A/N: This update is slightly later than the last. I took some time to read while I had some time off (Read "The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue" by Mackenzi Lee and if you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it. It's a love story/grand adventure featuring a bisexual boy, a gay boy, and an asexual girl from Georgian England that features pirates and disabled characters and a wonderful love story. WHAT'S NOT TO ENJOY?)
Anywho, without further ado - the newest chapter! Please leave a comment with your thoughts, I always love to hear them!

"I am entirely too nice of a person!"

Harry's outburst exploded smack in the middle of another conversation he wasn't privy to. A conversation that may have been an argument. He wasn't entirely certain, but he also didn't really have the capacity to care in that moment. He was interrupting and it was rude…but he needed to vent.

"I don't think that anyone has ever thought any less," Hermione said on a soft sigh. Her shoulders were tense and the way she gripped the cleaver pretty much confirmed his suspicions. As did the way Ron's body hunched in on itself as he stood all the way across the kitchen.

"Voldemort might have, at some point," Harry muttered, pulling Teddy out of the fireplace once it roared to life behind him. "Why don't you go find your cousin and…play, or something."

His face screwing up in distaste, Teddy only clung closer to his godfather. "I don't want to go play with a baby. I'd rather stay here."

Harry breathed heavily, straightening the pink locks across the boy's forehead. "Fine…. You can go sit at the table and listen to me complain. But, just be warned, you had your chance to run." He grabbed the bag of potatoes off the counter, pushing them into Teddy's arms. "Peel these for your aunt Hermione, too."

"He doesn't have to do that," she whispered, wiping away a tear Harry had only just noticed trekking down her cheek. "I can manage, you know."

"I know."

It wasn't like he was barging in. Monday night dinners were a standing tradition. They had been doing this for years. That didn't mean, however, that in that moment Harry didn't feel like he wasn't coming in on the middle of something. He still felt like he was intruding. He had gifted his friends the house on Grimmauld Place after the birth of their daughter a couple years previous. It was just roomier than their little cottage in Halstead. And he hadn't been using it…. Technically he still owned the property…but it wasn't really his place to arrive unannounced. For the future, he made a mental note to owl ahead. Just in case.

"Well, are you going to tell us what prompted your revelation?" Hermione prodded into Harry's silence. "There's clearly something you're dying to get off your chest."

"Yeah, let's hear it," Ron added. His tone betrayed his desperation for a change of subject. Harry was willing to bet he had been losing whatever fight they were having.

He didn't always want to, but Harry was unconventionally good at stealing the spotlight. Shifting uncomfortably on his feet, he stole a look over at his godson. Teddy was dutifully doing as he had been told, but kept side-eyeing the adults. Like he was sure he was about to hear something children shouldn't be privy to. "Malfoy came to visit me at the office today," Harry whispered, not keen for him to overhear that particular bit.

"You saw Uncle Draco today?"

His cautions didn't matter. Teddy heard, anyway. His hearing was ridiculously well-tuned. "Fuck," he muttered, hanging his head for a moment. "Yeah, Teddy…I did," he affirmed, looking up for just a second. Just long enough to glimpse the look of glee in the boy's eyes before quickly averting his own. "Keep peeling your potatoes."

The peeler long-forgotten, Teddy was now staring at his godfather in full-blown excitement. He hadn't seen Draco much since the wedding. Just a couple of breakfasts out and one afternoon at a park. It was never enough for him. He always came back home begging for more time.

He never asked for more time with Charlie….

"You should have invited him for dinner."

"Teddy, can you just for once give the Draco thing a rest?" Harry snapped, waving his hand in the general direction of the table. "Peel the fucking potatoes. Please."

As if the atmosphere wasn't already awkward….

The boy had always been docile. Harry was always silently grateful for that. He didn't yell back. He didn't hardly ever pitch a fit. He was a good kid. Right in that moment, he was no different. He settled back into the bench and meekly did as he was told.

