Harry Potter Tripped Through the Veil and Found a Family

Harry Goes Shopping & Draco Discovers Some Shocking Feelings

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Harry peeked around the corner before sneaking forward, little footsteps following him. Scorpius looked elated as they snuck into the bedroom, the owner snoring loudly.
"Alright love, are you ready?" Scorpius nodded and they dumped the water bucket on the head of Sirius Black. Before he could get his bearings, Harry had already grabbed Scorp and raced off, his sweet boy's laughter echoing around him. Sirius was swearing loudly and Harry reminded himself to tell Hermione about it. She had a firm no swearing rule in front of children and was happy to enforce it. Harry had seen her twist Theodore Nott's ear for swearing in front of the First Years when she was Head Girl. He raced into the dinning room and found everyone already sitting at the enlarged table. He plopped Scorpius down and sat beside him. Scorp was still giggling as a sopping wet Sirius came stumbling through the door.
"Who did this?" He looked like a drowned rat and Harry bit his lip so he wouldn't laugh.
"Oh my, Sirius! You should dry yourself off or you might get sick." Harry said with a straight face as he high fived his dad underneath the table.
"I know it was you, pup." Padfoot said firmly before he darted forward. Harry found himself with a lap full of his dogfather and the older man rubbed his wet hair against his face.
"Sirius! Not at the table." Narcissa barked out and Harry could have kissed her. Sirius smelled like a wet dog.
"Mother is right. Go get changed." Draco's face was blank as he watched them but his eyes burned with anger. Harry blinked at his expression before shrugging. It was probably a Pureblood thing, they took etiquette to the extreme. Sirius pouted but left. Harry knew he didn't want to get on Narcissa's bad side. She could be a real witch.
"Now Harry dear, I thought we could go shopping today. Of course, your friends are invited too!" She clapped her hands together in excitement and Harry's pancake fell off his fork as he gawked at her.
"Er, I don't need to go shopping?" His voice was pitched at the end, making it seem like a question.
"Nonsense! You need some real clothes and the Ball is coming up!" Harry looked at Hermione and she looked just as confused.
"The Ball?" Lucius nodded seriously.
"Yes, the Summer Ball? It's the social event of the year." Harry had never heard of such a thing but already knew he didn't want to go. He was terrible at socializing with the upper crust of the Wizarding World.
"It will be fun, dear. Mother will buy you an outfit and you can dance the night away." Narcissa looked thrilled to take him shopping and he sighed before agreeing. She looked so excited, he didn't want to hurt her feelings. If it was his Narcissa, he would have been more concerned with her stabbing him in an alley. She may have lied to the Dark Lord's face for him but that was for personal gain only.
"I could go too, if you wouldn't mind." His mum said slowly and Harry didn't look at her as he stared at his plate.
"If you want to." He mumbled, his breakfast not appealing as he pushed his food around. Everyone finished quickly and Harry went to his room to change. He was digging around Other Harry's closet for a shirt when there was a knock on his door. He opened it to find Draco leaning against the doorway. He opened his mouth to say something but no words came out.
"Er, Draco? Hello?" Harry waved his hand in front of his face and Draco took a staggering breath.
"My apologies, Harry. I was just surprised." Harry had no idea why he was surprised, he knocked on his door! He finally found a plain shirt and pulled it on. He could feel Draco staring at him and gave him a questioning look.
"I just wanted to tell you that you don't have to indulge Mother." He said and Harry rolled his eyes.
"It's fine. I probably should get some new clothes and I hate shopping. As long as I don't end up looking ridiculous, I don't care what she buys." Most of Harry's clothes back home had been Dudley's first. He was finally able to fit in them and Harry hated throwing anything out. Ginny joked he was a hoarder but he couldn't stand going to Diagon. The Wizarding World loved him. They would peek into his dressing room or follow him around. It was ridiculous and he had happily cursed anyone who got too friendly.
"Okay. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to let me know." Draco seemed to emphasize the word anything and Harry thought about it before answering.
"I do want to go to Weasley's on Sunday, if you don't mind?"
