31 days—
. . .
September 19, 19xx – Monday
The weekend went by smoothly. Scorpius had slept in the morning of Sunday. He was still a bit jetlagged from the trip back home. Unlike usual, their son's presence inside the house had forced the two men to create a harmonious front. The day was mostly composed of Scorpius telling them about his stay in Hogwarts.
Harry wasn't a morning person. He would take an hour or so after waking before getting out of bed, he blamed it mostly on his late hours in the office. Today was no exception; groggily he stumbled out of bed still half-asleep.
There was the faint sound of running water, but he was still partially sleep driven to notice. He fumbled with the door knob and entered the bathroom for a leak. What greeted his sight was something much unexpected—his husband stood behind their glass shower, naked like the day he was born.
""What the fuck?! Draco!" He stammered out in realization. He hastily closed his boxers and ran back into the bed room. It was a good thing that the blonde was facing away from him because there was a slight flush on his cheeks.
"Relax Harry. There nothing you haven't seen before" Draco laughed, swaying his hips suggestively as he walked out of the bathroom. Water tailed over his whole body, dripping down his chest and stopping at the thick cotton towel around his waist.
"What are you still dong here?" Harry turned away to avoid looking over the man's body. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"
"I took a leave. I'm spending the day with Scorp" Draco let out a soft chuckle at his husband's boyish reaction to his naked form. After all, Harry had seen every part of him multiple times before. He shook his head at the thought, and pushed it to the back of his mind. He quickly finished dressing.
"Bathroom's free" was the last thing Harry heard before the door clicked behind Draco. He turned around, staring at the wooden door of their bedroom, the memory of the blonde's naked body still replaying in his mind.
He could still feel a hint of the adolescent urges he had before.
"Damn it" He cursed, slamming the bathroom door shut and locking it before he took a shower.
'This is going to be a long month'
. . .
The smell of freshly made pancakes filled his senses when he entered the kitchen.
"Bon apetit" Scorpius cheered from the dining table, ready to pounce on the tall stack of pancakes towering in front of him. He had a smile almost reaching up from ear to ear. Draco was back on the stove, preparing to make a second plate.
"So where is your dad going to take you, my little monster?" He took a seat beside his son, idly thinking about the room's pleasant ambiance. It seemed much lighter than it had been last week.
"Not a monster" Scorpius grumbled something incoherent between bites. Harry chuckled lightly. Guess he wasn't going to get any answers from the feasting blonde.
"Pancakes?" Draco appeared beside him with a plate of fresh pancakes at hand. He nodded dumbly. Draco was smiling today and the morning rays made him look like he was glowing! The food was lowered onto the table in front of him.
"Yes, please" He muttered, a bit startled. A mug filling with coffee appeared beside him. He glanced over as his husband and gave a faint smile. 'Thanks' Draco nodded at him before taking a seat across him, beside Scorpius. He shrugged the nagging feeling to keep looking at his husband and began to eat.
"Shall we get a hair cut?" Draco questioned, fondly musing Scorpius wild hair which had grown over the school year. It looked so much like Harry's when the young blonde seceded to keep it down. He idly played with the strands before his son swatted his hand away.
Scorpius shook his head and stopped eating. "Nah, I want to grow it a bit more dad" He said after thinking about it. "It sticks out too much when it's short, just like Papa's" He pointed to Harry's still unmentioned tresses.
"Hey!" Harry self-consciously ran a hand through his hair, making it even messier. Draco laughed light-heartedly at their son's innocent comment. Even through years together, Harry still kept his unruly hair despite Draco's attempts to tame it.
"How about we go broom hunting instead?" Draco offered, when the brunette beside him had calm down. This earned him an eager nod from the teenager. "I think the new S-series of Firebolt came out yesterday" He remarked offhandedly, knowing his son's love for flying all too well.
"Yes! Please dad, can we go?" Scorpius pleaded, giving Draco a dose of his puppy dog eyes. He had been waiting for the new release since summer. "Papa, come with us too! You love brooms!"
Harry visibly froze when his son grabbed his arm. He looked into the boy's earnest eyes.
