Unfinished Business: Shattered Pieces

DISCLAIMER: Look at first chapter.
WARNING: Look at first chapter.

Unleashed

"Have you seen my son, Potter?" Astoria asked Harry as she walked into the study.

Harry looked up at the woman with mounting irritation as she smiled down at him. It was the night before the holidays were over and throughout that time, Harry and Draco had been busy trying to find a way to break the curse, without Astoria's help. They had found only a few books that even mentioned the unusual mirror, but everything they had read only served to prove the vile woman's claim.

They needed her, but that didn't mean they had to like it.

"That depends," Harry said as he closed his book. "Do you mean the son you abandoned when you made this curse, or the one you replaced him with?"

"Obviously -" Astoria started as her fake smile wavered, rattled by Harry's words.

"If there's one thing I've learned from this whole mess is that there's obvious with you," he said as he got up from the couch.

"I would be very careful how you speak to me," she warned. "I might just decide not to lift this curse. Being married into the Malfoy family does come with its advantages."

"Don't insult me," Harry dismissed her with a roll of his eyes and a wave of his hand. "As much as you like to pretend, I know lifting the curse has nothing to do with not wanting to chase after Draco anymore. It occurred to me that, even though your desired world didn't have your son in it, seeing him here hit a nerve with you," he said as he got really close to her. "I see the way you keep looking at him. And now that you trulyrealize the price of your curse, you want to get it lifted as much as we do."

"Be that as it may," Astoria sneered, refusing defeat. "You still need me to lift this curse."

"True, but you need the Malfoy name to protect you from McLaggen so you can get yourself a new husband. So as much as you hate to admit it, you need us just as much as we need you."

"You know what I noticed," Albus said to Scorpius as they busied themselves in their shared room, packing away their things for their return trip to Hogwarts the next day. "Our dads smell an awful lot alike."

"I noticed that as well," Scorpius said, closing his case before sitting atop his bed.

"Did you?" Albus smiled as he jumped on his bed. "It's just that… I don't like my mother very much, especially after sending me that howler and trying to get me resorted," he said with a deep frown. "I know I shouldn't since she's … well … you know … my mum. But with us being practically twins and all, I just thought it would be perfect if our dads were together. I know it's silly to think like that. I mean you like your mum."

"I don't," Scorpius was quick to say, causing Albus to perk up. "I have no ill feelings towards her, but being around her just seems … wrong somehow," he explained, causing Albus to nod in approval.

"Yeah. If only our dads had ended up together," he said in remorse.

"Who says they can't still?"

The morning of the boys' return to Hogwarts had Harry seeing that his kids were ready to leave. When he had finished helping Lily pack away her things, he had gone over to see to Scorpius and Albus. When he entered the room, his jaw dropped at the sight before him.

"I can't believe he did this," Harry said as he aimed his wand at Albus.

"No, don't change it!" Albus cried, ducking away from his dad even as the spell hit its intended target, though nothing happened. "I think it shows house pride," he smiled, referring to the green hair he now sported. "Scorpius had his hair changed too. It's silver now," he beamed.

"That's just wonderful," Harry sighed just as he saw James pass the room. "James, you come in here and change your brothers' hair back right this instant!"

"Why?" James laughed in delight at the sight of his brother. "They asked me to do it."

"James," Harry said in warning.

"Don't worry. It'll wear off in a day or two," he explained just as Draco came in.

"Ah. Showing some house pride, I see," the blonde smiled.

"You're not helping," Harry frowned.

"Sorry. Was I supposed to?" Draco smirked, causing James to chuckle beside him.

"I give up," Harry sighed again as he up threw his hands up in surrender.

After getting everything in order, even though Scorpius and Albus still sported Slytherin-themed hair, Harry and Draco took everyone to the train station. Just as they passed through the barrier at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, the Hogwarts Express rolled in. The three teens and two first years quickly found a place to it together since they were so early.

Soon, more people who had gone away for the holiday appeared on the platform. Victoire had come hand-in-hand with Teddy, followed by Dominique, Fleur and Bill. After spotting a few of his friends, BJ finally split himself from James and Hector's side. When the whistle blew, signalling that the train was about to leave, everyone said their last goodbyes.

"I'll be coming to Hogwarts in a few days to do a lecture. Your hair better be changed by that time or you're in big trouble young man," Harry said as he gave Albus a tight hug. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Considering you fought a gigantic three-headed dog at his age and flew a Thestral at my age, I'd say that gives us a lot of leeway," James chuckled as he stuck half his body out the window to mess up Lily's hair.

"Hey," she cried, ducking away from her brother.

Just as Harry and Albus broke apart, the Auror found himself with an armful of a short silver-haired blonde.

"Thanks for letting Albus come over," Scorpius said to the shocked man.

"It was my pleasure," he said, his voice choked up as he returned the hug. When he turned to Draco, he saw that the blonde's arms were full of a green-haired brunette.

"Thanks for letting us stay at your manor," Albus smiled as he and Draco shared a hug of their own.

