A little later than normal, but it's a monster chapter in more than one way. Thanks for all the reviews!

Malfoy,

Please don't incinerate this before you get a chance to read it. What I said was wrong and stupid. (Given that it's me we're talking about, are you really surprised?) I wasn't thinking. I certainly wasn't trying to insult you.

Can we talk?

Harry

Malfoy,

While we're on the topic, I'd like to apologize for what I did to you back then. If I had known what the spell was, I would have never cast it. Not that that's any excuse. Just another instance of me not thinking about what comes out of my mouth.

I'm not saying I pity you or anything. I would have given you donkey ears in a heartbeat had I known the right spell.

Harry

Malfoy,

Possibly you're having trouble reading my handwriting. To resolve that issue, I'm dictating this using one of George's "I Can't Believe It's Not Stutter" quills. I just wanted to say that I like peanut butter. I'm sorry I was such a gassy antelope. I hope this letter reaches you sexually. Unicorn.

Harry

Malfoy,

Incinerate that last letter. Please. George likes using me a lab rat.

Harry

Malfoy,

Want to get a bite to eat? There's a new Mexican place opening up by the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry

Malfoy,

For future reference, never feed Albus chocolate. What comes out the other end might look like chocolate, but it's not.

Harry

The morning after he sent the last letter, Harry found two words written in dust on his desk: DOG BISCUITS. He started to grin but ended up sneezing instead, scattering the dust across the room and leaving him to wonder if it had been his imagination all along. A glance at his grocery list made him even less certain. "Dog biscuits for Hagrid" appeared at the top, reminding him that he'd agreed to meet the half-giant's latest pet tonight. Hagrid had described it as a "sweet little darling," which only guaranteed that it would be none of those things.

Fears for his appendages aside, Harry was looking forward to the visit. Usually, Neville would drop by with his newest hybrid, which would invariably end up dog-fighting, copulating with, or getting eaten by Hagrid's "darling."

His foot knocked against something under his desk when he pushed his chair in. A box of gourmet dog biscuits. So his letters to Malfoy weren't being scattered across time after all.

Breathing was nice, but every once in a while, that came second to Hagrid's bear hugs. The gamekeeper's beard was getting longer than Dumbledore's. It tickled Harry's chin. Upon further investigation, Harry realized it was actually the flobberworms nesting inside the beard that were tickling him, which brought an abrupt halt to his laughter.

Hagrid released him. Wrinkles circled his eyes as he grinned. "Look at yeh, Harry! I always knew you'd make a good Auror. Right from when you were just a Firs' Year, trying to grill me for information about Fluffy."

Harry smiled. Not all his suspects were are loose-lipped as Hagrid. "How is Fluffy?"

"Jus' fine! He loves playing with Toothless."

"Toothless?" Hagrid seemed to have a knack for naming canines after canines. Fang had fangs. Maybe Toothless was actually, well...

Lulled into a false sense of security, Harry didn't hear the dog's breathy growl until it was too late. Claws pierced his back, knocking him into the grass face first. He heard Hagrid shouting behind him, "Bad Toothless! Harry is our friend! Try rubbing his gums, Harry, he likes that."

Spitting out a mouthful of grass, Harry came face to face with a slobbery tongue, which flicked the glasses off his face. Hagrid managed to get the beast under control as Harry grappled around for them. "Sorry, Harry. He's jus' excited to see yeh again!"

"It's okay, Hagrid, I— again?" Adjusting his glasses, Harry got a clear view of the beast for the first time: the wild Crup that had attacked Hermione. He gaped at it, which, as if reading his thoughts, snuggled against Hagrid's leg and starred purring. "Where did you get that?"

"Hermione gave him to me 'bout a month ago. Said the Ministry might be comin' after him like with Buckbeak. Now, those two don't get along. Actually, I was wondering if you'd be able to house-sit him for awhile while Toothless adjusts to—"

"Hagrid, I'm the one heading the investigation!"

"What do yeh mean?" Hagrid's smile disappeared behind his beard as he caught Harry's meaning. "You wouldn't do that. Not after Buckbeak."

