(Well, my lovely readers, here it is! The much anticipated Christmas chapter! Even though I'm a more than a little late, since this was actually the chapter I wanted to release around Christmas day, it's still going to be great. ^^
Ah, and I wanted to make sure everyone knows, classes will be started back tomorrow for me, so updates might be a bit delayed from here on out. I promise not to abandon you guys, though! I will finish this story, and write new ones as inspiration hits. Enjoy, my lovely readers, and review, review, review!)
Harry was at a loss. He had absolutely no idea what to buy Malfoy for Christmas. It seemed like everything he looked at was too cliché, or too boring, or likely something the man already owned. He hadn't expected it to be this hard to shop for his blonde friend, but the kids had long since finished their own shopping and were now trying to help him as they wandered around looking for a promising place to shop.
"Listen, Albus, I don't think Mr. Malfoy wants potions ingredients for Christmas, even if he does like Potions as much as Scorpius," said Harry with a sigh, running his fingers through his hair as his younger son pointed out Slug and Jiggers Apothecary.
"What about Quidditch stuff?" piped up Lily, squeezing her father's hand lightly to ensure she had his attention.
"I don't think he plays Quidditch anymore. He used to when we were in school, just like me, but…" Harry shook his head. "I don't think that will work, either."
James had his present for Scorpius tucked under one arm. His free hand was propped on his hip as he looked around. It was hard for the children to help him shop for Malfoy when they didn't really know him. They just knew Scorpius. Well, James and Albus did. Lily didn't really know either of them. Her brothers had helped her pick her present.
"Why don't we go look in Wiseacre's?" suggested James finally. "They're supposed to have everything." Harry glanced toward the shop in question and considered heaving another sigh. He really didn't like shopping all that much.
"All right, let's try there." They were really running out of options. If only Malfoy hadn't already made such a big deal about the gift for Harry, he would suggest that they just not exchange gifts and leave it to the kids. But Malfoy had gone out of his way to ensure that he got an amazing gift (according to Draco), and he would have to do the same in return, no matter how difficult it ended up being for him. It was only right.
Harry pushed open the door and his children scattered immediately to explore what the shop had to offer. Harry rubbed his forehead and then started looking around. This place really did seem to have a wide range of items available. There were all kinds of telescopes of all sizes to his right, and he lifted a smaller one carefully to look through it, curious. He yelped and jerked, nearly dropping the telescope, when someone cleared their throat behind him.
"Can I help you?" asked the elderly man with a grimace, his gaze stern. Harry carefully put the telescope back, suddenly feeling like a scolded child.
"I'm looking for a Christmas present for a… friend. A coworker." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and fought the urge to squirm as the older man continued to stare at him. "I want it to be something really brilliant."
The man grunted and turned away, wiping the lens of the telescope Harry had been using with a dirty rag he pulled from his pocket. "A friend, huh. What kind of friend is he, then?" Harry hesitated, uncertain of just how to describe Draco Malfoy.
"He's… He was a Slytherin. We went to school together. He's very sarcastic, and he doesn't really let very many people in." Harry looked down at the floor, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "He loves his son very much. And he gives good advice when he's not making a snide comment about something. He's… actually a very good friend."
Harry looked up to find the older man was walking away from him, muttering under his breath. He stood there, feeling confused. Had the man listened to a word he'd said? Apparently so, for he paused, turned, and said, "You want to get him a present or not?"
Harry quickly caught up with the other man and followed him toward the back of the shop, looking around as they went in case something caught his eye. "I've only been to his house once, so I don't really know what he might already have, but…"
The old man snorted. "He won't have this, lad. Trust me."
Harry wasn't convinced that the old man wasn't completely mental, but he stayed quiet just in case he actually knew what he was talking about. "Magical hourglass," said the man, plunking the item down on the counter in front of Harry, startling him out of his thoughts. "Usually very popular with social types, but this one might suit your friend well enough."
Harry reached out and ran his fingers along the intricate designs swirled through the silver holder the hourglass was in. The sand was green. Very Slytherin. "It's beautiful," Harry admitted, "But…" The last time he had seen a magical hourglass had been at Hogwarts, when he'd been talking to Horace Slughorn about Horcruxes. Would Draco really like something like this?
