When Harry had first proposed to Draco to introduce his godson to the Malfoys, he had absolutely no idea what he had gotten himself into. He should have felt relieved when Hermione told him the next day that her family would be there for the gathering (of course Hermione was so efficient that she always got things done as soon as possible), but it was then when he felt his palms sweating as he realised he had not asked Malfoy if the arrangement would be agreeable to him. The changes in Draco over the past few months was of course reason enough for him to feel hopeful that he would agree, but his best friends had been one of the topics he had avoided mentioning in his letters as he had not wanted to risk making Malfoy feel uncomfortable given the meaner things his former nemesis had done or said to them in his youth that it was rather nerve-racking for him to not only bring them up, but also to suggest inviting them to what Draco would believe to be a more intimate dinner. With the Granger-Weasleys there, he had no doubt this gathering would end up feeling more like a party than a family dinner. He felt like an idiot for not realising this sooner but this needed to be done anyway. He had, however, come up with the best occasion to bring this up to maximise the chance for Malfoy to agree.
While Draco had been to the Potter's' house before (when he had come to reason with Harry about keeping the boys apart), he had never visited the house before as a guest. With the dinner gathering approaching, Harry thought it best to help his friend familiarise with the environment beforehand, which he believed would be helpful for someone who had lived in a castle-like manor his entire life, as well as to allow him to get to know Ginny better to make the upcoming dinner as least awkward as possible, so he invited Draco to a casual dinner at his home with just the couple on a Saturday evening. He hoped that with Ginny there to help persuade him, Malfoy would be more inclined to agree to dine with the Granger-Weasleys in attendance.
As it was still rather chilly in the beginning of March, Harry was wearing one of his many Weasley jumpers while cooking in the kitchen while Ginny was wearing a simple but elegant knitted top while reading on the sofa. He had just finished casting the temperature-moderating spells after finishing up with the dishes when he heard his floo activating. He hurried outside the room and was just in time to join his wife in welcoming his guest at the fireplace.
Harry had always intended this to be a very casual dinner but he inevitably started feeling underdressed under his own roof when he saw Draco Malfoy materialising at his Floo dressed in a navy-blue and black tight-fitting dress suit without one strand of hair out of place. He did not know how he did it but Malfoy was also completely clean without any soot on his skin, hair or clothes. Held in his hand was a bottle of luxurious-looking red wine. He calmly walked out of his fireplace with an expression that was neither particularly friendly nor unfriendly. He was not smiling but there was no trace of the smugness so oftenly seen on his pointy face in his youth, instead he looked serious but a bit unsure. It was no understatement to say that Draco Malfoy was out of his element here in his cozy sitting room.
Harry took a step forward with his outstretched hand and said, "Thanks for coming, Draco, but I believe I have told you that this is a very casual dinner."
"You and I have very different definitions on the word casual, Potter." It was the sort of things Malfoy would have said in his youth to mock or tease them but Harry could tell it was said now more as sarcasm and a way for him to gain his footing in this strange environment, as evident by the benign smirk on his face as Malfoy received his hand. He held the bottle up and said, "This is for you, Potters. Thank you for the… hmm, invitation."
He shook his head slightly while receiving the bottle, "Didn't we agree that you can call me by my name?"
"Well, it was simply more convenient to address the both of you this way." Draco looked awkwardly towards Ginny briefly before turning back to him.
It was now Ginny's turn to step forward, she gave their guest her most welcoming smile and said, "Draco, I really hope that I could be friends with you too now that you and Harry are friends. It's also more practical considering how our sons are inseparable. I know that we didn't have the best of start but you saved my son by providing the Time Turner and I will never forget that for the rest of my life. You have also shown a genuine care towards Al which I deeply appreciate. What I'm trying to say is that…" here she stuck out her hand, "I hope you and I can start over as well, just like how you did with Harry. And I hope you can call me Ginny from now on."
Harry thought his friend looked very uncomfortable being thanked that it looked to him almost like he might not agree to shake her hand but after a very long five seconds, he finally extended his hand and shook hers, "I don't think it would be possible for me to ever forget the horror of having bats flying out from my nose but… I was touched when you hugged Scorpius on the platform. It meant more than I can say for my boy and I was truly grateful for that… hmm, Ginny."
