Harry sat at one end of the living room by the fire while all the Weasleys who could make it sat on the other side, filling up couches and overflowing onto the floor. It wasn't often that a family meeting was called and it was never Harry who called it. But everyone knew what the situation was, of course. News traveled fast along the Weasley family tree.

"In the past all of you have been so accepting of me," he said. "I want you to try and accept this decision as well."

"You know what Malfoys have done to this family," Percy muttered harshly. "I just don't understand you."

"I know. Of course I know," Harry responded with a sincere nod. "I know what's happened to you and I know how it feels. I also know how things have changed. I know how Draco's changed."

"Are you sure you aren't mistaking his intentions?" Angelica asked. "He's… Well, let's just say he's got a lot to gain with you on his side."

"But you all met his son," Harry tried. "You know what Scorpius is like. He's the sweetest boy, isn't he? And Draco's raised him that way."

"What would you like us to say?" Hermione interjected. "I mean, what do you want to tell us?"

Harry cleared his throat nervously. "I… I'm sure you've guessed it by now," he started. "I want you to give him a chance like I have. I know I don't have the right to say this, but he's… Look, not a lot of people gave him a second chance. He hasn't got anyone except his son. He's… he's alone, you know?"

"Fine. So you sympathize with him," Arthur agreed. "But why do you have to do more than that? Isn't sympathy enough for him?"

Harry blushed. Truth be told, sympathy was enough for Draco. He had been fine with asking for Harry's help and shaking hands on a platonic friendship. Unfortunately, that just wasn't enough for Harry. "I can't really explain what happened there," he mumbled quickly. "But that's not the point here. The point is that everyone is making a big deal out of this when it's not a big deal at all. So I'm dating someone. What's wrong with that? If it wasn't someone like Draco, you guys wouldn't even care, would you? That's prejudiced."

"Oh, don't turn this on us," George grumbled. "You know full well what you're doing. Otherwise you wouldn't have hidden it from us for so long."

"Contrary to what you might think, we didn't just decide to mess with everyone's head one day," Harry scowled. "We've talked this over a lot. We've looked at the positives and negatives. We know what it's like to be scrutinized. And frankly I'm fed up." He sat back and exhaled loudly. "I care about him and it just… it really hurts me when I hear people I'm close to talk about him this way."

"You're being unfair," Hermione pressed.

"I'm not asking you to greet him with open arms or anything," Harry argued. "As long as you aren't hostile or pulling your wands out at him, we're fine. As long as Scorpius isn't feeling uncomfortable, we're fine. Really. He'll stay out of your way. He's fine with that. You won't even know he's around. No more photographs or anything. I promise."

It was past nine by the time Harry got to the Malfoy Manor. Not a moment passed after Draco had opened the door for Harry to rock forward and slump against him. "Why do you love me, Draco?"

"Not for your melodramatics," Draco drawled as he pushed Harry away and made his way upstairs.

"I've got a million and one problems," Harry bemoaned as he dragged his feet on the steps. "Half of those problems are because of the Weasleys. I'm starting to think you're just a glutton for punishment."

"I told you you'd get nowhere with them, didn't I?"

"But why are they so unreasonable?"

Draco glanced back with a sly smirk as they stepped onto the dimly lit corridor. "They aren't sweet on me, that's why. You're that crazy uncle everyone has in their family. Do you realize that?"

Harry was about to reply with a hotheaded remark when the door to Scorpius' room creaked open an inch.

"Bed, Scorpius Malfoy," Draco warned.

"But Harry," Scorpius whined.

"Now."

"So mean," the boy said under his breath before closing the door with a sharp click.

"Yeah. So mean," Harry echoed for Scorpius' benefit. Draco pulled a face at Harry before continuing to walk to his study. Harry followed, of course. "Anyway, I talked to them and it doesn't look like I'll have to do too much damage control. I mean, they've already had a few months to mull things over. As long as you keep behaving, they'll come around before our birthdays."

"Our birthdays, hmm? That's not for another six months."

"Yeah… They can hold grudges very well. There was this one time five years ago when one of Charlie's friends from Romania-"

"I meant that you're expecting us to still be together in six months."

Harry paused, then frowned. "Um… Sorry?"

Draco invited him into the study and said, "I was just thinking out loud."

"That's not a very nice thing to think out loud about. Why wouldn't I think that far ahead?"