"You're very welcome," Draco said in a calm tone, though his eyes sparkled suspiciously.

When the final whistle blew, Scorpius and Albus rushed back onto the train. Moments later, the Hogwarts Express started rolling away back to Hogwarts.

After the three saw the last of the boys returning to Hogwarts, the Harry dropped Lily off at the Burrow for the day, while Draco waited for him at their cottage. It didn't take Harry long, and when he arrive and didn't spot his husband right away, Harry knew where to look.

"Let me guess," Harry smiled when he found the blonde in the study, furiously searching through one of their books. "This book has something to do with the Mirror of Erised," he said as he came into the study.

"I didn't see this book at Malfoy Manor. I wouldn't put it past Astoria to hide or tamper with the books there," he said as he went back to his book. "And it's a good thing that I looked because Astoria forgot to mention that she needs to ingest a potion before extracting the curse."

"What kind of potion?" Harry asked as he came up behind Draco and draped his arms over the blonde's shoulders.

"I've never heard of this potion before," he said as he flipped through the pages. "But apparently, it turns you into a sort of conduit so you can extract the desire from the mirror."

"Is it hard to make?"

"Extremely. It takes three lunar cycles to brew and you won't know it works until after you ingest it and try to extract the desire."

"I'm guessing that we need this potion to remove the curse," Harry said as he buried his nose against the blonde's neck.

"We do, and only the person who cast the curse can remove it," Draco groaned before tossing the book to the side. "At least she was telling the truth about that bit," he scoffed before reaching behind him and pulling Harry into his lap.

"So, I guess you'll be brewing the potion while I try and find a way to get our hands on that mirror," Harry said as Draco's arms wrapped around his waist and brought him closer to the blonde.

"I guess so," Draco smirked as their lips inched closer.

Smiling as their lips met, Harry and Draco reviled at their well-earned reprieve from the chaos that their lives had become. Never breaking their kiss, Draco lowered Harry onto the couch before climbing on top of him and caressing his side, electing a throaty moan from the man below him. They didn't have to return to work until the next day, so the two men were going to enjoy their time together.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS THE MEANING OF THIS!"

Or maybe not.

Draco and Harry broke apart at the shout and turned to find Ginny standing, red-faced, in the doorway. Harry briefly wondered why he never heard the warning alarm signaling that someone had breached the wards around the cottage. Then he recalled that there were times when he hadn't heard it. Most of them were because he had been a little preoccupied with Draco. As he pulled his shirt down, Harry guessed this was another such time.

"HOW DARE YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THIS," Ginny bellowed as she brandished her wand.

Harry righted his clothes just as Ginny aimed a curse at him. When nothing happened and Harry merely got up from the couch as if nothing happened, Ginny fumed.

"At least we know the wards preventing her from attacking anyone still works," Draco said calmly from the couch, his arms draped over the headrest nonchalantly.

"How dare you-" she started venomously and she glared daggers at the blonde.

"You already said that," the blonde pointed out.

"Ginny sit," Harry said gently, only to get a murderous glare from the red-head as a response. "Please," he added as he gestured to the chair opposite the blonde. There was a lot they needed to talk about.

"So how was your vacation?" Molly asked, watching as her cousins enter the common room while she sat on the couch by the fire.

"Don't ask-" Dominique started in warning.

"Absolutely fantastic," Vicky beamed as she joined the red-head, causing James and Dominique to groan while Rose giggled as they all joined them on the couch. "Teddy surprised me when he and his grandmother showed up on Christmas day," she said in a rush. "Then they stayed over until seeing me off at the station. It was the best … perfectest … week ever."

"I'm quite sure 'perfectest' isn't a real word," Molly couldn't help but point out with amusement.

"Well it should be," the blonde insisted with all seriousness before she broke out into a smile again.

"So how was your vacation?" James asked, eager to change the subject. "I hear you and Frank had the whole tower to yourself," he smirked, looking around to find his wayward friend. "Did you get caught underneath any mistletoes?"

"I knew that was you," Molly fumed while James merely shrugged with amusement. "Well, if you must know. My holiday was very … educational," she said vaguely, though there was a slight red tint to her cheeks.

Victoire's smile grew and Dominique giggled knowingly, while James groaned.

"Leave it to you to turn something so potentially epic into an afterschool special," he rolled his eyes before beaming at the sight of Frank coming through the portrait hole. "So good of you to grace us with your presence," James said as he jumped from the couch and draped his arm over Frank's shoulder. "We have much work to do," he said with all seriousness.

"I am at your service," Frank mock saluted before he followed James up the stairs.

"Do you really expect me to believe any of this nonsense?" Ginny asked as she looked between Harry and Draco with disgust.

"Everything Harry said is true," Draco insisted. "You two never got married and had kids together. We did," he said gesturing to Harry and himself, to which Ginny scoffed.

"I can prove it," Harry said before pulling up his shirt, revealing his swollen stomach.

