Draco Malfoy and His Happily Ever After:

Author's Notes: This is the sequel to Draco Malfoy and His Unknown Fate which I strongly recommend that you read before starting this. No, really. Please, please read that first.

Warnings for this chapter: Language.

Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. I'm merely borrowing them for the time being. This is slash. Don't like it? Don't read it. Otherwise, enjoy.

While Diagon Alley wasn't as busy as it usually was after students received their Hogwarts letters, it was a close thing. The bustling crowd, incredible sights and sounds, not to mention the sheer chaos of the place was reassuringly familiar. The crooked buildings and bumpy cobblestone streets were comforting after Draco's brief time in the Muggle world, awful place that it was. Remus and Sirius chatted politely with the teenagers, but their eyes were constantly scanning the streets with wary vigilance. Draco had his own wand tucked away inside his back pocket, which was covered by his shirt tail, but still easily accessible.

Pansy surveyed the various shops the way a general would size up the terrain of a battlefield. Harry was chewing nervously on his bottom lip and if he'd been able to, Draco might have possibly held his hand to reassure him. However, with a constant flow of people passing them not to mention the fact the Daily Prophet was within walking distance, Draco thought better of that particular idea and settled for a friendly clap on the shoulder. Sometimes, he really hated the fact he couldn't touch Harry in public; sometimes not touching the other boy was almost painful. In fact, the level of longing he felt towards Harry often unsettled him.

Draco smiled and teasingly nudged Harry's shoulder. "Don't worry, Harry. It's only awful after the first half hour."

"Oh, lovely." The Gryffindor replied sarcastically, folding his arms over his chest.

"Stop dawdling. Our first stop is Lockhart's Wonderful Wardrobe for Wizards." Pansy rolled her eyes at the completely horrified looks of all four males. "He may be a complete nincompoop, but the man knows his way around fashion."

"Um. Is that really necessary?" Sirius asked, desperation creeping into his voice.

"Yes." The Slytherin girl said firmly, giving him a look. The others snickered at the way his face fell until she turned that same implacable stare on them. Yes, she was definitely a match for Snape. Draco wished them both the best of luck; they deserved each other. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

The group started walking as one, heading towards a nearby shop where a gaudy, gold awning with thin purple stripes fluttered in the afternoon breeze. Sirius took a deep breath, his footsteps faltering for only a moment. "Once more unto the breach, eh?" He said, ruffling his godson's already messy hair.

Remus' mouth twitched upwards in a smile. "Quite right, Padfoot."

"And what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger." Draco chipped in with the most Slytherin of phrases. Harry nodded bravely.

"We can do this. I can do this. After all, I've faced Voldemort. What's a bit of shopping in Lockhart's store compared to that?

"That's the spirit!" Sirius said loudly in agreement.

Pansy managed to hide her laughter at their expense quite well, but Draco had known her long enough to be able to tell that she was silently mocking them.

"And here we are. Do try to behave." She fussed, obviously fretting that they'd embarrass her in the store.

"Yes, Mother."

"Draco. Just get inside before I decide to buy you violet robes."

"Right. My apologies."

Pansy shooed them inside the store and shut the door behind them with an ominous click. The sound of magically enhanced chimes filled the store, making Harry wince at the loud and overly cheerful sound. A voice piped up from the back. "My, my! I've got customers! Well, come in!" Lockhart swept into the room by way of a little curtained alcove, smiling brightly at them. His hair was curled in long ringlets and his outfit was baby blue with royal blue accents and a ruffle at his throat. Draco averted his gaze, hoping that if he didn't make eye contact Lockhart would ignore him. Plus, all that blue was blinding. What was the man thinking? Ruffles? "Welcome to Lockhart's Wonderful Wizard Wardrobe!" He said theatrically, flinging an arm out to gesture to the rest of the shop.

"Er. Isn't it Lockhart's Wonderful Wardrobe for Wizards?" Harry asked hesitantly, one dark eyebrow arching up in a way he had to have stolen from Draco.

