Serendipity

10: When Love Takes You In

Draco
~•~

"We've been married almost five years now, I just think we should do something special for our anniversary this year," Harry says. Our anniversary is next Saturday, and he's been trying for about a month now to get me to agree to go somewhere for it (somewhere out-of-country, no doubt).

"And who says we won't do something special?" I respond casually, not bothering to look up from the book I'm reading. Harry sighs.

"You know what I mean, Dray. I want to go somewhere."

I point to the kitchen. "I want food. Why don't you go in there and make me some?"

"Keep talkin' like that and you might just find yourself single again."

"You don't mean that. Anyway, we're already going somewhere for our anniversary."

"Really? Where?" Harry asks, growing excited.

"Can't tell you all that, it's a surprise. I was serious about that food, though. Go on, now."

-

Harry
~•~

The following Saturday...

"We've been driving for ages," I whine. "Could you at least tell me where we're going that's taking so long?"

"Nope." Draco pats my hand gently. "It's still a surprise."

"I'm officially too old for surprises. Tell me where we're headed!"

"You're never too old for surprises, especially if you can still whine like a bored five-year-old."

"Ugh, I give up." I turn away from him and pout.

"Are you going to pout for the entire rest of the trip?" Draco asks with an exasperated sigh.

"Yes."

-

I really did pout the entire rest of the trip. Of course, once we reached our destination, I was a bit too confused to continue.

"Where in blazes are we?" I ask as we walk toward a large brick building.

"You'll see," Draco replies. We walk in and are approached by a cheerful woman in a pink business suit.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" she asks.

"Yes, we're looking to adopt a child." I swear, my jaw must have dropped to the floor. A child! The main thing I'd been hinting at (and somtimes blatantly begging for) ever since our first anniversary. A child of our very own!

"Harry, angel, are you with us?"

"Hm?" I honestly hand't realised anyone had said anything. Ours! A child! We'd talked about this plenty of times before, but Draco always said, "Not yet." We're actually adopting a child!

"She asked if there was anything we were looking for in the child, so they know which room to take us to."

"Oh! Well, nothing, really. Except I want a little child. But not too little! I don't think I'd do too well with an infant."

"Right this way, then," the lady said. She lead us down a short hallway to a room at the end. "This is where all the two-to-six-year-olds stay."

She opens the door and ushers us in, saying that one of us should stay back to fill out paperwork.

"You look around and come find me later, angel," Draco says, giving me a soft kiss.

Once he and the lady leave, I look around the room. A lot of the children are watching me. I suppose they must wonder if one of them might get adopted today. Seeing all those adorable little faces, there's a part of me that wants to adopt them all, though I doubt Draco would be up for that.

I spend at least two hours going around and talking with all the children (which only makes me want to keep them more), but something keeps drawing me towards the back corner of the room. In that corner sits a little girl, drawing pictures with coloured pencils. She's got waist-lenth auburn hair and skin almost the colour of ivory. When I sit beside her, she looks up at me with wide brown eyes. She reminds me of one of those beautiful little dolls in collector's shops.

"Hi," I say.

"Hi," she responds softly.

"I'm Harry. What's your name?"

"Melody." She's the one. I know it.

"What a lovely name! How old are you, Melody?"

"Four." I look down at what she's drawing. It looks like it might as well be a photograph, it's drawn so well. What really gets me is that it's a person. She can draw a person and make it look like a photograph. I want lessons from whoever's taught her.

"That's amazing! How do you draw like that?"

Melody shrugs as she finishes it up. "I can show you if you want."

"Sure."

-
Draco
~•~

"Your husband's been gone a while now," the lady - her name is Alyssa - says. "Any idea what's keeping him?"

"Heaven knows," I reply with a chuckle. "That man's slower than Christmas when he wants to be."

Suddenly, I hear footsteps pounding into the room and I turn to see Harry, breathless, leaning in the doorframe.

"Come with me," he says. "I've found her!"

I've no idea who he's talking about, but it's fair to assume he means the child he wants to adopt. Alyssa and I follow him back to the room where we'd originally left him.

"Melody!" he calls out. A little auburn-haired girl runs over from one of the back corners of the room and looks up at Harry expectantly. "Melody, this is my husband, Draco."

I smile at her. "It's nice to meet you, Melody."

"Nice to meet you, too, Mr Draco," she says. Harry picks her up and she giggles.

"Well, Dray, can we keep her? Please?"

"I believe that's her decision. What do you say, Melody? D'you wanna come home with us?"

I don't think I've ever seen anyone smile as brightly as she did when she said, "I'd love to!"