The reflection in the mirror replicated his sigh as Colin fussed with his dress robes and muttered the instructions Terry Boot had given him regarding his attire for the Ministry's Annual Charity Ball he and Sally Ann would be attending as photographers for Wizarding World Weekly. "No fancy colours, you want to blend in, but don't under-dress . This is a formal attire event. But don't over-dress either." He gave another sigh and decided he was as ready as he'd ever be - the dark blue of his robes wasn't quite black, but it was close. He had half a mind to lighten the colour some, just in rebellion of Terry's words, but decided it wasn't worth the argument when his supervisor found out. Their paper was not the only one who would be at the event, and he didn't want to be outed if someone photographed him in the background.
"Does this look 'formal but not too formal'? Terry's instructions were rather confusing."
Harry turned as Colin spoke, and the book he'd been reading before Colin had entered the sitting room closed with a small thud. It seemed to take a moment for him to register Colin's words, but then he smiled and gave Colin a thorough glance-over. "Exceeds Expectations, I'd say."
"That's a relief," Colin laughed. "I was sure it would be Poor. Or even Troll. I transfigured the colour myself. "
Harry dropped his book on the couch and moved close enough to run his hands down Colin's arms. "I might even upgrade it to an Outstanding."
"Oh? What can I do to convince you?" Colin leaned in, his lips just a hair's breath away from Harry's.
Harry eagerly kissed him, a slight breathless moan emptying into Colin's mouth as he did so, and Colin melted against the familiar warm body. He felt perfectly content in that moment, and in the back of his mind wished that it could last forever.
But Harry broke away all too soon, laughter in his voice as he said, "you've convinced me, Outstanding it is."
Colin grinned. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me? I know I'll be working but we could still enjoy some time together."
Harry seemed to glance fleetingly over at the couch before he smiled and said lightly, "Spending time with the Ministry lot is not my idea of a fun evening, love. I have some reading I need to catch up on anyway."
Colin pressed in for another kiss before stepping away. "I'm not sure when I'll be back, but if it's anything like what Terry tells me to expect, I wouldn't wait up."
"Go enjoy yourself," Harry said.
"Love you," Colin said, and as he walked out of the room Harry's answering echo made him smile.
The Annual Ministry Charity Ball was rarely held in the same place twice. This year, for some inexplicable reason, the powers that be had chosen to hold it outside. A large field had been transformed into a fairy tale wonderland, complete with an elegant dance floor that took up a large section in the middle. A live band (thankfully not the Weird Sisters) was playing, and the entire affair was topped off with fancy food served buffet style on the left side of the meadow. "Let's make sure we visit the food tables soon," Sally Anne begged.
Colin laughed. "Shall we take a few shots of the food then?"
They wandered on over, occasionally stopping to take a photo or two. Colin felt at home in this environment. Taking pictures at events never got old. One could blend into the background, observe others, listen to their conversations - just like the stories his pictures told, the things that people said when they didn't realize others outside of their conversation could hear were often enlightening.
"...and look, she's brought her husband with her tonight, that one sure married up..."
Colin's heart sped up at those words. Somehow, without turning his head, he knew who the two older witches were talking about.
Even from across the meadow, Draco Malfoy was as plain as day, and his crisp royal purple dress robes stood out like a neon light to Colin. Astoria lightly held his arm, her dress robes a slightly lighter shade, and though he hated himself for it, Colin was envious of her in that moment. Would that have been him, had they - Colin forced the thought away, but his camera moved up almost of its own volition, a radiant shot of the Malfoy couple a click away.
As the night progressed, Colin kept one eye on Draco at all times, determined to keep his distance. He didn't think Draco knew he was here, and preferred to keep it that way for self-preservation's sake. Sally Ann provided a welcome distraction from his thoughts the few times their work together crossed paths, as her commentary on the conversations overheard was comical.
On his seventh circle of the room, Colin caught Sally Anne's attention, mouthing 'break' at her as he passed by. She signaled that she'd understood, and Colin gratefully moved to sit at a table at the very edge of the field with a good view of the entire affair. Even during his short break to rest his legs, he wanted to be in a good vantage point in case the shot of a lifetime would unfold in front of him. Granted, his idea of the ideal shot had nothing to do with the many bureaucrats here, but the photographer's instinct was a part of him.
