Hey everyone, it's LW. Firstly, I want to apologise for how long it's taken to update this story. After the last update, I was just buried with personal issues which was followed by the ongoing pandemic. With what's been going on for me at home and what's been and is happening in the world, it's been really tough to get motivated or inspired to write.

I will say that this fic is close to being finished. I won't promise when I'll update, since I will most likely miss them, but I have gotten back to writing everyday, even if it's just a couple of sentences each time. Thank you all for your patience.

Chapter 26

It was an hour past noon when Harry and Teddy returned home to find Joseph and Draco in the lounge. Teddy immediately went to hug his cousin, before hugging Joseph too. The young wizard then rapidly began asking Draco several questions, most of which the blond answered.

"Teddy, how about you get cleaned up, and then you, Draco and Harry can fly your brooms" Joseph suggested, and Teddy immediately bolted up the stairs. "How was lunch with Molly and Arthur?"

"It was great," Harry replied as he sat next to Joseph. "Ginny joined us, and she and Teddy talked about the Harpies the entire time. What have you two been up to?"

"With the planning of the orphanage's buildings done, Joseph asked for help in looking for people who can help run the place," Draco said. "We've sent word out and asked our contacts to help. Mother also said that if you want to, she can recommend some people from her foundation."

Joseph nodded, setting the resume he was just reading before picking another one up. "I appreciate all the help you and your mother have given Draco, but I want to make sure that the people joining the orphanage's staff will be people who want to be there to help the kids, not because they will technically be neighbors with Harry Potter."

"What positions are you trying to fill?" Harry asked. "I can ask Hermione if she knows anyone who'd be interested."

"The one we need to fill immediately is the director position" Joseph answered.

"I thought you were going to be the director."

"With the amount of kids the orphanage can house, I'll be nearly as busy as the healers in St. Mungo's. After that, we'll need some live-in counsellors and psychiatrists, teachers, a couple more healers and maybe some mediwizards and mediwitches. Then there'll be the custodial and kitchen staff. We probably need an activities director, and some security personnel. I feel like I'm forgetting something."

Harry squeezed one of Joseph's hands. "Calm down, love. You don't need to know every single person who's going to be working in the orphanage right now. You've already figured out most of the essential staff."

"Harry's right. And once you hire someone to be the director, they can take over hiring and managing the staff" Draco added.

"Thanks guys" Joseph said, giving Harry a kiss on the cheek before turning to Draco. "Let's move on to something more interesting; how are things with Damian?"

Since that day Draco went with Joseph to the supermarket, he had asked Damian out. They had gone on four dates, and Draco learned that Damian is a muggleborn who was three years ahead of them in Hogwarts and was in Hufflepuff. He worked at that supermarket part-time and also worked in one of the shops in Diagon Alley.

"Things are going well," Draco replied, lifting his teacup to hide his blushing cheeks. "He took me to a nice restaurant for dinner and then we went to the cinema."

"Hermione and I invited you to come with us to the cinema once, and you declined," Harry reminded the blond.

"The reason I declined that time was because you were bringing your kids to see a children's film" Draco pointed out.

"And the bigger reason was because he didn't want to shag you" Joseph added with a smirk.

Draco glared at his friend. "I'm not going to dignify that with a response. So Harry, how has attending the staff meetings at Hogwarts been like?"

After the winter holidays, Professor McGonagall asked Harry to attend the staff meetings. They were held once a week, but meetings could be scheduled at any time if there was an important issue to attend to.

During these meetings, Harry sat on a chair in one corner of the room and watched as the staff discussed things like school events, lessons, students that needed special attention due to their grades or attitudes, and other things.

"It was a little overwhelming at first and I started to worry since I'll be taking an active role in the meetings soon, but as I got used to things, I started worrying less," Harry answered. "And Neville has been such a great help."

"Are there any serious issues with the school currently?" Joseph asked.

"There is one that McGonagall has been struggling with since the end of the war" Harry said with a sigh. "It's the collective anger targeted at Slytherins."

"So nothing's changed then" Draco said as he rolled his eyes.

"Things have gotten worse, actually. The students in Hogwarts were all alive during the war. They lost their homes, family and friends. That anger and resentment has just been bubbling inside them until they got to Hogwarts, and they came face to face with the house where the majority of Voldemort's followers came from."

"Hey, I know you're worried about it, but there's nothing you can do right now that will fix things" Joseph said as he pulled Harry into a hug. "Honestly, I don't think there's anything anyone can do to fix the rift between Slytherin and the rest of the houses. The scars are too deep and too fresh."

"So I should just forget the problem and ignore it?"

"Of course not. I'm saying that let the people who are actually working at Hogwarts take care of it for the time being. When you start teaching there, you'll see what it's like and be able to contribute better ideas to solving the problem."

