Love Bites (Harry Potter: Official Dragon Tamer, Part One)

A Brief Turning of the Tables

Lucius made a slight movement as though to pull the plate of cake away from Draco, and the snap ended with his pudgy little hand darting out to grab at the slice of cake, his eyes focused with an intensity that was precocious for a child so young.

The third and final snapshot showed an entirely blissed-out Draco, eyelids fluttering at half-mast, leaning contentedly against his mum, a fistful of cake held up to his mouth, most of it and the frosting smeared all over his face, crumbs trailing down his fancy birthday outfit as he gave a satisfied sigh whilst chewing absentmindedly.

"Did you enjoy that, Draco, darling?" Narcissa asked, leaning down to coo in her son's ear.

While unlikely that Draco understood her question at that age, he responded by heaving another contented sigh and turning to look up at Narcissa, holding his fistful of mangled cake up to share.

"Oh, no, sweetheart," she giggled, leaning down once more to place a kiss atop Draco's head. "That's all for you."

This scene ended with Draco giving himself another pleased smile, bringing the fistful of cake back to his mouth as he snuggled back into his mum, the crash following his first-ever sugar high already taking over.

"Harry," Draco called, snapping me back from my journey into his past. "Everything alright?"

"Hmm?" I realised I was still standing in the middle of the pavement.

"Sorry," I apologised, quickly shoving my mobile into my pocket as I hurried to catch up. "Just a text from work."

"It's us who should apologise," Narcissa countered as I fell into step alongside them once more. "We're probably boring you half to death with all this talk about the chateau."

"We'll have to go for a long weekend sometime, Harry," Draco said, slipping his hand into mine. "But first, we'll have to work on your frightful lack of knowledge concerning wine."

"I'm just not picky," I protested.

"Mum, I asked him if he preferred a Cab, Merlot, or Zin, and he said 'red'," Draco informed her as though this were a horrific crime.

Narcissa only chuckled and looked at both of us affectionately as she paused at the entryway to Draco's building.

Draco keyed in the entry code, and we resumed our mundane banter as we entered the elevator.

"I'm always amazed at what muggles have been able to do," Narcissa sighed, looking around the tiny box in admiration. "Imagine constructing something like an elevator without any magic. Muggles can really be quite clever, can't they? Do you think they'll one day figure out how to make them move in all directions like ours do?"

She sounded so much like Arthur Weasley that I couldn't help bursting into laughter.

"I know," she seemed to understand my outburst immediately. "Who would have ever thought? Narcissa Malfoy, appreciating the work of muggles."

Once inside Draco's flat, Narcissa positively beamed up at her son and held out her arms.

"Draco, darling," she said, arms folding around him and pulling him close. "I'll see you later to discuss business at the manor, I assume?"

"Of course," he replied, hugging her back, leaning his head down to rest his cheek atop her head, and, for about the millionth time in my life, I felt that familiar pang of jealousy that I would never get to experience that with my own mum.

"Harry, dear," she turned out of Draco's embrace to fix me with a warm smile. "It really was such a pleasure catching up with you today."

She held her arms out to me somewhat tentatively, and I grinned, stepping into her proffered embrace.