Disclaimer: HP and Co. Belong to J.K Rowling, not myself. Sirius and Orion are mine however =] Squee

A/N: Sorry it took me sooooooo long to update, I graduated from University this December and was very caught up with that, along with a vacation to Hawai'i in celebration of no more homework. Hope you all enjoy. Please read the AN at the bottom!

Thanks to my beta: drnic

R/R

Chapter 8: Things Change

Harry sighed contently as he watched Draco and their children playing in the large back yard. He was seated in his chair in the kitchen, watching the boys pelt their father with snowballs, though Draco was doing an admiral job of fighting back. Sipping his warm tea, Harry chuckled as he watched Orion smack his father in the face with a fluffy ball of snow, if someone had told him during their Hogwarts days that Draco Malfoy would one day be indulging in a muggle snowball fight with their children, he would have had them committed to the Janus Thickey ward at St. Mungo's. Rubbing his legs absentmindedly, he sighed, wishing he could be out there with them, running around and playing. While Harry didn't resent what happened to him, having come to accept this as a small price to pay for defeating Voldemort. However, just because he didn't resent his paralysis, he did, at times, wish that he hadn't been struck by the curse and was able to play with his children and husband. He also wished for health because of the Weasley issues, Hermione had been sending him letters, urging him to just cave and allow her family to care for him, even his oldest friends thought he was incapable of caring for himself. He knew Severus was trying to find a cure for the degenerative curse, however while Draco and his parents were hopeful, Harry was more realistic (or so he thought), he knew better then to get his hopes up, though he couldn't help hoping Severus had some success.

He frowned as the floo flared, indicating that someone was wishing to speak to him, or his husband. He and Draco had set up security measures that made it impossible for anyone to floo into the house, but floo calls were still enabled. Wheeling his way into the receiving room, he was rather surprised to see Hermione's head, bushy hair and all, floating in the green flames.

"Hermione" Harry greeted curtly, a small frown marring his features.

"Happy Christmas Harry" Hermione greeted, ignoring his now dour mood.

"It's not Christmas till tomorrow," the brunet haired man muttered petulantly. Hermione rolled her eyes, before setting her jaw, intent on pushing through the conversation despite her (former) best friend's behavior.

"I was calling to invite you to Christmas dinner tomorrow night Harry, Molly would love to have you, and Ron and I have been missing you" She said enticingly. "Ginny's been asking after you as well, we all miss you" She added. Harry groaned, shaking his head in disgust at her.

"No Hermione, I'll be spending Christmas with my family at Malfoy Manor" Harry ground out. "Bring the twins" Hermione said carelessly, tossing her hair and sighing. "You know they'd be welcome, when you're living with Molly, she'll make sure you can still see the twins" she added.

"I won't be living with Molly, Hermione. Ever" Harry said firmly, "Nor will I bring my children anywhere near you or yours, I want them to enjoy their vacation and holiday, not watch their father get belittled and treated as if he were even younger then them" He said, sneering at her. "I am a grown man Mrs. Weasley-Granger, and I will be treated as such. This whole situation is ridiculous and I will not cater to this any longer. I am a man grown and I have a family of my own, I will fight this case till the bitter end and I will not lose. I will never live with Molly, Ginny or the rest of you, nor will we ever be friends again" Harry snarled. "Now get out of my fire," he added, pulling his wand in order to speak the incantation that would banish her from the flames.

"Dammit Harry!" Hermione growled, before he began the spell. "Nott said this would happen," she added, muttering something about tea and powder. Harry paid no attention however, banishing her from the flames and breathing heavily. It was only after Hermione had disappeared and Harry's breathing was under control did he recall what she said.

"Nott?" he whispered to himself, wheeling back into the kitchen to mull things over. He touched his flat stomach curiously, remembering the day he had gone for tea with Hermione, the illness that followed and the fact that no one had been able to figure out where the deadly poison had come from.

"Hermione poisoned me?" he muttered, disbelief colouring his speech. Had she really done that? Had Hermione really listened to Nott? What the hell was going on? Mind consumed with the new puzzle, Harry didn't hear his husband and children come in until Orion's laughter distracted him from dark thoughts. Plastering a smile on his face, he grinned as Siri clambered into his lap and hugged him, cold nose pressed into his neck.

