Disclaimer: I do not own any characters created by J.K. Rowling. I also do not share her homophobic views.

Chapter Sixty-Two

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"You must be Harry," beamed a woman with horn-rimmed glasses and thick caramel waves that framed her face. She stepped aside and waved him in. "Please come in and have a seat."

Harry shuffled awkwardly into the office, his shoulders hunching instinctively, hands shoved in his pockets. The sofa was plush and sank deeply under his weight. The office was cosy, deep cream coloured walls with a raised pattern, a plush rug underfoot and with large windows that overlooked the busy London streets.

"I'm Dr. Rodrik," she smiled brightly. "I believe you know my brother."

Harry pressed his lips together and bowed his head. "Yeah, I do."

"Now, is there anything you have on your mind you'd like to talk about?"

Harry frowned, "Is that really how these things go? Only, I've been led to believe there's a lot of underhanded psychoanalysis involved."

Dr. Rodrik's eyes softened. "Some do," she admitted. "However, that's not how I do things. This is an open space for non-judgemental discussions. If I happen to have some insight on a situation, then I shall share it with you. We do this at your own pace, Harry. I'm not here to rush you into some big revelation or epiphany. That's not my job."

The tension that had gotten Harry tied up in knots loosened somewhat at her soft-spoken words and her kind eyes. "I -I appreciate that."

"Would you like some tea?"

Harry immediately tensed, a memory striking like lightning of pink China plates, mewling kittens and a stinging itch cross the back of his left hand. He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.

"I -uh -n-no thank you."

Dr. Rodrik watched him, her eyes narrowed a fraction behind her glasses. "That's alright, I have other things; coffee, juice, water, a muggle fizzy drink perhaps?"

Harry felt his lips twitch up slightly. "Do you have a Fanta?"

She smiled, "As it happens, I do."

With the drinks poured and the both of them settled back in their plush chairs, Harry took in more of his surroundings and frowned upon seeing no notebook, parchments, pens or quills. How was Dr. Rodrik going to take notes if she had no writing implements? When he voiced his question, she chuckled lightly.

"I already told you, Harry, I'm not here for force anything from you. My taking notes as you speak will only discourage and distract you. Besides, I haven't the patience for it. Have you ever tried writing while listening to someone who speaks at a thousand miles a minute? Exhausting!"

Despite himself, Harry felt himself relax a little as he popped the tab on a can of Fanta. The sharp taste and fizzing on his tongue were weirdly grounding.

"So, what did you get up to this summer?" she asked it in such a simple way, like any normal person would ask another about what they'd done. It felt weird to be asked a question with no visible or blatant ulterior motive than simply knowing.

"Well, we didn't do much. We just lazed about, went for a few day trips here and there, did some gardening, has a few muggle barbeque's in the back garden, Sirius taught me a little of how to drive his motorbike, but Remus has put his foot down a little. Said I will only be allowed to drive it providing I get licenses both muggle and wizarding, before I go unsupervised -which is fair, I guess."

The doctor chuckled, "Yes, I can only imagine what mischief young boys on death machines would get up to."

Harry snorted, "Remus said the same thing. He acts all prim and proper, but he's the worst of them all. He just never gets caught out."

"Sounds a lot like my brother," she mused. "How has it been living with a child underfoot?"

Harry was thrown by the question. "Uh -Teddy? It's fine. He's a pretty chill kid, we always manage to tire him out before bedtime and Remus does his best to keep to a firm schedule. There's the odd hiccough now and then, but that's just kids really, isn't it?"

"Well, I have two under ten, so I'd have to agree. Even now, despite school, schedules and a routine, there's other things to factor in like weird nightmares, tummy aches and just being bored."

"Teddy's still young," Harry shrugged with a grin. "For now, we keep him happy enough."

Dr. Rodrik smiled gently, propping her chin in her hand. "Just wait until he starts to talk back."

Harry groaned and buried his face in his hands, "Oh Merlin! The sass! The kid will be sarcasm incarnate!"

"I'm sure you boys can all hold your own," she smirked. Harry huffed. "How are things going with Draco?"

