Draco didn't know how long he'd been walking, but his legs were sore and his feet were aching with every step. He figured he needed some time alone to think without bickering with Harry.

Part of Draco hated himself for being jealous of the letter from his aunt, but he couldn't help it. She'd never sent him a letter, and he doubted that if she had it would've been half as friendly as the one Harry received. That was all part of who he was, he began to understand. His own family hated him for the choices he'd been forced to make due to his parents' views and morals. Knowing that he could blame his lack of relationship with his aunt on his parents didn't make it any easier, however.

The worst thing was probably that he'd spent most of his life hating Andromeda because of the things his mother and father had said about her. His mother was always going on about how weak she'd been, falling for a muggleborn wizard the way she had. His father had claimed that there was something wrong in her head, and she couldn't be trusted. That was their reasoning for never inviting her to dinner parties, holiday events, and things like that. Draco didn't even want to recall the things Bellatrix had said about Andromeda.

Actually, the worst thing in Draco's mind, now that he thought about it, was probably that Andromeda had clearly forgiven his mother for the things she'd done. Forgiven her and let her stay at her house. And yet Draco couldn't be trusted to stay as well. The person who had aided in forcing him down the path he'd taken in life was trustworthy enough to stay, but he wasn't.

After another hour or so Draco decided it was time to go home. He had thankfully not run into anyone he knew, but he also had mainly kept to empty streets in what he assumed were muggle neighborhoods. Draco walked behind a half-fallen wooden fence and Apparated back to Grimmauld Place.

Upon entering the house he listened to see if Harry was still awake. It had been around four when he'd left, and looking at the clock hanging on the wall across from him, he realised just how long he'd been walking. It was already nine in the evening. No wonder his legs were killing him, but honestly it hadn't felt like that long.

He couldn't hear any signs of Harry walking around, so Draco went up the stairs and to his bedroom. When he opened the door he found Harry sitting on his bed.

"You've been gone five hours," Harry said, standing up.

"I was walking," Draco explained.

"Well next time… I don't know, tell me how long you'll be gone. Normal people don't go for five hour walks."

"Were you worried?" Draco teased. He wasn't in a good mood, but he could still tease Harry either way. Knowing that Harry was worried about him did help lift his mood slightly, though.

"Yes, I was worried, you prat."

"Well I'm here now, so calm down."

"Please don't do that again, Draco," Harry said more softly. The edge in his voice was gone. "If you're that upset with me just tell me so. You don't have to wander around aimlessly for hours just to get away from me."

"It wasn't you I was trying to get away from. I wasn't trying to get away from anything, really. I just needed to get out." Harry sighed and nodded his head. He didn't look like he understood Draco any better than Draco understood himself, but at least he wasn't shouting anymore. "I'm really tired, so… I think I'm going to head to bed."

"Alright, yeah." Harry looked down at the floor and back up at Draco. "I would really like it if you came with me tomorrow. I don't know Andromeda very well and I'm nervous about visiting with her." Draco felt his eyes narrow just a fraction.

"I'm not coming, I already told you. I wasn't invited, she doesn't want me there, she doesn't trust me. Okay?" Harry looked concerned and hurt, but simply nodded and left Draco's bedroom.

"And I'm the prat," Draco mumbled to himself.

As he was removing his shirt to get ready for bed he realised just how much of a sweat he'd worked up on his walk and knew he needed a shower. He exited his room, looking both ways before dashing down the hall to the bathroom at the end of it. It would've been just as easy to throw his robes back on, but he hadn't thought of it until he was already in the bathroom. Even though he was just shirtless, he didn't feel comfortable exposing his chest to Harry. Not yet. There were a lot of scars there, from when Harry had cast Sectumsempra on him in sixth year, and the last thing Draco needed on top of his own guilt was Harry's.

After a long, hot shower, Draco wrapped a towel around his hips, threw on a his dragon shirt, and went back to his bedroom where he promptly fell on the bed and passed out.

Doing his best to calm down, Harry called out the address Andromeda had left at the bottom of her letter and let the Floo pull him wildly to her hearth. He'd brought a stuffed penguin for Teddy as a gift, but he hadn't bought anything for Andromeda. He didn't know what sort of things she liked, so he was at a loss for what to get her. He figured that Teddy, being a baby, would be content with a stuffed animal.