"Please Papa? I think Dad won't mind if you come along!"
"Come one Scorp, I think your father has more important things to do today" Draco intervened when Harry still made no move to answer. He shot the brunette a cold glare that was unnoticed by their son.
"Please? Please? Please Papa?"
"Alright" Harry gave in with a sigh. "Let me get changed. I'll inform the firm of my absence today"
"YES!" Scorpius raised his hands in triumph. He scampered up the stairs to get dressed without much notice to the two quiet adults he left behind.
. . .
Harry was in the middle of a phone call when Draco entered their room. The brunette was completely oblivious to the other presence.
"You promised to meet me in the office today!" Cynthia's feminine voice came for the receiver.
"Yes, I know baby and I'm sorry." Harry sighed into the call "But it's my son. Besides, it's in the agreement. Don't you want him to sign?"
"Yes I do" she replied form the other line. "But can't you drop by work even for just a bit?"
Harry shook his head over the phone. "Cynthia, you know I want to but it's against the rules."
"Fine!" she huffed. "I love you."
"No one is forcing you to come" Draco's voice broke the seriousness on Harry's features, startled by the other male's voice. Green eyes immediately darted side wards to face the blonde.
"I love you too" he whispered hurriedly over the mouth piece before shutting off his phone and ending the call. "What are you doing here?" he asked, questioning his husband with a more demanding voice than he would have liked. He was surprised and scared at the other man's presence—mostly because he was guilty of the recent conversation.
Draco brushed him off and headed towards the dresser. "I haven't signed the papers yet, Potter. Technically this is still my house" he shot back sarcastically; venom dipping into his voice was he spat the Harry's last name. He glared at Harry hard, but inside he was breaking. Harry's words cut deeper than any of the cutting spells that barred his skin during the war.
'Fuck' "How much did you hear?"
"Enough" The other replied gruffly with little emotion. "Get dressed or we're flooing without you" The next thing he heard was the door slamming shut. The faint smell of the blonde's perfume mingled in the air, he breathed deeply and sighed.
Harry closed his eyes, pausing for a second before following the man out the door.
. . .
Diagon alley was bustling with wizards and witches, mostly from Hogwarts since it was their holidays. The streets were crowded almost shoulder to shoulder in foot traffic. It took the trio most of the morning just to get the new Firebolt and now finally they could relax.
"Scorpius!" A deep voice rang from the throngs of people then a tall brunette boy came bouncing towards them.
"Luis!" Scorpius greeted back enthusiastically as his friend drew closer, wrapping his arms around the other boy. "Firebolt?" he asked when they parted.
"Firebolt" the brunette nodded back. "Game?"
The blonde boy nodded eagerly. "Christian and the others?"
"Yeah and then some"
"Then some?"
The conversation continued, unnoticed that another conversation was taking place behind them.
Draco had a full smile showing on his face as he watched his son interact. It was very—oh what was the word?—refreshing? Amazing? Proud that his son had so many friends? Plus the two looked like they could make a good pair, he thought silently.
"Reminds me of us, huh?" Harry couldn't help but chuckle at his husband. He was half-surprised to hear the ex-slytherin prince laugh back.
"Yeah" Draco agreed light-heartedly.
"Dad!" Scorpius was back into their arms again before anymore exchange of words could happen between them. They both eyed their son suspiciously. There was a tone that the boy used when he wanted something.
"No" Draco automatically answered. It was a small just they all shared whenever the young one was asking something of them but in the end they end up conceding to their only child's wishes.
"Can we please play Quidditch on Saturday?" Scorpius gave them the puppy-dog pout. "Please?"
Draco sighed; Scorpius had always wanted to watch them play but they never had the chance too. Both Harry and he were often busy with work that it never came up until now. "Scorp" He tried to ease "You know that's now going to be easy"
"But why? You both love Quidditch! You were seekers just like me!"
"Scorpius" Draco cooed, running his fingers through his son's blonde mane "How many times have we gone through this? It's been so long…"
When Scorpius realized that he wasn't going to get anywhere with his dad, he decided to change tactics. "Papa! Please!" He begged now, throwing himself into Harry's arms. "I've never seen you play!"
