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Unstoppable	By : Thunderbird Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 14476 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any affiliated characters. I make no profit from this story.

Chapter List
- 21
- 22
- 23
A/N: Thank your for the reviews!
Time to get into some Drarry for a couple of chapters before we return to Vesper. As always, thoughts, feelings, comments are always appreciated!
Chapter 22: Take It to Heart
(Draco)

Draco’s brain was floating in a state of bliss, in that sweet otherworld between sleeping and waking, and he didn’t want to leave it.
Something, though, was poking around the edges, trying to penetrate, and he couldn’t figure out what it was.
“Harry! Draco!”
Someone groaned next to him. Harry.
“Time to get up!”
The bed bounced, jostling Draco further into the land of the waking.
“Come on! Time for breakfast!”
“All right, Teddy,” he heard Harry say in a scratchy voice. “Just a minute.”
“You always say that,” Teddy replied, wedging his little body between them on the bed.
“That’s because grown-ups sometimes need a few minutes to wake up, Teddy,” Harry grumbled. “So you need to be patient.”
Teddy heaved a sigh and Draco grinned into his pillow. He rolled over, blinking until he could fully make out Teddy’s bright face.
“Go and put your school clothes on,” he told the boy. “And we’ll all have breakfast together.”
“Yeah, ok!” the boy said, sounding enthused. He scrambled off the bed and out of the room, and Draco and Harry were alone once more.
“You don’t have to get up, you know,” Harry told him, sitting up and stretching his arms over his head. “I can handle breakfast. I have to be up for work anyway.”
“Teddy’s happy when we’re all together,” Draco argued. Harry regularly showed his appreciation for the way Draco was making more of an effort around the house, but he still had a tendency to try to handle things himself if Draco let him. He was learning he had to be pushy sometimes, to get Harry to accept support. “And I should get up anyway. I have a full day ahead of me.”
“Yeah?”
Draco nodded. “I’ve got some research and reading to do and I want it all to be done before I pick up Teddy from school. That way I’ll have the whole afternoon and evening to spend with him.” He yawned, finally making himself sit up.
“You’re sure it’s all right that I’m going to Ron and Hermione’s tonight? I don’t-“
“Harry,” Draco cut him off, pausing mid-stretch. “Please, for the love of all that is magical in this world, stop feeling guilty for taking a few hours to spend time with your friends. It will be fine. Pipsy will make us dinner, and we’ll play and have fun, and I’ll give him his bath and do the whole routine. And he will be happy, and I will be happy, and you will be happy. End of story.”
“We’ll all be happy.”
“Yes, we will.”
“Well, all right then.”
By the time they made their way downstairs, Teddy was already there, digging into the bacon, eggs, and toast that Pipsy had whipped up for the family.
“Not even going to wait for us, Ted?” Harry teased, kissing the boy on the head.
“I was hungry,” Teddy said.
“Master Teddy is a growing boy,” Pipsy said, scooping more bacon onto Teddy’s plate. “He is always being good about eating his breakfasts. Just like Master Draco when he was being small.”
“Tell me another story about when Draco was small, Pipsy,” Teddy said. This was one of his new favorite things, ever since he’d found out that Pipsy had been serving the Malfoys from the time that Draco was born. “Please?”
“Here we go,” Draco said under his breath, taking a sip of tea. He didn’t particularly like hearing these stories. Truth be told, he’d been more than a little bratty, especially when he got older and closer to Hogwarts age.
This particular story involved him getting into his father’s pantry of potion ingredients and trying to brew a potion that would make him able to fly without a broom. No such potion existed, so where Draco had gotten the idea in the first place was beyond him. But he’d ruined one of his father’s best cauldrons in the attempt. He was seven at the time.
Teddy thought it was all very funny, and Harry seemed amused as well, though he was watching Draco in that knowing way he sometimes did, possibly suspecting that listening to stories about himself was not his favorite activity.
It wasn’t even hearing about he ways he was a troublemaker that bothered him; it was remembering the way his father had made him feel about it afterwards.
But he suppressed it, smiling, ruffling Teddy’s hair, and eating his breakfast as usual.
When Teddy asked for another story, Harry steered the conversation somewhere else, asking instead what he and Draco were going to do together that day.
“Can we go to the park, Draco?” Teddy asked. “Please?”
“I don’t see why not,” Draco replied. “So long as we still leave you some quiet time before dinner.”
“We will, we will!” Teddy said, jumping up and down in his chair, at least until Harry gave him a look that told him quite plainly to sit back down again. “Maybe Geoffrey will be there,” Teddy mused. Geoffrey was the Muggle boy who lived only a few doors down, and who could be spotted on the playground in the park near Grimmauld Place most afternoons.
