Harry was sitting in the very crowded sitting room at The Burrow feeling somewhat satiated after one of Molly's sumptuous Christmas lunches which had followed a morning of home-Quidditch, first helping Gin umpire the kids on their training brooms and then a full-blown hour of him, Ron, Gin, George, Angelina, Audrey, Charlie and Bill playing four-aside over the field at the back. He was glad he'd managed to resume his running because, as always, the game was highly competitive and close. But Harry succeeded in snatching the Golden Snitch from Audrey despite the neck-and-neck chase around the field perimeter and between the other players and he, Ron, George, and Angelina won the game by a miniscule margin.
Teddy had thoroughly enjoyed himself. Molly Jnr, Fred II, Victoire, Dominique, and Roxanne had played three aside and he'd played as Chaser, managing to shoot three goals through the makeshift goal past Fred II. Since then, Victoire had monopolised his attention, idolising him and following him around, much to Harry's amusement and the ten-year-old's discomfort. Then he'd sat between Ron and Harry at the dinner table, the latter of whom had been very much forgiven for his 'argument' with Draco since their dinner and Teddy's sleepover with Scorpius.
The aftermath of the night out had been worse than expected, not least because he'd had to bat off a large amount of questions and teasing by the Weasleys for most of the day and do some serious explaining to Teddy that he and Draco were not getting married despite what the papers had said.
The morning after the meal, he'd Floo-ed to the manor for lunch and to collect Teddy, only to be confronted by Narcissa with pursed lips and a disapproving look on her face.
'I thought, Mr Potter, I made it quite clear that I wanted to make sure your intentions are honourable and that I expressly requested that you tell me when you have made up your mind about your feelings for my son. And then I wake up to this!' She threw a copy of The Daily Prophet onto the kitchen counter top in front of Harry.
He blanched.
The headline read: 'HARRY POTTER TO MARRY MALFOY HEIR?' and underneath was a photograph of the two of them sitting opposite each other, Draco leaning across the table and holding out the spoonful of chocolate torte, watching Harry with obvious wanton desire, and Harry leaning forward and sucking it off the spoon with his eyes shut and for all intent and purposes looking like he was performing a certain sexual act across the table.
It was excruciating. Especially watching the photo repeat the move over and over again. In fact, Harry thought, it was pornographic, no wonder Draco had moaned.
He scanned the article that the Prophet had run below the picture. It accounted how the reclusive Mr Potter had been spotted with millionaire Draco Malfoy at Luna Lovegood's restaurant in Diagon Alley which the eccentric but genius owner ran with her silent business partner Lady Pansy Rosier, nee. Parkinson. Of course, Harry and Draco's past was dragged up, their renowned rivalry at school and then the revelations in Confessions. It even detailed exactly what they had both eaten and drunk, surmising that the men were celebrating because they started the evening with champagne which they shared with their two school companions, Pansy and Luna. There were two further photographs, one of them holding hands across the table looking like they were about to devour each other and another of them leaving, with Harry kissing Luna goodnight while Draco's hand rested on the small of Harry's back. It then stated that neither Mr Potter and Mr Malfoy were available for further comment. Not that Harry'd been asked to comment before the article had been hurriedly written, printed, and published.
Harry spluttered in front of Narcissa, 'it's not what it seems.'
She raised an eyebrow, watching him intently in a way which was unerringly like Draco.
'Pansy was teasing us about it being nice to see we'd put our pasts behind us and she announced rather loudly that she expected an invite to the wedding. You should have heard the noise level in the restaurant drop.' Harry knew he was blushing. 'And then,' he shrugged, 'I guess we were just teasing each other, but it's not what it seems. We've not even...' he muttered, deep with embarrassment, 'I've not even kissed your son.'
It was true, even after the beautiful evening together, when they had got back to Walpole Street, Draco had simply bid Harry goodnight, kissed him on the cheek, and Floo-ed home to Scorpius.
Both Narcissa's eyebrows shot up.
'I promise,' Harry said earnestly, 'I promise that if or when the time comes that I wish to ask for your son's hand in marriage, I will come to you first and the Prophet certainly won't hear the news before you.'
Narcissa nodded in satisfaction. 'Good.' Then she came forward and reached up to touch his cheek gently. 'I know you are an honourable man, Harry. Don't ever lose that. I know you'll look after Draco.'
