Here We Are

Summary; After the war, Harry made himself a new home. Only, Draco might find this new home something he wants to be a part of too.

Coffee shop-canon divergent. Canon Death.

Chapter 1:

A light melody flooded the small store, sneaking into every crook, whispering into the ears of listeners as they perched themselves contentedly in comfortable armchairs that did not match the decorum of the store. Though, no one complained about the mismatched furniture in this store, it was a homey place and everyone felt comfortable. It was a home away from home for any a wizard (and the occasional muggle parent) in a secure corner, almost hidden in an alcove, in Diagon Alley. It was a place to come with a book, pick up a cup of coffee at the counter, and lose yourself to the comfort of the shop.

The shop's walls and flooring was a soft oak brown, mahogany and chestnut tables, counter made of cedar. The lanterns floated in the air by magic, though some were strung down on sliver cords, and occasional lamps were placed along the armchairs for avid readers who needed a little extra light. There were comfortable wooden chairs placed by the tables, and a few booths with chairs built in, but the corner of the coffee shop that was mostly for those avid readers was centered with a large maroon rug, some lumpy, some worn, and some new armchairs in mixed colors, small round tables to hold up lamps and set places for drinks, and readers, some half asleep, some avidly sipping coffee and flipping their pages.

Thought it was very popular for those who knew about the shop, it was relatively new, only started three years after the war that had ended around seven years ago. The owner was well known in this community, but not many people knew the owner himself was, only those reoccurring customers. But at his own request, those customers did not spread the news around. He didn't want customers because he was famous; he wanted them because they wanted to be there.

Things were different than what Harry Potter expected. He thought he'd always wanted to be an Auror, since he heard the words back in what, fourth year? He thought that he'd do it forever, because it was what he was used to. He needed to be in the know about everything in the news, he needed to help those around him who needed help, he needed to be the hero, to save everyone. But after the war, he realized, while he saved everyone he could, he didn't save himself, and it was time to.

Things with him and Ginny got a bit weird shortly after that, they realized how different they were; war changed a lot of things for them. After losing every connection to his parents, after losing the only people who considered family figures, and after losing a piece of his adoptive family, Harry couldn't take anymore loss. He couldn't stand to see anymore death, and with the money he'd had from the Potter and Black vaults, and part of the Lupin vaults, he didn't know what to do. But he knew he couldn't do it anymore. Voldemort took all the fight he had out of him, and he was too tired of seeing he loved being put underground, and he didn't want to risk his own life, since Harry was the last tie to Teddy's family.

Too much money, no ambition, Harry felt like he was floating through life now that he no longer had to worry about Voldemort. Seven years he spent worrying about Voldemort, and then suddenly, he was gone and Harry felt like everything he had been living for was gone. Everyone thing he'd built his life around ended, it has almost been as though Harry's life ended as well. Only, after a while and many conversations later, Harry realized only a chapter in his life ended, there was still much more to live for, he just needed to find it—and he did. And once he did, he opened the store and made himself a new destiny. He was no longer "The Chosen One" and he would always be "The Boy Who Lived, The Savior of the Wizarding World" but he realized, he would always be "just" Harry. And he could finally be just Harry.

"Harry, are you listening?" Hermione asked as she sipped on the cup of coffee in her hands, a cinnamon latte. She was sitting in an old brown leather chair, feet up and tucked under her, curling into the warmth, this time in December always got cold, and it leaked ever so slightly into the shop.

"Huh?" He asked, blinking at her, and smiled right back at her warm smile. Things between them didn't change after she got married, only, now she was a bit bigger, expecting her own bundle of joy by the way her stomach had grown within the past four months. She was looking even more beautiful by the day, but Hermione had not lost her connection to Harry, though for a while Harry had been concerned things would be weird, he'd be a third wheel.

"I was telling you about the news." Hermione said, taking another sip of her coffee, warming her inside and out, "I'm having a girl."

"Oh my god, Ron must be ecstatic. No, Mrs. Weasley must be ecstatic," Harry said, a excitable smile on his face as he reached forward ever so slightly, hesitating to look at Hermione nod her head, and placed his hand on her round stomach.