“Maybe he will,” Draco said. “We’ll just have to see, won’t we?”
Breakfast was soon finished, and Harry rushed upstairs for a quick shower while Draco helped Teddy collect his things for school. Soon they were ready to go, and Draco gave both Teddy and Harry kisses goodbye.
“You have that interview this afternoon, right?” Draco asked him. “With the Prophet?”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Harry said, making a face.
Draco smiled sympathetically at him. Harry hated talking to reporters, but apparently it was necessary this time, to combat the allegations that Edmund Rowle and his lawyers were bringing against the DTF’s youth program. Draco was hardly surprised that Harry was the one to be chosen as the voice and face of the PR campaign, but he still felt annoyed on Harry’s behalf.
“You’ll be great, and it will be over before you know it,” he told Harry now, kissing him on the mouth.
“And it’s important,” Harry said with a sigh, kissing him back.
“Yes, it is.”
“I’ll see you when I get home.”
“Send a Patronus if it’s going to be later than eight, would you?”
“I’ll be home by eight,” Harry said firmly. “To kiss Teddy goodnight.” Draco smiled at him. “All right, we have to go, or we’re going to be late,” Harry said to his godson.
He gave Draco one last kiss, and Teddy waved goodbye, and then they were gone.
The house was suddenly so quiet. Draco returned to the kitchen.
“I’ll be in my study this morning, Pipsy,” Draco said to the elf, who was just finishing cleaning up from breakfast. “Would you mind bringing me tea in about an hour?”
“Very good, Master Draco, sir,” the elf replied with a smile. “Pipsy will be doing that.”
“Thank you, Pipsy,” Draco said. For his duties around the house, he certainly didn’t need to rely on a house elf. But it was certainly nice to have one.
***
Draco spent the entire morning on the Gonzalez case. Mila’s pregnancy was going well, without any complications, but there was so much that was unprecedented about her situation that Draco was frightened something would go horribly wrong. He was determined to foresee any potential problems, whether it was the Uterine Shield failing and letting harmful magic into her womb, or if the fetus’ magic started to interfere with its mother’s. Or it could even be something simple, like Mila failing to maintain a healthy body weight as her child grew inside of her. Whatever it was, Draco would be ready for it.
He was quite grateful when Pipsy dutifully brought him his tea as instructed. He was trying to get through an article in Maternity Healing on methods for creating artificial Uterine Shields if the original failed. This particular researcher was brilliant, unquestionably one of the leaders in the field, but her writing was dense and dry, and made his brain feel sluggish. A hit of caffeine was certainly welcome.
He sipped and made notes, which he intended to share with Iwu later. She had wanted to be kept apprised of how Mila’s case was going, but Draco also wanted to find out how much she knew about shield magic when it came to Healing, as he had never done anything like this before so far in his residency.
Am I out of my depth with this case? he asked himself for about the hundredth time.
He sure as hell hoped not.
***
Draco was able to leave the house to pick up Teddy feeling productive. He’d researched all morning, then did some brewing in the afternoon to restock Grimmauld’s supply of household potions. It was all things they could buy in Diagon Alley, certainly, but Draco liked to brew. He knew those recipes by heart, and it relaxed him. Plus it was important that he keep his skills up, in case brewing and research turned out to be a part of his Senior Healing practice.
And now he had the rest of the day to focus on Teddy, and he was looking forward to it. It was wonderful when they were all together the three of them, but Draco was aware of how much Harry and Teddy had had a chance to bond since he’d moved in, and how much Draco was falling behind by comparison. He wanted Teddy to feel completely safe and comfortable with either of them, like they both were really his parents. Draco couldn’t help but feel this day was an important step towards that.
As soon as Draco entered the wards of the school he could hear the voices and laughter of children playing. School had just released for the day and there were already many parents around, collecting their children, as well as one of the teachers standing at the gate as usual, parchment in hand to check off the students as they left. Strangely, though, it was a woman Draco didn’t recognize. He knew both of Teddy’s teachers well by this point, and he knew he’d never seen this woman at the school before.
“Excuse me,” he said as he approached. The woman looked up from her parchment and took him in with dark, beady eyes. “I’m Draco Malfoy. We haven’t met.”
“Matilda Sturgis,” she said. “I’m filling in for the week while Miss Shreever is out.”
“Ah,” Draco said, nodding. “Well, I’m here to pick up Teddy for the day.” He spotted the boy on the jungle gym, playing with Toby and one other child, a girl with a blue bow in her blonde hair, and he waved. Teddy waved back, grinning.