He observed Astoria Malfoy working the room - she was good at it, he could tell even from a distance. But of course she would be, he thought; she had that quality about her, the intangible but ever present charisma that set people at ease and allowed them to open up. He wondered what organization she was representing tonight. He'd not been paying attention to the long list that the bloke giving the welcome speech had announced. There had been a couple of wizards having a low conversation not far from where he'd been standing taking photos, and he'd not been very successful with tuning them out. He had learned much more than he wanted to know about latest model of the Firebolt racing broom, and hoped that he could remember it, as Harry had expressed interest in the new model, set to hit shops in a handful of months.
Some sixth sense nudged at him, and he turned his head to glance to his left. Nothing there. He looked to his right and felt his heart stutter in his chest. Draco Malfoy was staring at him, his mouth slightly parted, his expression pensive. They stared at each other, their shared 'oh fuck' moment rendering them both speechless, before Draco blinked and Colin could see the decision in his eyes.
Draco didn't speak until he was standing at the edge of the round table on the opposite side where Colin sat, mere feet away and he looked so much like his Draco in that moment Colin nearly cried out. But this wasn't his Draco, this was Astoria's Draco, this was Scorpius' father, this was a man who looked like the boy he had once known -
"Good evening," Draco said, his voice formal, stiff.
"Hullo," Colin managed. He cringed internally at how breathy he sounded.
Draco's hands clutched at the back of a chair, his mouth opening and closing twice before he said, "You've been avoiding me all evening."
Colin looked at him in astonishment. Draco wouldn't meet his gaze. "You noticed."
"I was a pariah after the war for years, Colin," Draco said defensively. "I know when someone is avoiding me."
Colin didn't know what to say to that. There was a long silence before he settled on, "Why are you talking to me?"
"It seems as though you are destined to be in my life, so I thought we may as well attempt to be civil."
Colin felt his cheeks become warm. Draco seemed to realize how his words sounded, for he flushed too, still unable to look at Colin in the eye. "I meant Scorpius. Teaching him about photography."
"He's a delightful child. And he learns quickly."
Some of the stiffness in Draco's shoulders fell away at the comment, and pride ran briefly across his face before he said, "He does learn quickly. Almost too quickly, he's scared three of our house elves twice each when he's taken pictures without warning."
Colin laughed softly at the thought before he wondered if it might not be the most appropriate reaction, but when he looked at Draco, he found that Draco's eyes were drinking him in, his expression so open and vulnerable for a moment that Colin's breath caught. There was another long silence, punctured only by this thing between them, this thing they both knew but were unwilling to speak about, and Colin didn't know what to say but he knew it was far too late anyway, his expression spoke volumes -
"There you are Draco!" Astoria called as she walked up, her face alight with laughter. "I've been looking for you, Pansy was asking after you - oh hello Colin!"
Colin glanced back at Draco - his face had shuttered once more - before he stood to properly greet Astoria. "It's nice to see you, are you enjoying the ball?"
She laughed. "I'd forgotten how exhausting it is to solicit money from people who are trying to solicit money from me, to be honest. But I'm enjoying the challenge, yes. Are you working tonight? I see you have your camera."
"Yes I am. I had to take a short break for a moment, my feet needed a rest. Regretfully I should get back to work. It was nice to see you, Astoria." He couldn't bear to look at Draco again; he smiled at Astoria and walked away, his chest pounding as the adrenaline of the moment caught up to him. He heard Astoria say, "Draco?" her voice questioning; he did not hear Draco's reply.
The moment Colin had left for the ball, Harry had picked up his book again. It wasn't really a book, although it did contain a story, one unlike anything he'd ever read, one that he could relate to in ways he didn't even want to admit. He didn't want to share this with Colin, not yet. Maybe not ever. He's not writing in it, it's not writing back, he's not possessed - it doesn't matter. It's just a diary someone once kept. Harry wasn't sure the owner would want this back even if he knew who to return it to anyhow - who would want to read the horrible moments of their lives over and over? Wasn't it bad enough to relive them in your own brain for all entirety? The way he did -
On some level, Harry figured he should feel guilty for reading the private thoughts of someone else, even a total stranger. But he can't muster up the emotion. It felt too - he hated to admit it. It felt good to lose himself in another's world, another's troubles, troubles that may sometimes parallel some of his own but none of them affect him in the slightest, and he just wanted out of his head, he wanted to get lost in Officer Bellingtine's thoughts -
I feel I am being watched. Sometimes I don't understand what is real and what I'm imagining, or is it all the same? Perhaps this is all real. Perhaps none of it is. Why am I here?
