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Better Late Than Never	By : SlythindorMalfoy Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 22997 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and it's characters. All rights go to J. K. Rowling and Warner Bros. I do not make any money from this story.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
- 16
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter and it's associated characters etc. All belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Bros.
A/N: I am so, so, so, so, so sorry. I truly am. I honestly can't believe it's been over a year since my last update. I did lose my muse at some point though, and my life has been really crazy. However, I promise, I will never abandon this story. Updates will be random but I will try my best. Thank you to everyone who has stuck it out and not given up on me, I really appreciate it. To all the reviewers, thank you! Also HUGE thanks to my beta djaddict for putting up with me. :D. I won't let you down guys.
Any remaining mistakes are all mine. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!
*To Reader (x2), Kittykat575, Drarry Lover, RaineLemuria, ChaosLady, Anon and Staar, THANK YOU!* :D
All warnings are in the first chapter.
Ginny smiled as she strutted towards the Department of Child Welfare Services, her lawyer, Thomas Baines whispering, furiously next to her. It was Sunday morning and she was intentionally late for the paternity testing. She didn't care if they thought it was petty, they could wait. Her gait straightened and her chin raised slightly as she walked into the room. She refused to let them think they had defeated her. There was no doubt in her mind that she would bounce back from all this. That, she was sure of. Ginny barely hid her grin on seeing Malfoy's face when she sauntered in, his jaw was twitching in what she assumed was annoyance.
"Good morning gentlemen." She said cordially to the men in the room. McLaggen was with his lawyer, Nott was there with Zabini so she assumed that was his lawyer and of course her Harry with the blond ferret. There was another man, tall and thin, that she guessed was the examiner.
"The bitch finally decided to grace us with her foul presence." Cormac muttered. But it was loud enough for everyone to hear. Her confidence almost slipped but she held on to it. The fucker would pay, literally.
"Good morning Miss Weasley." Everyone else in the room replied and she had to grind her teeth when she heard the obvious stressing of her last name by Zabini and Malfoy. How she wanted to smack the smirks off their faces.
"Right!" The examiner said to break the uncomfortable silence that ensued, "My name is Eric Brint and I will be the paternity examiner this morning. Now, I think we should uh, get on with the testing. Mr. McLaggen, if you would please step forward." He finished, indicating to McLaggen to step toward the large oak desk in the center of the room. "Now this test is 100% accurate and fool proof. Due to the fact that all parties agreed that the children in question should not be here, we will conduct the test on both Mr. McLaggen and Mr. Nott to see if the aforementioned child or children appear on their family tree. However, if they do not appear on either family tree, you will have to be tested Mr. Potter. Does everyone understand the procedure?" He asked, waiting patiently for everyone to nod. "Good. The large screen on the back wall will display the results. It should be noted that with this type of test, only the immediate family will be seen; mother, father and offspring.
Ginny was trying not to be annoyed, she knew he was only doing his job but she just wanted it to be over. She watched dispassionately as Cormac stepped up to the desk and allowed the spell to be performed on him. All eyes except hers were on the large screen, she was more interested in watching everyone else. Her eyes twitched slightly when she saw Harry grab Malfoy's hand before she heard Cormac's explosion.
"Fucking bitch!" He screamed, face turning red rapidly. She barely flinched as he rounded on her. She wasn't even a little bit afraid of the bastard. "You're sick, you know that? You're such a lying, conniving little bitch!" He raged, spittle flying in her face. Ginny absently noted that no one even moved to stop McLaggen and for some reason that hurt just a little bit. She at least expected Harry's 'saving people' thing to kick in but when she glanced at him, she could see Malfoy holding his hand to calm him but she knew his anger wasn't for her but for James. Her rage spiked.
"Shut up you idiot!" She screamed, shooting up off of her chair." I don't know what made me even THINK of sleeping with you! You're a waste of space McLaggen and if you know what's good for you, you will shut up and take the responsibility for James."
"Are you threatening me?" McLaggen sputtered, looking around at his lawyer who was quickly jotting down something in a notebook.
