Harry had defeated Voldemort shockingly quickly. All the horcruxes were destroyed and the evil bastard was killed. Naturally the entire wizarding world rejoiced. Harry's win was tainted though, tainted with the loss of so many. The entire reason behind the war was asinine.

So, needless to say, Harry had about the sunny disposition of a venomous tentacula. It felt wrong to be sitting in potions again. Felt disturbing, in fact, although that could be the fact that Tonks was teaching and Remus came every so often for defense against the dark arts training and swooped into the dungeons to kiss her briefly, and pat harry on the head like a father.

It was the feeling of peace, something harry was so desperately unaccustomed to, that lingered over everything. Draco Malfoy had been brought back, still silent and sneering as ever, but he and Harry never fought. Harry ignored him, as if to will him out of existence. Snape had been killed by Voldemort, for reasons unknown, and uncared for. Harry hated that man with a passion. Harry doubted anyone but Malfoy missed him, and Malfoy was as good as dead to Harry.

Harry chopped the roots for his Lifting potion carefully. Potions was easy now. He had left Snape's old book where it was hidden, not wanting anything to do with the man anymore. The subject itself, all you did was follow directions as best as you could, and do them right. He barely noticed when Ron got a vindictive moment and flicked a beetle eye and a few other oddments at Malfoy's cauldron.

"Alright!" Tonks called, and winced as she stubbed her foot on the edge of her desk. " Everyone is to test a bit of their potion today! Just a bit, or you'll float off to the ceiling, and that would not be good! And we really don't need to have too much going on if it's messed up in some way. Just a spoon or two and you're set!"

Ron lit up with glee as Malfoy looked very skeptically at his goopy grey potion. Harry sighed and shook his head, taking a little mouthful and hovering about and inch or two above ground. Hermione sat cross-legged in the air beside him, a few inches above chair height.

"Nice work, Harry, Hermione. " Tonks smiled. Harry dropped down to the ground as Hermione unfolded her legs to set quietly on the floor, beaming happily.

"I like this potion, it's fun." She smiled. Tonks gave them vials to keep a bit of potion in for fun, when a childlike wail caught their attention. The class went silent as a small tow headed boy cried, rubbing his eyes carelessly.

"Oh, dear." Tonks gasped, rushing over and bottling the potion from Malfoy's cauldron. "Um, well, I've never seen something like this before…Would somebody watch over Draco while I talk to the Headmistress?"

Nobody offered, the little boy's lips trembled as he cried silently without so much as a sniffle, eyes closed tightly. It was nothing like the Malfoy Harry knew. The face was round and pudgy, the nose was small, yet still pointy, white blond hair ruffled and slightly curly. He was practically swimming in the white dress shirt and green sweater and tie, like he had dressed in is father's clothes. It was disconcerting.

"Please? Anybody?" Tonks asked, eyes widening in shock as no one offered. Not even the other Slytherins offered to watch over their fellow house member. The little boy Malfoy had stopped crying, though his lips trembled. He rubbed his face with the sleeves that hung over his hands and before harry had had time to react, the small boy was in front of him. He looked down at the tear stained face, with arms held up, for harry to hold him, still trembling and teary eyed. His eyes! Harry was bewildered. The boy's eyes were two different colors! The right one was the light gray of Malfoy's normally and the left was a deep blue that turned liquid amber in the center.

Harry bit his lip, myriad emotions flailing around inside of him to be acknowledged. He looked down at the boy who was slowly lowering his arms, a few more tears spilling down rubbed red cheeks. Harry sighed, the pulling in his chest too much. He bent, and hefted the deceptively light looking boy into his arms. Pudgy little fingers went around the back of his neck, a face buried into his sweater.

"Cheers, Harry! I'll get him normal as soon as possible!" Tonks rushed out of the room, hair changing colors every step, belaying her troubled emotions.

"what are you doing?" Ron exclaimed, eyes wide, horrified.

"If he looked at me like that I'd have caved too." Hermione snapped at him, and Ron bowed his head, not wanting a fight with his girlfriend again.