The old man seemed amused by his indecision. "Not all magical hourglasses measure the same thing, Mr. Potter." Harry didn't bother to ask how the man knew his name. Everyone still knew him from his scar, even now, twenty years after the end of the war.
"Well, what does this one measure?" pressed Harry.
The old man smirked. "Honesty. If someone lies in front of this hourglass, the sand moves into the top. When someone speaks the truth, it moves back to the bottom. It sounds as though your friend doesn't trust easily. This hourglass might help with that."
Harry had to admit it was a clever idea. And Malfoy did seem to have a problem with trusting people. And it really was beautiful. Harry looked back down at the hourglass, then back to the man. "How much for it?"
(Time skip)
"So you're going there to exchange presents with the Malfoys this Friday?"
Harry nodded, twisting the wedding band on his finger absently. He had taken it off the other day for probably the first time in nearly ten years. The skin was a different color from the rest of him underneath, noticeably pale after being hidden from the sun for almost a decade. The pale ring of skin had taunted him, so he had quickly slipped the thing back on and left it. And now he couldn't stop fiddling with it.
"Ginny's staying home. She refuses to take any part in it. She still hates him, apparently because of something Astoria Greengrass said to her. She won't even give him a chance." Harry sighed and looked down at the tea in front of him, then across the table with a weary smile. "She'll probably come over here to complain to Ron. I just thought you should have the full story ahead of time." Hermione nodded understandingly.
"I still don't exactly trust Malfoy, but I haven't really seen him since we left school. I think it's admirable that you're reaching out to him, Harry, especially if he's truly not as bad as he used to be. Ron's been complaining a bit about you spending so much time with him, but I think he trusts you enough to forgive you for it."
Harry chuckled. "Eventually. He stopped coming by to talk to me during work at first, but things seem to be getting back to normal. He seems to be pretending that Malfoy doesn't even exist. I'm not going to push him. At least he doesn't want to fight about it all the time like Ginny does." Harry sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. Hermione frowned.
"Is it really that bad?" she asked worriedly. Harry let out a brief, bitter laugh.
"Hermione, we're sleeping in separate bedrooms, for Merlin's sake." His friend's eyes widened and he muttered a curse. "Don't tell Ron that. Though Ginny probably will anyway. We try to control ourselves around the kids, but it seems like every time we talk we're either fighting or apologizing now. Literally. It's exhausting."
Hermione frowned, reaching out to touch his hand comfortingly. "Harry. If it's really that bad, then maybe…" She hesitated. "Maybe you need to do something."
Harry scowled. "Like what? Ginny wants me to basically do everything she wants or she's disappointed or upset and we fight. Whenever I go against what she wants is when we fight. Being friends with Malfoy is just the straw that broke the camel's back, or whatever. She constantly complains about him and I constantly have to defend him. We've always fought, but everyone fights. We used to fight just every now and then, like normal people. Like you and Ron or Neville and Hannah. Now, it's just… unreal. I prefer working to being home with her. I look forward to my nights off with Malfoy because it gets me out of the house and I get to actually spend time with someone that doesn't want to fight about every little thing."
Hermione bit her lip. "Harry, that's not fair to you or Ginny. Forcing yourselves to keep going through that kind of life is wrong." Hermione twirled a lock of her hair around one finger, looking troubled. "If you two can't fix this, then maybe… Maybe you shouldn't be together." Harry gaped at her, torn between shock that she would suggest such a thing and relief that someone aside from himself and Malfoy had suggested it.
"Hermione…" Harry shut his eyes and groaned. "I've considered it. I've seriously considered it. Malfoy talks about how much his life has improved since he divorced Astoria, and I imagine coming home and not having to fight with Ginny about how much I hate being forced to attend Ministry functions or going out for a drink every now and then with Malfoy and it seems so… peaceful. And then I feel guilty because I love Ginny. I do. I… I did, anyway."
Harry stared down at his hands as the realizations struck him. "I did love her. But it's not the same anymore."
Hermione smiled sadly as Harry looked up at her. "You love her like family, but not as your wife." Harry nodded miserably.