"Draco? He's fine -why?"

"Well, it's been a trying couple of months for the both of you, it's natural for someone to be concerned on how you're both coping with all these changes."

Harry felt himself tense up a little. Now that was a line of questioning, he felt more familiar with. He felt the rosy hue shift in the room slightly. "Well … w-we try and spend time together when we can. He can get busy while brewing wolfsbane for the little aid we've set up with Kingsley and Remus' help," he plucked at a loose thread on his shorts. "We try and divide our time equally, all of us, but sometimes things can get a bit skewed, especially on a full moon."

"Well that's understandable. I do think it's admirable what you're doing. That Greyback has ruined a whole generation, infecting people just for the thrill of it," she shook her head in disgust. "It was men like him that have given werewolves such a bad rep."

"Thank you!" Harry agreed, "being attacked on the off-chance was bad enough, but he was in control. He chose to do it!"

"Honestly, whatever punishments he got were too good for him," she sighed and rubbed at her temples. "None of those poor people deserve the stigma this curse brings upon them. Just look at your Remus Lupin; all the things he's achieved despite everything the world threw at it. He could easily be the face of lycanthropy and how not everyone is like that monster."

Harry bristled, "Remus wouldn't want to be the poster boy. I've been there and done that; it's not for either of us."

"I don't think it's for anyone," Dr. Rodrik clucked her tongue. "However, the distribution of wolfsbane was such an ingenious idea, I'm really all for it. It doesn't help that it's an extremely advanced potion and the ingredients are difficult to come by and the potion itself is volatile at best."

"Hermione and Draco have been working out the kinks of it all and Remus is spreading the word among werewolves he knows. He doesn't want attention drawn to them. So many still fear the ministry is going to track them like muggles track their pets."

"A harrowing notion indeed. So, you don't charge anything at all?"

"They charge a miniscule amount not at all what the potion itself is worth. We've actually spent some time crunching the numbers. I've actually been growing some of the ingredients in our garden in strictly controlled flowerbeds, to cut the overall costs down. Doing it that way definitely helps the process. Plus, it means Draco hasn't to go skulking around apothecaries and risk being cursed."

"It's very admirable of him."

Harry shrugged, feeling himself flush at just how brilliant his boyfriend was. "He wants the opportunity to help people. We've all done things in the war we're not proud of. This is just one small way to make it better."

"Other than the herbs, have you thought about a way to be more involved?"

"What, in the wolfsbane project?"

"Not necessarily, but you mentioned about making up for mistakes. Have you thought of any other ways you would be able to do that?"

Harry frowned, "Not really. All I know is I don't want to do anything for the Ministry. I don't want to be a poster boy. They'll turn on me the moment I choke on a canapé or something.!

Dr. Rodrik chuckled, "I do remember a few years ago, they were slandering you with every new issue. It must have been exhausting."

Harry bowed his head, his eyes downcast to the dried flecks of mud on the soles of his trainers. "It felt like everywhere I turned people were accusing me of things they knew I didn't do. Or calling me a liar."

"I'm sorry that happened to you, Harry," she said. "Being a teenager is hard enough without the newspapers spreading lies about you and plastering your face everywhere."

He huffed with a stiff one-shoulder shrug. "That's why I'd rather keep this project under wraps. The moment the prophet gets wind of it, all our clients will go into hiding again, for fear of being registered or something."

"I can see why they would be. Despite two wars, the community at large is still extremely biased and will rely on the Prophet as their source of news and knowledge. As though they haven't learned a thing."

Harry shifted, "I do feel like there's something more I can do … I just don't really know what."

"What about the old Potter Estate?"

"I -the what?"

"The Potter Estate? From your father's side? He's father invented the Sleekeazy's hair potion, right? It helped make their fortune as grand as it is now. They had a rather spectacular, unplottable Estate from what my parents told me, though it's obviously fallen into disrepair since … well …"

Harry nodded, his throat tight. His father's estate? How had he never thought of that before? Naturally his father lived elsewhere before moving to Godric's hollow? Why had Dumbledore never mentioned it to him? If it was unplottable, why hadn't they hidden there for the Order? Or sent Sirius to live there instead of Grimmauld place, reliving his family traumas at every turn? He hadn't realised he'd mumbled most of this out loud until Dr. Rodrik spoke up.

