A/N: Deep breath... here we go...
More from me at the end.
Chapter 23- Of Pure-Blood Society
"Malfoy," Ron called, jogging down the steps in to the kitchen.
"Weasley," Draco said neutrally. Then he ruined his nonchalance by pulling a wide- eyed, mouth open face as he directed a spoonful of porridge into Bear's mouth.
"There was a letter delivered to the Manor for you," Ron said, holding out an envelope. "We had to test it for curses. But it's clean."
Draco cocked his head to one side as he gave the spoon to Bear, who promptly began to use it as a drumstick, and slid his thumb under the heavy parchment, breaking the wax seal and pulling out a card. He read it quickly and his lips twitched.
"It's from Pansy," he said. "Well, Pansy's parents. Inviting me, and a guest, to the naming ceremony of their new baby grand-daughter."
"Oh," Harry said, extracting the drumstick from Bear's grasp and attempting to restore its use as a spoon. "Are you going to go?"
"I really should. She was one of my best friends."
"Was?" Ron asked.
"I haven't seen her in about six months, Weasley," Draco said as he stood and took their breakfast things to the sink. "She pretty much hid herself away when she was pregnant. It must be that her family have welcomed her back or they wouldn't be holding the ceremony."
"Will you take Harry?" Ron asked boldly.
Draco's eyes grew wicked. "I really should," he said, hooking his thumbs through the belt loops on Harry's jeans and tugging him close. Harry laughed and wrapped his arms around Draco's neck.
"Think of the rumours," Harry said deviously.
"It would be all over the society pages."
"Death Eater in Gay Scandal," Draco murmured with his lips against Harry's neck.
Harry threw his head back and laughed delightedly. Ron rolled his eyes and looked away.
"Boy Who Lived Likes Cock," Harry whispered into Draco's ear.
"Would you two cut it out?" Ron interjected.
"Sorry," Harry said, although his nibbling at Draco's neck somewhat nullified the gesture.
"You would have to wear full formal robes, you know," Draco said, pulling back slightly. "There's no getting away with jeans under your old Gryffindor robes."
Harry groaned. "My old formal ones don't fit any more."
"That's because the last time you wore them was fourth year," Draco said scathingly. "It's not exactly going to send you spiralling into poverty to buy a new set."
It was this argument that had Harry making a trip to Madam Malkin's the week before the party. Draco already had a set of formal robes that he sent for from the Manor and left 'airing' in the spare bedroom. Harry's old bedroom.
Madam Malkin was thrilled to see him and fitted him out in a set of standard black robes, slightly dismayed that he wasn't going to branch out into something more adventurous. He hung them up next to Draco's, liking the way they looked next to each other.
Another argument sprung up about the security measures surrounding the party, but there was no way of getting around the fact that the majority of the guests would be purebloods, Slytherins or a combination of the two. There was no way the Auror team would be able to surreptitiously infiltrate. Stonestreet was uneasy about letting them go, but reluctantly agreed that the two men were well prepared to take care of themselves and that any risk involved would likely be overshadowed by the impending gossip surrounding the fact that they were there, together, and with a baby to boot.
It was risky, they knew that, but it had been nearly five weeks of having the Aurors working out of Grimmauld Place twenty four/ seven and only small progresses were being made on the case. Stonestreet had Ron and Neville and Jamieson chasing their tales around Ireland for days, following a lead that was as often hot as it was dead cold.
They couldn't stay locked inside forever.
"Where are you going?" Harry asked, amused. They had shared a shower (for water conservation, of course) and Draco had finished grooming himself in almost a record amount of time.
"To talk to your bloody painting," Draco huffed, tugging at the collar of the robes. "When did these things get so uncomfortable?"
"Since you discovered proper clothes," Harry teased and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Can I watch?"
"Yeah. Go get your cloak."
They met at the curve of the staircase where the large painting hung.
"Et dona ferentes," Draco said after pleasantries had been exchanged.
