A/N: I vaguely recall a posting schedule... fuck that though.
It's starting to dawn on me just how long this story is going to be by the time I wrap up all the different threads and themes.
Settle in for the long haul, guys. And some more sexin'. I love to hear your thoughts and comments, if you'd like to leave one!

Chapter 13- Biscuits

In the days running up to Christmas George was busier than ever at the shop, and Harry agreed to pull extra shifts to help out. They'd agreed that Hermione would spend a couple of weeks with her parents before moving in to Grimmauld Place the day before Christmas Eve, since Ron would be working right up until the day before Christmas anyway.

The day they moved in caused something close to awkwardness. Hermione and Draco had made steps towards a tentative friendship, but feelings between Ron and Draco were still considerably icy. That afternoon was grim and rainy; Draco was hiding in his basement with Bear, allowing Harry some time with his friends to try and explain the relationship that even he and Draco had no name for.

"I need you to know something," Harry said cautiously as they sat around the fire in the living room with mugs of hot chocolate.

Hermione raised an eyebrow and smacked Ron in the arm to silence him. "Go on."

"It's me and Draco."

"Mhmm?"

"We're… sort of… involved."

His friends reactions shocked him. Ron groaned and reached into his pocket, extracting a Galleon and slapped it into Hermione's outstretched palm.

"Hang on, what's that all about?" Harry demanded.

"Just a little bet we had on," Hermione said, smirking.

"A little bet about what?"

"I reckoned you'd end up killing him. Or cursing him, at least. Hermione said that you'd end up snogging him. She won."

Harry tried to find a suitable expression of distaste and embarrassment, and came up with stunned silence instead.

"Don't just gulp at us, Harry," Hermione said. "All the tension and history between you was bound to manifest itself one way or another."

"I did punch him in the mouth before I hit him," Harry said, then wondered why he felt the need to divulge that particular piece of information.

"Aha!" Ron said, extending his hand for his Galleon back.

"No chance," Hermione told him. "You said curse or kill. He did neither."

Ron mumbled something then kissed her hair.

"So… you're okay with this?" Harry asked.

"Okay? No. Surprised?" Ron paused. "No, not really."

"Please be nice to him," Harry begged. "I really don't want you two to fight."

"Have you had this conversation with him?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah. Just…. Yeah. Leave it at that. The last thing I want is to get stuck in the middle."

"Alright," Ron said. "If you kill him though, I want my Galleon back." He was smirking, so Harry decided not to hex his best friend. It was Ron's way of dealing with things, and he respected that, in the same way he accepted George's teasing and Hermione's overbearing smugness.

Hermione had her 'lets change the subject' face on and handed over a copy of the Prophet, already folded open to a particular page.

"Have you seen this, Harry?" she asked. "It mentions Bear."

"What?" Harry demanded. He snatched the paper from her outstretched hand and began to skim through the article.

"It's nothing to worry about," she assured him. "They've just decided to go on some mission to track down War orphans and he was on their list."

Harry found the bit about Teddy and rolled his eyes when his own name popped out at him.

"Typical. They've managed to shoe- horn my name in there too."

"They do most days," Ron said. "Do you ever read the paper any more?"

"No," Harry admitted. "Draco doesn't take it either, so I don't bother. You two tell me mostly anything I need to know."

"Why am I not surprised?" Hermione said with a wry grin.

The day followed a natural pattern for Harry and Draco; the latter would work until lunch, then take over looking after Bear so Harry could get on with whatever he wanted to do. With Ron and Hermione staying in the house too, it would have been easy for Draco to hide away until dinnertime. To his credit, he didn't.

Hermione was simply thrilled at the prospect of a library to entertain her during her short stay at Grimmauld Place. Her request to be shown the room was more like a demand and Ron and Harry settled themselves in the kitchen during the afternoon, sure that the two academics would be holed up for hours.

They weren't far wrong.

With little protest from Ron, Harry ordered a few pizzas for dinner and they braved the snow to go and collect them by foot. It was only after a the boxes were propped up against the coffee table like gravestones that the quartet started to relax in each others' presence.

Hermione and Draco sat on the sofa with one of Ron's Quidditch magazines open between them; Ron and Harry were on the floor with Bear between them, playing with something that wouldn't make too much noise.

"He's quite good looking," Hermione said.

