A Family of My Own; Chapter Ten:

"What are you doing here," a weary woman picked her head up out of her hands and stared accusingly at the man in front of her.

"I need to ask you a few questions."

The woman glared before nodding abruptly. The man was wearing his auror robes, obviously this talk wasn't optional.

"Hermione," Ron slid into the other side of the booth. "I need you to tell me where you were on Sunday afternoon."

"Why, going to slap another restraining order on me? It's not like I can actually walk through Diagon Alley anymore."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "I can always bring you into the office Hermione. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt because no matter how angry you are this wasn't your style. I just need you to tell me where you were and give me a few people who could confirm it."

Hermione glared at her former boyfriend. "I was in Hogsmeade at the Hog's Head."

Ron closed his eyes. "Why were you in Hogsmeade?"

Hermione turned her head away and tried not to cry. "I… I wanted to see Harry." The tears slid down her cheeks and dropped on the table. "I wanted to see how he was doing, if he was happy."

Ron raised an eyebrow and met her eyes.

Hermione snorted. "You don't think I realize what I've done? I made you leave, I alienated your family, and I hurt Harry." She buried her face in her hands and shook.

"I'm truly sorry Hermione, but I'll need you to come in and have your wand tested and give a veritaserum statement."

"Fine, whatever," she said grudgingly getting to her feet.

Ron took a moment to just look at her. Her hair was dull and hung lankly against her shoulders, she'd lost a fair bit of weight, and she had deep shadows under her eyes. She looked awful, and Ron doubted that she would even have the strength to lift her wand, let alone send a powerful enough hex to hurt someone. "

"What do you think I did anyway?"

"Wait until we get to the office Hermione, please. Do you have someone we can call to sit with you?"

"I got fired."

Ron sighed. Maybe he could make a call.

~oOo~

Harry stood outside his closet and stared, he didn't know what to wear. He stepped into the magically enhanced closet and fingered the material surrounding him. This hadn't been nearly as hard when he had dated before, but then again that's why this was so hard now. It didn't matter before because it hadn't been Draco. Oh he had no doubts that Draco could care less what he actually wore, but Harry still wanted to look good for him. Tears prickled behind his eyes and he stumbled out of the closet. He made his way over to the floo and threw in a handful of floo powder.

To say Sirius Orion Black-Snape was surprised when his son came rolling out of the floo bawling his eyes out would be an understatement. He was even more bewildered when Severus rushed in from his private lab and started screaming at him for making their son cry.

Severus picked up his son off the floor and plopped into the nearest armchair with Harry in his lap. "What did you do Mutt?"

"I don't know," Sirius wailed. "He just came out of the floo like that!"

Severus rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the crying raven in his lap. "Harry, sweetheart, I need you to calm down for me."

Harry nodded tears streaming down his face as he tried to even out his breathing. When he finally calmed to the point of only an occasional hiccough and a tear or two, Severus began to relax.

"What happened cub?"

"I don't have anything to wear," Harry wailed, his eyes filling up with tears again.

Both parents were shocked into silence before Sirius bravely ventured a remark. "You're upset because you have nothing to wear?"

Harry nodded, "I can't go see Draco looking, looking like a… like a, I don't know! He won't want me anymore!"

Sirius let out a strangled giggle and collapsed into the couch.

When Harry heard the laugh his head shot up and the tears began to flow again. "You… you laughed at me, how could you!" The sobs started once more and Harry turned his face into Severus' chest.

Severus looked accusingly at his husband and pointed to the door. "You made my cub cry! Out, get out, and send Remus and Charlie down here!"

Sirius stumbled out the door completely befuddled, dammit he could have just used the floo. Then again he really didn't want to get on Severus' bad side. When he finally reached Remus and Charlie's chambers he was even more confused and not a little bit upset.

Charlie was the one to answer the knock and the two men stood staring at each other. "Are you ok?" Charlie finally asked. He had moved away from the door to allow Sirius to enter, but the animagus had just stood there staring at him.

"Umm…" Sirius wasn't sure what to say, most likely Remus would rip his head off as fast as Severus. "Sev needs you and Rem. Harry's upset."

Remus, who'd been sitting in the little kitchen sipping his tea, set down his cup and wandered over, his werewolf hearing having enabled him to hear the conversation. "What did you do?"

Sirius threw his hands up in the air. "I didn't do anything, he was already crying when he came through the floo!"

Remus just stared at the man. "Are you allowed back?"

"…"

"I don't speak mumble Sirius."

"Sev told me to get out and to get you and Charlie."

Remus pat the poor man's arm affectionately and directed him to the couch. "Charlie and I will go see to Harry and Severus. You go ahead and stay here. I'll floo when you're allowed back."

"Kicked out of my own rooms because Harry has nothing to wear, unbelievable," Sirius grumped and grumbled over to the couch.

Remus and Charlie wisely ignored the grumbling man and flooed to Severus' chambers. Harry was still sitting in his Dad's lap, but he had apparently calmed down since Sirius' departure.

"I hope you don't mind having the mutt on your couch," Severus grouched. "He laughed at my cub."

Both Remus and Charlie knew better than to contest Severus' overly possessive use of the word 'cub' when he got like this. There was a reason why the man excelled in DADA in school.

"Hey cub," Remus went to his knees and lovingly stroked Harry's hair. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

Harry looked up, a glittery sheen of tears framed by long dark lashes. "He won't want me anymore, I have nothing to wear!"

