I know it's been a protracted journey, and thanks to those of you who hung on till the end. I hope you've enjoyed the story, as much as I have loved creating it.

Cheers,

Merick

Chapter Fifty-Three

"You'll never catch me Daddy!" The squealing ball of pink robes flew past my office doorway, Draco in hot pursuit. I put down my quill and rolled up the scroll I'd been working on. I knew the chance of me getting any of my letters completed before the party started was just about nil. And I really didn't mind.

I could hardly believe that she was turning five years old. I didn't know where the time had gone since we'd brought her home. I'd missed out on a lot in the first year, trying to finish up my schooling. There had been more nights than I cared to remember when all I saw of Phinny and Draco were their heads, unmoving on the pillows of the bed in the master bedroom. But Kreacher was always up when I came home, and he always had something prepared for me to eat, and a detailed run down, in his efficient sort of way, of all the goings on of the day passed.

I had been determined to make up for the time, but Auror training began shortly after my NEWTS were done, and again I was coming in at all hours of the night. Draco never complained, and neither did Phinny. At least as she passed her first birthday she was sleeping through the night, and with Kreacher taking care of her bedtimes Draco wasn't nearly as exhausted as he had been that first six months. That meant that there had been time for me to thank him properly for everything he was doing for our daughter. We'd been granted full custody of her after the first six months, when it became clear that Narcissa wasn't coming back. Draco had insisted that she take my last name; I know it was partly because he was afraid that she would be branded with the fear that still swirled around the Malfoy or Black names. Having Potter as a surname would serve her well he reasoned, and it secretly thrilled me; well maybe not so secretly. We never spoke of Narcissa again in the house. If Phinny asked, we had agreed we'd tell her about her mom, but we hoped that would be a few years away yet.

So Phinny Potter had grown up surrounded by her two Dads, never questioning the sense of it, and one loyal Nanny in the form of Kreacher, who denied her nothing. Draco was always Daddy, and me, I was Dada. The pink blur went by my door again, but no Draco. I wrinkled my brow and got up out of my chair to go and search for him. I found him, collapsed in a wing chair in the sitting room, eyes closed, though not asleep. He must have heard me come in.

"We must be insane Harry." It was a statement and not a question.

"Quite possibly." I put a hand on his head and marveled at how wonderful he looked to me. He'd kept his hair long, though he didn't hide behind it any longer. He wore it tied back with a lace; a habit he'd had to develop when Phinny started grabbing at it. I thought it made his blue eyes stand out even more, and the pale cheekbones; though just then they looked a little red from chasing our little girl. All very fetching on him, and they put me in mind of other less parental exertions that also colored them.

I leaned over and kissed him, and felt his hand wrap around my neck to make sure I stayed close for a protracted kiss from him. He'd only gotten more and more attractive to me over the years; with every late night he'd welcomed me home to our bed, and every morning I got to wake up with him. There had been times I'd had to be away; the Aurors were still as busy as ever, with folks seeing Dark magic in every twisted fence post and storm cloud, but he'd never said a word in anger or fatigue. Being a parent suited him in every way.

It was Draco who had accompanied Phinny to the neighborhood preschool, and who had enrolled her in the Muggle playgroups. The mothers there thought he was an angel; a young dad, so involved with his daughter. Not that he made any secret of me, if they asked. Most didn't, they sent home cookies. The first few batches had annoyed Kreacher, but he learnt quickly, that treats he didn't have to bake were pretty good too. And it prompted him to start baking ones for the fundraisers, which only increased our little family's status on the block.

Of course Phinny had her wizarding friends too, and that was who were due today. As much as Phinny loved her Muggle friends she knew it would be hard to have them over, and exclude her third Daddy, Kreacher. Perhaps next year we'd have some sort of party with the Muggle children, an outing to a park, but this year it was Teddy and James; Ron and Hermione's first and the Weasley Aunties and Uncles, and Uncle Daniel as well. She wasn't going to suffer for attention, that was certain.

A knock on the door interrupted my reminiscing and pulled me finally away from the embrace I was sharing with Draco. Phinny flew by again; did that girl ever slow down?

"They're here!" Was the squeal we heard as she rounded the corner.

"Time to get up Dragon."

"Do I have to?"

""S'pose not, I could eat all the cake myself."

"Fine, play dirty." He hoisted himself out of his chair giving me a squeeze as he passed me and went to greet our guests.

Many presents, drinks and sugary treats later we were left with one very tired little girl, falling asleep in her Daddy's arms. Draco took her up to her room; I brought up the presents she refused to be parted from and placed them within her reach or at least her view for the breakable ones. Then I kissed her little forehead, got a hug and a whispered 'I love you Dada' before she finally gave up holding her little eyes opened.

Draco and I stood in the doorway to her room, also pink at her insistence and watched her cuddle into her blanket; a gift from Molly. She'd been Phinny's honorary Grandmother almost since we'd brought her home. I was certain she'd already started her House scarves, even though she was years away from Hogwarts, and the sorting hat.

"Come on, let's go to bed lover." Draco wrapped his hand around my waist and tugged at me. I was happy to let him lead me up the stairs to our room. Kreacher waved at us from the landing, doing his last check of the house for hidden glasses and crumbs. He was always happy now, never without a grin for everyone. My house, our house was such a wonderful place to be in, I loved it. It was exactly as I imagined a family home would be, not what I'd had, not what Draco had had, but it was what our daughter needed.

"You've had this silly grin on your face for hours Harry, what's up?" Draco was unbuttoning his shirt but looking at me.

"I'm just happy Draco."

"Never would have imagined this five years ago eh Harry?"

"Not if Dumbledore himself had told me it was going to be so." I tossed my own sweater into the laundry hamper, noticing pink frosting on my sleeve that I hadn't seen before. I shook my head at it, same grin on my face obviously.

"I love you." Warm arms encircled me again, and I allowed myself to be drawn into an embrace, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I love you too Draco."

"Come to bed." There wasn't anything I wanted more just then, than to be wrapped up in my lover's body, so I followed him, collapsing onto the feather duvet with a silly laugh.

Five years, wow, maybe it was time we had another? But I guess that's another story.