"It's your fault anyway, Ron. What all did you flick in his cauldron?" Harry asked, as Hermione shrunk Malfoy's school things to fit the little boy he had become.

"I don't know, exactly." he replied, after which Hermione started ranting at him.

"Hi…" Malfoy whispered, leaning back and putting has pudgy little hands on Harry's cheeks.

"Hey." Harry replied, looking down at the boy.

"I'm Draco. I'm four years old." He stated, sucking on his bottom lip and holding up four fingers.

"I'm Harry. I'm seventeen." He replied. Malfoy put his hands on Harry's collar bones.

"You're old…" Different colored eyes widened.

"Yup." Harry replied. It was hard to ignore the little boy that was Draco Malfoy. He had vague memories of being a child. The most vivid was looking up at aunt petunia cradling Dudley and wanting that, walking over to Uncle Vernon and holding out his arms, flexing his fingers. He was picked up, under the arms, held at arms length and stuffed into his cupboard. He was wrenched out of unpleasant memories by a finger tracing over his scar. He felt his eyes widen, as shock set in. No one had ever touched his scar. He didn't touch it himself, unless it bothered him.

"Did you hit your head?" Malfoy asked, looking at him with wide curious eyes.

"No… It was something else, a long time ago."

"Ok. I hit my head a lot." He said matter-of-factly. " After I feel better Mummy laughs and says it will be a mirable if I make it to five. Five is this many!" he said, holding out a hand. Harry felt himself smile. It wasn't hard to hate Malfoy like this. It was downright impossible.

"Oh, yeah?" He asked, pushing up his glasses.

"Yeah! My mummy is nice. When Daddy says I can't have fairy cakes, Mummy gets Dobby to bring me some! She says Dobby's funny. Lucius doesn't like Dobby, though."

"Isn't Lucius your daddy?" Hermione asked.

"Yup. I'm a big boy so I call him Lucius, sometimes. He yells a lot. Mummy calls him Lucy-babe." He replied, after which Harry and Hermione shared a confused look. Malfoy turned back to Harry and grinned toothily before snuggling into Harry's chest. Tonks walked back in, hair different chunks of every color like a rainbow gone wrong, followed closely by Narcissa Malfoy.

"Oh my god…How could this happen!" Mrs. Malfoy cried.

"Mummy? What's wrong, mummy?" Draco inquired, sitting up. Harry felt immediate relief flit over everything else and felt tension he wasn't aware of flow out of his body. He wouldn't have to deal with this new, young Draco. He could pawn the boy off on his mother.

"nothing, Draco dear, mummy is just going on a business trip at the moment, and I'm worried about you." She replied, eyes a mix of blue worry and anger. Harry tensed up again. Life couldn't do this. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't something be fair, just this once?

"Can I stay with harry? I like harry."

"if he's ok with that, love." She did something Harry had never seen her do before; she smiled. Draco turned and beamed at him, launching around his neck and repeating 'please' at increasingly annoying tones.

"alright, alright. I'll watch him…"Harry sighed and Draco beamed, hugging Harry's head and squishing his glasses.

"Thank you, harry! 25 points to Gryffindor." Tonks clapped, and hugged him and Draco together. It was rather uncomfortable to be hugged normally, and now he seemed to be getting more physical contact then he had in the past sixth months.

"Mrs. Malfoy?" Harry ventured, standing up as the bell began to ring.

"Yes?"

"How come his eyes are different colors? They aren't normally."

"he has a glamour charm over his left eye at all times now. He was teased a lot when he was younger." She replied. Harry sighed and rushed over to scoop Draco out of nearly falling into a cauldron. He set him down and grabbed his hand.

He led Draco out as the bell rang and Mrs. Malfoy flooed out of Tonks' office. Today was just shaping up to be peachy.

"Oh, Draco's so cute like that!" Parvati Patil cooed, kneeling down and smoothing Draco's hair. Draco flushed and giggled, clinging to Harry's leg. Lavender Brown came over next and they both giggled and chattered down the hall.

"Where're we going, Harry?" Draco asked, clinging to his hand and trotting to keep up/

"Gryffindor Tower."