As soon as he stepped out of the fireplace and dusted himself off he found himself in the same modest sitting room that he had briefly visited the previous summer, only this time he actually had a clear enough head to take a good look around. The furniture reminded him a bit of the Dursley's house, but it was less gaudy. There were many pictures in frames along the walls of the room, all featuring a smiling, happy Tonks, Andromeda's late husband Ted, or Teddy. Harry tried very hard not to stare at these pictures, but he'd lost his ability to look away when his eyes caught one of Remus and Tonks holding their newborn baby. Tonks looked exhausted and at peace, with messy hair and swollen face, while Remus beamed down at the screaming child in his wife's arms. Harry found himself lost in the picture as it repeated the same instance over and over.

Suddenly, from one of the doorways off of the sitting room, came Andromeda, effectively taking his eyes away from the heartbreakingly beautiful photo of a family unaware of their devastating future.

"Harry!" A lovely witch with dark curly hair braided over her shoulder came towards him and hugged him tightly. "Oh, I'm so glad you decided to come today!" She let him go and stepped back a bit. Harry saw that her cheeks were slightly flushed and, though she was smiling, she looked unsure of herself.

"Thanks for inviting me," Harry said as cheerfully as he could, doing his best not to think further of that picture. "I wasn't sure if you would."

"Why not? You're practically family, Harry. Dora always had such wonderful things to say about you. I hardly think she was over exaggerating."

"Th-thanks," Harry said, not really able to think of anything else to respond with. As much as Harry tried to stop obsessing over the picture, hearing Andromeda speak of her daughter aloud made it even more difficult to do so. He still hadn't really accepted that Remus and Tonks were gone.

"How about some tea? Teddy's still sleeping, I'm afraid." Andromeda motioned for Harry to follow her and went through a doorway near the back of the sitting room.

At her mention of Teddy sleeping she threw an apologetic glance over her shoulder. Harry followed her into the kitchen and stood awkwardly near the threshold.

"Feel free to sit down, Harry. Make yourself at home." She busied herself with making tea while Harry gingerly pulled one of the kitchen chairs away from the table and sat down.

"You have a really nice house," he said, trying to fill the silence. He looked around and found that there were many cat related things here and there, including a little matching salt and pepper shaker set in the shape of two kittens pawing at each other.

"Oh, please. It's nothing, really," she said with a light giggle. "I haven't done much with it since Teddy came into my care. It's hard to keep things orderly while taking care of a baby." Harry nodded, though he couldn't exactly relate.

Just as Andromeda was about to seat herself in the chair across from his, Harry heard a loud wail coming from above them.

"That'll be Teddy." Her face lit up as she left the kitchen. "Back in a second, he'll need a clean nappy, I think," she called to him from the other room.

Harry listened to the sounds of her footsteps moving up the stairs and through the upper level. He waited patiently, albeit awkwardly, for Andromeda to return. Looking down at his hands he realised they were shaking. In the excitement of finally getting to Andromeda's house he'd been distracted from how nervous he actually was to see Teddy. He definitely wouldn't recognise him; he was so young still and Harry had only seen pictures of him. Harry hoped this would be a good introduction, but he wasn't sure how to introduce himself to an infant.

"Look, Teddy," Andromeda said from behind him. "It's Harry!" Harry turned around to see a pudgy, small baby with bright green hair in Andromeda's arms.

"H-hi, Teddy," Harry said, trying to sound animated. He was excited, but he'd never really been comfortable around babies and wasn't sure how he was supposed to talk to him.

"He's chosen green today, it looks like," Andromeda explained as she sat down across from him with Teddy on her lap. "Yesterday it was pink, and let me tell you, he looked just like his mummy when she was his age." Andromeda's smile was a wistful one. Harry watched as Teddy tried to grab for the salt and pepper shakers on the table. Andromeda took his hand carefully in hers and said softly, "No, love, we've talked about this," as though Teddy understood her reasoning. Teddy yelled loudly and continued to reach for the shakers, but Andromeda disregarded it.

"Can he say anything yet?" Harry found himself asking.

"Oh, not really. He's only three months old, so he hasn't learned any real words yet. I'm impressed that he's been making as much noise as he has," she laughed. The kettle began to whistle on the stovetop. "Would you mind holding him, Harry, while I get us some tea?"

"Er, no, not at all."

"Thank you," she said as she stood up. She leaned across the small table and carefully held Teddy out to him. Harry looked at Teddy's chubby face and smiled as he took him and brought him to lay in his arms, being cautious about his neck, which seemed unstable.