Harry suppressed a sigh. There was no need to anger two of his closest friends by taking the dog away. "I'm more interested in catching the dog's owner. Have you seen anything to indicate where he came from?"

Hagrid shook his head. "Not a happy place. All he needed was a little love. Tha's what Dumbledore used to say." Beneath his salt and pepper mane, he gave such a despondent pout that even Harry felt compelled to reach out and pet the wild dog.

Toothless snarled, leaping out of Hagrid's grasp to pounce on Harry. The dog's claws ripped through Harry's robes, drowning out Hagrid's shouts. Struggling beneath the dog, Harry winced as he envisioned tomorrow's headline: TOP AUROR MAULED TO DEATH BY FRIEND'S PET.

Instead of going for his head, the dog dove at his pocket. The dog biscuits, Harry thought as the Toothless's tail smacked against his forehead. The Crup tore the box open, sending the biscuits flying across the lawn. Rather than chasing after them, Toothless ripped the box to shreds.

Hagrid chuckled. "Isn't he adorable?"

Propped up on his elbows, Harry watched incredulously as Toothless finished grinding the box into dust, then returned to Hagrid's lap, completely ignoring the biscuits.

Why would a dog go berserk over a box of dog biscuits but ignore the actual treats? Did the scent cling that strongly to the box? Unless there was another scent Toothless was interested in. Malfoy. It was Malfoy's box.

Toothless hadn't been targeting Hermione at all.

He had been targeting Malfoy.

~D~H~

Harry had nearly finished the novel he was reading when the door to his office swung open. He waited for the footsteps to get closer before springing out from under his desk. "How's it going, Malfoy?"

An elbow slammed into his face. He heard a crunching noise as Malfoy reached for his wand, then pulled back sharply. "Potter?"

"I think you broke my nose. Again." Remember how Malfoy had reacted to the bathroom comment, he winced, then winced again as pain shot up his nostrils. "Please don't take that as an insult. I'm running out of ink."

"Episkey." The bones in his nose fell into place with more force than was strictly necessary. Malfoy lowered his wand, although his unblinking expression told Harry he was ready to raise it again at a moment's notice. "I'm at work, Potter. Don't you think this is a little unprofessional?"

"Actually, I'm here on official business," Harry said. "I would have owled you, but I couldn't trust that you'd actually read my letter." He tried not to sound too bitter.

Malfoy folded his arms. "Put your bloody doorknob on a diet. I don't care if they came from Mysteries, that does not count as official business."

"It's not that. Remember the wild Crup that attacked Hermione?" Harry didn't wait for Malfoy to nod. "It was targeting you."

Harry didn't expect Malfoy to turn into some damsel in distress, begging for his protection, but he certainly expected a bigger reaction than a cocked eyebrow that said So what? After a few seconds, Malfoy rewarded his patience with a sneer. "I apologize for putting your friend in danger. Next time, I'll try getting attacked in a different wing of the building."

"You're right. You did put my friend in danger." Harry took a step closer. "You, Malfoy. You're my friend." He heard Malfoy draw in a breath, as if Harry's rather obvious admission scared him more than the news that someone was trying to kill him. "I know I say stupid things sometimes, but that's not one of them."

His fingers brushed against Malfoy's sleeve, scaling his arm until they landed firmly on his shoulder. Malfoy's gaze followed its path, but he didn't shrug the hand away. Cautiously, the Slytherin reached forward and pushed Harry's hair away from his forehead, squinting as if reading a complicated set of instructions. Harry's breath caught in his throat as a tingling sensation tickled across his body, ending in his cock. His fingers tightened around Malfoy's shoulder.

Abruptly, the blond pulled back. "Why all the letters?"

Harry's gaze gravitated to his feet. Malfoy was wearing loafers that probably had a name that couldn't be pronounced in English. "I went a little overboard. I'm—"

Malfoy clamped his hand over Harry's mouth. "Please don't make me listen to another apology. I'll break your nose again."