"Ok." He bounced happily beside Harry. They made it up the tower, Draco puffing heavily and gripping Harry's hand. Harry heaved a small sigh of irritation, wishing someone else could deal with this, just for once. That he didn't have another difficult task. He loathed Ron at the moment, wished he had told him to stop when he saw it starting. His arms felt leaden and recalcitrant. His stomach hollowed, echoingly, achingly empty. Needless to state, it was more than unpleasant. He picked Draco up by the underarms and hefted him into the portrait hole after muttering the password.

"I'm tired." Draco muttered, holding his arms up to Harry, who complied. The small child snuggled into his shoulder, and he hefted the boy upstairs, laying down with him on his chest. It was like a large teddy bear, only warm and clingy.

He supposed it should have felt wrong, or made him angry, but he felt like he had when he was babysitting one of his baby cousins. She was a small, four month old baby, and holding her gave him the strange urge to sing lullabies and go to sleep. He idly hummed under his breath, yawning a little while afterwards.

Later that evening, in the common room with food from the kitchens brought up on request by dobby, who, to Harry's immense shock, received a hug from Draco. The were roughly the same height as well.

"You have funny clothes, dobby! I like those better than your tea towel!" He squealed. Several girls cooed after him, with a few little comments on how sweet he was. Harry shook his head, wondering absently what had happened to turn Draco into the Malfoy he knew the past seven years, starting work on his charms homework from a few days ago.

"BAD ELF!" Draco screeched and Harry jumped up to see him beating on Kreacher with a large text book.

"Draco! Stop that." He shouted, scooping Draco up by his waist and taking the book out if his flailing arms.

"He had a thing and he was gunna hurt you with it cause he's a bad naughty elf! He needs a time out! Bad elf!" Draco wailed. Dobby rushed forward and grabbed one of Hermione's knitting needles out of his hands. Brief shock flitted through Harry, and he held Draco by the underarms in front of him.

"Calm down, ok? Dobby will take care of him. We don't hit though, ok?"

"I was scared…he said he would stick it in your eyes….he's a scary icky elf!" Draco wailed and started crying. Harry sighed and sat with the boy in his lap, rubbing soothing circles till he hiccupped to a stop. Hermione smiled warmly when Draco looked up.

"Hi there. Do you want a chocolate frog?" She offered and the little boy scrambled out of Harry lap and into hers with a beaming smile and a whispered, eager yeah. Hermione smiled again and unwrapped it. It leaped onto the arm of the chair and Draco grabbed it with lightning reflexes, shoving the front half of the frog into his mouth and sucking on it as the frog's legs still wriggled and kicked everywhere.

"How did he turn into such a jerk?" Hermione mouthed. As they usually did this over Ron's head, they had no trouble understanding each other.

"Not a clue." He mouthed back, pressing fingers to his throbbing temples. Why did charms have to get so difficult?

The portrait opened a few minutes later and Luna walked in with Neville a few minutes later, a chocolate frog wriggling in her mouth like Draco's.

"Hi, Luna, Neville. I didn't know you could have other house member's in the common room." Ron greeted.

"We asked Professor McGonagall, and she said it was ok if Luna visited." Neville grinned. Neville then blushed a deep pink as a pretty, shy fourth year named Adele, with thin square glasses, big chocolate brown eyes and light brown hair tied in a bun, glanced at him. They were both hopelessly smitten with each other, but both too nervous and shy to do anything about it. Harry shook his head and smiled at his parchment, glad that Neville had found someone. He had lost some of his plumpness, but he was still hopelessly forgetful and boyish.

Luna sucked in the rest of the frog, a little foot with toes wriggling still sticking out slightly as she chewed. Draco's frog hung limp and there were little chocolate foot prints all over his face and he and Luna took up a staring contest. Luna blinked first, and Draco giggled around his frog and chewed victoriously.

"is that Malfoy?" Luna asked, voice a soft, dreamy whisper.

"Yeah. Ron screwed up his potion and he reverted to this." Hermione sent a glare at her boyfriend as she said this.

"Blaise was worried." Luna quipped.

