"Come on, Teddy, just a bite?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

Harry clenched his teeth. "You're going to eat your dinner, Teddy. You haven't eaten since two. You've got to be hungry."

"No. I not hungwy." Teddy crossed his arms and pointed his nose up at the bowl of cheese noodles in front of him, and it took all of Harry's self control not to scream with frustration.

July was drawing to a close, as was the weekend, and Harry was fighting the same battle he and Teddy waged every night at dinner. After Teddy ate a small snack in the early afternoon, usually a handful of crackers or some fruit, he refused to eat anymore for the day unless it was yogurt or sweets. It was maddening. He was going to keel over one day.

"You've got to eat more, Teddy," Harry said, rubbing his eyes. "You can't grow if you don't eat."

"No."

With a savage stab at his own bowl, Harry muttered, "You ought to be grateful we feed you so well."

Teddy just pursed his lips tighter together, twisting in his chair to face away from the food.

"Well, you're not leaving this table until you take a bite!" Harry snapped. "You can take a bite and see how much you like it and how hungry you are, or you can just sit here until bathtime. You're not getting up until you eat or we're getting in the bath, you hear me?"

Teddy didn't respond. Grinding his teeth and not feeling terribly hungry himself anymore, Harry shoveled the rest of his own dinner into his mouth before leaving the table. He went about the kitchen, cleaning the day's messes as he watched his godson out of the corner of his eye. The toddler was stiff in his chair, still pointedly not looking at the stupid bowl of noodles. Harry glanced at the clock. Bathtime was still almost an hour away. Surely he'd eat just to be rid of it and go play?

But, after scrubbing the kitchen until it was spotless, Harry found Teddy's noodles still untouched when it came time to run the bathwater. It was incredible, Teddy's stubbornness. It had to be a Black trait. As the clock chimed lightly, the usual sound that alerted Teddy for the bath, Harry stomped over to the table and snatched up the bowl.

"Teddy, you're going to eat this," he said. "Whether it's for breakfast tomorrow, lunch, dinner, you're going to eat these noodles."

Glaring at the floor, Teddy didn't react.

"Ugh! Go get ready for the bath, Teddy. I'll...I'll be there in a second."

Teddy bolted from the room, both further irritating Harry and making him wonder if he was being ridiculous. They were just noodles. Harry threw the bowl into the refrigerator, muttering.

There wasn't as much playing in the bath as usual, but when Harry pulled on Teddy's pajamas, the toddler was quite eager to read one of the new books Hermione had bought him, attitude totally flipped from the stubborn anger at dinner. Smiling, giggling, acting just as silly as he usually did, Teddy listened attentively as Harry read through the picture book three times. When Harry called it quits and led Teddy into his room, nothing seemed out of sorts as Harry tucked his godson into the blankets, sang a few lullabies, then gave him a hug and kiss before walking out of the room.

But Harry was still annoyed.

"Hey."

Harry looked up from his reading for an upcoming theory exam a couple hours later. Draco was at the foot of the couch, just home from work.

It had taken the better part of a month for them to fully adjust to calling one another by their first names. But once Harry had discarded 'Malfoy' for 'Draco,' he admittedly had a strange, subconscious shift in how he saw Draco. Nothing more had really changed between them aside from interacting more often, but Harry had noticed a very steep decline in the intensity of their arguments since addressing one another by their first names.

"Hey," Harry returned.

Draco drifted into the kitchen, softly clattering as he unloaded a few things and helped himself to the fridge. He returned a minute later, carrot sticks in hand and brow quirked.

"Fighting the good fight with cheesy noodles again? I saw the bowl."

Harry groaned. "It's not even about the bloody noodles. If he'd just take a couple bites at dinner, I'd leave him alone!"

"But you wouldn't. You'd complain about him not clearing his plate."

"He has to be hungry. There's no way he just isn't hungry after two every day. There's no way. He's going to starve."

Draco rolled his eyes. "He's not going to starve. No biological creature would inadvertently let themselves starve, and I severely doubt that Teddy's willingly chosen anorexia at two years old."