"Oh. Um, so it is." Lockhart said, making a 'Hmm.' face as if this was news to him before quickly changing the subject. "And bless my little slippers if it isn't Harry Potter! I remember you!" That was not surprising. Lockhart's memories were few and most likely each was treasured; this new life of his had began after he'd been Obliviated and no doubt seeing Harry and the Weasel was one of his first recollections. He beamed at Harry, his blue eyes bright and a bit vacant.

Harry stared miserably at his own scuffed sneakers, his shoulders hunching once more. His right hand automatically came up to smooth his fringe over his forehead. "Yeah." He mumbled, obviously uncomfortable. Draco decided to take charge.

"Well, that's all very well then, isn't it? But we've some shopping to tend to and if you're quite finished gawking at my companion I would like some service." He said with a perfect, upper-crust accent in his most obnoxiously arrogant manner.

The storeowner was visibly flustered for a moment. "Oh, yes. Yes, of course. What exactly are you looking for? We've some lovely summer robes! And all my designs have a special charm to tailor fit your clothes perfectly. It's wonderfully convenient for growing boys like yourself."

"Really? These look nice." Pansy stepped in, directing Lockhart's attention to a nearby rack as she questioned him closely on what sorts of styles and materials he used.

The wizards loitered around the shop while Pansy did her thing, making faces at the occasional ridiculous outfits they came across. Sirius was particularly amused by a bright yellow matador jacket that had been paired up with dark green breeches and shoes that had little pom-poms on the toes. Draco teasingly offered to buy Harry a set of light pink robes with dark purple lining, but the Boy Who Lived was understandably quite adamant in refusing the offer.

The Slytherin girl seemed to immediately realize which cuts and colors would flatter Draco and was quite generous with her coin when it came to her purchases. She, unlike Lockhart, understood the difference between stately elegance and flamboyance and Draco trusted her discerning taste implicitly. After half an hour or so Pansy had a collection of bags holding a profusion of robes that were so diverse it made his head swim just to think of it. Remus shrunk them all and pocketed them while Lockhart prattled on in the background. No one paid him any mind and Draco, for one, was not in the least interested about how well Lockhart embroidered.

"Harry, what do you think of these?" Pansy asked, batting her lashes at Harry who eyed her warily.

"They're uh. They're okay I guess."

The dark blue velvet robes were very nice, Draco had to admit. And they'd look stunning on the Gryffindor too. "Here, why don't you try it on? And these green robes would look good on you too."

"No, um. That's okay. I don't need robes or anything, but thanks anyway. "

"Intensive Care Unit, Harry." She reminded him sweetly.

Harry jumped nervously. "Right, right. I'll just go try these on."

By the time they left Harry had three dress robes which was quite an accomplishment seeing as how Pansy had wanted him to get three more. The Gryffindor's utterly stubborn disposition seemed to have come in handy once again. However, when Lockhart started suggesting that Harry buy what appeared to be a very skimpy toga, Draco decided it was time to leave and he dragged the dark haired boy out of the shop by his hand with the others following them at a slower pace.

They exited the shop quickly, all the males sighing with relief as soon as they were free. "That was awful." Harry said, sending one last hunted look at Lockhart who was waving at them cheerfully from the glass window in the door. He made a face and quickly turned back around.

"We all suffer for the sake of fashion." Pansy said primly, leading them along the street. They were in passing the owl emporium when she spoke up again. "You have muggle studies this year, right Draco?"

"Yes." The blonde said sulkily at the unwelcome reminder. He didn't want to think about it at all until he absolutely had to. Sirius shot him an amused look that the Slytherin proceeded to ignore. "What of it?"

"Well, you have to dress in muggle clothes in that class to get full credit. And I know a shop right around the corner that sells them. Muggle Mania, I think it's called. It's very trendy. I know Parvati Patil has shopped there and Lavender Brown swears by it. She wore this adorable mini-skirt and her mother pitched a fit. Which was understandable of course. The skirt was scandalously short! Even Hooch's robes last year at the Valentine Ball didn't even begin to compare."