"Scorp" Draco's warning voice came from behind them but yet Harry couldn't help but soften his eyes towards the blonde haired teen clinging into his arms. Pushy, determined and sneaky—yes this boy was definitely the spawn of Draco Malfoy. He could practically see the younger image of his husband in Scorpius!
"Okay" Harry laughed, giving his son a big hug. "I'll clear up my schedule for Saturday but we'll have to see if I can get your dad to agree, ne?" He lowered his voice in the last past so that the other man wouldn't hear. The boy nodded eagerly and ran off to find Luis among the crowd.
"You agreed?" Draco half-sneered at him—unbelieving and blushing at the same time from the intimate action. "What are you doing?" Somehow from five seconds ago the brunette had found his way behind the blonde.
"Would it be so bad to ride again?" He played, wrapping arms around from behind the other man. He rested his chin on Draco's shoulder and squeezed. "Scopius looked like he really wants to see us play again"
"He's not here Potter, you can stop the act" The other man replied cold, and jerked away. Harry's earlier words still plagued his mind. This was all a fake act for their son and nothing more. "Besides, I don't want to spoil him"
"Oh, you mean like you?" Harry shot back. He didn't know why he said it; it was just like second nature to. Their relationship was based from year of schoolboy animosity after all.
Draco glared back at him with icy silver eyes. "You never knew how I lived in my childhood, Potter" He hissed "Don't even dare speak like you know it" With that he walked away into the crowd.
They apparated home that night with the front of a happy couple, agreeing to play a game of Quidditch on the coming weekend. As promised, Harry lifted Draco into his arms and carried the blonde man into bed. Draco, the usually more composed one of the two, buried his face into Harry's neck and whispered something in audible to the other man. Harry shrugged it off and dropped Draco onto the bed then fell asleep. They were on different sides of the bed, separated by a long pillow—Harry put it there.
This is what Draco told his husband every night, most of the time the brunette was either too self-engrossed or asleep to notice. Draco always said it;
I love you
. . .
The long week was filled with work, work, and more work. The family shared dinner in the same table, ate the same food and yet it felt like he was in a completely different world than that of his husband. Draco, always maintained his level-headed demeanor in front of their son; he made conversation and they even played a few rounds of chess. It was an even match, a friendly game.
When bedtime neared, he would carry the blonde man into his arms and lower him into the bed. He was beginning to grow muscles again, he thought because each day the blonde seemed easier to carry. For some reason, he enjoyed the fact that he was getting used to carrying his husband once again.
Saturday came. They woke up at the brink of dawn and arrived at the Quidditch field near breakfast time. They ate the morning meal prepared by Scorpius and Draco on the picnic grounds. The warm-ups began around mid-morning with the other Quidditch playing family members of Scorpius' friends. It was supposed to be a day of family, friends and Quidditch.
Draco was first to swoop into the clear skies, long Slytherin Quidditch robes fluttering in the wind behind him. He wore the school emblem for old time's sake. Today, he promised, he was going to go back to the brighter part of his life before Harry came—whenever he flew, he felt like he could do anything.
Harry, along with the others, watched in awe—stunned at the hawk-like man flying in the air on his broom. Draco glided, dived and sliced through the air like it was nothing. There was complete ease at his posture and he looked very much relax. Harry looked on; how long had it been since he watched Draco fly like that? How long had it been since he actually watched his husband fly?
His breath was caught when Draco nose dived towards the ground, flipping under his broom and allowing the robe to graze of the grounds. The head of blonde hair was only a few inches from hitting the ground. It was a smooth dive and the man did it perfectly before climbing into the air again. This time, Harry followed him.
Kicking off the ground, he did the only thing that his mind was screaming for him to do—catch that flying angel. He could feel his thighs tightening on the broom, fingers scraping the old wood, the wind on his face and finally the loud thumping of his heart as he imitated the blonde's every move.
