Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling, anything you don't is mine – although I wish Draco belonged to me, as does my beta Twisted-Kitten 90! I am not making any money off of this, it is just for entertainment!
A/N: Okay so I was planning on staying away from multi-chapter stories, as I have no idea when I can update. But I couldn't help myself and since I have finished my other stories, I needed something to do.
Here is a simple story maybe a few chapters long. Enjoy.
The Boy Next Door
"Daaaaaaaaaaaaad. Dad. Dad. DAD!"
"I heard you the first time Al. No need to deafen me. What?" Harry answered his clearly hyperactive son.
He grinned and pointed wildly to his left, "We have new neighbours. I thought I saw some children's stuff being carried in, I hope it's a boy. But I guess if it's a girl Lily will be happy."
Harry turned to where Al was still pointing and saw a removal van. He wondered if they were muggle or magic. This was a mixed neighbourhood, with muggles and wizards living side by side. So it could be a magical family, but moving the muggle way, so they didn't give the muggles a surprise.
Harry noted that the furniture being removed was of a very high quality and was beautiful. Nothing like the standard mass produced furniture that decorated his house. He suspected that the neighbours furniture was bespoke, one of a kind, and ridiculously expensive. He also could see a few items had concealments or glamours on them, so they were obviously magic and disguising the stranger items just in case muggles were looking.
"Come on Al let's go get lunch, it's rude to stare." Harry steered Al back into the house.
James was a friend's house, staying over for the night. Harry tried not to dwell on the fact that his children were growing up too fast and before long James would be heading off for Hogwarts. Well in a year and a bit, but still it only felt like yesterday that he was bringing James back from the hospital, all puffy faced, with a powerful set of lungs on him.
He and the kids have been living here for three years now. When Lily was a toddler, he and Ginny called an end to their marriage. It was a mutual decision and as far as separations go, it went well with no ill feelings, just sadness. Soon after, Harry moved out but within a year Ginny was re-signed back onto the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch team and now toured the world, and was away training most the year.
The children moved in with him and it has been that way ever since. They saw Ginny as much as possible, and often wrote to her, spoke to her via floo, and even visited her to watch her play.
That year that he was living alone, only having the kids on the weekends, Harry re-evaluated his life and experimented with his sexuality. Now he dated men and women and his friends and family were aware of his sexuality but it wasn't a public known fact.
Harry was very happy with the way his life was at the moment. His children were happy, he felt settled and comfortable in their family home, and all his children were doing well at school. The only thing lacking at the moment was a love life, his last boyfriend being months ago now.
Pushing his love life—or lack thereof—to one side, Harry made lunch for himself and Al since James was at his friend's house and Lily was with George, playing with Roxanne.
"Don't go bothering the new neighbours Al. Let them at least get their belongings through the door before you bombard them with questions." Harry warned, with a smile on his face.
The house next door had been sitting empty for at least eight months now, and Al often wished for new neighbours. Harry was surprised Al hadn't combusted he was so excited.
Al did as he was told and played in the back garden, keeping away from the front where the neighbours were unloading the removal van.
He kicked his ball against the fence and it landed in the flowerbed; when he went to fetch it, he heard a quiet, "Hello," through the fence.
Al plonked down in the mud, not caring that he probably squished his dad's flowers and his clothes were getting dirty.
"Hi," Al replied, his voice a tad louder.
"Do you live here?" The quiet voice asked.
"Yeah. Me, my brother, and sister. Oh, and Dad of course, we don't live on our own because that would be strange." Al happily supplied.
"Oh."
"How about you?" Al asked, as the timid voice had stopped asking questions.
"Just me and my father. I'm an only child and my..." Al heard a sniff and when the boy continued his voice shook slightly, "...parents split up."
"Sorry to hear that. My parents are split up too. That's why it's just my dad living here with us. But they spilt up years ago now. I remember it being a scary time, you can talk to me if it helps. It must be hard not having any siblings to talk to." Al reasoned.
Silence, Al was just about to ask if he was still there when he started talking again.
"Thank you." He sincerely said.
Before Al could ask anything else he heard a sharp, clear, and grown up voice, "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy I suggest you get out of that mud this instance. Your grandmother would have my head if she knew you were playing in the dirt in those expensive shoes she got you. Come in and change into your play clothes, then you can go back out and get as dirty as you like."
Al heard shuffling and assumed that the boy had stood, "Sorry Father."