"Ah," Mrs Black said, raising an eyebrow. She carefully brushed down her skirt and turned back to Draco. "Who has been attacking my family home, may I ask?"
"We don't know. I am here to ask for your assistance on the matter of the house's defences. It seems that the more we research our unknown protection, the more we learn of our ignorance."
"It is a spell of great complexity."
"And of many adaptations?"
"Indeed."
"I do not wish to press, Mrs Black, but we have cause to fear for our safety," Draco said, his calm façade slipping into a brief moment of frustration. "The time has come for us to ask for as much help as we can."
"The house will protect its inhabitants," she said shortly. "At all costs. With no exceptions."
"That's not how I understand it. There has been break-ins before, thieves, looters…"
"The inhabitant at that time was not a Black," she said icily.
Draco nodded. "I understand."
"I daresay you do," she said and, possibly by summoning the magic of the house, the heavy curtains flew shut.
Harry pulled off the invisibility cloak.
"Well that went well."
"Oh, shut up, you," Draco grumbled as they made their way back upstairs. "You need to finish getting dressed. We need to leave soon."
"I've never been able to get this bit," Harry said, twisting his arm up his back as he stood in front of the mirror, trying to dress in his formal robes.
"Come here," Draco said, smiling indulgently. He finished fastening the robes at the back and laid a kiss on the side of Harry's neck. "I like your hair."
"Yeah, well, it's short. And tidy," Harry said, running his hand through his much shorter than normal hair.
He turned and straightened Draco's bow tie.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Draco whispered.
"What?" Harry whispered back.
"We look hot."
Harry laughed. "Yeah. We do." He sobered, then. "Are you sure we're ready for this?"
Shrugging, Draco said, "Yeah. I think so. We've been together for nearly a year. It's time to stop hiding."
xXx
"Cynthia Marguerite Alberta Parkinson- James," Harry read from the order of service they'd been given as they took their places in the Parkinson's ballroom. "What a bloody mouthful."
"Shh," Draco said, swatting Harry on the arm lightly. "Someone will hear you."
"Draco, every single person in this room is currently watching us. And you're more worried about what I've got to say about Pansy's daughter's name?"
"I'm more worried about Rita Skeeter having somehow shoehorned herself in."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, baby. It'll be all over the papers tomorrow whether she's here or not."
"I know. But she's the only one vile enough to make up the details she doesn't actually know."
The whispers, which were swirling around them like wind through reeds, died down as the minister stepped up at the front of the room to perform the service. Harry had never been to a wizarding naming ceremony before; it was long, and boring, and involved lots of standing up and sitting back down again. He spent most of the time making faces at Bear, and turning the cuffs of the tiny, baby-sized shirt he was wearing red. Much to Draco's annoyance.
Finally, it was done, and a very proud looking Pansy showed off Cynthia Marguerite Alberta Parkinson- James to the elite of wizarding society. As they stood (again) and applauded, their chairs rose and rearranged around tables at the edge of the ballroom and a low hum of chatter started up again.
"That's our signal," Draco murmured.
"For what?"
"To start mingling."
Harry huffed and pouted. "I hate mingling."
"We all do. But it's one of those things you just have to get on with for the sake of the family name."
Draco passed Bear over to Harry, who balanced him on his hip. "Okay. Where do we start?"
"We should go and congratulate Pansy."
Harry rolled his eyes but slipped his hand into Draco's, letting himself be lead through the groups of people to where Pansy was standing with her parents and her daughter in her arms.
"Pansy," Draco said, pulling his housemate into a hug and kissing her on both cheeks. "You look radiant. Congratulations."
"Draco," she replied, smoothly handing Draco her baby. "You've changed." She turned to Harry, then, and tickled Bear under the chin. "It was so nice of you to come, Harry. I understand this is your godson?"
"Yes," Harry said. "Teddy Lupin. Although we call him Bear."
