Being Harry Potter and having survived two wars, you would think that he would be done fighting other people's battles. Harry quickly realized that he had had no time to find out what he actually was good at. Fighting those with ill intentions had been instilled into him at a young age, and when the Aurors came calling before his 18th birthday, he didn't know how to turn them down. He didn't think he was even allowed to say no.
So, that was how Harry found himself in Auror training, quickly moving up the ranks. He didn't even feel like a person anymore. Instead, he was playing the role of someone that everyone thought he was supposed to be, and he hated it. In fact, he would venture to say that he hated himself.
For someone who supposedly had everything, Harry Potter was completely and utterly alone. His job didn't make it easy to get close to people. The hours he worked were ever changing, and Ron and Hermione had started a family. Ginny and Harry had split amicably, but it still hurt seeing everyone else thrive while he was seemingly stuck in the past.
The worst part of all of this was that while his birthday had become a national holiday, he was stuck working. So many people in the office had put in requests to have the day off to spend with their families that he was forced to work, as he had no good "excuse" to have the day off. For all of the years that Harry had worked for the Ministry, he couldn't remember one where he had actually been able to celebrate his own birthday. Not that he felt there was anything worth celebrating anyway, so he stopped trying.
Waking up that morning, Harry hadn't expected anything different. He had quit making wishes years ago as the last one seemingly brought Hagrid to his door, changing his life forever. What was there to wish for when your life was essentially already over at 25?
As per usual, Harry was on patrol in Diagon Alley, bored out of his mind. Thankfully, the shock of his presence had much subsided over the years, and most people just nodded, smiled, or waved to him. That was how he preferred it, with the minimal amount of interactions possible.
Still, on his birthday especially Harry had to fight off the loneliness and bitterness, seeing everyone around him celebrating, but it wasn't even for him. He was just another bank holiday now.
And so his day went on, mostly monitoring the crowds. He had lunch in his favorite muggle cafe, taking advantage of his free birthday lunch. At least he had that to look forward to. His shift wouldn't end until right after dinner time, they of course had him pulling a double today without even a singular happy birthday being uttered, and Harry not for the first time wondered what would have happened if he had chosen something else to do with his life.
Most of his day was spent lamenting over his poor life choices and staring at those around him who were actually enjoying their days on his birthday. He wondered what would happen if he left his post. Would they even notice him? Would they fire him? Harry was planning out the most sure fire way to get fired when he heard some sniffling and a quiet cry.
"Hello?," he called quietly, trying to find the person belonging to the cries.
"Daddy? Where did you go?"
Harry immediately dropped everything to locate the young child. He found him quickly enough, and the platinum blond hair was a dead giveaway as to who's child this was.
"Hey there," Harry said quietly but calmly, getting down on one knee and smiling at the child. "Do you need some help?"
"Daddy said not to talk to strangers," the child whimpered, his head still down.
"Did he tell you anything about talking to Aurors?"
That caused the child to look up, and Harry could feel the relief coming off of him in waves.
"You're an Auror so you can help me!"
"Yes, I will. My name is Harry."
"Like Harry Potter!"
"Something like that," Harry replied with a smile.
"I'm Scorpius Malfoy," the small voice replied, holding out a hand for Harry to shake.
"It's very nice to meet you Scorpius."
"Thank you Mr. Harry. Can you help me find my dad?"
"Of course I can Scorpius. Where did you see him last?"
"At home."
"At home? Are you here alone?"
"Nuh uh. Auntie Pansy took me out for a treat, and she saw one of her friends, and then a big crowd came and I lost her."
"Let's try to retrace your steps okay?," Harry offered, holding his hand out for Scorpius to take.
"Okay."
"Where was the last place that you went?"
"Madam Puddifoot's."
Harry involuntarily winced at the name.
"You were in Hogsmeade before you came here?"
"Yes Mr. Harry. We were going to get ice cream."
