Rather fittingly, the cover of Magical Mirror Illusion was a sparkling clear mirror with the title and the author name flashing in fancy lettering near the bottom. Colin smiled widely at the book as he exited Flourish and Blotts. He was eager to see what knowledge he could easily put into practice in his day to day photography. So intent on thinking about possibilities, he was startled when out of nowhere something ran into him. A moment later he realized that something was in fact a someone, and that the little boy was hugging his legs.
"Scorpius!" Colin cried out in surprise.
"Mum gots me a cam'a!" Scorpius announced excitedly.
"She did, did she!" Colin exclaimed. "And just where is your Mum?"
"I'm here." Astoria Malfoy jogged over to them, her voice slightly breathless. "Sorry, he saw you and took off running."
"That's quite all right," Colin said. "Scorpius tells me he got a camera."
Astoria smiled at her son before looking back at Colin. "Yes, nothing fancy, but a decent camera he can learn on."
"You're gonna teach me right?" Scorpius tugged on the bottom of Colin's robes.
Colin looked at the boy and made his decision on the spot. "Yes I will. Whenever is convenient for you," he added as he looked over at Astoria.
"It'll have to be sometime next week, I think." Astoria frowned in thought. "I haven't much free time this week. Unless you have a spare moment now? Scorpius and I are waiting for Draco to finish work, and have about an hour to spend, if you're willing."
Colin's heart gave an unwilling jump at the mention of Draco's name, and he hoped it didn't show on his face. "I would be delighted," he said. "Perhaps if we found somewhere to sit down?"
"Would the Leaky work?" Astoria asked. "We're supposed to meet Draco there anyway."
Colin nodded, and Scorpius gave a squeal of joy. Astoria laughed gently, and the three of them turned their steps toward the Leaky Cauldron.
The walk was a pleasant one, and Colin almost wished it was longer. Scorpius was a bright and cheerful boy, and Astoria an intelligent conversationalist, and somewhere in between telling Scorpius about the history of the first camera built and explaining to Astoria the process of developing photos, he felt an overwhelming sadness that he could never fully share with Harry how much he enjoyed the presence of these two members of the Malfoy family.
As they settled themselves into a booth at the Leaky with a Butterbeer apiece, Colin shook his melancholy thoughts away and focused on the camera Astoria placed in the middle of the table. "The first thing to know," he told Scorpius, "is what each button on the camera can do. What do you think this one does?"
Scorpius frowned, his tiny face screwed up in concentration. "Does that make it turn on?" he guessed.
"Good job," Colin said. "Yes it does! If you press it, what happens?" He held the camera out for the boy to reach the green button.
Scorpius pressed it and then pouted slightly when nothing happened. "Why don't it work?"
"Because your Mum gave you a special camera," Colin said, his smile briefly touching Astoria before focusing back on Scorpius. "This one will only work after a spell is used to activate it for the first time. Now, when your Mum says the spell, I need you to be holding down that green button, okay?"
Scorpius nodded very seriously. Colin turned to Astoria. "The spell is 'Canon' and you use a simple swish," he said.
Astoria nodded and held her wand ready. Scorpius moved to press his finger over the proper button. Colin held the camera steady. "Go on," he encouraged.
A swish of a wand, the murmur of a spell; the camera glowed a faint lime colour before disappearing softly. "Will it work now?" Scorpius asked quietly, his finger still pressed on the green button.
"Take your finger off the button and then tap it again," Colin said.
Scorpius did as he said, and this time, the camera gave a slight hum and whirled into life, the screen on the back now showing the salt and pepper shakers on the table in front of the lens. "It works Mum it works!" Scorpius smiled widely.
"The camera will now work for you alone," Colin said. "Others may try, but they won't succeed."
"Cool!"
"Why make a camera like that?" Astoria asked.
Colin shrugged. "Photographers are often known to be guarded with their equipment. The original inventor of this particular camera was said to have gone into a rage if anyone so much as touched their camera. In time, however, the benefits of such an invention grew. I know that the Aurors use this type exclusively. It is able to store the picture magically inside until ready to be developed, and since only one person is programmed to have access to the camera, it is a secure method to keep it away from prying eyes."