"Of course! I know Arthur from work but I've never been close to the others." Harry cocked his head to the side as he stared at him.
"I know this is kind of late, but what do you do?"
"Ah, I'm a lawyer. The Ministry keeps me on call for different cases they come across." Harry gave an impressed whistle as he pulled on his trainers.
"Must be nice working for the Ministry instead of breaking into it." Harry commented and Draco came closer, his face full of curiosity.
"You broke into the Ministry?"
"Er, well we broke into the Ministry. Dolores Umbridge was wearing one of the horcruxes so we polyjuiced ourselves and stole it. Oh, we also broke some people out of the Ministry." Harry added, hoping it would make them seem less like criminals.
"She was wearing one of those things?" Harry patted his back, understanding his horror.
"She was a terrible person." His sixth year had been hard, his rage making him unstable and the Dark Lord snooping in his mind not helping any. Harry had genuinely thought about pushing Umbridge down the stairs at least twice a day. He had even fantasized about begging Voldemort to kill her and Harry would forgive him for murdering his parents. His hand twinged at the memory and he flexed his fingers. Draco caught his wrist before bringing it closer to his face.
"What is this?" His voice was frigid and Harry relaxed slightly. He sounded like his Malfoy. Harry was waiting for the other shoe to drop and it seemed it finally had. Draco would probably kick him out of his house and Harry would never see the children again. It was for the best, he would be a terrible influence.
"Who did this to you?" Harry opened his mouth to agree with him before closing it with a snap. Wait, he was upset about his scar?
""I must not tell lies." Harry, why is this carved into your hand? Who allowed this to happen?" Draco demanded and he could just stare. Draco was worried about him? He knew they were friends but most people tended to distance themselves after they found out what a wreck Harry truly was. He didn't blame them, how could he?
"Er, Umbridge did. She wanted it to "sink in."" Harry could picture her smug smile as he carved the words into his hand, again and again. He was lucky it hadn't gotten infected.
"I see." Draco was gently rubbing his scar and straightened his shoulders before continuing.
"I will find out if she's alive in our universe and make sure she never hurts you again."
"That's not necessary! She doesn't even know me!" Harry didn't know why he was suddenly defending Umbridge, of all people, but he didn't want to cause trouble for his friend.
"I'm just going to do a little investigating, Harry. Don't worry your pretty head about it." Draco tapped his nose before stalking off.
"What just happened?" Harry muttered to himself as he finally left his room, his mind whirling. He found Narcissa waiting by the floo, Ron and Hermione beside her. Lily walked into the room and Hermione put herself between them, something Harry was grateful for. He knew she was a grieving mother and seeing him wear her son's face was like rubbing salt in an open wound. He tried to be empathetic but it was hard. It made him realize how much he missed his own parents. He was jealous that Other Harry got to grow up with two sets of parents. He was jealous that Other Harry was able to get married and have children. It wasn't fair. Harry had sacrificed everything and he had nothing to show for it. The actions of Other Harry felt like he was spitting in his face. He had everything Harry could dream of and he carelessly threw it away. It enraged him how truly selfish his counterpart had to have been.
"Is everyone ready?" Narcissa asked before calling out "Diagon Alley!" Harry tumbled through the floo and managed to latch onto Ron, who made sure he didn't topple to the ground.
"Thanks, mate!" Narcissa tucked her hand into his elbow and pulled him along.
"Come along, Harry! We have much to do." The next hour was spent getting stripped to his underwear as he was measured a thousand times before he was able to get dressed.
"Alright, Harry?" Ron asked as he continued to eat the fancy cookies set out, his lap full of crumbs. Harry snagged one as he sat down, his legs aching from standing for so long.
"Merlin, I'm never going shopping again. This is terrible." He complained and Hermione giggled at him.
"Does this mean can burn Dudley's hand-me-downs, Harry?" He thought about it before nodding.
"Sure. Maybe we can roast marshmallows over them!" His friends laughed and he heard a soft cough.
"You don't like shopping, Harry?" Lily asked and he scuffed his shoe against the ground. Narcissa was ordering the many workers around so it seemed like they would be here a while.
