I know it's been a month since I last updated. I'm sorry for the delay, but life is hectic and I might not be frequent in updates from now on...To all those who commented, Thank you! So here you go, chapter 11 is up. Read and review. :)

CHAPTER 11

"Rose! Stop running!" Ron screamed for the umpteenth time.

He had been running around the house like some insane dog for the past hour and had not even managed to give Rose a proper bath yet. The breakfast was already burnt. Actually, burnt wasn't an apt word. It was totally inedible. The eggs had turned to rubber and the toast was almost ash. This had happened because he had decided to wake Rose up until breakfast was cooking, which turned out to be the biggest mistake he could make that morning.

From the time she was up, she had untiringly circled the house, knocking down stuff left, right and centre. Ron had been trying to catch her and had slid on the skateboard she had laid out in the middle of the room, bringing the dining table crashing to the floor. What a three-year-old needed a skateboard for, was beyond him. Surely Harry would have gotten it for her. He's dead set on spoiling his goddaughter.

Ron had managed to hold her long enough to take her to the bath before she slipped through his fingers and ran out from there too, thanks to the soap.

"Not again!" Ron yelled from the top of the stairs, as Rose happily ran down with a "WHEEEEEEEE..."

"Rose, this is the last warning, if you don't stop right now, you're going to regret it!"

But a three year old would obviously pay no mind to such threats.

Ron had had enough. He jumped down the railing (he wasn't an auror for nothing), just as Rose reached the bottom of the stairs and caught her round the middle.

"Gotcha!" he exclaimed happily. He whispered a spell to conjure hand cuffs, the same spell used to handcuff potential criminals, only these cuffs were tiny and made of soft pink cloth.

"And now, I'm not letting you go!" he exclaimed, grinning at his daughter.

Rose looked at him with a pout on her lips and Ron started tickling her.

Father and daughter were literally rolling on the floor and laughing when Hermione entered the house. She was shocked to a standstill when she looked around to find the place a mess. Everything was scattered around the living room, the dining table was kissing the floor, kitchen was stinking of burnt food and she found Ron and Rose rolling around happily in the hallway.

She wanted to yell at them for turning the whole house upside down but when she saw the father and daughter happily spending some quality time together, she couldn't bring herself to get angry.

"Daddy! Untie me!" she giggled.

"When did you learn the word 'untie', you naughty girl?" Ron asked playfully.

" That would be my doing." said Hermione, with her hands on her hips. "And whose doing is this?" she asked, sweeping her hand in a semi-circular gesture indicating the whole house.

"Daddy!" Rose chirped up joyfully.

"What?!" Ron exclaimed, staring accusingly at Rose. "Don't you lie, little devil."

Ron and Rose went on arguing about who had messed the house. Rose accused Ron of breaking the dining table, while Ron complained about the skateboard artfully placed in the middle of the room.

Hermione's lips twitched. She quickly composed her face to keep up pretences.

"Enough! The both of you." she said exasperatedly, pulling Rose onto her hip. "Now go and get cleaned. Let me handle this."

Ron sighed in relief. "Hermione, you're a life-saver. I will never complain about anything you do ever again." he gave her a grin.

"We'll see how long that lasts." she muttered under her breath while rolling her eyes.

When Ron came down after showering, the house was back to its original state and Hermione seemed to be in Rose's room. Probably cleaning her up.

He quickly prepared some bangers and mash with a side of peas. Brewed two cups of hot coffee. Fried up two eggs and cut them using a heart shaped mold Hermione used for baking cake. He set the table and had just laid out a flower beside Hermione's plate when she came into the kitchen carrying their daughter.

She put Rose in her high chair before she noticed the whole set-up. She turned towards Ron with a raised brow.

"Someone seems very romantic today." she said in a sing song voice.

"Just a small way of saying thank you to my wife for everything she's done." Ron said, coming round the table and twirling Hermione, before picking up the flower and carefully pinning it to her head.