Astoria nodded thoughtfully. "I may have to buy one for myself as well. It could come in handy for my job."
"What kind of work do you do?"
"I help -"
"Daddy!" Scorpius said happily as he wiggled out of his seat and threw himself at his Father's legs.
Colin felt his heart pound and took a soft breath to calm himself, grateful that Draco's attention was on his son for the moment. He forced himself to look at his long-lost Slytherin. Scorpius was excitedly showing Draco his camera. Colin looked away and almost at once wished he hadn't; Astoria's eyes met his curiously. He wondered what she saw, but her expression gave nothing else away.
Colin looked back at Draco, and their eyes met for the longest brief moment Colin had experienced before Draco's fluttered away to look at his wife. "Are you ready to go?"
Astoria seemed on the verge of speech before something in her husband's gaze stopped her. "Scorpius, why don't you thank Colin for the lesson."
Scorpius seemed oblivious to the tension around the table as he hopped over to Colin and hugged him. "Thanks," he said, his voice muffled against Colin's robes.
"You're welcome," Colin said. "Remember to read the directions before you practice, okay?"
"Yep!" Scorpius agreed. He bounced over to where his parents now stood by the table.
Colin stood up as well. "It was a pleasure," he said politely. "Owl me with an acceptable date and time for his next lesson."
"I will. Thank you," Astoria said. "Oh! And I forgot to mention, thank you again for the photos. I received them the other day and hung them up immediately."
"You're welcome," Colin said, his tone infused with immense gratitude. "I'm really happy to hear that they are appreciated."
Colin turned to go, but the sound of his name stopped him. He looked back. Astoria had a sheepish grin on her face. "I know this is none of my business, but if you're single, I think you'd get along with one of the ladies I work with. She's into photography too."
Colin felt his face redden. "Actually I'm taken," he said. "I've just recently moved in with Harry Potter, so I think it's safe to say I'm off the market." He gave a small chuckle.
Astoria smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't know. I don't read the gossip columns much. Or at all, really."
"No worries," Colin said with a smile.
"I hope he knows how lucky he is," Astoria said.
Colin gave an embarrassed smile. "I'm lucky too."
"Give him our best wishes," Astoria said.
Unwittingly, Colin glanced at Draco. His face was vigilantly blank, but his eyes showed a range of emotions. He was carefully keeping his gaze on his son, as though watching to make sure Scorpius didn't run off, but Colin saw through that pretence. He looked back at Astoria. "I will."
With a final wave, he turned and left the Leaky Cauldron. He could feel someone watching him until the moment the door closed on his back.
Draco listened to his son happily talk about his new camera as they walked up the long drive to his childhood home. He could feel his wife's curious gaze on him, but her only words were to their son as she gave him encouraging words as he spoke about what he learned and how much more there was for him to discover.
He couldn't stop thinking about the way Colin had casually mentioned his relationship with Potter. He'd sounded so calm, so - content. And the way Astoria had responded, as though it wasn't odd that Colin Creevey was seeing Harry Potter...why did that bother him so much?
Dinner with his parents was ordinarily a pleasant affair, but Draco's heart wasn't in it this evening. He knew it showed, but thankfully no one commented on his lack of participation in the conversation. Astoria and Scorpius more than made up for it, as Scorpius excitedly talked about the pygmy puffs he'd seen in Diagon Alley and his camera lesson, and Astoria shared news from her job.
As soon as he was able, Draco slipped away for a moment, his footsteps taking him to his old bedroom. Memories assaulted him as he looked around: Conversations about the Dark Lord, and ice cream, and kisses full of hunger -
"Draco?"
He turned to see his Mother standing in the doorway. Timid had never been a word that described Narcissa Malfoy, but it was the only word that came to mind as Draco looked at her.
"What is it?" he asked her.
She seemed to consider him a moment before coming to a decision. "I could ask you the same question."
"Mum?" he questioned.