"No. Aunt Petunia would never take me when I was younger so large crowds make me uncomfortable." He answered.
"Oh." Lily said, her smile awkward.
"Hadrian loved to shop. We would spend hours picking out clothes." Ron roared with laughter as he slung his arm over his shoulder.
"Our Harry can barely match his socks, let alone a whole outfit!" He pinched his side but leaned against his first friend. He was grateful for his silent support as Lily kept making small talk.
"You look exactly like James when we were in school. Hadrian would have too, if he kept his hair short."
"Draco told me he brushed it one hundred times a day." Harry couldn't imagine wasting that much time on his hair. Merlin, it would take forever!
"Yes, well, Hadrian always liked looking put together." Harry startled as Hermione slammed her book closed, her eyes narrowed into slits.
"I'm sure he did. He did spend most of his time being unfaithful, didn't he? Did you approve of his behavior?" Harry kept his mouth shut as he exchanged a look with Ron. Hermione was angry and it would be better for them to stay on the sidelines as she squared off against Lily. Her cheeks were flushed as she crossed her arms.
"Hadrian wasn't a saint and I'm not saying he was. I had no control over what he did but I knew he wasn't happy in his marriage."
"I never thought I'd say this but poor Malfoy." Hermione announced, her hand coming up to unconsciously rub her inner arm.
"Right? Draco is nothing like ours but he has got to have the worst luck! Not only was his husband a cheating slag, but no one seems to blame him for it! Other Harry seems like he was a spoiled brat!" Harry was breathing heavily as everyone stared at him.
"Never thought I'd see the day Harry Potter defended Draco Malfoy!" Ron whooped as Hermione gave him a look.
"Neither did I." She looked far too interested in his little speech and he was almost grateful when Lily spoke up.
"Hadrian had a rough adolescence. It was very difficult for him when James and I divorced." Harry scoffed as he placed his hands on his hips.
"And my parents were murdered by a mad man! You don't see me snogging the closest person!"
"Maybe you should, Harry. Get some of that frustration out." Mione said slyly and he could feel his face flush. He had dated some a couple of years ago but Harry wanted a connection. He knew it was silly but he wanted someone to sweep him off his feet. He wanted absolute devotion in his partner. Most people were taken aback when they found out the Great Harry Potter wanted someone to take care of him. He had spent his whole life defending everyone else, was it really that surprising that he wanted someone to lean on? He didn't think so and Hermione was adamant that he didn't settle for less just because people thought he should.
"Yeah, Harbear! Of course we'll have to approve of them." Ron gestured between himself and Hermione.
"How did we get onto the subject my love life?" He whined and Narcissa joined them, leaving the workers to run around frantically trying to meet her expectations.
"I am curious, Harry. You are a dashing young man. I'm sure you had suitors lined down the block." Harry grimaced but refused to answer. Unfortunately, his traitorous friends didn't have the same problem.
"Harry is the most eligible bachelor in the Wizarding community! They have weekly ads on who will steal our precious Harrikin's heart!" Hemione butted in, her eyes twinkling.
"Right before Harry tripped through the Veil, the French Ambassador was trying to convince him to run off together!" Harry buried his face in his hands as he tried to ignore them.
"I thought he was asking me for directions." He mumbled and Narcissa burst into laughter, Lily joining her.
"You poor thing!" Lily seemed grateful for the change of topic as his former friends regaled them with his dating disasters, the former tension fading slightly.

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Draco crumpled up his seventh piece of parchment and admitted to himself that he wasn't going to get any work done today. When he had stopped by Harry's room, he hadn't thought he would find the other man shirtless. He was embarrassed by his behavior as he stared at him. Harry had a large scar in the middle of his chest.  It was the same shape as the one on his forehead and Draco had been itching to touch it. He could guess what it was from. Harry had told them he had let the Dark Lord kill him. It made his stomach clench as he pictured a young Harry meeting such a fate. He leaned back in his chair as he examined his feelings. It was odd how attached he was becoming to Harry. He had liked Hadrian but he was just doing his duty as the Malfoy Heir. Perhaps if they had tried harder, their feelings would have blossomed into love. When he thought of Hadrian's death, he felt nothing but relief. He had finally gotten rid of the noose around his neck. He was constantly cleaning up Hadrian's messes, trying to keep their family afloat. He hadn't complained, it was his punishment for not putting more effort into their marriage.