"Hermione, I can't divorce Ginny. What would Ron say? Or Mrs. Weasley? All the Weasleys are like family to me. I can't…"
Hermione sighed. "I think that all the Weasleys would still love you even if you divorced Ginny. Some of them – like Ron," she admitted, "Will have a tough time at first, but they'll get over it. And you'll always have me."
Harry smiled weakly. "Thanks. But what about the kids?"
Hermione nodded. "That's something you'll have to talk about with Ginny. And the kids, eventually. Divorce is a big step, Harry, but I think it might be what you two need if your home life is really as bad as you say."
Harry opened his mouth to say more, but the front door suddenly burst open, and stampeding feet were suddenly heading their way. Hermione smiled, and Harry managed to smile back as the raised voices of all five of their children tore through the air, arguing about something that had happened during their mock Quidditch game outside.
Harry tried to pay attention to what the kids were saying, but his mind was still swirling with the talk he and Hermione had been having. Both Hermione and Malfoy agreed that a divorce was a natural conclusion to all the fighting between him and Ginny. But he would have to bring it up to his wife, and if they agreed that it was the way to go, they would have to tell their children. That seemed like the hardest part of all. Would breaking apart their family be worth the peace he would feel when Ginny was no longer his wife?
(Time skip)
Scorpius peeked out the window for the tenth time and Draco chuckled from his seat on the couch. "They'll be here soon, Scorpius. Don't worry." The younger blonde flushed slightly but moved away from the window to sit beside his father on the couch. Four presents sat on the table in front of them, read for the Potters to arrive and claim them. Despite his claim at the Platform, Draco had been unable to find a reasonable gift for Ginny Potter. Somehow he didn't think divorce papers or a Portkey to Antarctica would be received well.
"What if Mrs. Potter comes with them and ruins everything?" he fretted, "What if Lily doesn't like me?" Draco squeezed his son's shoulder comfortingly.
"Scorpius. You worry too much. Mrs. Potter wouldn't come into a Malfoy home without being dragged here bound hand and foot. And Lily will love you. There's no reason for her to do otherwise." Scorpius nodded, but he was still frowning, glancing at the front door and then at his fidgeting hands, unable to relax.
When a knock finally came at the door, Scorpius nearly tipped the couch onto its back as he launched from his seat to answer it. He regained control of himself before he actually answered it, of course, but it still made Draco smile to see his son so excited about something. He had never had any friends that he cared this much about.
Albus came through the door and immediately latched onto Scorpius in a hug, chattering on about how much he had missed him and how he would love his present and everything else he could think of. James was right behind his brother, clapping Scorpius on the back as he greeted him with a grin that Scorpius returned.
Lily came in with Harry, holding his hand as she looked around. Scorpius felt a twinge of nervousness return as he went to greet them, as well. "Hello, Lily," he said politely. "I'm Scorpius." The girl studied him for a moment, and then smiled.
"Hi," she said simply, and came away from her father to hug him as she had seen Albus do. Scorpius looked startled, and then he gently hugged her back, looking a little less tense when she released him again.
"Mr. Potter." He held out his hand to Harry, absolutely determined to make a good impression with his best friend's father and his own father's coworker. Harry smiled and shook his hand, unable to help but think that Scorpius was like looking back at Malfoy at that age, except for a slight change here and there. He would never have imagined the Malfoy of his past hugging anyone the way Scorpius had hugged his children.
Draco rose from his seat on the couch and came to the doorway to the sitting room to greet their guests now that Scorpius had let them in and closed the door behind them. "Hello, Harry. James, Albus, Lily. The presents are in here, if you want to put yours with them." Harry shot him an odd look at the use of his first name, but followed his trio of kids into the sitting room to stack their brightly – and somewhat clumsily – wrapped presents next to the neat stack of silver and gold wrapped presents from the Malfoys.
"Now, Scorpius suggested that you might appreciate something hot to drink after being out in the cold, but we can drink it before or after we open presents, whichever you prefer." Draco arched a brow, and Albus leapt to answer.
"Presents first!" he suggested, grinning eagerly as he eyed the wrapped boxes, wondering which one was for him. James quickly agreed, and Scorpius shrugged. When Lily also agreed with her brothers, Draco shrugged.
