Chapter 8:

In retrospect Harry didn't know what exactly had made him snap in the end. Sure it had been a long time coming but it was 2am and he had to be up in four hours if he was going to make it to work on time. Monday morning madness was definitely a thing that existed and no there was still no cure for it.

Writing your letter of resignation at 2am on a Monday morning was probably not the brightest of ideas. Harry had never really been known for bright ideas though and besdies he couldn't sleep anyway. His bed was too hot with the covers on or too cold with them off. A multitude of charms hadn't helped either.

He was staring at the ceiling, waiting for time to pass by till morning when he realized that this was exactly what he was doing with his life as well. Robards could groom him all he liked but there was no way Harry could even convince himself he would enjoythe new position he was offered. Hell, he might as well just let the Ministry shackle him right now. This epiphany of sorts had him practically leaping out of bed and crashing around in his room in search of his good parchment and quill.

"Master Harry!" Kreacher cried, appearing with a crack. He lowered the frying pan he was wielding when he saw that there was in fact no intruder. "Is Master Harry alright?" asked the elf, eyes widening in confusion.

"Parchment, Kreacher!" Harry barked at him. "I need parchment and my good quill."

Kreacher nodded and left only to reappear not a moment later with his hands filled with rolls and rolls of parchment and about five different quills and inkpots. He dumped everything onto Harry's bedside table that he then proceeded to transform into an elegant writing desk with the snap of his fingers.

"Will Master Harry be needing anything else?" asked the elf. He looked around warily at the state of the room. Harry had been kind of frantic in his search for writing materials earlier but he did feel guilty now though. "Some tea, perhaps?"

Harry nodded; taking a seat once the house elf bustled away, muttering under his breath as he went. With a deep breath Harry dipped his quill and began to write, barely thinking as he let his hand scratch away at the page.

It was terrible. Harry scrunched it up and threw it across the room, aiming for the bin and missing it by a long shot. Perhaps he should have asked Kreacher to find him a self-help book on writing resignation letters for the job you've held for almost eight years and that most of the wizarding world expected you to hold until you were either killed or retired. Harry actually thought the first option sounded more appealing. At least it would mean he would have gone down with a bang, actually helping rather than just sitting in an office pushing papers all day because he was too 'valuable' to risk on the field.

Harry sighed, placing his quill back onto the parchment and watching the ink blot that followed.

"Kreacher has brought Master Harry tea and cookies," announced the house elf, parading back into the room and actually using the door this time. He placed the said beverage and snacks on the table, huge eyes staring at the few words Harry had managed to scribble down on his second attempt at the letter. He quickly scuttled away when Harry turned to him.

Harry shrugged. He was used to the elf's antics by now. Besides Kreacher was entitled to his secrets. Tightening his grip on the quill in his hands, Harry tried to focus on the task at hand. The problem was that every time he wrote something, some reason, it just came out sounding weak or selfish.

He could almost see Robards looking over it, picking at every reason he had for throwing his career away and spitting out a thousand reasons to stay in its place.

With a frustrated sigh, Harry crossed out the last sentence he'd written before scrunching up the parchment once again. He was about to throw it at the bin again but managed to stop himself just in time when he caught sight of Kreacher.

The house elf was crouched down beside the bin, Harry's first piece of writing clutched in his long fingers. When he looked up, his wide eyes were rimmed with tears. The house elf actually looked like he was about to cry! That… was definitely a first.

"Kreacher?" said Harry warily.

The house elf seemed to snap out of whatever state he had been in. He shook his head and wiped an arm swiftly across his eyes. "Kreacher is sorry but he was just picking up this parchment to throw away."

"Why are you sorry?" Harry asked, genuinely curious now that the elf didn't seem like he was ready to start sobbing.

"For reading the parchment," Kreacher told him. He balled it up again and threw it in the bin.

"Does it upset you that I want to quit my job?" Harry pushed.

Kreacher actually looked offended. "Kreacher has been waiting for this day for many years," the house elf announced. Without saying another word, Kreacher bowed and left the room.

Harry stared at his receding figure, wondering if he should summon him back. The questions he wanted to ask died on his tongue though when he remembered that look on the house elf's face that had probably been a mixture of joy and disbelief. Stranger things had happened he supposed.

