Harry Potter and The Beloved Incubus (BP4)
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Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
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Adult ++
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41
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Category:
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
41
Views:
21,985
Reviews:
120
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Bloody Rich
Chapter Number/Total: 34/41
Chapter Title: Bloody Rich
Words: 3953 Words
Draco was panting and trembling. He grabbed the mantle of the fireplace and leaned forward, using it to keep himself from collapsing to his knees. Unbidden, tears were running down his face.
Harry was breathing harshly through his nose, trying to get control of himself. Valen was not going to be some stuck-up, prejudiced prat. Absolutely no way!
Draco tried to breathe deep but he ended up sobbing instead. He gave up and collapsed to the floor.
After a few moments, when Draco had not returned, Harry's guilty conscience started to nag him. Perhaps shouting "fuck you" had been a little over the top. He was still angry, but he got slowly to his feet and walked over to the door, opening it a crack and looking out. He frowned sadly and winced as he saw Draco on the floor. He stepped out quickly and made his way over to him, kneeling on the carpet next to him. "Draco," he said, frowning. "Draco, I - I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."
Draco was on his hands and knees face buried in the crook of his right arm. He tried to breathe again. He could feel Harry near him but couldn't face him yet.
Harry bit his lip and looked away, waiting and feeling guiltier by the second.
Draco wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his dressing gown and then rested his forehead back on his arm again. Harry's magic was calming now and he ached to reach for him. "Is that what you still think of me?" he whispered.
Harry stared at Draco, frowning, and then shook his head. "No," he said quietly, sitting on the floor fully now and pulling his legs up to rest his chin on his knees.
Draco snorted. He sat up, still kneeling, and stared at the shards of glass on the stone of the mantle. "You think I am ... like my father," he whispered.
Harry took in a breath sharply. "No," he said, hurt by that. He released his own legs and moved closer to Draco, pulling him into his arms. "I would never think that."
Draco was stiff, resisting him at first, but then he allowed himself to be held. He couldn't resist Harry. Never could for long. He winced in pain as he moved, realising only then that he was kneeling in broken glass.
"Draco," Harry exclaimed, frowning as he looked down at the glass and the bloody pieces.
"Harry," Draco said, resting his head on his husband's shoulder, ignoring the pain.
Harry sighed and brought a hand up, stroking Draco's hair. "I don't think you're like your father," he said quietly. "But I don't understand the pure-blood stuff. They're not any better than anyone one else, and I don't want Valen to think that. That's - that's the way Voldemort thinks."
"I think you will never understand me," Draco sighed, trembling again.
"Please don't say that," Harry whispered. Draco's words actually scared him a little. "Please, tell me what I don't understand. Anything."
Draco sighed. "I need to get up," he said. "It hurts."
Harry closed his eyes, knowing good and well that Draco could easily sit through the pain if he wanted to. He knew that Draco simply didn't want to talk to him. He didn't say anything about it and nodded, helping Draco to his feet silently.
Draco looked down at his legs. There were shards of glass embedded in his shins and blood trickled down to his ankles. He reached for his wand and realised he had left it in the bedroom.
"Merlin, Draco," Harry said, wincing and frowning as he looked at Draco's legs as well. He dropped to his knees in front of him, testing himself. He did a silent Summoning Charm to get all of the glass out of Draco's legs and then pressed his hands to the bloody, torn skin, trying to heal him. It sort of worked. There weren't as many cuts, anyway.
Harry's magic caressed his skin and made Draco shiver. "Someday you may not need a wand for anything," he said quietly.
Harry looked up at Draco and gave a little shrug. "Maybe," he said as quietly as his husband, getting to his feet again. "You should go heal the rest up." He looked down at his bloody hands. "I'm going to go get cleaned up and dressed."
"No," Draco said quickly, "don't."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Why?" he asked, glancing down at his hands again.
Draco stepped in close, pressing himself against Harry and putting his arms around his shoulders.
Harry sighed and shook his head, wrapping arms around the small of Draco's back. "Your legs are covered in blood," he whispered reasonably.
"Blood doesn't bother me," Draco said. "Mine looks the same as yours. Both bind us together. In each other. And in Valen."
Harry stared up at Draco seriously. "I know," he said. "It shouldn't matter. It doesn't."
"It matters a great deal," Draco said. "Remember the discussion we had in the library? I am not saying pure-blood is better. I am saying that it is different."
"I can agree to that," Harry said slowly.
Draco smiled a bit sadly, sighing. He took one of Harry's hands in his and led him over to sit on the sofa, turning to face him as he did.
Harry raised his eyebrows slightly and stared at Draco questioningly.
"What is the purpose of a godparent?" Draco asked Harry.
"To protect a child when the parents aren't able," Harry said.
"Yes," he said. "To help the parents raise the child, if possible. But to take over as parents, if necessary."
