I Am Draco Malfoy-Potter
Chapter Fifteen: Honeymoon Problems
"Scorpius! You're too low! Pull up! Pull up! Lilian don't get too close to your brother, I want you a little closer to the ground! Good job Jamie! Try going a little faster, if you want to do spins tell your Dad, we'll get you up higher and he'll stay under you in case you fall! Leo, you want to try for another lap? You're getting great at controlling your speed!"
Draco wanted to laugh as he watched Harry work.
Everyone had been in high spirits and Scorpius had brought up flying. He'd told Harry that since they didn't go outside very much they'd never gotten the chance to learn. Harry had almost glared Draco to death at that one. Him, Harry Potter, the greatest Seeker of his generation, had children who did not know how to fly?
It had been the greatest moment in his life at Hogwarts and his children never felt the feeling? Well Harry wasn't really going to stand for that one now was he? After breakfast that morning he'd taken his Firebolt and borrowed some of Draco's old childhood brooms and gotten the children up in the air.
First they had begun all together, learning to pick up the broom and then mount it and kick off the ground. That was when they saw each of their strengths. Leo was a speed demon with reflexes that rivaled Harry's, Scorpius was a power flier, loved to be flashy about his moves. Lilian loved height, the higher she went the freer she felt, and Jamie enjoyed the freedom of movement the broom gave you in the air. Each one was now doing their own thing under the watchful eyes of both their parents who had also taken to the sky not too long ago.
"Leo, come here, I want to try something with you."
The black haired boy flew close to his Papa, floating right next to Harry as he searched through his pocket. It didn't take long before he pulled out a snitch.
"You know what this is right?" Harry asked his son smiling, the boy nodded a deep frown in his face.
"You had one in our house, kept it on the mantel of our fireplace. Said it gave you life once." Leonis answered a bit confused and so was Harry now. What did the boy mean?
Shaking it off for a different conversation, Harry tossed it over to Leo who caught it with only a bit of scrambling. "It's a snitch. I'm sure your Dad explained at least the rules of Quidditch to you guys?" Harry asked as he let himself lay forward on his broom, his chest against the hard wood and his hands cushioning his chin.
Leonis shook his head. "No, not Dad, you did. You used to be a professional Quidditch player. They called you up every time one of their players couldn't play. It didn't matter what team it was you always went." Leonis said with a thoughtful smile. "Dad only ever let us go to one game, and you were amazing. You told us all about Quidditch and how you got started that same night when you came home."
Harry grinned, Draco had told him about that so he at least knew what his son was talking about. "So you know what catching the Snitch does?"
Leonis nodded.
"Good, now I want you to practice. This snitch is made to stay no more than four miles away from the person who last touched it when it opened. That person is you." The snitch suddenly came to life in Leo's hand, sprouting it's winds and flapping them in a wild rhythm, like a humming bird. "You'll make a great seeker yet." Harry smiled and flew right by his son, ruffling his hair as he went.
"Scorp, come here!"
His oldest flew to him without a problem, although he had trouble stopping himself. Harry rose into the air a little more as it seemed his son was going to come straight at him but the boy stopped just shy of Harry's foot.
"You're really gonna need to practice controlling that, it's important in any game." Harry said seriously as he looked over at Leonis who was looking around himself with glazed over eyes. He was looking for the snitch. "You're brother's got all the makes of a seeker, but you're more a keeper to me, you know what a keeper does?"
Scorpius grinned. "Uncle Ron was a keeper! They guard the rings, right?"
Harry smiled at his son. He really felt like a father at the moment as he watched each one of his children practice things he requested them to.
"Yes they do. Lilian isn't cut out for games, she just loves flying, but she's got aim like I haven't seen before. Take her with you and ask her to help you practice." He instructed as he flew by his oldest in search of his youngest.
Jamie wasn't down lower, so he must have climbed higher, when he looked up he couldn't stop himself from laughing.
Jamie was doing loops in the air, his hair blown back by how fast he was going. Jamie seemed to really love doing tricks, just like his Papa.
Before he had to chance to yell out to his son, Draco came flying to his side, coming close enough to peck him on the lips. "You're a damn slave driver, do you know that?" Draco asked smiling.
Harry blushed a little at that. He hadn't really thought about it. He just wanted his children to open up doors for themselves, getting better at something that was both fun and refreshing. They were good at it too, so Harry honestly didn't feel like he was doing anything wrong.