Flattening out a blank piece of parchment, Harry decided it was easier to do as Kreacher had done. He would simply say his part without justifying why. He really didn't owe them an explanation other than he no longer wished to work for the Auror department.

Harry had almost forgotten he had promised to take Teddy shopping for school supplies until his godson came bouncing through his floo early on Wednesday morning.

"Harry!" cried the boy, flopping down beside him on the couch where he had been reading the day's paper. "Harry, Harry, Harry!" he continued to chant until Harry rolled his eyes and put the paper away.

"At the rate you're going I might just owl Neville and tell him to give you extra essays on the most boring plants he can think of," Harry told him, ruffling his hair.

Teddy pouted. "Neville says there's no such thing as a boring plant."

"True," Harry agreed, reaching for his coffee. "Perhaps Professor McGonagall then."

Teddy looked downright terrified. Minerva (Harry was still not used to calling her that) had visited Teddy a few times over the years but always a tough nut to crack, she was apparently one of the few people who was resistant to the boy's his charms. Although she did speak fondly of him when Teddy wasn't around so Harry suspected that wasn't entirely true.

Harry watched as his godson continued to stare as he took another sip of coffee. "Would you like some?" he asked, offering him the cup.

Teddy shook his head vigorously, leaning away from the offending drink. "I don't know how you drink that," he said, scrunching up his nose. "It's gross and it smells."

Harry laughed. "I used to think so too," he said, pointedly taking a deep whiff of the freshly brewed coffee. He was treating himself this week, getting the more expensive beans. "Just wait till you grow up."

Teddy sniffed. "I'm never going to be a grown up," he said with such conviction Harry might actually believe it. "Hurry up, Harry!"

"Relax," Harry said, checking the time. "It's only nine."

"But you have to go back to work soon!" Teddy cried, trying to nudge him off the couch.

That was true he'd only taken half a day off from work for the excursion. He thought back to the letter still sitting unsent on his bedside table and made up his mind instantly. To hell with it, he may as well take the rest of the day off as well right? The paper work could wait till tomorrow.

"I'll just floo in and tell them I won't be making it at al today," said Harry. He tried not to let the shocked look on Teddy's face make him feel too guilty.

"You're taking the whole day off?" asked the boy, staring up at Harry with wide eyes. "For me?"

"Of course," Harry shrugged. "Why wouldn't I?"

"You never take days off!"

Harry wanted to argue but he really didn't have a case. "I'll call them now." He paused, taking in the way the boy was beaming up at him. "In fact you can stay the night if you like."

Teddy cheered, giving Harry a quick hug. "You have to ask grandma! She'll say yes if you ask."

Harry laughed, knowing that he was potentially the biggest pushover when it came to this boy. "Sure, kid."

"Also we need to hurry up or we'll be late," said Teddy. "I'll grab your coat."

"The shops aren't going anywhere, you know," Harry laughed but Teddy looked like he was on a mission as he darted off to find the coat rack.

As an auror, Harry liked to think he had fairly decent senses. He had learned to tell when people were lying or when they were withholding information when he was questioning them. So when Teddy all but dragged him to Florean Fortescue's, he really should not have been blindsided when they ran into none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Teddy!" cried the man as soon as he saw them. He looked worried, Harry noted, barely acknowledging Harry until he had pulled Teddy into a quick hug. "I thought- never mind, I told you it was a bad idea to meet here! We could have flooed together. I should have picked you up, I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Teddy smiled, tugging Harry forward. "I had to go to Harry's first."

Draco straightened up, finally seeming to realize that Teddy already had a companion. "Harry," he said by way of greeting. "I didn't know you were-" He looked back at Teddy, seemingly puzzled. Teddy just gave him that mock innocent smile and Harry could see the exact moment the pieces fell into place in Draco's mind. He scowled down at Teddy first before turning back to Harry. "I promised Teddy I'd take him shopping for Hogwarts supplies."

"That's funny," said Harry, giving Teddy a pointed glare. "I promised Teddy the same thing."