Harry nodded slowly. "Yes, I know," he said. "Which is why I think it should be people important to us. People we trust absolutely. I trust Bill and Fleur, and of course they're important to me, but they're not - they're not the first people I think of in ... well ... any situation really. Ron and Hermione are."
"If you and I both die, what is the most likely cause of that?" Draco asked, trying to lead Harry to a place of understanding.
"Voldemort," Harry said quietly, frowning.
"Are Ron and Hermione likely to survive long if you die?" Draco asked.
Harry sighed, looking away. He didn't answer, but he figured his silence was answer enough.
"That's the mistake your parents made," Draco said. "By choosing their best friend, they left you unprotected when he was set up as well."
Harry bit his lip. It was true. He sighed.
"I want Valentine protected if we lose," Draco said. "If he needs to go into hiding, then he would need a pure-blood family to shelter him."
Harry sighed again. "Well, Merlin, Draco," he said. "Wouldn't it have been easier if you had said that in the first place?"
"I was trying to," Draco said. "You became angry before I could explain that part."
"Sorry," Harry said grudgingly, looking at his knees.
"As for the training Valen will need," Draco sighed, "do you have any idea the difference in managing an estate the size of the Malfoy assets and that of someone of Weasley or Granger's background?"
"Bill has the same background as 'Weasley'," Harry said, raising an eyebrow. "And 'Granger's' mum and dad were both dentists, which isn't too bad a profession in the Muggle world." He sighed.
"Valen will be one of the wealthiest wizards in the entire world," Draco said quietly. "Do you realise that?"
Harry shrugged. "I guess," he said, although he wasn't really sure about how much money Draco had.
"This Manor is only a portion of the estates we own," Draco tried to explain. "We also own an estate in France, including a villa and a vineyard."
"I've heard you talk about other places," Harry said slowly and paused. "Draco ... exactly how much money do you have?"
"I don't know the exact amount," Draco said. "Since investments shift the figure and some of the properties haven't been evaluated in quite a while."
"Merlin, you don't even know how much?" Harry said. "Well, I don't know how much is in my vault, but it's not that much."
"I know it's at least in the millions of Galleons," Draco said. "Not even counting the fact that the Manor is priceless."
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Oh," he said quietly.
"If he had to, our son could live in exile in France," Draco said, "with the Delacours' protection. They are distant relatives, after all."
"They are?" Harry asked. He hadn't known that.
Draco rolled his eyes. "First, all European wizarding families are related. Second, Malfoy was originally French," he explained.
"Ah, yes," said Harry. "Sirius told me that before. That all of the pure-blood families were related in some way."
"Some closer than others," Draco said. "You and I are related as well."
Harry snorted. "Hopefully not that close," he said, raising an eyebrow.
"No, not that close." Draco smirked. "But it means that one can claim kinship with other families when the need arises. Valen might need it."
Harry sighed again. "I suppose," he said.
"Hermione and Ron are like a brother and sister to you," Draco said. "I understand that. They will be there for Valen as long as they can. I am a Slytherin, Harry. It means I always think of the worst case and prepare for it."
Harry nodded. "I understand," he said quietly. "And I'm a thick Gryffindor and I think with my heart, right?" he said, smiling softly.
"Exactly," Draco smiled, "my lion."
"All right," Harry said, shaking his head. "Bill and Fleur can do it if they want to, but I want to explain to Ron and Hermione why we're not making them the godparents."
"Agreed," Draco said.
Harry nodded and then looked down at his hands, the blood on them dry. "Can I go and get cleaned up and dressed now?" he asked, holding them up to show Draco.
Draco smirked. "Can I get clean with you?"
Harry grinned. "I think I'd like that," he said.
***
"Harry?" Draco called out to his husband in the bathroom. Valen was propped up among some pillows on their bed and seemed happy to watch Draco, making strange little noises as his father got dressed.
"Huh?" Harry called back, his mouth full of his toothbrush.
"Why is your trunk from Hogwarts still taking up room in here?" Draco called out.
Harry sighed, finishing brushing his teeth. He tossed the toothbrush on the edge of the sink and walked out of the bathroom to see what Draco was talking about. "My stuff's still in there," he said when he was standing next to his husband.
Draco frowned at him, shaking his head. Without house-elves, he would've gone nuts living with such a slob. "You have a chest of drawers and a closet to put things in," he tried to explain. "We don't need this ugly old chest in here. What's in it?"
Harry shrugged. "Stuff," he said. He hadn't cleaned out his trunk in ... well, actually, he wasn't sure if he had ever cleaned out his trunk.
Just the way Harry said it had Draco worried. He frowned as he looked at it and imagined all manners of unsanitary things that it might contain. Wondering if he needed gloves and with wand ready, he lifted the lid. And promptly closed it. "Eww," he complained.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked, lifting the lid of the trunk himself. He looked in. It looked just the same as it always did. There were bits of parchment balled up in the bottom, an ink spill in one corner that Harry had simply covered with a pair of Uncle Vernon's socks, a pair of underwear that he had left in there since the last time he'd been at Hogwarts, and a number of other ... questionable objects. Harry shrugged.
