Courtly Company
"This is a terrible idea," said Draco Malfoy.
He stood at the mouth of a narrow alley, half-hidden in the shadows, squinting at the Muggle playground across the road as though it were a cunning illusion disguising something sinister.
Harry followed Malfoy's gaze to the crowded park and had to admit reluctantly that the blond might have a point.
After weeks of absence, the sun had reappeared over England, bringing with it the long-awaited summer warmth and drawing out the masses. It seemed like everyone who lived in the small village near Andromeda Tonks's home had decided to visit the park to enjoy the sunshine. The large crowd was less than ideal for Harry's plans, but Merlin himself would resurrect and run stark naked through Hogwarts before Harry acknowledged aloud that Draco Malfoy was right about something.
"You're not scared, are you, Malfoy?"
A sneer distorted Malfoy's smooth features and a twitch ran through his arm as though he was seconds away from reaching for his wand. Instead, he shifted the toddler in his arms and settled for scowling at Harry. "I am not afraid of Muggles, Potter."
"Then there's no reason not to take your cousin to the park, is there?" Harry asked with a thin-lipped smile. He stepped from the alley and onto the pavement. The sun washed over him, and he understood why everyone had flocked outdoors.
Malfoy didn't move.
Harry was half-convinced that Draco was about to Apparate back to Andromeda's, but then Teddy cooed and reached after Harry. Malfoy sighed so softly that Harry almost didn't hear him and inhaled one long breath before joining Harry on the pavement. His steps were slow, yet his rolling gait and perfect posture turned his uncertainty into a saunter while his blond hair shone like a crown atop his head. Even blinking hard beneath the bright sun and tugging self-consciously on borrowed clothes, he looked like royalty.
Harry rolled his eyes and hoped that Malfoy's inability to keep a low profile wouldn't draw too much attention to them.
Getting Malfoy to cross the road felt like herding a skittish cat. Harry almost lost him when a car ambled past well below the speed limit. He had to grab Malfoy's wrist and drag him the rest of the way, not letting go even after they walked through the open park gate for fear that he would make a run for it.
The rocky path wound over the bright green lawn where adults strolled, jogged, and cycled. A group of teenagers kicked a ball around over on a makeshift playing field while others dozed or read beneath the cover of trees.
Dragging Malfoy along behind him, Harry set course for the climbing frame next to the water fountains. Little children screamed and laughed, running around like they were on a collective sugar high, occasionally being chased after by a concerned and weary parent.
Teddy perked up at the sound of so many delighted screams and struggled against Malfoy's hold, babbling words and forming incoherent sentences. Malfoy kept a firm grip on the nearly-two-year-old, eyeing the other children with the same look on his face that Professor Snape had often worn around Harry.
"He'll be fine," said Harry, releasing Malfoy's wrist and readjusted Teddy's sunhat. The bright yellow headgear hid the Metamorphmagus's ever-changing hair from Muggle view. Malfoy had even added a charm to it so that it wouldn't fall off. That was the first and only helpful thing he'd done so far today.
Teddy wriggled some more, and Malfoy set him down. On chubby little legs, Teddy ran for the sandpit, stumbling as he went. With every near-tumble, Harry and Malfoy tensed, both fighting the urge to swoop in and steady him. Andromeda did not believe in cosseting children and refused to become what the Muggles called a 'helicopter parent'.
"When a child falls, they must learn to get back up," she'd told Harry the first time he'd tried to run to Teddy's aid. Harry had long since learned not to argue with her.
He rocked forward one more time before letting out a sigh and walking over to the grassy edge of the playground, close enough to the sandpit that he could be there in an instant but far enough away that he wouldn't be accused of hovering. His gaze never left his godson, but he did notice Malfoy step up to him out of the corner of his eye. Harry ignored him and instead watched as Teddy and a little boy in dungarees took turns digging holes in the sand with a blue spade.
This outing was Teddy's first time in the Muggle world, so Harry thought that being a little more watchful than usual was perfectly acceptable. He would have preferred there be fewer people around for this first introduction, especially given that it was Malfoy's first time too, but backing out today would have meant going through the whole process of luring Malfoy out all over again. Harry wasn't sure he could find the patience for another round of that.