Harry laughed into Malfoy's palm. It felt like warm laundry against his lips. "Deal." Malfoy lowered his hand. He hadn't moved, but he seemed so much closer than before. Behind him, Harry could see the photographs from the grizzly ABC serial killer case. Even amidst the blood and mutilated flesh, he couldn't help smiling. "So. Are you still interested in checking out that toilet?"

The glare Malfoy shot at him sent him into a brief panic before he noticed the curls of a smile tugging at the blond's lips. "That Mexican place better be good."

The tacos ended up giving him food poisoning, but it was the best dinner he'd had in a long time.

~D~H~

When Malfoy departed for work the next night, he conveniently left his plunger at Grimmauld Place. Harry found him sleeping on the couch when he returned from work the day after. On the kitchen table, an Italian menu was sitting with two entrees circled.

They fell into an easy routine. Breakfast-dinners and dinner-breakfasts with the occasional brunch on weekends. Sometimes, Harry would find Malfoy sleeping on the couch when he got home. More often, he'd find the blond in the process of doing one of the seemingly endless repairs the house needed. They weren't just necessary repairs, like fixing the floorboard that was loose on the second floor. Harry actually wanted to make an effort to make the house more family friendly. Ron and Hermione would be having a daughter in a few months, and somehow, Harry doubted Hermione would approve of some of the less savory decorations (mainly, the House Elf heads, which had, in fact, been declared illegal in a bill Hermione had written herself).

Scorpius complained bitterly that the leaky faucet he faced did not qualify as a waterfall. That ended when Harry came home to a flooded kitchen and a pair of unhinged doorknobs surfing on his china set. Harry might have actually followed through on his threats to melt them into a set of cock rings had Malfoy not appeared in his swimming trunks, a bucket in each hand. As it was, the knobs got off with a warning—although Malfoy fed them each a dog biscuit when he thought Harry wasn't looking.

Occasionally, Harry would catch Malfoy doing things that weren't strictly job related, like brewing potions on the stove burner. The Slytherin had refused to speak to Harry for a whole day after Harry had made the mistake of making fun of his— or rather, Walburga Black's— flowery apron. The blond had even started a garden by the porch— strictly for potions ingredients, he insisted, although Harry swore the buds poking up looked a bit like narcissuses.

Malfoy got along well with all of the portraits. Miraculously, he'd actually convinced Mrs. Black to refer to Harry only as a "filthy halfblood" rather than some of her more creative insults.

Kreacher especially appreciated Malfoy's presence, hovering around the blond to offer his service at every opportunity. Although the caricature on the tapestry suggested otherwise, Malfoy reminded Kreacher of poor Master Regulus, which had reduced the elf to tears at several points throughout Malfoy's stay. Malfoy was surprisingly civil about it, distracting Kreacher with ridiculous orders, then asking for stories about Regulus and the Black family while the elf fulfilled them. Harry suspected some of these stories featured him because sometimes he'd come home to Malfoy looking at him strangely, then giggling when his back was turned.

Pretty soon, Malfoy had run out of tools to accidentally forget, and Harry simply reserved a spot by the stairs for the entire kit. Not the cupboard, of course. They stayed far away from that.

"This is getting ridiculous," Harry finally said one morning. "Move in with me. I have the room, and I could use the company. You end up staying over most nights—days—anyway."

Malfoy sipped his pumpkin juice, his eyes wary. "Only because my projects require twenty-four hour supervision."

"Our projects," Harry reminded him. "And that's all the more reason to take my offer."

Malfoy raised his eyebrows. "You're not just doing this because you're afraid some painted animal is going to attack me if I'm left alone?"

Harry still hadn't made any headway on the Animal Artist case. Under the pretense of taking Toothless for a walk, he'd tried to get the Crup to take him to his former home to no avail. "No. You're capable of handling yourself."

Behind his cup, Malfoy seemed to frown. "Fine. But I have conditions." He leaned forward, putting the tips of his fingers together. "I want a lake view. A chocolate one."

Harry fell back in his chair with a glare. "Shake my hand, you arse, and be done with it."