Draco didn't speak until he had sat down on his chair and shuffled through some parchments carefully. Harry felt irritation rising in him the longer he watched Draco, so he turned away and took a sudden interest in the dusty books that sat on massive shelves. Malfoy was getting on his nerves. What had he meant by that? Of course they were going to be together for another six months. They had already been dating for a year. He was pulled out of his silent musings when Draco cleared his throat. He looked back with an air of nonchalance about him. Draco was slowly writing now, his sleeve pulled up so he wouldn't drag it across wet ink. "How far ahead have you imagined?" he asked, his words light and almost uncaring.

Harry's frown deepened. He couldn't help thinking that Draco was jerking him around. "Well, sorry for being sensitive," he snapped. "I'll make sure not to expect much from now on." He harrumphed and turned back to the tomes that he couldn't make heads or tails of.

He didn't see Draco look up and smile.

Since he was a boy, Draco had had to rely on his father's money and status to get what he wanted. At school, he had been revered by the Slytherins. At home, he was the young master. He bought his way into the Quidditch team just as his father had bought his way into the Ministry.

After he had lost everything, if it hadn't been for his closest friends, he wouldn't have been able to get back on his feet. Without his father and mother to protect him, he often didn't know how to interact with people. Astoria was the first one who even attempted to get to know him, overlooking his caustic personality and condescending words. She was the first one to teach him to behave like a reasonably personable human being. And, after she left, he had Scorpius. Holding such a young life in his hands had humbled him considerably as well.

Now along came Harry Potter of all people. The man looked for a fight and he could take anything Draco dished out. He didn't mind the stuck-up Malfoy even though he seemed to prefer the considerate one. In fact, Draco often found himself wondering if he had duped Harry somehow. If Harry would, in fact, wake up one morning and leave like everyone else.

He propped his elbow on the table and leaned his chin on his palm. "Why do you love me, Harry?" he wanted to know.

Harry looked at him blankly, then blinked. "Huh?"

"I've got a million and one problems too. Isn't it too much work?"

"Too much work?"

"I'm not the easiest man to get along with. I know that. Astoria made sure I knew before she left me. Is it really worth all this work?"

Harry glanced away. Work. That sounded familiar. He and Ginny had 'worked'. They had worked at their relationship so much that all they seemed to do was work at it instead of enjoying it. But being with Draco didn't feel like work at all. At least, it hadn't until a few months ago. Now he was working harder than ever to keep things going. "I… kind of like this work," he answered hesitantly.

"You think it'll be worth it? In the end?"

"I do. You're worth it."

"Potter."

Harry smiled impishly. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I make you uncomfortable?" he baited.

"You wish," Draco lied as he returned to his work. Harry always knew how to make him uncomfortable, damn him. He kept on writing even as Harry walked to him. He wouldn't accept defeat. Harry leaned down and wrapped his arms around Draco's shoulders from behind. "I'm trying to work," he mumbled.

Harry rested his chin on Draco's shoulder. "I love… how good you look in suits," he said. "And I love the things you say."

Draco paused and turned to look at Harry. "You should know by now that I don't like to hear stuff like this," he said stiffly.

Harry pulled his arms tighter. "I love the way you carry yourself," he murmured. "I love everything you do for Scorpius. I love how hard you try to be good for your son. And me… I love that you love me. I think it's stupid and I love it."

"Harry…"

"I think I'm starting to love you more than anything in the world."

"Stop."

"Are you scared?"

"I… I just-You should stop."

Harry jerked his arms back, tipping the chair on its hind legs. Draco gasped as his stomach plunged so quick his heart nearly stopped. His hands came up to clutch at Harry and he held on tight while barely being able to touch the ground with the tip of his toes. Harry tilted his head down so he was inches away from Draco. "Are you scared now?" he whispered. Draco's eyes stayed on Harry's lips hypnotically. Harry slowly pitched the chair back even further. Draco let out a shaky breath and squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't reach the ground now. His fingers dug into Harry's arms. Harry smiled when he felt it. "Do you think I'll let you fall?" he asked.

"I don't know…"

"Are you scared?"

"Yes."

"Good. Me too." Harry kissed him gently. "I love you." He stepped forward, pushing the chair upright. Draco let go of Harry and gripped the edge of his desk, trying to catch the breath he had lost. His head was spinning and his heart was running away on him. He looked up when Harry came around beside him. He was still speechless when he was straddled. "You know," Harry drew out, his hands making their way down Draco's chest, "you really do look great in suits. That's not fair."