I spent an hour in the pool this afternoon. I detest the smell of the chlorine. I prefer to work out at the gym, early in the morning when no one is about. But it's been weeks now that I've felt like I'm not alone. Someone's out there, watching. I felt them today, felt the eyes upon me as I swam. Is this real? Perhaps I see so much horror day in and day out on the job. Perhaps it's getting to me. Or has already.
There is this thought - I don't know if it's real. But what if the monster - what if the monster is tracking me?
It's a silly thought. The monster is not worried about me. The monster taunts us, you know. Taunts me. I'm supposed to play a part in this game. How do you catch a monster? It's a long con, a game, the monster doesn't know I'm not playing by its rules. But I am playing, oh yes.
But am I really playing at all? It's all the same, isn't it. Aren't we all the same? I may be the officer and they the monster, but aren't we the same? Our titles don't matter, we're all the same.
On scene the other day - she went through hell on her way out, no doubt about it. But do I even -
It doesn't matter if it's real or not, does it. It's part of the game. Games are fun to play.
Harry's not sure what to make of this man. He'd skipped around the entries a bit, hadn't read them in order like he probably should have, but these words, this man – he was a mystery to solve and Harry wanted to solve this puzzle the hard way.
Something about it made him feel alive again.
It was just about one in the morning when Colin entered his home, his body exhausted and his mind shot from being on edge the whole evening. He allowed himself a moment to collect his thoughts before he began to make his way to the bedroom he shared with Harry.
Maybe more than just a moment. His breathing became laboured as he climbed the stairs, a panic attack on the way, and Colin slid to the ground. He tucked his head down into his knees and hugged himself. What had that been - what happened - bloody hell. It was like no time had passed at all, his body, his mind - how was it he was still attracted after all these years -
But Harry. God did he love Harry. Draco was a fantasy, Draco hadn't been here - Harry had.
Colin waited until his breathing returned to normal before he slowly eased himself up. He walked the rest of the way to the bedroom carefully, his stomach aching with something other than hunger.
By the light of the moon through the window, he could see his boyfriend was sound asleep, a book clenched in his hands. Shaking his head in affection, Colin gently removed the book and set it on the nightstand. He undressed quickly and quietly, surprised at his ability to do so - he felt so tired, his body unused to staying out so late.
Harry muttered something about playing a game as Colin slipped into bed, and he stilled for a moment, thinking Harry was awake - but a light snore resumed not long after, and he relaxed. He hadn't been sure if he'd be able to sleep, but somehow he did, the comforting presence of Harry beside him.
It was fully one week later that Astoria cornered him. Draco had been expecting it, but had still hoped she would choose to let it go. He wasn't ready for this conversation. He wasn't sure he ever would be ready. But when Astoria had told Draco that she taking Scorpius to visit his parents but that she was only dropping him off, and not staying for a visit herself, he felt his stomach drop. It was time, then.
He'd thought for a long moment about postponing the conversation, thought of all the excuses that he could use - but in the end he figured he'd best get it over with. She didn't need to know - but if he put it off, she'd know for sure there was something to know. If he could give her enough information to stay off his back, but not say...
The door opened downstairs, a warning that Astoria was back. Fear spread, but he took a deep breath and stood up from the top step he'd been sitting on, contemplating his options. He'd meet his fate head on, at least. He wasn't the coward he'd been as a child. Or so he hoped.
He heard Astoria walk to the kitchen. Why did his ears suddenly fine tune to her every step, her every movement as he followed? He stood in the doorway a moment and watched her as she made tea, her back to him. "Would you like a cuppa?"
Draco started; he hadn't known she'd known he was there. "Yes please," he managed, his voice steady despite his nerves.
Astoria handed him a cup, her smile kind. Draco took a sip and tentatively smiled back.
"What's the real reason you objected to Scorpius receiving photography lessons from Colin, Draco?"
Draco blinked, stunned - he hadn't been prepared for so blunt of a question - and set down his glass. His fingers played with the handle, the only nervous tell he allowed to show. He forced himself to look at her. "It doesn't matter," he said, stalling for time.