"Did you have fun?" he asked, ignoring Draco's inquiring look.

"Yes!" Siri said, wiggling about happily, grinning at his Dad while both Orion and Draco nodded their agreement.

"Good" Harry said, snuggling his little boy contently and letting Orion and Sirius' presence calm him and draw his mind away from the horrific truth that one of his friend's tried to hurt him and his unborn children. He shuddered at the thought, ignoring Sirius' inquiring look at the action.

Letting Sirius slid off of his lap, he summoned one of the elves to make some hot chocolate to warm up the boys.

"Your parents are expecting us in a few hours, you should shower" Harry grinned, "Your hair is a mess," He added, ignoring his husband's panicked look as he bolted from the room to find a mirror.

"Are Uncle Severus and the others still coming?" Orion asked his Dad curiously. Harry nodded,

"Severus, Remus, Fred and George will all be joining us for dinner and the evening at your grandparents house. I believe they are all spending the night to join us for Christmas morning as well" He added thoughtfully.

"Awesome" Siri said as he pulled himself into a chair to drink his hot chocolate.

"You both will need to shower or bathe before we go" Harry added sternly, he knew that dinner would be relaxed by Malfoy standards, however, that didn't mean the boys could go over as they were now. Plus he wanted them to warm up, the last thing they needed was colds over the holidays.

Both twins pouted, though nodded in agreement around the slurping of the chocolaty drinks. Harry grinned as he proudly watched his sons, no one was going to take this away from him. No One.

MOA

Narcissa Malfoy smiled happily as she watched the house elves assigned to decorate the large Christmas tree in the family room, place the last ornament on the tree. Nodding her head in approval, she sent the elves off to decorate the other rooms and help with dinner. Sighing, she went off to find Lucius who was, undoubtedly, finishing off some work. While Lucius had handed over Malfoy Industries and the main control of the estate to Draco just a few years after the twins had been born, he still worked occasionally, especially with the foreign ministries.

Finding her husband bent over his desk, his quill flying across a large piece of parchment. Grinning, she shook her head, her blond-silver hair flying lightly before she knocked lightly on the doorframe, drawing Lucius from his work. When he glanced up curiously, she smiled softly in reassurance.

"The boys and our guests will be here soon. You know the twins will want to spend time with their Papa during the Holiday season" she admonished slightly. Lucius grinned sheepishly, nodding in agreement.

"Of course dear, I'll put this away until after our guests leave" he said, blowing softly on the parchment to dry the ink before sliding it into a desk drawer and tapping his wand against the cherry wood, warding and locking the drawers. Narcissa smiled and the Malfoy couple headed down to the family room that they knew Draco and Harry along with the twins would floo into. The others would be greeted by elves in the receiving room.

Within half an hour, Draco and his family had arrived at the Manor and the twins had enticed Lucius into playing a game of exploding snap.

"I win again," Orion said smugly, ignoring his Papa's pointed glare and his twin's pout. He always won.

"You're cheating somehow" Lucius groused, tossing his cards down and wincing as they exploded on his hand made coffee table. Sirius nodded in agreement, carefully placing his own cards down, after noting the expression on his Papa's face at the burn marks. Orion shook his head emphatically.

"I don't cheat," he said primly, looking exactly like Draco had at that age.

"Sure you don't" Sirius shot back, before the two began to bicker back and forth about Orion, Slytherins and cheating. Lucius just chuckled softly, taking a sip of his wine. He loved spending time with his grandsons, burnt table aside, and even playing such frivolous, plebeian games with them. He caught the amused expression on his wife's face as she chatted animatedly with Harry, discussing his next book or something similar, no doubt, while Draco and Severus discussed potions in the corner, each sipping on a respective glass of wine. Remus and the devilish duo had yet to arrive, Remus wouldn't until later as he was having lunch with his deceased wife's family, and the twins were no doubt making a small fortune on last minute shoppers frantically trying to find presents.

"Can we play another game?" Siri asked, tugging on Lucius' sleeve when he failed to pay attention to them.

