Author's note: This story is dedicated to babyvfan because it's her birthday today! Happy birthday, sweetheart! I hope you'll like this fic :)

This oneshot is a sequel to Turning over a New Leaf (and Self-fulfilling Prophecy, Chance Meeting and Second Chance in More than One Way). You might want to read those first in order to familiarise yourself with the setting.

Warnings: Harry's pov; canon divergent after the war; minor mention of murders; MPreg; established slash; fluff; birthday fic; just mainly fluff, really

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Dedicated to: babyvfan

I hope you'll like it!

Break in the Clouds

When he felt the bed dip behind him, he turned onto his back and opened his eyes, blinking sleepily at the blond man.

"You're up early," he muttered groggily.

"Hm, just needed to make sure that the house elves are prepared," Draco explained, drawing the thin blanket over himself again.

Harry smiled. "Are you going to tell me that the house elves have forgotten how to take care of their mistress?" he asked confused.

"Of course not," Draco sniffed; his hand shifting to cover Harry's stomach. "Doesn't mean I can't check up on them."

Harry eyed him. "Are you nervous because your mother will come back today?"

"Why should I be nervous to see my own mother back?" Draco scowled at him. "I just want everything to be in order by the time she comes home again."

"I think the boys and I have more reason to be nervous about her coming home," Harry murmured.

He had spoken with Mrs. Malfoy a few times before, but there had always been the barrier of the Floo between them. Today she would finally return to England after several years of being forced to live abroad. She had acted pleasant enough during the couple of Floo calls Harry had shared with her, but would she remain like that when she would finally meet him and his sons without the Floo interfering? He couldn't help but worry about that.

After all it was easy to act friendly to somebody when you only spoke with them through the occasional Floo call. Keeping up the friendliness in real life with no barrier whatsoever? That might be more difficult.

"What do you have to be nervous about? She'll love you, no doubt about that," Draco snorted, rubbing his thumb across Harry's stomach.

"What, because I'm carrying her second grandchild?" Harry snorted in return.

"Her fourth one actually," Draco corrected him casually.

Harry couldn't help but eye him sceptically. "So she doesn't mind two of them being half Weasley?"

Then again, he reflected, maybe Mrs. Malfoy really didn't have an issue with that. The Weasleys and the Malfoys had a feud going, but there hadn't been any mention of a Black feuding with the Weasleys. Unless of course by marrying Lucius Malfoy, she had taken over all his pre-existing grudges as well. Harry still had no idea how that part of the Pureblood world worked actually.

"They don't look like a Weasley," Draco commented flippantly as if that was enough of an explanation as to why Mrs. Malfoy would actually like James and Albus.

"You know only Albus got my eye colour, right?" Harry said dryly.

"Of course I know; your eye colour is hard to miss," Draco snorted, tapping Harry's side. "I have seen pictures of your parents, twat. James seems to have inherited your father's eye colour."

Harry paused, mulling over that reply. He supposed James' eye colour did resemble his own father's more than they resembled Ginny's. When James had been born, Ginny had been so surprised that he hadn't inherited Harry's eye colour that Harry hadn't really considered that his son's eyes rather resembled James'.

"He's got reddish brown hair, though," he couldn't help but point out.

"Your mother had red hair," Draco was quick to retort. "Mix that with black and voilà."

"I'm pretty sure that's not how genetics work," Harry said amused.

"Doesn't matter how it works; trust me, mother considers them her grandchildren as well," Draco insisted. "You all have nothing to worry about."

"I'll remind you of this if shit does hit the fan," Harry muttered, feeling a bit apprehensive about the upcoming meeting.

"Oh, I'm sure you will," Draco smirked, leaning down to kiss Harry.

"Will grandmother arrive soon?" Scorpius questioned, glancing out of the window.

Mrs. Malfoy would be arriving with an international Portkey just outside of the wards. She had never been removed from the wards but there was no way a Portkey, international or not, would be able to make it through the heavy wards around the manor.

"She should arrive within a couple of minutes normally," Draco replied. "She had no problems receiving the international Portkey, so everything should be all right."

Even as he said those reassuring words, though, Harry picked up on the tiny nuances that spoke volumes of how nervous Draco actually was. There was the slight tightening of the corners of his eyes; the way his lips were slightly pursed and how ramrod straight his back was, even more than usual. He might have acted confident in bed this morning, but clearly at least a part of him was nervous to see his mother in real life again after several years.

