CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"Why isn't Harry coming this week?" Lily asked, frowning. It was Friday night and they were all having dinner together, the brunet's absence the following day having just been disclosed.

"He's busy with his work, sweetie." Astoria explained, and James sneered.

"Is there a problem, James?" Draco asked impatiently.

The boy had spent most of the time since they'd been back locked in his room, and when they were around each other, the teenager did all possible to avoid saying more than he absolutely had to.

"No, not at all. I just think it's curious he'd let work keep him from coming and spending time with his long lost children." He replied mockingly.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Ah, you know, he was so eager to... what's the word he used? Reconnect with us that he even moved in, so it's a little ironic he'd let something like work get in the way now he's finally spending time with them. Unless, of course, we weren't the reason he moved in on the first place."

"James..." Draco warned, and the boy displicently put a forkful in his mouth.

"Why else would he live here when he has his own place?" Albus asked with a frown.

"Oh, I don't know." The blond teenager replied with a smile. "Do you have any ideas, dad?"

"That is quite enough of that, James. If-"

"What do you know that we don't?" Scorpius interrupted his father, who shot him a reproving look and was met with an apologetic shrug.

James just smiled, and it was evident from his expression he was concealing information. Before he could say anything else, the redhead demanded, "What did you do this time, James?"

His expression changed, and he looked angrily at the girl. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do. It's your fault he isn't coming, isn't it? You never wanted him around in the first place, and you finally managed to scare him away."

"Lily, please-"

"I didn't do anything, Lily. He did. And I'm more than glad he's not coming, he's done more than enough for us already."

"What could've he had done? Offered to play Quidditch with you? Go shopping? No, you hated him since he came back, and you couldn't accept that Albus and Scorpius and I became his friends-"

"Enough." Draco said just loud enough to be heard, his controlled anger tainting his tone. James and Lily looked at him wide-eyed, and the other two teenagers looked down to their own plates. "I won't have the two of you throwing accusations at each other, least of all during a family meal. Lily, regardless of the reason, the fact is Potter isn't coming tomorrow, and probably won't come next week either. James, I understand you're angry, but your behavior is unacceptable, and you have no right to take your feelings out on your siblings. If you want to talk about it, we can talk later and in private. Now, if you're not going to be pleasant to each other, we can finish out meal in silence."

And in silence they remained until the three youngest were excused.

"Do you want to talk about what's bothering you, James?" Draco offered calmly, and the boy shot a glance at Astoria before looking back at the blond man, without replying. "Say what you need to say, Jamie." He continued with a sigh.

The boy looked from one adult to the other a few times. He knew he was about to break his mother's heart, but she had the right to know. And he wasn't willing to keep the secret just to protect his dad. Not this time, not this secret.

"He cheated on you." He said quietly, looking down. When no reply came, he turned his eyes to the blonde woman, who just nodded understandingly. "Why aren't you angry?" He asked, equally frustrated and perplexed.

"I believe that's between your father and me, Jamie."

"But... He cheated on you! I saw him kissing Harry, and I'm willing to bet it wasn't the first time!"

She calmly nodded again. "I'm sorry you had to keep that secret, Jamie." She said with a smile, reaching out one hand to hold his, caressing it with her thumb. "I'm sure it must've been very hard for you, and I'm glad you decided to be honest with me. I know you're trying to protect me, and I appreciate it, but you don't have to. This is between your dad and me, and I promise you that is the only relationship it will affect."

"No, it's not. If he breaks you up, it'll affect all of us. Before he came, we were perfectly happy. Now you two might split up, and we spend half the time angry at each other and fighting. Fine, so maybe his cheating is only about the two of you, but the effect Harry's had on our family is much bigger than that. And I can't understand how you can just let him do that to us, just because three of us share DNA with him."

"I know you resent him, James. I know his coma was harder on you than on the others, but he's not to blame for the friction between you and the rest of the family." Draco replied calmly. "You don't have to like him, but you have to respect that others do, even if you don't understand it. Today, for example, you and Lily fought because you're so angry at Potter you can't accept she enjoys spending time with him. I know you're impulsive, and that you sometimes have trouble controlling your feelings, but you're almost a grown up now, and if you want to take my place one day, and nothing would make me prouder, you need to learn to separate reason and emotion."

"Protecting me is a noble feeling, Jamie, but Lily wasn't the threat. I know it's hard, but you need to learn how to separate the two."

"I know it wasn't her fault." He said quietly. "It's just that it frustrates me how she can't see how much damage he's causing us-"

"We've been there, Jamie. It's all a matter of perspective. You have every right to feel that way, but it doesn't make it the absolute truth." Draco interrupted.