Draco closed his eyes and counted to ten - in French and then in German. "Is there any reason we can't just dispose of everything in there?" he asked. "Preferably by incineration."
"Hey," Harry said indignantly. "There could be good stuff in here." He reached down and pulled out the bottle the ink had spilled from. "See, it's still half full," he said, showing it to Draco.
Draco stared at the filthy bottle and the new ink stains on his husband's fingers. "It is half dried out and a poor quality to begin with," he said. "Harry, we are worth millions. We don't need that."
Harry frowned and huffed. "Well, my map's still in here," he said, reaching in and pulling out The Marauders Map.
"We are cleaning this out," Draco said decisively. "Benedict and Boaz," he called out for the elves.
Harry huffed again. "You don't need to call a house-elf for everything, Draco," he said, shaking his head and standing slightly in front of his trunk protectively.
The two house-elves appeared and bowed to them. Draco ignored Harry's comment. "Harry, here's how this is going to work. You pull something out. If it is worth keeping, you hand it to Benedict who will clean whatever it is. If it isn't, give it to Boaz to dispose of."
Harry sighed. "Fine," he said. "I guess it could use a cleaning ...." He looked down at his trunk with his head slightly cocked to one side.
"The clothes all go to Boaz," Draco said to his husband.
Harry rolled his eyes and then dropped to his knees, pulling out the ink-covered socks and the questionable underwear. He got rid of a bunched up t-shirt that had been from third year, at least five broken quills - it was hard to tell with all the pieces - the bits of parchment, another pair of old socks, two empty ink bottles and the one that had spilled, and when he reached his hand in to grab what looked like an old package of Hedwig's owl treats, he brought his hand out quickly, hissing.
"Ow," he said, sticking his cut finger in his mouth and glaring at the trunk like it had bitten him.
Draco was not surprised to find something dangerous in that trunk. He raised eyebrows and looked cautiously over Harry. "What is it?" he asked.
"I don't know," Harry said around his finger, peering into the trunk. He reached in and pulled out the offending object: a broken piece of glass with a bit of blood on the sharp end.
"What broke?" Draco asked. He glanced over at the bed as Valen seemed to be asking them something. "It's fine, Valen." Draco smiled at him.
Harry looked over his shoulder and smiled at the baby as well before turning back to the trunk. He frowned, trying to remember. What had it been? Then a memory came to him: himself throwing a mirror in his trunk in anger. He sighed sadly. "It was ... a mirror from Sirius," he said, staring at the glass.
"A mirror? Magical?" Draco said, moving closer. "Careful not to lose any pieces and we can fix it."
"Doesn't matter," Harry mumbled. "It doesn’t work." He dropped the glass back inside with the rest of the pieces.
Draco frowned, kneeling down and holding a hand close to the mirror pieces. "It's damaged," he said with his eyes closed, "but it is still charmed."
"It didn't work when it wasn't broken," Harry said. "Well, it probably did, but it's useless now. It's a two-way mirror. The other half is gone. I don't know where Sirius put it."
"Do you want to repair it or have me do it?" Draco insisted, sighing.
"There's no point," Harry said, but he held his hand over the trunk and muttered, "Reparo," and the pieces flew back together, forming the small square mirror again.
Draco shivered at the casual power displayed in the wandless magic. Valen cooed and burbled louder, making Draco laugh as the baby's reaction mirrored his.
Harry smiled gently at Valen and then simply passed the mirror to Draco, turning back to the mess in his trunk.
Draco examined the mirror, glad to see that it was completely mended and the magic was still in place. He walked over and sat on the bed next to Valen while Harry continued to clean out his trunk. The little boy was making excited noises and reaching for him.
Harry frowned at the contents in his trunk and then huffed. "I suppose you can just throw it all out," he said to the elves, picking up his map and putting it in his pocket. "There's not really anything much worth saving, I guess."
Draco lay down beside the infant and looked into the mirror.
When the house-elves took over Harry's work, seeming relieved that he was leaving them to it, he walked over to the bed and lay on his back on Valen's other side, picking him up to lay him on his chest. He made a funny face at him, bending his head down to kiss his little nose gently.
Draco watched and Valen wrinkled his nose in response to the kiss and made little smacking noises. Draco moved closer so he could lie touching his husband and child.
Valen turned his head suddenly - or as suddenly as he could - and wobbled on Harry's chest, reaching, wide-eyed, for the mirror Draco was still holding. Harry laughed, steadying the baby so that he didn't roll off.
"Yes," Draco said, holding the mirror up so the infant could look into it. "See the pretty baby?"
