Theo realized that he was two hours early but he didn't have anything better to do on New Year's Day. He also realized how pathetic that was but he couldn't be bothered to do anything about it. So he knocked on the door of 12 Grimmauld Place and waited. The street was silent, even at nine in the morning.

That changed entirely when Teddy answered the knock with a wide grin. Theo nearly stepped back as sudden chaos from inside the house spilled onto the stoop and pavement. "Hello!" the young boy greeted. "Theo?"

"Yes," Theo hesitated.

"You're early!" Teddy stepped back to let the first guest in. "We aren't ready yet."

Theo figured when he heard squealing laughs and muffled shouting from somewhere in the house. "Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Oh yeah," Teddy said with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "Harry blew up the kitchen again."

Theo realized that Teddy wasn't exaggerating when he stopped short at the doorway leading into the disaster area.

Flour floated in the air and formed thin layers on everything it landed on. There was batter on the counters, splattered syrup on the walls and cracked eggshells on the floor. In the middle of it all, Scorpius was bent over double, laughing so hard that he could barely breath, covered in sticky goop. He was laughing at the two men who were fighting over what seemed to be a bowl of pancake mix. Harry was losing, evidently.

"No. More. Cooking," Draco exclaimed over the whistling pots and clattering lids that were heating excitedly on the stove. "You'll poison us all."

"Let go!"

"I already told you I'd buy some-"

"I'll cook if I want! Go away!"

Teddy put his fingers in his mouth and whistled sharply, stopping the commotion. Everyone turned to look at him. "Theo's here," he announced, bowing low theatrically. "You may proceed."

Draco quickly got over his shock and directed his anger at his friend. "What're you doing here?" he snapped.

"Uncle Theo!" Scorpius cheered, rushing at the bewildered man.

"Oh no, you don't," Theo said as he staggered back and held his arms out to stop Scorpius from jumping all over him. "You're filthy, little man. You stay away."

Scorpius pouted and turned to his father. "Clean me," he demanded.

Draco glared at Harry one last time before stomping out the kitchen, leaving him to deal with it. He tugged Scorpius along to get him all washed up. Teddy tagged along.

Harry looked around the kitchen in defeat. Theo laughed when he saw that resigned look. "Would you like some help?" he offered.

Harry tilted his head at him dubiously. "Really?" he asked.

"Sure. I'm a fair cook. Better than Malfoy, at least."

So, less than five minutes later, Harry was cleaning up the mess while Theo set the knives to cut all the vegetables and started on scrambling some eggs. Neither of them spoke, not for the longest while. Theo was purposefully waiting for Harry to being a conversation. Harry wanted to start one but he just didn't know how to begin. So they worked on their own tasks for bit.

It wasn't until Harry had straightened up as much as he could that he joined Theo to see how the eggs were coming along. "You can add the mushrooms now," he suggested. Theo nodded and did so carefully, lowering the heat a bit so he wouldn't end up burning the eggs. Harry glanced at him out the corner of the eye. "Nothing to say?" he asked.

Theo smiled down at the steaming pan. "I'm sure everything's been said already," he murmured. "Or would you like to hear it all over again?"

"No. No, thank you," Harry laughed tiredly. "I was expecting it, that's all."

"I think dealing with Malfoy is a task in itself. I'm not going to add to the drama. Don't worry," Theo said as he flashed a sincere smile. "I'm sort of glad, actually. I thought Astoria was the only one who could handle him. I had forgotten about you."

"Well, we never did see eye to eye at school."

"True."

"And… I didn't know you were such great friends with Draco either. Back in school, I mean."

"We weren't."

"Oh?"

Theo shook his head and tasted the mushrooms, deciding on more salt. As he sprinkled some on, he continued. "No. I never liked him in school. He's got an unattractive personality."

Harry hid his smile. Theo had taken the words right out of his mouth. "I hadn't noticed…"

Theo laughed. "It's better now, Potter. Believe me. I can actually talk to him without hearing about the money stowed at Gringotts or Lucius' hold on the Ministry. The war really humbled him. I guess, after all the trials and court dates, I felt sorry for him."

Harry watched the pancake sizzle on the stove. He felt bad whenever he thought of how those days must have affected Draco. He must have felt so lost. "He's changed a lot, huh?"

