Author: enchanted nightingale
Beta Reader: pussycatadamah
Disclaimer: The characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I merely use them in my plot for fun.
Chapter 14 Teddy goes to the Zoo
When Lucius rang the doorbell of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place right on time and Harry answered the door while yelling something at someone behind him.
"Good morning Harry," the aristocrat greeted the younger wizard. He looked rather winded and flushed and the blond thought it suited Harry.
"Lucius! Morning! Come on in! Sorry about the mess but Teddy had a bit of trouble, accidental magic," the green eyed wizard explained. "Or at least that's what Luna claims. She's here by the way, she and Andy have plans and for the sake of your sanity don't ask," Harry reported before beckoning Lucius inside. Only when the blond passed the threshold he seemed to realize that Malfoy was dressed in Muggle clothes. Then Harry did the sensible thing and simply stared at the rarest of sights he had ever seen in his life: Lucius dressed in slacks, a shirt and a short coat, blond hair caught in a loose ponytail and no cane in sight. Harry had to blink several times by which time the blond was looking smugly at him.
"Stared enough?" he drawled, making Harry blush a bit.
"Sorry, just committing to memory the sight of you dressed in Muggle clothes," Harry told the blond. "You wear them stylishly," he added. He thought back to the Triwizard tournament and that wizard who refused to wear pants, preferring a woman's sleep gown for clothes. He suppressed a giggle at the hilarious memory.
"I, unlike other wizards, have common sense," Lucius commented.
"Noted," the younger wizard replied. "Will you have a seat in the living room? I have a godson to track down."
"Of course."
"And whatever you do…"
"Don't ask questions of the two witches in this house."
Harry smiled. "I'll be back shortly," he replied and went in search of his godson. When he returned he had Teddy in tow, looking excited and bouncy. Lucius actually shot the kid a weary look, recalling Draco being so energetic on certain occasions.
"Too late to turn tail and run," Harry told the blond wizard who sighed.
"I can see that," the older wizard muttered.
"Harry! Mister Lucius! Come on! I want to see the penguins and camels and the tigers…"
Harry paid the entrance fee to the zoo and they went in. Their first stop was the Aquarium, where Teddy was big eyed and chatty and kept pressing into the glass to see the fish and the jelly fish swim in the tanks. He was also pestering Harry and Lucius to read the information about the various species.
"I never wanted to learn so much about fish," the blond wizard muttered to Harry. "Muggle fish at that."
"You have no trouble eating them," the green eyed wizard pointed out.
Lucius shot him a dirty look but he was easily distracted when Teddy grabbed his hand and led the way to the rest of the exhibits. When Harry saw the Reptile House he visibly balked at the sight of it and the other two had to drag him inside.
"Afraid of snakes Harry?" Teddy asked, his big eyes imploring at his godfather.
"No," the former Gryffindor sighed. "I just… Snakes talk, alright? And I can understand them, okay?"
"I know," Teddy told him.
Lucius was giving him an odd look. "Then what is the problem?"
Harry groaned. "I start chuckling." Well, Luna had said he had giggled but the raven haired wizard was not about to admit that!
Lucius and Teddy were now staring at him.
"Snakes can be funny, sarcastic and mean and I understand them and I can't help myself. Then people give me funny looks and… "Harry trailed off, flustered.
"You think you're going to embarrass yourself," the grey eyed wizard realized. Then he grinned, grabbed Harry's elbow and led the way to the Reptile House, where the younger adult, true to his word, spent time snickering at the tanks.
"Harry? What are they saying?" Teddy asked in front of Big Bertha's house. Said snake was a female Burmese Python that was so snarky, Harry actually thought her a female version of Snape. Some of the language she used was not for his godson's ears though.
"Never mind, she has no manners, mouthy bint," Harry muttered. "Hey, check out those chameleons Teddy!"
"Where!" he asked and ran to the tank.
Lucius actually snorted. "You are a riot Harry."
"Not weirded out? I would have thought that after seeing Nagini dine so often…"
The blond shrugged. He spared a look at the snakes around them. "I am not about to go poke around but I was always fascinated by snakes, dragons too, all kind of serpentine creatures. My father was an enthusiast. Ever been to the Dragon reserves? I was ten on my first visit." It was so long ago and Lucius held fond memories of it. It was also one of the few trips he had taken with his father as a child.
Before the mood could get dark, Teddy was back.
"Harry, can you understand chameleons too?" he asked his godfather.
"Lets see whether your talents are for lizards too, Harry," Lucius said and followed after the younger duo.
By lunch time they had seen the outback species with the emus and kangaroos, the komodo dragons and giant tortoises and the camels Teddy had so wanted to see. They stood patiently in a line for the animal adventure, met the monkeys and the lions and tigers and other big cats of the zoo. Lucius was amused by how young Harry looked as he ran after Teddy, keeping up with the child, who was chattier than he usually was around him, mostly due to the animals distracting him. When the boy would tire, Harry picked him up and kept walking. They stopped at a booth for fish and chips around noon for a much needed break and then went on to visit the rest of the zoo. They stayed there for eight hours, saw almost everything there was to see and then returned to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place for dinner. Teddy, by that time was exhausted.
"That's because he missed his nap, my cranky monkey," Harry nuzzled Teddy's cheek.
The boy let out a tired, "Not monkey" but otherwise kept his eyes closed.
Lucius was sympathizing with Teddy, not used to walking for so long, or being around so many crowds.