"It's just ridiculous!" Harry said, throwing his back against the cushions with a frustrated grunt. "He has all this food he can pick from - he's not even a choosy eater! He likes nearly everything he puts in his mouth but he just won't fucking eat? Ever? It's infuriating! Do you know how much I'd have liked to be allowed to just eat whenever I wanted growing up? The first Welcoming Feast I went to as Hogwarts nearly killed me because I ate so much. Growing up on moldy cheese in that cupboard under the stairs made it so hard to eat a normal amount once I could. Not that I want Teddy to gorge himself all the time, but if he keeps this up, he's going to end up not being able to eat, and I don't want that for him." Harry reached up to massage his shoulders, taking a deep breath to try and settle. "I just...I just wish he ate more and didn't act like I was beating him when I asked him to. There are worse punishments than being told to eat the food you asked for."

Draco didn't reply right away, but Harry could hear him chewing near the foot of the couch. After several seconds, though, Harry raised his head to look at Draco. That sneer would be perfectly placed, smug insult on the tip of his tongue and ready for the moment he swallowed.

But it wasn't. Draco's eyes were narrowed, filled with utter confusion. "Were you...were you starved as a child? Did you live under a staircase?"

"Wh-" Heat rose in Harry's cheeks. "I...well, no, I wasn't starved, I just...my aunt and uncle weren't big on magic. So whenever I accidentally did any, I was punished. Usually that involved refusing a meal or two, or locking me in the cupboard where I slept under the stairs." Draco's eyes were growing huge, and Harry's face was hotter than ever as he hastily continued, almost defensive. "It wasn't that small when I was a kid, really. And they let me take the spare bedroom just before I went to Hogwarts. And...and they stopped withholding food as a punishment the summer after fifth year."

They held each other's gaze for several seconds too long. Harry was the first to turn away. This had to be about how Draco felt when they had their row before the Remembrance Ceremonies. It was horribly intimate.

With a grunt, Harry stood and headed for the kitchen.

"I'll just toss the food," he sighed.

Draco stepped in front of him. "Teddy eats more than I think you realize. It's just more snacks than meals."

"A bunch of snacks can't be enough to sustain him."

"I think Teddy is just stubborn-"

"You've got that right," Harry grumbled.

"-but during the week, at least, he's not shy about asking for food when he's hungry. And as long as his snacks are good for him, he's not going to be lacking anything." When Harry just sighed again, Draco continued. "He's really not going to starve, you know. He shouldn't be responsible for eating all the food you couldn't have as a child."

"That's...ugh, that's not what I was trying to do."

"Just try to stop worrying over it so much. Teddy's growing just fine. However," Draco said with a slight smirk, "now that you've told him he has to eat that bowl, you can't just toss it."

"And why not? He's not going to eat it just to be stubborn."

"You've got to show him that you follow through."

"That's all well and good, but I work tomorrow. I couldn't force him to eat those noodles even if I wanted to anymore."

Draco shrugged. "Then I'll make him in your absence."

Lips twisting, Harry dropped his brows as he looked Draco in the eye. He had been fighting with Teddy over food for as long as he had guardianship over him, and there had been more than one argument between himself and Draco over it in that time. But for the first time, Draco seemed to be making a genuine offer to be on Harry's side. Part of him wondered what the catch was, but all Harry could bring himself to say was, "Uh...thanks."

Shrugging again, Draco took another bite of his carrot sticks and turned toward his bedroom. He waved a hand over his shoulder. "Not a problem. I'm really good at being the bad guy."

Harry chuckled, dropping back onto the couch. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to be the bad guy, he thought. At least Teddy would eat the noodles.

Draco's heart was pounding. His shins were aching, his sides were cramping, his lungs were burning with the desperation with which he ran. Only blackness was before him, and Draco ran blindly from the horrors at his ankles. Though he couldn't see it, the earth dropped into a chasm only meters from him, and the moment he felt it was right, Draco launched himself into the air. But his jump was ill-timed. He began falling, falling into an abyss so deep that even his intuition couldn't predict the depth. Draco's stomach disappeared and his blood turned to ice as he fell further and further into nothingness, his death racing up on him with startling speed.

Gasping, Draco awoke.