"You have no idea."

"How did you two mend fences?"

Theo shrugged. "I guess I didn't have anyone either. Mother was never much help. Draco and I needed to trust someone, so we used each other. The rest is history, I guess."

"Hmm."

"And what about you two?" Theo scoffed. "Sunday brunch with the family? That's pretty… um… sad."

"It was supposed to be a night out yesterday," Harry carped. "This was what we finally compromised on. There's a lot of compromising that goes on around here."

"You went from New Year's dinner to brunch?" Theo snorted in derision. "Must have been some compromise."

"As long as Draco isn't seen in public with me, he's happy. Apparently I'm some kind of abomination."

"That horribly disfigured face of yours isn't helping, I suppose."

"Yes. It's hard to get accepted around here with my horribly disfigured face."

Theo snickered while Harry calmly flipped the pancake. "When I first read that Quibbler article," the former went on to say, "I thought it was a hoax."

"Mhm."

"Have you read it?"

"No," Harry said. "Just saw the pictures."

Theo whistled slowly. "Whoever wrote that piece had a serious obsession with you, Potter. If I saw you two out for a day in the park, my first thought would be that Malfoy somehow cursed you and was now forcing you to act like a dope because he threatened to murder your friends."

Harry smirked. "And?"

"This writer here was all praises. Harry Potter this, remarkable that, happy this, loving that, fascinating this, adorable that. Most likely a fangirl of yours. You could have kicked a dog in front of her and she'd have written something like, 'Harry Potter saw a young puppy in distress, being swarmed by billywigs, so he rescued the little thing by stomping the pests away with his magical tap shoes and then puppy grew curly golden fur in an instant, making it the most beautiful creature in all of existence thanks to Harry Potter.' That kind of crap."

Harry could hardly contain his mirth now. He was clutching his stomach as he laughed. "Wh-what else did she write?" he asked eagerly.

"The kids love you and you've changed Malfoy for the better, how it was meant to be and being happy came naturally to you. Flattering things. You wouldn't have been disappointed. Give it a read."

"I'd rather not," Harry sighed, finally able to control his amusement.

"I can't help thinking some of it's true, though," Theo divulged. "I mean… you do have a way of making Scorpius happy. Apparently it's worked with Draco too, if the photographs are any indication of it. I've rarely seen him laugh like that." He glanced at Harry. "You have managed to change him."

Harry ducked his head modestly. "I've just made him comfortable around me, that's all. It's not like he's incapable of laughing. It's just that he's self-conscious," he explained.

"Is this alright?"

"It… feels alright. I don't know if it really is alright. Scorpius doesn't mind and Teddy's gotten over it. People have stopped pestering us. Maybe it's alright now."

Theo looked at Harry strangely. "I was asking if the eggs looked alright," he clarified.

Harry flushed bright red. "Ah, oh, um, y-yes," he stuttered. "S-sorry."

Theo stared at Harry for a few uncomfortable seconds. Then he smirked suddenly as he started transferring the eggs into a bowl. "I'm just messing with you, Potter."

When Draco came down a little while later, he found Theo laughing as Harry retold that particularly embarrassing story about how Teddy and Scorpius had split them up with a few well-placed words and tears. Draco scowled at them. Harry never knew when to keep things personal. Theo glanced up at Draco when he noticed the audience, laughing even harder at his friend's expression. "What? It's funny, Malfoy," he snorted. "I told you Squirt's got you wrapped around his finger, didn't I?"

"That's allowed," Draco muttered. "He's my son. He's allowed to affect my decisions."

Theo held his hands up in surrender and nodded. "Alright, of course." He flicked his eyes at Harry after and whispered, "He loves pulling the Father card on me."

Harry guffawed. "I know."

Draco huffed and puffed with his arms crossed against his chest. "Are you two getting any work done or just shooting the breeze?" he snapped.

"We are your slaves, Master Malfoy," Theo gushed. "Please order us to do your bidding." He ducked behind Harry when Draco started rooting through the open drawers for a suitable and preferably sharp projectile to toss towards his friend's direction.