They soared in the air as if they were the only ones existing—they had their own little world were nothing else mattered. For a moment, they were brought back to their schoolboy days; the detention, the school work and most of all the game of Quidditch. They childishly dueled over anything and everything, fighting at who would win the house cup at the end of the year.
They weren't Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, Scorpius' parents. At the moment they were just Harry and Draco, two boys who wanted to fly.
Soon rain poured but they didn't notice—they didn't care. They never even joined the games either because they simply flew together; wordlessly going back to the times where things were so complicated. No marriage, no affairs, no romance; it was just them, enjoying each other's company as they flew into the night.
"Harry!" Draco yelled joyously from afar. They were currently a few meters above the actual game. Some low floating clouds were dancing around them. There was a big boyish grin on his face and he let it show on his features. "How long has it been?"
"Has what been?" The other called back while they zigzagged through the white misty clouds.
"Since we played like this?" It was a softer question, Malfoy's voice betraying him by revealing hurt. Harry wasn't sure how deep that hurt ran. He was silent for awhile.
"Harry?"
"It's been more than twenty years Draco" He said when he finally answered, watching as the blonde man swooped down towards a nearby lake. The man gracefully extended a hand, skimming fingers over the water and creating ripples. Harry thought that his heart would stop as the blonde locks gently draped over the water, the tips of the strands tapping the surface.
"Hmm" Draco hummed, using the reflective water to spy on his husband upside down. "Thank you" he mumbled just enough for Harry to hear.
"For what?" The brunette flew beside him upright as they slowed into a mild glide. His husband looked uncharacteristically boyish today; there were no marks of stress on his face, no sense of hurt on his façade—Draco looked happy.
"Today" Draco gripped the broom and flipped himself right side up. "For flying with me again"
"Oh" Harry mouthed. It felt weird being thanked to just for flying. It felt refreshing. Long day in the office and one cared how much effort you put into a case so the small sense of gratitude the blonde was giving him made his heart flutter for a bit. "It's nothing" he said with a shrug.
Draco hummed again from beside him. "How about a game?"
"Game?" He wondered curiously as they both slowly went back towards the pitch. He eyed his husband suspiciously, with a hint of mischievousness playing in his eyes.
"Feeling daring?" Draco challenged him, with a firey look in those silver eyes which he had almost forgotten about. Draco's eyes glinted with naughtiness as those pouting lips slowly formed into his handsome smirk.
"What are you playing at Draco?"
"I'm saying, Harry my dear that we have a bit of fun" He remarked, hovering over the game beneath them. "First one to find the snitch gets a prize!" He exclaimed, looping the front of his broom over his head before curving backwards into a dive, directly over the field.
"But that's rude!" Harry complained staring at Draco's figure descend into the ground. "No fair! Wait! That's cheating!" He yelled, gritting his teeth as he followed the blonde man towards the pitch. He pushed his lips together as he made a nose dive behind his husbans—also aiming to find the fluttering gold snitch somewhere on the field.
Two seekers out to catch the same prize.
. . .
"Dad! Papa! That was amazing!" Scorpius exclaimed as they landed on the ground. In the middle of the game, his parents had swooped in and began to search for the snitch themselves. It was Luis and him who were playing keepers and frankly speaking they both were in awe as they watched the two adults maneuver almost effortlessly above the ground.
In the end, it was Draco who clasped the golden snitch in hand and won the game.
"You cheated!" Harry mocked playfully, landing almost perfectly beside Draco. He had a huge grin on his face and began to laugh. It really felt like they were just back in Hogwarts. The adrenaline was still pumping into his veins; he could feel the loud beating of his heart as his feet touched the grass.
"I won fair and square Potter!" Draco jeered also as light-heartedly. He handed the stitch back to Luis before returning to Harry. "And I believe I win a prize" he dared, catching Harry's emerald eyes. Harry's couldn't look away.
"Okay" He sighed in defeat, slumping his shoulders childishly while they walked towards the exit. "What do you want?"
Draco seemed to take a few minutes to think then flashed him a big playful smile. "I want a kiss!" He declared loud and out in the open, making Scorpius choke and turn bright red. Harry had a similar reaction, with his face reddening like a tomato. "Please?" His breath hitched.
