Chapter 30

The next morning, Harry and Draco were working on homework in the sunny kitchen, they returned to Hogwarts in two days for the end of the school year.

"Hello, family." Cassius walked through the mudroom, he'd been called in for a meeting at work.

"Hi." Draco and Harry chorused. Remus was bent over a long scroll and greeted Cassius distractedly.

Cassius walked over and leaned down to kiss Remus. "What's this?"

"The guest list for the wedding."

Cassius picked up the scroll from the table. "How many people are on this?"

"Two hundred fifty." Remus said, reaching for the scroll.

Cassius took a step backwards, looking at the scroll in disbelief. "Two hundred fifty! And…where are all these people coming?" His eyes narrowed as he looked at Remus.

"Here." Remus answered calmly as he stood, moving to reach for the scroll again.

"Here!" Cassius yelled. "And how are they getting here? They're not floo-ing!"

"How else would they get here? They can't all Apparate, no one knows where Windy Corner is."

"There's a reason for that! They're not floo-ing!" Cassius shook his head.

"They have to come some way."

"We could set up port-keys."

"We are not setting up a couple hundred port-keys, that's ridiculous." Remus said calmly, finally grabbing back the scroll from Cassius.

"We are not connecting Windy Corner to the entire Floo Network!"

Harry glanced over at Draco who had stopped working on his arithmancy homework and was watching Remus and Cassius with interest. Harry had been working on his divination homework, busily making up dreams and interpreting them.

"It'll just be for one day." Remus set the scroll down and put his hands on Cassius' waist.

"No! Absolutely not!"

"Please? Just one day." Remus kissed Cassius' neck.

"No!"

"Twelve hours, then." Remus murmured against Cassius' mouth before kissing him.

"No. It'll be such a bother. Some of the wards will have to be taken down." Cassius scowled.

"Taking down the wards will be less of a bother than setting up all those port-keys. If we work together, it won't take long." Remus kissed Cassius, threading his hands through Cassius' hair. "And I'll help put them back up." Remus kissed Cassius again.

"No…" Cassius objected, but Harry could tell Remus was wearing him down.

"Moody has approved the guest list." Remus said before kissing Cassius again.

"Two hun- " Cassius was cut off by another kiss.

"You just have to write the Floo Network Authority." Remus said quietly.

"Couldn't I do port-keys, please?" Cassius said plaintively, resting his forehead against Remus'.

"No."

"Remus…"

"No, flooing is the easiest way." Remus kissed Cassius again, it lasted for a long time and finally when they came up for air, Harry could tell that Remus had won the argument.

"Fine, I'll write them." Cassius sounded tortured.

"Good." Remus smiled and moved back to the table, smiling at Harry.

"Can Harry and I go play first?" Cassius asked as he followed Remus.

"Of course. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know." Cassius shrugged. "What do you want to do, Harry?"

"I don't know."

"Ever been to Skye?"

"No."

"We'll go there. Get your coat."

"I'll have the letter ready for you to sign when you get back." Harry heard Remus said as he dashed upstairs to get his coat.

"I have to meet with Clara this morning about the wedding, she's busy with work all week, so I can't come to the train station." Remus said.

"All right." Harry hugged Remus tightly.

"You had a good holiday?" Harry nodded. "Good. You'll talk to Poppy when you need more potion, right?" Harry continued to have nightmares and took dreamless sleep potion when he was at school.

"I will."

"And let Dad know how you do in Potions." Remus smiled. Harry had taken Cassius up on his offer to help with Potions and they had brewed several potions during the vacation.

"I'll see you at the end of term." Remus kissed Harry's forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, Papa."

"We've got to go!" Cassius yelled from the car.

"Bye, Papa." Harry hugged Remus again and headed over to the car.

"Goodbye, Uncle Lupin." Draco held his hand out.

"Goodbye, Draco." Remus shook his hand, then pulled Draco in for a quick hug. When Draco was released his cheeks were pink.

As Harry sat, in the front seat, on the way to the station, he thought about the holiday. Draco was much nicer than Harry had ever thought possible. He liked him – but he still wasn't counting on Draco being nice at school.

"Um…Malfoy?" Harry had walked over to where Draco was sitting in the library with Goyle. They'd been back at Hogwarts a couple weeks.

"Yes, Potter?" Draco said, looking up from his book.

"I…I need to send a letter and Hedwig isn't back yet."

"Certainly. Actually, I have a letter as well. Walk with me to the Owlery and I'll show you Grendel." Draco said. "Then you won't have to ask me every time."

