If Harry Potter had to pin it down to an exact moment, he would probably say it started on Boxing Day when Scorpius stood to make his speech. Scorpius Malfoy was hosting the engagement dinner for Albus Potter and Benedict Jordan in the main hall of Malfoy Manor, a massive table set up to accommodate everyone. Harry, being father to one of the grooms, was obviously present. So were Ben's parents, Lee and Alicia. And, of course, Albus' mum, Ginny, along with her husband, Dennis Creevey, whom she'd remarried eight years ago after the divorce from Harry. The rest of their combined children and grandchildren filled the long table along with Harry's godson, Teddy Lupin, and Ben's two closest friends.
And then there was Scorpius' father, Draco Malfoy, who wore his usual austere black robes from his place at the other end of the table. Whoever created the seating chart had sat Harry about as far away from Draco as possible, which ended up putting him directly beside Scorpius, who, as the host, occupied the head of the table.
Albus had asked Ben to marry him only two days before, but it seemed apparent by the amount of planning that clearly had gone into this engagement party, Scorpius had been privy to the probability of it happening on Christmas Eve well before the actual question was asked.
In fact, the invitation arrived on Christmas Day shortly after Harry learned the news. He wondered if he had been the last person they told. It seemed likely, given that he was always the last person to be visited on Christmas Day rotations. He'd grown accustomed to his Christmas morning routine of popping over to Hermione and Ron's for breakfast and hot chocolate. Their two children spent their Christmas mornings with their own families in their own homes, much like Harry's daughter, Lily, did too, now that she was married with a baby.
The Granger-Weasleys would all pile in before lunchtime to go to the Burrow's Christmas Lunch with their parents. They'd exchange greetings with Harry, and then he'd head home to prep for Christmas dinner with his kids that night. This year, dinner had come with the surprise addition of Ben to the headcount, along with the news of their engagement. Scorpius' owl arrived minutes later, and now here they all were seated together, looking up at the 27-year-old blond as he launched into a well-articulated anecdote about Albus and Ben first meeting at Hogwarts.
As Harry watched him, all he could think was how exponentially Scorpius' public speaking skills had grown in the decade since he'd last seen him stumbling through his Hogwarts commencement speech as Head Boy. Over the course of the engagement dinner's speech, Harry became acutely aware that Scorpius' public speaking skills were not the only thing about him that had matured.
So, it was in that moment, as Scorpius spoke to the group, standing beside where Harry sat, that he first saw him as a man.
He was beautiful, strong, and captivating. When he finished his speech and everyone toasted their champagne flutes (each etched with a cursive 'A & B'), Scorpius' magnificent blue-grey eyes landed last on Harry, and something inside him opened. A sense of desire he'd not felt in decades.
Scorpius sat back down, smiling anxiously as he whispered, "How was that?"
Harry could only smile and nod reassuringly, struck speechless by these overwhelming feelings. Scorpius relaxed, smiling brighter as he said, "Thanks."
Harry knew then he was doomed. Because no one as gorgeous and brilliant and young as Scorpius would ever be interested in a 53-year-old divorcee whose best years were well behind him. Even if Scorpius was somehow interested in him, the relationship could never happen given that his own son was best friends with the man.
So, in the following weeks, Harry buried these emotions. He focused instead on his kids, his job, his remaining friends, whether or not he should get a new owl, if the Cannons' Keeper was going to be traded to the Kenmare Kestrals, what property values were like these days in France, the ethics of patenting a spell of your own invention, and really anything that would occupy his mind.
Unfortunately, Scorpius, being named Albus' Best Man and de facto wedding coordinator, had taken it upon himself to engage Harry in opinions on much of the wedding planning that Albus was probably supposed to be handling himself. The Jordans were hosting the whole event, which Scorpius seemed pleased with as he'd plopped down on Harry's sofa one afternoon in mid-February (Valentine's Day to be precise, but Harry chose not to mention this) with a formalwear catalogue from Madame Malkin's.