Lunch wasn't too awkward despite the article, but it didn't mean the inquisition stopped there. Next it was Teddy and Scorpius who had a thousand questions. And then, of course, the Prophet's article initiated a flurry of speculative articles and journalists trying to get hold of both Harry and Draco for comment. Then Mione and Ron, then Ginny wanted to know every detail of what had happened. Then the rest of the Weasleys, generally throughout the entirety of Christmas day had an opinion to add, especially from George who was revelling in teasing Harry.
'Dar?' Teddy asked from the floor at Harry's feet where he was polishing his training broom with a kit that Draco and Scorpius had given him for Christmas. 'Do you think I could Floo-call Scorp?'
'It's not my choice, Ted. You need to ask Nanny Molly.'
'I really want to thank him for the broom kit. Do you think he's had a good Christmas day? I wish he'd been here with us. Nanny? Can I make a Floo-call to my bestfriend? I want to thank him for my present.'
'Of course, Teddy-love,' Molly answered. 'Come with me and I'll help you make the call.'
Ten minutes later, Teddy came bounding in with Scorpius in his wake, 'Dar, Dar, Nanny invited the Malfoys over, Scorp's nana and Draco are here too!'
Harry was out of his seat before Teddy had finished his sentence. 'Hello Scamp!' he said in passing before nearly colliding with Molly leading the two elder Malfoys into the room.
The sitting room had a very clever extension charm on it which Mione had worked her magic creating after the rebuild of The Burrow. It seemed to quietly keep extend and add more chairs every time someone entered the room. Currently, what with Arthur, Percy and Audrey, Bill and Fleur, Charlie, George and Angelina, Ron and Moine, Harry, Gin and Oliver, plus nine grandchildren, and Audrey's parents, the Woods, Fleur's sister, and the Grangers packed into the space, it was not surprising that both the Malfoys looked slightly overwhelmed by the large number of people.
'Well, with the rest of the kid's extended families here, it's only right that I should ask Harry's fiancée and his mother over too,' Molly was saying to Narcissa.
George and Charlie burst out laughing as Harry flushed bright red and stuttered, 'Molly, Draco and I are not engaged.'
'But Harry-dear, it's all over the Prophet.'
'We're just, er...' he didn't actually know what they were 'just' doing... 'Dating...' he spluttered out with embarrassment. The room noise level dropped considerably.
'Mum!' Ron groaned, 'isn't it time you learnt not to believe everything the Prophet publishes. Don't you remember during the Triwizard tournament when you nearly poisoned Hermione's Easter Eggs because you believed she was two-timing Harry with Viktor Krum? Harry doesn't even like girls!'
'He liked Ginny well enough! And I didn't poison your eggs, Hermione-dear, it was just a figure of speech.'
Mr and Mrs Granger looked rather horrified.
'Actually, I think it was me doing most of the liking and Harry probably feeling horribly obliged,' Gin replied.
Harry grabbed Draco's arm and firmly pulled him from the sitting room and through the kitchen and out of the back door so that they were stood under the dimly lit porchway that lead out into the garden.
Draco looked equally as flushed as Harry felt.
'Hello,' he said awkwardly and he ran his hand nervously through his hair.'
'Merlin, Potter, no wonder its always such a bloody mess.' Draco grabbed Harry's hand and pulled it away but didn't let go. He was Not Looking at Harry but studying their hands intently as he played with Harry's fingers between his own, that familiar shake apparent. 'Molly's quite tour-de-force, isn't she,' Draco muttered.
'Yes, and when she gets an idea in her head, well, it's hard to shake. Especially when it relates to her family and them getting married. She's quite the matriarch, but I suppose she has to be with us lot to look after.'
'She cares, doesn't she?'
'Terribly. The only time I've heard her swear is when one of her children are threatened. You know, the story of her duel with Bellatrix is legendary in this family. They tease her mercilessly but recount and embellish the story with every telling. Last version I heard was she shouted across the Great Hall "not my precious flower of a daughter, you fucking bitch" and knocked Bellatrix flying with the force of her spell. Apparently her spell was so strong, Bellatrix somersaulted through the air before disintegrating into a million pieces before she'd even had a chance to draw her wand... I think that was George's re-telling, though it might have been Ron's. Neither of whom were there at the time.'