“Teddy?” the woman asked.
“Lupin,” Draco said, eyeing her. There was only one Teddy in the class, so why she would need the clarification was beyond him.
“Mm.” She checked the list. “It says here his legal guardians are Harry Potter, his godfather, and Andromeda Tonks, his grandmother.”
Draco narrowed his eyes. “That’s true. But I’m Harry Potter’s partner, and Teddy lives with us. I’m also Teddy’s cousin. I pick him up from school regularly.” Surely she had to know all this already. If she hadn’t simply read about it in the papers, the other teachers would have informed her.
“You’re not on the list.” Draco was surprised by the sharpness in the woman’s voice, and he felt something strange and heavy settle unpleasantly in his gut.
“What list?”
“Of adults approved to remove Teddy Lupin from the school grounds. Here it says it can be either of Teddy’s legal guardians, and for anyone else there must be expressed permission from either of his legal guardians before the fact. Given that neither Mr. Potter nor Mrs. Tonks confirmed in person or via owl that you would be picking Teddy up today, I’m afraid my hands are tied.”
Draco gaped at her. “That’s ridiculous. I haven’t heard of such a rule. And if there is one, Teddy’s teachers haven’t been enforcing it. I’m here all the time. You can ask Miss Adelaide.”
“I’m simply following the protocol, Mr. Malfoy.”
“I’d like to speak to Miss Adelaide, if you don’t mind.” His throat felt suddenly acidic, and he swallowed.
“I do mind, Mr. Malfoy. She’s in an important conversation with a parent and left me responsible for the end of the day collection.”
“A gross oversight on her part, but no one’s perfect,” Draco grumbled under his breath.
“I beg your pardon, sir?”
“What do you propose we do then? I’m the one who’s here to collect Teddy.”
“Contact Mr. Potter or Mrs. Tonks to come collect him instead,” she said, as though this was perfectly reasonable.
“They aren’t available. His godfather can’t be pulled from work and his grandmother is very ill and receiving treatment at the hospital, or did no one tell you that? I’m the one who-”
“Draco?”
Draco stopped mid-sentence, looking down to see that Teddy had appeared at the gate and was watching their exchange with wide blue eyes.
“Hey, Teddy,” Draco greeted him, forcing his voice to be calm.
“I’m ready to go,” said the boy, glancing nervously at Ms. Sturgis a moment.
“Good, then let’s go.” Draco’d had enough of this, and he certainly didn’t want to subject Teddy to it. He reached out his hand as Teddy came through the gate, and Teddy took it.
“Mr. Malfoy!” Ms. Sturgis cried, incensed. “I have not given permission!”
“I’m one of the adults responsible for him. I don’t need your permission,” Draco said, doing everything he could to rein in his temper.
“You do, actually,” she replied, her eyes hardening. “Teddy can’t leave the wards until I have signed his name off on my parchment. Surely you knew that.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am perfectly serious. It’s a minor but effective safety precaution, a means to keep those who are dangerous or undesirable from making off with our precious children.” Her mouth seemed to twist in a smirk briefly before flattening out again. “Like criminals, or kidnappers, or… former Death Eaters, for example.”
Draco felt his insides seize up in rage. So that was this was about. She wasn’t just some foolish, stubborn substitute teacher who was misunderstanding the situation. She was doing this deliberately, because she knew who he was.
“You’re out of line, Ms. Sturgis,” he said, aware that his voice was a little shaky. He felt Teddy clutch at his trouser leg and reminded himself to remain in control. “I’ll be filing an official complaint with the school, I hope you realize.”
“Seeing as how you are neither a parent nor guardian, that Teddy is not your son in any way that could possibly matter, I hardly see why they would care,” the woman said acidly. “The complaints of a former war criminal, even one that has gone unpunished-“
Draco stepped closer, putting himself right in her face, keeping his voice low so that Teddy wouldn’t hear. “How dare you? In front of a child, my child?”
“He’s not yours, Mr. Malfoy,” the woman said, her voice considerably louder than his. “You are not his father or his godfather. You have no legal claim on him. If you manage to take him off the grounds, I am well within my rights to report you for kidnapping. That would certainly make an interesting headline, don’t you think? Former Death Eater Kidnaps War Orphan?”
Draco stood there, vibrating from the rage coursing through him. It had been a long time since he’d encountered this level of contempt for him in public. He reminded himself that he’d experienced worse than this, especially when he and Harry had started dating, and that most of his anger came from the fact that she was saying all this in front of Teddy.