"Harry you have had a lot of information kept from you, not only about your parents but your extended family as well," she looked over at him sadly. "Is there no one you can ask about this?"

"Sirius basically got adopted by them at age sixteen. I -he does his best to tell me things about my dad but … it's hard. He and Remus have been sharing memories with me now, and it makes it easier to relate to him. I can see how he was as a person, how my mum was as well. It's not the same, it will never be the same and I've made my peace with that."

"No one ever really makes peace with losing a parent, Harry, even if you didn't know them."

"I suppose so …"

"Do you speak to Draco about his parents?"

Harry frowned up at her, "Draco hasn't lost his parents."

"Not in death, no, but his mother is exiled from Britain for the next couple of years and his father is in Azkaban. It may not be strictly the same but it's still a loss."

"I mean … he talks to his mother a fair bit. Surely, he'd mention if he missed her, right? And he has nightmares about his father, I -I wouldn't want to upset him by bringing it up. Besides, Remus and Sirius have been like dads to us both, they're pretty good at heart-to-hearts."

Smiling warmly at him, she said, "Boyfriends share things too, Harry. Don't you talk to him about your parents?"

"What's there to talk about? Boo-hoo I'm sad, I never knew my parents?" he scoffed. "We watch the memories together, in the pensieve. We talk afterwards. It's nice that I get to share that with him."

"You have your own pensieve?"

"Yeah … it was in the Potter vaults. I think the Blacks had one too? Why? Is that weird?"

"Well, not necessarily. It makes sense that some of the oldest of the twenty-eight families would have their own. Pensieve's are not commonplace, even in the wizarding world. One might even term them as 'rare'."

"Oh … I had no idea."

"Most people only ever see one if they have to go to trial and have their memories reviewed by the jury." She took a sip of her drink, "And for what it's worth, Harry, your allowed to mourn the loss of your parents and the rest of your family, even if you're only just learning about them. It's a history you never knew. A loss is a loss and it's perfectly normal to be upset about it."

Perfectly normal. Huh? Had he finally found something to be normal about? Death was almost too normal for him in recent years, apparently. He took a long slurp of his drink, to dispel some of his energy.

"I suppose I should spend a little more time with Draco and talk to him about some things. He's opened up a lot in the last year and I think he's helped me, too. We talk a lot when we go on our date night every two weeks," he felt his cheeks blush. "I … it's nice. Just having some alone time in muggle London with my boyfriend -like a normal teenager."

The smile Dr. Rodrik sent him was so sweet it erased any niggling black clouds from his mind. "Where have you been going on these dates?"

Oh, and the blush got stronger!

"I -uh -well, I don't know much of London myself. So, we go to nearby places within his radius limits and just try different foods every time; we've had Italian, Cuban, French cuisine -which was a bit weird. He made me try the snails! -and last weekend it was Tapas."

"Do you just go out to eat or do other things? I'd imagine there's lots to do in London during the summer."

"We've gone to some open-air cinemas in the park once or twice. And to see live music being played. We went to see a play at the Globe Theatre, although I think Draco mainly went there for the history associated with it."

"That's quite sweet," she grinned. "I remember when my husband and I first started dating. He's a half-blood, so he grew up between the two places. He took me to an art museum -which was so bizarre! Especially all the non-moving artwork! And we watched some fireworks, got caught in a downpour and managed to duck into a cute little café. He let me order a mixture of anything that sounded weird or fun! I'm sure, to this day, that the waitresses thought I had a type of tapeworm, but I didn't care. It was a wonderful day."

Harry felt his stomach flip pleasantly. "That's sounds incredible."

"It really was. You know, they do all sorts of tours in London, during the day and at night. If Draco is into his history, maybe you could look into booking something that as a surprise?"

Harry wanted to object but found that he was grinning too much. "I think I'll have to now. I can't believe we didn't think of that before."