"Such as what?" The man asked curiously, placing his wine glass down and lifting his grandson onto his lap, cuddling him close. Orion was beginning to resent being cuddled as he grew into a teen, though he still would cuddle with Harry upon occasion. Siri hadn't hit that stage yet and seemed to relish cuddles with his parents and grandparents.

"Dunno" Siri said, glancing at his twin curiously. Orion looked thoughtful as he put the remaining cards away. Chess was only for two people, gobstones made a mess and Papa rarely played any muggle games. He nibbled his lip thoughtfully.

"I don't know, we don't have very many games here, except outdoor ones, and it's cold out and I doubt Daddy would let us play outside after we were out there all afternoon" Orion said to his twin. Lucius and Sirius nodded in agreement, Siri agreeing with his twin, Lucius relieved that he wasn't required to go out and play in the snow.

"Your Uncles Fred and George should be here soon, I'm sure they'll bring some fun things for you two to play with" he offered. "Or you two could go play with some of the toys we have here. We have all those dragon figurines upstairs," he added.

Siri's eyes lit up and he nodded happily.

"I'll go get them" the little boy cheered, both twins loved the toys, they were animated dragons, much like the figurines that Harry and the other Tri-Wizard champions had drawn during the first challenge, but it was an entire set. The twins could play for hours, making up stories and acting them out with all the figures.

Orion grinned and cleared a place, sprawling on his stomach on the floor, since the dragons shot small flames of fire and he doubted Papa wanted more burns on the table.

Once Siri returned with the large box, he carefully up ended it on the floor and flopped down opposite Orion and the two began to play.

Harry grinned happily as he watched his children play, he sipped his small glass of wine contently as he watched, awed by how creative his boys could be. He glanced around, feeling extraordinarily happy as he watched his family interact. Narcissa and Lucius were also watching the twins, cuddled together (as much as Malfoys cuddle) on the love seat, Draco and Severus were sitting over a chess board, speaking in soft tones as they played, though neither seemed inclined to really try and win, it was more like the game was something to do while speaking. Harry couldn't overhear what they were saying, but Severus had a familiar light in his eyes and Draco looked incredibly pleased and only slightly smug. He chuckled into his glass and returned his attention to the twins, waiting contently for Remus and the older twins to arrive.

MOA

Draco smiled at Severus, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

"You finished it?" he asked, his tone breathless.

"Yes" Severus murmured, smiling at his godson happily (or as happy as Severus Snape could be). "It will take more then one treatment of course, but it will work," he added, his tone light yet cautioning. "It will be hard on him as well and painful, since the potion dissolves the bone and then regrows it over time. It will work though"

Draco's expression faltered for a moment before he nodded in understanding.

"He'll do it, I'm sure of it. He's been getting more and more worried about the Weasleys, if he had a way to fix this, to stop it, he'd take it" Draco murmured. "You've made my Christmas Sev, you really have." Severus just nodded, offering his godson a soft grin before moving one of the chess pieces.

"Checkmate" Severus added with a grin. Draco's eyes widened and he began examining the board.

"What?" the blond cried, trying to work out what had happened.

MOA

Fred and George grinned as they settled themselves next to their respective godsons, Remus having arrived with them a few minutes before dinner was served.

Remus settled himself next to Harry, looking better then he had in awhile, it seemed the lunch with Andromeda and Ted had gone better then planned.

"How was lunch Remus?" Harry asked his unofficial godfather.

"Wonderful actually, this time of year is always a bit sad for Andromeda, myself and Ted, but this year seemed better then most" he explained as he sipped his wine, something he only indulged on upon occasion.

"I'm very pleased to hear that, and to have you here to spend the holiday with us" Harry beamed, ignoring Remus' faint blush. Harry was often pestering the other man to join them for things, such as holidays, and he had never gotten over his gratitude to the raven-haired boy.

"Thank you for having me Harry, I'm looking forward to a Christmas morning with children again. I haven't had one in some time" In fact the last time the man had spent Christmas with children was during his teaching days at Hogwarts and before that it would have been Harry's first Christmas. After the death of Tonks and his child (unborn) with her, he had sort of avoided the holiday, turning down Harry's numerous invitations to the event. It just hurt too much. However, with time passing and old wounds slowly beginning to heal, Remus had finally accepted the invitation and was rather pleased he had finally caved. Now the entire Malfoy family and all their friends were seated in the small dining room at the illustrious Malfoy Manor, enjoying a fantastic feast while the Weasley twins entertained everyone with humorous stories about last minute shoppers, it truly was a magical evening.