Hermione brought his head down and kissed him full on the mouth. When they separated, both were sporting goofy grins on their faces.

They began eating while Rose played with her breakfast and pushed the milk glass to the floor. Ron cleaned it up with a flick of his wand.

"You know, I don't feel like cutting this heart omelette." Hermione said.

"You can just shove the whole thing in your mouth." Ron supplied.

Hermione gave him a flat look before stabbing the omelette viciously with a fork.

"Ouch!" Ron exclaimed and they both started laughing.

"Aren't you coming?" Ron poked his head into the study to find Hermione writing a letter."

"No, I've taken a few weeks off until I figure this out. I need to help Scorp." she said, not pausing in her writing.

Ron strode in fully dressed in his auror robes. Hermione loved seeing her husband in those robes. He looked smart. And sexy, her mind supplied. She smirked inwardly.

"Did you find anything last night at Grimmauld?" Ron asked.

"No, nothing." she said. "I'll just send this owl to McGonagall and then I'm going to the hospital to check on Scorp. If I get a reply early, I'll head to Hogwarts Library, so I might be late."

"I would have helped you but you know I'm no good when it comes to books right?"

"Well, you're good at other stuff." Hermione smiled mischievously.

"Have something on your mind, darling?" Ron grinned.

"Oh my God, Ron! I meant you're good at things like auror stuff. You always draw the wrong conclusion." she looked down at her parchment to cover her own grin. They both knew what she had meant.

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really. Now move your ass and head to work before you're late." she said.

"Alright, I left Rose at mum's. Take care." he said, kissing her temple and left the house.

Hermione signed her name and sent the letter before putting on her jacket and leaving the house.

When she entered the waiting room in St. Mungo's, her eyes grew wide at the scene in front of her. Harry and Draco were snuggled together in one corner of the room. Draco had his head on Harry's chest and Harry was resting his chin on Draco's head. Their arms were wrapped around each other, legs entwined and both were fast asleep. She felt like she was intruding on a private moment.

They looked so cute together and she smiled. She didn't have the heart to wake them up but if someone else saw them like this, the prophet will get wind of it, and then there was no telling what will happen. The prophet is known to dish out rumours and tittle tattles. So she kneeled down and woke them up simultaneously by poking their cheeks with her finger.

Harry opened his eyes and as soon as he did that, he was lost in a sea of stormy grey. The eyes were beautiful. The pupils blown wide, the grey was streaked with a tinge of blue which reminded him of the reflection of the sky on the vast ocean on a rainy day. The eyes weren't a boring grey, they were almost metallic silver, the lustrous colour of diamond. He felt like he could stare into them for eternity.

The first thing Draco noticed when he woke up was that he was really close to Potter's face. He knew he should move away, but eventhough some part of his mind was asking him to do just that, another part, a rather large part of his mind didn't want to. Because Potter looked adorable. His hair mussed, untidier than ever, but Draco somehow knew the strands will be soft to touch. His eyes were like a deep evergreen forest. They were staring into him with such intensity that he felt exposed, vulnerable to the gaze. He glanced lower and stopped at the pale pink lips. The luscious, full lips were slightly parted and they were so close. Draco had a sudden mad urge to kiss them.

He unconsciously leaned forward and noticed Potter moving forward too. They were so close. Just another centimetre, a little bit more, closer, closer...a cough sounded and realisation dawned on them.

They became aware of their positions, hands and legs wrapped around each other and they jumped apart like they were electrocuted. Their faces were burning with embarrassment, a blush rising and going all the way down their necks. They didn't meet each other's eyes, staring at the floor, awkwardly trying to smoothen their clothes and hair.

"Hello boys." Hermione greeted cheerily. She had seen what was about to transpire and eventhough it would have been truly amazing to watch something like that, Hermione was still Hermione and she had her own set of ethics for herself, so obviously she cannot let herself invade their privacy.