"Albus asked me to help him sort out what dress robes to go with for the groomsmen," Scorpius said, flipping open the catalogue. "He wants his groomsmen to be wizarding apparel while Ben's will be in Muggle apparel. Ben's Best Man is Muggleborn."
"Does this call for tea or beer?" Harry asked.
"I suppose it depends on if you're trying to get me drunk."
"Er, I'm not." Harry's face burned.
"It was a joke, Harry," Scorpius said, still deadpanned. "You've heard of jokes, right?"
"Hm, no. 'Joke?' I don't know this word," Harry said, frowning falsely as he drifted into his kitchen and pulled two beers from the fridge. He handed Scorpius one before sitting beside him. "I'm definitely not trying to get my son's best friend drunk though. Especially not while looking at dress robes."
"I'll keep that in mind when you offer me another one," Scorpius said breezily, flipping to a marked page and asking Harry his preference between the two options.
"Shouldn't Albus be the one deciding what his groomsmen wear?"
"He will, once I narrow it down for him."
"And you need me why exactly?" Harry asked.
"Don't you want to help Albus have the best possible wedding he can?" Scorpius asked, blinking his long lashes a few times with wide, innocent eyes.
"I do," Harry said, completely baffled by how Scorpius was single when he went around batting his lashes and tugging on heartstrings like that. Surely, he could reel in anyone he wanted.
"Besides," Scorpius said, pausing to sip some beer. "Albus asked me to involve you. He didn't want you to feel left out like with Lily's wedding."
Ah, Harry thought, drinking his beer. So that's what this is actually about.
"Well, what Albus wants, Albus gets." Harry smiled. He glanced back at the moving models in the catalogue. "I prefer the navy one."
"Me too," Scorpius said and flipped ahead to the next marked page. "Which of these?"
Harry scrutinized the three black robes for any differences. "Is this a trick question? They all look the same."
"Harry! They're not at all the same." Scorpius proceeded to point out the difference in lapel cut of each and Harry drank, watching Scorpius' face and hands animate as he spoke. Eventually Scorpius caught his eye and asked, "Harry, are you even listening?"
"Of course not. You were always going to pick the shawl collar to match Ben's groomsmen's Muggle suits, and therefore I have no need to pay attention."
Scorpius smiled, pleased that Harry in fact had been listening, and then asked, "So, do you have a hot date for Valentine's Day?"
"Well, you're here, aren't you?" Harry said boldly. The fact that Scorpius had already indicated he was only there at Albus' behest somehow freeing him to flirt without shame. There wasn't any risk now, he supposed.
"Oh, erm, yes," Scorpius said uncomfortably, confirming for Harry that he definitely was only there because Albus asked him to make Harry feel involved.
"It's a joke, Scorpius. You've heard of jokes, right?" Harry grinned.
Scorpius burst into laughter and Harry relaxed beside him, soaking up the 27-year-old's vivacity.
/\/\/\
The next seven months followed in kind with Scorpius popping over on random nights and weekends, Harry humoring his façade of him wanting wedding opinions, and then a breadth of conversation following. All the while Harry fought the urge to lean over and snog Scorpius senseless, contenting himself on his company alone. With his kids all grown, Ron and Hermione were really the only people he hung out with these days, and that could feel a bit like a third wheel at times. Scorpius' company was a welcome reprieve from the loneliness and monotony.
As summer wore into fall, Scorpius' visits had less and less to do with the wedding and lasted longer and longer. Their conversations sometimes went on for hours. By the time the wedding day rolled around in late September, Harry had quit wondering why Scorpius chose to spend nearly all his free time with him. The reason was obvious. All Harry wondered about now was exactly how to make a move.
It felt like they'd locked themselves into a friendship, one that only occurred in the confines of his house and on two occasions at Madame Malkin's and Leaky Cauldron when the dress robes came in. Though Albus had been present for those.
And that, of course, was the real issue—what would Albus say?