Or perhaps he was actually nervous how she would react to Harry and the boys, now that there was no longer the barrier of flames to keep her true feelings hidden.

"So who's actually nervous now?" Harry murmured, keeping his voice low enough so that neither of the boys would pick up on it.

Granted, with how focused all three of them were, staring out of the window, it was doubtful whether they would have heard him even if he had spoken a bit louder.

"Oh shut it," Draco grumbled, moving as if he wanted to cross his arms before he realised their sons were nearby. "I'm not feeling ner-"

Harry felt the wards twinge at the same time Draco did. It was more so a ripple, like a pebble skipping across the water and disturbing the surface. The wards trembled for just a couple of seconds when a new presence walked through them; they expanded around the arrival before closing tightly around the visitor, adjusting themselves to a near forgotten presence.

"She's here," Draco announced abruptly right as the front door opened and a chorus of house elves' voices greeted their mistress.

James', Albus' and Scorpius' heads whipped around in synch and any other time that would make Harry chuckle. Right now, however, he was too apprehensive to feel even so much as a smidgen of amusement.

That sense of apprehension only grew in intensity when the door to the parlour opened, revealing a beautiful, blonde haired woman. She was dressed in simple but classy blue robes and Harry wanted to bet the style was the only aspect about it that was simple; no doubt it cost a lot more than it looked like. Her hair was pinned back and her ice blue eyes roamed across everybody gathered in the room. She seemed to take everybody in intently until suddenly a soft, barely there smile broke through.

"Draco, my son," Mrs. Malfoy said; her voice soft, almost sounding like it was ringing with gentle bells.

"Mother." Draco stepped forwards, embracing her. "It's good to finally have you back."

"It's great to be back," she replied mildly, returning his embrace. "Spain's summers are quite awful indeed."

When Draco stepped to the side, her gaze fell on Harry first. The corners of her mouth curled up in a gentle smile once again.

"Mister Potter, I'm happy to meet you in better circumstances," she murmured.

"Likewise, Mrs. Malfoy," Harry said and gently raised her hand to kiss the back of it, making her eyes shine with pleasant surprise. "No need to call me by my last name, just Harry is fine."

"I have to insist you call me by my first name as well then," she said.

He wasn't sure if he could do so already; while he didn't have a bad history with her like he had had with Lucius, neither could he say that he was comfortable already to be so straightforward.

Bypassing the issue for now – and becoming quite aware of the way her eyes sometimes focused on his stomach – he beckoned James and Albus to step closer. They did; Albus with a look of apprehension on his face while James' face only shone with bright curiosity. James had always had an easier time getting to know strangers; Albus was shyer in that aspect.

"My oldest son, James, and my youngest, Albus," he introduced them.

"I'm happy to meet you two finally," she said and sounded sincere enough. "You two do resemble your father a lot."

"Hello, can we call you grandmother?" James asked without preamble, not holding back at all as usual.

"James," Harry groaned, rubbing his forehead.

Really, his oldest son … Clearly he didn't believe in taking things slowly.

Behind Narcissa, Draco was actually smirking, the bastard, looking highly entertained. Scorpius looked taken aback, Albus appeared somewhat embarrassed and Narcissa –

She looked stunned for a moment before all of a sudden, a genuine, warm smile broke through, making her look nearly ethereal.

"Of course, if you're comfortable with calling me that, I'd love nothing more," she told him, making the boy beam at her.

"Awesome, this way we have two grandmothers!" he declared, linking his hands behind his back.

Before anybody could react to that, Scorpius stepped forwards, smiling shyly at Narcissa. "Grandmother, I'm glad you're finally here."

Her eyes softened visibly and she drew him into a hug. "So am I, my dear Scorpius, so am I."

Narcissa's arrival caused an obvious shift in Malfoy Manor. Draco was more relaxed than before, clearly relieved to have his mother back after years of only talking to her through the Floo. Scorpius was obviously delighted to finally have his grandmother with him, having the chance to actually get to know her better. James was mostly curious, testing the waters to find out how different Narcissa was as a grandmother compared with Molly. Albus was the most reserved one out of the three boys but he had always been like that around people he didn't know well. No doubt he would warm up to her soon once he grew more comfortable. As for Harry –

"It's wonderful to see them getting along so well, isn't it?" Narcissa remarked, showing up seemingly out of nowhere.