"You think they don't like it?" Harry asked a little worried. He's children had been here for all of 24 hours and he was already barking out orders like a drill Sargent. Yet when Draco made him look at each of his children he didn't see anything but enjoyment as they went about practicing his recommended activities.
"I say we're going to have a hard time getting them out of the sky." Draco answered honestly. He never realized how much his children would have enjoyed flying. Back in his time it'd been much too dangerous for his children to be seen out doors, especially with so many death eater surrounding Snape Manor and the Malfoy Manor. Even after the capture of the school, anyone who apposed the dark lord went into hiding.
"Boys! How long do you intend to spend up there?" Sirius' voice sounded from the edge of the field and as Harry looked he could see his godfather standing there. "The six of you have been at it for four hours now! Narcissa said to take a break, she wants you down, inside, and showered by lunch or you ain't eating!"
Once Sirius mentioned food, it was no longer just Harry and Draco who were paying attention, every single head turned to the shaggy haired animagus and soon six brooms were rushing towards him.
"Holy shit!" Sirius cried as he ran for the house. He didn't make it as Scorpius lost a bit of control coming in for the landing and ended up knocking into his Uncle ans sending both of them rolling around on the ground. He's by far the fastest flier, but he wasn't very good at slowing down.
"Scorpius!" Harry and Draco shouted as the landed on the ground with a soft thud their other children following in behind.
Scorpius raised the hand that wasn't pressed against his forehead and held up his thumb in the universal 'I'm okay' sign. Harry started to breath again as he slowed down his run. When he reached the boy he hit him playfully in the back of the head.
"What did I say about controlling your speed." Harry scolded as he helped his son up and dusted the boy off. Harry had realized that morning that Scorpius was actually a bit taller than him, about as tall as Draco was. The boy was also 16, a year older than Draco and Harry themselves. Still, that didn't stop both Harry and Draco from acting like worried parents. It didn't stop Scorpius from viewing them as such either, despite the height difference.
"I was trying to slow down." Scorpius insisted with a little laugh as he helped his Uncle up. "Sorry Uncle Siri."
Sirius huffed as he accepted the hand and dusted himself off. "Geez your just like James had been when he first learned to use a freaking broom. 'Lets go faster Sirius' 'You're too slow mate!' 'I was aiming for the tree! I swear.' You're definitely a Potter."
"Malfoy-Potter." Scorpius corrected with a smile. "But I'll take the complement."
Sirius scowled playfully. "It wasn't meant as one pipsqueak."
"Who're you calling pipsqueak, Dog breath!"
"Scorpius! Sirius!"
Harry's sharp tone stopped the argument in it's tracks as both adult and teenager gulped in fear.
"Sorry Harry,"
"Sorry Papa."
Draco laughed so hard he had to lean up against Leonis who used his father for support as well when his stomach began to hurt from the humor. This had been happening all morning. Sirius and Scorpius got into arguments regularly, like old friends who couldn't help but harp at each other, and while it was getting on Harry's last nerve, it was entertaining everyone else.
Lilian grabbed her twin's arm as they walked back into the house smiling as she thought of all that's happened since they'd gotten here. From the talk late last night to breakfast and Quidditch this morning. Things were going better than even she had hoped.
"This is great, isn't it?" She asked her twin with a smile as they headed up the stairs. The Malfoy Manor had more than enough bathrooms for each of them, the key was finding the right rooms.
"I don't really know." Jamie answered her honestly and she frowned at him.
"You don't have to be so down. Everything is going so well!" She cheered but stopped when Jamie looked her in the eye.
"That's what I'm afraid of."
For a second Lilian didn't understand what her brother meant, but as she went to ask him, he'd entered a bathroom in the north wing and she was left outside confused.
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Lunch was a rather interesting ordeal.
During breakfast, people ate as they awoke, so at no point in time was there ever more than three people sitting at the table, but now it was lunch time and Narcissa had gathered the whole house.
It wasn't by any means a tight fit, the Malfoy dining room was magnificent after all, but it was in no way a quite and polite affair either.
"Sirius! Give that back!" Leonis scowled at his Uncle as the animagus waged his scruffy tail in his direction, a piece of chicken in his jaws as he sauntered back to his chair. Leonis saw the dog drop it on his place and almost threw up. "On second thought, keep it, I'm not a fan of dog saliva." He had turned 'padfoot' to begin stealing food around the table, and so far he was having unparalleled success.
