When everyone returned to Grimmauld Place, they piled out of the car and headed inside.
"Everyone go get settled, Aggie and Leaf already brought your trunks back from the station. Lunch in 30 minutes."
None of the children complained, they simply went up to find their rooms.
Draco went to his as well to cool down. He was pacing his room taking deep breaths, running his hands through his hair repeatedly.
There was a knock on his door. Draco stopped and shook out his body, regaining his composure before answering. It was Harry.
"Hey, can I come in?" he asked quietly.
Draco moved to the side to make way for Harry to enter. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, facing Harry, but looking at the floor.
"Draco, I'm so sorry." he started.
"It's fine."
"Is it? I don't even know how I'd react if I saw Luna with someone else so soon after we split."
Draco shrugged, "I'm not upset about Astoria, especially after" he waved his hand between himself and Harry, "I'm mad that Blasie didn't tell me. What a prick. He's my best mate" He shook his head.
They stood in silence.
Harry took a sliding step up to Draco, who was still leaning against the door.
Draco finally looked up to him, slouching as he was, he was eye level with Harry.
Harry leaned forward and kissed him, leaving space between their bodies.
This kiss was not like yesterdays, fast and nervous and eager, and it was not like this morning's, a normal everyday kiss.
No.
This was slow, deliberate. The space between them remained.
Their lips caressed each other quietly. Harry tenderly nipped Draco's bottom lip before pulling away, taking a step back.
Draco's eyes remained closed and he leaned his head back against the door. He offered up a great sigh.
"I need to get down for lunch. Are you coming?" Harry broke the silence.
Draco nodded and moved from the door, "I'll be down soon."
Harry left his room silently and went down to the kitchens.
X*X*X*X*X
Ten kids sat around the long rectangle table with Harry and I squeezed in at either end. Lunch was nearly over, and I'd said very little as the kids fought for Harry's attention. They wanted to tell him about this adventure or that, talk about their teachers, or the new spells they were learning. I spent this time trying to remember their names.
Jeremiah was easy. 7th year at school, the oldest of the group and looked a bit like Harry.
Olivia and Meagan were both 6th years.
Meghan was a metamorphmagus, though she mostly looked like a regular, mopey teenager.
Olivia always looked like she was ready for a fight. Harry said she was quick with her wand and was advanced in her defense classes.
Jason had fire red hair and he loved Herbology. He was trying to talk Harry into letting him get a Mimbulus mimbletonia. 4th year.
Chloe was a blonde 4th year. She talked a lot about a boy named John.
Sarah had dark brown hair that was pin straight, and she was smart as a whip, 3rd year.
Devin and Darla were twins, though you'd barely be able to tell. Darla had white blonde hair and Devin's hair was a darker chestnut. None of their features were similar, but their attitude and sarcasm were definitely identical. Both were in 2nd year.
Benny was very quiet and spoke very little. He was in his 1st year at Hogwarts and had lost his mother just before coming to the school.
Alexis was a first year as well, but had been living at the younger orphanage until she came to school. She had long dark red hair that hung in tight coils around her freckled face.
Ten kids lived here. That was a lot.
Were they always this talkative?
Over the summer they were here for nearly three months.
'You only agreed to stay until after the Holiday.' my thoughts reminded me.
That reminded me that I wanted to talk to Harry. Well, I wanted to and I didn't want to. I didn't want to have that talk. I could probably put it off until after Christmas, at least, though it would only be nagging at me until then.
As some of the kids finished, they left the table to do whatever it is normal children do during Holiday break. Jeremiah, Harry and I were left sitting.
"Are you excited for your birthday?" Harry asked him.
"Am I excited to do magic whenever I want? Fuck yeah I am."
"Language." Harry said.
"You say fuck."
"I'm an adult. And I don't say it around you. Or the other kids."
Jeremiah rolled his eyes, "so after my birthday, I can say fuck whenever I want?"
Harry sighed, "sure. Just not in front of the younger kids."
"It's so cute that you think they don't curse." Jeremiah teased.
"What I don't know, won't hurt me."
I was amazed at their dynamic, more friend/mentor than what I had expected. The younger kids really looked up to Harry and revered him, but it was as though Jeremiah was not impressed by the fact that he was Harry Potter, The Chosen One.
"I thought you two hated each other?" He pointed back and forth between me and Harry.
"Don't believe everything you hear." I said.
"So when Harry called you a nasty, good for nothing ferret, it was out of admiration?" he smirked.
Harry paled as I glared at him from across the table. "Still, with the ferret thing?"
"Jer, stop making trouble. Go do something else."
"Aye aye, Harry Potter, Sir."
"Stop."
"Still, with the ferret thing?" I asked again when Jeremiah had left the kitchen.
"He heard me say that like, two years ago. I don't think that counts for anything."
I glared at him for another moment before letting up.
"What do you usually do with all the kids here?"
"Nothing in particular. I just try to keep myself available if they need anything. Some of them are more interested in talking than others. Tonight they'll just kind of do their own things as they settle in. Tomorrow night we're having a muggle christmas movie marathon, then Christmas the next day."
I had no idea what a muggle christmas movie was, I decided not to ask.