"Zambini?" Harry asked, knitting his brows at her.

"Yes. We're dating now." She smiled dreamily, staring somewhat love-struck at the wall. That was when Harry panicked, noticing Draco had gone missing.

"Draco!" He yelled, standing up and dropping his report on the table nearby.

"He's over with Adele." Lavender smiled. Draco had her hair tie in one hand, playing with a bit of shoulder length hair with the other. Harry rushed over to where she was sitting with her chair against the wall.

"Don't scare me like that!" Harry admonished, plopping next to Adele and scooping up Draco.

"I sorry." Draco replied, sounding thoroughly chastised. He clambered on the back of the chair and sat behind Harry's head, messing around with Harry's black locks.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know he was yours." Adele smiled a little. She was a sort of quiet pretty, and Harry could very well understand why Neville liked her. "He looks just like Draco Malfoy, except for his eyes."

"I am Draco Malfoy. I'm four years old." Harry remembered the expression and the hand, and somehow knew he was doing the same thing.

"Oh, my!" She exclaimed putting a hand over her mouth.

"Pretty much just that." Harry sighed. The familiar heaviness returned, thinking again of the mess he was in, and how if really should have bothered him that Draco Malfoy was playing with his hair, and it didn't. This wasn't the Draco he knew. The Draco now was Malfoy, a snobbish, rotten git, with a distinct hate of people different from himself. "Neville, could you grab my charms essay for me?" Harry asked as Draco started pulling his fringe back. Neville walked up a few minutes later with his report and a Weasley's Wizard wheezes self inking quill.

"Oh, Have you started the Herbology essay yet?" Neville asked, whipping out a Hermione sized Herbology book.

"Naah. I can't figure out what plant to do it on!" Harry sighed, getting goose-bumps from his hair being played with. "Draco, I have to do homework, so you can't mess with my hair."

"Ok…Can I braid your hair Adele?" Draco bounced over to her as she nodded and set about in little teeny braids as she glanced at Neville and blushed again.

"Maybe you could do a black rose? Those have so much interesting magical qualities! Or a moon pod."

"What the bloody hell is a moon pod?" Harry asked, sitting up from his lounging position.

"They are so cool! They start out as vines that wind around, like climbing roses and whatnot, and then when the full moon hits them, they bloom, until someone picks them, and even after being separated from the vine they glow. They're really useful, it you put them under water, or preservatives, you can have a light anywhere without a wand." Neville chatted excitedly, showing him the picture. They looked like large cherry blossoms, glowing surprisingly bright.

"That's so neat!" Adele burst, leaning over the books. "Herbology is my favorite subject. I'm hopeless at anything else." She smiled, blushing faintly as Draco giggled at her when she moved. Her whole head was braided in tiny little plaits. Draco had ripped up a bit of paper and tied them around it, and it surprisingly stayed as he finished the last braid. Neville grinned at her and they continued jabbering about plants they found particularly interesting. Harry picked up Draco and looked at the bi-colored eyes staring up at him.

"Where'd you learn to braid so fast?" He asked, setting Draco down in a chair in front of him. A glance at his previous seat let him know that Hermione and Ron had conspicuously 'disappeared' which translated into 'snuck off for a snog'.

"Mummy likes me to braid her hair. I sometimes braid Daddy's hair when he falls asleep in the chair reading." He replied, wriggling out of his chair and curling up beside Harry. He laughed as he imagined Lucius with his hair in hundreds of tiny braids with bows at the end.

"I bet he doesn't like that much." Harry replied, voice low. It had deepened over the years. It was a dark mix of tenor and baritone. Ginny said his voice was like sex when he spoke quietly. They hadn't gotten together again after the end of sixth year. The war had been too much. Harry's eyes were actually turning toward the same sex, as odd as that felt.

He continued scribbling on his charms report for a good while, and grinned like a mad man when Adele gave Neville a small kiss on the cheek, both turning an identical shade of crimson.

"Are they in love, Harry?" Draco whispered sleepily, running a finger over Harry's scar again.

"I think so."

