Sorry for such a long wait for such a short chapter. I promise another will be along soon, hopefully before the end of this week. I do not own these characters or this world.

Chapter 7

Draco's stomach turned as they landed on the step of number 12, but he knew it wasn't just apparation that had his intestines in knots. A baby. A fucking baby? He knew nothing of babies. He knew nothing of being married either, they had just gotten back from their honeymoon, he was supposed to have time to figure out how to be a husband, and now he was in charge of a child. Honestly he still felt ill prepared to take care of himself, and he wasn't even fully responsible for that thanks to Kreacher.

Harry pushed open the door, and instantly went to go check on Teddy. Draco went to the basement, it was surprisingly clean despite the potato-flinging Teddy had done earlier, some getting into the batch of potions Draco had been able to get started before the Aurors arrived. His cauldrons of ruined potions had already been cleaned by Kreacher, the largest of his collection lined up on the far wall of the kitchen, the smaller ones on shelves above those. He longed to roll up his sleeves and fill some of the large stack of orders that had accumulated while he had been off gallivanting with Harry around the world, but he was dead tired from spending his day getting screamed at by a small, sticky wizard.

He pulled out a chair and fell into it, acknowledging his exhaustion had apparently given it permission to overcome him, as he slumped forward, elbows on the table, fingers laced in his hair. His aunt, whom he had just gotten the chance to get to know, gone. His baby cousin, who he always tried his best to tolerate, but always found incredibly annoying, and now he was supposed to raise him? Be his father? What did he know about being a father?

Swirling memories of his own childhood filled his brain, every moment darkened by the shadow of what it would become. Excited to get his Hogwarts letter, followed by a long lecture on how he must do better than those with lesser blood-statues. Small bits and pieces of his mother peek in with their specks of brightness, but not nearly enough to overcome the shadow that was his father and his loyalty to the Dark Lord. Draco shook the thoughts from his head, subconsciously rubbing his left arm through his sleeve, feeling the phantom burn. He wandered up to the sitting room and found Ron nodding off on the palm of his hand, drool slowly making its way down his arm, and Hermione reading a muggle novel, judging by the lack of movement of the characters on the cover.

"You're back, how is Andromeda?" Hermione picked up a scrap of paper and shoved it into her place, looking expectantly at Draco. Before he could answer, Harry came in, his hands empty, the kid must be asleep, and his grave face said it all. "Oh no!"

"Watchatalkin'bout?" Ron sprung up, hand going for his wand, but seeing no danger, stopped abruptly.

"She's gone." Harry's voice was flat. "They weren't able to figure out what happened before she passed, no way to stop it. And according to all her different papers, Teddy's ours now."

"Oh Harry," Hermione jumped up and Harry was lost from Draco's view by her large mess of curls. "Ron and I will do all we can to help. I knew you were thinking about kids, but this is all so sudden."

Thinking about kids? He knew that Harry liked kids, especially Teddy, but they had never talked about it and honestly Draco didn't see them in his future. Now all he saw was the quiet life he had imagined with Harry going up in smoke.

Hermione let go, tears pouring over the corners of both their eyes. Draco was over in three strides, taking Harry into his arms, pulling his head to his chest where he soon felt his tears absorbing into the soft material of one of Harry's own T-shirts. Harry's shoulders shook with the weight of his sobs.

"That- Poor- Baby. Losing… Everybody!" Ron was there, awkwardly patting Harry on the back.

"He's got you, mate. I can't think of anyone else Lupin would have wanted looking after him. You're his godfather for a reason. The boy just went from no father to two. Who can protect him better than the chosen one?" Harry lets out a bubble of laughter as he backs away from Draco enough to punch Ron on the shoulder. Hermione came and pulled all three men into a group hug.

"Between the four of us, this boy will be so loved."

"I'll owl Mum, have her start him a Weasley sweater…" They all chuckled, breaking some of the gloom over them.

Harry could never quite recall the first few days that Teddy lived with them. Between getting him settled and planning the burial service for Andromeda, it was all just a blur. Changing dirty diapers, mass amounts of crying as Teddy continued to ask for his Grandmother through the changing of his features (which was often a domino effect for Harry), the doorbell constantly ringing with the arrival of condolence flowers, food, and Weasleys. The Minister himself showed with an entourage of Auorors at the service. Harry, never one for crowds, was playing with Teddy as other people mingled. Draco was doing an excellent job playing host, his all black suit giving Harry some Hogwarts flashbacks.