Harry slowly leaned the child back in the crook of his arm and looked down at his godson in amazement. This little human was Remus and Tonks' son. Teddy giggled in his high voice and began kicking at the air with no real purpose other than to move his legs.

"You're so cute," Harry marveled.

"He's absolutely beautiful," Andromeda agreed as she sat back down with two cups of tea. After setting them down she said, "You're welcome to hold him for as long as you want, just be very, very careful with your tea. Let it cool for a bit before you drink it, please."

"I'd like that a lot," Harry said, unable to stop smiling down at the baby in his arms. "I'll be careful."

"You look like a natural with him, Harry. I think that, one day, you'll be an excellent father."

Harry knew she meant it as a compliment, but frowned slightly. He was still young, and so it was difficult to know, but he didn't see himself ever having children of his own. Especially now that he was beginning to discover more about his sexuality. He supposed he could always adopt, but he didn't know if Draco… Why was he thinking about parenting with Draco? They'd only just started dating, there was no way he could assume that they'd adopt together any time in the near or distant future. Harry shook his head and dispelled the thought from his mind.

"You're awfully quiet," Andromeda said. "I didn't mean any offense by that. I know you and my nephew are… Well, in the interview you said you weren't in a relationship, but things change so quickly, don't they?"

"We're in a relationship, now," Harry told her, looking up from Teddy to Andromeda.

"I'm happy for you," she said genuinely. "Hopefully with your influence he'll change his ways. For a long time I feared he would end up just like Lucius."

"He's nothing like Lucius," Harry said. He tried very hard not to sound defensive, but even he could hear the sharp edge in his words.

"I'm glad to hear it. How is he, if you don't mind me asking?"

"He's…" Depressed? Upset with me for coming to see you? Jealous that he wasn't invited, too? "He's not bad. Everything that's happened with his mum has really affected him."

"What's happened with Narcissa?" Andromeda was clearly curious. Harry didn't know how much he should say, or if he should say anything at all. Draco hadn't said it was okay for him to explain, and Harry hadn't asked. "You don't have to tell me, it's alright."

"She tried to blackmail him," Harry said on a sigh. Draco would have to deal with him telling her. It was clear she didn't really understand him and Harry was intent on trying to make her understand.

"Blackmail? You're joking… Though, I suppose I wouldn't put it past her," Andromeda added under her breath before sipping her tea. "What for?"

"For being with me. For not telling the public I put him under Imperius to do my bidding. For not going back to the manor so she could control him again like she has all Draco's life. She ended up disinheriting him officially. Draco got a letter from Gringotts not too long ago letting him know he was no longer the Malfoy heir. All because he decided he wanted to be with me and, for the first time in his life, separate himself from his parents' beliefs." Andromeda listened raptly, her eyes held firmly on Harry's face, her expression growing more and more shocked as he went.

"You can't be serious," she said, sounding breathless. "I-I never knew… I thought he was…"

"I did, too," Harry agreed, knowing what she meant. "For years I thought he was going to be the next Lucius Malfoy, hell bent on purifying the wizarding world. I think, when he was younger, he genuinely did agree with his parents' views, but what child doesn't?"

"That's very true. You're wise for your age."

"Thanks, it was the trauma," he said before he could stop himself. He flushed and chuckled nervously, and Andromeda gave a half smile.

"You remind me of my daughter when you joke like that. She had the strangest sense of humour," she remarked, almost as if talking to herself. Harry didn't know what to say to that. Andromeda seemed to sense this and brought the conversation back to Draco. "When did you notice a difference in him?"

"Well, sixth year he started acting differently. It wasn't really one situation that made me think that I might've been wrong about him━ not to mention, even after I did notice some changes he was still really horrible to me, so it wasn't really obvious at first. Sixth year, though, I found him crying in one of the bathrooms. I thought he was up to something and reacted really badly…" Harry trailed off, not wanting to delve into just how badly he'd reacted. "I'm sure you've read about what I said during his hearing by now." Andromeda nodded. She had a strange expression on her face, as though she weren't sure how to feel about what he'd said. "All of those things were true. After the hearing, after he was freed and I moved out of the Weasley's home, we sort of… ran into each other. That wasn't a pleasant experience, but when I saw the paper the next day I knew I couldn't feel right with myself if I didn't at least offer to help him."