Since finding out that Draco was gay, she seemed determined to get some kind of 'girl talk' out of him. Ginny had only ever been interested in Harry, she said, which wasn't very interesting to her because she wasn't interested in Harry 'like that' at all. And, of course, she'd never been able to talk about boys with Ron or Harry.

Draco wrinkled his nose. "No, you can keep that one."

Ron rolled his eyes at Harry and poured another glass of the warm, silvery alcohol that he'd brought with him.

"How about him?"

"He looks like Krum."

Ron's head popped up comically, his eyes wide.

"No he doesn't. He looks more like Harry."

"Well, I wouldn't kick him out of bed for eating biscuits." Draco looked up and winked surreptitiously in Harry's direction.

Ron looked up from where he'd been conjuring bubbles for Bear. "I wouldn't kick anyone out of bed if they had biscuits."

Draco pressed his lips together and looked away as Hermione snorted inelegantly, her hand flying up to cover her mouth before she collapsed in giggles.

"What?" Ron demanded. "What did I say?"

"Don't worry, Weasley," Draco said, smirking. "I won't tell anyone that you play for both teams."

Ron seemed to consider his previous statement, then blushed furiously. "Oh, shut up, Malfoy."

Hermione laughed harder, tears running down her cheeks. Bear was watching her with interest, clapping his hands and smiling as she clutched at her stomach to contain her giggles.

"Oh, sweetheart," she gasped, sliding from the sofa down into Ron's lap. "You know I don't mean it."

She kissed him on the cheek, then on the nose, then softened into a slow kiss. Harry couldn't help but smile at the two of them; their easy friendship and natural, loving relationship.

Ron harrumphed and wrapped his arms around her. Kissed her neck.

"I am taking my girlfriend to bed," he announced, standing with Hermione in her arms, making her squeal and wrap her arms around his neck to prevent being dropped on her arse.

"Goodnight," she called, waving merrily over his shoulder.

"Cast Muffilatio," Draco called after them, laughing.

Bear looked like he was getting tired; he had abandoned his toys and was rubbing his eyes with chubby fists. Harry scooped him up and Draco held out his arms. Instead of passing the baby over, Harry climbed up on to the sofa and sat in his lap, much like Hermione had curled up in Ron's. Draco chuckled and wrapped his arms around them both.

"Accio bottle," Harry said, hoping his wandless magic was strong enough to Summon the bottle from the kitchen. After a few moments it landed in his hand with a satisfying smack.

"Clever boy," Draco murmured against his neck.

Harry smoothly transferred the baby from his shoulder to the crook of his elbow and thumbed the top off the bottle. Bear blinked at him with big brown eyes as he settled down and, feeling supremely content with his life in that particular moment, Harry turned his face to seek out Draco's kisses.

"Thank you," he whispered against Draco's lips.

"What for?"

"Being nice to my friends."

Draco huffed. "Well, I suppose Granger is on her way towards becoming one of mine."

"And Ron?"

"Is a work in progress."

Harry smiled. "That's all I ask for."

Their mouths connected again; soft, chaste kisses that couldn't go anywhere due to the almost- sleeping baby in between them, but conveying a different sense of togetherness. He couldn't help it – Harry's lips stretched into a smile.

Bear was fighting against the last moments before sleep came, no longer sucking at the bottle which Harry removed from his mouth with practiced precision. Climbing out of Draco's lap was harder as he tried not to wake the baby.

He was stopped at the door by Draco calling his name.

"Want to come and cast Muffilatio at my door tonight?"

Harry smirked. "Let me get rid of this one and have a shower, and I'll be right there."

Draco nodded. "See you in a bit."

Time seemed to stretch as Harry forced himself to take as much of it up as possible and not to rush to get into Draco's bed. Bear didn't want to be left alone in the dark on his own, it seemed, so it took him a while to get the baby to settle. Then he took a long shower and made sure he was squeaky clean head to toe before pulling on a pair of loose pyjama bottoms and crossing the hall to Draco's room.

The other man was sat in bed, reading. Shocking to Harry, though, was his companion's similar state of semi- nakedness. Draco was shirtless. It was a big deal; an admission of past weakness and an open declaration of trust.

Harry wet his lips and cast a series of wards against the door, then changed the sound setting on the conspectus charm to a volume which was loud enough to wake them, but not so loud that it sounded like the baby was in the room with them.

"Come here," Draco whispered, folding his book and setting it down on his bedside table.

He swallowed and took the four paces it took to cross to 'his' side of the bed, carefully folded back the soft white sheet and duvet and slid into bed. Draco shuffled down and raised an arm so Harry could cuddle in close.

