Wildest Dreams

The sun beamed brightly across Malfoy Manor, illuminating the vast gardens of the estate. The gardens expanded into the far distance, flowers in bloom, birds chirping, and the peacocks strutting across the vast lawn. Harry Potter took in a deep breath and the smell of lavender, lilies, and roses was almost overwhelming. It did nothing to calm his nerves, but the man had defeated the Dark Lord, so this should have been nothing to worry himself over. He shook his head and began to make his way up the path to the mansion.

The manor had changed drastically from the last time Harry had been there. Narcissa Malfoy had no doubt taken it upon herself to try and erase the stain of the war. No longer was there an eerie gloom about the place, but rather the feeling of a promising rebirth.

The manor was not the only thing that had changed, the family did as well. I guess war did that to people, Harry thought. After the battle of Hogwarts, some of the remaining Death Eaters were rounded up and put on trial for their actions in the war. Harry had felt a sense of obligation to speak on behalf of the Malfoys, particularly Narcissa and Draco. They had each saved his life in a moment where they could have easily turned him over. For that Harry was grateful, so it only made sense to him to help in any way that he could lessen their sentence.

The Ministry had ruled with placing Lucius under house arrest and both Narcissa and Draco were dropped of their charges. In the courtroom Harry remembered looking across to see Narcissa wrap her son tightly in her arms. She kissed his cheek, tears streaming down her face and Draco held her tightly in return. Then, the blonde man looked up from his mother and his eyes met Harry's. He smiled. It was the first genuine smile Harry had ever seen from the man. In that moment he knew things were going to be different from then on.

Which was why Harry was now walking up the steps of Malfoy Manor. Weeks had passed since the trial, where he was unpacking his belongings into Grimmauld place, when he found it. Wrapped in a black velvet cloth was the hawthorn wand of Draco Malfoy. He knew immediately when he saw it what he had to do. Now, running his fingers absentmindedly along the smooth wood, he wasn't so sure. What if Malfoy wouldn't appreciate the gesture? What if he thought Harry was here to gloat? Still, there was only one way to find out.

Harry took another deep breath and lifted his hand to knock upon the ornate door of the manor. Within a matter of seconds a house elf appeared holding the door open very slightly. "Hello mister…" the elf's eyes widened in shock as she registered who was standing before her. "Mister Potter, sir! Please come in!" she squeaked.

He smiled, looking down at the elf as he now stood in the entrance hall. The elf beamed, "Please sir, let me take your cloak!" She held up her tiny hands and Harry obliged. With a snap of her fingers the cloak whisked itself into a closet down the hall to the left. She smiled at Harry and asked, "What is sir Harry Potter doing here at Malfoy Manor today?"

"I'd like to speak to Draco Malfoy," Harry replied. He smoothed the front of his shirt down, hoping he didn't look too underdressed without his cloak. He was thankful that he did at least decide to wear a nice button down shirt paired with fitted trousers.

The elf eyed him carefully before asking, "Is something wrong? Master Malfoy isn't in trouble is he?"

Before Harry could answer, he heard a door slam from upstairs. "Mibby! Where are you?" a voice shouted. "Where is my cloak that I picked out yesterday? The matching tie has gone missing as well!"

The house elf squeaked, and vanished in a pop. Harry stood in the foyer overhearing their conversation. "Master Malfoy, I will bring cloak in a minute, but-"

"But WHAT, Mibby? What could possibly be more important that you ignored my calls for the past few minutes?" Harry heard Draco Malfoy ask the elf in an irritated tone. Harry tensed, knowing all too well the feeling of Malfoy's wrath.

"Master Malfoy, sir Harry Potter is here to see you!" Mibby exclaimed.

There was a moment of silence, followed slowly by Malfoy asking "What?" Harry could hear the surprise in his tone, and he couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. He found this situation to be very amusing. "He's here?" Malfoy asked in disbelief.

"Yes Master!" the elf confirmed. "Would you like me to bring him to you?"

"Well yes…of course," Malfoy responded, in a quieter voice. It was almost as if he didn't believe this was at all happening. "I will be in the drawing room down the hall," he informed the elf and Harry heard his footsteps retreat and fade.

Mibby popped up next to Harry shortly after, and started to drag him up the staircase. "So sorry, sir Harry Potter. Master Malfoy is surprised to see you. I didn't remember an appointment for today. Please forgive me!"

Harry chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh no, you didn't forget an appointment. I didn't have one. Please, it's quite all right."

The elf dropped Harry's hand once they stood in front of the door to the drawing room. She knocked on the door. They heard Draco call, "Come in." And with that, Mibby gave Harry a courteous bow and apparated away.