"But we never were the kind of family to ask such things, were we." She continued as though she hadn't heard him.
Draco stared at her.
She looked at him and then away again. "When I was still at Hogwarts, I fell in love with someone," she began.
"Yes, yes I know you met Father at Hogwarts Mum," Draco said dismissively.
"It wasn't your Father," she said quietly.
That caught Draco's attention, and he listened carefully as she spoke again.
"It was a...forbidden love. We knew our parents would never approve, and that when school ended we would be forced to separate and never see each other again. We dated in secret for three years."
Draco looked at her, unsure why she was telling him this. "What happened?"
"We broke up when we left Hogwarts. We both got married to others and moved on."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I love your Father with all my heart. But Draco, I loved this other man with all of my heart too. Love knows no limits. It simply happens, and the heart expands to make room for others as they come along."
Draco shook his head, confused. "I still don't understand."
"I know you don't. But Draco - please remember my words."
Draco nodded, still confused. His Mother looked at him with a knowing kindness before turning and leaving him alone once more. He looked after her, his breathing shallow and his chest pounding, hidden thoughts roaming his mind.
Star Gazer's Park, a muggle recreational area littered with various trails and even a playground near the entrance, had been a constant in Colin's years ever since Harry had entered his life. It stood mostly empty now, with the occasional person or two peppered here and there: A young child ran ahead of his parents, squealing with delight; an older gentleman sat on a bench, his gaze distant; and a teenage girl sat in a tree, her back against the trunk and a large book open in front of her. Colin watched the others briefly before he meandered along the path. His thoughts wandered like his feet, and memories flashed like tiny knives that pricked his chest.
"How is it possible," Colin wondered aloud. His unfinished fragment drifted through the air. It sounded broken and bewildered to his own ears.
So many years had passed since those days spent with his Slytherin at Hogwarts. Time heals all wounds. How many times had that phrase been uttered in the weeks and months after the war? He'd lost track. Those words were empty, meaningless; and yet Colin had clung to them the way a drowning man clings to any semblance of hope to keep him afloat. Time heals all wounds. His feet stopped moving as he passed over the bridge where Harry had confessed to him that he was still hurting inside. He walked over to the side and leaned against the railing, his eyes staring into the distance but not seeing the landscape that flowed like the water beneath the bridge he stood on.
Whomever had been the first to say those words should have an Unforgivable used on them. Time did nothing to heal wounds, merely covered them with scar tissue that broke open with the slightest pinprick. It's easy to say I'm over the pain Draco left me with when he's not standing right in front of me.
And Little Scorpius with his open enthusiasm and the innocence that comes with childhood - somehow Colin saw himself in those bright eyes. Not the adult version of himself, but rather the young boy that he had been in those first years at Hogwarts. So eager, full of confidence, full of life. And Draco could be seen in the colour of his hair, the shape of his face.
And Astoria - Colin could see why Draco had married her. Beyond the name and the pureblood status and the fact that she was a woman, she was also everything that Colin had ever hoped Draco would find. Intelligent, kind, and eager to experience the world around her with delight and wonder, traits that Colin could see in her son.
"How is it possible," Colin repeated out loud, the words tumbling from his lips in a whisper.
"Nothing is impossible."
Colin twisted to the side at the sound, and his eyes fell on the older gentleman he had seen sitting on the bench earlier. "Is it really," he said wistfully.
The man came to rest his elbows on the railing a few feet away. He was wearing a New York Yankees ball cap and the same distant expression from earlier. His voice sounded older than he appeared. "Sometimes we have to do things ordinarily unthinkable to achieve the impossible."
"Perhaps so," Colin agreed.
They stood in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. After a time Colin heard the man shuffle off, and felt a small moment of loss: The stranger's presence had somehow been calming, as though he were sharing Colin's confusion and pain. He turned to see the man as he walked off, his back bowed as though under a heavy weight, and for a brief moment Colin wanted to call after him to come back, if only because he didn't want to be alone with his thoughts. The moment passed as quickly as it had arrived; Colin sighed and turned to walk back in the direction he'd came.