At eleven, Hermione and Ron rang the bell with their children in tow. They were pleasantly surprised when Scorpius and Teddy opened the door, wide grins and all, and the house smelled of warm syrup and apples. "Harry's managed a meal, has he?" Ron asked Teddy.

"He's had help," the boy chuckled. "Come on. We're setting the table now."

Hugo almost instantly slipped his hand into Scorpius'. "Can I sit wif you?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah," Scorpius faltered. He glanced at Hugo's parents and didn't see any kind of odd behavior. "Sure. Let's sit together."

"Me too!" Rose exclaimed. "I ate your cookies that day, Scorpius!"

"Mhm," Hugo nodded excitedly. "So yummy!"

"Next time can we help?"

Scorpius was rather staggered by all this. No one had ever asked him to play with them before, not with this much enthusiasm. So this was what it was like to be an older brother… He now knew what Teddy must feel. "Yeah," he said with an eager smile. "We'll bake together next time."

Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione were making curt introductions with Theo and Draco alongside Harry who was the mediator. "How was last night?" he asked the couple after seating them on one side of the table. Teddy sat beside Ron and Harry took the seat on the other end, by Hermione and opposite Draco. That left Theo to sit next to Hugo. Scorpius was sandwiched between the Weasley kids.

"It was great," Hermione answered. "Each year gets better. The children enjoyed it."

Ron scoffed quietly. "Hugo was passed out by ten, you mean," he mumbled as he poured himself some apple juice.

"Hey," Hugo frowned.

"That's okay," Scorpius told the boy patiently. "When I was your age, I could never stay up for New Year's Day. I was always so sad that I missed it. But when you get older, it becomes easier. There's always next year, right?"

"It was fun," Rose piped in. "We had hot chocolate and sat by the fire. There were fireworks that looked like snowflakes! It was pretty."

"Aw man," Hugo sighed. He always missed the best things.

"Oh, that's nothing," Harry said with a wave of his hand. "You should have been there that time when Uncle George and Uncle Fred lit Hogwarts with their fireworks. We had to cancel exams."

"Mhm," Teddy interjected. "It's true. Some of the classrooms still have black marks on the roof where the fireworks went off. It's really cool. You guys will see it when you come to school."

"That was some display," Theo murmured as he cut into his pancakes.

"I know, right?" Harry laughed. "Umbridge's face was the best."

"Serves her right," Ron exclaimed. "She was one crazy hag!"

"Remember her Inquisitorial Squad?" Hermione added.

The adults glanced at Draco who had been minding his own business, eating his toast. He felt their eyes on him and looked up. He had zoned out after hearing 'Umbridge' and now everyone was staring at him. That could only mean one thing. His brows knit together into a sour expression. "Circumstances," he said gruffly.

"Circumstances," Theo echoed in a raspy tone and pulled a comically smug and condescending face, much to Ron's amusement. Hermione covered her laugh with a small cough while her husband didn't even bother.

Draco glared at Harry who quickly dropped his smile and cleared his throat. "Anyway, those were some fireworks, huh? There were dragons and all, did you know that? You'd have loved it, Hugo."

"Dwagons? Oh…" Hugo gasped.

"They were show-offs," Hermione explained to her children, looking at them pointedly. "If you do something that wicked in school, you'll get in big trouble, alright?"

"Indoctrinating the children already, I see," Theo remarked.

"Never too early to start," Hermione retorted.

"Speaking of school," Ron interrupted after swallowing quickly, "heard from Neville, Harry?"

"No. Why?"

"Neville Longbottom?" Theo asked.

"He's my Herbology professor," Teddy answered. "He's pretty cool."

Ron had already continued. "He was pretty worried about you for a while there. Guess he didn't want you to know," he said. "Anyway, he's finally got some time off this summer."

"That's great!" Harry exclaimed. "Gosh, I haven't seen him in so long!"

"How does a badass like him become a Herbology Professor?" Theo wanted to know.

While Hermione glared at him for saying 'that' word (Rose and Hugo had no doubt picked up on it), Ron was chuckling behind his cup. "You don't remember him from before, do you?" Harry smiled. "His boggart was Professor Snape. That's right. Professor Snape. I mean, really?"