Teddy is watching. That thought kept him grounded. Don’t do anything you wouldn’t want him to see. He looked down at his little cousin, who had metamorphed into a mini-Malfoy, complete with platinum blond hair and silver-gray eyes, looking much like Draco had at that age. He was staring at Matilda Sturgis with more anger than Draco had ever seen in the little boy.
“Teddy,” he said gently. “Would you go get Miss Adelaide for me? Tell her you’re sorry to interrupt, but it’s an emergency, and I need to speak with her right away.”
Teddy nodded, but first came to hug Draco tightly around one of his legs before letting go and making his way back to the school. Draco turned back to Sturgis.
“Mr. Malfoy, you can’t simply let him interrupt-“
“You are likely too stupid to understand what you have just done,” he talked over her, enjoying the shocked look on her face, “but you will find out soon that you’re not going to be working with children in any capacity for the rest of your life. I will be seeing to that personally.”
“You don’t have the kind of pull you think you have, Malfoy,” the woman said. “After what your family has done, what your father-“
“My father is a murderer, a bastard, and a fool, Ms. Sturgis,” Draco said. “And if he hurt you or someone you love, I am truly sorry for that. But I am not him, and I will not tolerate attacks on my character, especially not in front of a child who is too young to understand those sort of things. He barely understands why his parents are dead, or his godfather’s part in the war. And to suggest in front of him that he ought to be afraid of certain members of his family, people who have taken care of him his whole life… it’s not just me your hurting, Ms. Sturgis, it’s him. And that is what you’ll be paying for, mark my words.”
The woman’s face twisted. “You are not worthy of caring for a war orphan like the son of Remus Lupin,” she spat. “Nor are you worthy of a hero like Harry Potter. The fact that you are walking free is a disgrace-“
“Let’s see what Miss Adelaide thinks of the situation, shall we?” Draco cut her off. He could feel his hand twitching towards his wand, and knew he was in danger of doing something very stupid if Sturgis kept talking any longer. It was with relief that he saw the teacher and Teddy crossing the playground towards them. He saw Sturgis turn her head away, trying to compose her expression, and he did the same, forcing a friendly smile onto his face. “Cora,” he said, turning back to Teddy’s teacher. “Good afternoon.”
“Mr. Malfoy,” Miss Adelaide replied. “Good to see you again. What seems to be the problem? Teddy here was telling me you couldn’t get off school grounds.”
“We weren’t given permission,” Draco replied. “Ms. Sturgis seems to be under the impression that only Harry or Andromeda can collect him.”
Miss Adelaide opened her mouth in surprise, tucking a strand of her short, dark hair behind an ear. “Oh, Ms. Sturgis, I thought I was perfectly clear with you. Mr. Malfoy is one of Teddy’s guardians, though there isn’t official paperwork on it.” She turned to Draco. “It’s an oversight on our part, Mr. Malfoy. We’ll correct it immediately. It’s only that when school started, Teddy was still in his grandmother’s care, and when the paperwork was filled out…”
“That’s all right, I understand,” Draco said graciously. “Though obviously we should add me to this approved list, if it’s going to be a problem in the future.”
“It will never be a problem again, I assure you. We’ve understood the situation for a long time, Mr. Malfoy. You are always welcome here.”
Draco looked at Ms. Sturgis. “Not by everyone.”
“I was simply following the letter of the law,” the other woman replied stiffly. “You know, the school is liable in such an event as a child being allowed to be removed unlawfully by a strange man.”
“Oh, but Ms. Sturgis,” Miss Adelaide began to argue. “Mr. Malfoy is hardly a stranger.”
“That’s not why she detained us,” Draco said. “Don’t let her fool you.”
“Mr. Malfoy?”
“She made it perfectly clear why.” Draco felt hands gripping his trouser leg again, and glanced down to see Teddy looking up at him with pleading eyes. “You ought to ask her about it, Miss Adelaide, though I doubt she’ll tell you the truth. I really ought to be getting Teddy home now. However, please know that I’ll be filing a formal complaint, and Harry and I will be contacting you about a meeting to address it within the next couple of days.”
The teacher looked completely taken aback. “I… I’m incredibly sorry, Mr. Malfoy. I’ll get to the bottom of this, I assure you.”
“I appreciate that,” Draco said. “As well as your graceful and efficient handling of the situation. Now, if you would be so kind.” He looked at Sturgis expectantly. She stared back at him.
“Ms. Sturgis, allow them through the wards,” Miss Adelaide said impatiently. “Or I shall take the parchment from you and do it myself.”
Reluctantly, with her mouth set in a grim line, the woman lifted her quill and scratched out Teddy’s name.
“You’re free to go, Mr. Malfoy. Teddy,” Miss Adelaide said, leaning down to look the boy in the eye. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Everything is all right, don’t worry.”