Something in his peripheral vision made him turn back to the side of the railing. A small brown bag sat against the wooden posts. He frowned. Did this belong to the older man? Colin turned to see if the stranger was still in sight, but he was alone in the park. He picked up the bag and looked for some sort of identification, but found nothing. He shrugged. Maybe Harry would know how to find the owner. The Auror department had some sort of procedure for returning lost property he was sure.
The air inside Grimmauld Place oozed with the aroma of chocolate the moment Colin stepped inside. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he allowed the smell to wash away his worried thoughts.
"How was your day love?"
Colin's eyes flew open. Harry walked toward him, an easy smile on his face, and Colin managed to keep his mouth from dropping open, but it was a near thing. "I picked up my book from Diagon Alley," he responded.
Harry nodded, a teasing glint in his eye. "I do hope you'll be able to restrain yourself from reading tonight."
"Oh yeah?" Colin said playfully. "Why is that?"
"I have dinner cooked for us tonight. And..." Harry paused, his gaze drifting up and down Colin's frame, "perhaps dessert, if you save some room."
"Is that chocolate I smell?" Colin questioned in an innocent tone. "I do enjoy chocolate for my dessert."
Harry laughed and lightly tugged Colin closer to give him a kiss: It was chaste, merely a tease, and Colin felt a stirring occur in his belly at the implied promise. "Dinner will be ready in ten minutes."
Colin stole another soft kiss before he pulled away to take off the bag he'd been carrying over his shoulder. "I stopped at our park today to clear my head, and found this bag by the bridge. I hoped you'd be able to take it to your Lost and Found Department? I think it belongs to an older muggle man, but I'm not sure."
Harry glanced at the bag. "I can do that. Leave it by the door, I'll take it tomorrow."
"Thanks," Colin said. He leaned in for another kiss, but Harry was too quick for him and darted away.
"Come catch me if you can," he called as he ducked into the hallway. Colin laughed and followed him at a slower pace, kicking his trainers off as he did so.
He caught up to Harry in the kitchen. Harry's wand swished about, setting the small table with the necessary dishes. Colin sat down and watched with wonder. He hadn't seen his boyfriend in such high spirits in quite awhile, and had nearly forgotten how carefree Harry had once been.
"So tell me," Harry said with quiet concern, "what made you need to clear your head today?"
Colin was silent for a moment. He knew he couldn't tell the whole truth, not right now; he'd missed his Harry and didn't want to risk messing it all up. Not tonight. He settled on part of the truth. "Do you remember the boy I once mentioned I briefly dated, the one from Hogwarts?"
"Your mystery boy who broke your heart?" Harry nodded as he moved to stir a pot on the stove.
"Yes," Colin confirmed quietly. "I saw him today in Diagon Alley."
"That must have been difficult," Harry said with sympathy.
Colin's lips quirked in a sad attempt at a smile. "It was. It was like - bittersweet nostalgia. How is it possible, to know that you're over someone and want nothing but for them to be happy in their life, and yet still be upset that they hurt you?"
"The key is in those last words, love."
"They hurt me?"
"Right in one," Harry said. "He hurt you. You're allowed to be upset, and to feel hurt. That doesn't mean that you can't move on. It doesn't mean that you can't wish him well. You have a big heart. It's one of the things I love most about you."
Colin hopped off the chair and hugged Harry from behind. Harry grunted. "Ooof. Don't make me splash the sauce!"
"Would that be a bad thing," Colin said in a suggestive tone.
Harry laughed. "It is if you want any sauce on your - "
Colin grinned when Harry stopped speaking abruptly at his touch. "How much time did you say we had until dinner was ready?"
Harry pressed his body to Colin and pulled him around for a kiss. "About ten minutes?"
"I'll work fast," Colin promised.
Harry's only answer was to pull him closer. And if a button or two on Colin's favorite shirt popped off, he couldn't have cared less.
Colin woke early the next morning, well before the alarm clock. He looked over where Harry lay still sleeping. His love looked peaceful. Colin felt his heart twitch and pressed his hand over his chest in reaction. He still sometimes felt overwhelmed at the depth of this emotion. How could it be possible to love someone this much?
