Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.
Notes: This is my attempt at a post-DH Drarry story. The only thing I liked about the epilogue are the children and a few ideas turned into a somewhat longer story idea. It's my first story that I decided to post here and I hope I'll manage to update regularly. Some parts are already written, others are still only in my head. I guess in the end there will be about maybe 7 oder 8 parts to this.
Thanks: To my dear sister velja for constant encouragement and nagging me to start posting. And to faynia for posting some prompts on LJ that got me to start writing.
The owl he had received that afternoon at 5 pm had said that the floo would be opened at exactly 7.30 pm in the evening and at 7pm Harry Potter was more than ready to jump into the fireplace.
He was nervously pacing up and down in his study looking at the clock on the mantelpiece every few minutes and everytime he passed his desk he would pick up the note, read it once more and pace again after putting it back on the desk.
Mr. Potter,
I have a matter regarding disciplinatory measures to be taken against your son Albus Severus to discuss with you.
He together with another student was caught after hexing a third student in the corridors this afternoon and while no one
was seriously injured I would like to talk with you about his punishment.
Please floo into my office at exactly 7.30pm this evening.
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Harry couldn't imagine how Albus could have been caught in a fight. His little boy, the quiet calm one, who preferred reading a book over playing outside, the complete opposite to his brother James who liked to test his wills against everything. How could it have happened that Albus forgot all the rules and hexed another student?
Ginny had been very quick in her assessment of the situation after taking one look at the note.
"It must have been that Malfoy brat that got him into trouble. What else? Our Albus never would hex another on his own and it is as much your fault because you just had to encourage that foolish friendship. Friends with a Malfoy, our son? Now you see just where it gets him. The only thing worse would have been for him to be a Slytherin, at least we had luck with that."
It had taken a lot of Harry's self control not to get angry at her words and shout back. Instead he had simply taken the note from her and locked himself up in his study without further argument. It probably hadn't stopped her from arguing but inside his office he had a permanent Silencing Charm in place that hindered noise from the outside from disturbing him.
There were a lot of retorts that he had wanted to yell back at her but experience in the last three weeks had taught him that it was of no use. He was at a loss in how to talk to his wife at the moment because every time he tried to voice his thoughts it only ended in arguments, accusations and fights.
Harry Potter had no idea how to fix this because in this topic he was determined not to back down. Well, in this meaning the friendship of his second son with the son of a former Death Eater - Ginny's words - and the other one, his recent retirement from Auror Services and choice of new occupation.
As far as Harry could remember this was the first time in nineteen years that they really had a fight on something serious.
His thoughts went back to the note from Professor McGonagall and with that to Albus. It seemed unlikely that Albus had hexed another student without good reason and he didn't for a moment belive that Scorpius Malfoy had goaded him into doing something against his better judgement.
He might never have met the boy, seeing him from afar on Platform 9 and 3/4 didn't count, but the regular owls that Al had sent over the last weeks had him convinced that the boy was a good friend and just what Albus needed to feel at home in Hogwarts.
Not that he hadn't had his own reservations at first. It was the son of Draco Malfoy.
But he had soon admitted to himself that it were only his own memories of the past and lingering prejudices that were against this friendship. And seeing how it was his own chosen task of helping former Death Eaters make a new life he felt like the biggest bigot on earth once he realized his thoughts.
From that moment on he had done his best in supporting his son and sent letters of support and encouragement to Albus Severus who had been rather worried that his parents might disapprove of first his sorting into Ravenclaw and then his choice of friend.
At exactly 7:30 pm Harry Potter stumbled out of the fireplace in the Headmistress' office at Hogwarts covered in soot from head to toe because he never had gotten the hang of flooing without dirtying himself.
His entrance was met with a deep chuckle and a voice asking, "Allow me." and before he even had looked up at the owner of the voice a Cleansing Charm spread along his body and clothes.
Righting himself and only just repressing the urge to draw his wand, Harry's eyes met the owner of the voice.
"Malfoy." he nodded towards the blond man who was seated comfortably in an armchair in front of McGonagalls desk. Although it had been almost twenty years since their school days, to Harry it seemed as if his old rival hadn't changed at all. His hair was longer than before, it was worn now in a braid but apart from that he looked exactly the same. Pointed face, piercing grey eyes, expensive clothes same as ever only now the expression on Malfoy's face could be called open and friendly something Harry had never seen before.