"You can just call me Harry, Scorpius. Did you check Fortescue's?"
"No. Daddy said if I- if I ever get... lost... to stay where I am and he'll come fi-find me. But he's not here!," Scorpius wailed, and Harry's heart broke for the young child.
He knew all too well how it felt to be alone and terrified, waiting for someone to come and find you.
"Let's check the ice cream shop first okay? What kind of ice cream is your favorite?"
"I like strawberry. What about you?"
"I'm fond of rocky road myself."
"What's that?," Scorpius asked, wrinkling his nose as he made a face, and Merlin if Harry wasn't reminded of a younger Draco Malfoy.
"It's chocolate ice cream and it has marshmallows and nuts in it. Do you like a cone or a cup?"
"I get a cone in a cup so I'm not messy. Daddy said I have to have proper manners while I eat."
"He's quite right you know. Come on."
They quickly arrived at Fortescue's, where Mr. Fortescue himself greeted them.
"Hello Harry," he said fondly. "What brings you here?"
"You haven't seen Pansy Parkinson today have you?"
"I can't say I have, no."
"You know my Auntie Pansy?," Scorpius asked, pulling his face away from the ice cream case.
"I do, we went to school together."
"Wow! So you went to school with my daddy. And with Harry Potter! He's so cool!"
Cool was not an adjective he would have used to describe himself, but he won't lie, hearing that made his day. Mr. Fortescue shot him a knowing smile.
"How about we get you that treat yeah?," Harry offered, pulling out his wallet. "A strawberry cone in a cup for Scorpius, and I'll take a rocky road cone please."
"It's on the house, Harry. Happy birthday."
"You have the same birthday as Harry Potter?!," Scorpius asked in awe. "And the same name!"
"Thank you Mr. Fortescue, for remembering."
"It's a hard date to forget."
"You'd be surprised," Harry replied, forcing himself to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "Thank you. If Parkinson should make an appearance, let her know Scorpius is safe and that we're looking for her okay?"
"Will do Harry."
Scorpius was having a hard time eating and walking while trying to find Pansy, so Harry offered to put him on his shoulders.
"You'll be so tall that she'll see you immediately if she's here," Harry had promised.
After another 10 minutes I'd searching and finished ice cream later, Harry was convinced that Parkinson was nowhere to be found.
"Scorpius, do you remember where you live?"
"Umm... I don't remember," he replied after a minute, voice going wobbly.
"Shhh, it's okay Scorpius. Is there anywhere you and your dad go to a lot near your house?"
"There'a a park! It's got this really really long slide!"
"I may know where you're talking about. Can you apparate with me? Is that okay?"
"I don't like it, but I want Daddy."
"We're going to go to the park okay? Hold on tightly, close your eyes, and breathe through your mouth."
With a quiet pop, they were across the street from the park.
"Wow, it worked! That's the slide!"
"Okay Scorpius, when you leave the park, do you remember which way you go home?"
"Past the library. Sometimes daddy lets me bring picture books home."
"Do you remember what your house looks like?"
"Yes, I just don't remember the number."
"That's okay, you're doing such a good job."
"I am? But I got lost?," Scorpius replied, looking up at Harry with a wobbly frown.
Frowning back, Harry once again brought himself down to Scorpius's level. He opened his arms and Scorpius immediately accepted the hug.
"But you knew to ask for help Scorpius, that's what you mattered. You stayed calm and stayed put until help came for you. You're very brave."
"My daddy told me I should be better than him and ask for help when it's needed."
"There's nothing wrong with asking for help, he's right."
"There's the library! We're close."
"See, I told you that you're doing such a good job Scorpius. Do you want to get back on my shoulders? Let me know if you see your dad or Pansy."
"My daddy gives me piggyback rides all the time."
"Tell me more about him."
Harry couldn't help but be curious as to what Malfoy had been up to these past few years. There hadn't been much about him in the papers as of late, not that he was actively looking.