Harry opened the door and instantly saw Malfoy sitting across the room in a luxurious armchair by the fireplace. The blonde stood up as Harry walked into the room, and he could feel the waves of nerves wash over him. Malfoy tilted his head thoughtfully, his eyes traveling up and down Harry. "Potter…" he spoke carefully, a familiar smirk starting to form across his lips, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

He felt his hands start to sweat, and Harry frantically tried to rub them casually along his trousers. He had no idea where these nerves were coming from, and began to chalk it up to the intimidating atmosphere of Malfoy Manor. The house was so grand, and Harry felt really out of place and uncomfortable. His discomfort had nothing to do with the man in front of him who was staring intently into his eyes-yes, he was most certainly not nervous about that.

"I…" Harry began, suddenly at a loss for words. His mind was starting to whirl, bringing up memories of their past rivalry. He was trying to make sense of the situation before him. They were no longer school boys throwing curses at each other, and he had no idea what to classify their strange relation now. They couldn't possibly be enemies any more, but they certainly weren't friends either. It was just awkward.

Malfoy's eyebrows rose as Harry remained speechless. The man took a few steps towards Harry and then asked, "Potter, what are you doing here?" The tone of his voice was not bitter, which was strange in of itself. It sounded more curious than anything else.

He ran his hands nervously against his slacks again, and that is when he felt the wand against his fingers. The contact of the wood jolted him and Harry finally remembered what he was here to do. He reached inside his pocket and withdrew the ebony wand and held it up in between them. Malfoy's eyes traveled from Harry's to focus on the wand before them. "I wanted to return this," Harry managed to say.

Malfoy stood there for a minute, letting the moment sink in. He began to chew thoughtfully on his perfectly shaped lips in contemplation. Then he took a few more small steps towards Harry and reached up for the wand. "Thanks, but…" Malfoy began, not barely a foot away from the other man. "How do we know the wand will respond to me now?"

Green eyes locked with grey. Harry never really noticed how striking those eyes were before. At this proximity he could see a hint of blue mixed with the grey, and it reminded him of the lake at Hogwarts, frozen delicately with patches of ice in the chilly winter months. He was so lost in that stare that he jumped when he felt Malfoy's fingers wrap around the wand Harry was holding. Their fingers brushed against each other and Harry felt a spark along his fingertips. He wasn't sure if the feeling was from the magic humming within the wand or the contact of Malfoy's fingers.

"Wait," Harry called out, cutting through the tension that he could feel building up between them. He remembered vaguely about the concept of wand loyalty, and had pondered what would happen. If Harry simply gave the wand back, there was a chance the wand would not recognize Malfoy. "I can't just give you the wand," Harry said simply. "The wand might not remember you."

Malfoy let out a breath he had been holding, and Harry felt it caress his face. They were standing so close, and Malfoy tightened his grip along the wand and the other man's fingers. "What do I have to do?" he asked. He took one last step, closing the distance between them. Their chests pressed against each other and Harry could feel Malfoy brace himself.

His stomach fluttered, feeling the new contact. If Harry had thought he was nervous before, it was nothing to like how he was feeling in this one moment. He knew what they had to do, he just only hoped Malfoy wouldn't go overboard with the idea of fighting him for the wand. He was in no mood to be hexed at or punched at for some sort of strange truce he was trying to hand over to the other man. Harry sighed, looking from their joined hands to silver pondering eyes. "You have to take it from me," he replied.

A moment passed and Harry felt his heart starting to beat frantically. Then in the blink of an eye he watched as Malfoy's lips quirked up into the biggest smirk. "I think I can do that," he taunted. And before Harry could respond, he was slammed against the wall. He gasped in alarm, gripping the wand tighter as Malfoy raised his other hand, heading straight for Harry's face.

Here it was. Harry closed his eyes quickly, waiting for the inevitable feeling of a fist crunching into his skull. He could fight, he could defend himself. But for some reason, he just didn't want to anymore. He was tired of fighting and the sooner this was over, the sooner Harry could move on to the next thing. Part of him secretly hoped by returning the wand he would begin to think less of the other man. He never seemed to be able to control his wandering thoughts, ever since 6th year when he began following the blonde. Perhaps his obsession with Malfoy would come to a close and he could get on with his life. This was the closure they needed, certainly.

Then he felt it. Lips brushed against his tentatively and before Harry could even register what was happening, the kiss deepened. Malfoy pressed his lips harder against Harry and he couldn't help but cry out in surprise. The blonde took that opportunity to run his tongue along the other boy's lips and slip inside hungrily. Harry heard a groan and he wasn't sure who made the noise, but he secretly hoped it wasn't him. That was something he really didn't need to happen right now.