"I thought it wouldn't happen. Heaven knows we were trying to have a baby for so long, and it's finally happened. It's been four months and I'm still trying to adjust to the idea of there being a little person growing in me." Hermione said, smiling happily and placing her own hand atop of Harry's, giving it a small squeeze and giggling. "But you would know all about that, wouldn't you."

"You're glowing, Herms," Harry said, grinning back up at her coyly.

"It's the lighting," she giggled again, waving him away from her, before pursing her lips and looking at Harry. "I'm going to tell you something, and I trust you not to become obsessive about it."

"I don't obsess about anything, Hermione." Harry said, giving her a put out look. She raised a made up eyebrow at him and looked around the coffee shop, and he offered her another coy smile. "Oh, come off it. What's up?"

"Draco Malfoy's back in the ministry, he's working in the Department of Magical Equipment Control." Hermione said, carefully as she watched the look on his face, unsure of what to make of it. Harry schooled his features to be almost blank.

"Good for him, I bet he missed his parents after about five years, the lot of them are close aren't they?" Harry said, picking himself up and grabbing her cup of coffee, as much as Harry loved magic, he had never gotten out of the habit of doing most things like a muggle would. "You're not in that department though, how did you know?"

Hermione watched him carefully, not much had to remind her of Harry's obsession in sixth year, and so she continued carefully. "We had a meeting between the Department of Law Enforcements and Magical Control. We were discussing what potions were being considered red tagged, and how to go about making certain potions stronger and with what ingredients. It was rather interesting, we got into a discussion between the pros and cons of using veela blood in potions and if that should be considered, considering you know, Veela's are actual—you're not listening anymore are you?"

Harry smiled at his best friend and kissed her on the forehead. "You want a to-go cup for more or would you like to limit yourself to one cup?" He asked, looking at the clock striking three, Hermione had to go back to work soon.

Hermione smiled at him and shoved her feet back into her shoes, got up, walked over to Harry and leaned on her toes, using his shoulder for balance, to kiss Harry's cheek. "I'm okay. Dinner tonight? My place?"

Harry grinned at her and patted her head, "Wouldn't miss it for the world." He said, watched her leave, and looked at the coffee shop, slipping himself up to sit on the cedar he'd specifically picked out and watched the store, a light aroma of sweet coffee surrounding him, soft music falling back into place around him. This really wasn't what Harry expected of his life, but he could surely say he had never been happier.

Harry wasn't sure if he would call himself very happy, he thought as he floo'd into Hermione and Ron's flat. He had expected Ginny, Neville, Luna, the usual gang, but he did not expect to come face to face with a handsome dark skinned Italian face that he remembered from all of the Slug Club meetings. One he remembered with mostly distaste. Though, the years had done him well, much as they had done many of the other Hogwart attendants during Harry's time.

"Zabini." Harry said, in his attempt to be pleasant.

"Potter." The Italian man said, a wicked smile placing itself calmly onto his face, "I might have guessed you would have been in attendance for this meeting."

"Meeting? Oh—good, Ginny. Care to explain what's going on here?" Harry asked, his eyes never leaving the other man as he spoke to the redhead.

"Harry, you remember Blaise right? From school?" She said placing herself between the two, smiling as though it pained her as she placed her hands behind her back. "Well remember, how there were rumors in the paper about me and you know," she let out a curt laugh.

"Ginny! Where did you go—oh, hi Harry." Ron said, pursing his lips at the tension in the room.

"Ron, I brought you wine, congratulations, a girl." Harry said lightly, handing his best friend the bottle before looking back at the intruder. "Shall we have dinner? I suppose Hermione's done with it by now?" Harry asked, allowing his eyes to move away from the unexpected guest and walked calmly into the kitchen, where Hermione was finishing up her dish.

"Oh, Harry, perfect can you grab those and bring them to the dining room." Hermione asked as she grabbed two of the plates and walked right out of the kitchen, Harry followed suit and placed them down, taking his seat. They all ate in silence, Hermione's eyes flickering between Harry and Blaise, though Harry did not look off of his plate.