Their mouths met in a seamless understanding that they were going to kiss; soft and passionate and caring with so much fucking want between them. With Draco's fingertips running gently across his back Harry shivered and gasped against the pliant lips that were pressed against his own. Harry licked at Draco's plump bottom lip then caught it between his teeth and pressed down lightly, pulling at the soft flesh until Draco surged forward to prevent Harry's teeth causing him pain.

Harry rolled on to his back and pulled Draco with him until the other man was lying half on top of him, their hips rhythmically working together and doing nothing to hide their joined arousal. Under the sheets Draco was only wearing his boxers. His bare legs wrapped around Harry's and he moaned softly as their kisses grew more passionate, licking and nipping and tasting each other.

He wanted more and, ignoring the scars on Draco's back, slid his hand down the other man's spine until his fingertips skirted the edge of the elastic waistband that was the barrier between cotton and skin. Draco was never going to give him explicit permission to do this so, with trepidation, he slipped his hand under the boxers that stretched over his wrist (leaving a red line for him to find later).

Here Draco's skin was soft and smooth, unblemished, silky under his curious touch.

"I want to touch you tonight," Harry whispered breathlessly into Draco's ear. Then bit his earlobe. "I want to taste you, too."

"Fuck, Harry," Draco whimpered.

"Can I?"

"Yeah."

Harry pushed Draco's boxers down swiftly. They caught on his thighs but that didn't matter, the intention was clear and Draco kicked them off the rest of the way anyway. Harry quickly shed his own pyjama bottoms and then they were both naked, and Draco was lying on his side, still looking like Harry was some particularly delicious dessert to be licked into melted nothingness.

With slow, concentrated breaths, Harry gently pushed Draco on to his back and pressed a kiss to his mouth. Another to his throat. And collarbone.

Licked one pale pink nipple. Grazed his lips over a scar to prove that they weren't a big deal, but didn't linger there to reinforce that point. His destination was a little lower.

Draco's erection was full and thick, stretching up to his stomach where it lay there, waiting for Harry's touch.

"I've never done this before," Harry said unnecessarily, his fingers dancing over Draco's hip.

"That's okay," Draco replied. He gently stroked Harry's hair and divested him of his glasses, gently removing the wire frames and setting them down out of the way.

"Tell me if I do something wrong?"

"You won't." Draco smiled softly. He moved his knee so it was parallel to his hip, giving Harry a perfect place to rest his head - on Draco's thigh - as he gently explored the other's body.

Draco's cock was beautiful, a little longer than his own, Harry thought, but not as wide. The skin was so pale it was practically translucent; he could almost see the heavy vein pulsing with need and the pink skin over the head seemed flushed, or blushing. The hair here was fine and sparse, darker than the hair on Draco's head, lighter than that on his legs.

Harry trailed his finger up the length of it, starting with the loose skin at the base to the taught, shiny tip. It jumped under his touch. A glance up at Draco revealed he was chewing his lip and his hands were bunched in the sheets.

So beautiful.

Harry didn't realise he'd spoken aloud until Draco laughed.

"Touch me, please," he begged.

With his left hand Harry encompassed the length of Draco's cock and grasped it with the same sort of grip he used on himself, then stroked it experimentally. Draco groaned; a sound that seemed to echo through his chest before it was released from his lips.

Emboldened, Harry switched hands so his right could continue working Draco's shaft, while the other reached down to fondle his balls in their heavy sac.

It was all so familiar, and yet so new and strange; Harry knew when to squeeze his hand and when to be achingly delicate, teasing the other man in the same way he teased himself. He considered trailing his fingertips backwards, between Draco's cheeks but didn't quite have the nerve to try that yet. He had no intention of penetrating the other man just yet.

The sound of their combined ragged breathing filled the room and Harry felt the first prickle of sweat on his back. He used his thumb to tease Draco's balls further, his middle finger pressing down on the softness just behind there to create an even more intense pressure. The head of Draco's cock was leaking sticky, clear fluid now and his hips were canting just slightly up off the bed.

Harry wanted nothing more than to taste this man who drove him crazy and so, even though he had no idea what he was doing, he raised himself up until he could get the right angle to take the head of Draco's cock into his mouth.

"Merciful Merlin," Draco gasped and Harry had to let go to let out a giggle. "What?" he demanded.

"You're too adorable," Harry said and put his mouth back to good work.