Harry frowned at his reflection as this thought went through his head for the millionth time and began to fumble with his tie.
Albus had decided on a tuxedo with a rose-pink bowtie and Ben went with mint green dress robes. From Scorpius' recommendations, the couple had selected the shawl collared black dress robes for Albus' groomsmen and shawl collared Muggle suits with matching mint green ties for Ben's groomsmen.
Lee and Harry were supposed to wear Muggle suits. Harry's was a straightforward black suit with a pink tie to match Albus. Lee being Lee, though, had come in a white, rose pink, and mint green plaid suit to match the wedding colors.
"Here, let me help you," Scorpius said as he appeared in the doorframe looking incredibly handsome in his dress robes.
The wedding party and Harry were all in the upstairs rooms of the posh wedding facility in Scotland. The Jordans had booked it right away, as Ben and Albus both wanted this particular venue, but never asked Harry for any money and refused his offer of splitting the costs. Lee, he knew, made an excellent salary as the primary play-by-play announcer for the British Quidditch League, enough that Alicia had never needed to work.
The venue was a repurposed manor house set on a hill that overlooked a loch. It operated for both Muggle and magical clients, the Floo Network serving as just a fireplace when Muggles used it and the electricity being cut off entirely when magical folk used it.
Scorpius crossed the space to Harry, his styled platinum blond hair catching the bright candlelight of the dressing room's chandelier.
"The suit really suits you," he murmured as he took the tie's silk fabric into his fingers and undid the mess Harry had made of it.
Harry laughed. "Perhaps that's why they call it a suit?"
"No, it comes from 14th century word sute, meaning a band of followers, and including the matching garments they all wore. More like the modern meaning of uniform," Scorpius explained.
"Ah yes, how could I forget."
Scorpius looked up at him, blushing as he saw Harry's sarcastic smile. "I'm just nervous. Sorry."
"You'd think you're the one getting married," Harry joked.
Scorpius sighed. "I just want everything to go perfectly for them."
"It will. Between yours and the Jordans' efforts, there's no way it couldn't."
"Thanks." Scorpius smiled gratefully, tightening Harry's tie. He smoothed it against his dress shirt, letting his hands linger on Harry's chest. "All finished. You look perfect now."
"Perfect, huh?" Harry teased, capturing Scorpius' gaze as he fluttered with nerves.
"Yes," Scorpius breathed, his eyes locked with Harry's and hands still pressed to his chest.
Harry was certain they were about to kiss even though neither of them had moved any closer together. Then, a knock on the doorframe and Albus' voice, "We're about to do photos."
They stepped apart. Scorpius smiled brightly at Albus, and Harry asked, "Is your mum here then?"
"Yes. Lily and Abby, too," Albus replied, referring to his younger sister and Ben's older one. "Dennis is all set up."
Dennis Creevey, who was the sports photographer for The Daily Prophet (which was how he and Ginny had reconnected), had offered to be the wedding photographer at no charge.
"We should get down there," Harry said.
"You look good, Dad," Albus said. "You and Mr. Jordan will complement each other perfectly."
"Oh, I could never compare to Lee, but I'll take the compliment," Harry said and both Albus and Scorpius laughed.
The three left to get Albus' older brother, James, and Teddy, who were Albus' other groomsmen, and they all headed downstairs where Dennis was set up.
The Jordans greeted Harry again, Abby's young daughters rushing past him in a blur of tulle as they squealed, "Teddy!"
"I swear they like you too," Abby promised with a laugh as she hugged Harry.
"I totally get it. Teddy has always been more popular than me."
"The finished look is sharp, Harry," Ben said to him with an appraising once over. They'd only seen each other before changing.
"You too, Ben," Harry said, unsure if he was supposed to call him 'son' yet or not. Or if Ben would even want that. He hadn't actually asked.
"Harry! Look how nice you look!" Ginny exclaimed as Ben and Abby found their way to Albus.