"He works making Potions. He's so smart, I want to be just like him."
It wasn't for the first time that Harry felt that pang in his stomach that he could have had something like this, but he pushed it away. He had more important things to worry about, like getting Scorpius home.
"I was never good at potions."
"Daddy said a lot of his classmates weren't. One kept making things go boom."
Harry didn't think he had laughed this hard in ages.
"Oh Seamus. He's a friend of mine."
"Make a left right here. Did you have lots of friends at school?"
"I had enough."
"Do you still see them a lot? Daddy sees Auntie Pansy and Uncle Blaise every week."
"A few times a month. They have their own kids, I'm busy with work."
"You have a very important job. You help so many people! Just like me."
"Can I tell you a secret?," Harry asked, tilting his up to look at Scorpius.
"I'm very good at keeping secrets."
"You're my favorite person that I've helped."
Scorpius giggled, and Harry's heart melted.
"There it is, that's my house!"
"Alright Scorp, let's get you home."
When they got to the walkway, Scorpius climbed down Harry and ran to the front door. He knocked, bouncing on his heels, but frowned when there was no answer, and looked up at Harry expectantly.
"Do any of your neighbors have a key?"
"Nuh uh, they're muggles."
"Let me see what I can do."
Eyes closed, Harry reached out with his hands, palms up, and tentatively probed at the wards. They were solid, strengthened by familial magic.
"Hey Scorp, have you ever done any accidental magic?"
"Yes, but I'm better with my training wand," he promised quickly.
"Do you want to help me with something?"
"As long as I can get home."
"Give me your hand. Tell me about your living room. Describe it for me. Think about it really hard, picture it in your mind."
As Scorpius rattled off many facts and descriptors, Harry gently was able to see the picture from his mind. Holding Scorpius's hand, Harry was able to apparate them inside the house. It was a strenuous process and took at least 10 minutes as Harry never wanted to probe into the mind of a child.
"Daddy, are you home?," Scorpius called, making his way upstairs.
Harry made his way into the kitchen, looking around to see if there was a list of emergency contacts anywhere. He paused to look at the fridge, which was covered in drawings of Draco and Scorpius and made Harry feel very emotional. Continuing on, he noticed a landline and was walking towards it when he heard the front door slam open.
"Scorpius?! Where are you baby?!"
"Daddy! I'm here!," he yelled, running down the stairs.
"Oh Merlin and Morgana."
Harry watched as Draco dropped to his knees and scooped Scorpius up into a hug before quickly pulling away and checking for injuries.
"I'm sorry daddy, I got lost."
"It's okay baby, you're home now."
"Harry brought me home!"
"What- Potter?," Draco asked in confusion.
"Hello Malfoy."
Scorpius gasped and ran over to Harry.
"You're Harry Potter! You saved me just like you saved my daddy in school! Do you still have the scar? Can I see it?"
"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy-"
"It's okay Malfoy, really." Harry flipped his hair up to show Scorpius his scar. "Your father used to call me Scarhead, you know," he said teasingly.
"Wow. I spent the whole afternoon with Harry Potter! Wait, it's your birthday."
"That it is Scorpius."
"Why are you working on your birthday? It's a holiday."
"Baby let him breathe. Potter is very busy-"
"But it's his birthday and he only sees his friends a few times a month!," Scorpius argued.
"I have to tell Pansy and grandma you're okay. Don't move."
"Do you want to see my room?," Scorpius asked.
"Scorp your dad said not to move-"
"I have one of your chocolate frog cards. Can you sign it for me? Please?"
Harry had a rule to never sign anything, but how could he say no?
"How about you bring it downstairs to me? Be quick."
"Yes sir!"
Giggling, Scorpius ran upstairs and Harry watched him with a fond smile.
"I'm back! I should have had you time me. I'm so fast, I want to play quidditch when I grow up, like you and daddy!"