Theo was laughing by then. "Oh, yeah," he snickered. "He's the one who broke his arm, eh? With the rememberall."

Everyone looked at Draco again who tilted his head down even further and paid furious attention to his toast.

"What did Father do?" Scorpius asked. There was talk about someone breaking their arm and then all eyes were on Draco. That didn't bode well for him.

"Don't worry," Theo reassured the Weasleys. "Little man already knows his father was a bit of a bully in school."

Scorpius groaned. "You broke someone's arm?"

"No, he didn't," Harry was quick to come to Draco's defense. "It was Neville's first time on a broom and he lost control of it. When he fell and broke his arm, his rememberall fell out of his pocket."

"And then Draco decided it would be great fun to leave it up in a tree," Theo continued despite receiving a glower from Harry. "He never did know what fun was supposed to be. But Harry came to the rescue."

"Oh, oh! I know this part!" Teddy exclaimed, suddenly having caught on. He turned to the children and cleared his throat. "Then Harry, who had never been on a broom in hisentire life, soared up like he had been born to fly. Draco was being a great big bully but Harry didn't care. And when Draco threw the rememberall as hard as he could, Harry swooped down until he was a blur and caught it in one go before it could smash against the wall. And that's how everyone knew he'd be the best Seeker ever."

"Wow," Scorpius, Rose and Hugo gaped.

"That was a bit embellished," Harry clarified for the sake of modesty. "But I'll allow it."

"I was only eleven," Draco finally spoke.

"So were we," Hermione stated plainly.

"When's our next game, Harry?" Ron asked. "George and Ginny have been feeling a bit competitive lately."

"Soon, soon," Harry promised. "I'll bring Scorp and Draco along."

"Best not let Draco near a broom. He'd knock you off yours to win the game," Theo jibed.

"Oh, come on," Harry argued despite laughing.

"I'll get some coffee," Draco said quickly, shooting up out of his chair and storming out of the dining room.

"Uh…" Harry stared after him. "Um… Me too," he mumbled, following suit. Draco was already putting the pot out when he made it into the kitchen. "Hey? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine."

"Draco… You aren't even speaking to us."

"I didn't know I was required to speak."

Harry turned Draco around. "You said you'd behave," he murmured.

Draco was taken aback. "What? I am. What did I do?" he exclaimed.

"I'm actually trying with Theo here. Are you mad because I'm getting along with him and you didn't think I would?"

"Your friends aren't even looking at me, Potter! What do you want me to say? What do you expect me to do? Play nice like Theo? Don't pin this on me!"

"It's called being sociable. You should try it sometimes."

"Does making a fool out of me please you?"

"But you've been in a right mood since Theo showed up! This was our deal, wasn't it? You'd bring your friend and I'd bring mine and we'd be agreeable. You said that would be alright."

"Since when was it alright to gang up on me?"

"You're supposed to have a thick-skin, Draco. That's who you are, isn't it?"

"I'm not allowed to have feelings? I'm just supposed to sit back and take it in front of my son?"

"What's Scorpius got to do with this, Malfoy?"

"Oh, don't you dare…"

Harry shoved Draco back.

Draco blinked rapidly and in disbelief.

When Theo peeked into the kitchen to see if he could get in on some drama, he definitely found himself some. The men were swatting at each other's heads and kicking each other's shins while trying to keep as quiet as possible.

"Um. Hello?" he interjected, pausing the scene for a moment.

Harry and Draco turned their scowls at Theo. "What?" they barked.

"Something the matter?"

"No," Draco snarled as he jerked Harry forward and kissed him hard.

Harry was shocked into compliance, but just for a moment. Then he was beating his fists against Draco's chest, prompting Draco to tighten his hold.

Theo rolled his eyes and walked back to the dining table where Hermione and Ron were looking up at him expectantly. He jerked his thumb towards the kitchen and said, "They're in the middle of a pretty deep make-out session right now. I'll just let them be."

"EW!" Teddy whined while Hermione and Ron turned sickly green. The younger children didn't know what was going on, so they looked frantically from one adult to the next, hoping they got more information that way.

Meanwhile, Harry had managed to pull free and stumble back into the counter, furiously wiping his mouth. Draco stood where he was, arms crossed in front of him and jaw set in determination. "Your friends are antagonizing and prejudiced," he said sharply.