Draco grimaced at her. "No more gossip, please Pans. My brain feels like it's imploding."

"Amen to that." Sirius interjected, rubbing his temples.

"Men." Pansy sighed.

"Women." Harry shot back under his breath. Draco couldn't help but snicker at his exasperated tone, which made Pansy punch him in the arm.

"Ouch. I didn't even say anything!" He protested, nursing his arm. He was probably going to bruise! She might not have looked like it, but Pansy could really wallop someone when she put her mind to it.

Pansy sniffed. "I can't punch the Boy Who Lived." She said incredulously. "So I punched you instead." Her logic was utterly incomprehensible, but with Pansy that was nothing new. She was a girl after all and a Slytherin one at that.

"Right. Of course. I see how that makes so much sense." Draco said scathingly, moving so the Gryffindor was between them. "Just make sure to beat up on someone else the next time Harry says something stupid. Share the pain, as it were."

"That's very generous of you, Draco." Remus said dryly, adjusting his rather full pockets.

Draco smirked. "I certainly think so." He looked up at the last minute, eyeing the store with fervent animosity. Muggle Mania had weird posters taped up all along it's front and the mannequins in the display window were wearing really odd outfits. The one in the striped uniform was particularly puzzling. "This store looks suspicious to me."

"Oh, just get in!" Pansy said in exasperation, pushing him inside. Draco tried to dig in his heels, but Harry gave him a look and he capitulated with a pout. He'd had quite enough of muggles for one summer, thank you very much. But this was something he required for school and it was better to have Pansy (who had impeccable taste) and Harry (who was knowledgeable about all things muggle) along to help him pick out clothes. He had no desire to make himself a laughingstock in class, so obviously going along with this was the lesser of two evils in the long run.

Draco found himself fascinated despite his prejudices and he and Pansy sorted through the racks together, picking out outfits that would flatter Draco's trim body and pale coloring. He actually had to try on these clothes, but it didn't take too long. He was one of those people who could pull off almost everything.

The jeans were his favorite, mostly because wizarding clothes were always so modest and he did so love to show off his physique. The jeans clung to the curve of his arse and thighs. Draco was amused to note that when he'd come out of the changing room to get a second opinion, the Gryffindor could barely tear his eyes away from Draco. Pansy bullied Harry into getting some decent clothes for himself, picking out colors that went well with his dark hair and tanned skin and shoving him inside the changing rooms with a few threats to ensure he tried them on. Sirius bought himself some clothing too, while Remus poked around curiously in his usual easygoing way.

After they made their purchases, they stopped by Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor for sundaes. Draco sat down at one of the outside tables with a satisfied sigh and dug into his treat. "If I never have to go shopping again it'll be too soon."

"Oh, don't be such a spoil sport. Admit it, you liked shopping in Muggle Mania."

"It was alright." He finally conceded before turning his attention to savoring the spoonful of ice-cream and hot chocolate sauce that was melting on his tongue.

"There, that wasn't too hard to admit, was it?"

"Yes." He said gravely, licking his spoon. "I believe I'm going to die now because you forced me to confess that. Oh woe is me! The horror, the agony, the unrelenting pain and -" Pansy's elbow stopped him right when his melodramatic speech had begun to reach it's climax. "What is with you today?" He asked irritably, scooting away from her to head off any other unexpected blows.

"Oh, take it like a man, Draco." So much for sympathy.

Draco, incensed at hearing his manhood so maligned, found himself shouting back angrily at her. "I'll have you know I take it like a man all the time!" He immediately realized that was not the best of phrases. "Er. That didn't come out quite right." He said sheepishly, poking at his sundae with his spoon and blushing despite his best efforts not to. Sirius choked on his ice-cream while Remus coughed politely into his hand to hide his laughter.

"Take it - like! Oh, god!" Harry gasped between bouts of laughter, clutching his shaking sides.

"Oh, find that funny do you?" He asked before kicking the Gryffindor, who was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, sharply in the shin.

"Yeah, I do."