And it felt wrong for Harry to be satisfied by that.

Clearly, Hermione felt much the same. She leveled a look at her friend that questioned his parenting skills (of which he still had rather few, in his defense) before a flick of her wand had completed the task for the boy. "Rose is down for a nap up in her room. If you're quiet, you may play with Ron's chess set in the library."

"I don't like chess," Teddy mumbled, setting down a now-skinless potato. Despite his protest, he slunk (not so quietly) out the door and up the stairs.

"I had a meeting earlier outside of the Ministry; I saw him apparate in as I was headed out," Hermione said as soon as he was gone. She looked over her shoulder at him, brow raised. Like she was waiting for a ball to drop. "What did he want with you?"

It was a loaded question. A loaded question with too many unspeakable answers. Harry steeled himself, avoiding any sort of eye contact. Cursing the blush that could so easily betray him. "Just…. Well, you know he works for MACUSA now. I told you that. He's like an Auror, I guess, for potion-based crimes. It's bizarre but incredibly in his wheelhouse."

Harry could feel the intensity with which they were both staring at him. He was uncomfortable, so he was prattling on. Neither of them cared much about these details. But if he kept talking about the boring stuff, he could keep himself calm. And it kept him from having to speak the hard truth.

He couldn't tell them.

As much as he wanted to explode with all of the information he'd learned today, he couldn't. It was classified. He had signed a magical-binding contract stating as such.

"He's asked me to assist on a case. MACUSA's asked me to assist…. Apparently since I don't have any others in my load, it makes me the perfect candidate. They need someone who can put in their full focus…."

"What about Teddy? Won't that be a bit of a distraction to your 'full focus'?" Hermione asked gently. Of course, she would be the first to point out the one flaw nagging at him.

Turning an even deeper shade of red, Harry shuffled his feet. "It's an issue I'm still working on figuring out."

"Have you told my brother?"

As it pertained to his ex, Harry should have told his husband by now. He should have sent him a letter the instant he was approached. Asked his permission, maybe. As backwards and controlling as that sounded. "Not quite yet. I plan to fire-call him tonight and break the news."

"Speaking of breaking news…."

The strange strangulation that had only just subsided filled the air in a heated instant. Harry found himself unable to hold eye contact with either of his friends, their gazes each carrying an uncomfortable weight. More than likely, what was about to be shared had something to do with the fight he had walked into.

"Ron, not now," Hermione scolded, grabbing the soup pot and setting it heavily upon the table. "Dinner is ready; I'll go grab the children."

She stalked out of the room far faster than any innocent woman would. The look left on Ron's face as she went was of absolute devastation under a cracking mask. He settled into a bench at the table, head falling to the wood-grain. "Never marry a stubborn woman, Harry," he grumbled, picking a corner off of the bread loaf.

Harry snorted, settling down beside him. "I'm sure we won't ever have to worry about that. Even if Charlie does ever tire of me, I don't think I could settle down with any woman." He left an unspoken reasoning just hanging in the air. They both bristled a bit at it, but otherwise called no attention to it.

"That's really no excuse, Edward. I expect a sincere apology after you've thought about it awhile."

There was always something. Sighing heavily, Harry looked towards the staircase. Teddy came down first, head hung to hide his tear-stained cheeks. He was immediately on his feet, kneeling down before the boy and swiping the pad of his thumb over the wet tracks. "What happened?"

Rose, bleary-eyed and near-tears herself, was perched on Hermione's hip. She was regarding the boy with the pink hair like he could lash out at any moment. It didn't take much to figure out that there had been some sort of foul play upstairs. "He was in her room. Apparently she was crying and he was trying to help…. He had his hand over her mouth."