Ginny was prepared to cut into the spineless dick but was stopped by her lawyer furiously whispering for her to calm down. She realized then that she was going too far. If she wanted to win against the fool, she needed to be calm. "No. I apologize for my outburst. It seems my maternal instinct reared up." She uttered and smiled sweetly, pointedly ignoring the soft snort she knew came from either Malfoy or Zabini. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see the barely concealed glee on their faces, bastards. She had to get control of herself.
"Good." McLaggen intoned. She had honestly forgotten about him. "Now, I want nothing to do with you or your spawn so you will stay the fuck away from me." He stated angrily before storming out of the office with his lawyer behind him. Ginny smiled, she wouldn't let that get to her because she knew she would never leave him alone. Thomas was already getting the child support case for James together. She wished she could the bastard's face when he received the court notice.
"Eh hem" Mr. Brint cleared his throat to again break the uncomfortable silence. "Mr. Nott, if you could step forward please."
There was no fanfare or comments when Nott went through the same procedure with the obvious results. He turned to her and Ginny smiled amiably.
"I was prepared for this so it isn't really a surprise. Anyway, the custody hearing for my daughter will be on February the 8th. We'll be in contact with you and your lawyer. Good day." He calmly stated before walking out the office, a smirking Blaise Zabini behind him.
Ginny couldn't move. The words were echoing in her head but they weren't registering. Custody hearing? His daughter? He was already planning to take Lily from her? She couldn't believe it. Never had she thought Nott would've wanted custody. She had pegged him as someone who didn't want any baggage. Then she thought about it and it was obvious. The fool was friends with Malfoy, he was doing this to hurt her and there was nothing she could do about it at the moment. Her only hope was that the trial went her way but her confidence level wasn't that high anymore. Her head was spinning with all the things that could go wrong from this.
"…Weasley! Miss Weasley!" She eventually heard a voice calling her name and only then she noticed the hand on her shoulder shaking it slightly. She glanced up and saw Thomas looking at her in pity. A quick glance at Harry and she saw the same look on his face. She couldn't take that, not from him. Without a word Ginny left the office, she heard Thomas quickly thank the examiner before hurrying after her. Lily would not be taken from her. She wouldn't allow it to happen. It couldn't!
*GW*GW*GW*GW*GW*GW*GW*GW*
It was Friday, February 8th, the day of the custody trial and it came too quickly for Ginny. She was sitting in the same seat as she had been during her disastrous divorce trial a little over a month ago. Again, for something that could destroy her if it didn't go her way. The past month hadn't been easy on her. She knew Nott had set the trial date so far away just to torture her further, knowing she would be on edge. It was made worse by the fact that the child support case for James was the same day as well. It seemed like no one wanted her to catch a break. She had tried going out once to get her mind off things but that was a complete disaster. The names and insults the people called her still hadn't gotten out of her head. In fact, her dreams were riddled with the cruel, distorted faces laughing and mocking her. The entry of the judge, Nott and Zabini cleared her thoughts and she hoped with all her heart that Thomas would pull through this time and she could keep her precious Lily.
She sat as calmly as she could in the courtroom listening to Zabini's arguments for Nott. However, her body starting shaking slightly with nerves. The arguments were sound. Nott had financial stability and despite his family background, he, like Malfoy, had turned his life around after the war. She, on the other hand, had nothing; no money and no family support. Her situation was made worse by everything that had previously been revealed about her. Her calm demeanor was steadily cracking no matter how hard she tried to hold on to it. She was going to lose Lily. The one thing she was sure she would always have. Even after Thomas pleaded her case and painted Nott as irresponsible and an avid party goer, she knew it was over. She watched with trepidation when the judge eventually opened her mouth.
"Based on the arguments given by both sides, custody of Lily Luna Potter goes to her biological father Theodore Nott. However, this is only for a trial period of six months, after which there will be another hearing for full custody. Miss Weasley will only be allowed supervised visitations during this period. This court is adjourned." She finished with a final bang of the gravel. Ginny sat there frozen and staring into space till Nott's grinning face in front of her brought her to focus.