"Me too." Harry felt himself smile warmly, a soft sort of happy sadness rising in his chest. He hated who this boy became, the one who caused Harry's First Mentor to die, who hated Harry, and his friends. But he couldn't help but love this little boy, with his lack of acknowledgement for personal space, tumbling soft white tow-headed curls, bi-colored eyes, and blindingly bright smile. And this boy would be gone eventually, leaving Malfoy to return, and Draco to disappear and leave yet another hollow space in Harry's too empty heart.

"what's wrong?" Draco inquired in his soft little voice. Harry shook his head and gave him another little smile, blinking back unexpected tears. Draco snuggled down again as Harry finished is report and rubbed his burning eyes beneath his glasses with the left sleeve of his robe.

"Harry, you have lotsa boo boos on your arm…" Draco said, running his fingers over the jagged, fading lines down his arm.

"Yes, I do. A bad man cast a bad spell and did this." Harry replied, remembering vividly how Hermione had accused him of hurting himself afterwards. The idea had flitted through his head, more than once, but he had enough scars, enough pain. He fought the numbness as best he could, and ignored the hopeless, gloomy thoughts that drifted occasionally through his mind.

"I don't ever want to be bad and hurt you, Harry." Draco stated solemnly and Harry felt tears prickle in his eyes again as Draco hugged him fiercely, squishing his glasses into his nose again. A few lower year girls 'awww' ed at it, and Draco kissed Harry's cheek.

"That's a very good thing. Now, it's time for bed, its getting late." Harry replied, hefting the small boy onto a slim hip and walking up the stairs. Ron's curtains were closed and there was a distinct sound of snogging coming from behind them. Draco wrinkled his little nose and giggled. There was a few moments fevered whispering and a brief incantation and the sounds were gone, though none had emerged from behind the curtains. Harry laughed slightly and turned into the bathroom to brush his teeth. There was a fresh toothbrush for Draco and he brushed enthusiastically with the fizzing whizbee toothpaste.

A small bed was done up with snitches and broomsticks on a blue back round, near Harry's and Draco bounded over and bounced, giggling wildly. Harry felt his face scrunch up into a fond smile completely of it's own volition and Draco bounced off to land on his feet, rushing up to Harry and smashing into his stomach in a bear hug, causing Harry to fall over onto the bed, with an undignified 'oof!'

"Can you sing me a song?" Draco begged with puppy eyes. Harry gave a half smile and nodded, tucking Draco in and softly singing All the Pretty Little Horses. Draco grinned a little before curling onto his side and burying his face in the blanket. He laid down on his own bed and set his glasses on the table next to him, falling asleep a while later as the curtains of Ron's bed opened and Hermione left.

Harry awoke with a gasp, drenched in cold sweat and trembling from another nightmare. He never seemed to get away from his old memories.

"Are you ok, poppit?" Draco asked, little face all scrunched up in worry and blurred by the lack of glasses.

"Poppit?" Harry whispered as Draco reached up to brush his damp bangs back from his face.

"Yeah. That's what Mummy always says when she's worried, or when I have a nightmare. You were all shaky and sweaty." Draco replied, sitting by Harry's head.

"It was just a dream. I'm alright now. You should go back to sleep." Harry replied. It felt quite odd to have a four year old playing adult.

"I can't sleep. You don't sing the right song." Draco replied, still playing with Harry's hair.

"Well, what is the right song?" Harry asked, sitting up and straightening his sleep shirt.

"Baby mine." Draco replied. Harry nodded and hummed the melody softly as he didn't know the words. Draco was back under his covers and sound asleep a few minutes later. Harry continued humming as he got into bed, letting the melody drift off as he got too tired to carry on and fell asleep himself.

Classes were something interesting. Draco screeched with excitement and hugged professor McGonagall when she turned into cat form. Harry had to pry him off of her as he started talking about naming her Poppit and taking good care of her. He kept running through Professor Binns and crying when he got cold, and then doing it again, and then crying when Harry scolded him. He asked Professor flitwick if he was four too, as he was the same hieght as Draco, which lost Harry ten points from Gryffindor for letting him 'say such insulting things' and Draco kept ripping the leaves off of plants in Herbology.