"Do you know what position you want to play?," Harry asked, signing the card.
"I want to be a seeker!"
"Well, lucky for you that I know three professional quidditch players quite well."
"Really?"
"Really. I went to school with Ginny Weasley and Oliver Wood, you know. I'm also on friendly terms with Viktor Krum."
"Wow! Daddy says you were the youngest seeker!"
"I was yeah. Did he tell you that it was because of him?"
"No he didn't!," Scorpius replied.
Malfoy was still in the other room, so Harry sat on the couch, and Scorpius quickly crawled into his lap after being granted permission. Harry told the story about the remembrall, leaving out the more unflattering of the details. This led into more questions about Harry and his life, most of them asking about Draco.
"He was my favorite to play against in quidditch. He would match my every move. It was quite fun, and a welcome distraction from everything else. I miss it sometimes."
"We should all go flying together!"
Draco had been listening in from the other room, not wanting to ruin the moment. He felt it was his time to quickly step in because obviously Potter had no further obligation to entertain his child.
"I would like that."
"Really?," Draco asked, eyebrows knitted in confusion from where he was leaning against the doorway.
"Daddy you didn't tell me you were friends with Harry Potter!"
"Because we weren't friends, and I would never lie to you."
"Harry was telling me stories about everything you did together!"
"We had a complicated relationship, Scorp," Harry said with a laugh, repositioning the child in his lap.
"We could have been friends, but I wasn't very nice when I first met Potter."
"You always tell me to be nice daddy."
"Daddy had to learn that lesson the hard way baby."
"Harry, will you be my friend?"
"Scorpius-"
"Of course I will, Scorpius."
He giggled, getting off of Harry's lap and making his way over to Draco.
"I'm friends with Harry Potter daddy!"
"Congratulations on being the first Malfoy to accomplish that goal," Draco said with a snort, picking Scorpius up and balancing him on his hip. "You gave me quite the scare today Scorpius."
"It wasn't my fault! I was with Auntie Pansy and there were so many people we got separated! I stayed put just like you told me. I was scared and started to cry and then Harry found me and brought me home."
Draco looked at Harry to fill in the gaps to the story.
"I'm working a double today, I was on patrol in Diagon where I found him. Wouldn't talk to me until I showed him I was an Auror. I tried to track down Parkinson, but we had no luck retracing their steps. We got some ice cream because that's where they were heading, and then Scorp and I worked together to get him back home. He was very brave. We can make a Gryffindor out of you yet," Harry teased, winking at Scorpius.
"I'm sorry, they have you working a double on your birthday, the national holiday that everyone but you gets to celebrate?," Draco asked for clarification.
"Life is full of irony isn't it? I can't recall the last time I actually celebrated."
"No candles?," Scorpius asked with a frown.
"No candles. Sometimes I have a cupcake."
"I thought the Aurors celebrated birthdays?," Draco asked.
"Oh they do, when people are actually there for them. I'm one of five people working today."
Scorpius leaned up to whisper something into Draco's ear. Draco whispered back, and he nodded at whatever Scorpius said. Harry stood up, brushing off his Auror robes.
"Well, I'm still on duty so I should be going. It was lovely to meet you Scorpius. Malfoy, it was nice to see you again."
"Potter, would you like to stay for dinner?," Draco asked.
"Oh. I wouldn't want to impose, but thank you."
"Please. Let me thank you for bringing Scorpius back to me. Others wouldn't have been so kind to my son."
"I was just doing my job."
"You did more than your job required."
"Please Harry? No one should be alone on their birthday."
"I don't get off until around 5 and I have to shower."
"Get here when you can."
"I'll see you then," Harry confirmed before he could think of another excuse.
He left the Malfoy household to the sound of cheering, and a rare smile graced his face. Scorpius's words were floating around his head for the rest of his shift, and had him marching back to the Ministry early.
"Harry, is everything alright?," Head Auror Robards asked.