Valen made some more of his little noises, still wobbling excitedly as he stared at the mirror. Harry smiled widely at him.
"Wonder what he sees," Draco asked, watching Valen. "So it's a Communication Spell. You said your godfather had the other one?"
Harry nodded. "He gave it to me to contact him if I needed him," he said quietly. "I tried to use it ... after he was gone. It didn't work and I broke it."
"How does it activate?" Draco asked as a tiny hand batted at the surface of the mirror.
"You say whoever has the other mirror's name," Harry answered. "But I don't think anyone has it. I tried to say Sirius's name and nothing happened."
"Do you want to try it again?" Draco asked.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "There really isn't any point," he said, absently playing with the small little strands of Valen's hair that wouldn’t lie down in the back. "But it's not like it's hard to try it. You just have to say his name into it."
Draco was thinking. "Did he carry it on him?" he asked.
Harry shrugged. "I guess he might have," he said. "I was supposed to use it whenever I needed to talk to him. I don't think he had it that night though .... Like I said, it didn't work."
Valen was making little smacking noises while he looked in the mirror. Draco raised an eyebrow at the infant. "I think he likes himself." He smirked.
"Well, he is the cutest little bloke in the world," Harry said, smiling.
Draco did agree with that so he nodded and then leaned over to kiss his husband.
Harry smiled against Draco's lips and kissed him back, chuckling low in his throat as Valen squirmed even more.
Draco's tongue slipped along his lover's lips and he sighed happily at the taste.
Harry opened his mouth, taking Draco's tongue inside. "Mmm," he hummed, still smiling.
Draco had forgotten about the house-elves until he heard a couple of small pops as they left. Valen made a kind of chirping noise.
Harry snorted and pulled away from Draco, looking down at their son again.
"Aww," Draco drawled, "Valen feel left out?" He leaned over and kissed the infant on the forehead.
Harry sat up with Valen and turned slightly, laying the baby on his belly on the bed before flipping to lie on his own stomach, facing him. He rested his chin in his hands, sighing happily as he watched Valen continue to wobble and make noises. If he was already doing this much, Harry wondered how he would be when he started to crawl.
"I wonder if it is normal to be happy so much of the time," Draco asked wistfully.
Harry laughed quietly. "Well, I certainly don't see any problems," he said.
"I guess I just thought babies cried all the time," Draco said, setting the mirror aside and petting Valen's back again.
"Nah, not him," Harry replied, covering his face with his hands and then bringing them away again quickly, making another face at Valen.
Valen's eyes widened and he made more burbling noises. Draco felt he could lay there and watch his husband and child forever. It felt safe and comfortable. He wished it could stay this way.
Harry chuckled again and reached out and smoothed Valen's hair, sighing. "What time is it?" he asked, wishing he could ignore the fact that they had more searching to do today.
"Time to join the others." Draco sighed. "You should feed him again before."
Harry nodded. "Yeah," he said, sitting up and pulling his shirt off. "I think someone's going to need a nap soon anyway." He picked Valen up again and scooted with him to rest against the pillows before situating the baby's mouth at his nipple.
Draco openly stared again. He really couldn't help himself.
Harry looked up at Draco, smiling and shaking his head. "What's up for today?" he asked.
Startled into thinking again, Draco smiled back. "More research." He shrugged. "And I need to go over the financials again."
Harry nodded and sighed. "I swear, sometimes it feels like we're never going to be finished with research. After all of this is done, I don't care if I ever do research again."
Draco smirked, holding his tongue on his sarcastic thoughts about who actually did most of the research. He knew Harry worked hard at it even if he didn't do as much of it. Personally, he liked the research part of things much better than the fighting.
It wasn't too long before Valen was asleep. Harry Summoned the cloth they used when Valen needed to be burped and threw it over his shoulder. He knew better now. He picked Valen up gently and burped him. He spit up, but at least it wasn't on Harry's shoulder. "Lupin's probably here already," he said to Draco, still patting the baby's back in case he had another burp in him.
Draco rolled off the bed, standing up. "I'll go down ahead and set up."
"Yeah, all right," Harry said, pleased when Valen burped a second time. He stood up as well and laid the baby gently on the bed. He pulled his wand out and shrunk Valen's cot, putting it in his pocket to take down with him. When he reached over and grabbed his shirt from where he'd tossed it on the bed, it sent the mirror clattering to the floor. Harry cocked his head, staring at the mirror. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Draco had left the room. Feeling like a fool, he pulled his shirt on and then bent over and grabbed the mirror, staring at it as he fingered the edge of it. Rolling his eyes, he whispered. "Sirius," his breath fogging the glass like it had last time. And also like last time, nothing happened. He wasn't surprised. He sighed and shook his head, tossing the mirror on top of the mattress. He picked Valen up again and held him to his chest, making his way across the room.
"Harry!"