She gave him a kiss on the cheek, which he returned, as this had become their norm whenever they saw each other these days. He paid her appearance a compliment as well and Dennis moved in to hug him. Harry hugged him back, despite that they didn't really know each other, and then moved to politely hug Chris, Dennis' son from his first marriage. Chris happened to be Ben's friend from Hogwarts and was one of his groomsmen.
"Dad! I love the pink tie!" his daughter, Lily, said with excitement as Ginny and the Creeveys wandered off. Lily shifted her one-year-old son, Simon, on her hip as Harry leaned down to hug her and kiss his grandson on the head.
"Thanks! Hey there, Si!"
"Say hi to Granddad," Lily said to her son, who smiled happily at Harry and lifted a hand to wave.
"Where's Geoff?" Harry asked after waving back at Simon.
Lily looked around for her husband and shrugged. "He was just here. He'll turn up. Really though, Dad, Scorpius did a great job picking out your suit. You look well fit."
"For the record, Harry picked out his own suit without any assistance from me," Scorpius chirped, sidling up next to Harry.
"Uh huh, sure," Teddy teased as he approached, Abby's three-year-old clutching to his leg. His hair was the same pink as Harry's tie.
"No, it's true," Albus said, taking Simon from his sister. "Scorpius said my dad was very useful in picking out your outfit, Teddy."
"I bet he was," James muttered in a suggestive tone and Teddy smacked him in the arm causing Abby's daughter to squeal with delighted laughter.
"Dennis, where do you want us for photos?" Harry asked in a loud, authoritative tone that effectively shut up James.
Dennis launched into directing the large group for family shots first. After those, non-wedding party family was dismissed, and they funneled into the venue's front lobby to double check the entry setup and be there to greet guests. The listed start time was in forty-five minutes, so they had about ten minutes before even the earliest guests should be arriving.
One was already there though, his blond hair familiar and his black robes as austere as usual.
"Draco, welcome! You're really early," Ginny said, crossing the lobby to Scorpius' dad who stood awkwardly next to the Floo Network fireplace.
"I don't like to be late," Draco replied.
"Can we get you anything, water?" Ginny asked, throwing Harry the look.
Harry sighed and put on a smile, crossing the room to help her and wondering how often Dennis had to deal with this. Ginny seemed to have inherited Draco in the divorce. It only seemed fair, though, given how much more effort she'd made in trying to befriend him. He didn't get entirely pissed often, but when he did, it was not very pretty. Draco was a very belligerent drunk.
"Draco, glad you could come," Harry said, thrusting his hand out to his former nemesis.
Draco shook it. "Thanks, Harry. I haven't seen you in a while…since the engagement dinner?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Scorpius said you've been very helpful in planning everything." Draco swayed a little bit and Harry caught him by the elbow.
"Hardly, I just told him all his choices were good." Harry chuckled. "I'm dying of thirst. Come help me find some water."
"I'll come with you guys. I could go for some water as well," Lee said, clearly having noticed the look from Ginny as well. He guided them to a specific corridor. "Kitchens are back through here."
"Lee handled booking the venue. He knows it like his own house by now," Harry explained to Draco.
"That's nice. I'm not sure I even know the entirety of my own house, to be perfectly honest."
Now that he was directly beside Draco, Harry could smell the firewhisky on his breath more prominently. It was less overwhelming than he expected based on Ginny's reaction, which was a relief. He relaxed some and asked Draco what he'd gotten up to today.
"Not much, just some reading. And I've been designing a new racing broom, so I worked on that a bit."
"You're designing a racing broom?" Lee asked with genuine interest.
"Yes, surely Scorpius mentioned this?"
"Not to me," Lee said.
"Me neither," Harry said.
"But he said you two are hanging out all the time now?" Draco said to Harry.
"Just for wedding stuff," Harry replied quickly.
"Hm," was all Draco said in response.