This was exactly the sort of thing that accentuated Harry being an inexperienced dad. But he supposed every parent felt like that. They all had to learn somehow. Nobody was born just knowing what to do. He sighed heavily, pulling the boy into his arms. The words weren't coming. He had no idea what to say. It was wrong. It was scary. It was…probably a sign of something. He pushed the magenta hair out of the boy's eyes, giving him a stern but sympathetic look. "I want you to sit down at the table. I'll get you some dinner and you can think about what you did. Before we leave, I expect you to apologize to both Rose and your aunt. Do you understand?"

Teddy didn't speak a word. He merely lowered his head even further and slunk back to the table.

Disturbingly, he didn't say anything for the rest of the night. Not even when Harry attempted to bribe him with an extra helping of dessert. Not even when Ron tried to cheer him up by charming the dishes to dance to the sink – something he was usually rather fond of. He only gave a hollow smile before going back to staring at his knotted hands in his lap.

Harry voiced a heartfelt apology on the boy's behalf before they left. It wasn't the same; Hermione's usual stern look said as much. But he couldn't risk his godson breaking down outside of their own home. He didn't want to bring down undue embarrassment. They could properly discuss this as adults at another time. And when he told Hermione this, he made sure to whisper, "And maybe we could also discuss the secret the two of you are keeping from me at the same time," as a gentle afterthought.

"Teddy, sit down. We're going to talk about this," Harry said sternly the instant they touched down in their own home again. The boy was already making to run away. He stopped abruptly, falling into a sitting position right in front of the fireplace. "I didn't mean right here…," he whispered, but sat across from him anyway. "So…are you going to tell me what happened? I don't want to punish you without knowing what you need punishing for."

In the entire time he had been raising this boy, he had never known him to be so quiet. And the longer the silence stretched out, the more concerned Harry became. A deep frown was growing with every passing, uncomfortable second. "Can you…at least tell me you know what you did was wrong?" He received a blink-and-you'll-miss-it nod. "But you won't tell me…what you did or why you did it?" Teddy gave an even smaller shake of his head. "Alright…. Alright. Go on to bed, then. You know where I'll be if you change your mind tonight or in the morning or…whenever. I'm here. I will always be here."

For the first time in the last couple hours, Teddy willingly met Harry's eyes. He looked like he had tears still welling in his own. And maybe it was just wishful thinking, but Harry was certain there was something he wanted to say. Something he was holding back for…whatever reason. "I also need you to go get me your new coloring pencils. I'm going to hold onto them until you've earned them back." The threat of moisture finally came through. Fat, horrible tears rolled down Teddy's cheeks as he grudgingly nodded before lumbering off to do as he was told.

Pencils in hand and Teddy crying himself to sleep in his bedroom, Harry stayed sat in front of the fire. He had reconciled to calling Charlie, after all. Not that he felt much like doing that with all of the less-than-great news he had to deliver. So he just…sat there. The Floo powder was right there, just out of reach. His husband was just out of reach…. And yet, the only person he actually wanted to get all of this out to was the one person he shouldn't be calling upon…. Someone who was always more than just right out of his reach.

With a resigned sigh, he grabbed a sloppy handful of powder and threw it into the waning flames. It took a few long moments to work up the courage, but eventually he worked up the courage to thrust his face into the sparking green and called out Charlie's address in Romania. A head-spinning second later, he was looking into the familiar warmth of his husband's home. His real home.

"Fucking hell, Harry!" followed a loud crash. Harry winced, guiltily eyeing the shards of broken ceramic. "We've talked about this! Send a letter ahead of time!" Charlie fixed the mess with a simple wave of his wand, but took a bit longer to erase the shock on his face. "You scare the hell out of me every. Damn. Time."

A grin spread over Harry's lips, momentarily covering his ill-feelings. "Oh, but I enjoy watching you repair the same exact mug every. Damn. Time."

Charlie returned his smile easily. "The same one? Every time?" He looked down at said mug with a bit of amusement.

"The one Teddy and I painted for you a couple of years ago. It was a father's day gift. It's red with a rather technicolor blue dragon. The weird, bright yellow handle is always the first thing to go when it hits the floor."