"So that's how he wound up living with you," Andromeda said. "I wondered…" She glanced down at Teddy in Harry's arms and smiled. "I think he likes you, Harry."

Harry looked down and found Teddy staring up at him, a look of pure contentment on his face. His wet, pink lips were just barely parted, and his large brown eyes wide. He really was a beautiful baby, Harry thought to himself.

"I think he does. He's really quiet, though. Is he alright?" Harry had little to no knowledge on babies and their behaviour.

"He's perfectly fine, though he's probably getting hungry. You keep talking, I'll fetch him a bottle." Andromeda stood from her chair and took a large tin from one of her cabinets, then a plastic baby bottle from another.

"After Draco moved in we sort of had no choice but to get to know each other," he continued. "That's when I really began to see how different he was from who I thought he was for all these years. I may have gone to school with him since I was eleven, but for all I thought I knew, he might as well have been a stranger. It's really weird. I never thought I'd change how I felt about him, but how I feel about him now and how I felt about him a few months ago are on two opposite ends of the spectrum." Harry watched Andromeda fill a pot with water and set it on the stove.

"That's… really good," she said. It didn't sound like she meant it, though. She sounded a bit forlorn. "I feel absolutely horrible, now."

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad," Harry rushed to say.

"No, no. You didn't make me feel bad, I did." She plopped the bottle of what Harry could only assume was milk in the boiling water. "I thought he… well, I'm sure you know exactly what I thought from the sounds of it. That's why I didn't invite him to stay here. Narcissa didn't think it was a good idea, either, though."

"Wait, why not?" Harry hadn't been expecting to hear this. As far as he knew, Andromeda's feelings towards Draco had been the sole reason behind her not inviting him to stay.

"She didn't think he could be trusted, and I'll admit, it didn't take much convincing me that he wasn't trustworthy either."

"Why didn't his own mother think he could be trusted to live with you?"

"You're upset," Andromeda stated.

"I'm just confused."

"Well, then you're going to be upset in a moment. She said he'd done all these horrible things and, me having married a muggleborn, she didn't think it was a good idea for him to live here."

"But he didn't━"

"I know that, now. I didn't at the time." She took the bottle from the water and turned the stove off, then let a little drop of liquid spill from the nipple shaped rubber part onto her arm. Turning towards Harry, she asked, "Do you see why I feel guilty?" Harry nodded. Andromeda sighed. "How would you like to feed Teddy?"

"I've never fed a baby before."

"It's quite simple; he's already learning to hold the bottle himself, so just a bit of support is all that's necessary. That position you've got him in is just fine. Get some bonding time in, you'll enjoy it."

"Alright…" Harry was nervous as he took the warm bottle from Andromeda.

Teddy cooed when his eyes landed on the bottle and his little arms reached out for it. His fists, his tiny fists, were opening and closing in anticipation. Harry tilted the bottle and brought the nipple to Teddy's mouth, then laughed as Teddy began to shake his head from side to side, his mouth wide open.

"What's he doing?" Harry asked.

"He's rooting for the nipple," Andromeda said, laughing. "That's an instinct babies have. It helps them find their mother's nipple to eat."

"Oh." Harry felt a blush creeping up his neck and looked down at Teddy as he sucked down his meal. "What's he drinking?"

"Formula. It's a breast milk alternative. Babies his age, and up until a year old, aren't supposed to drink cow's milk."

"Is it bad for them?"

"Their stomachs can't handle it, so yes. It's not good for them." Andromeda was quiet as she watched Harry feed Teddy. "You really are a natural, Harry."

"Erm, thanks. You were right about it being easy, though." Harry looked back down and saw that Teddy was smiling around the nipple of the bottle, looking up at him.

He couldn't help but grin widely at the infant, loving the feeling of being adored by a baby. Although Harry didn't know much about babies, he did know that they had the most pure emotions. When a baby was sad, they were devastated. When a baby was angry, they were incensed. When a baby was happy, they were exstatic. When a baby loved, they loved with all their hearts.

"I love you, Teddy," he said softly, unable to help himself. Teddy giggled softly and resumed drinking his formula.

"I think he loves you, too, Harry. You really are welcome here any time, just owl me a heads up in advance to make sure we're in and up for having company. Not every day is this easy, so sometimes I may not want any guests, but I'll let you know if you ask."

