December 8 - Harry goes shopping

"Is Theo still coming over?"

Draco looked up from the books he was sorting for the children's lessons for the day. "No, he sent me a message last night. It turns out the lay about is starting a business or investing in a business. I'm not quite sure, but he has meetings today all day to get started with whatever it is. Why do you ask?"

"Ginny can't come, her coach called a last-minute practice, so I guess I'll just stay home."

"Harry, that's ridiculous. I can handle all ten kids. It's okay I promise. Go shopping."

"Ten kids," Harry pointed out. "Ten kids ages three to six, ten kids."

"I'm well aware," Draco laughed "I have been living here with you and them for months now, and yes I know it's a lot. Nursery School teachers and childcare workers do it all the time though. Teachers in regular schools do it all the time with larger groups of children that they may not know as well. I can do this for a few hours. Go, get your shopping done."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. Would you please go? The sooner you go the sooner you can get back and then you can stop worrying."

"Sorry," Harry said. "It's not that I don't trust you to handle the kids. You know I do."

"I know," the blonde nodded. "I also know that you're concerned about them and how crazy they can be all together. If I really need help I'll call for it. I'm sure someone can come over if we need it. Everything will be fine. You can go."

"All right then if you need me let me know. You can send the owl; it'll find me."

"I thought you were going shopping at the Muggle toy store."

"Oh yeah, I guess an owl isn't a good idea then."

"No, it wouldn't. Don't worry about it if I have to I'll call Molly, but don't you dare tell her, or she'll come rushing over here. She'll want to come help and much as I appreciate how much she cares, I'm really fine doing it alone."

"Okay, I won't. I'm going now."

"Then go," Draco said, chuckling and shaking his head.

"See you later."

Draco waved and Harry went down the hall to the drawing room and stepped through the Floo out into the Burrow.

"Harry, dear," Molly called. "This is a surprise. I wasn't expecting you."

"I know. I had a question for you."

"Well then come sit down and have a cup of tea while we talk."

"I'm shopping for the children today for Christmas," Harry told her after they'd settled at the table with their tea. "I'm going to try not to go overboard and buy too many things. My biggest concern is whether I should buy everyone the same things or different things or maybe the same things but in different colors like I did with their bedroom sets. I don't want any of them to feel left out if they don't get what their siblings got, but they're all individuals with their own personalities and I don't want them hurt that they all got the same toys either."

Molly smiled. "They all have their own interests as you've discovered over the past several months. Some of them like reading. Some of them like building. Some of them like coloring, and there are other interests as well. You've catered to them in the few birthday parties you've had so far."

"We have."

"You'll never go wrong with buying them gifts just for them," she assured him. "If they happen to want something a sibling has that's where they learn to share and take turns maybe offering their own things so that they can play with someone else's toy. If it turns out that they really like each other's toys you can always duplicate them or buy second copies at some point in the future. It doesn't all have to be done at the same time."

"Okay, that's what I was thinking. I just wasn't sure."

"Harry, dear, you're doing a wonderful job with them. Trust your instincts and remember no parent is perfect. We all make mistakes, and we all learn from them. No matter how many children you have each one is a learning experience of their own because they're all unique. You're no different than any of the rest of us and you're doing a wonderful job, you and Draco."

"Thank you. Oh," Harry said, "I told him I wouldn't say anything, but Ginny and Theo had both planned to come by the house today to help him with the kids and neither one can make it. Draco wants to handle the children on his own, and it's not that I think he can't but-"

"But it's a lot of children," she smiled. "I understand. I don't have plans to go anywhere today, so if he calls I'll be here. I promise I won't go over unless he calls. I won't even call to check on him, and I won't tell him you told me.

"Thank you, Molly. I suppose I'd better get to the store."

"You do that."

Harry made a quick stop at Gringotts to exchange some of his Wizarding money for Muggle money. I really do need to set up a bank account at a Muggle bank like Hermione so I don't have to do this so often or see if there's a way the goblins can help me so I don't have to do that. I wonder if they could create a debit card that would make the appropriate withdrawal.