They shared a weighted silence as Charlie walked closer to the fire. Harry took a moment to examine the little house he knew so well but had never actually been to. He supposed he only really knew this one part of it. The sitting room that bled right into the kitchen. It always seemed so cozy to him. He could definitely understand why his husband chose to spend most of his days here. And why he insisted his family never needed to visit him there. It was his own private heaven. He could fill it with anything he chose to. Books and discarded clothing were spread everywhere – a bachelor-like chaos. And the place always smelt of coffee and sweet walnuts.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Charlie asked softly once he had sufficiently curled up in his favorite armchair with the now-repaired mug warming his hands. The chair was old, ratty, and a ghastly shade of green that reminded Harry of vomit. But he swore by its comfort and insisted Harry would one day just have to sit in it to understand. For that, however, he would have to be allowed to visit. "Not that I don't love seeing your face floating in my fire on any given evening."

The momentary lapse in panic ended far-too-abruptly for Harry's taste. His smile faded in slow motion and he shifted uncomfortably upon the hard floor. "I have two different bits of bad news to give you. Which would you like first – the one that pertains to me or…the one that pertains to our son?"

Frowning, Charlie set aside his mug and leaned forward. "What's happened with Teddy?" he asked on a shuddery whisper.

Harry explained the full-detail of the night, skipping for now his own troubles. He started with a shaky recount of what they had for dinner and the Bakewell tart he knew his husband would have loved for dessert. A slow and gentle transition into the unsavory details. The debacle that he could only relay secondhand because he still didn't know what really happened. Sure, he could trust what Hermione thought she had walked in on. But he would be more inclined to believe what Teddy told him. If he were to ever tell him….

By the time Harry had finished explaining the punishment he had planned, Charlie was more than just leaning forward. He was all but falling out of his ugly chair and looked…equal parts sad as he did guilty. "I've just never known him to act violent. I don't understand…," Harry finished quietly.

"He…pushed a kid on the playground a couple years ago. And, um…a few weeks back when I was watching both him and Rose…." Charlie cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I didn't think much of it. I didn't even think it was worth mentioning. He just…he swatted her on her backside. Gave her a spanking. She cried, but…there was no mark because of the diaper. She was okay. And I talked to him about it. Or tried. He didn't seem keen on giving an explanation then, either."

It wasn't exactly a history. It wasn't like Teddy had done this time and time again. Three incidents didn't constitute a problem. Did it? Harry breathed heavily and long through his nose, a stream of smoke slipping into Charlie's sitting room. "You should have told me about these things. I have a right to know, even if you don't think it's important. He goes off to school soon and the last thing I want…is for him to be that kid." The bully. The outcast. The one to stay far away from.

They sat in a small silence once again, though this time it seemed far more awkward. Every fear they had about how they were raising the boy was being called into question. And if any of this ever went public…. "We'll keep an eye on it, Harry. It'll be okay. It could be just…a phase. Or maybe he isn't trying to cause any actual harm. We will figure it out. I promise. Nothing means more to me than that boy." Harry nodded, reaching through the fire to scrub a hand over his weary eyes. "What else?" Charlie asked. "What's happened with you today?"

Compared to what they had just discussed, this other matter now seemed completely trivial. It was almost enough to make Harry laugh. If it weren't completely inappropriate, he may have even dared a small smile. "I've been asked to take a case."

"And you declined it, right? We decided you wouldn't work any cases until he was at school."

It was Harry's turn to look guilty. He averted his eyes, staring at new stain on the carpet by the ugly chair. "I said I would help, Charlie," he said softly. "And I'm going to do it."

Although Harry's tone said there was no room for discussion, Charlie was quickly on his feet. Ready to plead his own case on the matter. "Darling, you promised. We both agreed that since I was gone so often…Teddy needed someone who could be there for him. And consistently. You only have a couple more months of this deskwork. Why can't this wait? Why can't someone else take it?" He settled up right before the fire, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Looking every bit intimidating, if only he didn't carry such a soft and pliant expression. "Why does it have to be you?"