Teddy looked equal parts proud and guilty as he smiled back up at them. "How about you both take me so no one has to break their promises," he suggested. Honestly, one day Harry was going to have to sit down with the boy and teach him the art of subtlety.

"Well if you're okay with that," Harry asked warily, trying to catch Draco's eyes. The blonde still had his arms crossed and was having some sort of silent conversation with Teddy that involved a lot of eyebrow raising on his part.

Draco looked up and blinked. "Oh please, it's only Diagon Alley, Potter, I won't jump you in a street full of school children."

Harry snorted. "Alright," he shrugged.

"I can go if you like-" Draco began, looking worried all of a sudden.

Harry just laughed. "No, I think we can manage to not burn the place down for a few hours." He wasn't quite sure but he could have sworn he saw the blonde's lips twitch to show the ghost of a smile. He didn't bother questioning it, starting to lead the way towards the shops instead. "Have you got your list, Teddy?"

Teddy beamed up at him and fished a rather crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. "Grandma already ordered robes," he explained. "I just need the rest."

Draco took the paper from him and stared at it, brow furrowed. "It's exactly the same," he announced, handing it back to the boy. "Only the editions have changed."

Harry shrugged. "Well they can't exactly reinvent the history of magic or transfiguration, can they?"

"I bet if they write a new book you'll be in it and Mom and Dad as well!" Teddy cried grinning up at Harry. He had heard all the stories about the War. Harry and Andromeda had made sure that although he didn't actually remember his parents he still knew how they had fought for him right till the very end. The proud smile the boy took on as he talked about them left Harry feeling like, yes, he may have messed up a lot in his life but at least he could say he had done right by his godson.

"Sure," smiled Harry. Maybe in another hundred years a new set of students would be struggling to stay awake in History of Magic as Professor Binns droned on and on about the death eaters and the battle of Hogwarts. It was oddly comforting in a way.

Draco let out a small cough. "Perhaps you could write a set of books, Harry," he said, he said, still looking like he was struggling to keep a straight face. "'Dancing with Dementors' or maybe write an autobiography 'Magical Me: the Chosen One edition'" He chuckled when Harry turned to glare at him. "Just an idea, you can thank me later. Actually I bet if you asked McGonagall would even let you teach at Hogwarts."

"I am not writing an autobiography, Draco," Harry bit out. "I'll leave that to you."

"Now, now, if you had actually read it you would know that Forget-me-not is not actually an autobiography," Draco sniffed. Harry didn't think this was the time to say that he had actually read it and it seemed like less of an autobiography and more like a piece of his soul had been printed onto the pages. For a person as private as Draco it would have taken a great deal of courage.

Flourish and Blotts was buzzing with young kids some in small packs and others flanked by their parents, most talking animatedly as they clutched their list of supplies. They got a few stares but with everyone too caught up in their own conversation it was easy to weave their way through the store.

Teddy stared wistfully at Quidditch Through the Ages as they walked past it. "I think I need a new broom."

Draco laughed. "No broomsticks for first years. You can get one next year."

Teddy turned his pleading look to Harry, puppy-dog eyes out at full force. "Draco's right," Harry told him, nudging his godson towards the growing line at the counter. "You can get one next year."

Teddy pouted but seemed to accept that he had lost this particular battle.

"So Teddy," said Draco when they finally managed to make it out of Flourish and Blotts. "Harry here tells me your favourite colour is yellow. Is that true?"

Teddy hummed thoughtfully. "No, not anymore" he said at last. "I think I like turquoise now or sea blue maybe."

Draco smirked at Harry over the boy's head. "Turquoise, did you say?" he drawled, still looking ridiculously smug (and annoyingly gorgeous). "That's very close to green isn't it, Harry?"

Harry grunted. Teddy on the other hand was more excited. "Actually I was going to see if I could get my hair that colour."

Draco finally turned his stupid self-satisfied face away from Harry to smile down at his young cousin. "Sure, we can try it later."

"Where to next?" asked Harry if only to change the subject. The last thing he needed was for these two to start tag teaming him.

"Cauldrons!" cried Teddy looking far too excited at the prospect. Harry would bet any number of galleons that Draco had something to do with that. He had heard plenty of stories about all the 'super cool' potions Draco had let Teddy brew with him.