"I'm leaving early, and I'm taking tomorrow off."
"You're... what?"
"It's my birthday in case you've forgotten, and I have plans. I'm leaving early, and I won't be in tomorrow. Hell, I might not be in the day after that either."
"I need advanced notice-"
"My birthday is a national holiday, why does everyone except for me get to celebrate it? I'm the only Auror that doesn't get a celebration and I'm tired of it. I'll come back when I'm ready. Enjoy my holiday."
Harry quickly left the Ministry, feeling so much lighter than he had in years. He had one more stop to make before he went home and took a long bath. Harry couldn't tell you the last time he put effort into his appearance before tonight. Care was taken in his outfit and fixing his hair, and soon he was off, arriving back to the Malfoy household at 5:30.
The door was opened as soon as his knuckles hit the door once.
"Harry, you came! Close your eyes."
"Okay," Harry replied with a laugh, letting Scorpius guide him inside.
He heard a sharp intake of breath but kept his eyes closed.
Draco felt all of his longtime repressed feelings rushing back full force. Harry had cleaned up well, and he was so good with Scorpius after just one meeting. How could Draco deny Scorpius's request to throw Harry a birthday party? Clearly Potter had captured the hearts of two Malfoy men.
Scorpius lifted his arms so that Draco would pick him up. He carefully placed a party hat on Harry's head and smiled proudly.
"Open your eyes!"
Harry couldn't place half of the emotions that flickered across his own face. There was a birthday banner hanging across the entrance of the dining room and balloons were scattered around the living room.
"I..."
"Surprise! Are you surprised?," Scorpius asked, bouncing on his heels.
"I'm very surprised. Thank you, I- I don't know what to say. No one's ever... thank you."
"Welcome to your birthday party!"
Harry was fighting back tears, and digging his nails into the palm of his hand.
"Come here Scorp, I got this for you."
"But it's your birthday, you don't give presents to other people on your birthday!"
"You helped me out a lot today, so I wanted to say thank you."
Focusing on his breathing, Harry watched as Scorpius opened the practice snitch he had been given as a gift.
"Wow daddy look! My very own practice snitch. Thank you Harry!"
"Hey baby, why don't you show Potter your practice broom?"
"Are you okay?," Draco asked in concern once Scorpius was gone. "I understand this probably isn't how you want to spend your birthday-"
"No, no, this is... Malfoy this means a lot to me. I've never had a birthday party before. This is the first."
"What?"
"I didn't have a good upbringing, and after the war no one felt like celebrating anything. It's just another day to me honestly.
You've got a great kid Malfoy, I hope you know that. He leaves a lasting impression, in a good way."
"I wanted him to be better than me."
"He's better than the both of us."
"I found it!," Scorpius yelled from the top of the stairs.
"Inside voice please baby."
"Sorry daddy."
"I'm going to check on dinner, I hope you're hungry."
"Can I help?"
"Keep an eye on Scorpius with his new gift please, which we will discuss later."
"You can teach me your tricks Harry!"
"Let's focus on staying on the broom first please Scorp. You can't do anything unless you have your balance down."
"Is it true you caught the snitch with your mouth?"
"I wish that one was a lie. I don't recommend it."
Time flew by, and Harry was having the best time. Dinner was fantastic, and all of his kind words had Draco turning the most delectable shade of pink. They played games, and when it was time for cake Harry's sides hurt from laughing so much.
"We got you candles Harry see?"
"I do see. That was very kind of the both of you."
They sang happy birthday, and when it came time to make a wish, Harry actually allowed himself to hope for once. Eyes closed, Harry wished to keep Draco and Scorpius in his life because he couldn't imagine losing this just after he had found it. Scorpius insisted they all take a picture together, and Harry carefully placed it into his wallet.
"I made this for you," Scorpius said proudly, handing Harry a homemade card.
It was a hand drawn picture of the three of them playing quidditch, and Harry was so touched.