He was pretty sure he was being sloppy and not all that good, but Draco didn't seem to care. Harry kept his hands busy as his tongue flicked over the soft head of Draco's cock, gathering up his taste and swallowing it with a low hum. He didn't have the confidence to try and take more of it into his mouth, but he seemed to be doing okay by sucking the tip and letting his hand do the rest of the work.

Draco looked... incredible, Harry decided. His calm composure was gone and his face and chest were flushed, his hair in disarray and his face screwed in pleasure. To his credit, Draco let Harry go at his own pace, figuring things out for himself, and didn't push for more.

"I'm close, Harry," Draco gasped, his hips rutting up into Harry's face.

Harry sucked harder in response.

"Move, Harry."

Mouth and cock separated with a wet slurp. "But I want to taste you."

Harry's fingers still drew teasing, featherlight circles on Draco's balls, making him completely forget his argument for more than a moment.

"Not this time. Stroke me, baby, please."

He knew what to do - tightening his grasp on the shaft and stroking harder, faster until Draco cried out, arching back off the bed as thick spurts erupted from the tiny slit in his cock. Harry watched, entranced.

Draco was breathing hard as Harry gently milked the last of his orgasm, shuddering when the intensity became too much. The evidence was Vanished silently and wandlessly before Harry had chance to follow through on his promise to taste it. Draco held out his arm for Harry to cuddle back in close.

With his erection digging into Draco's leg.

"You didn't come?" Draco asked.

"It was about you, not me," Harry said, a little embarrassed.

Draco's grin spread into a slow smirk. "Oh, let me fix that for you."

Their lips crashed together almost violently as Draco reached down and took hold of Harry's cock, spreading its wetness down the aching length and tugging on it in time with their kisses, a surely practiced stroke but one that shot fire into Harry's groin nonetheless.

"Fuck," Harry gasped as Draco followed up with teasing little bites; his lip, his jaw, his earlobe, finally closing his teeth around Harry's nipple and tugging.

Harry's scream of pleasure caused a chain reaction; he hadn't told his cock to respond but it did, shooting hard against his stomach as his lips sought out Draco's kisses again and again...

"Better?" Draco whispered, sniggering but not mocking.

"Much. You're amazing," Harry sighed and found his way back into Draco's arms.

"Believe it or not, the feeling's mutual."

xXx

The morning of Christmas Eve, George's owl arrived asking if he could stop by on his way to the Burrow. Harry quickly scrawled a reply and sent the bird back. Draco was already awake and in his lab, as was his morning routine, but Ron and Hermione were sleeping in. Enjoying the chance to do so, Harry assumed.

George and Angelina arrived in the kitchen Floo as Harry finished cleaning up the kitchen from the night before.

"Hey," he greeted his friends with hugs. "Do you want tea?"

"No, thanks," Angelina said, unwinding her scarf from around her neck. "Is Draco about?"

Harry nodded, confused. "Yeah, he's downstairs. I'll just get him." He walked to the little door that lead down to the basement and yelled for Draco to come up. "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine, mate," George said, smiling.

"Okay. Sit down," Harry said, taking his usual seat at the table. They could hear Draco stomping up the wooden stairs, even his footsteps petulant at being interrupted.

He was painfully polite when greeting George and Angelina; having collected Bear from George's flat once or twice after the couple had babysat for Bear there was a cordial, if not exactly warm relationship between the three.

"Sorry to just turn up," George said. "We wanted to talk to you about another option. About Bear."

Harry looked to Draco for confirmation, then nodded. "Go on."

"With Bear. I know the review of the custody arrangement is next week and we," George took Angelina's hand, "Angelina and I wanted to say that if you want, we'll take him."

"What do you mean?"

George smiled softly. "Harry, you're both still so young. And I know that I'm not exactly middle aged, but I've got the business and the flat and we're living together now. We can give him a good home too, you know? I don't want you to ever think that you didn't have the option to go and do things that you wanted to do because you had him."

"We don't resent him," Draco said mildly. "I love him, I want to be there for him. He's my family."

"I know that, and I understand," George said, keeping his voice neutral. "I'm not saying you have to. I just wanted you to know you have options."

"Thanks," Harry interrupted. "Really. We'll talk about it, if that's okay with you?"

"Of course," Angelina said, reaching over and laying her hand over his. "But really, Harry, do think about it. George and I will probably start a family in a few years. This is something that we've discussed in detail – we're not just going into this on a whim.