"I didn't know," Astoria said. "I didn't know that you share a history with him - and don't deny it, it's obvious that you do - and because I didn't know, I brought him into our lives. For better or worse, Draco, he's in our lives right now. Scorpius loves learning from him. Unless there is something you need to tell me that would be a good reason to stop those lessons?"
"There is - " Draco took a breath. "There is no good reason to stop his lessons."
Astoria waited, but Draco did not speak again. She sighed. "I don't know what happened in the past, Draco. You never once spoke of Colin, not once in all these years did you ever let on that you knew him - how was I to know that you'd had a falling out of some sort?"
"We didn't have a falling out!" Draco burst out. He closed his eyes for a moment; he hadn't meant to say that. What was it that Colin had told him once? 'Words, when held in too long, tend to come out to people we'd rather not have details of our lives' or some such thing. Damn him for being right.
Astoria didn't say anything, and Draco had an odd sensation of déjà vu; Colin would wait too, wait until the silence became too loud and Draco had to talk to cover over the uncomfortable feeling of silence.
"I hurt him. He was my - friend. Helped me through - sixth year. And in return I hurt him. Said things I can't take back."
Draco felt a hand on his arm. He slowly opened his eyes. "Thank you," Astoria breathed.
He didn't answer, merely furrowed his brow in confusion. "Thank you for telling me," she clarified. They stood there, her hand on his arm, and Draco slowly understood that the world hadn't ended, she was still here, nothing bad had happened from admitting the truth - or part of it at least.
Astoria withdrew her hand slowly, breaking the spell of the moment. She took a sip of her tea. "May I say something?"
Draco nodded his assent, unsure if he wanted to hear but curious all the same.
"Perhaps it's time to...bury the hatchet. Scorpius' lessons are reason enough to move forward, to clear up any awkward tip-toeing around each other. But you deserve some peace of mind for yourself, Draco. I know you're not saying it, but I can tell this is weighing on you more than you might realize."
Draco was quiet. He didn't think he trusted his voice right now to speak. He didn't want to open his mouth, because if he did he'd tell her about how that wasn't a good idea. But how could he tell her that, when he couldn't tell her why? Hell, he couldn't even admit to himself why, exactly.
Astoria was watching him closely, and he had to look away. The emotions building inside scared him in their intensity and he didn't want to examine them to closely, lest he not like what he would see.
"I won't upset you with this topic further, at least not today," Astoria said gently. "Please think on it though, darling."
Once more Draco nodded, relieved.
"Now," Astoria clapped her hands once, "Scorpius was invited to a birthday party next week, and I wondered if you would be able to drop him off..."
Thrilled at the change of subject, Draco focused his attention on Astoria, and put away all unwanted thoughts from his mind.
A tiny corner of his brain, however, knew the respite would be temporary.
It was perhaps a sign of the times - the Wizarding World in a time of peace, with few dreadful things to sensationalize in print - that even a week after the Ministry's Annual Charity Ball The Daily Prophet was still selling papers with articles and pictures from the event. Colin rarely read that rag, but several of the people at Wizarding World Weekly did ("just to keep up with what other papers are doing" Sally Ann once explained. To which Colin had responded "in this case, I think ignorance is bliss".)
When Natalie Mayes had asked him what Draco Malfoy had said at the Charity Ball that had been so funny, Colin had stared at her for fully five seconds before asking what she was talking about. And when she'd shown him the photo from her copy of The Daily Prophet, his previous words to Sally Ann floated through his mind, taunting him. It turned out that sometimes, ignorance was not bliss.
From a photographer's standpoint, the photo was perfect, a once in a lifetime shot taken at exactly the right angle, with exactly the right lighting, at exactly the right time. The kind of photo that really captures the expression 'a picture is worth a thousand words'.
Colin could remember every detail even without the aid of the photo, but the visual representation of that moment still took his breath away. Picture Draco stood, his hands clasping the back of a chair, and his face flashed from pride to merriment to a fond expression as he looked across the table at Picture Colin, who was laughing, his face lit up with joy and what looked to be far too much hope.
Colin realized that Natalie was still waiting on his answer. "He was telling me about how his son has been scaring house elves by taking photos of them when they're not expecting it."
Natalie laughed. "House elves can be jumpy creatures, poor things."
Colin joined her in laughter, but it felt forced. He handed the paper back to her, strangely reluctant to let it go. Get a grip, he told himself.
