Escape

Chapter nine

Harry went down to breakfast the next morning without Draco who was sill fast asleep. He carried glory and led Gavin by the hand, he was somewhat unsurprised when he found his breakfast companion to be Albus Dumbledore himself. The headmaster folded up the paper he had been reading and his blue eyes twinkled at Harry in a way they hadn't done since he had left.

"Before you demand my presence at Hogwarts I would like to say that I won't be going back, I'm staying here, well not here specifically, I'm going to get a job and a nice house here, I'm not going back and nothing you can say is going to change that."

"You have two very beautiful children, what are their names?"

"Glory and Gavin, did you hear what I said?"

"Yes, loud and clear, I understand why as well and I am ready to except your decision for the time being on a number of conditions."

"Like"

"You help us organize and then participate in battle, I ask for nothing more from you than that. You are our strongest weapon against the Dark Lord."

"Since when were you too afraid to say his name?"

"Since you left Harry, we've all been scared."

"I'm not a weapon to be used at your will Albus, I won't participate in battle, I could die and I could never leave my children."

"Then you must please come back and announce your presence in the wizarding world, it might scare the Dark Lord enough to give us an advantage."

"And put the twins at risk, you have to be joking."

"You have two options Harry, I will leave you to dwell on them but you have to follow through on one or the other."

"If you would just leave me alone I wouldn't have to make any choices."

Dumbledore didn't reply he just got up in left which apparently was the cue for Draco to run in, it was clear that he had dressed in a hurry, he was in bare feet, jeans were fine but his shirt wasn't done up all the way, Harry had to admit he looked quite good but he couldn't help but laugh.

"Did you miss me that much?" he asked trying to keep a straight face.

"I thought- I thought you'd…"

"Run off again?"

"Yeah"

"Well as I said last night I'm not going to keep running, I want to be left alone and I expect you lot to respect that, Dumbledore however seems to have other plans for me."

"What did he say?" Draco asked sitting down and pouring himself a cup of coffee and helping himself to toast.

"That I had two options, fight in battle or come back and announce my presence to scare Voldermort." Harry said summing up his entire conversation, in truth he wanted neither of these but then again it didn't seem like he had an option. Albus would get his way sooner or later, he always seemed to, he just didn't want to give the headmaster that sort of satisfaction.

"So, what are you going to do?" Draco asked fighting the urge to take Harry's hand in his own, this wasn't the place and he shouldn't in front of the children.

"I don't know, I don't seem that I have a choice, maybe I should just go back."

"I know he's pushed you into a corner on this one but it isn't fair that you should give up your dreams, I'd settle for a compromise if you're willing to listen."

"Do I have a choice?"

"Well why not do as he asks and fight in the battle destroy the Dark Lord and then we can disappear and no one will ever come looking for us again."

"That's a nice plan but you're over looking one critical factor."

"Which is?"

"I could die in the battle."

"You won't die; you're stronger than any wizard I've ever known, including Tom."

"You don't know that, I'm not as strong as everyone thinks, why would I have run away if I was?" Then after a short pause where the four of them finished breakfast, the twins making a lot of mess and meriting a wash and a change of clothes. "Draco, could you give me a hand, these two needs to be cleaned up."

"Sure, but on one condition."

"Draco, they're your children, you will help me look after them condition free."

"I was only going to say that you have to let me take them shopping, I want to spoil them." Harry looked as if he was considering that for a moment but nodded none the less before standing up. Draco did the same and hugged him before he could pick up either of the twins. Before either of them knew it they were kissing, who had started it neither seemed to know or care but they remained in each others embrace, the other gust staring quite openly.

When they released each other Harry was blushing, why he did not know, dancing at Glitter he had had a lot more people staring and he'd done worse things than kiss. However he hadn't done them with Draco, this boy somehow held a power of him, one so strong he couldn't resist it.

Draco took Gavin and Harry took Glory up to his room where the two played out the role of happy family, they bathed and dressed the twins and then prepared themselves for the shopping trip ahead. With no more worrying about being discovered by Albus Dumbledore he could use magic, Harry found this quicker and easier than doing it the muggle way. They were ready to leave in forty minutes, but it wasn't all due to the use of magic, it was because he had help, it was because Draco was there.

He seemed to have taken his role as a father in his stride even though he had not very long to become accustomed to it. Harry was wondering if it was all to good to be true and was a little concerned that Draco could betray them. Did he really want to put himself and now the twins at risk of being hurt again? Did he really have a choice in the matter? He doubted that he did.

Just looking at Draco reminded Harry of what he had done, he didn't want to trust him but he did, he didn't want to be spending time with him, but he was and he didn't want to see the twins happy in his company but they were.

His life was never a happy ever after, it wasn't possible, whenever something good happened something would go horribly wrong and someone would end up dying, one day it was going to be him. He couldn't bare the thought of leaving the twins but if something happened and he did he wanted to do something to make sure he had peace of mind. He wanted to be sure that wherever they were, whoever looked after them they would be well taken care of. He couldn't think of a better person that Draco and there lay the problem.

Draco Malfoy was a notorious playboy by nature, did he have it in him to be a father full time, or would he leave them as soon as he got bored. It was in his nature to do so.

The inner debate continued as they strolled down the high-street, Draco pushing the buggy as they neared the only shop in Grantown that sold baby clothes.

"You don't have to do this Draco."

"I know but I want to."

They spent all day spending money, it was never ending, outfit after outfit but both Glory and Gavin loved it. They had a romantic lunch in a corner café and then took the twins to the park. Harry couldn't have asked for a more perfect day and by the end of it he knew what he had to do.

"Draco, we have to go back."

"To the hotel?"

"No, to Hogwarts."

"Why?"

"Because we can't keep fooling ourselves, playing happy families here won't last forever because I have unfinished business, you're the one who inflicted me upon them again and therefore you have to face the consequences of going so."

"What are you talking about?"

"You spoke to Dumbledore, you made him give me my choices, you could have kept your mouth shut but you didn't."

"Would we have this if I had?"

"Probably not, but I would have been alive."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going into battle against Voldermort and you have to stay here."

"No way, I'm coming with you, I'll help you."

"Who's going to look after the twins? They need at least one father alive to take care of them, it can't be me."

"Harry, please, there has to be another way around this."

"There isn't."

"I'll talk to Dumbledore, we'll work something out."

"You've already done enough of that, I want you to do back to the hotel and I want you to stay there until someone comes for you."

"I can't do this without you Harry; I can't raise them on my own."

"It gets easier, it was hard for me at first but it does get a lot easier."

"Do you really trust me to do this?"

"No and that's the honest answer but there is no one else I would have to raise my children. I want you to promise me that they will never have the fame that I did and I want you to promise that they will never have to do the things that I did or see the things that I have."

"I promise."

"Good, thank you. Keep them safe."

Harry kissed Draco for what could possible be for the time, when Harry pulled away the blonde was crying, he kissed the twins one at a time and told them good bye. Then without looking back he walked off and apperated back to Hogwarts, he was in tears himself by the time he arrived.

Hope you liked this, don't forget to review, five reviews gets the next chapter out.xxxxxxx

P.S - I'm working on a storie the follows on from book six so apart from Escape, which I have finished, my stories will be going a little slower but I promise you that it will beworth it in the end. xxxxx