He chanced a glance at Draco but the blonde was too busy smiling down at Teddy to notice. When Harry almost ran into an elderly witch and her granddaughter he blamed it on Teddy who had them practically barreling down the crowded street.

The morning quickly trickled into the afternoon without any of them noticing. Teddy's list of supplies wasn't actually very long however with the first of September just days away the line in every single store was massive.

They managed to pass the time rather well though. Teddy was buzzing with excitement and that was contagious. Harry found himself reliving his own first day in Diagon Alley through his godson. Sure, the circumstances were quite different but all the same the joy on Teddy's face when he finally found his wand or when he was running his hands along the various cauldrons, chatting animatedly about base ingredients and versatility with Draco, made it no less incredible.

By the time they had worked their way down the list it was nearing four in the evening and the crowds had thankfully begun to dwindle.

"I think we have everything," Teddy announced at last, tearing his eyes away from one of the shop windows that was displaying a rather marvelous looking broom. It was a lot more nimble than his old Firebolt had been actually. Actually it had been a while since he'd last been flying on it…

"Alright, Harry?" Malfoy asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You know if you took a picture it would last longer."

"Look at you, throwing around fancy new muggle lines," said Harry, ignoring the knowing look Draco was giving him.

Draco laughed. "I learned a few here and there," he said with a shrug. "I miss it too," he added as they walked absent-mindedly back up the street.

Harry missed flying with him. It wasn't the same when he was alone, looking down on the world actually made him feel more acutely lonely than when he was on the ground. Teddy had joined him when he was old enough of course, first on a toy broom and then working his way up to Harry's Firebolt. The boy handled his broom well but he just couldn't keep up. It didn't help that every time his godson dipped or weaved faster than usual Harry's heart would skip a beat as he imagined all the terrible things that could happen so high up.

It had been different with Draco. Every swoop or dive the blonde would match and to top it all off Draco could look after himself. Harry didn't need to keep looking over his shoulder because he knew Draco would be hot on his heels. Sometimes it had been the other way around and Harry would find himself caught up in the thrill of the chase, tailing Draco as close as he could till the other man did a pirouette or began to dive. They'd crash down onto the grass together, a tangle of brooms and limbs and they'd just lie there, breathless but with matching smiles of satisfaction.

Looking over at Draco now, he found that he ached for that easy carelessness again. The only problem was he didn't know if he could survive having it wrenched away a second time.

"Where are we going?" Teddy asked, dragging Harry back to their current predicament. "The Leaky Cauldron is the other way."

"I think we have one last stop to make before we head home," Harry told him with a small smile.

"We do?" his godson's eyes travelling down his list again.

Draco gave him a quizzical look but Harry just shrugged, continuing to lead the way. Harry saw the exact moment the blonde figured out where they were going. His eyes widened and he gave Harry a small nod.

"Eeylops?" demanded Teddy as soon as he worked out where they were heading. Eeylop's Owl Emporium was a small, brown store that they had passed a couple of times during the day without sparing a second glance. Teddy was looking at it now though like it held the secrets to life itself. "We're going to Eeylop's!" The look he wore was one of pure delight and in that moment Harry could convince himself that yeah, he was buying Teddy an owl for completely unselfish reasons. It was definitely not a ploy of sorts to encourage the boy to write more letters. No, definitely not.

The shop was just as he remembered – small and dark and filled with cages upon cages of owls. Some began to hoot as they entered while others preferred to just watch with beady eyes.

One particular bird, a screech owl with large feather tufts rather like ridiculously ears made a dive at them from one of the perches that hung from the ceiling. Teddy laughed, waving his hands at the creature who calmly flew back to its post and continued to simply watch them and hoot occasionally.

"Welcome to Eeylop's Owl Emporium, Sirs," said a short, stout man from the counter near the back of the store. He had two rather distinct patches of hair that seemed to match the feather tufts of his owls. "How may I help you today?"

"We're looking for an owl, actually," Harry told him, squeezing Teddy's shoulder proudly. "Teddy here is heading to Hogwarts this year."

"Ah," said the man, clasping his hands together. "So will it be a companion you are seeking today? Perhaps a post owl? I have some of the fastest in the country you know."