Try as Harry might to ignore the man beside him, Malfoy decided to make the task difficult by huffing and grumbling, still tugging and readjusting the jeans and shirt Harry had thrown at him before they'd left Andromeda's.
"Would you stop fussing?" Harry snapped. "You look fine."
Malfoy scoffed. "Easy for you to say. These rags belong to you."
Harry tore his gaze away from Teddy to glare up at Malfoy. A retort pushed against his tongue, but he swallowed it. He'd promised Andromeda that he would make an effort, and he wasn't going to break that promise just because Malfoy was being Malfoy.
Eventually and very grudgingly, Malfoy sat next to Harry and cleared his throat. "I apologise." The words came out quiet and clipped, but they were enough to make Harry's gaze snap back to him. Malfoy shook his head and rolled his eyes at Harry's gaping mouth. "Mother insisted that I make an effort to behave myself."
Teeth snapping shut, Harry nodded even though the wariness remained. He turned back to Teddy but watched for any sudden movements out of the corner of his eye. Minutes passed without incident until Harry was almost able to relax, but then he noticed Malfoy rubbing at his left forearm.
Harry had offered him a t-shirt, but Malfoy had scoffed at the indecency of bare arms. Now the fabric bunched and stretched as he rubbed, and Harry wondered if there wasn't another reason from Malfoy's refusal to go without sleeves. Harry found himself staring at that left forearm, at the thin layer of cloth that hid the Dark Mark from view.
It didn't take Malfoy long to realise he was being watched.
The moment he did, his hand jerked away as though he'd been burnt and his gaze found a distant spot over by the swing set while his jaw hardened into a firm line.
Harry kept staring.
"Does it hurt?" he asked. He wasn't sure why he voiced the curiosity and tried to convince himself that he didn't care either way, but he couldn't stop looking at Malfoy's forearm.
Malfoy shifted beneath Harry's gaze, and for the first time in a long time, Harry thought he looked uncomfortable. "Sometimes."
Malfoy didn't turn away from the swing set, and the tension remained in his shoulders. He stayed quiet for a long enough time that Harry wanted to apologise for bringing up the Mark, but before he could, Malfoy beat him to it.
"I'm sorry," he said, "for the way I acted at Hogwarts and for my role in the war."
Harry's jaw fell open once more. He considered the very real possibility that he was having a mental breakdown and imagining things.
"It's rude to stare, Potter," Malfoy snapped, drawing Harry away from his mental stupor.
"Right. Sorry," he said, forcing his gaze away. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to brush away the strangeness of Draco Malfoy apologising for something.
The few times Harry and Malfoy had been forced together since the end of the war—during the Death Eater trials and on occasion at Andromeda's after her reconciliation with Narcissa—they had kept at a safe distance from one another. Their polite greetings had been forced, and the war was left unmentioned. But voiced or not, it had weighed on them, creating discomfort in every moment spent together. Now, the words had been spoken, and Harry wasn't sure what to do with them.
Teddy shrieked, and Harry and Malfoy jumped to their feet fast enough to make Harry's head spin.
Over in the sandpit, Teddy fell backwards, rolling around in a fit of giggles. Harry couldn't see what was so funny, not with the way his heart hammered against his chest, but he let out a shaky breath at the lack of any immediate danger. Malfoy was slower to relax. His narrowed gaze scanned over the playground in much the same way as Professor McGonagall's had while she'd surveyed the rows of students during exams.
His expression changed when it landed on Teddy. It softened in a way Harry hadn't thought Malfoy capable of, and it made the last of Harry's doubt ease away.
"Andromeda and I are taking Teddy to the zoo next weekend," he said, knowing that he would probably live to regret this decision, but at least Andromeda would be proud of him for making an effort. "Would you like to come with us?"
Malfoy stopped surveying the crowd and turned that suspicious squint on Harry, scrutinising him as though he was trying to decipher his soul. Harry managed a smile—it required less effort than he would have thought—and slowly, Draco nodded. "Sure."
Harry returned the nod and was quick to sit back down on the grass before the situation got awkward. Draco followed suit, looking a little more comfortable than before.
They watched quietly, enjoying the sunshine, while Teddy played and laughed. Friendship was probably too much to hope for between the two men, but for Teddy's sake, they would manage a friendly acquaintanceship.