The boy didn't reply, and they stayed quiet for long moments.

"Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?" Astoria asked gently, and James shook his head. "Okay. If you change your mind, you know you can come to us any time, right?" The boy nodded, but didn't say anything. "Very well, then. I think you owe Lily an apology, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Off you go, then." Draco smiled, and James returned the gesture before leaving. "This is such a mess." He sighed once they were left alone.

"Does that mean you and Harry are back together?" She asked curiously, but he shook his head.

"He's, er... He's made some demands I can't meet, and we're having trouble reaching some middle ground."

"He wants you to be exclusive, doesn't he? Maybe even have you leave me for him?" The blond man raised his eyebrows, and she giggled. "I always thought he was more the romantic kind. More than you, at least." Then she turned serious again. "Are you going to leave me?"

"What? No!" He exclaimed, sounding almost offended by the suggestion, and Astoria's smile was clearly relieved. "I couldn't leave you." He smiled at her, grabbing her hand and placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. "I really do love you, you know."

"That's good." She replied, and watched him in silence for long moments. "Seems you're in big trouble, then."

"Tell me about it."

"I don't know how I can help, but you'll let me know if there's anything I can do for you, won't you?"

"Of course." He smiled at her.

"In that case. I'm off to bed. Good night, dear."

Harry was sitting with a book in the study, trying to distract his mind from the fact he's much rather be on a broom in company of his children, when came the sound alarm informing him there was an incoming Floo call. As if being contacted at all wasn't surprising enough - after all, the Malfoys were the only ones who knew he was home -, it was none other than his daughter calling and asking to come over.

"Is everything okay?" Was the first thing he asked as she stepped out of the fireplace, and she nodded with a smile.

"I thought you were supposed to be at work." She said with a slight frown.

"I assume that's the reason you were given for my absence today?"

"Yeah."

"I just thought I should stay away for a while. Things are a bit delicate between James and Draco right now, and I don't want to add unnecessary pressure." He replied honestly, forgetting she was barely more than a child.

"So you thought you'd punish the rest of us?"

"No, Lily, not at all!" He said, surprised. "It was never about you. I'm sorry you feel that way."

She shrugged, falling on the couch. "What do you work with, anyway?"

"I volunteer at a foundation for war veterans." He replied, taking his usual seat.

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's really nice. It's a Muggle place, so nobody treats me like a celebrity." She nodded. "I could take you there one day, if you'd like. I'm sure the guys would like someone new to talk to, and with all you read, I'm sure you'd have plenty to talk about."

"Yeah, I'd like that." She smiled at him.

They spent part of the afternoon talking, and the redhead left Grimmauld Place with an armful of books and the promise that, if he wouldn't go to her the next week, she'd come to him.

He was still smiling to himself long after she was gone.

He didn't talk to anyone at the manor during the week, but an idea that popped into his mind Friday night had him Floo-calling his daughter mid-morning on Saturday, inviting her, Albus and Scorpius to spend the day sightseeing in Muggle London. Half an hour later, the four of them left the Leaky Caldron for a day of fun and spoils, with the kids being introduced to many Muggle treats and laughing and being amazed by the ingenuity with which Mugggles found ways to do what Wizards easily managed with a mere flick of their wands.

On the way back, he took them to the Weasley Wizard Wheezes for back-to-school gifts and a healthy dose of sugar at Fortescue's. Admittedly, moving around Diagon Alley was considerably more complicated, but all three children were very understanding, and happy to see the shops they got their belongings from for once, rather than having them delivered to them by the elves.

When Harry fell exhausted in his bed that night, he was more than satisfied with the good memories he'd made during what was probably the last time he'd see them before they went back to school.

As it would turn out, the three youngest would invite him to King's Cross on September 1st, and despite all the attention the brunet gained them, James was the only one in a hurry to disappear into the Hogwarts Express.

And when Harry accepted the Malfoys' invitation to have lunch at the manor, he knew exactly where he'd end up.

"We can't keep doing this." Harry said, still out of breath, lying on his back and with his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Why not? I'm under the strong impression that you enjoyed it, or am I wrong?" He smirked, looking sideways.

Almost exasperated green eyes met silver for a few moments.

"We're never going to reach an agreement about this, Potter."

"I know."

"What do you suggest, then?"

"I don't know."

"That settles it, then." The blond mocked.

"Do we really need a formal arrangement?" Harry asked, turning on his side.

"It was your idea. I was perfectly fine with the way things were."

"I guess." He sighed.