"I think," she said, continuing at George's nod, "That we're more likely to adopt one of the children who was orphaned in the War than have a baby of our own."

"There are plenty of children who don't have anyone," Draco said. Angelina looked to him and nodded solemnly. "Bear isn't one of them."

"Okay. Well, we've told you, and we need to get to Mum's for lunch," George said, standing and stretching. "See you later, yeah, Harry?"

Harry nodded. On impulse, he pulled George into a brief hug. "Thanks, mate. Really."

"No problem."

Harry lowered the Apparition wards so they could leave, hand in hand, then replaced them as Draco made tea for them both.

"Make enough for Ron and Hermione, would you? They'll be down in a bit, I'm sure."

"Okay."

"What are you thinking?"

"I don't know. My instinct was no. I don't want anyone taking him away from us when we've fought so hard to keep him. But they're not trying to take him away, they've got some misguided notion that they can be a real family for him in a way we can't."

"Because we're not a straight couple?"

"Exactly," Draco said, handing Harry a mug and sitting back down. "A few months ago I would have been raging mad at that. I suppose all of the money being spent on a psychiatrist is actually doing some good."

Harry smiled over the top of his mug. "Won't argue with that."

"Shut up. I just don't want to question what we're doing here. I know that we're good for him. I know that this is a good family arrangement, even if we aren't 'man and wife'."

"Non- traditional families aren't exactly a death sentence," Harry agreed. "I mean, before us Bear was being raised by his grandmother.

"Did you ever want children?" he asked on a whim.

Draco shrugged. "I was never really given much of a choice in the matter. I was brought up knowing that I needed to produce a son and heir."

"And now?"

"I wouldn't change Bear for the world."

"That's not what I'm asking and you know it," Harry laughed.

"Having children when you're a gay man is rather difficult."

"You could always change into a woman," Ron said as he walked into the kitchen and headed for the pot of tea. "The Muggles do it, you know, change their gender."

Draco shuddered. "No thanks. Girls are gross. No offence, Granger."

"None taken," she said lightly as she sat next to him. "So, what did George want?"

"He offered to take Bear," Harry said, looking at Ron. "To… foster him, I suppose."

"Why would he do that?" Ron asked. "And where do you keep the biscuits around here?"

"Top cupboard on the left," Draco said, amused.

"He thinks that we need to get out and live our lives and stop hiding in here trying to raise a baby."

"Wow," Hermione said. "What did you say?"

"That we'd think about it."

"Wow. When's the hearing?" she asked.

"First week in January. We don't have long."

"What are you going to do?" Ron asked. He split open the packet of digestives and dunked one in his tea. Draco wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Oh sorry, want one, Malfoy?"

"No, you're alright. Weasley."

"We need to talk about it more," Harry said. "And I was just asking Draco if he wanted children."

"I honestly haven't given it much thought, and thank you so much for pushing the issue."

"You're welcome."

"How about you?"

"Of course I want kids," Harry said. "When I'm… thirty five or something."

"Not for a while, then," Hermione laughed.

"How about you two?" Draco asked. "When are you going to make an honest woman out of her, Weasley? Shouldn't you start popping out the kids pretty soon?"

To his credit, Ron managed to not choke on his biscuit. "When we're ready."

Hermione hid her grin behind her mug.

"Well, you need to be careful, then. Want me to brew you a contraceptive potion?"

"No, thank you," she said primly. "We might be getting on well these days but that doesn't mean I trust you not to turn me into a rabbit or something."

"How crude," Draco said, matching her tone.

"If you two are trying to kill each other with politeness, it's not going to work," Harry said. "Where's Bear?"

"He was awake for a couple of hours last night. Teething," Draco explained. "I put him back down at about eight."

"Isn't there a potion to help with that?" Hermione asked sweetly.

"Watch it, Granger," Draco said good naturedly.

"Actually, I was hoping to get a better look at that lab of yours," she said with a genuine smile. "I've got loads of NEWT coursework to be getting on with."

"Oh, I see how it is," Draco said. "You insult my brewing abilities then demand a guided tour of my secret laboratory."

He stood, and offered his arm like a proper gentleman. "Come on then. I haven't got all day."

Hermione blushed a little as she took her mug in the other hand so she could thread her arm through Draco's.

"After you."

Ron turned to Harry. "Bet we don't see them again before lunch."

"Done. If I know Draco, it won't be 'til dinner."