Harry always counted his blessing for having never angered Ginny to the point that she would perform that hex on him. Her smile turned a bit tight and her face a bit red upon his mentioning of the spell but she relaxed when he moved on to Scorpius. In fact, she looked very excited when she gushed over, "But of course, Scorpius is just so sweet. He's the only kid I have known who would give something so nice back to an adult after receiving a Christmas present, not that an adult should really be expecting anything in return from a child except for a kiss, a card or something…" He thought Draco seemed to appear more relaxed and comfortable hearing praises for Scorpius than ones meant for himself that he even looked visually proud of his boy.
The evening was off to a good start but things got a little awkward when they started eating. For the meal, Harry had prepared some of his most well-received dishes including some Muggles' ones. He had finished everything, including dessert, in just forty minutes with a little help by magic. He saw his friend's eyes widened as soon as he tasted his soup.
"T-this is really good. Do you have a house-elf, P...Harry?"
He was about to answer when his wife beat him to it. "Didn't I tell you, Draco? Harry does most of the cooking here. He did have a house-elf at one point but that was a long time ago."
He could literally see the pale face coloured. "You did… mention, but I hmm... I had thought it was meant to be a joke." "Nope. I can't cook anything to save my life." She said without a hint of irony. It was subtle but Harry thought there was even a bit of pride in her tone.
"My wife couldn't really cook either, but neither can I. We would starve without the house-elves. Anyway, I asked because… I can't really see Harry Potter cooking, especially not this good." Draco's face was now as red as a tomato and Harry was pretty sure it was not all from the heat of the food.
"Hmm… thanks." They then ate in silence for five minutes that he was starting to wonder if having a dinner with just the three of them was a good idea. Fortunately, things got a bit easier soon enough.
"What do you do normally, Draco? I mean, no offense, but the Malfoy Manor is an awfully big house for your family." The Potter's house was not exactly small as each of their kid had his or her own room but of course it was tiny in contrast with the Malfoy Manor. They had opened Malfoy's wine as they moved on to the appetisers and Harry could not help wondering if Ginny was starting to feel drunk, which he doubted so as she was only on her second glass, but the question did appear a bit personal for someone like Draco Malfoy.
"I read a lot… of course I read the Daily Prophet and the Seeker Weekly, but also a few other publications from other countries. I have quite a collection in my library as well, a significant fraction of those has been acquired over the last ten years, since Scorpius had started reading, so there are a lot of interesting books to choose from. You would be surprised by the diversity, difficulty as well as the sheer number of books Scorpius read." The father's expression had naturally softened as soon as he started talking about his son.
"Oh, right! You did play Seeker for quite a few years, what's your favourite team?" There was no better way to get on Ginny's good side than to talk Quidditch with her. He could easily tell Draco was still very much a fan of the sport the moment he started talking about it. The conversation they had back in his office played back in his mind. What did you want to do? Quidditch. But I wasn't good enough. Mainly I wanted to be happy.
"I read your column on the Prophet sometimes, it's … pretty good." Malfoy did look like he meant his words but he was so awkward trying to pay his host a compliment with his downcast eyes.
"Why, thank you." She flashed Draco a very pleased smile, which would be impossible for him to catch when he was suddenly looking at the meat on his plate so intently while cutting it. "Do you practice flying sometimes? The Malfoy ground is so huge it must be perfect for flying. I've been getting quite rusty lately."
"Not really… I don't remember having flew once since teaching Scorpius to fly on his training broom, back when she was still healthy enough to be able to sit out watching us. He is actually pretty good on a broomstick but he is the kind of child who enjoys flying more for the scenery or to feel the breeze in his hair."
Who would have thought that Draco would be the kind of person who would always steer a conversation towards his family? He would have felt surprised a year ago but certainly not now. Draco's life practically revolved around Scorpius now and he was not the least bit embarrassed to show it. Harry could, however, never imagine Lucius Malfoy talking about his family in such loving way, and that in itself spoke volumes about the fundamental difference between the father and son.
The evening flowed by pretty smoothly, Harry had expected himself needing to keep coming up with things to talk about to avoid dead air but surprisingly, this had become mainly a conversation between Ginny and Draco and he was more than happy to stay a listener for the most part. He had hoped that she would try cutting him a break by asking their guest about including his best friends' family in the Easter dinner herself, but no such luck.