Next, he headed off into Muggle London determined to find a different toy shop. Vanessa had been very sweet in the summer and two days before, but if he came back again so soon she might start to wonder what was going on. Besides, he thought a different store might have different toys.

Hours later he walked along with bags of toys thumping against his legs. He stopped at number 11 Grimmauld Place. He had decided it would be a good idea if he used the front door now and then to come and go so the neighbors wouldn't think the house was empty. He was also looking into a security system, though he hadn't had one installed yet.

Taking Draco's suggestion he headed up to the top floor and open the door of the room that matched his putting all of the toys inside then closes the door and went back down and out into the back garden.

Looking around to be sure no one was watching he apparated away landing in Whimsic Alley. A short distance down the street he entered a large old brick building. An older witch sat at a reception desk in front of a large oak door.

"How may I help- Mr. Potter, sir. Hello, what can I-"

"Brenda, take a deep breath and relax," came a booming voice from the door behind the desk. "Potter."

"Zabini," Harry greeted.

"Come on in," Blaise said, stepping into his office and gesturing for the other man to follow him.

"I apologize for my assistant. I had no idea she'd be so starstruck when she saw you or I'd have warned her you were stopping by. I suppose I should have known seeing as that's often the reaction you get in public."

"Unfortunately, yes. I would have thought that would have faded years ago and I wouldn't still get that reaction."

"Ah, but you are the savior of wizarding kind."

"As if I did that alone," Harry shook his head.

"Yes, for some reason Granger, Weasley, and Longbottom don't get the same reaction, must be because you saved us all twice."

"Sure because I had anything to do with surviving the killing curse, rather than my mother's magic."

Blaise nodded sagely. "She's not around to celebrate and thank. You are. So you came to ask my advice."

"I'm Christmas shopping today," Harry told him.

"I have absolutely no idea what to buy children. My mother only ever had me and none of my numerous stepfathers had any children of their own, thank Merlin."

"How many stepfathers have you actually had?"

"I really don't know. I'm sure I could count it out if I wanted to. I prefer not to worry about it. I barely get to know their names anymore. It's better that way. I was close to the first one she married after Dad died before we started at Hogwarts. It was hard when he disappeared. I wasn't as close to the next one and it was still tough when she wrote that he'd passed. After that, I just kept my distance."

"Has anyone ever looked into the disappearances?"

Blaise nodded, "The Aurors did after number three. Whatever is happening she's either too good at it or they really do get sick of her and take off or she's just got incredibly bad luck. It could be a combination thereof. I don't know, and I don't want to know. If she is up to something I need my plausible deniability. I made sure the money I used to start this place came from my father's vaults and not hers. It's not worth the risk. Now shall we get back to the topic at hand?"

"Sorry, that was rude."

"It's fine, everyone wants to know. Most people I wouldn't answer."

"Then thank you for trusting me."

"Draco trusts you and he doesn't trust easily, never has, but it's been worse since the DL returned."

"The DL? Really?" Harry began to laugh.

"Well I never liked him and was never on board with his cause so I'm not going to fawn over him and while I love what you call him, yes, Draco told me, I'm not going to do it. I think only you and your friends can get away with being that irreverent."

"Well, I give you permission to be as irreverent as you want, as irreverent as you can possibly be," Harry joked. "Honestly, I think it's the best way to handle it, though I do get the importance of not forgetting what happened."

"Ah, permission from the Savior himself," Blaise said with a smirk as Harry rolled his eyes and groaned, "then certainly I shall call him the Noseless Wonder unless the conversation is a serious one. So what do you need? I must say I was surprised to get your owl that you were stopping by."

"I'm shopping today."

"That's right. You said that. Sorry, it had already slipped my mind."

"And you don't know anything about children or what to buy them."

"Correct, and I would assume you would actually know that. So, am I safe to assume that you are here to ask for assistance in shopping for our mutual friend?"