"Thank you, Andromeda." Harry wanted to ask, 'what about Draco,' but he knew it was too early. Andromeda probably had some things to sort through about Draco and Harry did not feel inclined to rush that process. Not to mention that inviting someone to another person's house was incredibly rude.

"I'm sure Draco would like to meet his cousin, too," Andromeda said hesitantly. "If… if he wants to come next time, he can. Will you tell him?"

"I'm sorry, but I really think that's something you should tell him. He was sort of jealous about your letter." Harry immediately regretted saying that, as was common for him when he spoke, because Andromeda's jaw dropped open.

"I can't believe━ oh, I'm such an idiot."

"You're not, you didn't know."

"I didn't, but I feel absolutely terrible now. You're right, I'll have to invite him myself. Thank you for telling me, Harry." Andromeda set her forehead in her hand and groaned. "They say the older you get the wiser you get, but I've yet to see proof of that."

"It's okay, really. I don't think Draco will hold it against you. He probably feels lonely, though, that he's lost practically all his family. There was no way you could've known what sort of person he was, even before the war, because he had to pretend constantly. That or risk his mum and dad, and himself, being killed."

"It didn't really help much that my sister and her awful husband kept him from being 'exposed' to me and my lifestyle." She shook her head slowly. "I can't believe the things they put him through. He was just a child."

"I know." Harry grimaced. "I probably should've let him tell you all of these things, but I thought it was important that you knew who he really is."

"I'm very grateful, Harry. I can't thank you enough. I don't think I ever would've taken the chance to get to know him if not for you."

"Well… You're welcome." Harry still was not very good at being thanked.

"It looks like Teddy's done eating. Pass him over and I'll burp him." Harry suddenly felt sad at the prospect of giving Teddy back to Andromeda.

"Could I burp him? I mean, if you're alright with that. I don't know how, actually…"

"Of course! It's really nice to get a break," she laughed. "Here, let me help you. You'll need a cloth."

"What for?"

"In case he spits up." Harry didn't know what spitting up was, but he didn't mind a bit of baby drool. Andromeda took her wand from her sleeve and summoned a thick cloth. "Set that on your shoulder." Harry did. "Alright, now prop him up with his chest against your shoulder. His chin should reach just above your shoulder. Support his neck a bit, though." Andromeda gave instructions while Harry followed them. "Now all you have to do is pat his back… A bit harder; he won't break, I promise… That's more like it."

"This is so weird," Harry said as he laughed.

"You're doing perfectly," Andromeda said. "Oh! Is it alright if I take a photo? This should go in the baby book. I can't believe I didn't get one of you feeding him. Where is my head today?"

"Go ahead," Harry said, continuing to pat Teddy's back.

Andromeda left the kitchen again and Teddy burped. She came back with an antique looking camera that Harry knew would produce a moving photograph. Although Andromeda seemed to prefer to do things without magic, it seemed she liked to take magic pictures. Harry couldn't blame her; he'd always been fascinated by the moving images that magic cameras produced.

"Ha!" Andromeda let out a guttural laugh. "I thought that would happen. This is definitely going in the baby book." Harry was confused, but Andromeda took the camera and stood behind him. A bright flash went off, and the sound of a photo being taken was heard. "That's perfect," Andromeda said, still giggling softly.

"What happened?"

"He spit up on you. But don't worry, it didn't get on your clothes."

"It would've been okay if it had."

"Really? Most people, especially people without children, don't want babies puking on them."

"He puked?" Harry asked frantically. He lifted Teddy carefully off his shoulder and looked at him. He seemed fine. "Is he alright? Is he sick?" Andromeda laughed again and came to stand in front of him.

"No, that happens often when babies eat, especially from a bottle. They end up swallowing air bubbles. That's why you have to burp babies after they eat. Otherwise you'll have a crabby infant on your hands, and they'll be in pain."

"Well then. Today has been... very educational," Harry said, feeling himself relax a bit. He put Teddy back in the crook of his arm and stroked his cheek lightly before he realised he hadn't given him the penguin. "I just remembered, I brought him something."

"Oh?" Harry dug in his pocket and produced the shrunken stuffed penguin he'd brought for Teddy. "Isn't that just darling! Though I'm afraid it's a bit too small for him. I can hang onto it until he's a bit older, though."

After taking his wand from his pocket, Harry brought the penguin back to its original size, relatively the same size as a football.