"It's not me you should be apologising to. Your grandmother has taken a walk to the nearest store to buy some things for lunch, so hurry and get changed before she sees you in this state." He said, his voice no longer sharp.
Al called, "Bye." but was unsure if the other boy, Scorpius, had heard him.
Al ran inside, "Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. Dad. Dad. DAD!"
Harry appeared, "Al, must you do that? You know I am in the sitting room. What now?" He asked.
"I spoke to the neighbour..."
"Al, I told you not to bother them." Harry reprimanded.
"But Dad I didn't. I lost my ball in your flowers and when I went to get it, the boy next door started talking to me through the fence. I couldn't ignore him; that would be rude." Al explained.
Harry smiled, Al had a fair point, although judging from the state of Al's clothes Harry would bet his flowers were now ruined.
"Anyway, he said it's just him and his dad. He sounded really upset, I think his parents split recently. I told him he could talk to me if he wanted." Al excitedly rushed to tell his dad.
"That was kind of you." Harry praised.
"I know. I think his grandmother is around somewhere too, but I only spoke with the boy and I didn't get to ask his age. His dad called him in for lunch." Al finished, brushing mud off his trousers and all over Harry's cream carpet.
Harry shook his head, he didn't know what possessed him to get cream carpets with three kids and now a dog.
That made Harry think, "Come on Al let's take R.D for a walk."
Harry had taken to shortening the dog's name to R.D, as the children had named him and Harry felt silly calling the dog Roald Dahl—the kids' favourite author at the time.
R.D was a St Bernard; they got that breed of dog because of the kids' fascination with them after watching the Beethoven films with the famous St Bernard. Harry was reluctant to get such a big dog, but R.D was a softie; in fact, he was nicknamed the BFG for the Big Friendly Giant—a book by Roald Dahl.
R.D slobbers something terrible and constantly sheds hair all over the place, but Harry and the kids adore him and couldn't imagine family life without him. R.D is very loving, and Harry would delight in having his company when all the kids were in bed. He was only two years old, so hopefully they had many years left with him.
Hermione had done her research before Harry got R.D and warned him that as a fully grown male St Bernard, R.D could weigh as much as 15 stone or 210 pounds, and that is no laughing matter. But R.D is trained and never jumps up and is brilliant with the children.
Harry attached his lead, grabbed his keys, and they headed out to the nearby park that allowed dogs. Lily had screwed up her nose when Harry first walked R.D with her and he had to clean up his dog mess. Harry explained about the responsibility as a dog owner, and she said that was good, but she would never do it. She suggested that Harry use it as a form of punishment when James was being naughty—poop scoop duty!
Harry alone would just magic it away, but he always carried the muggle things to pick up any mess just in case.
Al ran off to climb a close tree once at the park, and Harry let R.D off his lead. He made sure to keep an eye on Al and the dog. Twenty minutes later he could have sworn he saw Narcissa Malfoy, but when he looked back the elegant lady he must have mistaken for Narcissa was gone.
After Al and R.D had enough Harry headed home, tugging a tired Al and R.D along. Once home, Al settled on the sofa to watch cartoons with R.D taking up the other end sleeping. Harry got started on the preparations for dinner. George had fire-called to say Lily was staying over with Roxanne for the night, and not to cook her any dinner. So once again it was just him and Al.
James and Lily were very sociable. Lily often stayed at her grandmas, with Roxanne or Hugo, and sometimes her primary school friends. James also spend a lot of time with his cousins and friends. Al was quieter; he had friends of course but he preferred to be at home with Harry.
After dinner, Harry insisted Al had a bath; playing in the mud and climbing trees had made him filthy. Harry then enjoyed a very peaceful and quite evening with Al. Helping him with a school project and listening to him speculate about the quite speaking boy next door.
OOOoooOOO
The next day brought the return of James and Lily, and that meant the return of noise and chaos. James reminded Harry that he had promised to build them a treehouse, and Harry groaned at the thought. However, he got his tools out and set about attempting to build something that resembled a treehouse.
One of the reasons Harry chose this house, was because of the large family friendly garden. It was easy to maintain and beautiful too. Harry suspected that James suggested that he get started on the treehouse so Harry would be distracted, giving James free rein to get up to mischief.
Lily requested the treehouse, once complete, was painted pink which sparked a huge argument between her and James. Harry declared that it was to be painted a neutral, unisex colour. He then had to explain what unisex meant and then think of something to keep the kids entertained. Eventually James called on a friend and told Harry he was going swimming. Lily decided to brush R.D and then write a letter to her mother.