Kingley pulled him out of his memories, as the tall man folded himself down onto the ground to sit with Harry and Teddy.

"Potter."

"Minister." Harry smiled a little at the annoyed expression on Kingley's face, he'd known him long enough to tell that if they weren't in the company of so many people, he would have had words for Harry and his cheeky refusal to call him by his name anymore.

"How's the kid?" Teddy had shifted a bit closer to Harry, wary but curious of the new arrival.

"As good as he can be, I expect. He misses her, and of course I can't really explain it to him."

Kingsley nodded, "...And how are you?"

"I'm not coming back to the Aurors Kingsley."

"What, why not? I understood that you wanted to go through the proper channels to get there, but you are going to be one of the best Aurors the department has ever seen."

The officiant from their wedding was starting to call people together, Harry picked up Teddy and stood, offering a hand to the minister. "I'm going to be there for Teddy in a way no one was there for me." Kingley nodded, clapping Harry on the back as he went to take his seat. The service was short, and soon they were at the cemetery, lowering the casket, which Harry had commissioned Luna to cover with a painted garden of flowers, into the grave next to Ted's, the pair together once more.

Everyone came to fill number 12s kitchen as they drank to Andromeda. Teddy soon was exhausted from being passed round the room, hamming it up for everyone who held him, hair changing rapidly, but eventually he chose to keep it a nice Weasley ginger. That small head of red hair was the last glimpse Draco got of him and his husband as Harry carried the sleeping boy upstairs, kitchen door swinging closed behind him.

Draco stood and joined Molly at the sink, who was choosing to wash the many drinking glasses by hand. He grabbed a towel to help her, drying each piece before throwing the glass to float its way to its shelf in the cupboard. The kitchen had mostly cleared, Ron and Hermione being the last to leave through the floo, leaving just George, his head resting on folded arms, fire whiskey glass still in hand as he snored softly. Arthur would be back for him in a minute, he was getting Percy home before he could join George in his drink-induced slumber.

"So, how are you doing love?" Molly gave him a small, sad smile, passing him the next clean glass.

"As good as can be expected, I suppose. I didn't know her as well as I'd have liked to, but still, she was family." Molly nodded, her busy hands growing wrinkled in the water.

"How are things going here at home? It's a big adjustment." Draco sighed as he took the last glass from her, drying it longer than necessary as she let the water out of the sink.

"Things are - odd. Harry has thrown himself completely into his new role. He has been doting over Teddy, and baby proofing the house, and he gets up about a hundred times a night to check on him. There are toys to trip over everywhere and I keep forgetting about the blocking charms at the top and bottom of the stairs. I had no idea babies were so loud, and with Harry here all the time I haven't been able to do any orders for 's. Did he tell you he quit Auror training? We'll be fine, I can more than support us, but… he didn't even ask me." The last bit was quiet, having said more than he had actually meant to. He threw the glass half-heartedly, his wandless magic almost dropping it before it settled with the others.

Molly took the damp towel from him, using it to dry her hands before hanging it over the edge of the sink. "Harry is very used to adapting, and doing all he can for people. But he's the leader. If he has taken charge over your lives because that's what he's used to, then you may need to remind him that he's not alone. Ron can tell you the number of times he has tried to leave him and Hermione behind. He will take everything on and burn himself to a crisp before he would ever admit that he might need some help. Talk to him," She reached up, brushing his hair out of his face and leaving her hand cupping his cheek, "Remind him he's got you." Draco leaned into her touch, closing his eyes as he exhaled.

"What if… What if I can't do this? How am I supposed to help him when I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing?" She moved in, wrapping both arms around Draco in the tightest hug. Somehow being a foot and a half taller than her did not protect him from feeling small and safe in her arms.

"Would you like to know a secret Draco? No new parent knows what they're doing. I didn't. And no one knows the best way to get through grief. But you have a good heart and a strong head on your shoulders. Just remind Harry and remind yourself to ask for help. You know Arthur and I are here whenever you need. Help each other. Yeah?"

"Yeah." He squeezed her tighter as a single tear rolled down his cheek. If she can mother any child who ever crosses her path with all the love and understanding she possesses, then Draco could figure out how to father Teddy, even with his extreme lack of knowledge on the subject