"Are you sure he can't have it?"

"I didn't realise it was shrunken," Andromeda said. "That's perfect, Harry. He'll love playing with that, I'm sure." Harry gave the penguin to Teddy, who promptly stuck the stuffed animal's beak in his mouth and chewed on it. "See?"

Harry checked his wrist watch and saw that he'd been at Andromeda's house for a couple of hours now. He didn't want to put Teddy down, but he knew he needed to get back to Number 12 in case Draco needed him. Harry knew he went to visit his dad in prison and didn't think it was going to go over well.

"I hate to go, but I sort of need to," Harry said, feeling gawky.

"That's quite alright. I think we'll be seeing much more of each other now." Andromeda stood up and came round the table. "Sorry, Teddy, but Harry has to go home now." Harry let her take Teddy from his arm and watched her plant a soft kiss on his temple.

"I really appreciate you having me over." Harry glanced down at his untouched cup of tea. "Sorry I didn't drink the tea, I forgot it was there."

"Oh I understand that. Half the time this little one keeps me from drinking my tea until it's cold, he keeps me so busy. No hard feelings at all," she said with a smile.

They walked out of the kitchen to the sitting room again and Andromeda took a jar of Floo powder from on top of the television that Harry hadn't noticed before. He frowned to himself, wondering how the telly worked with all of the magic around it.

"You'll come again soon, won't you?" Andromeda asked.

"Absolutely. I want to be a part of Teddy's life. It's important to me." Andromeda gave him a knowing smile and wrapped him in yet another hug, but with only one arm.

"Say goodbye, Teddy! Wave your hand!" Teddy did not do either, but he smiled a gummy smile at Harry and Harry grinned back. "Goodbye, now, Harry. Keep in touch, dear."

"I will, I promise."

As soon as Harry felt the brushing of flames against his legs he missed Teddy. That little person already had him wrapped around his finger and Harry knew it wouldn't be long before he went back to see him.

Draco sat in his bedroom, mentally preparing himself for his visit with his father. He hadn't sent any warning that he'd be going; he doubted the guards would let his father know even if he did give notice. His palms were sweating along with his brow. He'd put on his best robes, not wanting his father to see him in anything but the best, but he could not force himself to get up off the bed and leave the house. He was terrified to go back to the Ministry, terrified to ride the ferry out to the island, and even more terrified of being back on the island. But he missed his father.

Harry wouldn't be sitting here cowering. Harry would be brave and march right into the Ministry, demanding to see his father if he were in my position, Draco told himself. Why can't I be brave? Why can't I just get up and do this? Draco pinched his eyes closed. He needed to go. He needed to see his father.

After probably ten or fifteen more minutes telling himself he needed to get up, he finally did. Taking several deep breaths, Draco made his way across his room and went downstairs to the basement. He marched over to the fireplace, took a handful of powder from the jar on the mantle, and stepped in. He called out his destination and tossed the powder down. Green flames rose up around him and he was compressed and pulled until he found himself inside the Ministry Floo room. Draco hadn't been sure it would actually work for him, but since Harry used it to get to work every morning there was a strong possibility. At that point, though, he wasn't sure whether or not it was a good thing.

It took Draco a while to find the service desk, as he didn't know where it was in relation to the Floo room. Once he did find it, he found his pace slowing in his approach.

"Good afternoon," said the portly man behind the desk. This was the same man who'd handled his release forms after his second arrest. Edgar was his name, if Draco could remember correctly. "What can I do for you?" He didn't even bother looking up at Draco, yet again.

"I'd like to visit a prisoner in Azkaban," Draco said quietly, fearfully.

"Inmate number?" the man asked wearily.

"I don't know. His name is Lucius Malfoy." The man looked up at Draco for the first time.

"He's on the restricted list. Are you of relation?"

"I'm his son." If Draco had ever felt shame about being the son of Lucius Malfoy before, it was paled in comparison to how ashamed he felt now. The service desk man narrowed his eyes at Draco, a frown that emitted nothing but repulsion twisted his mouth.

"Should've figured. You Malfoys all look the same. Probably due to all the inbreeding you purebloods get on with."

"E-excuse me?" Draco swore his ears deceived him. There was no way a Ministry employee was allowed to talk to people in such a way. Draco's pride swelled in his chest as he sharpened his tongue mentally.