"Happy to help," Dr. Rodrik chimed. She shifted on the sofa and drained the last of her drink, before setting it aside. "Do you have any other plans for the rest of the day?"

Harry bit his lip in thought and came up blank. "Not really. I think everyone's just waiting to see how I am when I come home after this appointment."

"How are you feeling about it so far?"

"Honestly? Weirdly okay."

"Weirdly? Should I be offended?" she joked.

"No -no, not at all! I just meant I had a bit of a bad impression of psychiatrists and such. I guess I'm pretty jaded about opening up to strangers and stuff." He gave a helpless little shrug and was rewarded with an understanding nod. He rubbed his sweaty palms on his thighs, "I don't think I've felt this calm about talking things out -ever."

"Considering how things have been for you I do understand that, Harry. If at any point I make you uncomfortable, just tell me okay? That being said … in our next session I may have some questions to ask you, based on going over this session in the office pensieve. Would you be okay with that?"

He frowned, "What sort of questions?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "But I may think of something in hindsight and wish to ask. You have complete freedom in whether to answer or not, and I'll respect whichever you choose to do."

He was silent for a moment. "As long as I don't have to answer, I guess that would be okay."

"Absolutely no obligation. We can always revisit it at a later date, if it's too soon for me to ask."

"That seems … fair."

"Excellent," she beamed at him. Her eyes flitted up to the ornate bronze clock hanging above the door. "Oh dear, it seems we've run over a little."

"Shit, I'm sorry. I'll apologise to your next patient."

"Oh, you're fine. My next patient was my brother and only because he promised to buy me lunch today."

"O-oh … then I'm sorry for keeping you."

"You're fine, Harry. Shall we say same time next week?"

"That works for me."

"Great." She stood up from her chair, straightened herself up and led the way to the door. "Have a good rest of your day. It's been a pleasure getting to talk with you."

"You too," he said and found that he actually meant it.

She smiled at him, shook his hand, and she closed the door between them, no doubt to get ready for her slightly late lunch.

Turning to face the waiting room, Harry stopped dead upon seeing Sirius rising from the seat he'd been sat in. "Sirius I -what're you doing here?"

"I know you said you wanted to do this on your own," Sirius hedged, shifting awkwardly. "I just thought that -maybe you didn't have to?"

Harry wanted to say so many things in that moment; most of them revolving around the fact that he was an adult, not to be babied, and that if he was going to go out in the big, wide world he needed to be able to fend for himself. Then there was the other part of him reconciliating the fact that he had done so very much on his own before now.

Instead of saying any of that, he crossed the room with a grin splitting his face and threw his arms around the older man and buried his face into his shoulder and choked out a 'thank you!' that was muffled by his t-shirt. Sirius gave him a tight squeeze back, no other words necessary between them. It meant a lot to him know that he wasn't alone anymore, that there was a way forward. It was enlightening to be reminded of that in the small things.

Upon releasing him, Sirius nodded towards the end of the corridor where the lifts were. "So, shall we get home as soon as possible and have a late lunch with the others?"

Harry frowned as they arrived at the St. Mungo's lobby. He cast a quick disillusion charm on himself and stayed close to Sirius as the doors 'dinged' open. "Can we take the long way home? I fancy a walk in the sun."

"Sounds good, pup," Sirius grinned, hurrying through the lobby and out onto the bustling streets of London. They made it to the neighbouring alley as quickly as possible before Harry removed the charm and felt his body shiver at the brush of magic. Sirius nodded his approval. "Shall we get an ice cream for the walk then? Then you can tell me how it all went in there."

Despite feeling a bit worn out from all the talking he had done; Harry wasn't about to deny Sirius anything. "Sure, that sounds great."

.

~0~

Harry chewed on his lip as he looked up from poking at his mashed potatoes. "So, what do you think?"

Sirius and Remus shared a look while Remus dabbed some sauce from Teddy's chin. "The Potter Estate?" Sirius frowned. "Merlin, I've not thought of that place in years …"

Remus reached back with his free hand and squeezed Sirius' own, which was clenched tightly. "It's alright, love," he soothed quietly.