"Meet the newest addition to our family," Draco said at the shocked look on Ginny's face.

"That's not possible," Ginny said in disbelief.

"It is if what we've been telling you is true," Harry said as he rubbed his stomach gently.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Ginny got up from the chair. It was difficult with her own pregnancy so far along.

"But our baby," she said as she placed her hand on her stomach.

"I am not the father of your child. Being married to Draco makes that impossible."

"There was a time when I had been worried that this curse had muddled with that, but thankfully, it can't change ancient magic."

"Luna knew, didn't she?" Ginny asked, though she knew the answer.

"And Lily," Harry pointed out.

"But if what you're saying is true, then why did it take you so long to tell me?" Ginny asked as she started pacing. "Unless you thought I had something to do with this," she guessed as she turned to them.

"The thought had crossed our minds. You have done things in the past to try and separate us."

"You and my pretend wife had a blast trying to ruin our lives," Draco said with barely contained ire. "But as it turns out, you were just an unknowing pawn in this plan of hers. Though I must say, you're taking this better than I would have expected."

"That's because she's been having an affair," Harry said softly, though his words had Ginny snapping her head at him. "Probably with the father of her baby."

"How?" Ginny asked, her shock at Harry's words preventing her from saying anything else.

"This curse can change memories and information but it can't create or destroy life or love, and I'm guessing that whoever the father of your baby is, you love him. So much so that you two married. That must be his ring on your finger since I obviously didn't give you one," he said, gesturing to the silver bands that Ginny was fiddling with.

"I've been trying to ignore what I've been feeling for so long," Ginny said as a tear trailed down her cheek. "But when Dennis found out that I was pregnant-."

"Wait, Creevey is the father of your baby?" Harry asked, not seeing that coming.

"Well if you're not than he sure is."

"That … I was not expecting," he said with surprise.

"But now that everything is out in the open, things are going to be a little different," Draco said as he got up from the chair.

"Draco," Harry said in warning as he placed his hand on the blonde's chest.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

"It means that I'm tired of pretending that you belong anywhere near Harry and our kids. Now that you know the truth, you can go run off to your little husband and leave my family alone."

"I can't do that. He thinks I'm pregnant for Harry," she said before turning to the Auror in a panic. "He broke things off with me because he wanted us to work through our issues."

"That's not our problem," Draco said without a care.

"Draco, behave," Harry said, pushing the blonde back onto the couch before turning to Ginny. "Dennis won't be a problem. Just tell him that we couldn't work through our issues and ended up separating."

"Or you could do for us what was done for you and give us back our memories," Ginny suggested.

"That might not be possible, not without breaking a few laws and I don't see Creevey agreeing to that."

"He would if you asked him to. Please," she said when she noticed Harry's reluctance. "Who knows when you'll be able to break this curse, and I don't think I could take spending the rest of my pregnancy alone."

The scream could be heard from miles away. It was an ear-splitting sound that didn't seem possible considering where it was coming from. The person who had uttered such a gut-wrenching sound now sat stone still, unable to comprehend what had happened. It was a sight that no one within the Great Hall of Hogwarts had expected.

Well, maybe one person had expected it.

James sat at his house table during dinner, trying his hardest not to laugh as his so called boyfriend tried frantically to remove the curse that had changed his hair from the dirty blond locks that had girls and boys swooning to the now blue and bronze streaks that made him look more like a peacock.

"And here I thought he would love showing a little bit of house pride," he scoffed.

"Why would you do something like that? Surely you know how vain McLaggen is," Molly pointed out.

"Is he? I hadn't noticed," James said, watching in amusement as Hector's house tried to undo the magic done to their Head Boy's hair, but to no avail.

After a few minutes of trying to turn his hair back to its true colour, Hector got up from his seat at the Ravenclaw table and headed towards James. James watched the older boy with great anticipation. This was going to be fun.

"Take it off," the Head Boy whispered with desperation the moment he stood before his boyfriend. "Hurry."

"I can't," James smiled, unable to hide his amusement.

"Of course you can. You put it on, didn't you?"

"Yes. It's your house colours," he said with a bright smile. "I thought you would like it."

"James," Hector said, trying to stay calm. "As much as my house means to me, I do not evershow it through my hair," he said as he gestured to his head. "Change it back now."

"I can't," James said, trying and failing to hold back his laughter. "But it will wear off in a few days."

"A few-" Hector said as his voice caught in his throat. "Days? My hair is going to be like this for days?"

"Maybe. A week tops," James said and had to bite his lip at the look of horror on the Ravenclaw's face.

At the thought of having to walk around school looking like a walking mascot, Hector slumped down at the Gryffindor table in defeat. James then patted his boyfriend's back in comfort while secretly congratulating himself. This was going to be more fun than he expected.

James knew that in order for the Ravenclaw's plan to work, he would have to stay in this farce of a relationship with James until before the final match of the season. That gave James over five months to make the Head Boy's life a living hell, and from the looks of things, he was going to enjoy every minute of it.

End of Chapter: Unleashed