Harry froze in his tracks, not moving a muscle.
"Harry!"
There was a voice coming from the bed.
Chapter Title: Bloody Rich
Words: 3953 Words
Draco was panting and trembling. He grabbed the mantle of the fireplace and leaned forward, using it to keep himself from collapsing to his knees. Unbidden, tears were running down his face.
Harry was breathing harshly through his nose, trying to get control of himself. Valen was not going to be some stuck-up, prejudiced prat. Absolutely no way!
Draco tried to breathe deep but he ended up sobbing instead. He gave up and collapsed to the floor.
After a few moments, when Draco had not returned, Harry's guilty conscience started to nag him. Perhaps shouting "fuck you" had been a little over the top. He was still angry, but he got slowly to his feet and walked over to the door, opening it a crack and looking out. He frowned sadly and winced as he saw Draco on the floor. He stepped out quickly and made his way over to him, kneeling on the carpet next to him. "Draco," he said, frowning. "Draco, I - I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."
Draco was on his hands and knees face buried in the crook of his right arm. He tried to breathe again. He could feel Harry near him but couldn't face him yet.
Harry bit his lip and looked away, waiting and feeling guiltier by the second.
Draco wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his dressing gown and then rested his forehead back on his arm again. Harry's magic was calming now and he ached to reach for him. "Is that what you still think of me?" he whispered.
Harry stared at Draco, frowning, and then shook his head. "No," he said quietly, sitting on the floor fully now and pulling his legs up to rest his chin on his knees.
Draco snorted. He sat up, still kneeling, and stared at the shards of glass on the stone of the mantle. "You think I am ... like my father," he whispered.
Harry took in a breath sharply. "No," he said, hurt by that. He released his own legs and moved closer to Draco, pulling him into his arms. "I would never think that."
Draco was stiff, resisting him at first, but then he allowed himself to be held. He couldn't resist Harry. Never could for long. He winced in pain as he moved, realising only then that he was kneeling in broken glass.
"Draco," Harry exclaimed, frowning as he looked down at the glass and the bloody pieces.
"Harry," Draco said, resting his head on his husband's shoulder, ignoring the pain.
Harry sighed and brought a hand up, stroking Draco's hair. "I don't think you're like your father," he said quietly. "But I don't understand the pure-blood stuff. They're not any better than anyone one else, and I don't want Valen to think that. That's - that's the way Voldemort thinks."
"I think you will never understand me," Draco sighed, trembling again.
"Please don't say that," Harry whispered. Draco's words actually scared him a little. "Please, tell me what I don't understand. Anything."
Draco sighed. "I need to get up," he said. "It hurts."
Harry closed his eyes, knowing good and well that Draco could easily sit through the pain if he wanted to. He knew that Draco simply didn't want to talk to him. He didn't say anything about it and nodded, helping Draco to his feet silently.
Draco looked down at his legs. There were shards of glass embedded in his shins and blood trickled down to his ankles. He reached for his wand and realised he had left it in the bedroom.
"Merlin, Draco," Harry said, wincing and frowning as he looked at Draco's legs as well. He dropped to his knees in front of him, testing himself. He did a silent Summoning Charm to get all of the glass out of Draco's legs and then pressed his hands to the bloody, torn skin, trying to heal him. It sort of worked. There weren't as many cuts, anyway.
Harry's magic caressed his skin and made Draco shiver. "Someday you may not need a wand for anything," he said quietly.
Harry looked up at Draco and gave a little shrug. "Maybe," he said as quietly as his husband, getting to his feet again. "You should go heal the rest up." He looked down at his bloody hands. "I'm going to go get cleaned up and dressed."
"No," Draco said quickly, "don't."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Why?" he asked, glancing down at his hands again.
Draco stepped in close, pressing himself against Harry and putting his arms around his shoulders.
Harry sighed and shook his head, wrapping arms around the small of Draco's back. "Your legs are covered in blood," he whispered reasonably.
"Blood doesn't bother me," Draco said. "Mine looks the same as yours. Both bind us together. In each other. And in Valen."
Harry stared up at Draco seriously. "I know," he said. "It shouldn't matter. It doesn't."
"It matters a great deal," Draco said. "Remember the discussion we had in the library? I am not saying pure-blood is better. I am saying that it is different."
"I can agree to that," Harry said slowly.
Draco smiled a bit sadly, sighing. He took one of Harry's hands in his and led him over to sit on the sofa, turning to face him as he did.
Harry raised his eyebrows slightly and stared at Draco questioningly.
"What is the purpose of a godparent?" Draco asked Harry.
"To protect a child when the parents aren't able," Harry said.
"Yes," he said. "To help the parents raise the child, if possible. But to take over as parents, if necessary."