MOA

Orion and Sirius both woke incredibly early the following morning. Sharing a smile, the twins crept out of their room and next door to Harry and Draco's, creeping inside and bouncing on the bed between their parents. Groaning, Draco burrowed into the pillow and tried to use his husband as a human shield against the excited children.

"Daddy!" Orion was pouting as he tugged playfully on Harry's arm. "Its Christmas" he added excitedly, as if that explained everything (and it did) what child wasn't excited at the prospect of presents? While Orion was tugging on Harry, who was resisting his son playfully, Sirius was doing the same thing with Draco, who was moaning and groaning and going on about ungrateful children and one day a year to sleep in. Of course both parents were just teasing their children, and soon both were up and letting themselves be dragged (Harry was being pushed) down the hall towards the family room.

"You better go get everyone else up," Draco said as he and Harry settled themselves on the love seat, Draco drawing a blanket around Harry as he cuddled him closer. Siri nodded, taking off down the hall with his twin to rouse the rest of the house.

"That was mean, they'll give your parents or Sev a heart attack" Harry admonished his husband as a house elf popped in with a tea tray filled with coffee, small cakes and tea.

"They'll be up, Mother and Father are accustomed to being rudely roused on Christmas, as is Severus. I was never a patient child" Draco said, kissing the side of his husband's head and inhaling the scent that was so uniquely Harry. He couldn't wait for his husband to open the present he had gotten him, or rather that Severus had made for him. Sighing happily, Draco continued to cuddle Harry while they waited for the twins to rouse the entire household. Soon enough the sitting room was filled and Orion and Sirius were practically frothing at the mouth as they waited for the go-ahead to begin tearing into the stack of presents under the tree. Soon it was given and wrapping paper flew through the air as the twins tore into the gifts like a pack of wild dogs, no one minded however, it was simply a joy to watch. Thankfully the pair remembered their manners and managed to yell 'thank yous' between gifts. It was pretty adorable (in Harry's opinion) to watch, and the adults managed to hold off opening their own presents until the kids were done. It was fine however, they all enjoyed seeing Sirius and Orion so happy.

Finally the twins were done and began playing with their new toys, books and pointedly ignored the pile of clothes they had received. Now that the twins were done behaving like wild beasts (or so Narcissa said) a more sedate ceremony began as the adults began to open their presents, pausing to admire and give thanks for each item.

The twins managed to pull themselves away to watch the adults open the presents they had gotten them, Narcissa exclaiming over her jewelry and Lucius leafing through his book. Harry was absolutely enamored with the picture and frame the twins had gotten him and Draco was very pleased with the ingredients of the things he had been searching for. Severus had gotten a rare potions book from the pair and Remus had gotten a photo album filled with pictures of Harry, the twins, Draco, as well as older pictures of Harry at Hogwarts, Sirius and even some old pictures of the Potters while they still had been alive and the marauders. It had taken awhile for the twins (along with their family) to find all the pictures and Remus loved it. Fred and George had received potions ingredients as well for their own experiments as well as a picture of the twins at school. Both children were thanked, hugged and kissed by the adults, and then they were back to playing while Harry reached for Draco's present. He had gotten his husband a two week vacation in Greece (at the Malfoy house there), having managed to secure Draco time off by asking Lucius to take over for him for two weeks so the couple could enjoy some alone time, outside of their home, together, once the children returned to school however.

Harry grinned at the fancily wrapped package, peeling back the paper carefully much to Draco's chagrin. He wanted his husband to rip the paper apart and see what was inside. Finally Harry opened the box and glanced inside, a confused look crossing his face before he glanced at Draco, eyes wide.

"I-is this what I think it is?" he stuttered, looking shocked.

"Yes" Draco murmured, grinning at Harry. "Severus just completed it. It will take time, pain and more then one dose, but it will work" he said softly, rubbing Harry's hand, confused at how his husband was reacting.