Irritation reigned supreme in Harry's emotions. A small headache was throbbing in his temples, he was so absolutely stretched that he felt like his eyes were going to cross or roll up into his head, and Draco was currently bouncing around the common room, upsetting ink jars, stepping on cat's tails and cracking quills.

"Draco, what's you're middle name?" Harry asked quietly as he bounced past.

"Angel!" Draco giggled. Harry felt his left eye twitch as crookshanks clawed up the chair away from him.

"DRACONIS ANGEL MALFOY!" Harry bellowed. The boy froze mid bounce and the whole common room turned to see him. "Calm. Yourself. NOW." Harry commanded. Draco's lip wobbled and he sat down on the floor Indian style and looked at his knees, baby curls falling over his eyes. There were quite a few sighs of peace until Draco sniffled and there were sighs of exasperation through the whole common room.

"Can't you take him to your dorm?" A third year snapped, and there were several shouts of agreement. Draco's shoulders began to shake and Harry sighed again, scooping his charge up by the waist and storming up to the dormitory with the boy under his arm. He set Draco on his bed and sat cross-legged on his own, ignoring the sniffles as he read through the chapter for defense against the dark arts.

"Harry?" Draco crawled onto his bed in front of him.

"yes?" Harry asked, not looking up from his book.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Yes." Harry replied, turning the page to read about a new counter spell.

"Do you hate me now?" Draco sounded small, and heartbroken, voice wavering and sniffling between words. Harry dropped his book and stared at the boy in shock.

"No!" He scooped the boy into his lap and hugged him. "I don't hate you. It's ok. Shh. I'm sorry, poppit. I just overreacted." Harry soothed him.

"Ok." Draco sniffled and kissed his cheek sloppily. Harry laughed a bit and marked his book.

"How about a bath, hmm?" Harry laughed as Draco tried to turn tail and scamper, and caught him around the waist. "Come on, it'll be fun." Harry smiled, and got the password for the prefect bathroom from Ron on the way out.

Harry had to help Draco keep above the water, but the boy giggled madly and popped bubbles and splashed, making a general mess. Harry vaguely wondered if his boxers were ever loose the smell of lavender bubbles after this, as he left them on. Moaning myrtle popped in after a half an hour. She hadn't been happy with Harry since the incident with the sectumsempra. She seemed better now, going on about how Draco really was such a sweet boy, and he trusted her so much. Draco giggled happily at her and she floated over with a fond look on her face, smiling brightly at the little boy.

"I like your glasses! they're like Harry's!" Draco giggled and bounced in the water, drenching Harry. Two little patches of silver blossomed on her cheeks and she giggled and muttered thank you.

"Hey, they are like mine!" Harry squinted and Draco giggled again and swam across the tub again.

"Oh, there are nice towels over there, when you guys are ready." She smiled again. Harry had the disconcerting thought that she looked rather pretty when she smiled. Her pale, translucent cheeks plumped towards her eyes, which in turn squinted slightly and her teeth were neat and straight. He voiced his thought and Draco nodded, and said she smiled like a mummy, all nice and warm. She flushed a deep silver and shifted in the air.

"Oh, myrtle. I didn't mean to frighten you last year. I had no idea what that curse did. To be frank, it scared me senseless myself." Harry replied as he grabbed towel and wrapped one around his waist and the other around the squirming Draco.

"I think you're making up for it now." She smiled again. She reminded Harry distinctly of Mrs. Weasley when she doted upon one of her sons or upon Harry. He nodded and scooped up a yawning Draco and ruffled him dry, helping him get his arms and legs through all the right places and the pajamas right side out. They were fluffy, soft and dark blue, the exact shade of Draco's left eye. Harry dried off himself, levitating a towel so he could quickly changed boxers and pull on his own green pajamas. Draco was yawning profusely now, and he scooped the boy up again to carry him back to Gryffindor Tower.

He felt a little foolish, walking around at night with Draco sleeping, in his nightwear, while a few people still walking about in the common room smiled or cooed at Draco, or sniggered behind their hands.