"How adorable," she said, tucking her long, dark hair back behind her shoulder. "You and your boyfriend nearly upstaged me, Draco. How crass of you."
"Pansy, darling, you're completely un- upstage-able," Draco said in his most charming voice. "Your daughter is nearly as beautiful as her mother, who seems to have dropped all of her baby weight and a little more, if I'm not mistaken? Although your breasts are fairly enormous, I must say."
"Thank you. Although I noticed you're walking with a slight limp, Draco darling. Is he worth writing home about?"
"All that and more," Draco said. "Could Cynthia's father not make it today?"
"No, he's in Spain, attempting to reconcile with his wife," she said sweetly. "Speaking of which, I simply must compliment your choice of same-sex partner. If one is to go gay, the Saviour of the Wizarding World is one impressive way to state that one likes it up the arse."
"If only you'd learned that trick, Pansy. We might not be standing here today," Draco said, winking and handing Cynthia back so she could throw up on her mother's shoulder rather than his. "We must move on, there are others waiting to talk to you. So lovely to see you again. Ta ta for now."
Harry laughed incredulously as he was lead away again. "You're horrible to each other!"
"It's our way of showing we care," Draco said, smiling. "If I was nice she'd worry that something was wrong."
"Slytherins are fucked up creatures," Harry said. "I'll have a word with the Sorting Hat," he whispered to Bear. "We can make sure you end up in the best house."
"You don't want to start that in this ballroom," Draco teased, pulling Harry around so they were facing each other. "You'll be vastly outnumbered."
"Dear me, is that young Lord Malfoy?" a smooth voice interrupted causing both men to jerk out of their little bubble.
"Lady Yaxley," Draco said, not quite managing to hide his surprise beneath upper class manners. "It's so nice to see you again. May I introduce you to my partner, Harry James Potter, and my nephew. Ted Remus Lupin."
Harry took Draco's lead and took Lady Yaxley's hand, leaning in slightly to brush a kiss over the back of it. "Charmed to meet you," he said, tightening his hold on the baby.
Lady Yaxley was a statuesque woman, almost as tall as Draco and Harry with a long neck and graceful shoulders. She wore diamonds at her throat and more around her wrist; her robes were sweeping, duck egg blue and her light brown hair was twisted back from her face in an elegant knot.
"It is I, Mr Potter, who is most charmed to meet you," she said softly. "I have, of course, heard so much about you. And your beautiful... son?"
Harry smiled blandly and gently rubbed Bear's back.
"Godson," he corrected, politeness forcing the correction even as the word stuck in his throat.
"Do excuse us," Draco said, taking Harry's wrist and leading him away.
"What the hell was that?" Harry hissed as they ducked into an alcove in the hall. He pressed a hand to Draco's chest - his heart was beating rapidly.
"I thought she was dead," Draco whispered. He swallowed convulsively. "I really thought she was dead. It's like seeing a ghost."
"Who is she?"
"Yaxley's wife, of course," Draco said. "I haven't got a clue where she's been."
"Maybe she was at her fucking Manor," Harry said. Bear started to wriggle, wanting to be put down so he could crawl about, but Harry wasn't letting him go.
"No... she couldn't have..." Draco protested weakly.
Harry pulled his wand from his robes, ready to send his Patronus back to Grimmauld Place, demanding the Auror squad's presence.
"No," Draco said, catching his hand. "They'd never get in."
"We have to do something," Harry said. Bear started to cry.
"Let's go back in," Draco said. "They'll notice we're gone in a minute. Act normal, see what you can find out."
Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm the only Gryffindor in the entire place. No one will talk to me."
"You'd be surprised," Draco said wryly. "Amongst this lot, power is everything. And you've got more power than the rest of them combined."
They returned to the ballroom hand in hand. It pained Harry to do it, but he allowed Draco to take Bear, smoothly transferring him to his own hip and wiping away the frustrated tears with the pad of his thumb.
"Pansy's over in the corner," Harry said in a low voice, his head ducked low as he straightened his robes. "Looks like her baby is crying."