"By the way, Draco, there's something Harry has been meaning to ask you about." Not only had she not tried to help him, she also chose to put him on the spot without giving him any warning, he gave her an annoyed look that he hoped Malfoy had not caught as he turned towards him expectantly and fixed his gaze on him.
"Hmm… I'm wondering... if the Sunday after Easter, three days before the boys' return, would be okay for you to have the dinner with Andromeda and Teddy." Harry could feel his face all warmed up within a second.
Malfoy responded very politely if not appearing a bit puzzled. "But of course, Harry, I have not planned for Scorpius and I to go anywhere so we are literally available for the whole Easter break." Knowing well that there had not been any reason for Harry to appear this nervous asking about his availability and sensing that his friend was hiding something, he asked tentatively, "Is there something else you are trying to ask me?"
Harry looked towards his wife to see if she would be willing to step in, instead, she waved her hand forward to urge him to talk while giving him an encouraging smile. "Draco," He took a deep breath, "I know… this is different from what you have agreed on but I am wondering if it would be okay for you if Ron, Hermione and their children join us that day? Also… would you two mind coming a little early in the afternoon to… hang out with us all… for a bit?"
Adult Draco had appeared so composed all the times that Harry had rarely seen him surprised, but he was visibly surprised at the moment with his slightly-parted mouth. "For a moment there, I thought you were meaning to give me some terrible news. That… that was not what I was expecting at all."
His more articulate wife had finally decided it was time for her to step in, "Draco, we understand that you don't get along well with Ron and Hermione, and the last thing we want is to make our guests uncomfortable in this gathering that is really dear to our hearts. That said, Harry could normally only afford to spend about five days in total with the family during the Easter holiday, this dinner should be equally important to our other children because it is usually the last full day they spend with Harry that we have to make sure that they would not feel left out. The easiest way for us to do that is to have other family members in attendance so they would not feel all awkward like outsiders at their own dining table. I can personally make sure that Ron will be in his best behaviours and if you're really uncomfortable with this, you will barely need to talk to them beyond a simple hi and bye."
There was a slight frown on Draco's thoughtful face, he took a moment before asking, "Have you asked them?" As much as Harry wanted to appear respectful towards Malfoy by not having made decisions before consulting with him, he could not lie so he nodded.
He raised an eyebrow, "So they are okay with this?" He nodded again.
"Draco, you have reason to feel unhappy about this and it's our fault for not having thought this through about James and Lily earlier. Of course we have been preoccupied with Albus lately but it's no excuse." Harry hated that Ginny would claim responsibility in front of their new friend when the carelessness was all on him. "However, I'm sure that the atmosphere would not be awkward with them here. Hermione has a lot of respect for you for the things you have done to help us in the incidents and I bet your conversation with Andromeda could go smoother with her here. She also thinks that Scorpius is brilliant that she would love to get to know him better. Also, Rose and Scorpius are friends now that surely it would make him more comfortable to have another friend here."
"I still believe it was kind of stupid of Hermione Granger to have hidden a Time Turner in a library but that aside, she's a rather competent Minister for Magic. Hmm… I do believe Scorpius would love meeting Granger a lot. Ron Weasley, on the other hand, not so much." Draco gave them a good-natured smirk while Harry was trying hard to suppress a smile at his best friend's expense.
Malfoy's expression turned serious as he continued, "I doubt you could have forgotten the last conversation we had in this very same house. Your friends and I may have our differences but even I can't deny that they are good people and insanely loyal friends to you, who has made your fair share of wrong and idiotic decisions despite your best intentions. As terrifying as it was for me to use the Time Turner to travel back in time that night with you lot, I hate to admit that… I actually felt a tiny bit happy and excited."
Harry was extremely confused, "What do you mean happy and excited?"
He had no intention to embarrass his friend, especially when it seemed like he was trying to convey his personal thoughts to him, so he could not help kicking himself when he saw Draco blushed. "Well… Unlike you, I had never shared such experience or any sort of adventure with anyone before… It was kind of thrilling to feel like I belong there but I kept expecting you all to realise any moment that I should not be there and would kick me out at the last minute."