"They seem to like Theo just fine," Harry spat.

"I am not Theo! Why do you keep comparing us? We are nothing al-"

"Well, I'm starting to enjoy his company more than yours at… the moment…" Harry trailed off.

Draco hung his head in defeat. Even his shoulders slumped.

"Uh…" Harry murmured.

"Don't."

"But he's…"

"I said don't, Potter."

Harry brought a hand to his chin, rubbing it absently. "Hmm."

"Just listen to me for one bloody MINUTE!"

That's when Harry finally understood. His eyes widened and his anger dissipated into wonder as Draco pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are you jealous, Draco?"

"You shut up."

"Is that what this about? I'm getting along with Theo, so you're jealous?"

"That's not Theo," Draco growled, pointing a finger at the door leading into the dining room. "That is a blathering moron who's taking a damned dig at me and you're stringing him along. He's a bloody idiot with an ego the size of-"

"You think he's having a go at me?" Harry asked, wiggling his brows impishly.

Draco wrenched at his hair. "Fine. Whatever. Just do whatever you want. I don't care."

Harry reached out and tugged Draco forward by the shirt. "What're you getting jealous for?" he asked. "I kind of really like you, Draco."

"I don't care. I'm supposed to have a thick skin. Say what you want."

Harry felt so guilty that his stomach churned and his smile widened. "I'm so embarrassed for you," he mumbled. "You just threw a tantrum." He rested his hand on Draco's cheek. "I love you so much right now that it literally hurts, and that sucks."

"Good. I hope it keeps hurting," Draco grumbled.

"I might get along better with him, but I still like you better, okay? Don't worry. Okay, Draco?"

"Fuck off."

Everyone sitting around the dining table jumped in fright when they heard sudden clatter in the kitchen as pots and pans seemed to have fallen onto the floor. Hermione looked at Ron with wide eyes, then at Theo. "Are you sure they aren't fighting?" she asked nervously. "Because it sounds like they're fighting."

Theo shrugged. "Didn't look like fighting to me."

Ron blanched. Meanwhile Scorpius was trying to keep the Weasley children calm by pasting on a weak smile and telling them that Harry and Draco did this all the time and that there was nothing to worry about at all.

Less than a minute later, Harry strolled out with a pot of coffee in his hand and an air of nonchalance around him. Draco dragged his feet as he followed while rubbing the back of his head. Harry offered coffee graciously and Draco plopped down deep into his chair, picking up his fork to push his scrambled eggs around.

Theo leaned towards his friend and whispered, "That was quite a show."

Draco flicked his fork into a tighter grip and, with the prongs facing down, slammed it against the table, right where Theo's hand had been a second ago.

"Never mind that," Theo said casually. "Now where did we leave off?"

Nothing went according to plan for Draco that brunch. His toast was dry, the coffee was too burnt, Theo was being a prick, and everyone seemed obsessed with making him miserable. Why had he agreed to this? He could have saved himself the trouble and just kept Theo out of things. He could handle the Weasleys. What he couldn't handle was Theo and his damning, self-involved, loathsome smirk. He should have known. He should never have competed with Harry. Why had he even tried? Nothing ever went his way.

He jerked Theo into the living room after brunch was over. Everyone else was helping clean up, but Draco had a bone to pick with his friend. "What do you think you're doing?" he hissed.

Theo pulled his arm free. "What am I doing?" he wanted to know.

"You know exactly what-" Draco broke off with a harrumph. "Just what do you want?"

"Why would I want anything?"

"Then lay off, got it?"

"Lay off of what?" Theo asked, playing dumb and looking down at his fingernails with sudden interest.

"Lay off me!"

"Oh. Is that all? Alright." He moved to leave.

Draco forced him back while exhaling angrily. "Fine. Lay off Potter. Got it?" he muttered.

"Pardon me?"

"Besides, you aren't fooling him or me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Draco. Please help me out here," Theo patronized.

Draco stifled the sudden urge to knock a couple of Theo's teeth loose. "Do you just enjoy torturing me?" he asked. "Is that all this is? Because you've succeeded. You can go ahead a gloat now. But just stop doing that with Harry, okay?"