"What is it Daddy?" Siri asked, walking over to his parents and peering in the box. All that was inside was a small vial, filled with a lavender coloured potion.

"Ah, it-it's the potion that can help me walk again" Harry whispered, fingering the vial, still in shock. Lucius looked shocked, as did Narcissa, though she soon broke into a wide grin, along with Remus and the older twins. It was totally surreal moment for everyone, though Harry was still staring into the box. Finally, Draco made a coughing noise, fidgeting anxiously in his seat. Harry glanced up, shaking his head before a beautiful smile broke onto his face.

"Thank you" he breathed, tears coursing down his cheeks. "I don't care how much it hurts, you've given me my life back" Harry added, carefully setting the box aside to hug his husband, making room for his anxious children as they clambered onto the couch. Finally Harry glanced at Severus, eyes shining with tears still.

"Thank you" he breathed to the man, a small smile gracing his features.

MOA

Harry glanced at the vial again, it was the day after Christmas and Narcissa and Lucius had taken the twins in order for Harry to take his first dosage of the lavender potion Severus had created. He had yet to tell Draco about his suspicion about Hermione, or even the conversation he had had with her, he was unsure of what to say, what to tell his husband, and right now all he wanted to deal with was his first dose of the potion. He knew it was going to hurt, he knew it was going to be miserable but he knew it was going to be worth it. While he didn't resent his paralysis and actually looked on it as something that had change his life and enriched it. Without his injury he would never have gotten Draco, nor his children or the career he had secured, so he was benevolent towards it. However, the enticement of having the chance to walk again, to get the Weasleys off of his back and to be able to play with his children and make love with his husband made it all worth it. Smiling at a very anxious Draco, he slid the vial out of the box and uncorked it.

"I love you" Harry reassured Draco before he tossed the potion back, much like a shot. Nothing happened for a moment then shooting, agonizing pain erupted where there hadn't been pain in a very, very long time. Biting his lip, he writhed on the bed, Draco watching anxiously along with Severus who was monitoring the effects of the potion, as Harry keened in pain, tears coursing unbidden down his cheeks.

"How many treatments?" Draco whispered harshly to Severus as Harry cried out, his body arching unnaturally, his unmoving legs twitching spastically.

"Four" Severus answered tightly, "Two to dissolve the bone and two to heal it. Once treatment a week for four weeks" He explained. Draco shuddered, but nodding in understanding. Harry wanted this, he wanted this, but it was very hard to watch.

Finally it was over, it felt like hours to Draco, however it had only been about one hour. Harry was sweating profusely, sharp intakes of breath shuddering through him as Severus cast diagnostic spells over his prone form.

"That is awful" Harry spat hoarsely as Draco scooped him up to bathe him.

"Looked awful" Draco agreed, carrying Harry to the washroom and setting him in the bath tub, once his husband was settled, Draco walked back to Severus, looking intently at him.

"It's working as it should" Severus confirmed. "Enjoy the rest of the day Draco, I'll be back on Monday to administer the next dose. When do the twins return to school?" He asked curiously.

"Sunday, so come by Saturday for the farewell dinner" Draco said, calling the elves to change the bed sheets.

"See you Saturday then" Severus said, before leaving. Sighing, Draco headed back into the washroom to care for his husband, a small smile on his face. He'd miss taking care of Harry, carrying him around and cuddling him, however the sheer joy he felt at the idea of seeing Harry walking again, carrying their children and enjoying life was well worth the small things he would miss. Grinning, he dropped a kiss on Harry's forehead and shed his own clothes, sliding into the bath behind Harry, smiling as the familiar, sleepy weight settled against him. No matter what Draco would always care for Harry, able bodied or not.

A/N: I know not all of you are going to like that Harry is regaining his ability to walk (Slowly). However, it is one of the few ways to deal with the Weasleys, plus Harry will remain as he is, just with mobility. Hopefully you all still enjoy this story, even with a walking Harry, though the recovery process will take awhile, muscle wise and regaining his balance, not to mention a few twists and turns along the way.

Also, interested in updates or information on my stories? Please feel free to follow me on Twitter BloodyRed_Queen