"I'm sure Draco would want you even if you decided to wear a dress." Remus was hoping for a laugh, what he got was a glare. "Or Charlie here, you know how much he and Sir-umm, you know how much he loves fashion, I'm sure he would love to help you get ready for Draco."

"Really?" The pregnant male looked up awed. "You won't mind Charlie?"

"I'd be happy to cub," Charlie smiled. Once upon a time Harry had been a little brother, when he had married Remus though, talking with the werewolf and with Harry's other two dads kind of skewed that perception. Charlie considered Harry as much his son as the other three did. "When I'm done with you, you're going to make Sirius look like crap."

Harry turned from tears to smiles in 2.2 seconds flat, and the three men marveled once again that this… innocence was the thing to bring down the darkest wizard in history. Harry turned into Severus' chest and hugged his father tightly. "Let Siri back in ok? He didn't really do anything wrong." He whispered in his dad's ear.

Severus snorted but nodded anyway when Harry's smile turned down slightly in wattage.

"Love you," the raven whispered scrambling out the man's lap. He then turned to Charlie and grabbing his hand, dragged him through the floo.

Remus rolled his eyes affectionately and slumped into the couch. "So… mood swings then?"

Severus glared at him.

Remus grinned unrepentantly. "Should I tell your husband it's safe to return?"

~oOo~

Charlie stumbled out of the floo with just enough time to turn and catch his step-son. "Ok Cinderella." The burly man grinned.

Harry rolled his eyes and led the way to his closet.

~oOo~

Draco nervously made his way up to the castle entrance. He wasn't entirely sure why tonight would be any different from any other time he and Harry went out. Then again, perhaps the difference was Harry had finally admitted to loving him. The blonde ran his hand down his light blue silk button up and hoped the color brought out his eyes like his mother had promised.

When he finally reached the doors his heart stopped. Standing on the top step was Harry, his Harry. His Harry was wearing a similarly styled dress shirt, but his was an emerald green that matched his eyes. The shirt was paired with pure white slacks and left un tucked and Merlin did he look gorgeous.

"Harry," Draco managed to get his voice to cooperate. "You look… you look beautiful."

Charlie, who'd been standing behind Harry with his husband and Severus and Sirius, grinned proudly. It had taken him three hours to convince Harry that Draco wasn't going to turn and head for the hills once he saw him.

Harry smiled radiantly and started down the steps. "You look beautiful as well."

The two grinned sappily at each other for a moment before Severus' clearing of his throat brought them back to the present. "You'll have him home at an appropriate hour Draco or I'll be speaking with your father."

Draco smiled reassuringly at his date and looked up into his godfathers eyes. "Yes Sir."

"And don't forget I still work with the Auror's," Sirius threatened.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm grown and I'm pregnant. I'm pretty sure I can handle this one," he jerked his thumb in Draco's direction.

"…"

"I'm sorry Siri, what was that?" Harry scowled.

Sirius gulped. "Have a good time?"

Draco hid a smile behind his hand and nodded.

Harry bounced back up the steps to hug the four men and whisper a quick thank you to Charlie before rejoining Draco. "Where are we going?"

Draco just grinned and taking his hand walked to the gates so they could apparate.

~oOo~

Several hours later a widely grinning raven holding a gigantic stuffed snake leaned over to kiss the mustard from his dates chin.

"One more ride Draco?"

"You sure you're up for it?"

Harry smiled happily and pointed towards a large Ferris wheel before dragging the blond over to the line. A few minutes later the couple was sitting at the very top of the gigantic wheel watching the stars. "This has been the most fun I've ever had, better even than quidditch."

"Better than quidditch? Even though there were several rides we couldn't go on?"

Harry nodded. "Doesn't matter, we can always come back. I can see us here with Janus. Can you imagine your father chasing him around a muggle amusement park?" He giggled and hugged his snake tighter.

Draco laughed and rolled his eyes. "Definitely one for the picture albums; and mum would have blackmail material for years!"

Harry smiled and turned to look up at the stars. He and Draco were so high up, he could just imagine reaching out a hand and touching them. Harry felt an arm settle across his shoulders and urge him into the warm body next to his. He sighed happily and snuggled into his date. "It wasn't like this with anyone else. I couldn't be because it wasn't you."

Draco looked down meeting earnest green eyes.

"I had only two really serious relationships Draco. They didn't end well. One I obliviated, the other…" Harry stopped short shuddering.

Draco tightened his arm and reached around to tip Harry's chin up. "I left because I wanted to be able to offer you something other than my name. I realized too late that I should have asked you to wait for me."

"I would have waited."

"I know."

"I don't think it matters anymore. You were patient," Harry rolled his eyes smiling as he remembered their Hogwarts years, Draco was never one to be patient before. "And I think that made me fall even more in love with you than I already was. I can't picture life without you Draco. You're there when I fall asleep and when I wake up. You're there when Janus goes to Hogwarts; you're there when we walk him down the aisle. You're there, with me. Before the battle, I hadn't ever thought that I would be alive for any of this."

Draco felt the soft sting of tears prickle behind his eyes. Harry had spent so much time ensuring that everyone else survived even though he never thought he would. That kind of loyalty and devotion was practically impossible to find; and here he was, sitting in Draco's arms, loving him. Harry deserved more than anyone, to be taken care of, to be loved, to have a family and friends and a life. And Draco would spend eternity making that happen. He tilted his head down and gently moved his lips across Harry's, the soft caress returned with enough emotion to take Draco's breath away. This was what was meant to be.