Harry looked to Teddy but he and Draco were already busy examining the cages and their inhabitants. "Perhaps we'll just have a look around first," he told the man.

"You may, Sir but I daresay rather like a wand sometimes it's the owl that will choose you." He laughed at the perplexed look Harry gave him but didn't bother with an explanation. Instead he pulled out a large bag of owl treats and began to feed a small barn owl that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere to land on his shoulder. Harry took that as a dismissal.

"I want one like Lyra," he heard Teddy tell Draco as they watched a large Tawny owl busily smoothing out its feathers.

"Pygmy owls are incredibly rare, Teddy," Draco told him, absent-mindedly ruffling the boys hair. Teddy ducked away with a scowl. He had barely made it far when the screech owl from before made a dive at him again.

"I can't believe you actually send that poor bird out with letters," said Harry stepping up beside Draco. He'd done a once over the second they had stepped in and none of the birds here had the look of a snowy owl. For that, Harry was glad. He had never ended up replacing Hedwig, choosing to use Ministry owls or sending a patronus instead when he needed to.

"What's wrong with Lyra?" Draco asked. He looked deeply affronted.

"She looked like she could barely hold that piece of parchment you sent me, let alone fly around with it."

"Well she's stronger than she looks," sniffed Draco.

Harry was about to protest when he was cut off by a fit of giggles. They both turned to watch Teddy continue to struggle with the owl that had set about trying to peck his ears and nose off.

"Should we help him?" Draco laughed.

Harry smiled and shook his head. "I just wish we could film this."

The bird was doing a better job messing up Teddy's hair than neither Draco nor Harry had ever managed to accomplish. In fact the little thing now looked like it was trying to simply pick Teddy up by the hair and fly him up to its perch.

"I want this one!" Teddy finally managed to gasp. "I think it likes me."

Funnily enough as soon as they had herded him into a cage and had handed over fifteen galleons, the owl seemed to settle down. He rested his head against Teddy's hand and began nibbling at his fingers. Teddy's smile was so wide it looked like it might actually be hurting him. He tried to squeeze his fingers as far into the cage as they would go so he could pat the bird inside.

In the end Harry was left carrying the bulk of the school supplies as they walked back to the Leaky Cauldron. Draco, the completely useless prat had one arm slung around Teddy and the other tucked in his pocket.

"You're an auror Harry, surely those biceps aren't simply for aesthetics," he said smoothly when Harry called him out on it.

Harry just glared at him until the man rolled his eyes and took one of the bags from him. "It continues to astound me that you still haven't worked out how to use a shrinking charm," he complained.

Harry shrugged. "Old habits," he offered, taking one last look back at Diagon Alley. They hadn't burnt the place down after all. It was a start, right?

Kreacher had cooked all of Teddy's favourites for dinner. The boy had a sweet tooth so that meant minimal dinner and a huge variety of desserts that Andromeda would probably throw a fit about.

Harry figured as Teddy's godfather it was sort of his duty to spoil the boy as much as possible. Besides he was going to Hogwarts and then there would be no more Saturdays together or sleepovers just a letter every now and then if he was lucky. Teddy wasn't exactly big on writing either so Harry wasn't expecting much on that front.

He watched Teddy pile his plate up as high as he could (to Kreacher's delight) and found for the first time a hint of sadness setting in. Hogwarts had been home to Harry, not to mention the best years of his life. He'd found his family there after all. But Teddy already had a home. He had family! He was Harry's family and soon he'd be gone and Harry just could not deal with that right now.

Some of his thoughts must have showed on his face because Draco leaned in when Teddy was busy asking Kreacher about his day. "Are you alright, Harry?" he had whispered and Harry had just taken a deep breath and nodded.

Later while Harry was putting him to bed, Teddy had held Harry's hand and looked up at him with an intensity he didn't know the boy possessed. "Is Draco going to be here tomorrow morning?" he had asked. "I want him to stay Harry, promise me he'll be here in the morning."

Harry didn't know what to say. He just stared at his godson's already half asleep face and could not bring himself to answer.