"You heard me. All you bloody Malfoys are the same. It's a shame they let you out, really. Your lot shouldn't be permitted to go round in public. You should be in a cell right next to your father, if you ask me."

"Nobody did ask you, you fat, worthless━" Draco stopped himself from continuing and ending that sentence. He was better than this now. He was better because Harry had made him better, and he wasn't about to stoop as low as this mingebag.

It was probably a good thing that Draco did stop then, because as soon as he'd uttered the word 'worthless' the fat man behind the desk called out for security. Draco began running, sprinting through the Ministry back to the Floo room. He didn't dare look behind him; he could feel and hear the people chasing him down the long corridors.

"Come back here!"
"Halt!"

"The Ministry demands you stop and state your business!"

Draco didn't listen, but continued running until he thought his lungs might give out. His long walk the day before was not helping. His legs were practically begging for him to fall over and let the guards arrest him. Instead he shoved the heavy Floo room doors open, ran to the nearest fireplace, and barely paused before he called out for number 12 Grimmauld Place.

As soon as he stepped into the kitchen he cast the most powerful ward he knew on the hearth in the hopes that the guards hadn't heard him shout the address. A throat cleared behind him. Draco whirled around, still in a panic, and breathed in relief when he saw Harry sitting at the table, eating a sandwich.

"You're back early," Draco said, breathless. He immediately went to the closest stool and sat down heavily.

"You're out of breath. What happened?"

"Oh, you know, I was just chased out of the Ministry by angry security guards," he said casually. "Just another day in the life of Draco."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You were what?" Harry set his sandwich down.

"Chased out of the Ministry. By security guards."

"How in the bloody hell did that happen? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just need to catch my breath."

"What happened, Draco?"

"I may have called the service desk man fat and worthless."

"You're fucking serious, aren't you?"

Both their heads turned as the hearth flared to life with green flames. Draco's heart nearly stopped in his chest. At a speed he didn't know he could move, he scrambled out of his stool, took his wand from his sleeve, and braced himself for battle. The green flames shot up once, flickered, and died. No one appeared in the fireplace. Draco breathed a sigh of relief and eyed the fireplace suspiciously as he sat back down.

"At least my ward held…"

"You cast a ward on our Floo? Jesus, Draco, what happened?"

"I was just trying to visit Father!" Draco exclaimed. "I went up to the service desk and that… that pig of a man was there. I asked if I could visit my father and he told me he's on the restricted list, then asked if I was family. When I told him I was the son of Lucius Malfoy he started spouting all this shite about how I should still be locked up and our lot shouldn't be allowed in society. He called us inbred. I started defending myself and got those two insults out before I realised I was just digging my own grave."

"I'm not saying that what you did was uncalled for, but had you handled that differently we could've finally gotten him fired," Harry said calmly. "I can't believe he━ no, I can believe he said that. He's really a piece of work, Edgar is. Not a single one of us Aurors can stand him. Laziest sod I ever met."

"So you're not mad, then?"

"Why would I be mad? He probably deserved those insults and then some. I'm surprised you didn't say more than that." Draco laughed without humour.

"If I'd stayed any longer to insult him I would've been arrested again."

"Then I'm glad you didn't. It's bad enough that I'm dating a hardened criminal, I'd really prefer not to be dating a convicted criminal." Harry was obviously joking, but Draco rolled his eyes anyway.

"You already are; I've been convicted of lots of crimes. I guess that makes you something of a bad boy, doesn't it?"

"It absolutely does. Perfect Potter lives no more, here comes Hardcore Harry." Draco burst out laughing at that.

"You're a git."

"Says the one who nearly got arrested━ again," Harry fired back with a smile. The two of them sat chuckling and insulting each other playfully for a while before Draco remembered that Harry had visited with Andromeda that day.

"How'd your visit go? Did you get to see Teddy?" Draco noticed that Harry's cheeks were tinged pink at his question. "It didn't go badly, did it?"

"No, actually, it went really well. Andromeda and I talked for a while and I got to hold, feed, and burp Teddy. He even puked on me. It was great." Harry had this far-away look on his face, like he was picturing himself somewhere else as he spoke.

"You're not in love with my aunt, are you?" Draco asked teasingly.

"Er, no…" Harry's eyes snapped back to Draco's and he had a look of slight disapproval and confusion on his face. "But I think Teddy has won me over."

"How do you burp a baby? And you can't honestly tell me it was great, getting puked on."