"Of course we would never do that when you were the one who had provided us with the Time Turner and when Scorpius was in danger." Harry responded matter-of-factly with a visible frown on his forehead.
Ginny gave Draco a sad smile, "I can totally understand how you felt, Draco. It felt both right and wrong when I first joined the three of them on our mission to save Sirius back in my fourth year. We have been practicing Defense all year that it felt right for us to finally be implementing our skills but part of me could not believe that I was finally joining them in one of their adventures. Of course I got dumped the moment they decided to go hunt for Horcruxes together but it was good while it lasted." Harry was not sorry that he had broken up with her then because who knew what would have happened if she had joined them considering the countless narrow escapes they had encountered within that year that it was indeed a miracle that all three of them had survived. However, it made him very uncomfortable whenever she brought it up, which was unfortunately much oftener than he preferred.
Draco gave her a nod of acknowledgement before continuing, "As wrong as it seemed for me to be there, I could not help wondering why your friends would be there that night when none of their children had been in danger. It made a bit more sense that Granger, being the Minister, would feel responsible for the incidents but the only reason for Ron Weasley to be there was loyalty. He might have made himself a fool in front of the whole wizarding community at the Extraordinary General Meeting when he blindly showed his support admitting he did not even know much about what was going on, but he did have something even I can appreciate." Harry could not believe his ears that Draco Malfoy was actually complimenting Ron Weasley. Judging from the way Draco immediately looked down upon noticing his reaction, he believed he had done a terrible job hiding his look of shock and wonder.
"Hmm… What I am… I have been trying to say is, if your friends could agree to dine with my family, I do not believe I have much right to feel upset about them being there. After all, they have every reason to dislike me, or even hate me if they want to. I truly appreciate that you have taken so much trouble to arrange the gathering for my family, so of course we will be willing to arrive early to… hang out." Malfoy pronounced the two words as if he had no idea what hang out meant. "Scorpius has never attended a dinner gathering with that many people before, I think he would like it. I admit that this could be a bit awkward for me but it'd be totally worth it if Scorpius could enjoy himself... It's just a bit surprising to me that they would agree to this at the first place."
"I think you're being a bit too hard on yourself, Draco, but that's perf…" He was going to say perfect but his word was interrupted by the sudden activation of his Floo. He was not expecting anyone and a look towards Ginny told him that neither was she. He did not even have the time to check how his guest was reacting to the intrusion when he saw the red hair of his best friend he would recognise anywhere in the world.
A/N: I know Draco had called Ginny with her first name in the play but it had felt a bit too casual for me so I pretend that it's not done there. Anyway, I have two news for you today:
1. self-promo time- I've just started posting a short "A Good Day" in which Draco told Scorpius about the Son of Voldemort rumor right before Scorpius started in Hogwarts. It referenced my other story "Difficult Confession" at times but could definitely be read on its own. Please check it out!
2. This fic has passed 20000 views last week. It has taken 24 chapter to get to 10000 views but I've been slower and have only written 11 more chapters since then. This feels like as good a time to do a group shout out as any because I've never done one before and who knows when and if this will get to another big milestone.
Many people have been so supportive and I could never thank you all enough because as I have iterated before, I truly would have given up this fic long ago without your support. So thank you to all of my readers, whether you have followed or favorited this fic or not and no matter where you come from. Thank you for everyone who has followed and favorited this because that simple act has brought me much satisfaction. Thank you everyone who has reviewed because reviews are my most important motivation that has kept me posting as regularly as possible. I really appreciate every one of you but I have to give a special thank to my repeated reviewers, even if some of you probably aren't around anymore. Special shout out to: pottermum, PopcornWolf10, Scorpiusisthebest, I love music, District DivergentPotterhead, Death Dame, MatronaBlack, Ronnie Jane, and especially to kahn 1969 and HogwartsDreamer113, who have both given some thoughtful and helpful feedback on my writing and have been very encouraging when I was feeling insecure. I am also grateful for those of you who have responded my PM because it makes me happy that someone would care about my story so much they would chat with me about it.
Usually, I would be well into the following chapter when I update because I like the security and this gives me ample time to detach myself from my writing before editing the chapter. I decide to post this chapter now because of the milestone even though the next chapter is almost non-existent.