Draco stuck his tongue out at the other boy and turned his attention back to his treat. "Well, laugh it up while you can."

"Don't worry, we will." Pansy said, smiling at them both. They talked for a bit longer as they finished off their treats, poking fun at Draco every now and then.

Sirius cleared his throat and spoke up, interrupting Harry who had been talking Quidditch again. "Remus managed to get your Hogwarts letters early, Harry so we'd only have to go to Diagon Alley the once. Yours too, Draco. How about we go and get your school things now, hmm?"

"Just a moment." Draco said, finishing off his last bite and preparing to stand up. "There. I'm done."

"No, no. Not you." Sirius said hurriedly. "Um. Why don't you and Remus go check out Gambol and Japes for a bit while we take care of that? Don't forget the Self-shuffling playing cards, Remus. We'll meet you both back here in forty-five minutes. Go on, shoo. "

"Okay." The Slytherin drawled slowly, looking at the ex-convict suspiciously. "We'll just be going then." He and Remus got to their feet and said their brief goodbyes, meandering towards the joke shop. "That was odd." Draco declared as soon as they had rounded the corner.

Remus grinned. "The went to get your birthday present, I suspect. Harry and Sirius were talking about it this morning actually. You were holed up in the shed though, so you missed it."

"Really?" Draco asked eagerly. "That's brilliant. I have some ideas about what to get Harry because I know his birthday is coming up soon, but I'm not sure to how to go about it."

"Oh? I'd be happy to help." The werewolf offered, leading Draco inside Gambol and Japes. The man behind the counter smiled at them and returned to reading his copy of the Daily Prophet.

Draco wandered towards the self-shuffling card display with the werewolf. "Well, I was thinking… did his parents have any yearbooks or diaries that are still around? Did Harry's mum have any friends who might have hung to something of hers? I just thought - I mean, I know it's a sensitive subject, but if he could have something tangible of theirs I know he'd love it."

Remus looked at him thoughtfully, his hazel eyes sad, but kind. He rested a hand on Draco's shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "Harry's lucky to have you, you know that right? I know Lily had a best friend named Maggie. I'll owl her for you and report back on anything she might have kept. She completely slipped my mind until you mentioned it just now. I'll see what I can do for you."

"That's all I ask." Draco responded, handing Remus a deck of cards and moving on to examine some dungbombs. In the end, they only bought the cards and it took all of ten minutes before they found themselves back at the little café table outside the Ice Cream Parlor once more.

"They should take a while. Shall I buy us something else?"

"Thanks, Remus. A small vanilla cone would be perfect." The werewolf departed with a smile, leaving Draco to sit back and enjoy the stream of sunlight warming his shoulders and hair. The Slytherin contented himself with people watching, letting the sound of the crowd's chatter wash over him. A passing hag leered at him, one of her eyes milky with cataracts and her nose bent and warty. Draco cut his eyes away quickly in favor of watching a middle-aged wizard bustle past him hurriedly. There was a hodge-podge of people at Diagon Alley, as usual, and Draco enjoyed observing them as they went about their little shopping rituals.

One bright head of hair caught his attention and he sucked in his breath as he recognized the perfectly sculpted face of his mother.

A house elf trailed the Lady Malfoy, holding a small, portable bassinet and several minimized bags of clothing. Draco could only stare in shock as Narcissa made her way towards one of the nearby café tables and sat down, crossing her legs and fanning herself as she took a break from her shopping. "Tubby, pop in and get me a slice of that Zuccotto Italian ice cream cake I so love."

"Tubby is getting that for Mistress right now, Tubby is." The house elf vanished with a pop.

Narcissa looked cool, collected, and every inch the beautiful trophy wife she was even in the warmth of the day. Draco watched, remembering the times when they had sat down together at that same table after his mother had brought him along on one of her infamous shopping trips and how he'd always played the perfect gentleman to her lady just to see if he could coax a genuine smile out of her.