Draco smiled and looked at Harry at last, and Harry paused awkwardly, suddenly realising how very close he was standing to Draco. His stomach did that Funny Little Flip-Thing again and then they were straight back to Not Looking at Each Other, though Draco was still holding on to Harry's hand.
'It's been hell for me, since our dinner. Has it been okay for you, you've not been hounded to much?' Harry said quietly.
'Well, I've been offered a copious amount of money for several interviews and suddenly Confessions is selling like Chocolate Frogs at Easter again, seems the publishers had to do an emergency run just before Christmas to match demands. So, I can't really complain...' Draco drawled.
'Ahh!' Harry nodded sagely, 'I see you're just after one thing from me, that elusive second-coming of book sales.'
'I'd quite like a first coming from you,' Draco whispered, and Harry looked up into Draco's smoky-grey eyes which suddenly looked rather dark and intent. It sent shivers coursing across his skin which were absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he was stood outside in the gloomy cold dark of Christmas night.
'You look nice,' Draco said quietly.
Harry smiled, 'thank you, someone with exceptionally impeccable taste gave me a new shirt for Christmas. I rather like it, don't you?'
'Hmmm... I might have to thank them in person, next time I see them, the green rather suits you. Brings out your eyes.' Draco had stepped a little closer and, letting go of Harry's hand, had started fiddling with a button on the front of Harry's new shirt, it seemed to be a nervous habit of Draco's and it made Harry's stomach revert to that Permanent Knotted-State. His own hand hovered for a moment mid-air before he let it fall to his side.
He looked up into Draco's face.
They both spoke at the same time. 'Draco...'
'Harry...'
'You first...'
'No, you...'
'You said we were dating...' Draco asked.
'We are, aren't we?'
'Yes. We've just never...'
'I know, but I needed a word and it was the one that seemed most appropriate.'
Draco was watching him intently, his eyes blazing like icy-blue fire in the darkness. 'Will you kiss me, Harry?'
'Do I have to ask your mother first?' Harry quipped, partly because he was a little bit scared of Narcissa and partly out of nervousness because his insides had abruptly rearranged themselves and his heart was beating so wildly he was certain that Draco should be able to hear it.
'Harry?'
'Yes,' Harry exhaled softly. They stared at each other, neither making the first move, both clearly wanting this. Harry reached forward until his fingertips found Draco's hips. With his heart violently thumping, he nervously walked his fingers around Draco's waist, teasing the blond man slightly closer so he could run a hand up Draco's back. He felt the blond man shudder slightly as his fingertips found their way into that soft white-blond hair at the nape of his neck. When he saw Draco lick his lips apprehensively, he mirrored the action and slowly pulled him towards him to breach that final distance between them.
The tips of their noses brushed and he closed his eyes.
The door was slammed open behind Harry and knocked full-force into his back, sending him lurching forward so Harry headbutted Draco.
'Fuck!' Harry exclaimed.
'Ow!' Draco said softly.
'Ah, there you both are!' said Ron. He smirked slightly. 'Mum's just setting up round two of the food, you'd best come in and control your sons who seem to think they could both eat a hippogriff and are trying to out-do each other.'
The door banged shut behind Ron.
'Are you okay?' Harry softly ran his thumb over Draco's lips.
'Yes,' he murmured against Harry's thumb.
'Do you think we'll ever get to kiss without being interrupted?' Harry asked softly.
'One day.'
I hope it's bloody soon, Harry thought to himself, this is bloody killing me.
He was certainly grateful he was wearing his shirt loose over his jeans.
They went into the crowded kitchen just in time to hear Ron announce, 'they're snogging in the porchway.'
Harry wanted to die.
Draco looked pretty much like he felt the same.
Narcissa, already wearing an apron and helping Molly out at the stove, caught eyes with her counterpart and they both smiled affectionately.
Teddy and Scorpius looked at each other and simultaneously air fist-pumped to a joint hissed 'yesss!'.
A large number of red-haired Weasleys were grinning inanely at them.
Arthur looked slightly baffled and asked if he'd just got another son.
And Harry announced petulantly, 'we weren't, we were rudely interrupted, again, before we got a bloody chance. Again!'
A rather red-faced Draco poked him in the ribs before turning away to find his son.
And they spent the rest of the evening catching eyes and smirking at one another.
*****