Al had been walking up and down the fence that ran along the new neighbours' garden all morning.
"Al, I don't think he's there." Harry commented.
"I know, but he might show later and I want to talk with him again." He replied, settling into the same spot as yesterday.
Harry ruffled his hair, "I'll be in the garage getting some wood ready. Come get me if you need me, okay?"
Al nodded and Harry left him to his waiting.
As soon as his dad and siblings had left, Al heard, "Hello."
Al smiled, he suspected the shy boy had been there for some time but too shy to talk with others around.
"Hello. I hope you didn't get in too much trouble for getting dirty yesterday." Al started up conversation.
"No, not really. Father doesn't mind, just gets uptight around Grandma. Did I see you walking a huge dog yesterday?" Scorpius had seen him out his bedroom window.
"Yeah. That's R.D, he's a St Bernard and is great. Very friendly, maybe you can meet him one day." Al didn't push and say what day, as he suspected that Scorpius was painfully shy and would need time before he felt confident enough to come around and see the dog.
"That would be nice. What's your name? I didn't get a chance to ask yesterday." Scorpius requested.
"I'm Al. I'm eight, what about you?" He liked this boy, he himself was shy and struggled making new friends, but he seemed to find it easy to talk to his mystery neighbour.
"I'm eight too. Al; that's nice and simple. I hate my name." He grumbled.
"It is unusual, but I like it. It's unique. Well my full name is Albus Severus but Al is easier and I prefer to go by that." he elaborated.
"Oh. Father won't let me shorten my name. He said if he wanted me to be called Scor he would have named me Scor. He's a bit fussy on things like that." Al noticed that Scorpius was opening up more and even talking with a bit more confidence.
"I best not call you Scor then, I don't want to upset your dad. How was your first night in your new home?" Al kindly asked.
He remembered staying over at his dad's for the first time and it was all strange and scary, but he soon got used to it and now this really was home.
Scorpius hesitated but decided on being honest to his new friend, "I didn't sleep well. Father let me join him, but I guess I shouldn't make a habit of that, I am eight after all." He haughtily announced.
"That was nice of your dad. Bet he was lonely too and liked having you there with him." Al was quite grown up for his age.
"I guess. I wish I could make him happy." He said dejected.
"I'm sure he is happy, just unsettled. It must be hard for him too, splitting up with your mum and moving out and all that." Al hoped he was helping.
"I know. I've been giving him extra-long hugs to let him know I love him lots." He wasn't embarrassed to admit how much he loved his dad and that he still hugged him at his age.
"I love hugging my dad too. James calls me a baby, but James is a prat. He's my older brother and is so annoying. Lily, my little sister, still hugs dad, but she's six so I guess it's okay." Al rambled, not wanting to end their conversation.
After a moments silence Al blurted the first thing he thought of, "My dad is building us a tree house. Cool huh?"
"Wow! That is cool." Scorpius uttered in awe.
"You can come play in it when it's done. Can I ask you a question?" Al hesitated.
"You just did." Scorpius pointed out.
"Oh yeah, I did, didn't I. Oops. Well another question then?" He asked.
"Sure, I might not answer, but you can ask." Scorpius answered.
"Um, why aren't you living with your mum? I mean we lived with our mum until her job made it difficult. She plays..." Al stopped he wasn't sure if this boy was a muggle or a wizard.
"Uh sports and has to travel a lot. We moved in with Dad after that. Rose, my cousin who knows everything, said it's quite common for children to live with their mothers after divorce." Al continued.
After a long pause he added, "I'm sorry if that was a rude question, you don't have to answer, I was just curious."
"No, it's okay. I wanted to live with my father. My parents gave me the choice and I chose him. I hope Mother doesn't take it too badly. It isn't because I love Father more or anything, I just...I..."
"I'm sure your mother understands." Al tried his best to calm Scorpius, he sounded upset.
"I just think Father needs me more right now, and Mother wasn't too bothered about who had me. I'll see her regularly." He finished.
Harry peaked into the garden to check on Al and saw that he was talking to the fence—obviously the shy boy from next door was on the other side. He smiled, he had a feeling that those two would become the best of friends.
He checked on Lily and she was happily colouring in a picture for Ginny and writing a letter as neat as she could.
Harry himself had abandoned the treehouse making, seeing as James was no longer there to bug him. He would wait until Neville or someone was free to help. Neville was surprisingly good with tools and soon became a favourite among friends to rope in to help with DIY jobs.