Teddy simply nodded, still clutching against his cousin. Draco put a hand on this small blond head.
“Let’s go, love, it’s all right,” he said softly to the boy.
When they were outside the wards, Draco drew his wand and offered his hand to Teddy for their Apparition. “Would you still like to go to the park and play for a bit before dinner, Teddy?” Draco asked him.
The boy shook his head. “No thank you. It’s cold out. Let’s just go home.”
Draco nodded, suppressing a sigh. This was supposed to be their fun afternoon together, just the two of them, but that Sturgis woman had ruined the mood. Teddy was likely not simply angry about what the substitute had said, but also confused, which was making him turn inward as he was prone to do.
“It is a bit cold, isn’t it?” he said. “We can go home and, if you like, ask Pipsy to make us some hot chocolate.”
Teddy looked up him.
“Does that sound good?”
“Hot chocolate before dinner?”
“Yes.”
“Harry won’t get mad?”
“He won’t mind. This is a special occasion.”
He almost expected Teddy to ask why this was a special occasion, but he didn’t. He simply nodded, his eyes brightening a little, and said, “Ok.”
Pipsy could tell that something had happened the moment they walked into the house. She made a fuss over removing Teddy’s jacket and taking his empty lunchbox and telling him what a good, sweet boy he was. When Draco asked her about the hot chocolate, she bowed low and said, “Right away for my masters. Pipsy is to be taking good care of you.”
“You know, Teddy,” Draco said, once Pipsy had scurried to the kitchen and out of sight. “I think you are Pipsy’s most favorite person she’s ever known.”
“Really?” Teddy asked.
“Yes, really. She took very good care of me when I was small, but she didn’t dote on me the way she dotes on you. You’re very special to her, I think. You’re special to all of us.”
“I’m going to take off my shoes,” Teddy said.
“All right,” Draco replied. Perhaps Teddy didn’t want to talk about this just yet. Draco had learned, watching Harry interact with him, that sometimes Teddy needed space to bring up conversations on his own time. He would just have to be patient.
Draco settled them both at the kitchen table and Pipsy brought them their hot chocolate, Draco’s in a normal mug and Teddy’s in his special no-spill cup for hot beverages, which was charmed to make sure the temperature wouldn’t burn his tongue.
Teddy took a sip while Draco watched him, putting the cup back on the table with his hands wrapped around it, as if absorbing the warmth.
“Is it to my masters’ liking?” Pipsy asked.
Draco took a sip and nodded. “It’s exactly right. Thank you, Pipsy.”
“Thank you, Pipsy,” Teddy repeated.
Nodding, satisfied, the elf left them to their enjoyment of the drink and their quiet contemplation.
Teddy stared into the foamy surface of his cup for another couple of minutes while Draco sipped from his mug, radiating patience as best he could. Finally, Teddy spoke, his voice soft.
“Why did Ms. Sturgis say that stuff?”
“Which stuff are you talking about, Teddy?” Draco asked gently.
“That you’re not my dad.” Draco opened his mouth to answer, not sure exactly what he was going to say, but Teddy kept talking. “I know you’re not my dad. You’re my cousin. Everybody knows that.”
“That’s… true, Teddy,” Draco said cautiously. “Most people do know that.”
“So why did she say it if everybody already knows?”
“Because…” The answer to that question was multi-layered, more than most children twice Teddy’s age could understand. “Because she… well, honestly, Teddy, she thought saying something like that might hurt my feelings, and… that was what she wanted to do.” He had no idea if he was saying the right thing, but it was the truth.
“Why?”
“Because she doesn’t like me very much. Or, really, she thinks she knows me, because she knew my father. And she doesn’t like my father. So she also doesn’t like me.”
Teddy looked at him solemnly. “Your dad was a bad man,” he said. “I heard Nana and Aunt Cissy talking about it.”
Draco closed his eyes. He’d have to have a talk with his mother and aunt about discretion. Teddy shouldn’t have to be subjected to things like that, not when he was too young to understand.
“In many ways, yes, he wasn’t a very good man. He loved me as much as he could, I suppose. But he did some bad things, and he went to… he went somewhere where he couldn’t do those things anymore.”
“He went to jail?”
Draco sighed. “Yes. He went to jail.”
“Do you miss him?”
Draco stared at his cousin, unsure how to answer. “That’s a really complicated question you’re asking, Teddy,” he said. “I don’t know. Not most of the time. Most of the time I’m glad he’s somewhere where he can’t… I’m glad he’s far away. But other times… sometimes I remember good things about him, and I miss that part of him.”