At the moment Draco uttered the one-word phrase, he momentarily forgot about his affair, he forgot about their problems, he forgot that he was playing the role of perfect husband—all he could think about was the feeling of those pink lips against his. He obliged, scooping the blonde on the waist and pulling the body flush against him. He crushed their lips together in a bruising kiss.
Draco was shocked when Harry took him seriously and locked their lips together. He had meant it as a joke, for the other to shrugged/laugh off but when Harry began to kiss him, he forgot to think. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around the man's strong tan neck to pull him deeper into the kiss. He moaned loudly, when Harry's hands began to snake across his back—the heat of the warm hands transferring to his skin.
His flesh jumped; Harry had taken the opportunity to plunge his tongue into Draco's mouth, tasting the blonde. He explored the hot wet cavern which he had almost forgotten and the memories began flooding back to him. It was the familiar feeling of Draco, the familiar scent, the familiar taste and the familiar reactions all bringing his body into a state of arousal.
The kiss was salty due to their sweat but at the same time it also tasted sweet. It felt so good, like a spark somewhere deep inside reignited and a ball of passion began to awaken from within.
Draco could feel his throat creating a lump. This was wrong no matter how much it felt right—Harry was leaving him for another woman. He could fear the sob threatening to come up his throat. The touches burned with forbidden desire. In the middle of the kiss, the blonde felt his eyes beginning to burn. Unshed tears were threatening to break free.
It was all for show
A cough broke them apart. Immediately, Draco pushed against Harry's chest will all his might and turned away. He didn't want to see Harry's eyes—feeling that the green orbs would have a mixture of regret, guilt and hatred.
"Sorry" He bit his lip and tried to act as normal as possible while Scorpius eyed them both from head to toe. It was a good thing that the boy laughed instead of examining them further.
"You and Papa go get a room!" He jested making a 'shooing' motion with his hands at the pair. Harry broke the awkward silence with a nervous laugh. His thoughts were going back to the kiss—to the soft warm lips with his husband possessed. It was very different from kissing Cynthia; it was a man, Draco, it was stronger, harder.
Something bubbled from deep inside him. His heart fluttered like crazy, thundering in his chest almost hard enough to break through his ribcage. He felt like he was back in Hogwarts for real. He remembered this feeling from somewhere before but at the moment he couldn't place it.
The trip home was silent. Scorpius was worn out from the day of flying and fell asleep instantly when they reached home, leaving the awkward pair alone. Obediently Draco raised his arms for Harry to carry him; only this time, he kept his arms to himself and didn't hold onto his husband—he couldn't at the moment for the emotion was too fresh.
Harry lifted the blonde into his arms without a word and they silently made their way towards their bedroom. Both were bothered by kiss but neither showed it. Draco felt his heart being ripped into shreds every time it played back in his head while Harry felt himself getting more confused until he just couldn't take it anymore.
"Draco" He began, not really sure of where to begin as he lowered the man onto the bed "About the kiss. . ."
Draco didn't answer him and merely turned away. "It's nothing" He grumbled back and covered himself with the blankets like it was a cold night. It was in fact a very warm night but he didn't care, he just wanted to hide form the perceptive green eyes that were looking at him.
"Aren't you going to change?" The other asked, a bit worried about the blonde's damp clothes. Draco gave an inaudible response and stayed in his position—facing away from the other man.
Harry opened his mouth to give a retort but then decided against it. He let the comment slide and began to change quietly in his side of the room. His chest tightened as he watched the blonde's slumbering figure lying on the bed in damp clothes. He was worried that Draco would get sick—after all the man did have a weakness for rain.
He slid into the covers, unaware of the shaking body beside him.
Draco didn't fall asleep immediately—how could he? The kiss haunted him far too much. He whispered a soft silencing charm around him but didn't cast a warming one because it never occurred to him. Tears slowly but steadily began to drip from his eyes as shallow sobs began to shake his body.
He fell asleep crying.
In the long years that he's felt Harry grow more and more distant, this night was the worst—he felt completely alone despite having the man snoring beside him.