Harry realized with only little astonishment that he wasn't really surprised by Malfoy's presence at Hogwarts. It was not that far off to deduce that the other student Headmistress McGonagall had mentioned in her note would have been Draco's son and that he and Albus had been together in whatever it had been they had been caught at.
"So, where is the Headmistress? Her note told me to arrive at 7:30. Do you have any idea what happened?" he asked after he took a seat in the armchair next to the one occupied by his former school nemesis.
If Malfoy was surprised by the lack of hostility in Harry's question he didn't show it but calmly answered his questions.
"I met Headmistress McGonagall in the Entrance Hall when I arrived here. She was with some parents I believe and only told me the password and to wait here for her to come back."
He smiled suddenly. "You know this feels like I am twelve again and have been caught after hours or something."
Harry couldn't help but laugh at that. "Oh yes, she still has this effect on me everytime I visit, I know exactly how you feel."
"You are here often then?"
"Not that often." Harry answered, now more serious than before. "Sometimes I just come here to talk to Professor Dumbledore's portrait, mostly in the first few years after you know?"
He noticed Draco flinch a bit at the mention of Dumbledore and dart a glance at the luckily empty portrait hanging on the wall behind McGonagall's desk and continued with a lighter topic. "But since my first son started Hogwarts it's mostly occasions like this that lead me here. James is quite the troublemaker and somehow he ends up more often in the infirmary than I like to see."
"Well, wonder where he gets that from? As I recall you yourself got into quite a lot of trouble during our time here." There was no anger or heat behind these words and the blond man had an almost fond smile on his face.
"That was different." Harry muttered. Most of his visits to the infirmary or the times he got into trouble hat been related to Voldemort but that probably was not something he should mention if he wanted the friendly conversation to stay that way.
Before he could think of anything else to say the door opened and Headmistress McGonagall entered her office. The years since Harry had left school had not changed her by much, her hair was now complete grey and a few more lines had appeared around her eyes and mouth but apart from that she still looked the same as all those years ago.
"Harry, good to see you again." she greeted him with a nod and a smile. "Though I really would prefer other circumstances than today for our next meeting."
Harry returned her greeting with a nod and smile of his own and answered. "Minerva, it's good to see you too. Please, can you tell us what happened?"
From the corner of his eye Harry was able to see that with the arrival of the Headmistress the pleasant expression on Malfoy's face had now changed back to his custumary scowl.
"Yes, Headmistress, to what circumstances do we owe the pleasure of being summoned here?" Draco Malfoy drawled his own question in addition to Harry's.
"Mr.Malfoy, Harry, first of all let me assure you that the boys are in good health and now, I assume that you are aware of the fact that your sons have forged a remarkably close friendship in this very short time that they have known each other?"
She looked at both of them questioning then and receiving identical affirmative nods continued.
"What you probably are not aware of is the fact that even after all this time there is still a tremendous amount of prejudice and bad blood passed down onto children from their parents. A Potter and Malfoy not being sorted into what some believe are their predestined Houses coupled with the fact that these two appear to be inseparable is news that not everyone approves of.
No, please let me continue first."
Both Harry and Draco had already opened their mouth but shut them at McGonagall's raised hand.
"First of all, I'd like to state that I myself do very much approve of this development. From what I can judge they are very well suited to be in Ravenclaw and appear to be two very happy and well adjusted children. I strongly believe that their friendship is genuine and along with the other teachers will do my best to encourage them. Yes, sadly they do get a lot of trouble from others for it.
You have to admit that the both of you in your time here at Hogwarts cannot be called anything else but strong rivals, you were on different sides of the war for the longest time. You, Mr.Potter defeated Voldemort, and as much as you like to play it down you are the Hero of the Wizarding World and now a leading figure in Magical Law Enforcement wheras Mr. Malfoy served his time in Azkaban after the war and lives a very secluded life nowadays. People still see you as embodiment of Light and Dark regardless how many years have passed and how much you may have changed from then, they see what they want to see."
The pensieve looks on both of the man's faces told her all she needed to know.
Harry had never managed to escape his fame and Daco Malfoy in equal parts his infame.
"This afternoon after classes Mr. Filch found three students unconscious in a small corridor leading from Ravenclaw Tower to the kitchens. One of the students was covered in boils and blisters and swollen to almost unrecognizable proportions the other two, your sons, were buried under a large painting that somehow must have come unstuck from the wall.
They are in good health, don't worry, I would have told you immediately if it were serious, just a few bruises and a very light concussion as Madam Pomfrey assured me.