"Charlie…." There was absolutely no surprise in the direction the conversation was taking. Harry had anticipated the fight. It's why he hadn't asked for permission. Not that he should have to…. Despite being married and wanting to respect his husband's wishes, Charlie wasn't his keeper. Harry had his own free-will that he preferred to keep well maintained. "I can't speak about the case. I've signed a binding contract. I can, however, tell you that I did bear Teddy in mind when I made my decision. They do need help and I do seem to be the best candidate. I mean, they were desperate enough for Malfoy to come ask me himself…."

The bomb dropped quite effectively, causing Charlie's jaw to slack in a most unattractive way. It took him a long minute to be able to pick it back up and look at Harry with any semblance of sanity. "Excuse me?" he whispered, his feelings clearly written on every inch of his face.

If convincing Charlie that working this case was a good idea was going to be difficult, convincing him that Harry working with his ex wasn't a terrible idea was going to be damn near impossible. "Yes, I will be working rather close with him. I'm not about to hide that from you. Does that worry you? Or make you jealous…?"

He would be lying if he said he wasn't hoping it was the latter.

"I don't exactly know how I feel about that. I just know that it's not really a good feeling right now." And the hardness in Charlie's eyes definitely confirmed that. "But moving past your ex-boyfriend…who's going to be taking care of Teddy when you're working odd hours in America? Because I assume that's where you'll be if he's asking for your help."

"I haven't quite worked it all out, yet," Harry snapped, frustrated more in himself for not being prepared than in his husband for questioning him. "Andromeda's just left for Monte Carlo. It would be unfair to ask her to cancel her vacation. She deserves this…. And I don't suppose you'd be willing to come home for as long as this may take." Charlie merely rolled his eyes, stalking back to the ugly chair. "Right…. So, I suppose I'll just have to take him with me."

"With you?"

They had finally come to the absolute worst part of all of the bad news. The part Harry had been dreading, especially considering Charlie's reaction thus far. He gritted his teeth, hands fists at his sides on the other side of the fire. "Yes…. The best option for us will be to stay in America for a bit. And Malfoy has offered a spare room in his home. He, his roommate, and their boyfriend have a good system worked out for the care of their son. He offered for Teddy to be able to share in that system since I'm helping him out. And it's looking like my best option at this point considering what just happened tonight with Ron and Hermione."

"Do you even care what I have to say about any of this?" Charlie snapped, fishing a cigar from the pocket of his cardigan and shoving it between his teeth.

Likewise, Harry was itching for a cigarette, but was desperate to get through this on his own resolve. "Of course I do, Charlie. Of course…. But I've just…. I've kind of made up my mind. I need to help them with this. I can't handle the guilt of turning them down. And it would mean a lot to me if you could just trust me on that."

Charlie didn't meet Harry's eyes in the fire again. He kept them turned down to the carpet, to that same distracting stain, and spoke with as much control as he could manage. "Do whatever the fuck you want, Harry. Just…do me a favor and don't come crying to me when Malfoy fucks everything up for you again, somehow."

An ominous warning to keep their son safe was the last thing Harry heard before he'd finally had enough. He pulled out of the fire, feeling like the weight on his shoulders was now ten times heavier. It was the opposite of how he had hoped to feel after this conversation. He sighed and fell back against the carpet, giving up and pulling the pack of cigarettes from his pocket. From the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of the colored pencils and made a 'tch' noise behind his teeth.

This was only the beginning of a few hard weeks to come, he was sure.

But he couldn't deny the small swell in his heart. The excitement building for what was to come. The thrill of working a challenging case again. The anticipation of being so close to Draco again….

Even if when it all ended, he was sure to be shattered just like the technicolor dragon mug, only to be repaired over and over again.