Harry nodded. "I'm not sure where to start. Obviously, he's changed a lot since we were younger. I don't know what he was interested in then, other than potions."

"And being a bully," Blaise put in.

"Well yes, as I said he's changed. I'm just wondering if there's something else I should consider when buying him a Christmas present."

"You probably know him better now than I do. You've certainly spent more time with him in the last six months and with your visits to the manor to see Narcissa probably more than I have for years. Theo and I usually buy him chocolates or whiskey or wine. We've never been one for sentimental gifts. Occasionally we've gone with a gift certificate to Flourish and Botts or to Quality Quidditch Supplies."

"I considered that, but he seems to have lost interest in flying, of course, that may just be because we've been so busy. I'd like to start teaching the children. We haven't talked about it yet, but I'm sure he'd want to help. What did he want to be?" Harry asked. "What did he want to do for a living when we finished Hogwarts, before the war I mean?"

"I don't know that he ever really thought about it. I don't know if he got the chance. We don't have those conversations until the fifth year as you remember I'm sure, and by that point, you know who was back and before that, I know Lucius wanted him to take over the family business."

"And that is what, because I've never understood it. He's mentioned a few things, but none of it made sense."

"Keeping track of money, their old family money. He would also be in charge of investing. It wasn't really a business," Blaise answered. "It's not like they sold anything bought or processed, or bought anything sold or processed, or processed anything sold, bought, or processed, or repaired anything sold, bought, or processed. It was a very vague old family, Sacred Twenty-Eight stuff. Even young Draco wasn't interested in anything but spending the money. He was always interested in potions. I think that was the class he put the most effort into, but I don't know if that was a personal interest or because it's what his father and Snape expected of him. He did enjoy it though."

"Well, that's not much help."

"Sorry," Blaise chuckled. "If I could help more I would. I'd say go with your instincts."

"Well, then I'd better get to shopping and see what I can find."

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

Harry left the building and wandered back down Whimsic Alley towards Diagon. He wandered in and out of shops looking for something, for some inspiration. Finally, a thought came to him and he rushed down the street to get everything he needed for the gift.

While he was there another idea came to him for a family gift, so to Muggle London once more, stopping only long enough to conceal the most recent purchases. He found just the right store, purchased the gift, made arrangements to have it delivered to the second house, and then headed back to Eleven Grimmauld Place. He added Draco's gifts to the children's in the room that matched his own on the fourth floor then went back downstairs to cross through the door into number twelve.

"There you are," Draco commented. "I wondered when we'd see you. Were you able to purchase everything you wanted?"

"I think so. It's your turn tomorrow. How was today? Were there any problems?"

"No, they were wonderful as per usual. They are getting a little sillier and more wound up as we get closer to Christmas, but I think that's to be expected for any child, especially our group that's never celebrated Christmas before."

"I would think so. Thank you, by the way."

"You don't have to thank me. You know better," Draco said, gently scolding.

"I know. I'm going to do it anyway."

"I honestly wouldn't expect any different. Did you store your things next door?"

"Yes, I did. The same room just like you suggested. I have a key so I locked it. There is a key for your matching room on the desk in the room."

"Good, then I'll do that tomorrow after I shop and we can wrap together next week."

"Okay, that sounds like a good plan. Why don't you take a break and let me take the kids for a while? You've had them all day. You must be tired."

"You don't have to do that."

"I know I don't."

"Especially not since you'll be here with them tomorrow."

"I know, except Addie is off and is stopping by for a few hours. Go take five minutes at least."

"Fine," Draco looked at the clock on the mantle. "Five minutes, that works because then it will be dinnertime."

"Good, we'll see you then."

"Thank you."

"It's the least I can do to thank you."

"Not necessary."

"Neither is your thanks."

"This could go on for some time," Draco commented.

"Then you'd better go or you won't have time for five minutes of peace and quiet."

"Going, and thank you," Draco said just before turning on the spot and apparating upstairs.

"Damn it Draco, just had to get the last word didn't you," Harry grumbled under his breath but grinned nonetheless.