Deliberately, Malfoy wiped his mouth with his napkin and straightened all of his utensils before reaching out and clasping Harry's hand. "You know how ironic this is, don't you?" When Harry didn't immediately react, he added. "It's September 1st."

"You mean we met when we were eleven years old, and only just shook hands eleven years later?" Harry laughed. "What do you think will happen when we're thirty-three?"

Smiling, Malfoy shrugged. "Maybe we'll have moved on to holding hands."

Harry smiled, although not at the absurdity of the idea. "At this rate, we'll be married by forty-four."

And damned if Malfoy didn't smile at that, his grey eyes gleaming.

~D~H~

When Harry first woke up, he thought he was still dreaming. The scene had changed, but there was still that spark of white blond hair shining in the darkness, whispering his name. "Harry." He reached out to the figure, only to have it crawl beside him on the bed and cling to him like a blanket—although Harry suspected he was supposed to be the blanket. "Harry."

It was the first time Harry could remember Malfoy calling him that. It didn't bring him as much joy as he thought it would, not when it came out between ragged gasps. Harry wished he could see the world beneath Malfoy's eyelids that was causing him such pain. As it was, he ran his fingers up and down Malfoy's back in what he hoped was a soothing rhythm.

"I killed them." The whispers coming out of Malfoy's mouth weren't intended for him. Harry rather wished the blond go back to saying his name. "I killed them all." His eyes were closed, but that didn't stop the tears from leaking out and staining Harry's shoulder.

Harry made a shushing noise. "You're okay, Malfoy. It's just a dream."

In his sleep, Malfoy grabbed Harry's shoulder. "I didn't mean to. I don't even know where they came from…"

"Shhh. You're safe now. They can't get you here." Malfoy started squirming. Harry pulled him closer, letting his head rest on his shoulder. "It's me, Draco. It's Harry. You're safe."

Draco seemed to calm down, tightening his grip. It wasn't a terribly comfortable position. Draco's hip dug into Harry's stomach. In fact, the only thing that was in danger of falling asleep was Harry's foot, caught under Draco's weight. But Harry didn't dare move for fear of waking the blond. Only his cock stubbornly disobeyed this directive. Harry didn't even want to contemplate the implications of getting an erection at Draco's nightmares.

It wasn't like Harry hadn't had equally vivid nightmares, but he'd always had friends to turn to on those nights. They'd healed together during those first few years until the nightmares had slowed to just a few striking images, drowned out by the passage of time. Draco, Harry suspected, had chosen not to sleep rather than face the nightmares alone.

Well, he wasn't alone anymore. Harry was going to make sure of that.

~D~H~

Draco was gone from the bed when Harry woke up. Thankfully, Harry still smelled coffee coming from the kitchen, which meant Draco hadn't fled the house. Yet. Neither of them worked weekends, and they often spent the days working on the house together.

The Slytherin looked more awake than usual, although after last night, Harry preferred to attribute it to anxiety rather than a good night's sleep.

"Morning, Draco." He paused, wondering if the blond would notice the change in name. If he did, he didn't say anything, so Harry continued. "About last night…"

Abruptly, Draco set his coffee down. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"No, that wasn't what I was going to say. I was just thinking, it's sort of silly having you sleep on a couch when there's a perfectly good bed. Several actually," he added, not wanting to bias Draco's decision. "I really should have offered you a guest room sooner."

Draco shook his head. "I wouldn't have accepted it. I don't sleep well when I'm in a bed."

Harry feigned innocence. "Do you know why?"

"I think so," Draco said, tracing the circle the coffee cup left on the table with his finger. "Thank you for putting up with me last night."

"It wasn't a problem," Harry said. "I have nightmares too, you know."

Draco raised his head. "You haven't while I've been here."

Harry shrugged. In all honesty, knowing the blond was sleeping on the floor below him was more of an impediment to his sleep than a help, but Draco didn't need to know that, and he certainly didn't need to know why. "Anyway, if your back ever gets sore from the couch, and you need a place… well, you know where to go."