"Hey! I was still gonna eat that!" Lilian cried as her eldest brother stole a strawberry from her plate. He smiled wolfishly at her.
"I know, but it looks too good to pass up."
"Sirius!" The dog had bitten Harry on the foot to get his attention and Harry jumped out of his chair almost ending up on the ground as his godfather used his long muzzle to reach up onto the table and steal Harry's chicken leg. "If you wanted it, just ask Padfoot." Harry snarled back as he was helped up by a smiling Draco.
The activity around the table ranged from stealing foot to throwing food and when it looked like people were on a verge of a food-war, Narcissa started her motherly scolding and the food disappeared. If people would rather play with their food then they don't deserve to eat it, were her exact words as she shooed everyone away from her dining room that was now far from clean.
"Can you believe she kicked us out?" Harry whined as he held onto Lilian's hand and wrapped his other arm around Draco's.
Draco just laughed. "Dinner has never been like that at my house. It's surly a first for mother."
"It's kind of new for us too." Jamie admitted, walking behind his Dad trying to keep in step with the blond's wide strides. "For the last three years dinner has been quiet and lonely. Severus rarely ate with us because he couldn't keep food down. He used to take nourishment potions to stay alive, but it wasn't healthy." He'd been speaking so matter-of-factly that Harry was taken by surprise.
"It was after I died wasn't it?" Harry asked watching Draco stiffen. The little boy looked up at his Papa and nodded. "What was it like when I was still alive?"
Jamie smiled a bit, but it was Scorpius who answered.
"It was much like just now." The elder boy laughed out loud putting his hand on Jamie's head. "We'd always have dinner with the Weasley's every Sunday, but during the weekdays Uncle Ron and Aunt 'Mione would come over or we would go to their apartment. Uncle Ron loved to play with the little ones so it mostly ended in a food fight."
Leonis laughed from behind his Papa, holding onto the back of Harry's dark green shirt. "There was one dinner where Aunt 'Mione made pie. Not a smart idea on her part. Rose was four years old and her magic was wicked unstable, so the second we started to argue over food, she sent the pie flying straight into Uncle Ron's face. Uncle Ron was fast though, ducked it like an expert. Aunt 'Mione wasn't so lucky." Leonis laughed at the memory and so did the others who remembered it. Harry was left laughing at just the image the story put into his head, but it was enough.
"Harry, Draco!" Severus called out from behind them, the whole group turned to see the head of Slytherin house holding two letters with a snow white owl on his shoulder. "Hedwig brought these in just a while ago for the two of you." He explained as he handed each letter to the right person. He touched Lilian's head and ran his fingers through her hair before turning on his heals and leaving the way he came. Lilian smiled after her Uncle.
"It's from Hermione." Harry noticed. The name made the four heads of his children perk up.
"From Aunt 'Mione?" Jamie asked as he tried to reach for the note, Harry held it away.
"Does she know about us?" Lilian asked excitedly as she too tried to grab the letter. Harry nodded his head and batted his kid's hands away.
"She doesn't know you guys are here, but she does know you exist. Something tells me though that once she hears of your arrival, she's going to want to come here." Harry said thoughtfully as he ripped the letter open.
"We could have Mother go get her if that's really the case." Draco answered as he started gently opening his own letter, Scorpius and Leonis at each of his shoulders.
Draco's letter was short and sweet.
'Dear Draco,
Hi! How's your summer going? I miss you, you know. It's so boring in my house. I love my parents, but its like nothing I tell them makes sense anymore. I guess that's just the price we pay when we're born with magic in a muggle family. Still, I'm glad they're trying to understand. I told them about you and time travel and they didn't believe a word I said. Even if they see me go to a magical school every year, I don't think they truly believe in magic. It's a bit sad, but they're trying.
You promised to write and I haven't gotten a letter yet, so you better reply to this one! I'm serious Draco Lucius Malfoy! - Love Hermione'
"Malfoy-Potter..." Scorpius corrected again, getting a little annoyed with everyone forgetting that very important part of their family. They shared both names.
Draco looked at his son and smiled a bit. The boy was so proud to be both a Malfoy and a Potter that he couldn't stand it when people only used one. In all it's right 'Malfoy-Potter' was actually a new family name in itself according to Scorpius, and even Jamie.