"I didn't mean to bother you." Harry's temper rose, he'd been very nervous about asking Draco to borrow his owl.

"I meant it would be easier for you." Draco said calmly. "I'll see you later, Goyle." Draco slung his bag over his shoulder and stood up. "Come on."

Harry followed Draco out of the library. "So, you're still friends with Goyle."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I…I don't know." Harry muttered.

"We have a lot in common – our fathers are both deceased Death Eaters, we're both in Slytherin, both handsome, intelligent – oh, no, that's only me." Harry laughed. "Harry…I want us to be friends, we're family…I know it's different from how it used to be."

Harry looked into serious gray eyes. "Sure…Draco."

"So, the Potions exam didn't go well for you, did it?" Draco said casually.

"Do you have to bring that up?" Harry groaned. The exam, which had a practical part and an essay, had been earlier that day.

"You know it's not like he fails you just because he hates you."

"He does hate me! And…he doesn't explain it." Harry said sullenly.

Draco laughed as they entered the owlery. "Where's your letter?"

"Here." Harry handed the scroll to Draco who whistled down a handsome owl as he pulled a scroll out of his own pocket.

"Are you telling Uncle Malfoy about it?"

"Yes, well…I told him it happened and that I didn't do so well on it. I left out the bit about my cauldron melting and igniting the desk. And don't laugh, it wasn't funny."

"Sorry." Draco swallowed another burst of laughter and patted Harry's shoulder.

"Why'd you ask?"

"Just so I know what I should tell him if he asks me."

"Oh…he'll be able to tell when you're lying anyway, just tell the truth."

"He will not, I've been practicing."

"Really?"

"Try me."

"Um….. Did I ace my potions exam?" Harry watched Draco closely.

"Yes."

"Not a twitch." Harry was impressed. "Was your father a Death Eater?"

"No."

"Wow – you really have been practicing." Harry said as Draco maintained a straight face.

"Well, I thought…oh, I don't know…Uncle Lupin said I shouldn't but…I…I wanted to show Uncle I could do it." Draco turned and tied the two scrolls onto Grendel's leg.

"Remember, come over Sunday next. It'll be the first game of our Quidditch league." Harry said to Ron as they got off the Hogwarts Express. "You come too, Hermione, and cheer us on."

"We'll have full teams, won't we?" Ron asked.

"I think so." Harry answered.

"We will, if everyone comes who says they will." Draco said.

"We should get robes." Ron started to look thoughtful.

"And who will pay for the robes, Weasley?"

"You will, Malfoy." Ron said, without any venom. Ron and Draco had struck a truce once Draco had shown he was sincere in his desire for friendship with Harry and his friends.

"Oh, all right, just so we've got that figured out." Draco smiled. "Come on, Harry, Uncle is waiting." He pointed down the platform to where Cassius was talking to Neville's grandmother. In the weeks since the Easter holiday, Draco had taken on a rather surprising role, in Harry's opinion. He had started treating Harry like Harry was his little brother, it was rather like how Charlie and Bill interacted with their younger siblings. He helped Harry with his potions homework, made sure he was sleeping, and defended him from the few Slytherin bullies who wanted a bit of revenge for the downfall of their parents. Harry wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but he had to admit that he liked it. He had decided the little brother role was one he was born for and delighted in bugging Draco, who took it all rather well.

"We'll see you, then." Hermione said, hugging Harry. "Bye, Draco."

Draco moved into the guest room since he had decided not to go back to Malfoy Manor. He boarded it up for the time being, but he told Harry he was thinking of selling it. Harry had advised against it after finding that most of Draco's memories of home were happy ones.

"I suppose we'll have to add a new guest room." Remus said to Harry as Cassius helped Draco move his trunks up to his new room.

"You could add it on the other side of my room, at the end of the hall." Harry suggested.

"Hmm…Yes, we'll have to add a bathroom as well." Remus looked thoughtful as he poured himself a cup of tea. "Dad!"

"What!" They heard Cassius yell from upstairs.

"Who's that contractor who remodeled Clara and Stevens' house?" The newlyweds were expecting their first child and had recently added a nursery to their home.

There was a pause as two sets of feet clomped down the stairs. Harry smiled, it was a good thing Tabby wasn't there, she was visiting her sister at Hogwarts, otherwise they'd be yelled at for being so noisy. He wondered what Draco's full name was, he couldn't wait to see him get into trouble with Tabby.