Harry nodded slowly. "Yes, I know," he said. "Which is why I think it should be people important to us. People we trust absolutely. I trust Bill and Fleur, and of course they're important to me, but they're not - they're not the first people I think of in ... well ... any situation really. Ron and Hermione are."
"If you and I both die, what is the most likely cause of that?" Draco asked, trying to lead Harry to a place of understanding.
"Voldemort," Harry said quietly, frowning.
"Are Ron and Hermione likely to survive long if you die?" Draco asked.
Harry sighed, looking away. He didn't answer, but he figured his silence was answer enough.
"That's the mistake your parents made," Draco said. "By choosing their best friend, they left you unprotected when he was set up as well."
Harry bit his lip. It was true. He sighed.
"I want Valentine protected if we lose," Draco said. "If he needs to go into hiding, then he would need a pure-blood family to shelter him."
Harry sighed again. "Well, Merlin, Draco," he said. "Wouldn't it have been easier if you had said that in the first place?"
"I was trying to," Draco said. "You became angry before I could explain that part."
"Sorry," Harry said grudgingly, looking at his knees.
"As for the training Valen will need," Draco sighed, "do you have any idea the difference in managing an estate the size of the Malfoy assets and that of someone of Weasley or Granger's background?"
"Bill has the same background as 'Weasley'," Harry said, raising an eyebrow. "And 'Granger's' mum and dad were both dentists, which isn't too bad a profession in the Muggle world." He sighed.
"Valen will be one of the wealthiest wizards in the entire world," Draco said quietly. "Do you realise that?"
Harry shrugged. "I guess," he said, although he wasn't really sure about how much money Draco had.
"This Manor is only a portion of the estates we own," Draco tried to explain. "We also own an estate in France, including a villa and a vineyard."
"I've heard you talk about other places," Harry said slowly and paused. "Draco ... exactly how much money do you have?"
"I don't know the exact amount," Draco said. "Since investments shift the figure and some of the properties haven't been evaluated in quite a while."
"Merlin, you don't even know how much?" Harry said. "Well, I don't know how much is in my vault, but it's not that much."
"I know it's at least in the millions of Galleons," Draco said. "Not even counting the fact that the Manor is priceless."
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Oh," he said quietly.
"If he had to, our son could live in exile in France," Draco said, "with the Delacours' protection. They are distant relatives, after all."
"They are?" Harry asked. He hadn't known that.
Draco rolled his eyes. "First, all European wizarding families are related. Second, Malfoy was originally French," he explained.
"Ah, yes," said Harry. "Sirius told me that before. That all of the pure-blood families were related in some way."
"Some closer than others," Draco said. "You and I are related as well."
Harry snorted. "Hopefully not that close," he said, raising an eyebrow.
"No, not that close." Draco smirked. "But it means that one can claim kinship with other families when the need arises. Valen might need it."
Harry sighed again. "I suppose," he said.
"Hermione and Ron are like a brother and sister to you," Draco said. "I understand that. They will be there for Valen as long as they can. I am a Slytherin, Harry. It means I always think of the worst case and prepare for it."
Harry nodded. "I understand," he said quietly. "And I'm a thick Gryffindor and I think with my heart, right?" he said, smiling softly.
"Exactly," Draco smiled, "my lion."
"All right," Harry said, shaking his head. "Bill and Fleur can do it if they want to, but I want to explain to Ron and Hermione why we're not making them the godparents."
"Agreed," Draco said.
Harry nodded and then looked down at his hands, the blood on them dry. "Can I go and get cleaned up and dressed now?" he asked, holding them up to show Draco.
Draco smirked. "Can I get clean with you?"
Harry grinned. "I think I'd like that," he said.
***
"Harry?" Draco called out to his husband in the bathroom. Valen was propped up among some pillows on their bed and seemed happy to watch Draco, making strange little noises as his father got dressed.
"Huh?" Harry called back, his mouth full of his toothbrush.
"Why is your trunk from Hogwarts still taking up room in here?" Draco called out.
Harry sighed, finishing brushing his teeth. He tossed the toothbrush on the edge of the sink and walked out of the bathroom to see what Draco was talking about. "My stuff's still in there," he said when he was standing next to his husband.
Draco frowned at him, shaking his head. Without house-elves, he would've gone nuts living with such a slob. "You have a chest of drawers and a closet to put things in," he tried to explain. "We don't need this ugly old chest in here. What's in it?"
Harry shrugged. "Stuff," he said. He hadn't cleaned out his trunk in ... well, actually, he wasn't sure if he had ever cleaned out his trunk.
Just the way Harry said it had Draco worried. He frowned as he looked at it and imagined all manners of unsanitary things that it might contain. Wondering if he needed gloves and with wand ready, he lifted the lid. And promptly closed it. "Eww," he complained.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked, lifting the lid of the trunk himself. He looked in. It looked just the same as it always did. There were bits of parchment balled up in the bottom, an ink spill in one corner that Harry had simply covered with a pair of Uncle Vernon's socks, a pair of underwear that he had left in there since the last time he'd been at Hogwarts, and a number of other ... questionable objects. Harry shrugged.