OOOoooOOO
The summer holidays were going fast as always; the neighbours had been in their new home for over a week and Harry had yet to catch a glimpse of them. Al had spoken to his friend through the fence every day since that first day. James and Lily thought he was going crazy and teased him, claiming Al had made the boy up. Seeing as every time they tried to join in, they received no answer. Al protested that it was because Scorpius was shy and only trusted Al.
By the second week Harry had no choice but to go next door. R.D had managed to escape and was currently digging holes in the new neighbours' garden. Once again, Lily and James were out, and Al insisted on coming with him; he hoped to get a glimpse of his new best friend so as to put a face to the voice and name.
Harry readied himself, raised his hand, and knocked. A few moments later a boy about Al's age answered.
"How may I help you?" He politely enquired.
"Hello, is your dad home?" Harry asked.
"Of course he wouldn't leave me on my own, that would be irresponsible." He said in a manner that questioned Harry's intelligence.
Harry tried not to laugh, "Right, sorry. What I meant was, can you get him for me?" Harry rephrased.
"Okay, one moment." He shut the door slightly.
"Dad, I don't think he knows it's me." Al said disappointed.
"Well he wouldn't, would he? He doesn't know what you look like, and you haven't spoken yet so he hasn't recognised your voice." That put a smile back on Al's face.
"Oh, yeah." He said cheerfully.
A short while later the door was once again opened and there stood Draco Malfoy. Harry gaped at him, utterly and completely speechless. Not only was it a shock to learn that Malfoy was his new neighbour, meaning the shy boy that Al adored was Malfoy's son, and that Malfoy had split from his wife, but most of all that Malfoy was gorgeous. It was too much for Harry's brain to process and he just stared for a long time.
"Dad? Dad are you okay?" Al asked.
Scorpius smiled, "Al."
Al turned to face the boy who was stood next to his father, "Yes. You recognised my voice." He beamed, happy that Scorpius finally got to meet him.
"Of course! We've been talking for almost two weeks now. Is your dad alright?" Scorpius pointed to Harry.
Draco wasn't about to speak; he was silently amused at the stunned look on Potter's face and he wanted to see how long Potter's speechlessness would last. He spent the time subtly giving him the once over, and concluded that Potter was as handsome as ever, if not more so. Less scrawny and more manly.
Harry came around upon hearing Scorpius' concerned voice as he asked Al if he was okay.
Harry cleared his throat, feeling awkward and a little stupid, "Uh, hi."
"Hello," Draco replied hiding his amusement.
"I live next door. This is Al my son, he's been talking to your son through the fence." He blurted, wincing at how ridiculous he sounded.
"Right. I gathered that much Potter. Can I help you with something? Wanted to borrow some sugar?" He asked.
"Um, no thanks, I have sugar. Lots of sugar."
"Am I meant to guess at what you want then? We could be here all day if that's the case." He couldn't help the smile that broke out.
"No. We um...well..."
Al rolled his eyes, he hadn't seen his dad get all flustered and tongue tied like this in ages.
"What my dad is trying to say is, we lost our dog. He's in your back garden, can we come get him? Also, he may have dug a few holes too, sorry about that." Al informed Draco, who himself was momentarily stunned into silence at the resemblance Al had to his father.
"Dog?" Scorpius frowned. "I was in the garden not a moment ago and didn't see one." He stated.
"That's because he's only just escaped." Harry replied.
"Very well." Draco said, stepping aside and indicating Harry and Al to follow him.
Al and Scorpius waited and walked together. Having an awkward conversation, as this was the first time actually seeing each other.
"Hi,"
"Hi,"
"Finally nice to meet you." Al told him.
"Likewise."
"Want to see my room?" Scorpius asked.
Al grinned, "Yes."
"Father I'm showing Al my bedroom." He informed Draco.
Draco nodded, pleased that Scorpius had a friend and one that lived close.
"You seemed to have unpacked and settled in." Harry tried to make conversation.
Draco continued to walk through the house, back to Harry, "Yes, we did move in two weeks ago." He replied, not rudely, more stating fact.
Harry chuckled, "I lived out of boxes for months. It wasn't until Hermione came around and gave me a kick up the backside did I start unpacking properly." He confessed.
"Figures." Draco said playfully. He suspected Harry was a procrastinator.
He himself couldn't stand the sight of the boxes and disorganised rooms. He would stay up late into the night making sure each room was sorted and everything was in its place. He wanted it to feel like home to Scorpius as soon as possible. Having the familiarity of their belongings would help.
