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The Optimal Balance	By : TheMightyFlynn Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 17124 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe and characters belong to JK Rowling and associates. This was written for fun. I make no money from it.

Chapter List
- 1-The Optimal Balance
- 2-Ch. 2
- 3-Ch. 3
- 4-Ch. 4
- 5-Ch. 5
- 6-Ch. 6
- 7-Ch. 7
- 8-Ch. 8
- 9-Ch. 9
- 10-Ch. 10
- 11-Ch. 11
- 12-Ch. 12
- 13-Ch. 13
- 14-Ch. 14
- 15-Ch. 15
- 16-Ch. 16
- 17-Ch. 17
- 18-Ch. 18
- 19-Ch. 19
- 20-Ch. 20
- 21-Ch. 21
- 22-Ch. 22
- 23-Ch. 23
- 24-Ch. 24
- 25-Ch. 25
- 26-Ch. 26
- 27-Ch. 27
- 28-Ch. 28
- 29-Ch. 29
- 30-Ch. 30
- 31-Ch. 31
- 32-Ch. 32
- 33-Ch. 33
- 34-Ch. 34
- 35-Ch. 35
- 36-Ch. 36
- 37-Ch. 37
- 38-Ch. 38
- 39-Ch. 39
- 40-Ch. 40: Epilogue
- 9
- 10
- 11
A/N: I have to apologise for the length of this chapter. We have just gotten a rescue dog and settling him in is proving challenging :(

Restlessness rippled across Draco shoulders, causing his fingers to twitch. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it and focus on the Chinese Chomping Cabbage that he was supposed to be slicing into fine strips. It was a little under six weeks before the wedding, but Draco had discovered that time wasn’t moving fast enough for him. Not that he thought he had anything to worry about with Harry, but after the events of the past weekend, he just wanted all of the fuss over and done with. Unfortunately, he still had two and a half weeks before the boys came home, then the three-week wait for the wedding weekend itself. And before that could happen, his parents had to arrive at the Manor.

Draco sighed. He knew Harry had organised to meet with Narcissa and Lucius about the wedding that coming weekend, but he was unsure whether it was such a good idea. Harry meant well, Draco knew that, but he had absolutely no idea what he was getting himself in for when he invited Narcissa Malfoy to have an opinion on something that was pretty much none of her business. Sure, Draco could give it to her that he was her son and therefore she was entitled to know the details of what they had planned, but Draco had already experienced her version of ‘helping’ with a wedding the first time around with Astoria. He was fairly certain he was still carrying around the mental scars from the ordeal.

He jumped and only just managed to not yelp when the Chomping Cabbage chomped down on his finger. Deciding that he wasn’t going to get any work done while he was this distracted, he placed a stasis charm over his work and slowly made his way back into the Manor. If he wasn’t going to work, then he may as well just dress for the day and find something he could do that was able to distract him. The sound of footsteps drew him towards the hallway from the kitchen and he nearly ran right into Harry, who grinned at him.

“Good morning.”

Draco's eyes ran automatically up Harry’s body, taking in his form-fitting black trousers and the deep blue shirt he seemed to prefer to wear to the Foundation. It appeared to Draco that his mind had found its distraction from the thoughts of his Mother, if the warmth pooling in his chest was any indication. He hummed in response, earning himself a low chuckle from Harry.

“Right back at you.”

Harry stepped forward and drew Draco into a soft kiss. He tasted of toothpaste and smelled so fresh and clean that Draco found himself gripped by the ridiculous urge to dirty him in some way. He attributed it to the restlessness he had been gripped by all morning and attempted to push it aside, but it seemed that it wasn’t going to be ignored. Tangling a hand through Harry’s hair, Draco tugged him into a better position so he could deepen the kiss. The taste of spearmint toothpaste overwhelmed his senses and he allowed his mind to drift on the warm feeling that had been building for the past minute or so. Disappointment flooded through him when Harry broke the kiss. He followed Harry’s lips forwards, nowhere near ready to let go just then.

“We should elope.”

Draco blinked his eyes open in surprise. He hadn’t meant to say anything, but now that it was out there, he was finding the idea of just grabbing Harry, the kids and Astoria as their witness and finding a small church with a discrete pastor who would marry them on the cheap more and more appealing.