Harry could barely suppress a flinch of surprise, not having heard her entering his home office at all. He glanced at her; she was gazing out of the window with a serene look on her face, watching James, Albus and Scorpius flying around on their brooms in the setting sun. Draco was outside as well, keeping an eye on them. He had removed his Auror's cloak but hadn't changed into something else yet. Harry had also yet to change; he had made a beeline for their home office to quickly check a couple of files, hoping to find similarities between a couple of murder cases. Some of them were considered cold cases by now, but the modus operandi of their current killer seemed to suggest that they might be responsible for at least four cold cases.

Harry had been noting down the similarities between the cases, the files spread open in front of him, before he had become distracted by the boys having a race on their brooms. He attributed his distraction to the fact he hadn't noticed Narcissa making her way into the room.

"Yes, they've been getting along pretty much since the start," he confirmed, finishing his notes before closing all the files. "There haven't been any real issues so far."

Oh, there was definitely the occasional argument that might become heated depending on the subject but nothing really serious that required either Harry or Draco stepping in. Perhaps that might change once the baby was born, but Harry was going to remain optimistic until he was proven otherwise.

"How are you dealing so far?" Narcissa asked unexpectedly.

"Dealing?" he echoed surprised. "What do you mean?"

"My son told me you switched to deskwork. Something in the way he talked told me you're not exactly a fan of deskwork," she explained, sounding vaguely amused.

"Not a fan …" he trailed off before sighing. He shrugged, putting the files in a pile. "I can't say I'm fond of being stuck behind the desk, but as much as I love the fieldwork, I don't want to risk the baby. So you know, the paperwork sucks but it'll be worth it in the end," he said lightly.

"It will be," she said knowingly. Her eyes turned distant for a moment before she turned to fully face him. She clasped her hands in front of her and inclined her head. "I sought you out because I want to thank you."

"Thank me?" Harry repeated bemused. "Why?"

Narcissa had been back for a week but he couldn't recall having done anything out of the ordinary that would require her to thank him. Or was she going to thank him simply for not acting like a git to her? When Hermione and Ron had found out that Narcissa had returned, they both had looked like they hadn't really know how to react to that news. Harry couldn't exactly blame them; he was still trying to find his footing around the older woman. That didn't mean she had to thank him simply for being a decent human being, though!

"For giving my son a chance," she spoke softly.

He could only stare speechlessly at her.

She glanced outside before focusing on him again. "Draco has always been … interested in you," she said delicately. "I know he didn't exactly make a good impression on you when you met him as a child - "

Harry covered his snort just in time. No, no, Draco hadn't exactly made a good impression on him when they had been children, but then again, he supposed he wasn't entirely faultless either.

"So I know it means a lot to him that you decided to give him a new chance when he started working as an Auror," she continued and smiled gently when she added, "It means a lot to me as his mother that you wanted to give him another chance."

"Well, I mean it's not like I was never a git to him; we were both at fault for everything that has happened in the past," Harry said awkwardly. "I wasn't going to hold the past against him when he had clearly changed."

She didn't seem to mind his awkwardness because her smile turned warm when she told him, "I haven't seen my son this happy in years and that's all thanks to you, Harry."

His cheeks were definitely starting to feel uncomfortably warm. "I'm sure he's also happy because you're home again."

"I'm not talking about my return," she chided him gently. "I'm not blind, Harry. I can clearly see how happy Draco is and I know I have to thank you for that. So thank you for making my son happy; that is all I have ever wanted for him."

If her sincere words left him floundering, her next move shocked him completely. She stepped forwards and actually hugged him. He was taken so off guard that it took him a little while to react. When he did, he awkwardly embraced her in return, resting his hands carefully on her back. How long ago was it that he had hugged another woman aside from Hermione or Molly? Probably since he had told Ginny he wanted a divorce, he mused absently. Even though he had never expected Narcissa to actually hug him, this felt … nice.

"You're good to my son, Harry," she murmured and her voice sounded somewhat off as if she was – crying? "I'm so happy he found you."

When she pulled away, her eyes were faintly red rimmed, shining more than usual, but that was all that betrayed that she was feeling a bit emotional.

He cleared his throat softly and rubbed the back of his neck. "He's good to me too," he muttered gruffly.

She smiled; her eyes glittering now. "Let's go join them outside, shall we?"

He returned her smile. "Let's do that, yes."

The warmth of the summer's day still lingered when Harry and Draco retreated to their bedroom later that evening.

James, Albus and Scorpius had basically conked out the second they had hit their pillows; the excitement of the day having caught up to them after flying for an entire afternoon on top of the games Narcissa had played with them after dinner. Albus had even forgotten his usual reservedness, eager to play games with his grandmother.