"So—how's the store going?" Ron asked after taking a sip of water to wash down the chicken in his mouth.

"It's going well. S'ouse to order new chairs since some woodworms founds their way into a couple of the chairs. Seamus came in today for the first time and fell right through the chair by the window." Harry snickered at the memory of his old roommate. "You wanna go shopping with me?"

"Oh man, please tell you someone took a picture of that." Ron snickered, Hermione shaking her head at them, "I can go 'morrow after work?" Ron said around a mouthful of peas.

"Sound's good to me, you wanna come Ginny, could use your advice on furniture." Harry asked, looking at her and smiling faintly.

"I'm engaged to Blaise." Ginny said setting her fork down, the tension of the situation getting too much for her. Everyone's eyes turned to Harry. Harry chewed thoughtfully and took a sip of his water.

"I should have brought you wine as well." Harry said, taking another bite of his chicken, "I wasn't even aware you were dating, you'll have to forgive me."

"Harry, you know—"

"You don't have to explain anything to me Gin. We decided in your seventh year we weren't going to work out, and to save our family the heartache of choosing sides, it would be better if we stayed friends. I respected that decision. And I made my own life decisions. No big deal. I'm happy for you. You deserve to find someone you love." Harry said, looking over to Blaise and offering a smile. "I just hope you'll treat her right."

"I couldn't not. She'd hex me into next year if I tired." Blaise said a smile on his face as he slipped his fingers in with Ginny's.

"Then you should be fine. Though, I'd be more worried when the other brothers find out. They might not be as kind. I'm surprised you're taking it so well, Ron." Harry said, "he is a Slytherin after all."

"Well—" Ron started sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, "Gin told me when they started dating, he wasn't a, you know, and after the war everyone's opinions changed. Pure bloods were more accepting, didn't want another, you know, and I wasn't very happy in the beginning, but then I got to know him and—"

"I get it, Ron." Harry said, patting his best friend's shoulder before wiping his mouth with a napkin before slipping out his chair and standing. "Well, I'm finished. You'll have to excuse me for leaving so abruptly. I must be getting home now." Harry said, walking over to kiss Hermione's shoulder and squeezing Ron's shoulder. "Ginny, I'll tell him you say hello?"

"O-oh. Yeah. I'll come and see him tomorrow." She smiled awkwardly, torn between what to do, though she didn't seem so sure what it was that she was torn between.

And with that, Harry floo'd back home. The apartment was dark, and the note on his table said that the babysitter had left only moments before Harry had arrived. As soon as Harry had stepped foot into his apartment, a small ball of energy came running at him, and without any hesitation, Harry swooped the child up placed kisses along his face.

"Hello, James, and how was your day?" Harry asked as he held the five year old child in his arms. James cooed and patted his dad's face.

"I had fun at shool. They 'aught me to read letters." James said, nuzzling into his father's neck. "Teddy came and sat with me at munch time, and then Rory took me to the park and made me lunch and then you came home 'Addy."

"Sounds like you had fun, but do you know what time it is now?" Harry asked, eyes glistening as he watched his son's face drop and he squirmed out of his father's hold.

"Noooooo. I don't w'nna take a bath." James squeaked. Laughing, Harry walked to the bathroom and filled up the water and helped (forced) James out of his clothes.

As James splashed around, Harry couldn't help but think about his day. So much had happened, Blaise and Ginny, Hermione and Ron's son, and the thing that stuck to him most. Draco Malfoy was back in London. Harry didn't remember the last time he'd though about Malfoy. He'd remembered about the older Malfoy's considering he owed one of them a life debt, but he'd not thought much of the younger Malfoy.

Harry wondered if he too, like many of his peers, had changed a lot. What was he doing at the ministry? Hermione said something, but Harry hadn't been paying attention. Something about magical control.

"Daaaad. The water's all cold." James piped up, catching his father's attention. Rinsing James off, Harry got his son ready for bed. He didn't have time to think about Draco Malfoy. Harry had moved on from the person he was at Hogwarts, he had a son now, Draco Malfoy would have to be the last thing on his mind.