttered shut and her breathing became even and steady. Soon after, Draco followed her into slumber as the lateness of the night embraced him.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Draco groaned as once again this night, he was awoken by conditions that usually waited until at least seven to wake him up. He rolled on to his side looking at the window. A small screech-owl was insistently pecking at the window, seeking entrance in the small apartment to get to Draco. Looking around and noticing the light in the room, Draco thought perhaps he had slept late and the owl was delivering the morning post. When his gaze reached the side table, he realized that he left the lamp on before he went back to sleep. With a moan from moving tired muscles, Draco stood and walked over to the window, pushing it open. Immediately, the owl flew in the window and perched on the footing of the bed, leg throw out and waiting for Draco. Not bothering to close the window, Draco walked over and took the letter from the little bird that then flew out the window at the completion of his job. Draco was frantically tearing at the edge of the envelope. With a glance at his watch he noticed that it was three in the morning. For the life of him he could not figure out what would be so important that they had to contact him in the middle of the night. Opening the letter he read:

To Mr. Draco Malfoy:

It has come to our attention that you are presently in custody of Ms. Autumn Potter. News has been brought forth to the community and a meeting with you is in order. We will Apparate to your apartment at precisely 3:05 a.m..

Cornelius Fudge,

Minister of Magic's Advisor

Draco reread the paper again. Fudge was coming here regarding something to with Autumn, Harry Potter's daughter. Draco's immediate thought was that Potter had set him up and used his daughter as a trap. He could have easily made it look like he kidnapped Autumn and then had him arrested for it. Draco began to panic, he had no witnesses on his side of the case, the Muggles that lived around him would not be out side of their apartments at nine at night. They all returned much before or much later than that. Draco heard the distinct pop that only came with Apparation and closed his eyes, praying it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

"Mr. Malfoy, where are you? I'm sure by now you received my letter…" Came the voice of Cornelius Fudge from the living room.

Draco sighed and sulked out to the living room, ready to meet his fate as a criminal. the life that he worked so hard to avoid had come to find him unknowingly.

"Mr. Fudge," Draco said, nodding at the former Minister of Magic.

"Ah, there you are, Draco. I need to talk to you about something that occurred this night."

This was it, the worst of it, where he was told his crime, read his rights, and taken away to Azkaban to live out his life. Well, on the plus side, he would not have to work any longer…

"Draco, Mr. and Mrs. Potter are…no longer with us," Fudge stated quietly, his face downcast.

"I kn- wait, what? Harry and Ginny are, dead?" Draco said, realization smacking him in the head like a brick.

"I'm afraid so."

"But-how?" Draco asked as his face was drained of what little color it had.

"They went out for a late night dinner and Harry received news of He-who-must-not-be-named's whereabouts. The two of them went out searching and unfortunately, the tip-off that they received was just a trap. The Dark Lord had gotten two of many people that he wanted, and made it so he had two less to deal with."

"So, Autumn…what happens with her?" The sinking pit in his stomach told him that the little girl had no where to go.

"We informed everyone in the Weasley family, including parents and all siblings of Ginny's. They have all agreed to let her decide where she wants to stay."

"Okay…she's in the bedroom sleeping. Do you want to wait until morning or…."

"I think we should wake her now. I'll tell her if you would like to just wait here," Fudge said and he walked off.

Draco sunk down and sat against the couch, his legs folded before him. The tears that had been threatening to break loose since he's heard the news had finally beaten him and he let them flow freely. He threw his head back in aggravation against the back of the couch. One night. That was all that it took to change the fate of the world forever. One little girl's life was ruined because of a crazy psycho whose dream was to rule the world. Draco suddenly realized how Harry must have felt all his life, never having anyone there to talk to about anything and he could not imagine Harry's daughter being forced to do the same thing in such a horrible world. So there Draco sat, crying, with his head in his hands, wishing for nothing more than to be able to break the hourglass that controlled time and then put it back together, turning it back to yesterday. Then maybe, just maybe he could save Potter and give the little girl back her father and mother…

"Mr. Malfoy, are you all right?" Fudge's voice cut through his thoughts.

"F-fine," he said looking up through his bloodshot eyes at Fudge. Beside him stood Autumn, though she looked like nothing had happened. She still bore that same studious look that she had walked in with.

"I have other people that I need to see. Would it be too much of a burden for you to keep Ms. Potter for a little while longer?"

Draco could not answer. This was all just too much. Since his voice had betrayed him he just nodded no, it certainly would not be a burden on him in any way.

"Very well, if you need anything just write," Fudge said and then he walked out of the door without another word.

Draco looked over at Autumn whose face had took on a determined expression. She walked over to him and placed her hands on either side of his face and lifted it up to face hers. She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his forehead and cradled his tear stroked face to her chest.

"Draco."

The voice made him lift his head and look up at the girl; it was the first time that he had ever heard her voice. "Yes, Autumn?"

"If it's okay with Mr. Fudge, can I live here with you?" The little girl asked him with a small smile.

Draco debated it for a moment and then pulled the small girl into his lap and held her close. "Of course you can, Autumn."

A/N: Thanks for reading! Whether you liked it or not I would very much appreciate if you could take just a few seconds to reveiw it! I worked hard on this one! Thanks again!!! Rave