Draco nodded wordlessly. They couldn't go farther than that, not yet, but Harry rather hoped Draco took up that offer. "Anyway," Harry cleared his throat. "I'm going to visit my godson today."

The blond frowned. "I thought Granger hadn't introduced her spawn into the world yet."

Harry tried reprimanding him with a glare, which Draco ignored, taking a sip of his coffee. "That would be my goddaughter. I'm talking about my godson, Teddy. He lives with your aunt."

Draco's face lost all of its color. It took Harry a moment to realize why. "Your aunt Andromeda, not… not her." Harry had thought he'd had it rough living with the Dursleys, but compared the Bellatrix Lestrange, Petunia Dursely probably looked like a saint.

The coffee mug trembled in Draco's hand. Harry wondered if the Slytherin had other tattoos carved into his skin besides the Dark Mark, scars like the one Bellatrix had given Hermione. He wondered if Draco had been punished the night that they escaped.

"Oh," Draco sounded, taking another sip to disguise his unease. "Why does your godson live with my aunt?"

"Because she's his grandmother." Draco coughed so as to avoid choking on his coffee. Harry winced. "I take it your mother never mentioned the letters?"

"What letters?"

"After your father… er, well, Andy thought your mother could use some company. She writes once a year, inviting your mother to visit. To my knowledge, she's never gotten a response."

"Letters get lost in the mail sometimes," Draco replied softly, refusing to meet Harry's gaze. "I'll ask her about it the next time I see her. Although, I doubt it'll be before the holidays. She's been living in France ever since…"

Harry nodded. Lucius's execution had been the price of Narcissa and Draco's freedom. Not officially, of course, but he had seen it in the juries' faces when he testified for the Malfoys. Lucius had known it too and had gone to his grave more dignified than he'd ever been in life. Possibly, he was more afraid of Azkaban than death. Harry liked to think that he'd honestly cared about his wife and son.

"You could do more than that, if you wanted," he said quietly. Draco looked at him quizzically. "You could come with me."

Draco frowned at him. "Why would you want me to come with you? He's your godson. You probably spoil him terribly."

Harry couldn't deny that. "He deserves it." And not just because he was the most clever kid in the world, in Harry's completely unbiased opinion. Harry wanted to give Teddy everything he hadn't had with the Dursleys. It was therapeutic, if not entirely healthy. He honestly feared that if he had any of his own children, they would all turn out like, well, Draco, minus the blood purity convictions. Not that that would be so bad, he thought, giving Draco a subtle glance over.

Draco considered the request. "I suppose I'll go," he said. "But only to ensure you haven't completely corrupted him. He shares my blood, after all. I need to make sure he's been raised properly."

"Use that as an excuse if you want, but don't mention it out loud," Harry warned him. "It's hard for Andromeda to raise a child on her own. Especially now that he's developed Tonks's metamorphmagus abilities."

Draco frowned. "What happened to his parents, if you don't mind me asking?"

As much as he hated thinking about Remus and Tonks's deaths, he was glad Draco had thought to ask. "They were both killed in the Battle of Hogwarts, right after he was born. His grandfather was murdered by the Snatchers that year too."

Harry wasn't even sure Draco heard that last part. Upon hearing the name of the battle, the Slytherin immediately drew back. "Oh no. I can't… not when…" He shook his head, retreating against the wall.

"What do you mean, you can't?" Harry demanded. "He's a five-year-old boy, he won't bite. Well, on a good day."

"You don't understand," Draco said, his breathing accelerating, his voice trembling. "I fought in the Battle of Hogwarts."

"I know," Harry replied, vaguely offended. "I was there. Saved your life twice that day, as I recall." He regretted mentioning the fact. He didn't want Draco to think he had any obligation to Harry because of it.

Luckily, Draco seemed to be too panicked to think like a proper Slytherin. "What if I killed one of them?"

"You didn't," Harry replied automatically.

"You can't know that," Draco argued, throwing his hand against his forehead, as if nursing a headache.

"I can, because you didn't kill anyone."

"I did too," Draco insisted.