He felt Malfoy's other hand snake up into Harry's hair. He tugged roughly on the mess of black stands, and this time Harry moaned uncontrollably. The feeling of Malfoy's lips, tongue, fingers, chest…it was just so overwhelming. His body responded eagerly for the other boy, and he wanted nothing more than him right then. Harry's body began to relax as he leaned against the blonde and his hand unconsciously loosened around the wood of the wand, lost in the moment of Malfoy's perfect kiss.

Sensing a lowering of his defenses Malfoy skillfully pried the wand from Harry's hands. He smiled against the other boy's lips, slowly pulling away. "Thanks, Harry," he whispered against his ear, before he coyly nipped the skin there.

Harry. He had called him Harry. Forget the wand. The other boy had never called him Harry. And hearing him say his name felt fantastic.

Harry…Harry…

"HARRY!"

With a jolt, Harry awoke. Reality started flooding to the front of his mind as he looked around his bedroom. He tried to remember his vivid dream, but the details started disappearing rapidly, like water cupped in one's hands. Malfoy had his wand. Malfoy…had kissed him.

"Harry! You have to get up now and get ready!"

He blinked blearily and then reached over to the bedside table. He slipped on his glasses and Ginny came into view. She stood at the foot of the bed, hands on her hips. She was decked out in a Harpies shirt and nice dress pants, her hair pulled up into a tight ponytail. She looked at Harry with concern, "Did you have a nightmare again?" she asked softly. "I heard groaning."

Before he could help himself, his face flushed in embarrassment, and he pulled the covers up over his chest. Her eyes widened and before she could stop herself, she instantly looked southwards. "Oh Harry," she exclaimed, as she saw the unmistakable bulge through the bed sheets.

If possible, Harry flushed further, squirming uncomfortably under her stare. Guilt washed over him and he wanted nothing more than to disappear on the spot. He loved Ginny and this dream couldn't have meant anything. This dream was just that, a dream, nothing else. You can't control what you dream of at night.

She smiled down at him, and then kissed the corner of his mouth. "As much as I want to do something about your problem right now, I have to get going to work." She turned and started to make her way to the door. "And you need to get up and get going yourself. James would hate it if you missed seeing his game..."

Oh right, today was Friday. It was his son's first quidditch match of the season and it was a big deal, given that his older child was attending his last year at Hogwarts. Harry had promised him that he would make a point to attend every game possible, not only because it was his last year but also because he wanted to be more involved in their lives.

Reality hit him when he watched them leave for Hogwarts. Time flew too fast and it seemed like only yesterday when he was watching James, then Albus, then Lily board the Hogwats Express for the first time. When he was last at the train station, he mourned that this would be the last time he watched James go off to Hogwarts for a new school year. Next year he would come of age, and venture out into the adult world. It was just too much for Harry to fathom, and so he made a promise to see more of him (and Albus and Lily). They were still his kids, and he wasn't ready to let them go just yet.

He heard the floo whoosh downstairs as Ginny left the house. So he bounded out of bed and cast a tempus charm as he made his way to the closet. The game was going to begin in less than an hour, so Harry tried not to dwell too much on the clothes he picked out. He settled for a nice dark green sweater Ginny had given him for Christmas a few years back, some faded Muggle jeans, and a thick wool cloak. He was just about ready to head downstairs when he looked in the mirror. He frowned. Something was surely missing.

His eyes traveled to his reflection, then caught sight of the bright crimson and gold scarf hanging over the closet door. Ah, there it was. His face broke out into a huge smile as he wrapped the scarf around his neck snuggly and then headed for Hogwarts.

As he approached the quidditch pitch, he could hear the roar of the crowd fill his ears. The stands were decked out in their familiar red on one end, and brilliant blue on the other side. He was hoping he would make it in time to speak with his son before his match, but the horns sounded off and signaled the game was about to begin. Harry quickly made his way up to a Gryffindor stand where a lot of other parents were seated. He was saddened to see Hermione nor Ron were there. They must have had obligations at work.

The game began shortly after and the roar of the crowd was heard all around. Harry watched raptly as his son took off into the sky, the first chaser to have caught the quaffle. Within a matter of seconds he zipped through the other team, avoided a bludger headed for his shoulder, and fooled the keeper into thinking he'd throw the ball in one direction and was able to make the goal. Harry, along with the rest of the parents and some faculty members in the stand, stood to their feet cheering.