When he left the manor hours later, they still hadn't reached a conclusion. And the brunet began wondering if it really was that important after all.

"Are you okay, Jamie?" Chase asked quietly as they walked back to the Gryffindor Tower.

The blond boy had been uncharacteristically quiet during the ride and all throughout the feast, and now was strategically lagging behind and taking the long way around the castle. Not missing the change in their friend's behavior, Chase, Addison and Julie decided the boy should be the one to approach James, and sooner rather than later.

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" He replied angrily, without looking at his friend.

"What's wrong?" He asked softly, unaffected by the retort.

"Nothing's wrong." He insisted.

"I beg to differ."

James sighed. "Just some family drama, Chase. Nothing to worry about."

"Your dad?"

The blond stopped on his tracks, turning around to face his friend. "Can't you take a hint, Chase? I don't want to talk about it."

"I can take a hint, and I can ignore it. Avoiding it isn't going to make it go away."

"Apparently it won't make you go away either." The remark gained him a tongue sticking out of the other boy's mouth, and he finally smiled weakly. "It's just complicated. Much more complicated than I thought, and I just need to put my thoughts back in order."

"Maybe I can help if you tell me about it?" He offered, but James shook his head. "If you ever change your mind, you know we're all here for you, right? Whatever it is, it won't stop us from being your friends and we'll make sure nobody else hears about it."

"I know, Chase. Thanks."

They smiled at each other for a moment before starting towards the dorms again.

"So, I've had some ideas for this year..." Chase began, and the other boy was glad for the distraction, even if he didn't absorb more than a fraction of what had been said.

Over the following months, the boy let school and friends and Quidditch distract him from his family issues, and as he hadn't gone into any detail with any of his friends, they quickly forgot all about it. But as the winter came around and the year came to an end, the inevitability of the confrontation with his home life began to put pressure on him again, making him seriously consider staying at the castle during Winter break.

None of the Malfoy children or any of his friends had ever done that, and he quite enjoyed being away from school, but Harry would surely be there and he didn't feel nearly ready to be around the man. Just the thought of him, and especially, as often happened, of him with his father, made him insanely mad, and added to the stress of the midterms, had caused a couple bouts of spontaneous magic, which hadn't happened to him since before he entered Hogwarts.

"Do you want us to stay with you?" Addie offered when he told them about his plans.

"No, no, you go ahead and enjoy your holiday. I'll be fine on my own, I'm sure I'll find ways to entertain myself. Maybe even do some reading."

"In that case I better stay with you, to make sure you get proper medical help when you go insane."

"Shut up, Chase." He replied, playfully punching the boy's arm.

"Have you told your parents yet?" Julie pitched in from behind a book.

"No, but I think it'll be okay. They won't be happy about it. but it's not like I'll miss anything. Actually, I'll be spared having to spend time with the Weasleys, which is always awkward and uncomfortable, so I'll be better off."

"It's not like my plans are very exciting either way, you know. I wouldn't mind keeping you company."

"Thanks, Addie, but really, I'll be fine."

They didn't discuss the subject any further, but when the time came for the students to board the train, all four of them stayed behind, and the teenager couldn't help feeling lucky for the friends he had. Especially after the clearly unsatisfied letter he received from home.

The days passes slowly for them, and it took them several days to get used to such a silent castle. They enjoyed the free time to be children again and spend hours playing with the show that fell on Christmas week, and playing tag on their brooms down by the Quidditch Pitch. The professors seemed all to be in good moods and didn't object to having the older students play there.

Christmas morning was spent in the Common Room between opening gifts, eating too much candy, and playing Exploding Snap, and they were all surprised by the special arrangement of the Great Hall. Having helplessly eaten too much, the two girls excused themselves and the boys opted to go for a walk outside. Despite the snow covering the ground, it was a sunny day and as pleasant as it could be in the dead of winter.

"It's really because of Harry, isn't it?" Chase asked quietly after several silent minutes.

"Hm?"

"It wasn't the Weasleys, and it wasn't your family. You chose to stay so you wouldn't have to be around Harry."

James smiled to himself. The boy was generally very goofy, but deep down he was really perceptive and attentive. "Yeah, it was."

"Do you want to tell me what happened? I remember you came around last Christmas, but is seemed things had worked out after all."

The blond took a good, long look at his friend and suddenly he'd made up his mind. For the next several minutes, he told the other boy about everything: how Harry got in between himself and his siblings, how he kept insisting on being part of his life, even trying to be their father again, how he was involved with his dad and, James suspected, had been all along.

"I know I have to respect them if they want to have something to do with Harry, but..." He let his voice trail off, unable to put his feelings into words.