When Draco thought of Harry dying, his chest twinged and he broke out in a cold sweat. He didn't want anything back to happen to him. Harry was a kind, caring, and funny person who deserved the world. He should be cherished by those around him. A knock interrupted his thoughts and he was shocked to find his Father on the other side of the door.
"Ah, here you are. James and Regulus went home. Apparently James has been skipping work this whole time and the Department is threatening to fire him." His Father scoffed and Draco agreed with his sentiment. He dared the Ministry to try and fire him. He would sue them for everything they had.
"I like Harry's friends. Hermione has gumption. Perhaps I will see if she would like to join my circle." His Father was the figurehead of the political scene and rarely reached out to others. Everyone wanted Lucius Malfoy on their side.
"Maybe wait until they adjust. It has to be jarring to see so many dead faces." Harry had told him of the hundreds of people who were killed during the war and it boggled Draco's mind at how many lives were lost.
"They seem to take everything in stride. I'm so glad someone put Lily in her place. I never liked how much she enabled Hadrian's behavior." His Father clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Father." He said in warning. He wasn't going to deal with this today.
"Yes, yes. I'll stop." His Father tapped his finger against his desk before continuing.
"I hope we will see you more often. The children are getting older and I would hate to miss out on more of their lives." His Father's face was blank as he waited for his reply.
"I'm sure the boys would like that. Harry told them he would teach them how to do tricks on their brooms." Draco pinched his nose as he said it. He could imagine Scorpius going back to Hogwarts and showing off his new flying skills. Merlin, he could already picture the letters he would get about his son's behavior!
"Good! Harry seems very capable." As his Father kept talking, his words soothed the ache their separation had caused. He wouldn't immediately forgive him but this was a start.
"There you are, lovely!" His Mother breezed through the door and his Father perked up.
"Did you have fun, Cissy?" His Mother grinned widely.
"You missed Harry defending our dear Dragon! He even called Hadrian a slag!" She was cackling and Draco had a sudden image of his Aunt Bella. She was crazy and lived in the countryside raising bees.
"No! You must show me the memory!" Father was rubbing his hands together like a villain, his pleasure clear to see. She had her wand out when his office door burst open and Harry slunk in.
"Draco! Hide me." He pushed his chair out and Harry squeezed underneath his desk, his hand resting on his inner thigh.
Innocent thoughts, Draco! He chided himself. Merlin, his parents were in the room. Lily knocked on the doorframe before sticking her head in.
"Have you seen Harry? I was going to tell him goodbye." Harry's nails dug into his thigh and he held back a groan.
"We haven't seen him. I'll make sure to let him know." Draco said through gritted teeth and Lily left, her shoulders slumped. As soon as her footsteps faded, Harry crawled out.
"Thanks! I may have said some rather rude things to her and now it's even more awkward!" Harry said while rubbing the back of his neck. Draco was dying to know how his friend had defended him but would beg his Mother for the memory later.
"Oh! I sent the Twins a letter about Sunday." Draco wrote it down on his calendar before circling it
"Got it." Harry beamed at him and Draco smiled back, pleased that such a little thing made him so happy.
"Alright, boys. We'll be leaving but please floo us soon!" His Mother kissed both of their cheeks before dragging his Father out of the room.
"Narcissa is scary! I thought the shopkeeper was going to faint at the amount of stuff she ordered." Harry said as he threw his legs over the chair.
"Mother does tend to go overboard. It went well?"
"Yes!" Harry was avoiding his gaze and his face seemed flushed. Draco decided he was definitely getting the memory from Mother.
"Where are the boys?"
"Sirius took them out. They're seeing a movie." Draco had never been but apparently it was a muggle contraption that showed pictures. An owl flew through his open window and dropped a heavy envelope on his desk. He frowned when he recognized the seal.
"Is everything okay?" He gripped the papers tightly before answering.
"It seems you've been challenged to a duel."