Teddy nodded and took a sip of hot chocolate. “What bad things did he do?”
Draco bit his lip. “I’m not ready to tell you about that yet, Teddy. Someday, I promise I will tell you everything. But I’m not ready yet.”
Teddy didn’t push, only sat in silence. They both sipped on their drinks quietly until Teddy spoke again.
“Aunt Cissy said that your dad doesn’t like Harry and doesn’t want you to be together.”
“Did Aunt Cissy say this to you or to Nana?”
“To Nana.”
“I really wish you… it’s not nice to listen in on other people’s conversations, Teddy.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Teddy insisted. “They thought I was asleep.”
“And you didn’t tell them that you were actually awake?” Draco asked with the arch of a brow.
Teddy frowned and stared into his cup, not answering.
“Aunt Cissy and Nana shouldn’t have said those things in front of you, even if they thought you were sleeping,” Draco said. “I just wish you hadn’t heard it at all.”
“Why not?”
“Because there are things that happened before you were born, that were still happening when you were born, that made it…” Draco ran a hand through his hair. “It was a very difficult, very scary time to be a witch or wizard. A lot of bad things were happening. A lot of people got hurt. And it’s not something that we ever want you to go through. We’re trying to make a world where that will never happen again. We want our children to be able to live without those kinds of memories. But it’s hard sometimes, because so many of the people in your life went through all that and sometimes we need to talk about it with each other. But I would rather you not have to hear about it. I don’t want you to hear things that will upset you.”
“It didn’t upset me,” said Teddy. “I just… I want to know.”
“I know, Teddy. And you will, when you’re older.”
Teddy crossed his arms over his chest. “Harry says that all the time. Everybody does, so they don’t have to tell me about things.”
Draco sighed. Yes, that would be the frustrating thing about being an emotionally intelligent five-year-old who spent most of his time around veterans of a war. He probably always felt like there were secrets that everyone around him knew but that were being kept from him “for his own good.”
“There is a lot you can’t know yet,” he said. “I’m sorry for that, but that’s the way it is. But I can tell you, some things, if you like.” Teddy nodded fervently, and Draco continued. “There was a war that ended only a few months after you were born. A very bad man named Voldemort wanted to hurt and control a lot of people. But there were also people who wanted to stop him and make the world safe for everyone. Harry was one of those people. In some ways, he was the most important. But he wasn’t alone in fighting Voldemort. Hermione, Ron, your parents, your Nana, the Weasleys, and a lot of other people fought alongside him to make sure the world would be a better place for you and children like you.”
“And you and Aunt Cissy? Did you fight him too?”
“We played our part, yes.” Draco was unwilling to say more than that. Some day, when Teddy could understand the nuance of such things, he would explain.
“And your dad?”
“He was on the opposite side. He… helped Voldemort do some bad things. Harry fought against him. That’s why they don’t like each other.”
“And he doesn’t like you to be with Harry and love him?”
“That’s right.”
“Oh.”
“But that doesn’t matter to me, you know, Teddy,” Draco said, leaning forward. “What my father thinks or what he wants me to do… it will never make me stop loving Harry. I will always want to be with him and we will always want you to stay with us, as our child. That will never change.”
Teddy ran a small finger along the handle of his cup. “How do you know?”
“I just know it. Sometimes you just… know things.”
“But aren’t kids supposed to do what their parents tell them?”
“When they’re growing up, yes. But eventually all children become adults and then they’re old enough to make choices for themselves.” He watched Teddy furrow his brow, taking that in. He wanted to say something else, but he wasn’t sure it was something Teddy would understand. “Most parents want the best things for their children. They want them to grow up and become their own people and be happy. That’s what your parents wanted for you, you know. For you to grow up and be happy and free to live your life. That’s why they fought so hard, because of how much they loved you and wanted that for you.”
“And that’s why they died.”
“Yes.”
“Nana told me that too.”
“I know, and it’s true. They were very good parents, Teddy. But… my father… You have to understand… not everybody gets good parents like that. Sometimes parents don’t always do what they’re supposed to do. Sometimes parents don’t want their children to grow up and be free. My father… he wanted me to grow up and be like him, and when I didn’t act like him, he wasn’t very nice to me. And that made my life difficult, for a long time, until I was old enough to think for myself and make my own choices. That’s why I’m glad he’s in jail and far away, because it means I can be free to live my life how I want to live it.” He had no idea if Teddy would get any of this. But he was a smart kid, who understood feelings and relationships better than most his age, and so maybe he would get at least some of it.