"I came here to borrow Scorp's files. I wanted to see him too, but they wouldn't allow me in. Said he can't have visitors yet." Hermione said.

At the mention of Scorp, both Harry and Draco looked up.

Hermione turned her attention to Harry. "I got permission to use Hogwarts Library, Harry. So I'm going there now. I might want to use the Grimmauld Place's Library too, so keep the floo open."

"Sure, but did you find anything that might help Scorp?" Harry asked.

"Nothing yet, it's-"

"Wait a minute, is someone going to tell me what's going on?" Draco interjected.

"Hermione is trying to find what is causing Scorpius' coma... and possibly a cure." Harry said.

"Oh! Why is it no one told me about this?" Draco asked.

Harry opened his mouth to reply but Draco cut in.

"Nevermind. I'm coming with you, Granger." Draco said determinedly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. As they say, two minds are better than one. We'll be able to work quicker."

"Okay. Bye Harry." and Hermione left, followed closely by Draco who didn't even turn around to acknowledge his presence. It was like last night never happened. They were entangled in each other's arms and as if that wasn't enough, mere minutes ago they were about to kiss, yes, Harry was pretty sure it wasn't just him. Draco was about to kiss him too, and then he walks off like nothing ever happened. Like they were still sworn enemies...but they aren't exactly friends either. So what the hell were they?

The way Harry felt this morning and the near kiss was enough to assure him that he was indeed attracted to the blond git, but that doesn't necessarily mean Draco must like him back right?

My mind is just playing tricks on me, showing me what I want to see. Draco wasn't about to kiss me, it was just me and now I'll have to contain this stupid attraction until it wanes. But what if- No. No, Harry. His son is dying, so stop acting like an idiot. Just because your brain is stupid enough to develop a crush on their childhood rival, don't expect everyone to be stupid. He was your archenemy for years. No one just forgets something like that, no matter how buddy buddy you become. And he doesn't even consider you a friend. So don't harbour false hopes and concentrate on Scorp.

Harry pulled himself up from the ground. His leg was cramped, being in the same position the whole night. He limped to Scorp's room and peered in through the glass window. Scorpius was lying in a small bed, motionless. Various equipments were surrounding him and there was some faint light glowing atop him monitoring his status.

Harry's heart broke a little. The kid was just a year old. No child should have to suffer like this. He hadn't even seen the world yet, had said not more than two words. It wasn't his age to die. A tear unknowingly slipped and rolled down his cheek. Harry dabbed at it with the heel of his hand and turned away from the window. He needed coffee. He was already late for work, might as well fill his system with some caffeine.

Hermione could see that Draco wasn't actually concentrating the way he should be. It was only natural, after all it was his son, but this had gone on for too long and she didn't like him being so distracted.

"Draco?" she called. This was the third time. "You are doing it again."

Draco had been staring at the same page yet again, lost in his own thoughts.

"Oh, sorry...again."

"I understand, Draco. It's not really your fault that you aren't able to concentrate, so if you are so worried about Scorpius, you should go back to Mungo's."

"What?" Draco looked confused for a moment before his eyes cleared in understanding. "No no, I'm fine. I'll stay. I promise I won't drift off again."

Hermione nodded and went back to her book.

The library was empty as students were still in classes. So this was the perfect time to use the library as much as they can, without any interruption or disturbance. But Draco was finding it hard to focus. It wasn't what Granger was thinking. Yes, he was worried for his son. Really, really worried. But right now his thoughts were occupied with Potter.

Last night...he loathed himself to admit it, but he had really slept well in Potter's arms. He had felt like a kid again, when his mother used to cuddle him after a nightmare and he would no longer be afraid. The same thing had happened again. With Potter, he had felt like everything happening in his life was just a nightmare, and at that moment he had relaxed enough to forget all about his problems. He had felt so safe and all his worries had ebbed away. It had been so long since he felt anything remotely like it.