Rose and Hugo sat on the floor of their playroom, holding one golden cookie each and examining it with a critical eye. Harry knelt in front of them with an eager beam. The siblings looked at each other after a minute of inspection and nodded before taking a small bite.

"Mmm!" Hugo hummed almost instantly, chewing on the sugary treat with gusto. "Yummy!"

Rose wasn't so quick to give her verdict. She swallowed her first bite and pondered it for a bit. Then she took another larger bite and chewed on that, all the while looking off into the corner. Only then did she nod in approval. "This is nice, Uncle Harry," she said.

"I'm glad," Harry told them. "It's the first time I've made cookies and I only had Scorpius to help me. We didn't have any cookie cutters, so they're just round boring ones. But next time we'll make shapes."

"And icing," Rose added. "Icing is awesome."

"Of course," Harry agreed. "It's a very messy job, baking."

"I know. Grandma always has a messy kitchen after we're done baking," she remarked. "But it's fun. I like baking."

"With Scopiush?" Hugo asked after gobbling his cookie and then showing his empty hands to Harry, obviously wanting another cookie now. "Can I come?"

"Next time you can both tag along," Harry said as he held out a cookie for Hugo. "Maybe we can try a cake next?"

"Yeah!" Rose exclaimed. "Chocolate!"

"Of course. That's Scorp's favorite."

"Mine too!"

Not wanting to be outdone, Hugo echoed, "Mine too!"

"Uncle Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you angry with Mummy and Daddy?"

Hugo arched his brows and tilted his head when he heard his sister's question. "You are?" he gushed. "Uh oh."

Harry sighed in defeat. "Does it seem like I am?" he asked.

"Mhm," Rose nodded. "How long are you going to be angry for? They don't like it."

"Did they tell you that?"

She smiled sneakily. "I heard them," she conspired.

"Gif 'em googies," Hugo garbled through his full mouth, spraying crumbs everywhere. He pointed at the tin of cookies to emphasize his point.

"Yeah!" Rose thought it was a good idea. "Give them cookies and then you'll be friends again. It's easy."

"Well, that might work on Ron," Harry thought over.

The three of them looked up at the doorway when they were interrupted by a short cough. Rose blushed brilliantly when she saw her parents standing right there, obviously having eavesdropped on their secret meeting. Hugo grinned to show his brown teeth. Harry held in his chuckle when he noticed Ron's bemused smile and Hermione's incredulous expression. "We need to talk, Harry," she murmured before stepping out into the corridor.

Hugo laughed at his sister's face. "Rosie's in rubble!" he shouted.

"I'm not," Rose snapped. "Uncle Harry is. Not me."

Harry left the two of them to bicker amongst themselves and walked out into the hallway to join his friends. "What do we have to talk about?" he asked them.

Ron let his wife take over. Hermione stood up straight and met Harry's defiant look. "I was just wondering what your plans were for New Year's Eve," she started off by asking.

Harry wasn't expecting that question, so he didn't really know how to answer that. "I'm not sure yet," he said, flicking his eyes at Ron to see what was going on. Ron kept his eyes on Hermione, studiously feigning nonchalance.

Hermione nodded once and took a breath. It seemed like that breath was to calm her nerves and gather up some courage. Now Harry was thoroughly intrigued. "Would you like to join us for the night for fireworks at the park?" she asked.

"Uh…"

"We're taking the children as well. They've never been."

Harry was in a tough bind now. Hermione was waiting for an answer expectantly. "I…" He trailed off. How should he put this? "I was… planning on spending the day with Draco and Scorpius," he hesitated.

"Yes, I know," she said.

"So… I can't come."

"You could bring them along?"

Harry's jaw dropped.

Hermione pursed her lips at his reaction. "You couldn't have actually expected us to pretend like Malfoy wasn't around, did you? We'd hardly ever see you if we did that, Harry. We're trying. Honestly."

"I-I-You… You wouldn't mind?" Harry stuttered. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I just wish you'd give us some credit here," Hermione said with an affected sniff. "We are more than able to behave in a civil manner around him. You know that. You don't have to hide him away or anything. If you're going to be with him, then we've got to meet him. We're your best friends."