Teddy was quiet for a long time, staring into his cup. Draco watched him, thinking again how much like Harry the boy could be, in moments like this. Teddy had kept his blond hair, but as they sat and talked he’d turned his eyes green, and Draco almost felt like he could see Harry staring out of them.
“Toby asked me if I miss my mum and dad,” Teddy said finally. “I said I did sometimes. But I don’t remember them, so it doesn’t feel the same as when I miss Nana or you or Harry.”
“I think that’s a normal way to feel about that, Teddy,” Draco reassured him. Teddy furrowed his brow, and Draco wondered what he was thinking. He looked confused, as if he was trying to come to terms with ideas he couldn’t fully understand, or ask a question he didn’t know how to put into words.
Can a person really miss someone they don’t remember, that they never really knew?
“I know you…” Draco began. He had no idea if Teddy was going to understand or respond well to what he wanted to say. But he didn’t know how else to say it. “I know you like to be clear about relationships, Teddy. I know you like to know who is who, how they relate to you, how you always say that I’m your cousin and Nana is your grandmother, and how you don’t like to call Hermione ‘Aunt’ or Blaise ‘Uncle’ because that’s not how you’re related to them. I understand that. But… the thing is… sometimes it’s more complicated than that. Sometimes how people are related to us by blood isn’t the whole story. Sometimes they are more or less to us depending on… circumstances.” Draco cringed, staring into his nearly empty drink. He wasn’t good at this sort of thing. It required a vulnerability he really wasn’t used to, with anyone but Harry. But some things required risk. Some things mattered too much not to risk it.
Be brave, he told himself.
“Your mum and dad will always be your mum and dad, Teddy, even if they’re gone. But other people in your life can be parents to you too, have been parents to you, like Nana, and Harry… and me, if… you want.” Teddy looked at him, his eyes wide open. Draco took a deep breath. “In my heart, you are my son. It doesn’t matter that by blood we’re cousins. In my heart it’s… different than that. Do you understand what I mean?”
Teddy thought that over. “Because I live with you?”
“That’s part of it, yes,” Draco said. “And I do the sort of things that a parent would do for you. Like what Toby’s mum and dad do for him.”
“Like read to me and give me a bath?”
Draco smiled. “Yes, that.”
“And let me stay in your bed when I’m scared and come to school to pick me up?” Teddy was sitting up straighter now, as if there was something he was really understanding for the first time.
“Yes. What else?”
“And take me to the playground and tell me to be careful on the swings and heal me if I fall and get a cut?”
“All of that,” Draco said. “And something else, too, Teddy. The most important thing.” When Teddy didn’t seem to have an answer, Draco went on. “What do I tell you every night before you go to bed?”
Teddy put a finger to his lips. “You say good night and you love me.”
“That’s right, Teddy. I love you. Unconditionally. Do you know what that means? Unconditionally?”
Teddy shook his head.
“It means that no matter what happens, no matter what you do or where you go or what choices you make, I will always love you. No matter what. I know Harry feels the same way. That’s why we think of you as our son, because we love you unconditionally.”
Teddy looked at him. “Ms. Sturgis acted like she knew everything about it. But she doesn’t know anything, does she?” There was a trace of anger in his voice, though strangely it made Draco want to smile.
“Not about this,” Draco replied. “Not about how much I love you. She doesn’t understand that at all. But that doesn’t matter. She doesn’t have any say in how we make our family. She can never take you from me. I’ll make sure of it.”
Teddy didn’t ask how. There was no doubt in his gaze at all as he looked at Draco. “I know,” he said.
Draco smiled, then opened his arms. “Can I have a hug? I could really use one.”
Teddy hopped off his chair and climbed into Draco’s lap. Draco held him close, feeling his heart swell up. He wasn’t going to be thanking Matilda Sturgis for her unkind words anytime soon, but he couldn’t help but think that this was a conversation he and Teddy had needed to have.
When he felt Teddy start to squirm he loosened his hold, kissing him on the head and asking, “Would you like some quiet time in your room before dinner?” With all that had happened that afternoon, with all they had talked about, it wouldn’t have surprised Draco to learn Teddy needed some time alone to process it.
“Yeah,” said Teddy. “But can we do a puzzle before dinner? I want to do the new one that Nana got me.”
“That sounds perfect, Teddy,” Draco said, kissing him again. “Just perfect.”
***
Harry arrived home a few minutes before eight, just as Draco and Teddy were starting their final story of the night. He came into the room quietly and sat on the bed, listening to Draco read. When he was finished, Teddy reached out to Harry, and Harry hugged him.
“Missed you guys,” he said softly. “How was your day together?”
“It was good,” Teddy said. “Once we got home.”
Harry arched a brow. “But before that?”