"Bit it feels like he's taking your family away from you."

"It's stupid, really, because I know they'll always be my family, but I can't help wishing he hadn't come back in the first place. Sure, it's great he's awake and all, but couldn't he have just gone live his own life away from us?"

"Like it or not, he is related to you. It's only natural that the first thing he'd do would be to reach out to his family, because for him you never stopped being his family."

"Yeah, well, the feeling is not mutual."

"But you do know he'll always be a part of your life, right? You don't have to like it or him, but you can't run away forever."

"I know." He sighed. "I know I'm also to blame for fighting with my family so much, but what am I supposed to do? Just keep avoiding the subject and turn it into a taboo between us or something?"

"Wouldn't it be better to just accept that's how you all feel, and move on?"

"Just like that?"

Chase nodded. "Just like that. Just tell Albus and Lily you don't like Harry and want nothing to do with him, but understand they don't feel the same and respect that. I'm sure they're as eager as you are to leave that behind."

James groaned. "Every time we talk about Harry, we end up fighting."

"It takes two to fight, you know. Give them the example and don't let it happen. They are your baby siblings after all, they look up to you and will follow your lead."

The blond shook his head with a smile. "They're much too old and too smart for that."

"You'd be surprised."

"How can you know so much about it? You're a single child, and you never fight with anyone."

"I have a privileged observational post." He replied with a smile, making the other boy laugh.

"Maybe I shouldn't have come." Harry said quietly, distractedly playing with the platinum blond locks sprawled over his naked chest.

New Year's party had ended a few hours before, and two things stood out to the brunet, comparing this year's festivities with last year's: first, James's absence; second, even if they weren't the best of friends as happened to him in his day, the Malfoy and the Weasley kids were noticeably friendly and many times that day he saw the teenagers talking even though they weren't engaged in Quidditch matches. He was having a good influence on them after all.

"Nonsense, Potter." Draco replied, his voice starting to drag with sleepiness.

"Seriously. James should've been here, and I'm sure I'm the reason why he stayed at school."

"It's not always about you, you know." His mocking tone was ruined when he had to repress a yawn mid-sentence.

"Well, this certainly is."

"Maybe. But it was his choice to stay, and he'll have to come back for the summer holidays and face everything he's been avoiding. Plus, it's good to do something different sometimes."

Harry nodded weakly, and left a kiss on the top of the blond's head. "I was surprised you let him stay at Hogwarts, though."

"He knows how we feel about it, but he's free to make his own choices. And if he needs more time away to cope, it's better he stays there than he comes back and makes a scene."

"I suppose." He sighed, letting his eyes wander to the ceiling. After long minutes lost in thought, he asked quietly, "Do you think we'll ever get along? James and me?"

"Hm?' Came the groggy reply, sounding almost like a groan.

"Never mind." He whispered, smiling to himself.

He could think about it in the morning.

"Come visit us sometime soon." The blond man invited as they walked towards the guest fireplace. They'd just finished breakfast and it was time for Harry to leave. After quickly bidding Astoria goodbye, the blond had offered to walk him out. "If anything, the gardens look exquisite during spring." He added, making the brunet laugh.

"What, now I need an excuse to visit you?" He joked.

"You don't seem to come unless there's one." Draco replied quietly, and the other man looked away, blushing slightly;

"You could come visit me as well."

"I suppose I could."

"So, er, see you around?" He asked with a weak smile, green eyes meeting silver again.

Instead of replying, the blond took a step forward, grabbing Harry by the nape with one hand, the waist with the other, and pulling him close, their lips crashing together with some violence, tongues demanding passage and battling for dominance. They were pressing their bodies against each other so strongly that breathing was becoming increasingly difficult, and when they finally broke the kiss, they were panting hard.

"What was that all about?" The brunet asked when he finally caught his breath.

"I..." Draco started after a few moments, looking away, a faint blush turning his cheeks pink. "I don't know when I'll see you again." He mumbled. "Or if I will."

The response made Harry laugh, and he gently cupped the blond's cheek, making their eyes meet before replying. "I'm not going anywhere. And I'm not breaking up with you again." The reassurance gained him a weak smile. "You can come see me whenever you want, okay?" Draco nodded, and he planted a chaste kiss on his lips. "I'm going now, but we'll talk and set something up soon."

With that, he let go of the other man, turning around and throwing a handful of Floo Powder into the fireplace. When he turned back around, already surrounded by green flames, the blond's smile was as confident as ever.