"Sure, I'll stay," came a voice from the doorway, almost making him jump. Harry frowned as Draco stepped in. He wasn't sure how long the blonde had been standing by the door but they needed to have a conversation about knocking.

Teddy peered around Harry at Draco. "G'night Draco," he said, finally satisfied. He had been fighting so hard to keep his eyes open so he could hear Harry's answer and now he let them flutter shut as he drifted off.

Harry would have stayed longer to watch him but with Draco hovering just by his shoulder it somehow just felt too intimate. Instead he leaned forward brushing the stray hairs from his godson's face and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.

When he moved past Draco he tried not to look back. His traitorous eyes did glance back though and what he saw made him want to manually wrench the stupid butterflies from his stomach. Draco's sweet smile was bad enough as he looked fondly down at his cousin but then he leaned in and placed a kiss on Teddy's brow just as Harry had done.

It was just so gentle and yet simple and it had Harry's toes curling into the carpet. He looked away before Draco could catch him staring, clenching his hands into a fist as he took the stairs two at a time.

"Harry, look," said Draco, following him down. "I know I said I would stay but only if it's fine by you. I can always come back tomorrow morning to pick him up."

Harry shook his head. "You promised him you'd stay, if you go home you have to be here when he wakes up."

Draco nodded. "I can do that." He looked around the living room like he was taking it all in for the first time. There was a mixture of awe and something else that Harry couldn't quite place written on his face.

"I redecorated," Harry offered when the silence began to grow too thick.

"I can see that," Draco said softly. He seemed to be speaking more to himself than anyone else. "It's brighter," he said at last. "And you managed to get rid of Walburga."

"Hermione and Ron helped," said Harry with a shrug. "She has contact with one of the very best curse breakers the Ministry is aware of and he helped me with the wallpaper."

Draco nodded. "We never really got around to the wall paper did we?"

"We were busy," Harry said, perhaps a little too quickly. He was not being defensive he was merely pointing out the truth. They had never gotten around to fixing the place up because they both had their plates full. By the time Harry got home from auror training, all he wanted was to eat dinner and lounge around with Draco. Meanwhile Draco himself was trying to single handedly rebuild his family's reputation for his Mother's sake even while he worked on his writing. Interior decorating was the last thing on their minds at night.

"It looks good," Draco told him, eyes searing into Harry till he had no choice but to look away.

"It looks better in the daytime with the sunlight coming in," Harry told him, running a hand through his hair nervously.

Draco didn't seem to mind. He had the most peculiar look on as he wordlessly sunk into his favourite armchair, the one closest to the fire. Harry didn't know why he kept the stupid chair. It wasn't like he used it or anything. The thing had once been full of class and majesty but the years had left it slightly lopsided and if not for Kreacher's constant need to clean it would probably be inches deep in dust by now. Still Harry had clung onto it and now Draco was smiling up at him looking so utterly sated and Harry really didn't know how to deal with that.

He found himself sinking into his own spot, trying very hard to quell the hammering in his chest.

"So," said Draco, thankfully breaking the silence. "Are you going to tell me what that was all about at dinner tonight?"

Harry frowned. "What do you mean?"

Draco repositioned himself probably so he could study Harry's face and be sure that he wasn't hiding anything. "You were staring at Teddy like he frightened you or something also I'm pretty sure you almost broke that glass you were holding."

"If I tell you that nothing's wrong what are the chances you will believe me and just drop the subject?"

"Null," said Draco leaning back into the couch. "Absolutely no chance whatsoever."

Harry sighed. "Of fucking course," he muttered under his breath. "I guess," he added out loud for Draco's benefit. "It finally hit me that Teddy's going to be at Hogwarts soon."

Draco nodded. "He'll be back for holidays, of course and you will always be welcome at Andromeda's." He hesitated before adding, "and the Manor too."