You can see them after we finish here. They are in the infirmary over night to be watched."
"Who was the other student?" Harry asked in a very quiet and worried voice. Inside he was praying with all his heart that he would not hear the name of his older son from McGonagall.
"James MacKenzie, a third year Gryffindor." came the answer from Headmistress McGonagall and Harry released the breath he hadn't even noticed he had been holding. Not his James.
Professor McGonagall seemed to have noticed his apprehension, because she smiled at him reassuringly.
"You don't need to worry about James. In fact, his behaviour towards his brother can only be called exceptionally supportive. I think he has gotten to know and accept Mr. Malfoy as Albus best friend and has diverted quite a few unpleasant situations between some Gryffindors and the two boys.
He is very protective of his little brother and has spent most of this afternoon sitting by his bed."
Draco Malfoy clearing his throat brought back the fact that Harry wasn't alone with the Headmistress. For a moment he had completely forgotten about the others presence.
"Your note said something about a punishment. I can only assume you meant for the one who accosted my son and not punishment for Scorpius. It is quite clear that he only acted in self defense."
The stern look that the Headmistress gave Draco indicated that she didn't share his sentiments exactly.
"Mr. Malfoy, we may suspect how this altercation has come about but fact is, that we don't know exactly what has happened. Priori Incantatem on the three wands show that Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy have thrown Stinging Hexes at Mr. MacKenzie but the only charm that showed up on Mr. MacKenzies wand was the Jelly Legs hex.
Unfortunately the portrait that crushed your sons was empty at that time and as of yet we can not say how the frame could have come unstruck. All portraits at Hogwarts have permanent Sticking Charms on them that only very few old and mostly unknown countercharms can undo."
Harry nodded, thinking back to all the research that had gone into finding a way to take Mrs. Black from her wall at Grimmauld Place. Hermione had spent weeks pouring through old and dusty books to come up with an obscure borderline Dark spell that had finally allowed Harry to move the portrait from its place.
Coming back to the conversation he only caught the last words of Professor McGonagall.
"... I am glad that we can agree upon this. So it's two weeks with Professor Snape for using magic out of classes. Mr. Potter do you agree?"
"Huh! What?" Harry blurted as the other two occupants of the office looked back at him. Malfoy looked a bit miffed but resigned and the Headmistress gave Harry a look that seemed to scold him for not paying enough attention.
"Like I just explained to Mr. Malfoy I cannot let hexing in the corridors go unpunished but, since I agree that it most likely was self defense I proposed that Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy spend two hours everyday in detention with Professor Snape's portrait in his old potions classroom for the duration of two weeks. Can you agreet to this as well, Harry?"
"Oh yeah, sure. That's fine with me." Harry answered with a smile.
After the war Harry himself had made sure that the truth about Professor Snape's role minus some private details had been revealed to the public and that his portrait got his deserved place among the former headmasters of Hogwarts.
Unsurprisingly Severus Snape preferred to spend his time in the painting of a potions laboratory hanging in his former classroom in the dungeons, critizising the teaching techniques of Professor Slughorns successor and scaring the first years. It had taken lots of negotiations and three potions teachers to finally come to an agreement: Professor Snape would cease to disturb classes and simply observe but he would oversee detentions in this classroom.
In his second letter home Albus had written at length and enthusiasticly about his first meeting with his namesake and spending time with him would be no real punishment for the boy. Harry couldn't figure out where his son might have gotten his love of potions from but he was glad nonetheless and even more about the fact that Snape apparently had gotten over his grudge against all things Potter.
"If you'd like to see your sons now, go on. I'm certain you remember the way to the infirmary. You may come back here after that to floo home, if you like."
Headmistress McGonagall rose from her seat behind the desk to see them out and Harry shook her hand.
Both men declined the offer of using the floo and after saying their farewells Harry found himself walking alongside Draco Malfoy through the familiar corridors of Hogwarts to the infirmary.
The way was spent in silence, Harry couldn't think of a single topic to start a conversation and Malfoy seemed lost in thought.
The Hospital wing was empty as Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy entered the dimly lit room and made their way to the last two beds on the right, hidden from the room by a privacy screen.
What the two men found on passing the screen was rather unexpected.
One bed was empty, the pillow missing and the covers in a heap at the foot of the bed.
The other bed had two heads resting peacefully side by side. One with white hair obscuring the face of the boy fast asleep the other a shock of dark messy hair.
TBC - Please let me know what you think of it so far?