He spent much of the rest of the day wondering how Draco would react to the picture. Had he seen it? Would he see it? By the time he apparated home, he was sick to death of his own mind, determined not to let it ruin his evening.
Dinner was an animated affair, with Harry ranting about how few leads he'd found on his missing person case. "It's like she just disappeared off the face of the Earth. And she appears to have kept her work life and her personal life separate, because no one seems to know much about who she is aside from her job and a few random tidbits like her favourite colour. She appears to be well versed in both the magical and muggle world, given what some of her coworkers have said, which could point to her being muggle born - but it could also mean that she was just good at her job, since she worked around both muggles and magical folk. I don't know what to make of all this, Colin."
"It's hard to believe that there aren't any clues out there," Colin mused. "Someone has to know something."
"The only interesting clue to date hasn't panned out yet," Harry said. "I spoke with someone who knew her - but even with what I learned there, as brilliant as it was - she's just disappeared."
"You'll find something," Colin said. "You're good with puzzles, love."
"I hope so. What about you? Anything noteworthy happen?"
Colin sighed. "Other than sitting through the longest staff meeting in history, no. Everyone had important things to say today, the meeting lasted nearly two hours. Most of it I didn't really care about, I mean, most of it didn't really have to do with my job."
"Those daydream things they sell at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes may be useful in those meetings," Harry said.
Colin smiled. "Terry knows the signs when they're being used in meetings. Apparently from personal experience in school. I don't think I'd be able to get away with that."
"Likely not then," Harry said.
After dinner, Harry drew them a bath, and with the sight of frothy bubbles Colin felt himself relaxing. There were few things in this world that relaxed him completely, and the feel of Harry's body against his back as they sat under bubbled water was one of them.
They sat together for a good while before Harry's mouth softly trailed down Colin's neck, feather light kisses that made fire roll through his veins. He sighed contentedly. When Harry spoke, Colin could feel Harry's lips move over his skin as the words rolled out of his mouth. "I was asked an odd question today."
"Oh yeah?" Colin wasn't sure why Harry's foreplay talk was starting out less dirty than usual, but he went with it. "And what question was that?" he asked in a suggestive tone.
"I was asked," Harry responded in the same tone, "how my boyfriend knew Draco Malfoy."
Colin's eyes flew open.
"I had to ask," Harry said, "why they were asking me such an odd question." As he spoke, his hands twisted into Colin's hair, pulling until it was painful. In a different context, Colin found this gesture arousing, but this was most definitely not it. He took a sharp breath. His heart pounded from fear now, rather than arousal.
"And do you know what they showed me, Colin?"
Colin knew. But he was not about to admit it now, not when Harry clearly wouldn't take it well. "What did they show you," he asked, dreading the answer.
"There was a photo in The Daily Prophet," Harry answered, still using that same seductive tone that held a hint of danger. "A photo of you and Draco Malfoy taken at that Charity Ball."
"I see," Colin said carefully, unsure how to approach his response, unsure of the words that would defuse the situation. The very air was thick with tension.
"I saw the picture," Harry continued. "You were laughing at something he was saying, Colin. Laughing."
Somehow, Colin instinctually knew that explaining what he'd been laughing about would do little to help Harry's mood. "Those Ministry functions call for an awful lot of small talk, Harry," he soothed. "It wouldn't do to brush people off, not in such a situation. It wouldn't be - " he searched for a word, eventually coming up with "-politic. Connections are worth everything."
Harry seemed to consider his answer, and his fingers clenched and unclenched Colin's hair roughly as Colin waited, the moment suspended in time.
"As long as that is all it is," Harry said, a warning clear in his tone.
"What's going on, Harry?" Colin asked against his better judgment. "You never used to be this - jealous of other people."
It was the wrong thing to say. Harry sharply pulled his hair, and Colin's head was jerked back, exposing his neck. Harry's teeth bit down, and a painful love bite that had no love behind it was placed on the spot that ordinarily drove Colin mad with lust. "You're mine, Colin. Mine. People like him don't get to make you laugh."
Colin held his tongue, fear freezing him in place. This wasn't his Harry talking, this was the Harry who was deeply hurt, the Harry who needed to lash out at others to feel safe - he needed to find the right words to bring his Harry back, what were the right words to say now -
But no words came. He allowed his fear to hold him in place, allowed Harry's mouth to harshly suck at his skin, allowed Harry's hand to violently bring him pleasure -
And his body knew the dance, knew gratification, it understood what to do. But despite the pleasure, all Colin could feel was despair.