Harry shook his head. "It's not going to be the same. Teddy-after- there hasn't been a week in the past years that I haven't seen him." He took a long breath, wondering if he should continue. There was so much more to it than the simple fact that Teddy had always been around to break up the monotony that was his life. His dimpled face and easy giggles had gotten Harry through the roughest patches of the past years. "He's the only one that has never felt sorry for me after you-after we broke up. Looking after him was something I could do, something I was good at doing. When everyone else was just too busy trying to look after me he was always there, reminding me I had to carry on with my life for his sake." Harry shook his head. "I'm ranting and half of that probably made no sense to you at all. I'm sorry I shouldn't be-"

He broke off when he saw Draco's face. The guy was sitting up again, straight as a board and looking like he wanted to say something but he couldn't find the words. "Harry," he began, his voice catching. He cleared his throat and started again. " Harry, I am so sorry I put you through that." Harry took a deep breath to steel himself for what he knew was coming. "I know I will never be able to erase what happened. If I could do these last few years over there are so many things I would have changed but all I can do now is be here for you now, if you'll let me."

"It's worth a try," said Harry with a nod. He watched Draco's eyes widen like he had been expecting a fight and was surprised at the lack of resistance. "But I think we should start off as friends and see where it takes us from there."

Draco practically melted. His shoulders slumped and he dropped his gaze to examine the hands on his lap. Harry could see his lips moving like he was counting. It was something his mind healer had suggested and he had in turn taught it to Harry. In fact, Harry still used the technique sometimes when he felt like he had to clear his thoughts.

Finally the searching grey eyes found Harry again. "We were never friends, Harry."

"Exactly!" Harry told him. "We were never friends. It will be something new for us. We can repair our trust and get to know each other again. I think it's the only way forward from here. Draco. We can't go back to the way things were, obviously but this we can do."

Harry could practically see the gears turning in Draco's head as he sorted through the proposal. Harry was quite proud of it actually. For something that hadn't exactly been planned (he was just saying the first thing that came to mind) he felt it actually sounded quite reasonable. Even Hermione would have approved.

Finally Draco nodded. He rose out of his chair and presented Harry with his hand. Harry didn't hesitate to take it this time. Draco's hand was warm and strong and confident, far from the hesitant handshake from the last time they had done this. Harry hoped that was some kind of sign.

Draco was just returning to his armchair when something made him stop in his tracks. Harry followed his gaze to the mantle above the fireplace only to find a book resting there that Harry had definitely shoved under the coffee table a couple of weeks ago. He had no choice. He was going to have to kill his house elf.

"You read it?" Draco asked, moving to pick it up. He was wearing an odd expression that Harry really didn't want to read into.

"Hermione gave it to me," he offered.

"Did you read it?" Draco asked again.

Harry sighed. "Cover to cover," he huffed. The smile Draco gave him made the smug look that followed worth it.

"Thoughts?" Draco pressed.

"What can I say that all your other adoring fans haven't already gushed about?" asked Harry and no, he was absolutely not pouting.

Draco shrugged. "I don't care what they think," he said like it was the simplest thing in the world.

Harry wanted to say that it was incredible and that he couldn't put it down or that he'd fallen asleep reading to Draco's words echoing in his mind. "It was… brave," Harry said instead, watching him closely.

Draco just frowned slightly as he waited, possibly for Harry to say more. When he received nothing but Harry's scrutinising gaze, his lips twitched before he schooled his face back into an aloof mask. "Well, it's getting late," he said, looking up at the big clock. "I'd better-especially if I have to be here when he wakes up…"

"Do you want to use my floo?" Harry asked, gesturing to the fireplace.

Draco shook his head. "No, I think I'd like a bit of a walk tonight," he said, smiling as Harry rose to his feet.

"Hmm," Harry hummed. A walk actually did sound good. He really needed to get back into running again actually. He'd found himself breathing heavily just from bounding up the stairs the other day. "Alright, well today was interesting."

Draco nodded. "Teddy will be back as often as he can to see you Harry," he added, taking a small step toward him. Harry found himself waiting for Draco to make it the rest of the way and reach out but he seemed to think better of it. "His home is with you and Andromeda. Teddy loves you and trust me no fancy castle or even magic can take that away."

Harry didn't trust himself to speak so he just nodded. He made to lead the way but Draco stopped him. "I know where the door is, Harry. You should get some rest."

It was probably a testament to how utterly drained Harry was that he actually listened without argument.

A/N: Hope you like! Thank you for sticking around lovelies :) let me know what you think!