Harry couldn't believe his ears. "Ron?" he faltered.

"Whatever she said."

"No way."

"Draco."

"No way, Potter."

"Please? They're being so nice."

"Harry," Draco said slowly. "I said no."

"But why? We'll be together the whole time. Scorpius will have fun with their kids. And it's just fireworks. What were we going to do that night, anyway? Sit around bored out of our minds."

"Remember the last time we went out together?"

Harry rolled over and frowned at Draco's determined expression that he could clearly make out even though it was dark in the room. He raised his hand, resting his thumb on Draco's chin, just under his lip. "This sounds like a swell idea, Harry," he mimicked as he moved his thumb to make Draco's mouth open and close. "Let's go hang out with your best friends in the whole entire world and have a fantastic New Year's kiss. You're the best, Harry." He let go of Draco's chin with a smug smirk. "Why, thank you, Draco. You're too accommodating. It will be rather fantastic. Goodnight." He rolled over again and pretended to fall asleep.

Draco watched Harry's back for a long while. The word 'infuriating' didn't quite cut it when it came to Potter. He scooted forward and curved his body to fit Harry's shape. "I thought you loved me more than anything else," he whispered.

Harry stifled his sigh. "What's that got to do with anything?" he grumbled.

"Why do you insist on making me miserable? You know I'll be miserable. You shouldn't care what other people think of me," Draco murmured. "It shouldn't matter. If you love me more than anything, you wouldn't make me do things I don't want to do."

"That's not reasonable. Both of us have to change."

Draco made Harry turn around when he heard this. "What have you sacrificed for me?" he asked boldly. "Have I ever made you do anything you don't want to do?"

Harry stared at Draco without saying anything because he just couldn't believe the answer was no. How could the answer be no?

"After last time," Draco continued, "I don't think I'll be able to go through it again. I don't want to watch Scorpius go through that again." He leaned in to press his forehead against Harry's. "Please don't force me to do things I don't want to do."

Harry tucked his head down quietly and nodded as a sudden weight appeared against his chest, making it ache. He couldn't believe the answer was no… Draco had honestly never made him do anything he didn't want to do. Not really. It was always him who was pushing Draco into strange situations that ended up becoming disastrous. He squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't do well with guilt. Of course he was guilty of taking advantage of Draco's hesitance. His stomach rolled. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Seriously?"

Harry opened his eyes in confusion upon hearing Draco's amused tone. "Huh?"

Draco nudged Harry's chin up so they were at eye-level again. "Have you bowed down to my will, Harry Potter?" he asked.

"Um."

Draco slipped his arms around Harry's neck and settled deeper into his pillow with a yawn. "Why on Earth would I want to sit outside in the cold and watch fireworks? That's not my idea of fun."

Harry realized that Draco had been playing with him. Again. He always fell for it. "But it's true, isn't it?" he reasoned in an attempt to save face. "You've never made me do anything I don't want to do."

"That's because you don't have an opinion on anything and you're too easy to influence. Not my fault I'm more stubborn than you are."

"Oh."

"I never saw the appeal in fireworks, in any case."

"Hmm."

"I don't fancy snogging you in public either."

"Mhm."

"And I don't like your best friends in the whole entire world."

"Yeah."

"In fact, I don't want to like them."

"That's not nice."

"Harry."

"Hmm?"

"Are you still going to force me to go?"

Harry didn't feel like it anymore. "No," he sulked. "You're too mean."

"Good," Draco said in triumph. He closed his eyes and gloated.

"I'm inviting them over."

He deflated instantly. "You're what?"

"The morning after, we'll have brunch together. That's alright, isn't it? We won't be outside in the cold and no one will take pictures. There won't be fireworks. You can kiss me all you want the night before. We'll have New Year's brunch together," Harry said. "I'll tell them tomorrow."

"Potter."

"We're going to be eating breakfast in any case. What's wrong with having a few more people to share it with?"

"This is my house."

"Fine. We'll eat at my place."

"I'm bringing Theo, then."

Harry gawked at Draco. "What?"

Draco scowled. "If you're bringing your best friends along, then I'm bringing mine," he said.

"But Theo's… mean like you."

"That's my best friend you're talking about, Harry. It's only fair, after all."

After pulling faces at each other for a few minutes, Harry seceded reluctantly. "But you'll regret it, Malfoy," he muttered.

"We'll see about that."