"I expect my daughter to be at the Ministry on Sunday morning." He told her loudly, before dropping into a whisper. "You try anything stupid bitch and I promise all this will be nothing compared to what I will do to you." He finished viciously before straightening up with a smile and walking off with Zabini. Ginny bit the inside of her cheek and fought the tears threatening to fall. Six months would go by quickly, she told herself. Six months and she would have her Lily back; she would prove that Lily deserved to be with her.
"Come on Miss Weasley, the day isn't over yet. We have another trial this afternoon." Thomas reminded her, bringing her back to reality. Fucking McLaggen, she would make sure he paid a hefty child support sum for the rest of his meaningless life. She would make herself better with that money and everything would fall into place. It had to.
The trial that took place that afternoon was short and bitter. Again, Ginny was left with crushed hopes. She had won the case for child support but the hefty sum she demanded was cut down considerably. McLaggen was a poor son of a bitch, of all the things she had done, sleeping with him was probably the worst. There were tons of other guys that had so much more to offer but she chose him. Instead of the 100 galleons a week she wanted, the judge decided on 50. She had thought even with the diminished amount she could use it to her advantage but no, the money was to go directly into a vault that had to be specifically set up for James and any money withdrawn had to be proven was spent on him and him alone.
Nothing was going her way and she wanted to scream and cry and pull her hair out but she couldn't. She had shown enough weakness recently. It was time to return to the fearsome redhead she once was. Ginny apparated home and soon as she stepped out of the courtroom effectively avoiding all the reporters gathered there. She immediately flooed Hogwarts, where she curtly informed McGonagall that she wanted James for the weekend to discuss an urgent family matter. After enduring a long glare before the woman agreed, she ended the floo call and immediately flooed her mother to bring Lily over. She was not looking forward to the oncoming discussions.
A few minutes later her mother flooed in with Lily and Ginny almost lost her composure when her little angel ran into her arms. She hugged her extra tightly reveling in the tight hug she received in return. Not long after that James flooed in, his face a mixture of confusion and apprehension.
"What's going on Mum?" he immediately inquired sitting down next to her mother, who Ginny noted sat far away from her. She was counting on her mother's help going forward but that didn't seem as if it would be happening any time soon. She sighed, she would just get straight to it.
"Today was the day for the court hearings regarding the two of you." She began and had to swallow the lump in her throat as Lily gripped her tightly. "James I have full custody of you, but your f-father will be helping to support you." She stated and planted a smile on her face. She had thought he would sag with relief but his face was a picture of hurt and sadness.
"Did he ever want me?" James asked quietly, staring at her as if daring her to lie.
"I'm sorry sweetie but he didn't." Ginny simply stated. She figured it may be a bit harsh but he would have found out somehow and probably in a worse way.
"Okay." was all he said before turning and staring into the fire. Molly immediately engulfed him in a tight hug. Ginny was extremely annoyed, but her annoyance faded at the sound of Lily's voice.
"What about me Mommy? You get to keep me too right?" She inquired and Ginny didn't know how to tell her.
"I'm so sorry Lils. But the judge said you have to go to Mr. No- "
"No! I have to stay with you. You promised no one would take me. You promised!"
"Lils, there is nothing I can do!" Ginny tried but Lily wasn't having it.
"No! Make it better mommy. You always do! I'm not going. Don't make me please!" Lily cried before throwing herself against her. Ginny broke, tears streamed down her face when she felt and heard the heart wrenching sobs from her baby. She was completely lost. Her rock was being taken from her. James was already turning to Harry so he didn't matter anymore.
"I'm going to the Burrow with grandma." She heard him say before he quickly left through the floo.
"Now you know how Harry felt and still feels." Her mother said sadly before leaving her.
Ginny didn't give a fuck about how Harry felt! This was about her and her baby, not that weak fool. He and that manipulative blond bastard had done this. She vowed then, that she would not be only one suffering.