"All right, then. Presents first."
Albus was quick to hand Scorpius his three presents, then politely presented Draco with his, as well, before sitting down so Scorpius could distribute the gifts to the Potters. The kids opened theirs first while their fathers watched.
To James, a book called The Beaters' Bible that Scorpius had heard the older boy talking about while they had been at school. James looked thrilled, thanking Scorpius with a grin before he cracked it open and started looking through it.
To Lily, a necklace. At first she looked confused by the pendant hanging from it, but as she examined it more closely with a small frown, Scorpius explained that it was made from amber, and would bring good luck to the wearer, along with power and protection. She smiled and put it on immediately, looking pleased.
And to Albus, a pair of spelled gloves that would almost magnetically be drawn back to each other if they ended up too far apart. "As long as you can keep up with one of them, you'll never be able to lose the other one," said Scorpius as Albus tried them on with a grin. Albus was sitting next to Scorpius on the couch along with Draco, so of course the boy took advantage of that to hug him as he thanked him for the gift.
Scorpius opened his gifts and got a Potions book from Lily, picked with some help from her brothers; a pair of Quidditch gloves from James for when he tried out for the team next year; and a self-stirring cauldron from Albus so that he could continue working with advanced potions over the summer and continue to be well ahead of the rest of the class next year. Scorpius looked truly happy with all his gifts, and he thanked each of them sincerely, trying on the gloves and skimming through his book once all three gifts had been opened.
Harry and Draco exchanged glances, knowing it was now their turn to open their gifts. Harry gestured, and Draco nodded, tearing off the wrapping paper with all eyes on him. He opened the box and gently lifted out the hourglass, studying it with a small smile on his face, his fingers wandering over the intricately-detailed silver, peering closely at the green sand inside the glass. "Is it spelled?" he asked curiously, and Harry nodded.
"It measures honesty. The sand moves into the upper glass when someone is lying." Draco's smile widened a little, and he looked up from his present to Harry. His eyes were dark with an unidentifiable emotion that made Harry want to go back and thank the old man at Wiseacre's yet again for the amazing gift idea.
"Thank you, Harry. Really, this is very nice." His thumb gently smoothed over the silver again almost unconsciously.
Harry shrugged. "It was nothing, really." Every eye in the room watched as some of the sand swirled gently into the upper section of the hourglass. Draco smirked as Harry flushed. "I mean, yeah, I had to search for a while to find anything for you, but as soon as I saw this, I knew it would be perfect. It was only because I didn't know what you might already have or what you might want." The sand shifted quietly back into the bottom of the hourglass, and Harry smiled weakly at the older blonde. "At least we know it works."
Draco laughed. "Indeed. Open your present now, Harry."
Harry complied, shredding the paper and then opening the lid to find a gem-encrusted Pensieve inside. He looked back up at Draco and saw that the man was tugging idly on the sleeve of his shirt, almost as if he was nervous. He had never seen the blonde fidget before. Ever. Harry looked back down at the wide-mouthed bowl and lifted it carefully from the box to study it more closely, running his fingers around the rim, bumping over the rows of stones.
"Amethyst, for clarity of thought and wisdom," said Draco, "Opal, to amplify emotion. Ruby, for wisdom. Sodalite, for general purification. Emerald, for peace and patience." The tugging at his sleeve became a bit more insistent. "You usually have quite a lot on your mind whenever we meet after work. I thought having a Pensieve might give you a way to get at least some of it off your mind." Harry smiled and put the bowl back down in the box.
"Thanks… Draco. Really. This is perfect."
Albus jumped up at that moment and convinced Scorpius to show them his room, and soon all four children were gone. Scorpius took his gifts with him, while James, Albus, and Lily left theirs on the vacant chair beside Harry.
Draco sat his new hourglass down carefully on the table between the two chairs and the couch, watching it for a moment as the sand remained at the bottom, which meant Harry was telling him the truth.
"I was going to get something for the She-Weasel, but I decided she hated me enough without me actually doing anything to deserve it," said Draco, leaning back into the couch, crossing his legs at the ankle in front of him.