Clearing his throat, Sirius blew out a deep breath. "We may have to go to Gringotts and sort out the paperwork before anyone sets foot in there. I -I don't exactly know what it will be like since …"

Harry watched as his godfather struggled to maintain his composure. It was the place he had grown-up in once he'd run away from Grimmauld place, it was where he spent summers with James and joked around, played Quidditch and pranks and woke up from nightmares and crawled into bed beside his best friend. Where secrets were shared in the dark of night and Euphemia would smother him the following morning and Monty would take him for manly chats in the vast grounds and practice releasing his volatile magic. It had been therapeutic and had helped him come to terms with some things at that age. He'd gone into the next term of school feeling freer than he'd ever felt.

No doubt now the estate was a shell, suffocated by the ghosts from the past.

"We -we don't have to," Harry hedged. "I didn't even realise it existed … it was just a thought …"

Draco took Harry's hand in his own and gave it a squeeze.

Turning amber eyes to the teen across from him, Remus kept his voice level as he asked, "Tell us more about the idea you had, Harry."

"I was just thinking about all the damage done to families in the war, but especially all the stigma around those bitten by werewolves. Thanks to Greyback that number has practically tripled." Harry chewed on his lip, "I just thought, if the Potter estate is anywhere near the size of Malfoy Manor … it could be a sort of established housing for families if members bitten are being denied work and such."

The others were silent.

Harry glanced up to see that all three men were watching him with pride in their expression. He ducked his gaze back to his plate, "I just … I remembered how hard it was for Remus to find work. You've told me about how you had to live in hostels in the muggle world and -despite the war, there's still a lot of stigma. I just thought it would be something to help them."

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Remus breathed, his voice catching. "I can't -just wow."

"And it wouldn't be subject to just families!" Harry hastened to add. "I was just thinking that the estate probably has vast grounds, right? If they're warded, has a perimeter set-up and everyone is given wolfsbane leading up to the full moon, they could roam freely and -and now mutilate themselves. I'm not saying it won't still happen but … they'd be surrounded by their own kind. They wouldn't feel isolated."

On the table, Draco laced their fingers together, his eyes still trained on Harry's face.

"What about jobs? Wouldn't they still need to find work?" Sirius asked with a small frown.

"I'm sure we can help them, but while we do help them, they wouldn't have to bed-hop, worry about mortgages or shitty landlords who toss them out in the night. And if they don't live on the Estate, they can come there for the full moons and take a few days to recuperate if need be and have access to the Wolfsbane. Then they can go back to their homes."

There was quiet for a few moments before Remus chimed, "I think this is an excellent idea. And what a way to help memorialise your grandparents," he chanced a look at Sirius and the pair shared a soft smile. "From my memories, they were always kind-hearted and willing to open their homes to others. They were always wanting to be parents to everyone. I miss them."

Sirius bowed his head and pinched at his eyes against the sting of tears.

"Do you think I should approach Kingsley about this?"

"It might be better to go to the bank first?" Draco stated. "There's no point approaching Kingsley with a plan if the estate has already been sold or is too derelict or needs to be completely rebuilt from the ground up."

"I hadn't thought of that …"

"There's no need to rush anything. Write to the bank tomorrow and make an enquiry and see what they say."

Harry gave a small smile, "thanks, you really do keep me level-headed."

Draco dropped a kiss to their linked hands. It was clear Remus and Sirius needed another moment; their foreheads pressed together; whispers barely audible except to each other. Leaning back in his chair, Draco took a drink from his glass. "How was your therapy sessions today?"

Perking up, Harry found himself smiling. "It actually went a lot better than I expected. I really like Dr. Rodrik's sister, she didn't seem how you described that Dr. Lisa you had."

Draco's eyebrows rose up, "Oh really?"

"I know you've been looking for someone, and it might not be wise for us both to have the same therapist but … maybe it would be worth having a session with her? See how you feel about it?" Harry hedged; his eyes focused somewhere just over Draco's shoulder.