His room was nearly as dark as his dream, but that was all Draco could recall of it. Thankfully, he had never been good at remembering his dreams. Now that he had plenty of fodder for the worst kinds of nightmares, he was even more grateful for that lacking ability. But the fear lingered in him despite the lost memories of why, and Draco sat up to chug the glass of water beside his bed.

Then he heard a door open.

As he stared at his very stationary bedroom door, Draco realized that Teddy must be awake. Draco moved to cracked open his door to peek in the living room.

Teddy's little silhouette crept in the darkness, surprisingly careful not to make a sound as he crossed the carpet to the couch. But then the boy jumped directly onto Harry's unconscious body.

"Fuck!" Harry cried out.

Draco groaned inwardly, wishing Harry would watch his language around Teddy better. But Harry croaked something else, too soft and garbled for Draco to hear.

"I say I yuv you!" Teddy half-shouted.

The blankets and bodies shifted suddenly, Harry frantically shushing Teddy. "Teddy, you have got to learn how to whisper!" he hissed, sounding more awake.

Whispering, Teddy asked, "Why?"

"You don't want to wake Draco."

"Why...why you seep couch? And not...not bed?"

"Well, your bed's a little small for me."

"No, D-aco's bed."

"Oh, er, well, the couch is my bed. That's...that's why."

"I want D-aco wif us."

Harry chuckled softly. "I doubt Draco wants to share his big bed with me, Teddy."

"But why?"

"People only sleep in the same bed if they love each other."

Teddy didn't say anything, and after several seconds, Draco wondered if perhaps the boy had fallen asleep. He was about to turn back to his own bed when he heard Teddy whisper, "But...but Ha-wee D-aco yuv each uh-ver."

Draco tensed with a full-bodied cringe, supremely glad that he wasn't on the receiving end of that conversation. He couldn't see Harry's face in the dark, but Draco could hear a few small noises coming from him, as though wanting to say something but unable to find the right words. Draco couldn't blame him.

"I...look, Teddy, it's late," Harry finally whispered. "Let's just lie down and get some sleep, yeah?"

"Ha-wee yuv D-aco," Teddy insisted, sounding put out. "Want D-aco wif us."

"Come on, Teddy, please? We're not going to go wake Draco up right now, it's three in the morning."

Teddy grumbled a bit, but as there wasn't anymore conversation, Draco assumed that the boy had accepted Harry's plea. Draco turned back to his bed, shaking his head as he pulled the covers over himself. Uncomfortable even just listening to that as he had been, Draco was privately glad that at least he wasn't alone in those sorts of conversations with Teddy. The worst one was when Draco had been tucking Teddy into bed one evening and the boy asked him why he didn't kiss Harry goodnight. Draco's flustered, 'Because I don't want to kiss him,' hadn't been enough for Teddy, and they had spent about five minutes going back and forth, Teddy growing more and more insistent, until Draco had finally just walked out of the room.

Rolling over onto his stomach, Draco chuckled silently to himself. Children.

After carefully moving Teddy back to his own bed shortly after six that morning without waking anyone, Harry spent his twentieth birthday going through his typical paces at the Ministry. Grappling, defensive spell practice, droning lectures on muggle safety, then running in place for nearly an hour, it wasn't a particularly spectacular birthday, but after his decade of only having the Dursleys to set the standard, Harry hardly minded.

"Fancy a quick birthday drink?" Ron asked as they rode the lifts after work. "Hermione said she'd take off work early to come with us if I could convince you. I know Malfoy works at five, but we can squeeze in a quick pint, you reckon?"

Harry grinned. "Actually, he's free tonight, so we don't even have to be quick."

"Excellent."

Despite Mondays usually being Draco's psychotherapy appointments, he had told Harry over the weekend that his healer had moved the appointment to Saturday for a family event of some sort. Typically, it wouldn't have affected Harry much, but now he was glad for the extended freedom. He hadn't been out with just Ron and Hermione in ages.

Ron chose a more modern bar called the Prickly Pear that was deeper in downtown London, hidden behind streetlamp with no light. Hermione frowned at the Salem theme, but Harry thought it was unexpectedly fascinating.

"Happy birthday on us," Ron said with a grin as he bought them a round of drinks. "To another year, yeah?"

They drank, the drink warm and pleasant against Harry's tongue.