Harry spent the first few days of the year taking advantage of his days off from the foundation and cleaned up the house, making sure not one speck of dust was left behind. The physical and repetitive work allowed his mind to wander freely, and he found himself thinking about Draco's reaction as he left the manor more often than not.

Until that moment, he hadn't really considered just how much it all must've affected Draco. He knew - he'd witnessed first-hand - the impact his time unconscious had on his children, and sure it'd been hard for all adults involved as well, but he'd never realized just how much. For all the blond knew, he'd lost Harry forever that day at Diagon Alley, and had been forced to take in the children right away, and no doubt Albus, most of all, but all of them for certain, reminded the man of him all the time.

Then he'd miraculously come back and the blond took upon himself to care for him, for anything he might need, and all along it was always about Harry, never Draco. And the brunet hadn't thought about the added weight for the blond when he broke up their relationship; it must've brought back the feelings from when he almost died. He didn't know if they'd ever get back together, or if he'd lost Harry once and for all, only this time to be forced to have the brunet's ghost in and out of his life through the children.

Assuming he wouldn't be attacked again, and succumb to it.

And even now, their lives had become incompatible, with each of them wanting different things from the relationship, and never knowing when, or if, they'd get back together again. And for someone not used to being in touch with his emotional side as he knew Draco wasn't, it must've been especially hard.

Though he knew he couldn't go back to what they used to be, Harry promised himself to be particularly attentive to Draco when they did get together.

Despite their best intentions, they only met once before summer came around, when Saturday Quidditch practice was reinstated, and would happen every year until Lily graduated. Most days, the brunet stayed late at the manor, but with James doing an internship at one of the family businesses, he and Draco would get caught up in business matters and any plans he'd have with the blond would disappear.

And as the boy graduated and started attending business school, in addition to his part-time internship, private time for Harry and Draco became even more scarce. But on the other hand, James returned for his last summer holiday with a completely new attitude, once again close to his siblings and perfectly polite and agreeable towards his biological father, if still rather distant. And time wouldn't change that.

It also appeared to both men the boy hadn't shared his knowledge about the true nature of their relationship with the other kids, judging by the lack of disruption in their general attitude towards them both. Maybe one day they'd find out, or Harry and Draco would be forced to tell them, but they were both more than glad to cross the bridge if they ever came to it.

"I've met someone."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Someone nice?"

"Yeah. He's a Muggle, though."

"Muggle, Potter?" Draco complained.

"Oh, lay off, Malfoy. It's so much simpler to deal with Muggles."

"And does he know about you?"

"What about me?" He teased, and the blond rolled his eyes.

"What does he know about you?"

"Enough. The necessary so far."

"And do you think it's got a future?"

"I don't know. I hope so. I like him."

"More than me?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"It's not hard to like people more than you, Malfoy." He replied, gaining himself a playful punch. "Ouch!" He complained, making Draco laugh.

"If you decide to make it last, you better introduce him to me. You're not getting into a relationship with anyone I don't approve of."

"Ha! What are you now, my father?"

"If I'm to share you with anyone, I better like them." He replied defensively.

Harry lifted himself on one elbow and looked so intensely at the silver orbs he made the other man blush.

"What?" He asked, turning his eyes away.

Without warning, the brunet pressed his lips against Draco's, not deepening the kiss for several moments, and only parting when they were both breathless.

"I'll make sure you meet him before I commit to anything." He said quietly, lying on the blond's chest.

"Good." He replied possessively.

"Do you think this could really work?" Harry asked after a few minutes.

"What?"

"Us. Being together, and sustaining independent relationships at the same time."

"It did before."

"We were different people before."

"We can make it work."

"I don't know if seeing you only every few months is enough. What if I need more? And more after that?"

"Can't we cross that bridge when we come to it?"

"Because it worked so well last time?"

"We'll both have our own lives. Most of the time we'll be too busy to miss each other, and the rest of the time, we can be together."

"You think so?" He asked, looking up and receiving a nod in reply.

"And we'll always be connected, by the children if nothing else. So provided you don't spend another decade in a coma, we won't lose each other again."

The brunet smiled, resting his head back down. "I like that perspective."

It was Draco's turn to smile, and he left a soft kiss on the top of Harry's head.

It didn't take long for them to drift off to sleep, safe in the knowledge that come what may, they'd always have each other.

Finis

Author's note: I'd like to thank everyone who went through this journey with me, especially everybody who left me reviews. They are extremely valuable and appreciated! For those of you who haven't, there's still time! Let me know what you think, if you liked the story, hated it, or anything in between... It helps me become a better writer, and makes my day =) Anyway, thank you so much and I hope we meet again soon!