James made several goals that game, making it rather difficult for Ravenclaw to catch up. Their only hope for a victory would be the snitch, which seemed illusive as ever. The seekers of both teams flew high above the chaos of the game below, each hoping to spot the ball first. Then, there it was, the familiar glint of gold across the field. Harry spotted the snitch before the seekers did, fluttering near the Ravenclaw parent's stand. He quickly looked up to see the Seekers both dive towards that end of the pitch.

When he returned his gaze to where the snitch was, it had flown away. But another flash of gold caught his eyes. Pale golden hair that could not be mistaken for anything else. Seated directly across from him on the field was Draco Malfoy. Harry practically fell out of his seat in alarm. What was he doing here?!

It had been a few years since they had seen each other. Over the years they had come to an unspoken mutual understanding of sorts. Their kids attended the same school, so occasionally they saw each other at the train station. He would also hear about him in brief mentioning through Albus. Apparently Albus and Malfoy's son (Scorpius was it?) had formed an unlikely friendship. And then other times Harry would notice him attend a few of his son's games. This was not a Slytherin match, however. Why would he bother making an appearance?

"…Now both Ravenclaw and Gryffindor dive in to catch the snitch-and Perry's got it! GRYFFINDOR WINS!" the announcer boomed throughout the stadium. Harry's whole side of the pitch erupted into a frenzy of excitement. He blinked, before bringing himself back into the moment and stood with the rest of the adults and began to cheer. James began to make his way towards the ground, flying past the stand and waved warmly at his father. Harry beamed.

Back on the ground Harry met up with James. "How'd I do, dad?" asked James knowingly, leaning confidently against his broom. His son may have inherited his talents from both his parents, but his pride in his quidditch skills reminded Harry so much of Ginny.

Harry smiled widely, "Oh come on," he playfully made to punch him in the side.

"You were fantastic!" Lily squealed, running up to hug James. He hugged her in return before she bounded to Harry. Her smile lit up her whole face as she said, "And dad! It's so nice to see you! I've missed you!' She wrapped her arms around her father as Harry patted her back soothingly.

"It's nice seeing all of you, of course," Harry continued, looking around the pitch to see students hurrying about in all directions-meeting up with their parents, friends, and heading up to the castle. "But where is Albus?" he asked, a small frown forming on his lips.

James rolled his eyes. "He's probably with all the other Slytherins. Plotting on how they are going to win against me in the next match."

"You know he's not into quidditch like you are! He doesn't care whether we win or his house does," Lily said calmly.

"She's right, you know," Albus stated, walking up to them. Harry broke out into another smile for his second son. Even though it came as a slight shock to him that he was sorted into Slytherin, Harry was still very much proud of him. After all, one of the greatest men he ever knew was a Slytherin, and Albus was named after him. It was very fitting, actually.

"Well I'm sure your friend Malfoy is not happy about today's game!" James exclaimed. "He's probably furious."

"His name is Scorpius," Albus swiftly corrected his older brother. "And so what if he is? I can't control his temper any more than I can control your arrogance!" Harry watched as his younger son folded his arms across his chest and stood tall, staring his brother down. He really didn't come here to break up another fight between the two.

"Guys…" Harry warned.

"Please let's just stop this!" Lily sighed, exasperated. Harry had no doubt that this was a common occurrence at school and that she was often caught in the middle of their bickering. He frowned in disappointment. What else was going on at Hogwarts that he didn't know of?

As if to answer his question, the Ravenclaw seeker approached James and smiled fondly at him. "Good game," she said sweetly to him. His son flushed then pulled her off to the side and whispered something quickly to her. She smiled knowingly at him before nodding and sauntering up to the castle.

"What was that about?" asked Albus curiously, mimicking Harry's thoughts.

"Oh her? That's Roxanne Williams," Lily rolled her eyes this time. "His girlfriend. Though the only thing they have in common is quidditch."

"Well that's very interesting," an unfamiliar voice joined in the conversation. Harry turned his head in the direction and saw Scorpius standing next to Albus. Harry took a step back in alarm, taking in the image of his son with the other boy. The pair were practically spitting images of Harry and Malfoy. It was slightly unnerving for some strange reason.

He knew of their friendship before, of course. But this was the first time he was able to see the two of them so close to one another. Neither boy visited the other during the holidays (they never asked to, anyway), and when Harry would visit Hogwarts on the rare occasions, Albus would be sitting in the quidditch stands with him, while the younger Malfoy soared on his broom from up above. Seeing them standing side by side was another thing entirely.

"My father came to visit as well," the young Malfoy went on. "He came on school board duties. He wanted to make sure the quidditch stands were still up to par." His grey eyes looked over the pitch, and he tilted his head thoughtfully. "Yeah, he's probably right. They may need to make some minor adjustments. Ever since that game last year against Hufflepuff, right Al?"

