Draco marked his page when stomach rumbled and rose from the bed. Streetlamps brightened the darkness of the neighborhood beyond the window. Draco saw Crookshanks perched on the fence in the yard, tail swishing agitatedly, before he closed the bedroom draperies.

The kits hardly stirred at his walking around, the five curled together on the tea towel in the corner of the cage. Draco put on a pair of socks under his pyjama bottoms and headed downstairs to the kitchen to fix a bite. The house was quiet, eerily so, but Draco shrugged it off. Potter had said he and his mates were stepping out.

Carrying a plate of crisps and a sandwich, Draco detoured into the library. He was nearly finished with the book he was reading and would have time to start a new one that evening. He set the plate on the table, casting a curious eye over the broken objects piled in the center. He recognized the Hufflepuff cup, which was cracked in half. What might have been a beak curved out of a blackened lump of metal beside it.

Draco picked up a locket dangling from a chain. It disintegrated in his hand. He tossed the chain back on the table with disgust, wiped his hand on his pyjamas, and walked over to one of the wall shelves. He ran his finger along the book titles. Now, where is that Grimoire I wanted to read next?

Alsafi was awake and crying softly near the cage door, when Draco returned to the bedroom. "What's wrong, lovely?" he asked, letting her out. She licked his chin, then snuggled close beside him after he settled on the bed.

Draco smiled, petting her gently. She was his cuddler, always wanting to be nearby. He balanced the plate of food on his stomach and picked up his almost-finished book. The Grimoire sat on the night table. Draco saw Alsafi eye his sandwich and clicked his tongue. "That's not for you."

Alsafi turned huge, begging eyes on him. "Dook?"

Draco caved instantly. "Fine. But don't let the others know." He broke off a corner of the sandwich and fed it to her.

"Dmnk-prrr-dnk," she said around her mouthful.

Draco laughed quietly and opened his book.

Crack.

Draco's eyes flew open, startled out of sleep. The dark bedroom surrounded him. The duvet covered him to the waist. He felt Asafi move under his arm and heard her sniffing the air. The other kits made waking noises from the cage. His heart beat quickly in his chest. What had woken him?

The sound of the doorknob jiggling made him sit up swiftly and switch on the lantern. The flame self-lit and the room brightened. He squinted in the direction of the door, as his hand groped for the plate on the night table behind him.

"Potter," Draco said with exasperation, tossing his means of protection onto the bed beside him. Alsafi leapt for the plate and began licking the remaining crumbs from it. "Knock first before scaring the magic out of people."

Potter stood in the doorway, looking pale and filthy. "Sorry."

Draco rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "You better have brought my cockroach clusters, or I'll be very cross."

Potter stared incedulously at him for a moment, then started laughing.

"I'm not joking. Hand 'em over."

If anything, Potter laughed even harder.

Draco stared as Potter bent in half, holding his stomach, the raucous noise filling the bedroom. The kits woke fully and pressed their noses against the side of the cage. Alsafi stopped polishing the plate and cocked her head in Potter's direction.

Potter fell to his knees, still laughing, and Draco became concerned. What's so bloody funny? He crawled out of bed and approached cautiously. Potter's laughs grew jagged edges that cut Draco's eardrums. Draco crouched beside Potter's bent figure. His hand hovered above Potter's head. "Potter? Have you been hit with the tickling charm?"

"You don't know—" Potter started, before his laughter choked him.

"I know everything," Draco said, "including that you've gone round the bend. Let's get you to Granger before you hurt yourself."

Potter shook head, gasping for air between laughs. "Hermione's at the Weasleys," he managed to say in a rush.

"St. Mungo's, then." Draco hooked his hand under Potter's arm, intending to pull him to his feet. He didn't like this at all.

"No, no." Potter struggled to stop laughing, sitting upright. "I'm fine."

Draco looked at the tear tracks streaking through the dirt on Potter's reddened face. Potter's glasses had a crack on one of the lenses. "You're scaring me— my kits," he corrected quickly. "You're scaring them."

Potter glanced over at the cage and Alsafi. Alsafi hopped from the bed and approached Potter. She put her paws on his knees and made a soft sound in her throat. He stroked his hand down her back. He began to catch his breath. "I didn't think I'd get to see them grow up."

"What are you on about?" Draco said. "We're not going anywhere."

Potter blinked several times, as if coming out of a daze. He looked at Draco. "Only because of the spell."

"Right." Draco shifted on the balls of his feet. "Because of the spell."

Potter drew his wand from his robe belt, made a complex design in the air with the tip, and Draco felt the faint tingle of wizardry. Potter lowered his arm. "Not anymore."

Why did the action, which actually showed Potter's trust, make Draco feel wretched? Oh yes, because I'm in love with the prat and now I don't have an excuse to stay. Draco lowered his chin and stared blankly at the carpet. His mind raced. There had to be some other excuse he could make up. Death threats from Death Eaters? Parents imprisoned, leaving him impoverished? He'd seen the Gryffindor Light and wanted to repent for his wicked ways?

A gentle brush of fingers combed through the hair behind his ear. Draco stilled at the touch. "You're hair's just as soft," Potter murmured.

Draco slowly lifted his head and met Potter's stare. Potter was looking at him like he'd never seen Draco before. Maybe Potter actually had lost his mind. "Potter, what are…," he trailed off, as Potter's gaze dropped to Draco's lips. Draco's heart fluttered.

"Hermione says you've been trying to seduce me," Potter said, almost to himself, "but I didn't believe her, because you're Malfoy."

Draco flinched, moving his head away from Potter's hand. "That's right. I'm only Malfoy," his voice dripped with contempt. He shoved to his feet, anger covering his hurt. "You'd best leave before I remind you what that means."

Draco stalked over to the cage, to check on his kits. They licked the back of his fingers through the wire.

Potter moved behind him, robes rustling, and Draco turned with a glare at the tap on his shoulder. Potter held out Alsafi. "Don't forget her."

"I'd never forget any of my kits." Draco took Alsafi a bit harsher than necessary. Alsafi nipped his thumb.

"I know." Potter looked contrite. "You're a good mum."

Draco stuck his nose in the air. "I'm a brilliant mum."

A lopsided smile appeared on Potter's face. "Yeah. I reckon you are."

"You'd better believe it." Draco tucked Alsafi in the cage with the others, and then turned back to Potter with folded arms. "Now, where are my cockroach clusters?"

Potter started laughing once more.

tbc...