"Honestly," Harry continued, "everything is the same when they're here. Well. not everything." he looked at me with a smile.
"After that, they spend a lot of time doing homework or studying, none of them are worried about O. this year, but Jer has N.E.W.T.s coming up. He's not big on studying, though. They just do what normal kids do. We're just here to support them and help them and make sure their needs are being met."
I didn't really know what needs children had, other than food, water, and shelter. Merlin knows my childhood home was never a warm and cozy place to live. "You did really well last night . . . you handled it wonderfully. I just wanted to tell you, so you aren't as doubtful about . . . whether or not you should be here" Harry's words came back to me from the other night. My chest rose a little. I had messed up, but I apologized, I'd been forgiven, and I was ready to make sure something like that never happened again. I could do this.
"Can we talk later?" he asks me, "after the kids are in bed?"
"Sure." I say, swallowing my fear and doubt.
He left the kitchen. It was only about two in the afternoon and there was a lot of the day left for me to panic over what he wanted to talk about.
X*X*X*X*X
Draco knocked on my door around ten. Jeremiah had just gone to bed and I nodded to let him know to come to see me. I had conjured a couple chairs for use to sit in. I was incredibly nervous to have this talk with him, my palms were sweating and my heart was racing.
I opened the door. He looked as nervous as I felt.
"Hey. come in." I said.
He came in and stood to the side of the door.
"Uh, sit down," I managed, hoping he didn't hear the shaking in my voice.
He silently took the chair closest to the door, I would have done the same. I sat across from him near the window.
"Sooo, this is . . . hard for me to say." I started. Draco looked at me blankly, no doubt putting his mind in a place to prepare him for the worst.
"Uh, I really like you. A lot." His eyes flickered to mine, a hint of surprise behind his silver irises, then moved back to the floor. I continued to talk, "but, I can't just unload the information that Luna won't be around anymore and I've kind of taken up a relationship with Draco Malfoy two days before Christmas."
He looked at me again, not pulling away his gaze.
"I, uhm, I don't know if we're calling it that, a relationship, that is. I just wanted to, I don't know."
"Okay." he said quietly.
"Uhm so like, what do you want to call it? Or, you know, we don't have to call it anything. I'm not expecting anything from you. If you'd like, just say the word, and we can pretend that what happened the other night didn't happen and we can continue to be just associates."
"Over my dead body." his eyes were shining and he was still staring at me, my chest filled with relief. A smile I couldn't damper spread across my face.
"Okay." was all I was able to get out.
"We never went over the house rules." he said to me.
I nodded, "no, we didn't." I walked over to my night stand and pulled out a notebook, "I kind of came up with a couple of new ones, you know, for us to follow specifically."
He smiled at me. I pulled my chair next to his and opened the notebook.
"Okay, the rules for the kids are pretty simple, no dueling, no magic, boys or girlfriends are allowed to visit, but doors must remain open at all times. And don't let Livvy fool you, they have a girlfriend and they may not have their door closed. Their only household chore is keeping their room clean, and they only have to do that before they leave for school or before an inspection, otherwise, it's their space, they can keep it how they want. Uhhh . . . they can earn an allowance by doing other chores, but that's their own choice"
"Who's Livvy?"
"Olivia."
"Okay."
"so that's basically the rules for the kids. I don't have actual rules for us just . . . guidelines to follow." He nodded, "Uhm, no - no kissing outside of our rooms, we can't really risk the kids seeing us, uh, before I tell them." I felt the redness creeping up my neck, "we, unfortunately, shouldn't sleep in the other's rooms."
Draco had swiveled in his chair and was now rubbing circles on my knee, releasing goosebumps up my thigh, "bummer," his voice was low.
"Mhm." I struggled to focus, I needed to get this out. I stood to move out of his reach.
"Uh, I just need you to understand something." I looked at him as I stood beside my nightstand, leaning against the wall, "The kids are always going to come first. I can't imagine a situation where I won't put the kids before myself, before you, before us. Not just these kids here tonight, but all kids that come through here will always be my priority." I meant it in every way. The way I felt about protecting and loving these kids was a role I wasn't willing to ever give up, not for anyone.
Draco stood and walked up to me, mimicking my movements from the night before, he put one hand on the wall behind me and ran his fingers lightly down my arm.
"Harry James Potter," he breathed; I lost mine, hearing my full name come out of his mouth, "I would never expect or ask anything less of you."
"Shit." I was breathless.
At the moment, my rules went out the floo. I wanted him to stay in my bed all night, every night, letting me kiss and explore every part of him. He smiled at me in a devious way that I'd seen a hundred times before, but this one was meant for me. I pushed forward off the wall and our lips met in the middle. He pulled me close to him, lifting me to my toes. He pulled away far too soon.
"Well, I guess I should get to bed."
I pretended to pout at him, "that is so rude." I grabbed his shirt and pulled him close, he covered my mouth with his hand.
"Sorry. My boss says that there's an open door policy when someone has their boyfriend over." he shrugged, "nothing I can do."
I tried to hide my smile and glare at him, but it didn't stick.
"Goodnight, Potter."
"Night, Malfoy"