Now he was too scared to even contemplate why it had happened. Why did Potter make him feel so safe, so calm, so serene? Deep down he knew the answer to that question, but he'll never admit it, not even to himself. And that almost kiss? Was he that far gone that he was ready to kiss him? He knew he was the one to initiate it...or maybe it was just some weird way his brain had come up with to show gratefulness to Potter?

Draco sighed. This was getting too out of hand. He cannot afford to complicate things now. His main concern was Scorpius, so anything he felt towards Potter will have to be locked away. Not just for now, he couldn't ever bring it up. So he shoved up all his thoughts at the back of his mind and began actually reading the page he had been staring at for half an hour.

Harry casually strode into the MLE, with his third coffee cup in hand to find that most of its members were missing. Robards came bustling out of his office and Harry rushed after him.

"Sir! Sir, wait!"

"Nice of you to join us, Auror Potter." Robards mouth twisted into a sneer. His secretary was handing him some file which he quickly signed before snapping at her to go back to her work and not irritate him with anymore files at the moment.

"...Don't you understand now's not the time?!" he glowered at the girl and she backed away.

"Sir, what's going on?" Harry asked hurriedly, walking fast to keep up with Robards.

"There's a commotion in Diagon Alley. We got a floo call from Ollivander asking us for help, as some people with masks and cloaks had turned up at his shop. The call was abruptly disconnected. A few of our aurors went there, but it turned out that they were outnumbered. Back up was sent immediately and I have been searching for you the whole morning! Where the hell were you?" Robards barked at him.

"Oh..I..was..." he made a vague gesture, trying to hide his coffee. It was abruptly grabbed and thrown into the bin.

"My coffee!"

"GO TO DIAGON, POTTER! NOW!" Robards screamed.

"Yes, sir!" and Harry made a beeline to the door, away from Robards as fast as he can. He apparated into Ollivander's shop to find various aurors battling...death eaters. Harry's mouth dropped open. They were the same cloaks and masks. But how was that possible?! Death eaters were in Azkaban.

"Harry! Help me out here please!" Ron yelled from across the room. He was firing jinxes like crazy, handling two cloaked figures at once.

Harry quickly got down to business, brandishing his wand and taking down death eaters quite efficiently. He was really proud of his skills as an auror. Duelling came easily to him. He had just knocked another death eater unconscious when he noticed someone escaping through the back door.

He looked around. The other aurors were handling the situation quite well, he won't be needed. So he made his way through the duelling figures, dodging hexes and jinxes and went through the door through which the other man had gone.

It lead to a small alley and Harry could see the man turning right towards the end of the street. Harry ran towards him and when the man saw Harry following him he picked up his pace but Harry was fast. He caught him at the end of Knockturn Alley, trying to hide behind a bin. Seemed like his wand was broken or he would have apparated away.

"Bradshaw?" Harry looked at the man's face in shock. "I knew it! I knew you were up to something!" Harry whooped.

"Now, you better tell me what is going on or I have other ways of wielding it out of you." Harry threatened, pointing his wand at his neck.

" I don't-" Bradshaw began, raising his hands in surrender and Harry cut him off.

"Only the truth, if you will. What have you been trying to do? Who are you working for?"

"Malfoy-" was all Bradshaw managed to say before a green light shot out from somewhere and Bradshaw fell to the ground. He was dead and there was nobody in sight who had cast the Killing curse.

Harry looked around, he ran to the end of the street but there was no one. The street was empty. He tried the Homenum Revelio charm and every other spell he could think of but the alley was indeed deserted.

"Shit!" Harry cursed.

He sent out a patronus to the department to collect the body and went back to Ollivander's for the third shock of the morning.

All the death eaters were rounded up and either stunned or unconscious. Their masks had been removed by the aurors and every face was the same.

The face of Edmund Bradshaw.

"Polyjuice." Harry whispered and Ron nodded his affirmation.

Harry rubbed his face with his hands. This was a lot more complicated than he had thought. First, he will have to talk to Malfoy.

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