They walked in silence for a minute before reaching the kitchens. The staff looked up abruptly and Lee took over, apologizing for the intrusion and requesting three goblets of water. Someone served them and ushered them out the back door, which led directly to a back patio that overlooked the loch.
"Beautiful view," Draco noted.
"Yes, Ben said he and Albus camped near here once and had lunch at the house," Lee explained. "I guess they decided then they'd get married here."
"Albus went camping?" Harry asked. Albus had always hated anything to do with dirt.
"Yeah, they used to go camping all the time, remember? What was it, like three years back?"
"Really?" Harry had no recollection of this.
"Yeah, they always borrowed our gear." Lee shrugged, playing it down so Harry's feelings were less hurt.
"Don't feel bad, Harry. Scorpius doesn't tell me things either these days."
"How do you know?" Harry asked.
"Well, I'm pretty certain he's dating someone, but he won't ever talk about them and he keeps saying he's not dating anyone when I ask. He's definitely dating someone, though. I can feel it."
"Does he date people often?" Harry asked.
"No, not at all. He's very picky. It's his most Malfoy trait, really." Draco laughed.
"That's odd he wouldn't tell you then," Harry said.
Lee choked on his water and went into a coughing fit.
"I agree," Draco said. "Lee, are you all right?"
"Fine," Lee gasped. "Fine, I'm fine. Went down the wrong pipe."
He shot Harry a look of amused disbelief once Draco looked away, and Harry realized Lee thought that he and Scorpius were dating already. Maybe we are and I'm just unaware of it?
Harry shook that thought. He couldn't be actually dating someone and unaware of it. Plus, dating for him had always involved kissing, and they definitely had not done that yet. Still, if Lee thought this, then the gossip would have reached Albus, and probably Ginny. Harry groaned inwardly. At least no one had said anything.
"Maybe he thinks I'll disapprove of who he's dating," Draco blurted out. "Merlin knows how long it took me to work up the courage to tell my father about Astoria."
"That's a possibility. Though why would it matter if you approved? He's twenty-nine," Lee said.
"Twenty-eight," Harry corrected him. Both men looked at him and Harry's heart leapt into his throat. He swallowed it down and managed to shrug. "What? His birthday is like two weeks before mine. It's easy to remember."
"Isn't Albus twenty-nine?" Lee asked.
"In October," Harry said.
"Ah, okay. That's what mixed me up."
"I wouldn't disapprove of anyone," Draco said after a moment. "I mean, I don't think so, anyway. I just want him to be happy, you know?"
"Of course," Lee said.
"Maybe he's not actually dating anyone," Harry suggested.
"Hm," Draco said again and drank his water.
"Tell us about your racing broom," Lee said.
Draco proceeded to detail it out in full, drinking the water Harry kept refilling in his goblet as he did.
Fifteen minutes into it, Lee suddenly said, "We'd better get inside. The ceremony starts soon."
Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" began, indicating people should cease mingling and find their seats. Harry settled between Ginny and Lily in the front row. Arthur and Molly Weasley were beside Ginny as Dennis was busy taking photos, and Geoff beside Lily cradling baby Simon.
The music changed and the groomsmen began to enter in pairs, separating at the front of the aisle to flank each side of the rose-covered archway. Harry inhaled deeply when Scorpius reached the front. Seeing him at the altar looking so good, and really so nervous, it put the kind of thoughts in Harry's head that he didn't exactly know how to feel about. When Scorpius turned to take his place beside James, he caught Harry's eye and flashed him a smile. Harry smiled back warmly, giving himself permission to just feel whatever he was feeling and enjoy it. It was a wedding; surely, he was allowed to be affected by love's effervescence.
Once the groomsmen's processional concluded, Abby's girls came down the aisle. The three-year-old tossed rose petals at random while the five-year-old focused on methodically sprinkling them in an even distribution, slowly and deliberately making her way up the aisle until Teddy motioned at her to hurry up. Abby greeted them at the end, pulling them into the front row on Ben's side of the seating.