Draco watched her sit there, his heart in his throat, and was incapable of movement. He felt as if he'd been petrified. Narcissa bent to scoop her daughter out of the bassinet and hold her in her lap while passing onlookers smiled at the pretty picture the mother and child made. That finally managed to bring Draco out of his stupor and he stood quickly, walking over towards where his mother was fussing with the little one's outfit. "Mum? Mother?" He corrected himself, sidling over towards her.

Narcissa's head snapped up and she stared, surprised, at him for a few seconds before her sense returned. "Draco?"

The blonde slipped his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, offering her a half smile. "That would be me. Out shopping?" He asked casually, squinting up at the sun as if to judge the time. It kept him from fidgetting; he was that nervous.

"Darling, you've gotten so big! I have missed you, you know, but Lucius made it clear any contact with you would be inappropriate."

And Narcissa never did anything considered even remotely inappropriate. Not even for her first-born son. "Mmm." Was all he could think to say on the matter. "So, how's the brat?" Draco finally asked, nodding towards the silver-haired child in his mother's arms. Narcissa smiled down at the baby before looking back up.

"Just wonderful. She was born early, like you. I'm afraid she'll be a little small for most of her childhood, but it couldn't be helped." She said regretfully. The translation being Lucius had insisted the pregnancy be accelerated with Dark Spells. Draco knew the side-effects of those well. He himself had been a particularly small, delicate child. No doubt the girl would be too.

"Her name is Lucretia, isn't it? I saw the announcement in the Prophet."

"Yes. Would you care to hold her?"

"I - er. I wouldn't know how." Draco said uneasily, taking a step back.

Narcissa tutted at him. "Nevermind that. Come here and hold your arms out, like that, yes. And be careful to support her head." Draco took the child with not a little panic, staring down at the tiny, round face of his sister and the brilliant blue eyes that peered up at him sleepily. She smelled of milk and powder and her fingers were so very tiny. It was unfathomable how such a strange, little thing could be so utterly perfect. The panic that he'd clumsily hurt her receded and was replaced with a sort of reverent wonder.

"Oh." He said softly, somehow feeling profoundly moved by the little being in his arms. This was a person. A tiny little miniature female version of him, even down to the pout. "Oh." He said again, clearing his throat.

"She's much better behaved than you." Narcissa said with one of her charming smiles, her teeth flashing white.

Draco laughed and was delighted when Lucretia cooed back at him. "I'm sure she won't have nearly as many nannies as I did. Is Ms. Whittleson still in St. Mungos?" Draco asked with a smirk. He was fully aware that he had been a complete terror as a child, so bratty and spoilt that only Lucius had been able to control him, though the Malfoy patriarch had been away on business so often Draco had usually been left to run wild.

"Yes, the poor old dear." His mother answered with a matching smirk, despite her polite tone of voice. Draco's arms were getting tired, despite how small his sister was.

"Here, why don't you take her?" They awkwardly exchanged the bundle of blankets and baby, smiling at one another when she yawned.

Draco slid into the seat across from his mother, running a hand through his hair before leaning back in his seat to take in the sight of Narcissa and Lucretia basking in the sun. "You're staying with Black and Potter for the summer, aren't you?" His mother asked politely, setting the baby back in her bassinet carefully.

"Yes, I am. Against all odds Harry and I are quite good friends." Narcissa smiled, but her worried eyes let Draco know it was false. "I'll be fine." He said exasperatedly. "I may have taken up with Gryffindors, but I'm still a Slytherin. I'm always cautious."

Narcissa relaxed. "Good. What is taking Tubby so long?"

"There must be a long line or a difficult customer." Draco suggested, relaxing in the comforting presence of his mother. If he used a bit of imagination he could pretend things were like they were supposed to be and he was still the Malfoy heir and just escorting his mother along on a shopping trip. Nothing more and nothing less. It was a nice illusion, but it didn't last long.

"Draco." An icy voice said and the Slytherin stood slowly, turning to look at the imposing figure of his father. Lucius was wearing an brown velvet waistcoat and fawn colored breeches with crisp white cravat at his throat and his ever-present cane in hand. His long hair was tied back with a brown velvet ribbon and Draco smirked at the sight. And here he had thought that he was supposed to be the ponce of the family.

