Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe and characters belongs to J.K. Rowling, unfortunately not me.
Chapter 18
"Daaaaaad, you have to tell me," Scorpius whined, giving his father the best puppy dog face he could manage.
Draco rolled his eyes. "I do not think my dating life is any of your business," he replied, shaking his head at his son.
"So you and Mr. Potter are dating then," Scorpius said with a triumphant smirk.
Draco sighed. "I didn't say that. Scorpius please, when there is something to tell you will be the first person to know. I promise."
"Alright fine. I guess I can live with that," Scorpius said in disappointment. "Since you're going to deprive me of my fun, I think you owe me."
Draco regarded his son in amusement. "And what do I owe you?"
Scorpius gave him his most innocent smile. "I think you should let me go to a New Year's Eve party with Al...attheweasleys."
"I didn't quite catch that last part."
Scorpius sighed. "At the Weasleys."
Draco wrinkled his nose but didn't comment on it. "But what about our tradition?" Ever since Scorpius was little, he and Draco had spent New Year's Eve snuggled in front of the fire playing Exploding Snap and Wizard Chess until the wee hours of the morning. They would eat junk food and drink hot cocoa and overall just have a great time. Even when he and Astoria had been married, this is how they had spent the night. Astoria had always gone out to one party or another, and Draco would always graciously volunteer to babysit Scorpius. In reality, he would rather hang out with his son than mingle with a bunch of drunk people he barely knew.
Scorpius's face fell. "I love our tradition, but I just thought maybe this year we could do something different."
Draco didn't want to admit it, but it stung a little bit. He had to resist the urge to guilt his son into staying home with him. "You're right. I'm sure I can find something to do." He tried his best to smile but had a feeling it wasn't very convincing.
At that, Scorpius's face transformed into a mischievous grin. "About that."
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"Well, Al mentioned that his dad will be at the Ministry's party. I thought maybe you'd want to go as well."
Draco couldn't stop a small smile from breaking out. He watched as Scorpius noticed it and smirked at him. "Shut up. I suppose I could do worse than the Ministry party."
Scorpius just laughed. "That you could."
On New Year's Eve Draco found himself in a very similar position standing in front of his bedroom mirror, contemplating his reflection. He knew he was being ridiculous, but he just couldn't help himself. There was something about the thought of seeing Harry that made him question every wardrobe choice. It also made his stomach flutter with anticipation. Bloody hell, it was like being a teenager all over again.
"Dad, I'm going to head to the Weasley's in a minute," Scorpius called from the other side of the door.
Draco opened it and smiled at his son. "It's not too late to stay home and play games with me."
Scorpius laughed and shook his head. "I think it is, based on the way you've been pacing around the house all day. I wouldn't want to keep you from your crush."
Draco grimaced. "Grown men do not have crushes."
Scorpius snorted. "Sure, Dad, whatever you say. I'm sure you'll have a great time. And you look great."
Draco looked down at the robes he had chosen. They were a deep, emerald green lined in a deeper green velvet material. They were tailored well to his body type and had always been some of his favorites. They also happened to be almost the exact shade of Harry's eyes. But that certainly didn't have anything to do with why he was wearing them. "Thanks, son. You don't look so bad yourself. Any ladies you're trying to impress at this gathering? Or a gentleman perhaps?"
Scorpius's lips twitched, but he didn't respond. "Maybe when you tell me about your dating life, I'll tell you about mine." And with that, he scampered down the stairs and to the Floo.
Draco simply laughed and shook his head at his son. He glanced at himself one last time before following the path his son had just taken to head to the Ministry.
By the time that Draco arrived at the Ministry, the party was in full swing. He looked around taking in the sights. He spotted some familiar faces in the crowd, but for the most part it was a lot of people he didn't know. He also didn't spot the one face that he most wanted to spot. He sighed and made his way to the bar. He could have fun without Harry bloody Potter. He ordered a glass of Ogden's Old on the rocks and went to mingle with the crowd. Almost immediately, he ran into an old colleague and began to exchange pleasantries. This led to speaking with another business associate and an old family friend, and then before Draco knew it he had been there for nearly an hour and had consumed at least 3 glasses of firewhisky.
As he made his way to the bar once again, Draco heard his name being called. He turned around and was surprised to see Aiden Belmont standing in front of him. Aiden had been one of men that Draco had been seeing before the divorce. He was one of the the only men that Draco had actually had some semblance of feelings for. For awhile, Draco had even entertained the notion that one day they may have a chance to date. In the end, Aiden had broken things off because he didn't want to help Draco cheat anymore. Not because he was sick of being the other woman, so to speak, but because it was the noble thing to do. It had driven Draco insane at the time, but it had only made him like the man more.
"Aiden," he said with a smile. The other man smiled back and pulled him in for a hug. "How have you been?"
"I've been alright. How about you?" Aiden asked, looking at him with an intensity that surprised Draco but wasn't necessarily unpleasant.
"I've been good," Draco replied, a vision of Harry popping into his head.
"Good to hear," Aiden said and then after a pause, "I've missed you, Draco." He reached out to gently push some hair out of Draco's eye.
Draco was contemplating how to answer when he heard someone clear his or her throat behind him. And then he felt a hand on his lower back. Draco's eyes widened slightly in shock, and he whipped around to see who was behind him. He found himself staring into the questioning emerald eyes of none other than Harry Potter. He would like to think that there was a hint of anger in them too but that could just be wishful thinking. "Harry," he breathed happily. He knew that he should turn around to excuse himself from his conversation with Aiden, but Draco found that he couldn't turn away. Malfoy manners be damned.
Harry smiled at him. "Brought you a drink," he said sheepishly. "I saw you get interrupted on your way to the bar and thought you might like another." By the end of his sentence Harry was a lovely shade of bright red.
Draco smirked and took a subtle step forward. "And how long have you been watching me, Mr. Potter?" he asked playfully.
"Since the moment I walked in," Harry responded, startling Draco somewhat with his honesty. And suddenly Draco felt his cheeks heating up.
"And did you like what you saw?" Draco asked, his heart speeding up due to the intensity with which Harry was staring at him.
"I did, right up until the end there."
Draco smirked once again. "Jealous, Potter?" he asked, doing his best impression of 16 year old Draco.
Harry scowled half-heartedly at him. "Maybe...you should probably get used to it."
Draco felt himself melt at the other man's words. "I suppose that could be arranged."
Harry's face broke out into a smile. "Good." He leaned forward to whisper in Draco's ear. "Can I come over later and collect my midnight kiss?"
Draco's stomach flipped. "But I thought you said-"
Harry cut him off, "I know what I said, but you know what they say about New Year's Eve. How you spend this night is a prediction of how the whole rest of the year will go, and I would like to start us off on the right foot."
And with that and one more brush of his hand on Draco's lower back, Harry disappeared into the crowd, leaving Draco a quivering mess of anticipation.