"Thank you Scorpius, this is beautiful."
Soon enough it was time for Scorpius to go to bed, and he pleaded with Harry to tell him a story before bed. After receiving permission from Draco, he did just that, telling him the story of how he became friends with Ron and Hermione by defeating a troll at the age of 11.
"Wine?," Draco asked once they were back downstairs.
"Please. Merlin I need a drink."
"I didn't know that was how you became friends."
"Ron and I stayed close after the Weasleys helped me find the platform. I'm sure you remember how Hermione was at first. After that Halloween night, the three of us were inseparable. It's hard to go your separate ways after something like that."
"But they didn't do anything for your birthday?"
"They have their own family now, you know? I can't fault them."
"Still," Draco took a long drink of wine. "Thank you for bringing me Scorpius back. He's all I have, and I don't know what I would have done without him."
"I meant it Malfoy, he's wonderful."
"Wonderful enough for a gift."
"He inspired me to take a day off. I think Head Auror Robards is still staring at the door in confusion when I told him I was taking a day off. Then he annoyed me so badly that I said I may very well take the rest of the week off. I couldn't tell you the last time I took a day off."
"Good for you. I must say, you look better than when I saw you earlier."
"I took a bath," Harry whispered with a snicker.
"Your personal hygiene habits aside, you look better in general."
"I suppose that's what happens when people actually care about you and not Harry Potter. I can't stand him."
"I tried to convince myself of that years ago, yet here we are."
Harry finished his glass of wine and Draco quickly poured him another.
"Scorpius is quite fond of you now, you know."
"He asked if I would come back to see him."
"And what did you say?," Draco asked, tucking his feet underneath himself.
"That I would love to, as long as it was okay with you."
"It's more than okay with me, if that's what you want."
"It is what I want. I'd like to get to know you more too. I'd like to meet Draco instead of Malfoy. I'm liking what I'm seeing so far."
"Are you now?," Draco asked, leaning forward expectantly.
"I see a devoted man who worked hard to turn his life around. Someone who recognizes his mistakes and isn't afraid to admit them. You're a great role model, and I adore Scorpius. That kid has a heart of gold."
"He reminds me of you sometimes, you know. He sees the best in everybody even when they don't deserve it. He always wants to help anyone and anything in need."
"And I was his latest case," Harry said with a sad laugh.
"It's hard to process that someone as amazing as you lives like this."
"Yeah, well, Harry Potter-"
"I'm not talking about Harry Potter. I'm talking about you, Scarhead. You're special because of who you are, not because of your name. I've always known that, and I stand by that statement. Whatever I thought was hatred was replaced by begrudging respect over the years, but by then it was too late.
You choose to be good and to help those around you without expecting anything. We haven't seen each other since the trials, and you treated my son like he was a person. He's easily recognizable, and others aren't always so kind. Scorpius is still too young to understand the full extent of what happened, but I tell him what I can without overwhelming him."
"It's not too late, Draco. What you did for me today... You made me feel seen. You always have you know. I can pick your gaze out of a crowded room easily."
"You've always been able to see right through me."
Harry didn't know where all the space between them had gone, but he wasn't complaining. His eyes flickered down to Draco's lips, once, twice, before going back to his eyes.
"The feeling is mutual," Harry murmured, his lips gently touching Draco's as he spoke.
"I think you've had too much wine," Draco replied, putting some distance in between them.
"I think I've finally found what's been missing for so many years. I should have wished on candles sooner."
"What would that be?"
"You and Scorpius. Being surrounded by people who love and care for me the way I do for them."
"We can give you that," Draco promised.
They shared a look that seemed to say more than their mouths ever would.
"Can I kiss you? I'd really like to," Harry asked.
"If you'll let me take you out tomorrow."
"The day is yours," Harry promised, leaning in to kiss Draco for real this time.
"Happy birthday Harry."
"Thank you for making my wish come true Draco."