Harry was jolted awake from his sleep by a tapping sound. After a moment of disorientation, he realized it was coming from the window. Putting on his glasses, he quickly walked over to the window to let the owl in. He was a bit surprised and a tad bit worried when one of the Burrow's owls flew through the open window, a letter in its claws. It was rather late after all. He wasted no time in taking the letter before switching on the bedside lamp and sitting down on his bed to read. His heart broke as he read the tear stained letter. Only then he remembered that today was the day of the hearings for Lily and James. He wished he could have been there to comfort his son. There was only a little relief when he realized that at least James had comfort from his grandparents. From the letter, he could only imagine how hurt and lost James was feeling and he wanted more than ever to stop that. He quickly summoned writing material and penned a reply telling James that he would be there as soon as possible in the morning and that everything would be alright. He sent the owl with the reply and he only hoped that it made James feel better till the morning, even if it was only a little bit.
As he sat on his bed, Harry pondered the rest of the letter. Draco had been right; Nott had gotten custody of Lily. He would bet all his money that Ginevra wasn't too happy about that. 'It served her right,' he thought viciously, 'let her know how it feels to lose someone you love.' He wasn't surprised that Lily wasn't too pleased with the arrangement either. He was curious to see if it would stay that way. Draco had said that Nott would take care of her and he trusted Draco's judgment. His only hope was that the other man would be able to curb Lily's overly spoiled behavior or at least tone it down a little. He didn't want her to continue behaving as if she was entitled to everything. That only spelt trouble and her mother was a prime example. With a soft sigh, he switched off the lamp and laid on his bed. He decided to deal with everything tomorrow, there was nothing he could do now. All he had was hope, hope that they would one day be happy again.
*HP*HP*HP*HP*HP*HP*HP*HP*
It was two weeks after the hearings and Harry was currently sitting in Minerva's office at Hogwarts waiting for James. He had gotten permission from the Headmistress to take him out for the day. He felt that it was long overdue. The morning after he had received the letter he had gone to the Burrow and spent some time with James. He had let him know that he would always be there for him and that if things got too much, his grandparents' home and the Hollow would always be available. Harry wanted him to be assured that he would always have someone and somewhere to go to. A smile bloomed on his face when the door suddenly opened and James walked through all bundled up for their outing. It widened when the 12-year-old immediately ran to him and gave him a tight hug which he readily returned. Sometimes the complete turnaround of James' behavior still amazed him. They had gone from arguing and sometimes no communication at all to constant letters and hugging. It was sad that something so drastic had to happen in their lives to change things but he wasn't complaining about that aspect. He loved the new James and hoped it continued and that their relationship continued to grow.
"You ready?" he asked and smiled wider when he received an enthusiastic nod in return. James had no idea where they were going so they had to floo together. They flooed to the International Transport Department at the Ministry to get a portkey, then portkeyed to their final destination.
Harry grinned at James' gasp when they landed from the portkey. They were at the newly opened Broom Exhibition at the Museum in wizarding Germany. There were tons of brooms on display from the beginning of their manufacture till now. The exhibition was amazing in Harry's opinion. He didn't understand why someone hadn't thought of it sooner. He had only found it about a week ago, completely by chance. He was rifling through the newspapers when he saw the ad. There was no doubt that he had to take James there to spend time together and get his mind off everything.
"This is so cool dad! I've heard about it but I never thought I'd get to see it so soon!" James exclaimed in excitement, breaking him out of his thoughts.
'I know! I just knew this was the perfect place for us." He replied with a grin. "Let's get started yeah?"
"Yeah!" James whooped and they began their tour.
The Quidditch player in Harry enjoyed the exhibition as much as James did. The brooms each had plaques detailing their manufacturing and strengths. It was truly fascinating to see the different models and how much they had evolved over the years. There was even a section that highlighted the brooms used by the winning teams of each World Cup. He especially enjoyed the friendly debate he and James had about who was going to win the next World Cup. He was personally rooting for England but James was an avid Ireland fan. After their tour, Harry took them to a restaurant where they had lunch, then to a little park to get away from the bustle. They found a wooden bench overlooking a frozen pond and sat on it after placing a cushioning and a heating charm. Thankfully, the park wasn't filled with people. Not that it mattered, like wizarding France, the people in wizarding Germany understood the term privacy. They didn't even pay much attention to him either. All they knew was that he defeated Voldemort. The two of them sat in silence for a little while before Harry decided to break it.