"So," Harry said as he set the glass down. "How's married life?"

"Well, one month in, I think it's going quite well," Hermione said.

"Almost as good as it was before we were married."

Hermione shot Ron a quick frown before turning back to Harry. "How about you, though? How are things with Teddy and Draco?"

Ron shivered. "It still doesn't sound right, calling him that."

"I don't know, it's easier now," Harry said. "Honestly, I think calling him something different helped. We still don't agree on much, but we haven't been at each other's throats in weeks."

"Personally, Harry, I think that's wonderful news."

"Personally, Harry, I think that's absolutely mental."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It'll make living together easier, Ron. What, do you want Harry to be miserable and having a row everyday for the next year so you don't have to hear Draco's name?"

"...no?"

Harry snorted into his wine. Had had missed this, feeling like things hadn't changed as much as they had. He easily could have ended up cut out from Ron and Hermione once they started dating. Having their friendship, especially through everything they had gone through in the past and now things with Teddy and Draco, was completely invaluable to Harry. Rather emotional about it suddenly, he blinked a few times and joined in the conversation. Things were easy these days. There weren't any mysteries to solve, dark wizards to best, classes to pass, homework to do, even places to be besides work. Since gaining Teddy, Harry hadn't spent as much time with his friends as he would have liked, and as he sat and talked easy with Ron and Hermione for a little over an hour that afternoon, the comfort of their friendship warmed him more than the wine.

"Well," Hermione said, glancing at her watch. "It's nearing half past five. Crookshanks will be needing his dinner."

Ron threw his head back exasperatedly. "You're putting that cat above your best friend's birthday? That's downright cold, 'Mione."

"I am not-"

"It's really okay," Harry cut in, trying not to laugh. "Between Saturday and this, I think my birthday's been properly celebrated. Besides, I want to get back and see Teddy. Thanks for the drink. I'll have to make some time to do this again soon."

Ron stood, taking Harry's hand. "You really will. It's been too long, mate."

"Happy birthday, Harry," Hermione said with a kiss to his cheek.

"Yeah, happy birthday."

"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow, Ron."

"Ugh, don't remind me."

Hermione's groan was the last thing Harry heard as he turned on the spot just outside the bar, Disapparating home.

It smelled weird.

"Ha-wee!" Teddy was already on Harry's leg, hugging him and trying to pull himself into an embrace. Harry obliged, breathing deep as he tried to place the smells around them. "Happy bifday!" Teddy squealed.

Harry blinked in surprise. "Thanks, Teddy. How'd you know it's my birthday?"

"D-aco!"

"Draco?"

"D-aco telled me!"

"Draco told you."

"D-aco told me!" Teddy wriggled, wanting down, then grabbed Harry by the hand and began dragging him toward the kitchen. "We making enchichas!"

"Er...what?"

"Enchichas!" Teddy repeated happily as they stepped into the kitchen. The strange smells hit Harry full force then, not at all unpleasant but strong. It was then he realized he was smelling cumin.

"Enchiladas?"

"Enchichiladas!"

"Why are you two making enchiladas?"

Draco, bent over the counter with his back to them, looked over his shoulder. "Well, when I told him it was your birthday, he wanted to bake a cake, but quite frankly, I didn't want to deal with that. So he decided he wanted to make you a special dinner. One thing led to another and here we are." He turned back to the sauce he was stirring. "I'm not entirely sure I'm making this right, though."

Harry stepped up beside Draco and peered down at the recipe he had propped against the wall. It didn't look terribly complicated, but the sauce in the pan was slightly thicker than the directions described.

"It smells fantastic," Harry said. Now that he could place the spices, the sauteing beef and onions alongside the red sauce smelled quite appetizing. "Even if it's not right, it's probably delicious."

"I'd rather get it right."

"Oh, come on, Draco, let loose a little. They're just enchiladas."

"This is probably why you failed Potions in school."

Laughing, Harry helped Teddy pull up a chair to the counter. "I didn't fail. I had to get good enough marks to be accepted into the Auror program, didn't I?"

Draco glanced at Harry, looking as though he wanted to both laugh and sneer. Somehow, he was able to convey both pretty well. Harry chuckled as he let Teddy unwrap the tortillas so he could steam them.