Andromeda greeted them at the door. "You all look dead on your feet."
"That's because we are," Harry told her.
"Did you take pictures?" the witch demanded.
The green eyed wizard handed her the camera. "Here you go," he told her. "Now you can bug Lucius about them." said wizard threw a glare Harry's way.
"Harry," he said.
"I must take this cuddle bug to wash up and put him to bed. He has already eaten dinner at the zoo," the raven haired wizard responded.
"Lucius can help you then," Andromeda said. "I'll go get Kreacher to set the table."
Harry nodded and invited Lucius upstairs. The blond followed after the duo. He already knew the way to Teddy's room. He had been in this house often enough that he had a rough idea where each bedroom was, even Harry's though he had yet to see the inside of that bedroom. Teddy's bedroom was large. There was the main room, with the boy's bed, a mini desk where Teddy sat to colour and a wardrobe. There were a few toys here and there, the colours of the room being vivid and vibrant. There were two doors, one leading to a small bathroom and one that led to the boy's play room, where the bulk of his toys was.
"His toy room and my bedroom commune," Harry commented to Lucius. "Did Draco have a room like this?"
"Yes, he did, though his was a bit more, unlike this one," the blond wizard stated.
"Hm," the green eyed man nodded. "Did you make his room?"
"Narcissa did," Lucius replied. "I saw the ribbons and the fluffy teddy bears and ran for it."
Harry laughed. "I know what you mean. I was overwhelmed as well but…" he shrugged. He hated to admit that he had been more of a child than his godson, he still was. Growing up with the Dursley's, he never got to play, never got to be a kid. Andromeda when she first caught his face in the early days had been appalled of his treatment at his relative's hands. She had argued that emotional abuse was just as bad as the physical and had started her own personal crusade to put Harry on the right track, make him whole and happy and not too bitter. She never teased him when he played with Teddy, showing the same wonder about the toys as his godson did. She joined them actually, every once in a while and Harry was grateful to her.
Lucius was studying how quiet Harry had gotten as he got Teddy into the bath and then into clean pyjamas and under his blanket with wolves and sheep prancing all over the soft surface. They were subdued when they returned to the dinning room where Andy was waiting.
"Why the long face Harry?" the witch asked the green eyed wizard.
"Nothing, just… busy thoughts," he told her. "So… What's for dinner?"
Lucius shot him a look that was very close to being worried but he did not comment, just started thinking about this pensive side of the man who he had known since he was a teen. Harry seemed to have much more depths than he knew. And the blond was eager to find out about more of them. He tried to be discreet but Andromeda kept shooting him looks throughout the meal. The two of them got a chance to talk when Harry got an urgent fire call from the Ministry.
"So, apparently you had fun at the zoo," the witch commented. "And bought my grandson a ton of stuffed animals."
"Just a couple," Lucius told her.
"Yes, I gathered, though one of them was for Harry, the key chain with the snake?"
"What is your point Andromeda?"
"The boy might be an Unspeakable but if you want into his pants again Lucius, you might want to be a bit more blunt about it," she stated and the blond wizard choked on his food.
"Andromeda!"
"Give me a break here, Lucy," she stressed the name she had for him when they were still kids and met up whenever their parents met in the same social functions. "I mean it, Harry, I love him to death but unless you make the first step, he won't. Those monsters that raised him practically ruined him."
"What do you mean?" the wizard asked.
Andromeda was looking dead serious. "He was abused," she stated. "Smacked on the head whenever he performed better, asked questions, asked for food, about his parents. He was also starved and emotionally abused. It's deplorable to think of but it happened. He told me once that he understood how Tom Riddle learned to hate people, and how he feared he might go down that road. Harry was lucky Lucius in the fact that he had people who saw him for what he was, flocked to support and protect him. He still needs it."
"Why tell me this?" the blond wizard asked.
"Because I care about that boy and from what I've seen, you care as well."
"He is the father of the child I'm carrying," Lucius replied.
"True, but why are you here?" the witch demanded, her face blank.
"Pardon?" the silver eyed man looked confused.
"Simple question Lucy. You could have refused Harry's proposition, given up the kid…" at his furious look she was unfazed. "You two could have signed a contract on when and how to see each other; raised the kid. You are a Malfoy, I'm sure your lawyers would have been salivating over the contracts given the chance. Yet you and that boy came to an agreement verbally, and you are here, three times a week, spending time with Harry and Teddy and even me. Why is that?"
It did not take long for Lucius to think about it. He never got to reply to her though because Harry came back.
"Sorry about that," he told the quiet duo. "What did I miss?"
They were standing by the door of the house, Lucius' carriage already outside, waiting for him.
"Thank you for today," he told Harry.
"Right back at you," the younger man said. "It was fun, right?" he was grinning.
"It was," Lucius' face was not without a smile. "I would not mind a repeat you know."
Harry blinked. His smile got wider. "So, Teddy and I did not scare you off?"
Lucius shook his head and walked closer to Harry. They were eye to eye now and the younger man's breath got caught when he noticed the smouldering look in those grey orbs.
"Not a chance Harry," the blond commented. He leaned closer and pecked Harry's cheek.
Green eyes went wide.
"Good night Harry," he said before exiting the house.
Harry's softly muttered 'Goodnight' followed and Lucius entered the carriage with a smile. He had a lot to think of if he was going to take Andromeda's advice.
End of chapter