The music stopped and everyone stood. While they all turned to look towards the entryway, Harry waited a moment, taking in how handsome Scorpius looked while no one was watching him. Scorpius' eyes were trained on the back of the room, but he quickly wiped away a stray tear, turning his face downwards and in Harry's direction. Harry was smiling to himself at Scorpius' emotions when their eyes met. In the stillness, they exchanged a silent communication in which Harry willed all his strength towards Scorpius so he wouldn't fall into gross sobbing during the ceremony, a fear he had shared with Harry sometime back in June. When the music started up again, Scorpius looked back up and Harry finally turned around.
Albus and Ben proceeded hand-in-hand down the aisle, both their faces lit up in broad smiles. Harry had never seen Albus so happy and relaxed in front of a crowd before. He exuded the euphoria of love and it brightened the entire room.
"They're so handsome," Ginny murmured, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.
"They really are," Harry agreed.
"I can't believe Al's so grown up," she whispered. Harry squeezed her shoulder and she grasped his hand.
"I know what you mean," he said softly. Even though Lily was their youngest, Albus always felt like the one who needed the most care.
Albus and Ben reached the front, and Hermione instructed everyone to be seated. As a former Minister for Magic, she was empowered to officiate a wedding ceremony. Being Albus' aunt made her a natural choice. As Hermione began, Ginny reached for Harry's hand, dabbing her eyes again with her other hand. He hadn't expected her to be this emotional, but then Lily placed her hand over theirs, and Harry felt himself tearing up. He had forgotten exactly how it felt to be a family in this sense. It felt overwhelmingly warm.
Hermione's portion came to a close and she shifted into the ceremony's vows and exchanging of rings. Albus went first, sliding the gold ring over Ben's finger and taking a deep breath.
"Ben. Benedict," he began, squeezing Ben's hands. "Love is a giant leap of faith. It is putting your heart in someone else's hands and trusting them to carry it. It's the rush you feel running headlong at Platform 9¾ at 10:59 hoping the barrier doesn't close." In the row behind Harry, Ron let out a snorting laugh and Harry had to stifle his own, thinking back to their second year. Hermione shot Ron a reproachful look from the archway and Scorpius glanced over, brows furrowed.
Albus, thankfully, didn't seem to hear, and continued without pause, "But love is also the quiet stillness I feel with you at the end of the day knowing that from this day forward, we face the world together. You must have cast an Extension charm on my heart because each day, I find new ways to love you more. This is how I know I must strive to be the right partner but also that I'm marrying the right man. I love you, Benedict, and I vow to always do so from this day forward. No matter what."
Ben smiled and nodded at these final three words, blinking tears as he let go of Albus' hands to wipe his eyes and pull out a platinum ring. He slid it over Albus' ring finger and then fished into his pocket for a piece of paper. Unfolding it, he smiled brightly.
"Albus, I had help and took my vows from one of my Muggle grandmother's favorite books because it was the best way for me to tell you how much I love you and believe in us.
If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together
There is something you must always remember.
You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
But the most important thing is,
Even if we're apart…I'll always be with you."
He put the paper back in his pocket and took Albus' hands into his own, looking into his eyes in a way that made Harry overcome with happiness for his son. Finally, Ben finished softly, "I love you, Albus. No matter what."
Hermione smiled as she stepped forward again and said, "By the power vested in me by the Ministry of Magic, I pronounce you married under Magical Law. You may kiss your groom."
They shared a tearful kiss, full of joy, and the crowd erupted into applause, rising to their feet. Harry glanced at Scorpius, who was not quite grossly sobbing but certainly a mess, and felt of pang of helplessness that he couldn't run up and scoop him into his arms. James gave Scorpius' shoulders a squeeze and Harry desperately wished he could take his oldest son's place. The music began again, and the grooms and groomsmen filed back out of the room.
Citation: Quote from Ben's vows comes from A.A. Milne's Tales of Winnie the Pooh