It was surprisingly enjoyable, working together on the enchiladas. While Draco silently fretted over the filling, Harry used his wand to steam the tortillas. All three rolled the enchiladas by hand, placing them as aligned as possible in the baking dish before smothering the entire platter with cheese and sliding it into the oven. Even the clean up while their dinner baked was pleasant, Harry showing Teddy how to dry the dishes with a hand towel and Draco laughing at him when three different plates ended up in pieces that Harry had to repair.

At last, they sat down to eat.

"Mmm, these are amazing," Harry moaned around a mouthful. Although Draco's eyes rolled, Harry could see that he was trying not to smile.

Teddy, however, literally spat his first bite onto the table. "Bleh!"

"Teddy, we do not spit on the table!" Draco said, voice raised slightly. "Use your napkin and clean that up."

"Did..." Harry stifled a laugh. "Did you not like it?"

"Nuh-uh. Yogoht, pease?"

Draco rubbed his temples. "Sure. That's fine, Teddy. But wipe up that mess."

For once, Harry didn't mind the food issue. Sure, Teddy demolished two huge bowls of yogurt, but Harry knew he typically would have tried to force the main course. But he just slid the toddler's enchiladas onto his own plate and enjoyed them himself.

"I can take care of his bath if you're wanting a break," Draco said as they finished eating.

"That's...thanks."

"It's not an issue, I assure you."

But as he listened to Draco help Teddy with his clothes and climb into the tub fifteen minutes later, Harry wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do with the free time. As Draco was at work almost every evening during Teddy's bathtime, Harry wasn't used to not being a part of it. After only about thirty seconds of standing lost in the living room, Harry found himself hovering in the bathroom doorway, watching Teddy lie on his stomach in the water.

Draco tilted his head slightly at him. Harry just shrugged.

"Well, let's get you washed up," Draco said, moving to grab the soap.

"What? He just got in."

"And?"

"And bathtime is supposed to be fun," Harry said, dropping to his knees beside Draco and splashing his hands in the water next to Teddy. The toddler immediately broke out in giggles and smacked the water as hard as he could, sending a tiny shower down both Harry's and Draco's fronts.

Draco scoffed. "Of course you would indulge Teddy in such a messy activity when he's supposed to be getting clean."

"He will get clean. You and me, on the other hand..." Harry chuckled. "But come on, don't be such a drag. Can't you just enjoy how little and fun Teddy is right now?"

"I not little," Teddy said, hurrying to his feet and flexing his arms. "I big now!"

Harry nodded solemnly. "Yes, you're absolutely right, you are quite big now."

Practically throwing himself back into the water, Teddy plopped onto his bottom and began kicking the water excitedly.

"This is so unnecessarily messy," Draco muttered under his breath as Teddy did a full twist, giggling at the whirlpool effect it had on the water.

Harry nudged Draco with his shoulder, nodding at Teddy. "But look at that smile."

Indeed, the unbridled joy plastered across Teddy's face was impossible not to catch. Harry's grin grew as he watched the toddler slither in the bath, fascinated with the way the water moved around him even after two years. Looking out the corner of his eye, Harry saw Draco's face ease into one of those smiles he reserved just for Teddy.

But after Draco somehow ended up getting his hair soaked, Teddy was finally scrubbed clean, dried, and wrangled into his favorite pajamas. The sun was gone and the flat only glowed dimly from a lamp in the living room by which Teddy begged Draco to read him a few books. Again, Harry normally was the one who read to Teddy before bed and felt uncertain of what to do with himself. Draco and Teddy were curled up together on the couch, and Harry dropped into the large armchair across the room to simply watch. After several stories and a little unsuccessful begging to stay up later, Teddy gave Harry a hug and kiss and disappeared into his room with Draco, who emerged a few minutes later. Harry cleared his throat as Draco withdrew a book from the shelf next to him.

"Er...thank you," Harry said awkwardly. "I...well, thank you."

Draco blinked once, then shrugged as he turned away. "You're welcome. It wasn't any problem. And, ah...happy birthday."

It wasn't the most genuine birthday wish he had ever received, but as Harry watched Draco disappear into his bedroom, he thought that at least it wasn't the most unpleasant.