"Not directly. And not Teddy's parents."

Draco looked like he wanted to argue but gave up. "Then my father or…"

Harry cut him off. "Your aunt. Andy's sister."

The devastated look on Draco's face made Harry want to reach out and embrace him like he had the previous night. But he held back, using words instead. "You can't change the fact that your aunt took away Teddy's family. But you can give Teddy a family. You can be his cousin. You can teach him all the things he might have learned if his parents had survived. It won't be the same, but…" He smiled at Draco. "It'll be something."

"What can I possibly teach him?" Draco scoffed, sinking onto the floor. "How to fail at life? How to be a coward?"

Harry sat next to him. "You'd be surprised at what children learn just by observing. I made the mistaking of swearing in front of Teddy once when he was a toddler, and it was his favorite word for a month." Draco snorted and gave him that familiar eye roll, the one that said, Only you, Potter.

"And I know for a fact that you can pass on lessons from his father," Harry continued, "because his father taught you."

Draco frowned, undoubtedly reviewing all of his teachers in his head. "Who…?"

"Remus Lupin," Harry answered. At Draco's surprised expression, he sighed. "No, Teddy's not a werewolf. Yes, I will hex you if you say anything remotely insulting about his father…"

"I won't." The words came so quickly, Harry had no choice but to believe them. "I won't," Draco repeated, seemingly to himself. He hesitated, then held out his hand. "Take me to him."

At first, Harry was giddy that Draco was holding his hand. Then he realized that Draco only meant to apparate alongside him. "Right," he said, clearing his throat. "Follow me."

~D~H~

Andromeda's expression when she opened the door to find Harry with Draco Malfoy, still holding hands from apparation, was priceless. "Andromeda," Harry greeted, dropping Draco's hand. He tried to smile, but in his anxiety, it ended up a bit lopsided. "This is…"

"Draco Malfoy," Andromeda finished, having recovered quickly from her surprise. She turned to search Draco for any sign of a threat.

Equally uneasy, Draco gave her a polite nod. "Ma'am." Harry nudged him, and he cleared his throat. "I apologize for not introducing myself earlier, and for any hardship my family has put you through. If there's anything I can do to, uh…" It wasn't often that Harry saw Draco Malfoy lost for words. Their conversations had always come so easily, even if they had consisted mainly of insults hurdled back and forth. Before, Draco had always been so talented at producing some sort of flowery speech that put strangers in their place. Now he stumbled with his words, as if he wasn't sure where his place was.

Andromeda sighed. "Oh, cut with the formalities, and come in before I die of old age. It seems we have a lot to catch up on." She glanced knowingly at Harry before calling for Teddy.

The boy bounded into the room, tripping on the rug at the entrance and springing up before anyone could even react. He certainly was his mother's son in that regard. "Uncle Harry!"

Harry scooped his godson into a hug. "How've you been, kiddo?" Already, he could tell by Teddy's pink hair that the boy was in a particularly bubbly mood.

"I have a new nose!" Teddy declared proudly, tilting his head up so that Harry could admire his beak-like snout. "See?"

"I see," Harry nodded, shooting his godson a wide smile.

The boy noticed Draco, standing awkwardly by the entrance. "Who's this?"

"Teddy, say hello to your cousin, Draco." From behind Teddy's back, Harry beckoned for Draco to come closer, which the blond did hesitantly.

"I didn't know I had a cousin Draco!" Teddy cried.

Draco gave him a nervous smile and held out his hand, but to his surprise, Teddy charged forward and pulled Draco into an enthusiastic hug.

"Teddy!" Andromeda scolded from the doorway.

"It's okay," Draco said from over the boy's shoulder. He knelt down so that he was at Teddy's level. "Did you know that my mother is your grandmother's sister?"

"No way!" Teddy exclaimed. "Did you know my parents?"

Andromeda opened her mouth to intervene, but Harry held her back. Let him do this, he signaled silently. Call it a test of sorts.

Draco hesitated. "Well, I didn't know your mother, but your father taught me during my third year at Hogwarts."