"They're getting along well with mother, don't you think so?" Draco commented, unbuttoning his shirt.

"Really well, even Albus is warming up to her and he's usually quite shy," Harry replied, exchanging his own shirt and trousers for his pyjamas. The house elves must have done the laundry because his clothes smelled extra fresh.

"How do you feel? About the fact that she's back," Draco clarified when Harry stared at him puzzled.

"She's your mother; you think I have any issues with her being back?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

Draco leant against the wardrobe; an unreadable look in his eyes. "I know you weren't exactly fond of my family at first," he answered delicately.

"That's because your father was a right dick back then," Harry said bluntly but gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, but it's true."

Draco inclined his head.

"I never really had any issues with your mother, though," Harry went on, sitting down on the bed. "The only real interaction I had with her back then was when she lied to Voldemort about me being still alive. I respect her a lot for that."

No doubt she had mostly done that in order to find out whether Draco had still been alive, but still: not many people would have had the guts to lie to Voldemort straight into his face.

"She likes you a lot," Draco said; the corners of his mouth twitching as if he wanted to smirk.

"Well, I would hope so because otherwise things could get really awkward if she'd dislike me for the rest of our lives," Harry joked.

Especially considering she was a Black by birth; no doubt she could come up with countless ways to make his life miserable if she decided she didn't like him.

"Rest of our lives, hm?"

"Hm?" Harry looked up, stilling when Draco was suddenly right in front of him.

The smile that appeared around his mouth was just as unreadable as his look had been and Harry remained quiet when Draco sat down next to him. The blond man leant forwards to kiss him, palming his belly at the same time. Harry kissed him back eagerly but before he could really deepen the kiss, Draco pulled away.

When Harry opened his eyes, his attention was pulled to something that Draco was holding between his thumb, index finger and middle finger. Something silver and round and brandished with a small, square ruby.

A ring.

Harry really had no idea what to say, could only stare dumbfounded at the ring.

Fortunately Draco did know what to say.

"Before you say something, I want you to listen to me, okay?" He took a deep breath when Harry nodded silently. "This ring is my promise to you. My promise to stay with you, no matter what will happen. It doesn't matter to me how long it will take: whether you feel ready this year, next year, in two years, in five … Once you're ready, I'd love to marry you."

"What if I'm never going to be ready to marry again?" Harry blurted out; the words leaving his mouth before he could think twice about it. He groaned at his own stupidity, scrubbing his cheek. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong. I didn't mean anything definite with - "

Draco chuckled. "If you never feel ready to marry again, then that's fine. I'd still like you to have this ring, though, because my promise won't ever change."

"What brought this on?" Harry questioned, but as much as he wanted to look at Draco, his gaze kept being drawn to the ring, which was faintly gleaming in the light.

"The realisation that I am happiest when I'm with you," Draco replied softly. "I have mother back; I have our boys and we're going to have a baby together soon. I have never been this happy before and I don't want to lose this."

"So you went out and bought a ring," Harry said, aiming to sound dry but instead he sounded a bit choked. Damn hormones; they were definitely at fault for the traitorous stinging behind his eyes.

"I went out and bought a ring as my promise to you," Draco confirmed. "Even if it takes years before you want to marry or hell, maybe you never want to marry again, that's fine too; whatever it will be, this ring is my promise to stay with you, take care of you and love you for the rest of our lives."

"I don't know if I'll ever feel ready to marry again," Harry cautioned him because as happy as Draco made him, as much as he loved him, once upon a time he had also loved Ginny and that hadn't really ended in the best of ways. Their divorce hadn't been finalised for that long yet either; it didn't feel good to jump into a new marriage already. "But – I promise to stay with you, take care of you and love you for the rest of our lives as well. Ring or no ring."

Draco's smile was like a night sky filled with stars. "That's all I wanted to hear." He took Harry's hand and slipped the ring around his ring finger; his smile widening at the sight of it. "Seems like it's a perfect fit."

"Yes, it does," Harry murmured, gazing down at the ring adorning his finger.

When their mouths found each other in a sweet kiss, they tasted their promise on each other's lips.

A perfect fit indeed.

The End

AN2: I still feel rather rusty when writing Drarry, but I hope it didn't disappoint too much! babyvfan, I hope you liked your birthday fic! :)

Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.

I hope to see you all back in my future stories! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!

Cuddles

Melissa

P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.