He tucked Draco in and collapsed on his own bed, utterly worn out from the rollercoaster ride that was watching a child.

He woke up all too soon, finding Draco sprawled over his small bed on his belly, drooling all over the pillow. He changed into his own school uniforms and dug around in the trunk that had appeared at the foot of his bed, finding mini Slytherin robes and accoutrements.

"Draco. Come on, time to get up." Harry spoke softly and received a rather odd gurgling growl in response. "if you don't wake up you'll have to stay all by yourself all day." he stated nonchalantly. A very sleepy glare was directed at him as he helped with the little robes and scooped him up so they could both brush their teeth.

Things progressed much the same everyday, wake p, get dressed, go through morning necessities, go to class, get a little fed up with his charge at times, bathe and go to sleep. Rinse, lather, repeat, and so on. A few more days passed, and Tonks had still not found the cure. In those days, Draco had wormed his way inescapably into Harry's heart. The little boy was so sweet, and so exuberant, ready to laugh and hug someone, or bug the crap out of Harry and make up for it with a drawing or a snuggle and tears.

"Harry! Lookit!" Draco squealed as they visited Hagrid in his new house, wrapped thoroughly in cloaks and scarves to brave the January snow. It was quite a good deal nicer than the old hut. He looked at the odd little puff balls bouncing around the cage and smiled. Who needed care of magical creatures when you were friends with the teacher? He knocked on the thick wooden door, fang's resounding barks making Draco's bi-colored eyes widen in a mingle of excitement and fear.

"alrigh' there, Harry? Who yeh got with yeh?" Hagrid beamed and Draco's jaw dropped as Harry looked down.

"Draco Malfoy." He replied, Hagrid nodded knowingly, and gestured them in.

"He's Tall!" Draco whispered loudly, looking at Hagrid in utter awe.

"Yes, he is. His name's Hagrid. He teaches Care of Magical creatures and he's the Gamekeeper for Hogwarts. He's very cool."

"Yeah!" Draco enthused, and Hagrid smiled and lifted a brow. Harry just shrugged. He had let himself feel again, and while knowing it was dangerous, he just couldn't help it. Draco would go back to being an asshole when they reversed the potion, and Harry would be utterly heartbroken. But for now, Harry was content to watch over the small boy, the one who simply made Harry love him for all he was worth.

They had a very nice meeting with Hagrid, who took them to see some of the new creatures for the classes and let Draco pet a kneazle.

They went through the usual bath ritual, moaning myrtle showing up about halfway through and singing happily. Afterwards Draco tore off to use the lavatory adjoining to it, and Harry walked near to myrtle.

"You seem very happy lately."

"I am. Once Draco is back to normal, I'm moving on. I think I've haunted Hogwarts long enough." She smiled.

"I'm happy for you, even if you won't be around anymore."

"I'm happier for you, Harry. You stopped feeling, at the end of sixth year. You closed yourself off and went numb inside. Draco makes you feel, makes you smile, and practically begs you to love him, whether you wanted to or not. He's the same at seventeen, behind the mask so similar to the one you acquired." She replied, and Harry felt his eyes well up with tears again.

"I'd give you a hug but, well, you know."

"Yes, I know." She smiled. Draco bounded back out and giggled madly as Harry picked him up and spun in a small circle.

"Bye, Myrtle!" Draco squealed as Harry flopped him over his shoulder and walked back up to the dorms. He plopped down and tickled Draco in a chair, near Adele and her new boyfriend Neville, who were working on their homework with clasped hands. Lavender and Parvati both smiled in a way so similar to Myrtle's, Harry had to grin.

"Hey, Harry." Hermione smiled, as Ron gave similar sentiments.

"HI!" Draco squealed and launched himself at Hermione, hugging her tightly. She grinned, a little taken aback and patted his head before he went and gave Ron a hug as well.

"What've you been up to, little man?" Ron asked as Draco perched on the arm of Harry's chair and giggled.

"Bath time. Myrtle comes to see us! She's nice, and says good things bout me. She 'minds me of my mummy. When is mummy coming back from her business trip?" Draco asked, and Harry shook his head.