"How have you been James?" He asked softy. They talked in letters but he wanted to have this conversation face to face.
"Honestly dad, I'm not sure. I'm upset about everything but at the same time I'm glad it all happened."
"What do you mean?" He questioned confused.
"Well, it's obvious why I'm upset. I mean everything I've believed for my entire life has been a lie. It's all changed and it all occurred in only a short time you know? I have a dad who doesn't even want me and the one who does want me isn't my real dad. Even after how horrible I was to him."
"James it- "
"No dad. Don't try to tell me it isn't true 'cause you know it is. You see, I always thought that you loved Albus more than me and paid more attention to him so you wouldn't care what I did. Sometimes I knew you were hurting but I didn't care then. And when I went to mum about it she always told me that it was true. That you loved Albus more 'cause he was just like you and we were different. And only when I thought about it after everything I realized it wasn't true. There were times you tried, I just wasn't paying attention. I wouldn't want to hang around anyone who was being mean to me either. I'm sorry dad. I really am." James' voice wavered and Harry had to fight to not cry. He was really surprised James revealed so much and now he understood what was really happening in his home. He had thought Ginevra was just spoiling the kids, he didn't realize she was poisoning them against him as well. His hatred for that woman grew even more and he didn't think he would ever understand how he fell in love with her in the first place.
"I am sorry too James. You're only 12 years old and shouldn't have to be going through all this. I think I should've made more of an effort when it came to you and Lily. I wish I had known that your mother was doing that. So many things could have been different. But that's in the past now okay? We've realized our mistakes and now it's time to move forward. From now on, we'll be honest and upfront with our feelings okay?"
"Yeah dad. I think that would be great." James replied with a small smile.
"No matter what a piece of paper says James, I want you to remember that I am your father and I will be here anytime that you need me." He assured his son, stressing on the anytime. "I love you son." He said softly and pulled him into a tight hug.
"Love you too dad." He heard James mutter softly when they separated. "If all this hadn't happened, we would still be like we were. Now we're like how we're supposed to be. Thank you so much for being there and for today." He finished and his voice broke on the last words as the tears flowed. Harry hugged him again, tears of happiness streaming down both their faces.
The two sat in the park for an hour more, just talking, before returning to Hogwarts, both with lighter and contented hearts. He hugged James one last time before watching him leave the office. His heart was aflame with happiness when James gave him a beaming smile before closing the door. Before he left, he quickly wrote a letter to Minerva thanking her for the permission to take James and for use of her floo, then he left for the Hollow.
Harry collapsed on the nearest chair as soon as he stepped out of the floo. It was a great day but it was also emotionally draining. The quiet house wasn't helping his mood either. Making a quick decision, he placed a cushioning charm on the floor in front of the fireplace and knelt down to make a call. After adding the floo powder, whispering the password and a few seconds of discomfort the Adonis he wanted to see appeared in front of him.
"Hello Harry." The deep, cultured baritone of his gorgeous blond washed over him and all bad feelings vanished. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah Dray. Um. I was wondering if I could come over? If you're not busy of course." He asked a little shyly.
"Of course Harry. Even if I was busy you know you would still be welcome."
"Okay." Harry said and didn't try to hide the blush on his face, sure that the green flames hid it. "I'll come through now then." He waited till Draco stepped back before ending the floo call. He repeated the same process as before only stepping through this time.
In his hurry he stumbled as soon as he exited but he need not have worried about falling as strong arms steadied him. The scent of Draco's cologne made him giddy when he inhaled. His eyes travelled upwards from the muscular chest to the broad shoulders, the smooth neck, pink perfect lips then finally to beautiful stormy grey eyes that were slightly dilated. His breath caught. 'I can tell him about James later' he thought. Then his mind blanked as those luscious lips finally descended on his.
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Better Late Than Never