"No, it wasn't great getting puked on, but it wasn't all that bad, either. It didn't smell bad like ours smells. Sort of smelled a bit like sour milk, but sweeter. And you burp a baby by patting their back after they eat until the air bubbles come up."

"Okay, that's just odd. I don't really need to know what baby vomit smells like." Draco shook his head. "What did you two talk about?"

"Nothing, Teddy doesn't talk yet, he's too young."

"Really? You know what I mean." Draco couldn't tell if Harry was just trying to joke around, or if he was hiding something. He knew that Harry's blush at the beginning of their topic had to mean something, and the way he was skirting around the topic of his and Andromeda's conversation didn't help much.

"You're going to be mad," Harry said. So he was hiding something.

"I'll be the judge of that."

"We talked about you, mostly. About how different you are than what she thought. When she explained her thoughts on you I explained who you really are. She feels really guilty." Draco stared at Harry, unsure of what to say. They'd talked about him, presumably for the majority of their conversation, from the sounds of it. That didn't exactly sit well with Draco, even if Harry did clear things up.

"So, what, she wants to act like family now?" he said. Even he could hear the sass in his question.

"Don't be like that," Harry admonished. "Can you really blame her? I mean, not too long ago I was in a pretty similar position as her, when it came to my opinion of you."

"Right." That didn't make Draco feel any better at all. "I'm glad everyone thinks so highly of me. Feels wonderful."

"She just needs to get to know you, Draco. The real you, not the one your parents made you out to be, or the person you had to pretend to be. Just from what I told her today, I could tell she really felt bad about not inviting you. She called herself an idiot."

"You basically guilt-tripped her into giving me a chance."

"If that's how you want to see it, fine. If I were you, I would stop taking this so personally and appreciate the fact that you now have the opportunity to get closer to one of your family members. She's the last family member you have, as far as I know, who is genuinely a good person and cares about you."

"She has an interesting way of showing it." Why he was so intent on feeling spiteful, he didn't know. Harry was right, he should take this as an opportunity.

"I think her way of showing it will get better in time. You just have to be open to it." Draco nodded his head slowly. "Will you please give her a chance?"

"I'll need to think about it."

"That's understandable. I'm going to try and go see them next weekend. If you want to come with me you can. Andromeda said━" Harry cut himself off suddenly.

"What did she say? You can't just leave it there, tell me."

"I'm not sure I should. She wants to tell you herself."

"Tell me what? Why can't you just tell me?"

"It'll mean more coming from her, trust me. No matter how much you beg I'm not telling you." Harry looked as though he meant it, but Draco had an idea of how he could get Harry to tell him.

Draco moved from his stool to stand by Harry. With his hands he tilted Harry's face up and didn't hesitate before kissing him heatedly. Unlike the kisses they'd shared the previous day, this one had a fire behind it that took no kindling to start. Draco felt Harry tense and then relax in almost the same instant, along with hands pressing against his back. Harry pulled him closer, which Draco took as his signal to bring the kiss further. His lips left Harry's and moved down to his jaw where he gently sucked on the edge. Harry's sharp inhale nearly broke Draco's concentration, but he was determined.

"Please?" Draco whispered before he moved his lips lower, down Harry's throat. Harry's fingers dug into Draco's back and he knew that this would get him his way. In his excitement, Draco's hands moved to Harry's hair and tangled there, pulling a bit harder than he meant to. Harry didn't seem to mind in the least. After spending several long moments at the column of Harry's neck, Draco paid some attention to his earlobe. His teeth pulled on the soft, fuzzy flesh, just hard enough for Harry to feel it before he sucked there, too. Draco could hear Harry's breathing pick up pace. Just a bit longer, a bit more persuasion, and Draco would win him over.

Nipping and sucking on Harry was having strong effects on Draco, too━ particularly in his lower region━ and soon he pulled away before he felt the urge to take things to a point where Harry would feel uncomfortable. It was obvious he didn't feel uncomfortable at that moment, but Draco didn't want to rush into anything regardless.

Satisfied with himself, Draco leaned his hip against the table's edge and crossed his arms over his chest. He smirked down at Harry and tried not to get distracted by the red marks he'd left behind on his neck. Draco said nothing, only waited for Harry's response.

After a few seconds of Harry looking hazily at Draco, he said with a grin, eyebrows raised, "You're very convincing, but I'm still not telling you."