“There’s a new teacher at school. She was mean.”
Harry’s whole face tightened. “She was mean to you?”
“No. She was mean to Draco.”
Harry looked at Draco, confused.
“I’ll tell you all about it,” Draco promised him. He looked at Teddy. “But it’s time for you to go to sleep.”
“But Harry just got home,” Teddy said.
“You’ll see me in the morning. And tomorrow after school we’ll play together, yeah?” Harry reassured him.
“You can’t just read me one more story?” Teddy asked, making his best krup-puppy eyes at his godfather. “Just one?”
Draco rolled his eyes where Teddy couldn’t see and saw Harry fight a smile.
“Very well,” Harry sighed. “I’ll read you one story. And then it’s time to sleep. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” said Teddy.
Draco kissed Teddy goodnight and left the two of them to have some alone time. “I’ll make us some tea,” he told Harry.
“Thanks. I’ll have chamomile,” Harry said as he settled in next to Teddy.
Draco put the kettle on in the kitchen, but was soon accosted by Pipsy, who wanted to know what he was doing and why he wasn’t letting her do it for him.
“It’s all right, Pipsy, you rest,” he told the elf. “It’s just tea.”
“It be Master Draco who should be doing resting,” Pipsy insisted. “You is having a bad day.”
“I appreciate that,” he said. “But it wasn’t a bad day, actually. It was just…” He didn’t really know how to put it into words. The things Sturgis had said had stuck with him, implanted themselves in his brain in a way he hadn’t expected. He thought he ought to feel upset, but he was feeling something else instead. A kind of urgency. “Difficult,” he finished. “But also enlightening.”
Pipsy blinked at him for a few seconds. “Pipsy be making tea, Master Draco. You be resting, and I be bringing it to you.”
Draco sighed, accepting the inevitable. “Very well. Harry and I will both have chamomile. He’ll be down in just a few minutes.”
He left Pipsy in the kitchen and wandered into the sitting room, where one of the bookcases was now reserved for Teddy’s puzzles and other games. It had become a tradition of sorts, these past few months since Teddy had moved in, to do puzzles before dinner and play a game after dinner. Draco liked the look of those brightly colored boxes stacked on top of one another, a nice contrast to the dusty old books that sat higher on the shelves, old Black tomes that were rarely touched. The ancient and the modern, the past and the future, resting alongside each other.
And then there was the mural, vibrant and healthy-looking now, with portraits of all the Blacks and their descendants, plus a few extras, like Harry, who had been inducted into the family legally.
Draco belonged on here all on his own, since his mother was a Black. His portrait, as far as he knew, had been on the mural since birth. But now it was attached not only to his parents by golden lines, indicating that he was their heir, but also by a thin white line to Harry, who was not far from him, nestled under Sirius’ name. That had happened not long after he had moved in, to recognize their relationship. Those who were married were connected in red, and Draco always wondered if as their relationship deepened his and Harry’s line would start to take on a color. It hadn’t.
It will, he reminded himself. When we’re married, it will.
That wasn’t the line he was focusing on now. Instead he was looking at the golden one that connected Harry to Teddy, the one that made it clear that they were as good as father and son.
There was nothing connecting Draco and Teddy. Not on the mural anyway.
It might just be time to change that, Draco mused as he ran his fingers along the various lines around his, Harry’s, and Teddy’s portraits. He would have to think about how he wanted to go about that.
A small sound in the doorway had Draco turning his head. Harry stood there, watching him, his expression one of concern.
“Teddy said more to you about what happened with Ms. Sturgis, didn’t he?” Draco said, reading Harry's face.
“As much as he was able to understand of it, anyway,” said Harry. He approached Draco, wrapping his arms around Draco’s waist. “Will you tell me the rest?”
Draco rested his forehead against Harry’s. “Yes. Why don’t we sit down?”
Harry smiled ruefully. “I think I’ll stay standing. I have a feeling I’m going to need to do some pacing while I listen to this.”
That made Draco laugh. “You’re probably right.” It was easy to predict that this particular tale was going to get the brunet properly livid.
Harry kissed him. “Tell me,” he said gently.
Draco closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began.
Up Next: A request from Draco gives Harry an idea.
goddess-of_dragons: Here it is! I hope it satisfied your curiosity. It also marks the beginning of a lot of development for Harry, Draco, and Teddy as a family, so there’s more where this came from.
I understand about needing to put your writing on the backburner. That happens sometimes. Family and relaxation are important (which is sort of what this story is about right now, come to think of it :) )
LadyShire: Lol yes, very true. She’s figuring some things out, but not everything. I’m glad you enjoyed the chapter!
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