"Lucius. What a… surprise." He baited, obviously having removed the expected 'pleasant' from the cordial greeting.

The elder Malfoy's nostrils flared at the subtle jab. "What are you doing here?"

"Diagon Alley is a public place, Father, didn't you know?" He asked, keeping his voice purposely even. He wasn't going to let the other man know his hands were sweating from nervousness. The sound of his own steady and coolly amused voice calmed him somewhat.

"Draco." Narcissa warned him under her breath, shooting him a pleading look. He ignored her easily. He wasn't going to walk away, just because she didn't want him to make a scene. He had too much pride, and yes, arrogance, for that.

Lucius' mouth twisted sourly. "I am aware of that fact. Pity, though. Each time I visit it seems as if I see more and more unsavory types." He said coldly, with a pointed look at his son.

"Oh, I agree." Draco said, with just as pointed a look, though he felt as if his insides were shriveling. Thankfully, he managed to keep all expression from his face.

"How dare you insinuate-!" Lucius started to snarl, but he was promptly interrupted by a certain werewolf.

"Draco! There you are. Here's your ice cream." The Slytherin took the proffered sweet automatically and was startled to see that as soon as the werewolf's hands were free a wand poked out of his sleeve slightly, ever at the ready. "Malfoy."

"Lupin." Lucius said with a disdainful curl of his lip. "I should have known that Draco would be consorting with the likes of you."

The professor didn't even blink. He merely stared at the other man levelly. "He's a remarkably intelligent, gifted young man. You don't know what you're missing, Lucius."

"He's a poof and I want nothing to do with him! He's a disappointment." Draco swallowed down the pain hearing that caused, staring miserably at the ground. "And I had such high hopes for him." The tinge of regret in his father's voice hurt even more. H couldn't even control the flinch.

"Your loss then." Remus said firmly, placing a hand on Draco's shoulder and squeezing it supportively.

Lucius laughed, cruelly amused and uncaring. "I'm well rid of him. You can have him, werewolf. I have another heir now. Granted, it's a girl, but at least there will be no doubt that the children will be hers. And she will be much easier to control."

"You're a cold bastard." Remus said with no small amount of distaste.

"Ah, but I'm a powerful and rich cold bastard, Lupin, and quite frankly your opinion means nothing to me. It's a shame you're so spineless. My Lord has many uses for Dark creatures like you. Unfortunately for Draco, he has no need for nasty little pillow biters."

Draco recoiled, insulted. Before he could retaliate, the professor grabbed his elbow. "Come along, Draco. We've better things to do than listen to this fool prattle on." Remus herded the Slytherin along, his wand now conspicuously in sight as they walked away.

Draco scowled darkly to himself, his good mood completely blown away. "I want to go home."

"What?" Remus asked, startled. "But Harry - your presents! Wouldn't you rather stay for just a bit longer?"

"I'd like to go home." Draco repeated in a low voice, obviously determined. "I can floo from the Leaky Cauldron, can't I?"

"No, we're not connected to the floo network. I have an extra portkey I brought along for emergencies, but -"

"I'd appreciate that. Tell Harry I'm sorry I didn't stay. But I'm really not in the mood."

"I understand." The werewolf said sympathetically. "Here, one moment." He dug around in his robes and came up with a little wooden figurine. Remus cast the appropriate spells to activate it and handed it Draco. "That should work. You have five seconds befo-"

The Slytherin felt the familiar pull somewhere in his stomach and was prepared for the abrupt scenery change. He pocketed the figurine and made his way up the hill towards the cottage, brooding and melancholy. Draco stepped inside and made his way into his room, through the warm, cozy living room and the cheery kitchen, simply wanting to curl up in bed and never crawl out again.

Draco didn't even pause to consider about the fact he'd called Black Cottage his home or how much truth his unthinking comment had held.

To Be Continued…

Constructive criticism and comments are more than welcome.