Albus grinned, wrapping an arm around the other boy's shoulders. "Yeah good thing I was there huh? You know Pomfrey is getting up there and her healing spells aren't what they used to be."

"God, don't remind me." He smiled back at Albus then continued, "You know, that's probably something my father should hear about too."

Harry snorted. He couldn't help it. It was such a Malfoy thing to say. In this context it was just hilarious and brought back fond memories of Draco Malfoy shouting menacingly, "My father will hear about this!" He chuckled to himself, wondering if the older man still used that threat.

"Well dad, I'm getting kind of hungry and I still need to catch a shower before I go up to the castle. It's been fun!" James interrupted his wandering thoughts.

Harry nodded, and gave his son a quick hug in return. "Good game today, son."

"Thanks, dad," he replied, before he turned and made his way to the locker rooms.

Lily sighed, a pout forming on her lips. "I guess that's my cue to get going too." She looked up at Harry and asked, "Stay for dinner?"

Harry hated to let down his daughter. But for some reason she always thought it was perfectly fine for her father to stay at the school for extended periods of times. He seemed to constantly have to remind her of why he couldn't stay and each time he let her down it seemed harder than the last. "Now Lily, you know I couldn't possibly…"

"But why not?" she asked, her tone raising. Her hands were on her hips now and her auburn hair was whipping across her face from the wind. She looked so much like her mother…

"All the other parents have left. I couldn't just stay because I'm Harry Potter," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Lily, I don't want to be treated any differently. Students and faculty eat in the Great Hall…no one else."

"You know the headmaster wouldn't mind," she continued, ignoring what he just said. Harry's irritation began to slowly rise. This was not going to be easy.

"You could come have dinner with us," Scorpius joined in. Harry and his children looked at the blonde in alarm. He chuckled lightly, "No really. My father hasn't left yet. He went to the greenhouses to check up on Professor Longbottom. But he told me when he gets back we'd go to Hogsmeade for dinner." He paused, chewing on his lip thoughtfully for a moment. "It's sort of tradition, but I'm sure he won't mind the extra company."

Harry laughed, and couldn't help the bitterness sound to it. "I highly doubt that."

"Really dad?" asked Albus, his eyebrow raised. "You guys still hate each other?"

"Well…no," Harry frowned, thinking for a moment. How was he to explain this to his children, when he honestly didn't know what his feelings for the other man were to begin with? He didn't really hate Malfoy, but he really didn't care for the man much either. It was just an indifference more than anything. He really hadn't given it much thought lately. Today's whole thoughts on Malfoy were highly unusual in themselves. Perhaps it was that dream. What was that dream about anyway? The details were getting really foggy and he could only remember Malfoy and a wand. It must have been a memory of when he took the wand from him, surely.

"Then it's settled then!" Scorpius exclaimed, clapping his hands excitedly.

"What's settled?" The familiar voice of Draco Malfoy broke through the conversation. Without thinking, Harry's eyes darted quickly up to look at the other man. Malfoy looked from his son to the other children, before resting his eyes on Harry. Harry could feel his stare rake over him before meeting up with his eyes.

"We're all going to dinner together!" Scorpius said cheerfully, ignoring the tension that his father brought to the group upon joining them. "And we better get going, because I'm sure Al is starving," he smiled, poking Albus in the stomach. The other boy swatted his hand away playfully, grinning the whole time.

Malfoy looked at his son with Albus and sighed, bringing a hand to pinch in between his eyebrows. "Son, I know you want your friend to join us for dinner, and that's fine. But making his father and sister join against their will…"

Lily interrupted, "No, we want to go!"

"Lily!" Harry called after her. He couldn't believe she was really considering this. Did she really miss her father so much that she'd share a dinner with him and the Malfoys? He would need to talk about her to Ginny when he got home.

"Come on dad, it'll be fun," Albus whined, puppy dog eyes plastered across his face. Harry groaned inwardly.

Draco Malfoy turned to Harry then, a smirk held firmly in place. "Well Potter, I guess our kids have decided for us. Would you like to join us for dinner?" His eyes carefully watched Harry, and his tone was only slightly playing.

"Er…I guess," Harry nodded at Malfoy and gave him a weak smile. The other man smiled in return and Harry felt a churning feeling in the pit of his stomach. Was that because of this talk of food was making him hungry…or was that something else? Harry had no idea.


This story is a work in progress, so please be patient with me. I am currently looking for a beta reader. Please message me if you are interested! Thank you!