A week after they had visited Potter, Draco was again called into McGonagall's office, this time certain that neither he nor Scorpius were in trouble. As he made his way through the castle, he enjoyed the peace and quiet that came from the lack of students. It was surprising that in such a large building he always managed to run into groups of students when school was in session, but that hadn't changed since he was a student. Although he chose a profession that required him to interact closely with students, he still relished the stillness of the ancient school. Between his job, his past, and his son, his mind was always occupied, but something about the old stone calmed him.
He was ushered into McGonagall's office immediately, putting him at ease. When left alone, he managed to fill himself with dread about any social interaction, no matter how innocuous. This time, he accepted the tea she offered happily.
Without wasting any time on small talk, McGonagall got down to business. "Mr Potter owled me last week, telling me about your visit. You appear to have made an impression on him, and he is seriously considering taking the position. So, I owe you my thanks."
At this, Draco blushed, embarrassed by her thanks and relieved that he had been persuasive. It was hard to tell with Potter, because he was cordial and accepting of everything anyone said. A new trait, or at least not one he had ever given Potter reason to exercise towards himself, Draco mused. Regardless, he was happy to have succeeded, and he told the Headmistress as much.
"I'm glad you agreed to speak to him," she began, "as you are in the unique position of raising a child here, which Harry would have to do also. Did you know his daughter arrived?" At this, she gestured towards a copy of the Daily Prophet that sat on her desk.
Draco cleared his throat, embarrassed, but nodded. Of course, he had met the baby already, but he had staunchly avoided the papers in order to pretend that he did not know the name. He couldn't articulate why, but the level of intimacy implied in naming someone else's child made him uncomfortable, even thought Potter didn't even know that it was his suggestion.
McGonagall continued: "Since you were willing to speak to him, I was hoping that you would also agree to show him around your quarters. In his letter, he expressed concern about where he and Ariadne would sleep, and how they can be accommodated. Of course, I will be showing him around his quarters, but I think he would benefit from seeing how you are able to make it work for you and Scorpius."
Draco only hesitated a moment before agreeing. He didn't object to Potter visiting his quarters, especially since he had been to Potter's house. Draco did feel strange about trying to persuade Potter to teach at Hogwarts, mostly because being around him put Draco on edge, and that would happen with greater frequency if Potter was living inside the castle. However, Draco empathised with the need to fully understand the position before accepting it, especially with a child to take into consideration.
After discussing a time and day for Potter's visit, Draco left McGonagall's office and headed outside, eager to find Scorpius and enjoy the beautiful summer weather. Predictably, his son was with Longbottom in the Herbology greenhouses, discussing plants in great detail. Draco allowed himself to be lulled by their voices and the warmth of the day, drifting into a daydream. As nervous as Potter made him, Draco could see the benefits of having another child in the castle, not to mention another person around his own age. If only his mingled admiration and guilt directed at Potter could allow him to relax, having him as a colleague could be enjoyable.
For the third time in five minutes, Draco straightened his robes and smoothed Scorpius' hair. Annoyed, Scorpius huffed and said "Daddy! My hair always looks like this! And why do we have to wear big robes? We're at home."
Ignoring the whine in his son's voice, Draco explained again that Mr Potter was coming over, and so they had to be on good behaviour and dress nicely. This did not satisfy Scorpius, but he accepted it and escaped to play with his toys, well out of the reach of Draco's hands. Draco tried to calm down, reminding himself that Potter was not there to judge his past, just to see his bloody home. His heart rate barely had time to go down before a knock at the door set it racing again.
"Mr Harry Potter!" Scorpius threw the door open, ignoring Draco's protests about decorum. As soon as he saw Potter, though, Draco forgot about being polite. "Merlin, Potter, you look like death!" Potter's hair was messier than usual, he had dark circles under his eyes, and his skin was pale and sickly looking. He was also carrying more bags and baby equipment than Draco thought he would be able to handle, and he was drooping under the weight.
"Yah, well, I haven't slept in a week and a half!" Potter retorted, but he seemed too tired to really be annoyed. Draco sheepishly took some of Potter's bags, remembering all too well the feeling of sleep deprivation and the accompanying mental instability. After handing Scorpius a small bag to carry, Draco led the way to the sitting room, where Potter barely waited for Draco to gesture to a chair before he collapsed.
Not quite sure what possessed him, Draco offered to take the baby, who was fussing, and Potter readily agreed. Draco took a moment to show Ariadne to Scorpius, and by the time he turned back to Potter to ask if he wanted tea, Potter's eyes were closed and his breathing had slowed. His Malfoy upbringing somehow had not prepared Draco for the etiquette of a guest falling asleep seconds after arriving, so Draco had to improvise. "Uh, Scorpius, Mr Potter fell asleep. Let's go play over here," was the best he could come up with.
For the next hour and a half, Draco played with his son and Potter's daughter behind a silencing spell to ensure that Potter didn't wake up. He made sure to keep them in Potter's line of sight, however, so that the disoriented and groggy man didn't worry about where the baby had gone when he regained consciousness.
Finally, with a start, Potter woke up, looking around frantically to get his bearings. Seeing that he was awake, Draco quickly released the spell and scrambled off the floor where they had been playing. Cursing himself for being so undignified, he tried to act nonchalant as he handed the baby back to her father.
Potter's face was filled with confusion. "Did you let me sleep and keep Aria happy?" Draco nodded, uncertain whether this was a good thing or not. "Merlin, Malfoy, here I go and act a prat, falling asleep as soon as I get here, and you ... well, you're an excellent host!"
The gratitude radiating from Potter was making Draco uncomfortable, so he tried to change the subject. "It was no trouble, Potter, you looked tired. But we have to go to supper soon, so I should give you a tour now." He gestured around the sitting room, hoping that Potter would stop looking at him like that. Gratitude from anyone other than Scorpius had not happened in years, and he felt like screaming that he didn't deserve it, least of all from Potter. Nothing he could ever do would scratch the surface of his debts to the man.
Thankfully, Potter agreed, and Draco showed him around the small sitting room, with old but comfortable sofas and chairs and an area set aside for Scorpius' toys. They walked through his potions room, set up with his personal ingredients and a desk for grading and brewing. Potter laughed at the tea set perched beside a jar of preserved newt eyes, and Draco blushed. It was the most logical place for it!
They made their way to the bedrooms, Scorpius' chatter filling in the gaps in conversation. Draco was only half-listening, intent on presenting his quarters well. He showed Potter around his spacious bedroom, focusing on the space and comfort, but Potter fixated on the photographs of Scorpius as a baby and Draco with his mother. In the small room off of Draco's, he showed Potter where Scorpius slept, close enough to reach easily, but still private. Scorpius excitedly gave him every detail of the room, and Potter nodded along, fully engrossed in his explanations. This gave Draco a moment to relax, satisfied that he showed Potter the feasability of living here with a child. The rest was up to McGonagall.
At supper, Draco was content to sit back and listen to the conversation, as he always did. Unless it was a topic that he was knowledgeable about, he tried to remain under the radar among the other staff. Tonight, though, Potter had other ideas, as he kept asking Draco for his opinion. He always politely responded, but internally he rolled his eyes. Leave it to Potter to make sure no one was left out of the discussion. Later that night, after Scorpius had gone to sleep, Draco secretly admitted to himself that it was refreshing to participate in conversation and have someone include him, no matter the pseudo-heroic intentions behind it. Perhaps having Potter around wouldn't be so bad.