Draco closed his eyes and counted to ten - in French and then in German. "Is there any reason we can't just dispose of everything in there?" he asked. "Preferably by incineration."
"Hey," Harry said indignantly. "There could be good stuff in here." He reached down and pulled out the bottle the ink had spilled from. "See, it's still half full," he said, showing it to Draco.
Draco stared at the filthy bottle and the new ink stains on his husband's fingers. "It is half dried out and a poor quality to begin with," he said. "Harry, we are worth millions. We don't need that."
Harry frowned and huffed. "Well, my map's still in here," he said, reaching in and pulling out The Marauders Map.
"We are cleaning this out," Draco said decisively. "Benedict and Boaz," he called out for the elves.
Harry huffed again. "You don't need to call a house-elf for everything, Draco," he said, shaking his head and standing slightly in front of his trunk protectively.
The two house-elves appeared and bowed to them. Draco ignored Harry's comment. "Harry, here's how this is going to work. You pull something out. If it is worth keeping, you hand it to Benedict who will clean whatever it is. If it isn't, give it to Boaz to dispose of."
Harry sighed. "Fine," he said. "I guess it could use a cleaning ...." He looked down at his trunk with his head slightly cocked to one side.
"The clothes all go to Boaz," Draco said to his husband.
Harry rolled his eyes and then dropped to his knees, pulling out the ink-covered socks and the questionable underwear. He got rid of a bunched up t-shirt that had been from third year, at least five broken quills - it was hard to tell with all the pieces - the bits of parchment, another pair of old socks, two empty ink bottles and the one that had spilled, and when he reached his hand in to grab what looked like an old package of Hedwig's owl treats, he brought his hand out quickly, hissing.
"Ow," he said, sticking his cut finger in his mouth and glaring at the trunk like it had bitten him.
Draco was not surprised to find something dangerous in that trunk. He raised eyebrows and looked cautiously over Harry. "What is it?" he asked.
"I don't know," Harry said around his finger, peering into the trunk. He reached in and pulled out the offending object: a broken piece of glass with a bit of blood on the sharp end.
"What broke?" Draco asked. He glanced over at the bed as Valen seemed to be asking them something. "It's fine, Valen." Draco smiled at him.
Harry looked over his shoulder and smiled at the baby as well before turning back to the trunk. He frowned, trying to remember. What had it been? Then a memory came to him: himself throwing a mirror in his trunk in anger. He sighed sadly. "It was ... a mirror from Sirius," he said, staring at the glass.
"A mirror? Magical?" Draco said, moving closer. "Careful not to lose any pieces and we can fix it."
"Doesn't matter," Harry mumbled. "It doesn’t work." He dropped the glass back inside with the rest of the pieces.
Draco frowned, kneeling down and holding a hand close to the mirror pieces. "It's damaged," he said with his eyes closed, "but it is still charmed."
"It didn't work when it wasn't broken," Harry said. "Well, it probably did, but it's useless now. It's a two-way mirror. The other half is gone. I don't know where Sirius put it."
"Do you want to repair it or have me do it?" Draco insisted, sighing.
"There's no point," Harry said, but he held his hand over the trunk and muttered, "Reparo," and the pieces flew back together, forming the small square mirror again.
Draco shivered at the casual power displayed in the wandless magic. Valen cooed and burbled louder, making Draco laugh as the baby's reaction mirrored his.
Harry smiled gently at Valen and then simply passed the mirror to Draco, turning back to the mess in his trunk.
Draco examined the mirror, glad to see that it was completely mended and the magic was still in place. He walked over and sat on the bed next to Valen while Harry continued to clean out his trunk. The little boy was making excited noises and reaching for him.
Harry frowned at the contents in his trunk and then huffed. "I suppose you can just throw it all out," he said to the elves, picking up his map and putting it in his pocket. "There's not really anything much worth saving, I guess."
Draco lay down beside the infant and looked into the mirror.
When the house-elves took over Harry's work, seeming relieved that he was leaving them to it, he walked over to the bed and lay on his back on Valen's other side, picking him up to lay him on his chest. He made a funny face at him, bending his head down to kiss his little nose gently.
Draco watched and Valen wrinkled his nose in response to the kiss and made little smacking noises. Draco moved closer so he could lie touching his husband and child.
Valen turned his head suddenly - or as suddenly as he could - and wobbled on Harry's chest, reaching, wide-eyed, for the mirror Draco was still holding. Harry laughed, steadying the baby so that he didn't roll off.
"Yes," Draco said, holding the mirror up so the infant could look into it. "See the pretty baby?"
Valen made some more of his little noises, still wobbling excitedly as he stared at the mirror. Harry smiled widely at him.