Draco opened the back door and there he saw a St Bernard stretched out on his lawn, obviously tired out from the few holes that littered his garden.
Harry winced, "Sorry. He never digs holes in our garden. He's a strange dog. I'll make sure to sort the holes out before we go." Harry turned to survey Draco, was glad to see that he didn't seem angry, in fact he was smiling at R.D.
Harry called to the silly dog and he came bounding towards them.
"Malfoy meet R.D." Harry introduced them, bending down to stoke R.D's head.
"Call me Draco, please. Seems wrong calling me Malfoy around my son, and well, I'd prefer Draco." He admitted.
Harry nodded, "Right sure. R.D this is Draco, our new neighbour."
R.D slobbered all over Draco's foot and laid back down.
Harry screwed up his nose, "Ah, yeah he does that. A lot. Very slobbery dog—sorry."
"Not a problem." Draco cast a quick spell to clean his shoes.
"Take a seat at the garden table, I'll fetch us a mug of tea. I'm sure Scorpius and Al will be some time yet." With that he headed back in.
Harry sat at the table as requested. Admiring its craftsmanship and design. It was a lovely garden set. Made from an expensive wood for sure, but Harry didn't know what kind. It consisted of three benches and a table. All carved from a tree to perfection and very sturdy.
Draco returned and caught Harry's appreciative gaze at the table.
"Custom made. Made from Ironwood. Asked for it to be made when I was travelling in Malaysia." He informed Harry even though he never asked.
"It's beautiful." Harry couldn't think of anything else to say about it.
"Yes, I think so too." He was very fond of this set and had to fight Astoria for it.
Draco set a bowl of water down for R.D and proceed to make them tea. Harry couldn't help but think he was in some strange alternative universe. He was sat in Draco Malfoys back garden, drinking tea, talking politely, with a happy dog at their feet, and a happy son with his new best friend.
"How long have you lived in this neighbourhood?" Draco asked after a moment's silence.
Harry met his gaze, determined not to shy away from making eye contact, "Four years roughly. I love it here. All the houses are detached, and have massive gardens. Not to mention the happy, well-balanced mix of muggle and wizards. It's a quiet, safe, and tidy neighbourhood. I'm glad I discovered it really."
Draco nodded in agreement, "Pansy helped me find it. She was probably thinking of her commission; she's an estate agent—sells houses. Said this one had been vacant for some time but she knew it would be perfect for me and Scorpius. She was right of course."
Harry smiled, Draco was speaking openly and honestly with him. He wasn't trying to act better than him, or be aloof.
"Have you enrolled Scorpius in school? Or is he staying at his old school?" Al would be very pleased if Scorpius transferred to his school.
Draco frowned, "We've decided to transfer him to the local school nearby. He wasn't making friends at the old school, and I think that with the divorce he would want to be closer to home, or rather me. I doubt he sees this as home just yet."
"I know what you mean. The kids took some time before they got used to having parents that were divorced, and struggled for a bit. But then James pointed out that it meant double presents. As usually we'd buy one present and put from the both of us, but now we give the kids one from each of us. So once he realised how he could manipulate it to his advantage he was okay." Harry joked, although what he said was all true.
"Sounds like a future Slytherin." Draco teased, his eyes shining with amusement.
Harry shrugged, "Maybe. But I think James is a Gryffindor through and through. No, not because of me, but because he is so much like his grandfather, or what I've been told of him anyway. Also he doesn't think before he acts, bravery or stupidity whatever you call it, it's very Gryffindor." Harry replied casually.
He was finding it nice to have an adult to talk to, to relax and get to know Draco.
"And the others?" Draco asked.
Harry thought for a moment, "Lily maybe Gryffindor too. Al, although shy, he would do well in Slytherin. To not be in the same house as his brother, to have a chance to be his own person."
Draco smiled, "It's between Ravenclaw and Slytherin for Scorpius. It could go either way I think. A part of me wants it to be Ravenclaw so he can make a name for himself, and not be another Malfoy in Slytherin. But another part of me would love for him to be a Slytherin, to experience the same as I did. To sleep in the same dormitories and use the same common room." He supplied as his reasoning.
Harry smiled, Draco really had changed. Matured since becoming a father. Harry liked this new Draco.
"It won't be long before I'm packing James' things and sending him off to Hogwarts. Makes me feel old." He complained.
Draco grunted, something Harry though he would never do, "Tell me about it." He agreed.