Draco nodded to let him know he'd understood and went over to talk children with his old housemate. Harry returned to the bar and was gifted with another glass of champagne, which he sipped slowly, although it did nothing for the twist of sickness in his belly.
Surely enough, before long he was approached by another old housemate.
"Zabini," Harry said, inclining his head in greeting.
"Potter." It didn't take long for the tall dark man to start fishing for gossip. "So, I see you're all shacked up with Draco these days. Shocking."
"Isn't it just," Harry agreed.
"And with a brat, too."
Immediately, Harry's heckles rose. "He's my godson. And Draco's nephew. His parents died, Zabini, we're all he has left."
"How... moral of you," Blaise said slowly. "I see you're flirting with the potential in-laws already."
"Huh?"
Blaise sipped his drink. "Lady Yaxley."
"Draco's related to her?" Harry exclaimed.
"Potter, Potter," Blaise sighed. "When will you learn? When you move in these circles, we're all related."
"I'm not sure that's something to be proud of," Harry murmured.
Blaise shrugged. "Welcome to pure-blood society."
Returning to his drink, Harry watched the sweep of high society laid out in front of him. Across the room Draco had calmed Bear down and the baby was now happily chewing on a piece of cheese that Draco had taken from the buffet table.
As Bear turned his hair a soft shade of sage green and his fingertips butter yellow to match the cheese, Harry noticed the wide eyed stare of more than one person in the room.
It was nothing compared to the hungry want in the eyes of Lady Yaxley.
Harry dropped his glass and Disapparated on the spot, reappearing at Draco's side and grabbing him in a blind panic.
"Come on, we have to go," Harry murmured. "Sorry, Pansy."
"It's okay," she said, shaking her head at Draco's attempt to start explaining. "I'll cover for you. Go, Draco."
"Take all of us," Draco said and Harry nodded his understanding, grabbing Draco by the arm and turning once more into the discomforting twist of three way side- along Disapparition.
xXx
"Are we..."
"Diagon Alley, yes," Harry confirmed.
It was almost creepy at night, with all the shops closed up tight and only the light from several taverns along the street lighting up the cobblestones.
"I don't know if it's safe to go home," Harry said. "She's been trying to get at me there already. Now she knows both you and Bear are with me. I'm not taking any chances."
He knocked on the door to George's flat and tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for it to be opened.
"Harry?" George said, opening the door wearing a pair of pyjama bottoms and a t-shirt.
"Can we come in?" Harry asked quickly.
"Yeah, sure."
George opened the door wider and the three piled into the flat. Angelina was curled up on the sofa when they followed George through to the living room; she too was in her pyjamas and reading a book.
"Hey guys, what's going on?" she asked. "I thought you were at the pure-blood ball."
"We were," Draco said drily. "Call Stonestreet, Harry."
Harry took a deep breath and reminded himself of the feeling of being wrapped up in Draco's arms. "Expecto Patronum."
"What's going on, guys?" George asked.
Draco sank down into the sofa and put Bear on the floor, then unbuttoned his robes from around his throat.
"We know who's after Bear," he said wearily.
"What?" George demanded. "Who?"
"Lady Yaxley," Harry said. George frowned.
"I thought she was dead too, Weasley," Draco said. "Apparently not. According to Pansy she's been living with her parents in Northern Ireland, 'recovering' from the shock of the war."
George's eyes widened with understanding.
"Did she know about the Aurors breaking into Yaxley Manor?" Angelina asked.
"I'm sure she did," Draco said. "Her parents, Lord and Lady McQuillen, if I'm not mistaken, would be in their eighties by now. If she wanted to slip past them it wouldn't be too difficult. I'm sure it was her who cast the traitor's curse. I fucking know it was her."
Harry watched as Draco self-consciously rubbed at the scarred skin on his forearm. He knew that it still itched, sometimes.
"Was she a Death Eater?" Harry asked softly.