"You don't actually expect him to remember?" Draco asked Remus with a grin as he strolled into the kitchen behind Cassius.

"You're right – I should just owl Clara." Remus conjured up a quill and scroll.

"Hey!" Cassius protested.

"What's his name then?" Harry asked with a hint of a smile.

"Three against one isn't fair." Cassius looked very hurt.

"Uncle, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have teased." Draco did indeed look very sorry and took a step towards Cassius. Cassius reached out and twined an arm around Draco's neck, pinning Draco to his side and started tickling him. "Oh! Stop! Unfair! Harry! Help!" Draco yelled between laughs.

"Sorry! I have to take Buckbeak for his ride." Harry got up and tried to sidle out of the room without getting caught by Cassius. Unfortunately, Cassius was too quick and suddenly Harry found himself on the floor, being tickled.

"No fair wandless magic!" Harry gasped as the tickling charm made him laugh.

"Maybe we should just build a little cottage for Tabby and Gramps, then we could make Tabby's old room into the guest room." Remus said thoughtfully, oblivious to the chaos around him. Cassius, Draco and Harry were now all wrestling on the floor. "Or…Draco, would you want to have your room on the top floor?"

"What?" Draco stopped tickling his uncle and looked up.

"Would you want to have your room on the top floor? If we build a cottage for Tabby and Gramps?"

"That'd be fine, Uncle Lupin. Whatever you decide." Draco smiled and then gave a very un-Malfoy-like shriek as Harry put a tickling charm on him.

"You're dead, Potter!" Draco giggled as he tried to accio his wand but he couldn't stop laughing long enough to give the command.

"Whatever, Malfoy!" Harry shouted back before getting tickled by Cassius. "Hey!"

"All right, boys, stop it." Remus said sternly. "That includes you, Cassius." Three pairs of eyes blinked innocently at Remus. "And don't look at me like that, you're all brats, honestly! I've decided we'll build a cottage for Tabby and Gramps and Draco will have his room on the top floor."

"I love it when you're decisive." Cassius looked up at his husband, smirking.

"Oh, shut it." Remus tried to sound mad but Harry could see a smile flitting around his mouth as he got up and gave the scroll to Orlie to deliver to Clara and Stevens. "Tabby will probably overrule me – she loves this house – and she won't give up her kitchen easily. At least I'll have the name of the contractor."

The next week was Draco's 17th birthday. Cassius gave him a Malfoy family ring. On the top of it was the crest of the Malfoys.

"I…" Draco stared at the ring in the small box he'd just unwrapped.

"It was your father's. He wanted you to have it." Cassius said slowly.

"Where is your Malfoy ring?" Draco asked as his fingers slowly picked up the ring.

"In a trunk somewhere in the attic." Cassius' left hand flexed.

"Oh." Draco put the ring down on the table. Harry could see some kind of engraving on the inside.

"You don't want it?" Cassius looked confused.

"Well…it's just…I'm the only Malfoy, I mean, we've got distant cousins, but…"

Remus reached in his pocket and pulled out another Malfoy ring. "I thought you both could wear them." He set the ring in front of Cassius. Cassius stared at the ring. Harry watched as his Dad reached towards the ring before pulling back and starting to chew on his fingers. "You're both Malfoys…and you're not dark wizards. Wearing that ring or not wearing that ring won't change either of those facts." Remus rubbed his hand on Cassius' back before reaching out and tugging Cassius' hand out of his mouth.

"What's the engraving on the inside?" Harry asked curiously.

"My name…and my father's." Cassius said. He looked over at Draco who was gazing hopefully at him. He took a deep breath and picked up the ring, after a moment's hesitation, he slipped it on his finger.

"You can exhale now." Remus said after a moment. Cassius let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Draco was grinning at him and quickly put on his own Malfoy ring. He stood up and threw his arms around his uncle.

"Thank you, Uncle Malfoy."

"You're welcome, Nephew."

"Thank you, Papa." Draco hugged Remus next.

"What?" Harry and Cassius spoke together.

"Draco and I talked and we decided Uncle Lupin was such a mouthful." Remus said shrugging.

"Oh." Cassius said. "Where's the cake?"

"I'll go get it. I didn't want to miss the presenting of the ring, did I?" Tabby said as she walked into the kitchen. "Alastor, I'll need some help." She called over her shoulder.

As Moody got up from the table, Cassius made a whipping gesture. "You should talk, boy." Moody growled as he thumped Cassius on the shoulder as he passed. Harry and Draco laughed.