The boys came out into the garden, "Hello R.D." Al said, sitting on the deck beside the dog to pet him. Scorpius joined Al and stroked R.D's belly.
"Why is he called R.D?" Draco asked curious.
Harry huffed, "The kids, not me. It's his initials, Roald Dahl is his name, after the muggle children's author. One of the kid's favourites. I dare say it's because he wrote things called The Twits and such." Harry admitted.
"Can't say I've ever heard of him." Draco knew it was because Harry said he was a muggle author.
Al stood and joined Harry on his bench, "His stories are brilliant. I'll lend Scorpius my collection. James' favourite is James and the Giant Peach but only because it had his name in it. Lily loves Matilda. My favourites are Fantastic Mr Fox and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Al happily rambled.
Draco smiled at Al, he seemed confident enough to talk once he had decided to trust someone. It pleased Draco to note he was one of those people Al trusted.
"Well I'm sure Scorpius will enjoy reading them." Draco said as a thanks to Al's offer of lending them to him.
"You have to read them too! They're classics, you have to read them so Scorpius can talk to you about them. It's good to share." he sternly told Draco.
Harry laughed, Draco grinned, "Seeing as you're quite adamant, I will endeavour to read them as well."
"Good." Al firmly announced.
"Father, can I have something to eat?" Scorpius asked timidly.
Draco checked his watch and was surprised at the time, "Crikey! I didn't realise that was the time. You should have said something earlier Scorpius. How about I order a takeaway just for tonight, as that will be quicker than cooking something."
Scorpius grinned, "Okay."
Draco turned to Harry, "Would you care to join us, or do you and your children have plans?"
"James and Lily are out for dinner, most likely the entire night. They always seem to be sleeping over at one friend's or another's. It's just Al and I; I'm sure Al would love to stay for dinner. I would too." He answered surprised at the offer.
Al beamed at Scorpius, "We're staying for dinner. Cool."
Scorpius returned his eager smile.
"What food do you prefer?" Draco asked Harry and Al.
They settled on pizza as the boys were fussy, and ate outside. The temperature was mild and the air had a slight breeze.
Draco frowned when Harry stared at him, "What?" He asked, as Harry continued to stare.
"Nothing. I just assumed you would be one of those weird people that eat a slice of pizza with a knife and fork. Cutting small pieces and eating it delicately. You just surprised me by picking it up and eating using your hands is all." Harry explained sheepishly.
Draco rolled his eyes, "We never ate pizza when I was growing up. Then when I was old enough I decided to eat however I please. I'm sure if Mother were to eat one she'd use a knife and fork, but she'd never eat one to begin with." He clarified, glad to smash Harry's delusional assumptions about him.
Al rolled a slice up and started eating it, "I like it like this." He supplied as his opinion, cheese and tomato sauce covering his mouth.
Harry shook his head and Draco laughed, rolled up his next slice and tried it, "Mmm, it does taste good that way."
Al grinned and Scorpius, once seeing that his father had done it, also followed suit.
"I think I prefer the normal way, sorry Al." He sounded as if he was delivering grave news.
Al shrugged, "To each their own and all that."
Harry suspected that Al picked up that particular saying from Ron. Al was such an easy going guy, he never judged anyone and appreciated the fact that everyone was different.
It was a good thing, seeing as he and Scorpius were quite opposite in many ways, including appearance and style. The obvious being blond vs. dark hair and groomed appearance vs. the not bothered attitude of Al.
Then their fashion styles were completely opposite. Al was wearing a blue t-shirt with some cartoon design on the front, with jeans, and scruffy trainers. Scorpius was wearing a perfectly ironed shirt, a few buttons undone at the top and sleeves rolled up to his elbows, tucked into a pair of smart, beige, casual chinos that were turned up at the bottom. On his feet he wore no socks, and loafers. As his trousers were turned up and he wore no socks, you could see his ankles and the tops of his feet. To top the look off, he wore an expensive looking belt and an even more expensive looking watch.
Harry wondered what his formal look would be. However, it suited Scorpius, who obviously got his sense of style and fashion from his father. Who just so happen to look as equally smart, yet effortlessly casual.
Draco was also wearing chinos, but his were light a grey and they didn't turn up at the end. He wore chocolate brown plain Oxford shoes and a plain t-shirt and blazer. To Harry, it was what he called smart, but to Draco he guessed it was dressing down. As he didn't wear tailored trousers, a tie, or robes. To Draco, he was dressing smart casual and Harry thought he looked amazing.