"You never cared with Stori."

Draco blinked at Theo and snapped his mouth shut. That was unexpected. "Uh… Okay," he said.

Theo tilted his head at Draco. "Or didn't you notice with Stori?" he went on to ask.

"I… um… You what? What did you do with Stori?"

"Man, Potter really messed you up," Theo said under his breath as he walked away.

"Wait! What did you do with Stori?" Draco asked in a panic.

Theo was already back in the dining room, being a model gentleman as he floated some of the leftovers into the kitchen.

In the meantime, Ron and Harry were by the sink, rinsing dishes quickly. "That was sort of fun," the former confessed. "Didn't think it would be."

Harry smiled in private. "It was fun because all you guys did was bring up dirt on Draco," he said. "He didn't appreciate it."

"Not like he doesn't deserve it."

"He does have feelings, Ron. I know he's easy to pick on, but-"

"Oh," Theo interjected and butted into the conversation. "Are we talking about Draco?"

"Of course not," Harry chuckled. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Just a hunch. Who else have we been picking on?" Theo winked. "And don't you ever sit still?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means what I said. You've been on the move since I got here." Theo pushed his sleeves up. "I'll wash up with Weasley."

"Oh, come on," Harry scoffed. "You're my guests."

"Well, you've got all of your guests working."

Harry glanced back sheepishly, watching the children reach up on their toes to put their plates on the counter under Hermione's supervision. "Yeah… I guess I do," he murmured.

Theo tugged Harry away from the sink. "It's fine, Potter," he said graciously.

Draco froze on his spot by the door when he was then privy to Theo sliding an absent hand over the small of Harry's back while telling him to take a breather.

It wasn't just jealousy. It was a memory.

On the night of the engagement party Astoria threw all those years ago, Theo had done this. He had rested a hand on her back and gently guided her away from the dishes, telling her she needed to enjoy the party instead of worrying about food.

Draco had definitely not felt the emotions he was feeling now back then.

"Draco."

He snapped out of it, blinking rapidly when he found Harry standing right in front of him, expecting some sort of answer. "Huh? What?" he faltered.

"Do you want dessert?" Harry spelled out. "What are you spacing out for?"

"I… I… uh… No. That's fine," Draco mumbled. Why hadn't he felt jealous when Theo flirted with Astoria? Had he been so confident that nothing would happen? Why wasn't he confident now? Didn't he trust Theo? Or did it have something to do with Harry?

"Hey…"

Draco stared at Harry blankly.

"Look," Harry sighed. "I… This…" He shook his head to himself and looked away, as though trying to figure out what he wanted to say. Then he smiled abruptly and sighed again. "Thanks, Draco." He looked up. "You're always doing nice things for me."

Maybe he just loved Harry more than he had loved Astoria.

That must be it.

He leaned in to press a soft kiss on Harry's lips.

Harry blushed in mortification and stepped away as fast as he could without seeming too conspicuous.

Unfortunately for him, Hugo and Rose were ogling them from a foot away.

"Ah, uh," he stuttered.

"They kissed!" the Weasley kids tattled in unison, pointing their accusatory fingers at the couple and looking back at their parents. "They kissed!"

Ron hunched his shoulders and scrubbed even harder, refusing to turn around, while Hermione got to pull her children aside and chide them for their lack of manners. Teddy covered his eyes with his hands theatrically and Scorpius looked eerily like Harry, blushing himself ruddy and looking everywhere but at a specific person.

Theo actually glanced around though, meeting Draco's eye. They held a silent conversation for just a second. Then Theo smiled in surrender and nodded once, much to Draco's relief. It was just a test.

He really hated tests.

As soon as the guests were gone and the children ran upstairs to play, Harry had yanked Draco back into the kitchen, pushing him against the wall and kissing him passionately. Draco still hurt from that previous kiss Harry had forced him into that had caused his head to smack against the cupboard and send pots and pans flying off the racks, but he wasn't about to deny these obvious efforts, especially not when these obvious efforts included groping hands moving halfway up his torso. "This is for being such a great sport," Harry hummed. "I like you the best."

"Apparently I do too," Draco mumbled into the kiss.

"I love you so much."

"I love you too…"