"Wonder what he sees," Draco asked, watching Valen. "So it's a Communication Spell. You said your godfather had the other one?"
Harry nodded. "He gave it to me to contact him if I needed him," he said quietly. "I tried to use it ... after he was gone. It didn't work and I broke it."
"How does it activate?" Draco asked as a tiny hand batted at the surface of the mirror.
"You say whoever has the other mirror's name," Harry answered. "But I don't think anyone has it. I tried to say Sirius's name and nothing happened."
"Do you want to try it again?" Draco asked.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "There really isn't any point," he said, absently playing with the small little strands of Valen's hair that wouldn’t lie down in the back. "But it's not like it's hard to try it. You just have to say his name into it."
Draco was thinking. "Did he carry it on him?" he asked.
Harry shrugged. "I guess he might have," he said. "I was supposed to use it whenever I needed to talk to him. I don't think he had it that night though .... Like I said, it didn't work."
Valen was making little smacking noises while he looked in the mirror. Draco raised an eyebrow at the infant. "I think he likes himself." He smirked.
"Well, he is the cutest little bloke in the world," Harry said, smiling.
Draco did agree with that so he nodded and then leaned over to kiss his husband.
Harry smiled against Draco's lips and kissed him back, chuckling low in his throat as Valen squirmed even more.
Draco's tongue slipped along his lover's lips and he sighed happily at the taste.
Harry opened his mouth, taking Draco's tongue inside. "Mmm," he hummed, still smiling.
Draco had forgotten about the house-elves until he heard a couple of small pops as they left. Valen made a kind of chirping noise.
Harry snorted and pulled away from Draco, looking down at their son again.
"Aww," Draco drawled, "Valen feel left out?" He leaned over and kissed the infant on the forehead.
Harry sat up with Valen and turned slightly, laying the baby on his belly on the bed before flipping to lie on his own stomach, facing him. He rested his chin in his hands, sighing happily as he watched Valen continue to wobble and make noises. If he was already doing this much, Harry wondered how he would be when he started to crawl.
"I wonder if it is normal to be happy so much of the time," Draco asked wistfully.
Harry laughed quietly. "Well, I certainly don't see any problems," he said.
"I guess I just thought babies cried all the time," Draco said, setting the mirror aside and petting Valen's back again.
"Nah, not him," Harry replied, covering his face with his hands and then bringing them away again quickly, making another face at Valen.
Valen's eyes widened and he made more burbling noises. Draco felt he could lay there and watch his husband and child forever. It felt safe and comfortable. He wished it could stay this way.
Harry chuckled again and reached out and smoothed Valen's hair, sighing. "What time is it?" he asked, wishing he could ignore the fact that they had more searching to do today.
"Time to join the others." Draco sighed. "You should feed him again before."
Harry nodded. "Yeah," he said, sitting up and pulling his shirt off. "I think someone's going to need a nap soon anyway." He picked Valen up again and scooted with him to rest against the pillows before situating the baby's mouth at his nipple.
Draco openly stared again. He really couldn't help himself.
Harry looked up at Draco, smiling and shaking his head. "What's up for today?" he asked.
Startled into thinking again, Draco smiled back. "More research." He shrugged. "And I need to go over the financials again."
Harry nodded and sighed. "I swear, sometimes it feels like we're never going to be finished with research. After all of this is done, I don't care if I ever do research again."
Draco smirked, holding his tongue on his sarcastic thoughts about who actually did most of the research. He knew Harry worked hard at it even if he didn't do as much of it. Personally, he liked the research part of things much better than the fighting.
It wasn't too long before Valen was asleep. Harry Summoned the cloth they used when Valen needed to be burped and threw it over his shoulder. He knew better now. He picked Valen up gently and burped him. He spit up, but at least it wasn't on Harry's shoulder. "Lupin's probably here already," he said to Draco, still patting the baby's back in case he had another burp in him.
Draco rolled off the bed, standing up. "I'll go down ahead and set up."
"Yeah, all right," Harry said, pleased when Valen burped a second time. He stood up as well and laid the baby gently on the bed. He pulled his wand out and shrunk Valen's cot, putting it in his pocket to take down with him. When he reached over and grabbed his shirt from where he'd tossed it on the bed, it sent the mirror clattering to the floor. Harry cocked his head, staring at the mirror. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Draco had left the room. Feeling like a fool, he pulled his shirt on and then bent over and grabbed the mirror, staring at it as he fingered the edge of it. Rolling his eyes, he whispered. "Sirius," his breath fogging the glass like it had last time. And also like last time, nothing happened. He wasn't surprised. He sighed and shook his head, tossing the mirror on top of the mattress. He picked Valen up again and held him to his chest, making his way across the room.
"Harry!"
Harry froze in his tracks, not moving a muscle.
"Harry!"
There was a voice coming from the bed.