Harry still wore t-shirts and jeans, but his look had matured. He often wore smart denim jeans instead of scruffy worn ones, he would wear smart trainers or shoes and often t-shirt and blazer, a shirt, or some form of knitwear. So he kept the comfy easy style, but it had matured from 'that will do until the clothes fell apart' wear, to a more put together and tidier look.
Draco glanced up and caught Harry staring at him again, "What?" He asked again, amused.
Harry seemed embarrassed to be caught staring again, "Oh I was just thinking about um clothes. I bet you don't own a pair of denims do you?"
Draco wasn't offended, he was surprised that Harry was watching him and taking note of his attire.
"I do actually, of course designer ones that probably cost more than your whole wardrobe." He teased.
Al snorted, and Harry smiled.
OOOoooOOO
From that night onwards, it became routine for Draco, Harry, and the kids to socialise and take turns in spending time at one another's houses. James and Lily officially met Draco and Scorpius, but Al was very protective of Scorpius and didn't want his siblings taking him away from him. However, James and Lily would invite friends over and they would all spend time in their own groups, or as one big group.
Al was currently doing his homework, as they were due to return to school next week and he had all of his holiday homework still to do.
Scorpius was stretched out next to him, adding the odd tip and occasional snarky comment about Al's handwriting and intellect.
Harry had settled into a friendship with Draco; it felt natural and he found he looked forward to the time he spent in his company.
Scorpius and Al would take turns to sleepover at each other's house, and tonight was Harry's turn to have Scorpius. James was in his room writing to Teddy, and Lily was decorating a cake for dessert for everyone.
Harry walked through the living room and saw that Scorpius and Al had their heads bent together whispering feverishly. That wasn't anything unusual, but Harry had a feeling that this time they were plotting something.
"Boys, dinner will be ready in a moment. Go wash your hands and sit at the table." He interrupted.
After dinner, and the delicious cake Lily had made, was consumed Harry found out what the boys had been whispering about.
James had excused himself and left to polish his broomstick and play with R.D. and Lily was colouring a picture for Harry, while Scorpius and Al stayed behind to help wash up.
Harry knew something was the matter the moment they had volunteered as they never, not once offered to help clean up before.
He could hear the two boys having a whispered argument, "No, you bring it up."
"No way, it was your idea, you do it."
Harry cleared his throat, "Is there something you wish to ask me boys?" He calmly asked.
They turned and looked at him, "Um Scorpius has something he wants to talk to you about." Al said as he shoved Scorpius' shoulder.
"Ow." Scorpius scowled at him.
"Just spit it out boys." Harry said, laughing inwardly at their behaviour.
Scorpius stood straighter, held his head up, and spoke clearly, "You and Father are friends now, right?"
Harry nodded, "Yes."
"So, from one friend to another, you would want the best for him right?" He continued.
"Of course." Harry had no idea where this was going.
"If I told you I want your help to ensure Father's happiness, would you be willing to help me?"
Harry frowned slightly, "It all depends. What you think will make your father happy, may not actually be the case. What is it you need my help with?" Harry hoped that Scorpius hadn't gotten it into his head that his parents should get back together.
Harry knew that wouldn't make Draco happy, he couldn't help Scorpius with that.
"Father is seeing someone new and I don't like them." He admitted, his face scrunched up as he thought of his father's new partner.
Harry was taken aback at that. He wasn't aware that Draco was dating again. Harry felt stung, Draco hadn't felt the need to share that with him. Did Draco not see the friendship as Harry did? Why didn't he want to confide in Harry?
"It isn't my place to tell your father who he can and cannot date Scorpius. Have you spoken to him? Told him that you are uncomfortable? Maybe you just don't know them well enough. Make the effort to get to know them and you may find you really like them." Harry answered, trying to show that he was here to talk with Scorpius, but he wouldn't get involved in Draco's love life.
Scorpius crossed his arms, "I don't want to get to know them! He's a tosser." He declared, storming off in the direction of Al's bedroom.
Al looked to his dad, "I'd better go talk with him. Sorry Dad, he was hoping that you could talk Draco out of dating this bloke, but it was a long shot." Al scurried off.
It took Harry's brain a moment to register that Scorpius and Al had refereed to Draco's new partner as a male. Fuck, maybe we aren't proper friends; he would have told me he was into men if we were Harry thought.
Then Harry's unhelpful brain suggested that maybe Scorpius was staying around his place tonight so that Draco could go on a date. To have alone time with his new lover. This didn't sit well with Harry, but he decided not to dwell on it. He pushed it aside and put his unease down to the fact that Draco had neglected to tell him he was seeing someone, a male someone.