Harry sighed, but nodded. It was then they heard rapid footsteps and Teddy soon returned to the lounge wearing his gear and holding his broom.

"I'm ready, let's go," Teddy said excitedly, heading out the back door with Harry and Draco.

Joseph soon followed, levitating the stack of resumes, and settled on the patio table. As he worked, he would look up from time to time to check on the boys and smiled at seeing several scenes; Harry and Draco getting back into their old habits and racing around the property, Teddy and Harry teaming up against Draco, and all three of them racing to catch the snitch when they released it.

The next time Joseph looked up was when he heard someone approaching and saw Teddy. "Is everything alright, Teddy? Do you want something to drink?"

"Everything's fine, and no thank you" Teddy replied. "I was just wondering why you weren't flying with us."

"It's sweet of you to want to include me," Joseph said with a small smile. "But I just don't like flying as much as you guys."

"You can just fly slowly," Teddy said. "I can fly next to you."

Joseph was about to decline and say he should finish his work first, but the look Teddy was giving him reminded him of all the times he wanted to spend time with his parents, but they were too busy with work.

"If you insist, then I guess I can take a break" Joseph said, and Teddy smiled widely. "Let me just get my broom."

Joseph returned a few minutes later with his broom, and after casting a few spells, he got on and flew to where the other three were.

"Well, here's something I thought I'd never see again," Draco said. "The last time I saw you ride a broom was when we were kids."

"Then you'll recall that I fell off after ten seconds," Joseph reminded his friend.

Draco rolled his eyes. "We were four feet off the ground."

"And for a six year-old, that was a scary experience."

The four of them began flying around, Harry staying close to Joseph the first couple of minutes since he was worried. Joseph assured his boyfriend that he had cast spells to make sure he didn't fall, and after a while, everyone was enjoying themselves. Harry and Draco returned to racing against each other, while Joseph and Teddy flew around leisurely while talking about things.

"So, the orphanage is going to be finished after summer, right?" Teddy asked, and Joseph nodded in response. "And dad will start teaching at Hogwarts too."

"That's correct. Is there anything bothering you?" Joseph asked.

"I was just wondering who'll be at home with me," Teddy replied.

Joseph had them stop flying and faced Teddy. "We're not sure of the specifics yet, but we have some ideas. Your dad will spend most of the week at Hogwarts, so he'll be back at home on weekends. I'll be working in the orphanage, but I'll make sure that we have our meals together. On some days, if you want to, you can stay at Malfoy Manor or at the Burrow. There's also the option of you just staying at home by yourself."

"You guys think that's a good idea?" Teddy asked.

"We discussed it, and you may still be a kid, but you know what to do and what not to do" Joseph replied. "And I think it will be good for you to start having some independence."

"Okay, but what if I need you guys for something?"

"If you need me, you can come to me directly or firecall me using the floo. And Harry promised he'd firecall home every night when he's at Hogwarts." Teddy nodded, but he still looked a bit unsure. "I also had the idea that, maybe, you could help out at the orphanage."

Teddy was surprised. "What? Why?"

"These kids we'll be taking in are going to be scared, and while the rest of the staff and I will do our best to help them, some of them might not be completely comfortable with us. As someone close to their age, they might be more open to you and you can help them feel more at home."

"So what, if they tell me their problems, I'm going to have to tell you or the other adults?"

"Not necessarily. You just have to talk or play with them. If they tell you about a problem that they're having, you can recommend that they talk to one of the staff members. The main thing that you'll have to do is just be a friend to them."

Teddy nodded and thought back. Even though he was still a baby when his parents passed, he recalled every story Harry and his nan told about his parents. It left a hole in his heart, and it was a lot harder to deal with because he didn't know anyone else who went through that. There was Harry, but he already had a lot of time to process his grief.

"So if I do help out, will I get my own office?" Teddy asked as they began flying again.

"Sure. It'll be called the play room" Joseph replied.

"Aw come on, can't we name it something cooler?" Teddy whined. "Like Teddy's Room of Awesome."

Joseph chuckled and shook his head. "We're sticking with the play room. And I don't see why you're complaining. The play room is going to be bigger than my office."

"How about we race? Winner gets to decide."

"That's hardly fair, I've only had half an hour of practice on this thing. That's like me challenging you to a potion-making contest."

Teddy laughed, and he and Joseph did end up racing, but just for fun. And he did slow down to Joseph's speed so that the older wizard was always just a couple of feet behind him. That night, Teddy still wondered if he should help out in the orphanage. He was worried about making things worse, or not being able to do anything to help at all. But then he thought that if he could help out some other kids who went through and are going through the same thing that he did, was there a good reason not to? At the least, he'll make some new friends. Whether he'll have a small or big impact, Teddy hoped that the kids that are going to be in the orphanage will eventually get adopted by a family who are just as loving and caring as his own.