“Elope?” Harry’s eyes glittered with amusement as his hands slid slowly down the front of Draco's work shirt, playing with the buttons as they went. “You’re not worried that I’m getting cold feet are you?”

“No.” Draco hooked his fingers through the belt loops of Harry’s trousers and dragged him to him again. “I just…” He trailed off, unsure how to express what he was thinking.

Harry’s responding smile was warm and reassuring. “You’re worried about the press because of what happened on the weekend?”

Draco's eyes slid shut again as he rocked forward, leaning into Harry’s chest. The fact that Harry could tell what was wrong with so little to go on caused a small smile to tilt Draco's lips up. The agitation he had been gripped with earlier made itself known again as they stood there, raising the hair on the back of Draco's neck and causing goose bumps to rise on his arms.

“It’s stupid, I know it is, but I can’t help thinking they’ll get to one of the kids or somehow manage to ruin everything…” He shook his head and re-opened his eyes to see Harry smiling warmly at him. “You don’t believe me?”

Harry’s fingers halted their exploration of Draco's buttons to slide up and around his shoulders. “Our children are some of the most well-protected children I have ever seen. There’s protective spells on both the Manor and Grimmauld, all of the mail goes through the lawyers before being forwarded to either house, and all four of them have grown up knowing who they can and can’t trust. As for someone managing to ruin everything we have together…” His smile turned devious as he leant in to brush their lips together softly. “I am more than willing to curse any idiot who tries to take you away from me.”

Draco couldn’t help chuckling as amusement bubbled inside him. “And you have the hide to call me overprotective.”

Standing there with Harry warm in his arms, his worries did seem ridiculous, despite the fact that he knew they really weren’t. Right at that moment, however, Draco was just thankful that there seemed to be something about Harry that forced him to relax. He was more than happy to wallow in the sensation for the time being, wrapping his arms tightly around Harry’s waist and just breathing his scent.

“Draco?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re actually worried about this one, aren’t you? I mean really, properly worried, not just ‘oh this may happen one day’ kind of worried.”

Draco could easily make out the concern in Harry’s expression when he pulled back. Reluctance to open up spread through him, but he forcibly pushed it to the back of his mind with a gusty sigh. He nodded.

“I am.” He watched as Harry frowned, knowing that there really wasn’t anything Harry could do or say to make this one better. “It’s alright, though. I know both houses are as secure as we can make them and that the kids are all fine. It’s just something that I’ll have to get used to. It’s only another six weeks, after all.”

Harry watched him for a few more seconds before pulling back properly. There was an odd look in his eyes that Draco couldn’t quite place.

“If I didn’t absolutely have to be at work today, I would take the day off and spend it showing you just how happy the kids are. We’d go to Hogwarts and see the boys, and we’d take Lily off to school and speak to her teachers.” He held a hand up when Draco opened his mouth to inform him that he didn’t need to bother going to all that trouble. “Then I’d actually show you all the protective charms on Grimmauld. I swear, that place is nearly as enchanted as Hogwarts thanks to your ancestors.”

Draco smiled. “Good to see the family paranoia has finally paid off.” He pulled back from the embrace fully and stepped over to the stove. “Tea? And what’s so important about work today?”

“It’s not work itself that’s so important today, it’s lunch.” Draco heard a chair scrape against the floor as Harry sat down. “I’m going to speak to Ron today. I figured it would be easier to speak to him away from Molly before I confronted her and the rest of the family.”

“Before we confront the rest of them, you mean?” Draco turned back with two cups of tea in his hands, despite the fact that Harry hadn’t answered his question. “I’m part of the reason you’re having troubles with them, so I should be helping to work towards a solution.” He almost spilled the tea when Harry shot up out of the chair and pulled him into a harsh kiss. “Harry?”

“Thank you.” Harry took his cup of tea from Draco's hand and moved back to the chair at the table like nothing had happened, causing Draco to shake his head. “You really don’t have to, though. Not if you don’t want to. I’ll be fine with them on my own.”

Taking the chair across the table from Harry, Draco smiled. “No, I do have to. You’ve made an effort with my parents, so now it’s my turn to do the same for you.”

The wide smile that Harry shot him told Draco that no matter how reluctant he was to try to make friends with the Weasley clan, it would be worth it. He had already been through much worse in order to keep Harry – his sinuses aching in the cold weather was proof enough of that – so this couldn’t be too much worse, could it?
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- 11
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The Optimal Balance