The next day Harry dropped Scorpius home, and he stayed for a quick cup of tea. Scorpius was sulking with Harry, and completely ignoring his father.
He retreated to his room, slamming the door for added effect.
"Did you discipline him for something last night? Or tell him he couldn't have sweets for breakfast?" Draco joked.
Harry pondered telling Draco, eventually deciding to be honest, "He mentioned you were seeing someone, and he asked me if I'd help um I guess get rid of them. I said it wasn't my place to tell you who you can and cannot date and well he didn't like that answer."
Draco groaned, "I thought he was being difficult because Alex is the first person I have dated since Astoria. I assumed no matter who I dated, Scorpius would object because it made our separation more final. I thought he held a little hope that his mother and I would get back together one day. By dating someone else, that puts a stop to that idea. I had no idea he felt this strongly about it." Draco sounded concerned.
"That explains why he's been short tempered with me recently." He added.
"How long have you been seeing um Alex?" Harry wanted to get the whole picture, but he also wanted to know if it was serious.
Draco rubbed his face, "Not, long a few dates. Nothing serious at the moment. Scorpius has only met him briefly once. He has no idea what Alex is like; he dislikes him on principle."
Harry felt bad for Draco, he remembered dating again after Ginny and the guilt he felt. The need to keep his children happy, they were top priority—but getting that balance was important. You couldn't be expected to put your life on hold, you couldn't remain celibate all your life to suit your children.
"Maybe arrange for Scorpius to meet Alex and get them to spend a bit more time getting to know one another." Harry suggested.
Draco sighed, "Yeah, maybe. Maybe I'm not ready for this, nor is Scorpius and well I'm sure Alex didn't sign up for a bratty child."
Harry took offence to that, "You were honest with this Alex guy I assume. He knew from the start about Scorpius."
Draco nodded, Harry continued, "There you go then. Alex has no right moaning about Scorpius. He knew from the get go about him. I'm guessing Alex has no children. If he did he would know that no matter what your children come first, even over your own happiness."
Draco smiled sadly, "No, he has no children. Seemed a bit unsure of Scorpius, but like I told Alex, it's not like I am asking Alex to become his stepfather or anything."
"Yes, but he has to at least like children, or accept that Scorpius is a big part of your life." Harry grumbled, liking this Alex less and less.
"I know. But we haven't really gotten to the deep heavy stuff, and I didn't want to make him go running before this thing had even started." Draco dejectedly admitted.
"Then maybe he isn't right for you. I'm sure there are plenty of available men who will understand that you are a father first." He pushed.
"How do you do it?" Draco blurted, "You've dated since Ginny right?"
Harry laughed, "Of course. It's difficult. I try not to let the kids get too attached to someone just in case it doesn't work out. I don't parade my partners in front of the kids, trying to keep the two parts of my life separate. Occasionally I have felt comfortable and trusted the person I was with enough to introduce them to the kids. It is all trial and error, and as you may notice I am very much single so I haven't found the right person just yet."
"Are we doomed to be single forever, until the kids have grown up and left home?" Draco gloomily wondered.
Harry groaned, "I bloody hope not. You'll be alright. Anyhow, Scorpius will be at Hogwarts soon, then you can fit a man in your life."
Draco grimaced, "Hogwarts is ages away Potter, I am not going without for that long."
Harry knew what 'without' meant and tried not to blush.
"Maybe Alex isn't the right man, but he's a right now man. I'm sure he can be beneficial to me without needing to be some super stepfather figure." He reasoned.
Meaning, Draco was happy to use Alex for sexual gratification, and keep him away from Scorpius.
"You know eventually Alex will demand more of your time, or Scorpius will and you won't be able to balance the two. Something has to give. You need to find someone who can become a part of your family life and give you all the other things you want." Harry was proud, he was sure he wasn't blushing.
"I know that. I know Alex isn't a long term thing. Maybe I don't want something so serious so soon. Maybe a bit of fun is just what I need. I'll speak with Scorpius, and hopefully I can appease him." Draco spirits seemed lifted.
Harry tried his best to ignore the unsettled feeling he was getting when he thought about Draco and his means of having a bit of fun.
Harry downed his tea, "Now that your soap opera life has been sorted, I'd best be off and make sure the kids haven't burnt the house down."
He left, deep down routing for Scorpius. Hoping that he would find a way to drive Alex away.
- TBC -