He felt suddenly restless, and carefully maneuvered his way off the bed and wiggled his way into a fluffy bathrobe as soon as he was out from the warmth of the covers. Harry didn't so much as stir, and Colin was grateful. He wanted Harry to be at peace for as long as possible.
The house was quiet as he padded his way through different rooms. He felt like he was searching for something. His footsteps took him to the attic. No dust could be seen even in this room; Kreacher's cleaning habits had certainly improved over the years. He looked around carefully, but nothing caught his eye.
A beam shone through the large window on the other end of the room, the moonlight hauntingly beautiful. He walked to it and looked out, but his gaze saw little more than the street outside. It would make a breathtaking photo, the way the empty street stood impassive against a dark backdrop, lit only by the natural beauty of the moon.
Colin turned away, his intention to fetch his camera, when he saw a small wooden box half buried among old clothes and other junk a few feet away. He knew what was in it - how could he forget? - but some desire deep within made him reach out and pull it free. He held his thumb over the petal of a sunflower and heard a small click. Harry had given him this box as a birthday gift that first year they'd started dating. For your treasured possessions. Only you can open it.
He felt a little guilty that he'd used the box his boyfriend had given him to -
Colin's breath caught as he opened the lid. He'd been expecting it, but the wave of sadness and even anger had still taken him by surprise. The small scrap of parchment on top held only two words written in a neat cursive, and his mind traveled back in the space of an instant.
A small girl ran up to him, dodging through gravestones with the natural ease only a child could have. "Your name is Colin?"
"It is," Colin said with surprise. "Do I know you?"
"I was told to give this to you," the child informed him. She held out a small bit of parchment.
Colin took it, his eyebrow raised, and unfolded it. His stomach dropped as he saw the words written in a handwriting he knew intimately.
"Where is the man who gave this to you?" he asked. He looked up when there was no forthcoming response. The girl had disappeared. He looked around, his head turning in every direction, but saw no sign of either her or -
He looked back at the parchment. "I'm sorry," he whispered aloud, his words echoing those written in Draco's neat scrawling script.
Colin still hadn't figured out how Draco had known about his parent's funeral. He and Dennis had kept the news about their passing as quiet as possible. They'd wanted to grieve quietly, without a large fuss. At the time, knowing Draco cared enough to express an apology about their deaths helped him; it gave him something to cling to as he dealt with his grief. But in the end it had only prolonged the time it took to move on.
Underneath the parchment was a photograph. Colin had wanted a picture of them together, but Draco wouldn't consent to it, too afraid of it being lost or stolen and someone finding out about their relationship. But one day he had pulled Colin aside and agreed to it - if Colin could find a way to take it so they wouldn't be identified should the photo ever be found.
He had taken it at night, a nearly full moon in the sky. Ironically, they had stood on the top of the Astronomy Tower, although no one could tell that by looking at the picture. The focal point was two hands clasped tight against the backdrop of a night sky. Stars could be seen surrounding the joined hands. They hadn't planned it, but Draco had told him as they'd developed the photo that the constellation in the background was the one for which he'd been named.
Gently, Colin moved the photograph out of the way until the last item in the box could be seen: A small glass rose, carefully enclosed in a thin layer of clear bubble wrap. This was the only thing in the box -other than the box itself - that was from Harry. It had been sent to him at work on the day of their second anniversary, and had arrived during a staff meeting. The resulting wolf whistles and teasing had given him beet red cheeks for the remainder of the day, but the memory still brought a smile to his face.
He allowed himself a moment longer of reminiscence before he closed the lid with a slight click and replaced the box where he had found it. His restlessness had disappeared as quickly as it had come on, and he found he wanted nothing more than to curl up next to Harry and fall asleep. He made his way back to their bedroom and noted with relief that Harry was still sleeping. Carefully, so as not to jostle the bed, he climbed back in and laid his arm around Harry. He breathed in deeply, the faint smell of coconut and home all around him, and closed his eyes once more.