. . .
Morning came and the smell of fresh coffee filled the air along with the buzzing music playing in the kitchen. He was glad it was Sunday; his muscles cracked behind his shoulders and thighs while he walked down the stairs. Draco was sitting slouched over the counter as Scorpius manned the stoves, he raised an eyebrow.
"Morning Papa!" His son turned around, greeting him with a big smile.
"Morning" Harry answered still half-asleep. He really was not born a morning person; maybe Scorp got it from his Malfoy blood to be perky at the crack of dawn. His eyes wandered over the elder blonde and immediately began to rethink the theory—Draco was drowsily leaning on his elbows near the window.
He watched the man curiously as he took a seat. The man looked paler than usual, or perhaps it was just him? He also noted a tint of red on the blonde's cheeks. "Are you alright?" he finally asked.
"Just tired" Draco groaned out a response and dismissed the question with a wave of a hand lazily in the air. It wasn't the most aristocratic gesture but for now it would do him just fine.
"Sure?" Harry pressed, inching closer.
Draco almost slapped him away. "Yes! For Merlin's mercy Harry! I feel fine!" He barked out with a slight temper. Actually, he was feeling like a big pile of shit at the moment but he couldn't let Harry see that. His eye sight was lapsing into white and his whole body felt a million times heavier when he moved.
Harry just looked at him questioningly but didn't day a word.
"Papa look! I made French toast!" Scorpius announced proudly, setting a big round plate of the said item on the table. "Dad finally taught me the recipe!" He added before taking a seat beside Harry. It seems that the hostility between the pair wad unnoticed by the young lad.
Harry switched back into full father mode when he answered. "A monster cooking?! I better get my potions cabinet ready!" He exclaimed, earning a slap form the young blonde on the shoulder. This is how the father and son squabbles began with Harry almost always trying to annoy his son.
"You're so mean Papa!" Scorpius pushed out his tongue playfully "Besides that's dad's potion cabinet not yours!" He said triumphantly, feeling like he had won this argument. Harry clamed up at the mention of Draco; his eyes immediately glanced at the older blonde who sat across him.
The sound of his phone brought him back to reality. "Papa?" Scropius' voice barely registered in his brain when he read the caller's identity on the mobile screen—Cynthia.
"Hello?" He picked up without much thought before whispering a barely audible silencing charm around his cell phone so that the other two in the room would not hear her voice. He eyed their son nervously.
"Harry-kun?" Cynthia's voice came over the receiver.
"Yes?" He answered back, cursing mentally. He had meant for his voice to sound soft but commanding, instead he got gruff.
"I'm waiting in the mall. I want to see you Harry" She moaned his name into the receiver; the sound of the feminine seductress going straight to his groin. He forced back the reactions his body made.
"Harry?" She said again to get his attention.
"Yeah?"
"Can't you leave them for a bit and come eat lunch with me?" She tempted him using a breathy sex-filled voice on the phone. "You're going to have an emergency meeting with your staff, Mr. Harry Potter" She licked her lips and shut off the phone, leaving Harry wanting.
"I, uh, need to go" Harry stopped himself short of groaning. "Office. Meeting. Client" He shuttered out, almost half-running towards the garage. Never once did he look back. He drove off towards the mall at top speed, spelling some decent clothes on the way.
"What just happened?" Scorpius acted dumbfounded at the scene before him; Harry abruptly left them without much explanation. "Dad" He looked to Draco for answers.
Draco visibly bit the inside of his mouth before speaking. "You're Papa is a very busy man, Scorp. I'm sorry, he's been working on a big client recently" He covered up for his unfaithful husband. Cursing when a pang of guilt boiled in his systems—cheating bastard. One call from her and he leaves without a word, it was typical.
He looked sad, allowing for his eyes to betray him. Scorpius stood beside him equally quiet.
"How about spending the day with just me, kid?" He offered, making the young blonde's features light up. "Where to?"
. . .
Author's Note:
Yay! Chapter 2 up and running!
Chapter 3 is yet to be started but I'm getting there! Review if you like!
-Arh.581958