The birthday party that Scorpius was attending happened to be not far from Diagon Alley. It was in a muggle neighborhood (why would one choose to live around muggles, Draco wondered), but even he had to be impressed with the size of the house. "Don't get lost in the place," he'd playfully warned Scorpius as he'd left.
Draco was unsure what to do after dropping his son off at the party; Astoria was working today, and he had a rare day to himself. On a whim, he decided to take a stroll through Diagon Alley. It'd been a long while since he'd walked the cobblestone streets for reasons other than heading to work or shopping.
He strolled through the shops, trying to see them the way that he had the first time he'd been brought here as a young child. He remembered being wide eyed with wonder. Over the years he'd lost that wonder, his eyes seeing the mundane instead of the extraordinary. He remembered another boy, young in his mind's eye, who always saw the extraordinary through the lens of a camera. He would have liked to have seen how he'd reacted to Diagon Alley the first time, did he have the same face he did when...no. He's not thinking about it, remember?
Furious with himself, he buried his hands in his pockets and walked faster. He looked in the window of the shop to his right. The sign advertising the upcoming new model of the Firebolt barely registered in his brain before he felt a jolt and was knocked backwards off his feet. Stunned for a moment, he shook his head and looked around, and his eyes fell upon Harry Potter, who looked just as surprised as he had been, sprawled on the ground in front of him. Great. Just what he needed, to literally run into the saviour of the wizarding world.
"Watch where you're going, Potter," he spat out as he stood.
Potter didn't respond until he was standing, hitting the dust off his clothes. He curled his lip. "Is that all you got, Malfoy? Do your worst. You don't scare me."
Draco raised his eyebrow. Was Potter off his rocker? "Are we having a conversation I don't know about, Potter? If so, kindly enlighten me. Otherwise, bugger off."
"You may have fooled my kind hearted boyfriend that you are a halfway decent person, Malfoy. But I know you're not. Stay the fuck away from Colin, do you hear me?"
Draco blinked. What the bloody hell - oh. That damn photo. "I think that boyfriend of yours can decide for himself, don't you think?"
Harry visibly shook, his hands opening and closing as though longing to punch Draco. "Just stay the fuck away from Colin," he repeated.
"So our saviour is just as human as the rest of us," Draco taunted. "Prone to fits of jealousy over straight men. I must say I'm flattered you think I'm a threat."
The expression on Potter's face was so worth the punch. Draco lay on the cobblestone, hysterical laughter pulled out of him. "Is that all you got, Potter?"
"Fuck you," Potter hissed out at him before he turned on the spot and disappeared.
His face was hurting from where he'd been hit, but Draco nevertheless felt smug. Somehow, he thought he'd won this round.
Scorpius' next photography lesson was held on the grounds of the Malfoy family's home. Colin figured it was time to start his young charge with some tips for outdoor lighting. He was determined not to let Harry stop him from his promise to teach Scorpius. Not that Harry knew he was here, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. A voice deep inside whispered that he shouldn't have to hide things from his boyfriend - but he reasoned that it was for a good reason, Harry loved him, he didn't mean to cause him pain, he was just hurting - some time and some love would make it all better.
The excited face of Scorpius running toward him pulled him into the present, and he gave a breathless laugh as the child slammed into his legs, hugging him. "I get to learn more!" he proclaimed with obvious joy.
"Yes you do!" Colin exclaimed. "Do you have your camera?"
"Right here," Astoria Malfoy said as she walked up to them. "Scorp, you left this in the entryway."
"Thanks Mum!"
"Hi," Colin said. He felt a little awkward. Astoria smiled at him, completely at ease. "Hi Colin."
"What are we gonna learn today?" Scorpius asked impatiently.
"We're going to learn how to take photos outside," Colin answered. He saw Astoria slip away quietly out of the corner of his eye. "What's my first rule of photography?"
"Know what story you wanna tell," Scorpius obediently said.
Colin nodded. "Exactly. What stories can you tell outside?" When Scorpius looked stumped, Colin added on to his question. "When you look around out here, what do you see?"
Scorpius turned his head, looking around him seriously, his face scrunched up in concentration. Colin waited and watched, entertained by the sight of a young mind figuring out a puzzle on his own. After a few minutes Scorpius kneeled in front of a small rock. "There's an ant! It wants to get on a rock."