"I haven't had much luck in my search. People are still wary over this," he grimaced, brandishing the tattoo on his left arm, his dark mark scar no longer visible. Still, everyone in Wizarding Britain knew of the Malfoy's.

Harry pursed his lips together.

"Still, if you think Dr. Rodrik's sister is good, I might write to her and see if she'll be willing to give me a session. I think I'll do that first thing," he offered Harry a tight smile.

He was tense as he resumed eating, Harry noticed, but now was not the time or place for them to have a little heartfelt confession. Returning to their food, Remus having calmed Sirius down somewhat, they changed the topic to something more light-hearted. Teddy's babbling helped to make them all smile as his hair flashed bright colours, especially when the dessert of chocolate cake came out. Both Remus and Teddy's eyes lit up brightly, making everyone else laugh and for Sirius to lovingly murmur, "Like father like son."

.

Later in bed, Harry was sat up against the pillows, flicking through a muggle book he'd borrow from Sirius. They'd all gone to bed a little late, Remus having retired early with Teddy in tow. The other three had watched a video in soft t-shirts and pyjamas bottoms. Sirius retired before the movie had ended, his eyelids growing heavy. Now that the house was silent around them, any sound occurring sounded magnified. Harry glanced up as he heard Draco padding back from the bathroom before he'd even pushed the door open.

"You'll ruin your eyes squinting in this light," Draco whispered, closing the door behind him. He climbed into the bed and pressed a kiss to Harry's head. "What're you reading?"

"Just a thriller Sirius recommended." He put the bookmark between the pages before turning to Draco, "You alright?"

"Of course, why do you ask?"

Harry shrugged, "At dinner you seemed a bit off about the whole therapist thing. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I will be," Draco admitted, tipping his head back to lean on the headboard. "It would be nice to be able to talk to a non-biased therapist though. Not like the last one."

"I'm sorry you've had such a rough time of it."

"It's not your fault."

"I know. I just wish I could smack everyone around the head and remind them that this is not what I died for. The war was meant to end prejudice, but clearly not everyone is as willing to forgive."

"I do often wonder why you are, though."

Harry shrugged, "I've seen what corruption can do, be it money or power. I've seen it from both sides. I've also seen shitty people that don't need a reason to be awful, they just are. We can't please everyone. You've all three of you taught me that."

Draco's lips tipped up into a small smile.

"At least this way, you'll know right from the off if she's even worth pursuing. She did mention you today and she seemed perfectly neutral. She didn't ask any weird questions about your Death Eater status, or any possible corruption. In fact, I told her about the Wolfsbane project, and she seemed pretty amazed but what we're planning to do. She seemed fully supportive of it."

"Really?" Draco asked, his heart doing a little hopeful skip.

Harry offered his own hopefully smile, "I definitely think you'll do better with her, if she's able to give you an appointment."

Draco's expression turned sombre. "You really are wonderful, you know that?"

"Draco …"

"Seriously, I'd be on house arrest in an empty manor slowly going crazy, or alone in a cell in Azkaban, slowly going crazy. Instead I'm tucked up in a warm bed, in clean clothes, with my boyfriend, all of which I didn't think was possible for at least another decade at least, and definitely not to this extent." He turned fully onto his side and tucked a strand of hair behind Harry's ear. "Thank you for giving me a second chance, Harry."

Taking Draco in hand, Harry leaned down and pressed featherlight kisses along the tattoo on his left arm. "You were worth it," he breathed, pressing a chaste kiss to Draco's lips. "I love you, battle scars and all."

Surging forward, Draco pressed a deep kiss to his mouth, lips parting so their tongues slid together, hot and languid. He leaned down onto his back, gently coaxing Harry to lie on top of him. Fingers tangled in one another's hair, they kissed slowly and deeply, pressing against one another as gentle arousal simmered between them. Neither made any moves to undress the other, perfectly content to be held, kissed and cherished as they sank deep into the bed. Harry lay cradled against Draco's chest, listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart and feeling secure in his arms. They fell asleep in much the same position, the floating orbs glowing soft and golden, just enough to highlight the edges of the furniture and one another.

A/N: I hope you like the update! Sorry it was a bit of a filler. X