"No," Draco shook his head. "She was childless. Something happened... she couldn't... Oh, god."
He dropped his head, fisting his hands in his pale hair. Harry shucked off his robes and slid onto the sofa next to Draco, pulling the other man into a tight embrace.
"How many others?" Draco asked. "How many other children has she got?"
"She might not have hurt them," Harry said soothingly. "We don't know. We just need to speak to Stonestreet."
"He's requesting entry," George said. "I'm letting him through now."
The story was recounted in short bursts to the no-nonsense man who Harry was entrusting his entire family with. Stonestreet listened with a furrowed brow and one hand tightly clenched around his wand.
"She won't get into Grimmauld Place," Stonestreet said as soon as they were done. "You're safer there than at Hogwarts, even. Go home. I've got this."
He nodded to George and disappeared with a pop.
"I'm so sorry to do this to you," Harry said, standing again and throwing his discarded robes over his shoulder.
"It's no trouble at all," Angelina said. "We just want to know you're safe. All of you."
Harry scooped Bear up from the floor.
"Stay in touch, yeah?" George said, standing too.
"Of course."
George leaned in and kissed Bear on the head, then hugged Harry tightly. Then he turned to Draco and hugged him, too.
"Take care, guys."
Harry took a pinch of green powder from the pot on the fireplace and spoke his destination, stepping easily into the flames. Draco nodded at the remaining Weasly twin, and followed.
xXx
When they arrived back at the house they found it suspiciously empty. Ron, at least, had left a note, explaining that Stonestreet had rallied his team together and was using Jamieson to attempt to break into Pansy's parent's home.
Harry performed a quick sweep of the house, firing off a series of spells to check the magical protection surrounding the house. It was secure. Even so, as he went back up to the living room he was nervous.
"Do you think she knows we know?" he asked Draco, who was sat on the floor with Bear and his blocks.
"I don't know. Maybe."
Harry sat too, absently sorting the blocks by colour. "I trust Stonestreet."
"Me too."
"And we're safe here."
Draco had pulled off the top layer of his dress robes and rolled up his shirtsleeves. Needing something to do, Harry collected up the discarded clothes and headed back upstairs to hang them up. He undressed and showered, letting the hot water calm him. Or start to calm him, at least. We're home, he told himself. We're home and we're safe.
It was late, past Bear's bedtime by the time he was finished in the bathroom. It had felt like everything had happened so quickly but in truth, several hours had passed. He and Draco shared Bear's bedtime routine and on a whim Harry levitated the crib through to his and Draco's bedroom, planting it at the end of their bed.
"You know this means we can't do anything naughty tonight, right?" Draco said, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist from behind, watching Bear pull himself to standing in the crib to get a better look at his new surroundings.
"I can handle it, for one night," Harry said, turning in Draco's arms. "You should know I changed the wards. No one can get in."
"Not even..." Draco started.
"No one," Harry interrupted. "Not Ron or Hermione or Stonestreet or God himself can get in without us knowing beforehand."
Draco nodded. "I've never seen you scared before. Even during the battle you seemed so calm and composed."
"I was scared shitless," Harry laughed. "But this is different. He's our son, Draco. Seeing Pansy today with Cynthia confirmed that for me, if I even needed it. Her daughter doesn't have a daddy who wants her, but Bear has two parents who love him and each other. I don't give a fuck what anyone else has to say any more."
They undressed in silence and slipped under the cool sheets. Bear watched them curiously as Draco wrapped himself around Harry's curled body.
"Go to sleep sweetheart," he said softly.
"Duck," Bear said seriously, and laid down in his crib, facing his Daddies.
A/N: To my most beloved regular reviewers, know this - I love you more than life itself. I'm like Tinker Bell, I'll die without applause.
So, if you leave me a little review, I'll send you a little teaser for the next chapter.
Which, as anyone who follows me on tumblr or twitter will tell you, is not going so well right now. But it is coming. (TWSS)