"Watch the ant for a minute," Colin instructed, moving over to where Scorpius sat. "See where it goes."
Scorpius watched the ant, his small face serious in his focus, and Colin watched too. The ant made it to the top of the rock and went down the other side before stopping in front of a small berry. It then began to take a small ant-sized scrap in its antenna and walk back the way it came.
"The ant," Scorpius said. "It's getting food."
"That is certainly the perfect example of an outdoor story!" Colin said. "Now we have to take into consideration the lighting before we can take the picture..."
Colin found himself completely engrossed in his teaching, and an hour passed before he knew it. Astoria wondered back over, and Colin wrapped up his lesson with some reluctance. "Don't forget to practice," he told Scorpius.
"I won't!" Scorpius said excitedly. "Thank you," he said politely as he gave a glance in his Mother's direction.
"You're welcome," Colin said with a smile.
"Why don't you go wash up for supper now," Astoria said with a ruffle of Scorpius' hair.
"Bye Colin," Scorpius said and bounded off, giggling as he went.
"He's such an inquisitive child," Colin said. "It's a joy teaching him."
Astoria smiled at him, but there was a look in her eyes as she did so, and Colin had the feeling she had something on her mind. "May I say something?" she said hesitantly. "I don't mean to pry, and you're free to tell me no, I promise."
Colin knew what she wanted to ask. He didn't have any answers for her. He thought that she might already know that, but she was bold enough to ask anyway, and that took courage. He respected that. He nodded his consent.
"When I asked you to take pictures for my family, I didn't know that my husband knew you. But watching the two of you interact - it's obvious there is a history there."
Colin took a breath to steady himself. He so did not want to have this conversation. "What did he tell you?"
"Just that you were a friend who helped him during his sixth year."
He wasn't sure if he was disappointed or relieved that Draco hadn't said more. "That's true."
Astoria held his gaze. She seemed to be searching for something. But he wasn't going to give her the answers. That was between Draco and her.
It didn't seem to matter that he hadn't spoken. She nodded slowly as she looked at him, as though she had found the answer she'd been looking for. "Does next Wednesday work for Scorpius' next lesson?"
Thrown by the change of topic, Colin blinked before he recovered himself. "Yes, that would work for me. Same time?"
Astoria agreed and they parted ways. Colin hoped his emotions weren't written all over his face.
For Draco, life appeared to return to some semblance of normalcy. The weeks passed with ease and he was lulled into the false sense of security that came with warm summer days. He made time to play with his son in the evenings, chasing garden gnomes around the garden and uncovering freshly buried "treasure" with the help of a niffler who liked to frequent their land. And so what if part of the reason he threw himself into having fun with his son was because he needed a distraction from his thoughts? Scorpius was happy, and Draco was happy in those moments, and wasn't that all that mattered?
Astoria did not mention Colin Creevey again, but he knew that she still had questions. He saw the look in her eyes when he'd look at her, heard everything she didn't say when she spoke to him. And some part of him knew he was over-thinking this too much, that everything he thought Astoria was not saying to him was in fact his own brain speaking to him, his own mind dwelling on Colin even as it tried to push the thoughts away, but to admit that to himself fully would mean accepting truths about himself he couldn't yet name...
And so the time passed. He watched his son blossom under Colin Creevey's instruction, relieved that Astoria scheduled his lessons so Draco never had to see Colin, and ashamed at himself for being a coward. He watched his wife occasionally look sideways at him when Scorpius was excitedly showing off what he'd learned from his latest lesson, and pretended not to notice even as he wondered what she was thinking, what she saw in his expression.
He started to have dreams. Nightmares, more like - he could never remember what they were about but he'd wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. His racing heart and shaky breath would overwhelm him for long minutes. Sometimes Astoria would wake and hold him until he calmed down. Sometimes he'd have to calm himself. The fifth time Astoria woke to see him that way, when he came back to himself he could see she was biting her lip, holding back from speaking, and he turned away. He didn't want to hear it.
The twelfth time she soothed him, she whispered softly in his ear, "Maybe it's time to face the fears head on, darling."
She was right, he knew it. It was past time to face his fear. But he couldn't say the words out loud.
Knowing it was time and actually acting on the knowledge were two different things. He fantasized about facing the fear, about what he'd say, what'd he'd do. But he couldn't take the next step.
And so the time passed.