"Really?" Teddy bounced up and down excitedly. "He taught my Uncle Harry at Hogwarts too! Were you in Uncle Harry's class?"

"I was a Slytherin, but we were in the same year."

Teddy grinned. "Grandma was a Slytherin too. But my dad was a Gryffindor like Uncle Harry, and my mom, she was a Hufflepuff!"

Draco opened his mouth, and for a moment, Harry was terrified Draco would say something insulting about the House. To his surprise, Draco replied, "Well, maybe you'll complete the circle and be a Ravenclaw. You seem to be pretty smart for your age."

Teddy puffed out his chest and, taking advantage of Draco's attention, began showing him all the tricks he'd learned to do with his hair. Draco oohed and awed at all the right moments, showering the boy with attention and holding back any snide results about the boy's parentage.

Andromeda watched from the doorway, tears brimming in her eyes. "How did this happen?"

"How did what happen?" Harry asked innocently.

She gave him a look. "You know what I'm talking about."

Harry tried to shrug casually, but Andromeda was a Slytherin for a reason. "Let's just say, you should keep writing letters to your sister. One of them will make its way there eventually."

"Mmm," Andromeda sounded. "Before or after you're in-laws?"

Harry blushed, and of course, Draco chose that moment to look over Teddy's shoulder. "Something the matter, Potter?" he shouted across the room.

Rolling his eyes, Harry turned back to Andromeda. "At this rate? Definitely before."

~D~H~

Harry eventually took Teddy aside to play Exploding Snaps and let Draco and Andromeda talk for a good hour. By the end of it, they seemed to be on good terms, since they shook hands as they left the house, with Draco promising to return next time Harry came to visit.

"We need to get rid of that grandfather clock as soon as possible," Draco said as soon as they got home.

Harry blinked. Of all the things he had expected Draco to say, that certainly wasn't one of them. "Why?"

"We can't invite a five-year-old to stay over in a house that has a clock that shoots arrows at you whenever you pass!" Draco cried. "It would be incredibly irresponsible. And we'll have to seal off your godfather's room. I understand it has sentimental value, but scantily clad women on motorcycles simply aren't appropriate for a child Teddy's age. Not to mention they make me want to vomit."

Harry smiled, wondering if Draco realized what he'd just said. We. Then, Harry realized something else he'd just said. "Why would they make you want to vomit? Because they're Muggles?" He'd thought Draco had gotten over hating everything Muggle-related after he'd introduced him to the television, but maybe he was having some sort of a relapse.

Draco studied him quizzically. "You really are that thick, aren't you?" He shook his head at Harry's confused expression. "I'm gay, Potter."

Harry tried not to look elated. He must not have succeeded entirely, because Draco was smirking. "Now help me with that clock before it shoots me."

As he ascended the stairs, Harry could have sworn Draco was intentionally moving in a way that drew more attention to his arse than usual. As a result, he didn't hear most of Draco's grand plans for renovating the place. An arrow whizzing in his direction brought his focus back as Draco exclaimed, "We could even get him a dog!"

"Let me guess: a Crup?" Harry grimaced, thinking of how Toothless would tower over Teddy. "You had a Crup when you were younger, didn't you?"

"No. Just the peacocks. I hated them. Then again, I still hate birds." He laughed at the double meaning, not noticing Harry's jaw drop behind him.

"You didn't have a Crup?"

"No," Draco repeated slowly, as if he were talking to a two-year-old. "I may not have been fond of Muggles, but I wasn't any fonder of drooling beasts that shed all over my clothes. Honestly, Potter, I didn't think you were one to buy into stereotypes."

Harry kept a neutral expression for Draco's sake, but inside, his stomach churned. The haunting line from Draco's last letter repeated in his mind: I think I'll try my Crup next.

The letters weren't from Draco.

Is anyone else curious how Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon would look as a dog? Since all Crups are required to get their second tail amputated, I found it only fitting to make him a Crup. Who do you think is trying to kill Draco? Who is writing these letters? Who is writing reviews? Wait, what?