Harry laughed. "Well, thanks for at least thinking about it, I suppose. But yeah, you probably shouldn't do anything to make her hate you any more than she already does." Harry put the Pensieve box down gently on the floor beside his chair so he didn't accidentally drop it and leaned forward a little, suddenly glad that the kids had left the room. Ron was still his best friend, and he liked talking to him, but Malfoy was somebody he could talk to about anything. More specifically, Ginny and the possibility of divorcing her.
"I talked to Hermione the other day. She's the first person I've talked to who doesn't think I'm mental for trying to be friends with you. Plus…" Harry hesitated, glancing to make sure the kids were still very much absent, and then continued quietly, "She agrees with you. About me possibly divorcing Ginny. I told her the whole story and she thinks that I need to talk to Ginny about it, and then we need to talk to the kids."
Draco nodded, draping one arm along the back of the couch. "That sounds reasonable. But Harry, remember, if you discuss this with Ginny and she tries to convince you not to do it, you still need to consider it. It might not be what she wants, but it might be what's best for everyone involved. It can't be fair to your kids to have you two fighting all the time, and if you two separate, you can have the chance to find true happiness somewhere else. With someone else." With me! Draco's mind screamed, but his expression remained totally controlled, not allowing even a hint of his true feelings to show through on the surface.
Harry was nodding, completely oblivious to his coworker's thoughts. But then, thought Draco, why would that be any different from usual? Harry was always oblivious. Unless something was specifically pointed out to him, it was hard for him to figure something complex out. Not because he was stupid, it just didn't occur to him that there was anything to figure out. Harry was just notoriously bad at taking things at face value. Usually. There were times, Draco would admit, when Harry could be clever all on his own.
He just wished the man was clever enough to realize that friendship was the last thing on Draco's mind when it came to Harry Potter.
"Father." Draco glanced up, torn from his thoughts by his son's voice close to his ear. Scorpius was standing right behind the couch, with Albus and his siblings not a step behind him. "Can we have our drinks now?"
Draco nodded and got up to head into the kitchen, fighting the urge to rub his hand over his face. That would hardly go far towards keeping Harry from finding out about his ridiculous crush. His only option was to remain friendly and perfectly behaved around the brunette, no matter what it took to do so, until Harry made some attempt to change their relationship. Right now he was still straight, still apparently homophobic, and still unaware of Draco's sexuality. None of this was conducive to them becoming lovers.
Draco could be patient, however. Harry would be worth it. If he was lucky, Harry would divorce Ginny, figure out that he was gay, and figure out that Draco was gay. It was a stretch… Okay, so it would take a bloody miracle. But Draco couldn't help but allow himself to hope. The first step was still to get Harry back to single status. He would worry about the rest afterward. The fact that Granger agreed with him about divorce had lifted his hopes exponentially.
Albus insisted on dragging out the visit as long as possible, but eventually it was time for the Potters to head home, with much obvious reluctance from all six of them, though the adults hid it better than the children.
"See you at work," said Harry, carrying his Pensieve box with both hands to make sure he didn't do something stupid and break it. Draco inclined his head.
"Yeah, see you."
Albus hugged Scorpius tightly, reminding him to continue writing, and Scorpius promised to do so. James gave the blonde boy a hug, as well, and thanked him again for his gift. Scorpius flushed a little but returned the hug and the thanks. Lily rushed over to join in the goodbye hugs, and Scorpius smiled a little as he crouched slightly to be more on Lily's level as he hugged her. The girl was very sweet, as far as he could tell, and he had enjoyed meeting her and getting to know her. Despite his fears, she had seemed to like him, too.
When the foursome finally left, Draco and Scorpius were left alone. After a quiet moment of looking at each other, Scorpius said, "We could try out my new cauldron." Draco smiled and nodded, chuckling as the boy rushed off to get it and bring it to the kitchen along with his Potions books. Things had gone well.
Things had gone very well.
(God, why did I think I needed to write a Christmas fic? I have a hard enough time picking out gifts for my own family, let alone making my characters go shopping. I hope everyone likes this chapter. It was a pain thinking of appropriate gifts, especially for Lily. Next chapter is one I've been looking forward to for a while. Well, one scene of it, anyway. Please, please review, my lovely readers! ^^)