Harry's letter was a bit longer, but it contained much the same thing, added on a daily report on what Ron was up to. So when the brunet turned to his blond, the two shrugged. Why not let the woman know her nephews and niece were here?
"Do you want to send a letter with both our names or two separate?" Draco asked as he handed his letter to the youngest children who curiously reached for it. As they read, even Harry caught the 'It's Malfoy-Potter...' That Jamie uttered. It made Harry want to laugh but it also made Harry's insides curl. That's right, these kids were used to a married couple as parents. Right now he and Draco were just dating, if you could call it 'dating' when you had four kids to care for together.
"Send one together. We don't really need to waist parchment do we?" Harry smiled despite his thoughts and the two began walking to Draco's room to write their friend a reply as the children followed behind like little chicks. They had taken to doing that since the night they arrived. Some would call it a bit of separation anxiety from being left by their parents so suddenly but Draco and Harry didn't really mind, in fact they loved it.
Harry smiled as he waited for the last twin to walk into the room before closing the door. Little chicks indeed.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
"Dad, remember that thing we talked about three or four years ago?"
Scorpius grinned as he watched his father work on his summer homework from Hogwarts. Draco looked up from his work and started thinking, three of four years ago...what had he talked to Scorpius about three of four years ago-
"No." Draco's voice was stern and his glare was hard. He wasn't answering the question Scorpius had just asked, he was answering the question he had asked years ago.
Scorpius' face fell. "But dad! I'm 16 years old! You promised I could-"
"I promised nothing of the sort. I told you if circumstances change I would allow you to, I did not promise." Draco replied with a hard glare. "Do not ask again."
"But dad, things are safe here, no one has to know who I am! I want to go to school, I want to learn magic I want to-"
"We are more than capable of teaching you anything you want to learn." Draco interrupted. "Do not bring this up again Scorpius Sirius Malfoy-Potter or your summer will not be so enjoyable."
"Don't bring what up?"
Harry's voice made the two conversing teens jump in surprise. Followed behind Harry were Jamie, Lilian, and Leonis.
"Dad won't let me enter Hogwarts as a student! Papa, you promised if circumstances were different that you'd send me when I turned 16!" Scorpius insisted going up to his Papa who was actually shorter than him. He didn't mind it as he looked into Harry's eyes with his puppy-pleading ones. "I want to study magic."
Draco saw the will of Harry Potter caving in the face of his son, and started to frown.
"Harry." Draco said warningly.
Harry turned his own version of pleading-puppy to Draco.
"Dragon, if they're old enough to come all the way to the past on their own, they are old enough to go to school. We'll put some glamors on them, change their eyes or their hair, no one will know and we can keep an eye on them. Please Dragon, they deserve to experience Hogwarts just like we were able to."
Draco glared at Harry. "Voldemort has just returned. The next years of our lives in Hogwarts will be spent avoiding danger and you want to drag our children straight in it?"
Harry shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You know where every dangerous thing will be hiding. We have knowledge and adding in their power not many things can hurt us or surprise us. Is the problem that you believe you aren't strong enough to protect your children?"
That was a low blow and Harry realized it when the Malfoy mask slammed into place on Draco's face and he rose and walked right out of the library doors without another word.
"Daddy! Daddy, he didn't mean it like that! Daddy, don't go!" Lilian followed after the blond as he left and Harry stood there feeling so stupid.
A hand touched his back and he shiver under his own emotions.
"Papa, you didn't mean it, don't-" Harry sighed as he hugged Leonis.
"I'm sorry, this is my fault I should have never brought up-" Scorpius stopped talking when he saw Harry's eyes. His father was feeling more than just guilty.
"He spent countless nights here in this time without you guys wishing he'd been a better father and I just...threw that in his face. No, Scorp, it's my fault." Harry sighed as he let go of Leonis. "He's tried so hard to be strong enough to keep all of us safe, even me and I just...basically shot him in the foot."
Shaking his head he walked past his children. He didn't get very far as a small hand got a hold of his. He turned to see Jamie's mismatched jewels on him. He felt even stupider under his youngest son's stare.
"Don't let this fester. Go talk to him." Jamie said as he let go. Harry nodded his head and took off in the direction the blond had gone.
Something in the back of his mind realized this would be their first fight in almost two years. Some way to start a supposed marriage, right?