"I don't know, pet." He replied. The portrait opened a few minutes later and Luna drifted through. Draco squealed again, quite a bit louder and charged across the room to jump into Luna's arms and be spun around. They had their customary staring contest with wriggling chocolate frogs in their mouths a few seconds later.

"I WIN! I win I win I win!" Draco bounced, and jumped into Harry's lap, giving him a messy chocolate smooch on the cheek.

"Ok, winner, hold still so I can wipe chocolate frog foot prints off your cheeks." Harry smiled. As he was rubbing the squirming boy's face with a corner of his sleeve the portrait opened again. Someone came and sat down beside them, but Harry didn't look until Draco had a clean, if slightly red face.

"MUMMY!" Draco squealed yet again and launched himself at his mother, who was sitting in the chair beside Harry.

"Hello, pet. How have you been?" She smiled, voice like warm honey, face distinctly soft. Harry felt a lump in his throat. She was back. Draco would have to leave.

"Good! Me and Harry do lots of fun stuffs! Like going to the prefects bathroom, and magic classes and me and Luna has staring contests and---" He continued rambling on and on, narcissa watching with a fond expression.

"Well, I came by to see if you would mind staying with Harry, as mummy has some important papers to fill out so she can get rid of her louse of a husband." She said with a distinctly cheerful voice. "And then mummy has to redecorate the entire droopy boring mansion and make it nice for you, and I don't want you to be too bored."

"I wanna stay with Harry!" He grinned, and bounced back to Harry.

"That's fine with me." He smiled, ruffling Draco's curls. "But it's somebody's bed time."

"Mummy! Can you sing the lullaby? Harry doesn't member the words." Draco replied.

"Not a problem, love. Lead the way!" She smiled. Draco hugged Harry tightly and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Night, Harry. I love you." He smiled. Harry knew right at that moment that his heart was a little ring wrapped around Draco's pinky.

"I love you, too, Draco. Sweet dreams." he replied, and kissed Draco's forehead as he lead his mother to the dormitory.

"it breaks your heart to know all the past seven years, doesn't it?" Luna gusted dreamily, big round eyes filling with tears.

"It rips my heart out and does a tap dance on it. And makes me realise just how much I want a family." Harry sighed, and leaned against Luna.

"You'll have one someday." She replied, nipping at the toes of another chocolate frog as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"No. I…" Harry sighed, wishing he didn't know this, wishing it wasn't true. "I think I'm gay. Or bi, maybe."

"so?" She asked, looking down at him in dreamy confusion.

"Guys can't get pregnant."

"Muggle guys can't get pregnant. There's a charm, a difficult charm, but it exists." she replied, petting his head. He felt himself smile again, wondering exactly what it would be like to be pregnant.

"You do realise this means me and Hermione are dragging you shopping every time we go, right?" She stated, tilting her head until there was a rather loud pop. Harry laughed and put an arm around her. Hermione was grinning like a Cheshire cat at the mention of shopping, flourish and blotts most likely running through her head.

"Shopping? I need new books!" Hermione enthused. Two points for Harry.

"Clothes for me. Harry's queer, so we can drag him." Luna replied, Hermione's eyes widened almost comically and Harry felt himself flush as she dropped her books. She was going to hate him, Ron wasn't going to speak to him. Why did he have to tell her? WHY!

"Are you serious!" Hermione all but squealed and threw herself at him and smothered him in a hug.

"About damn time you owned up to it." Ron replied, rolling his eyes.

"What!" Harry half shouted, mind reeling. This was definitely not the reactions he had had planned.

"I caught you eyeing Fred in the Quidditch changing rooms." Ron replied, narrowing his eyes. "No scamming on my family."

"You were fine when he was dating Ginny." Luna whisped, petting his head again as Hermione giggled gleefully.

"That's my sister, not my brothers. That means he could have a thing for me." Ron mock shuddered. Harry simply laughed, long and hard, like he hadn't laughed it a very long time.

"He better not! You're mine." Hermione smiled wickedly and sat in his lap, kissing his cheek.

He felt as though it were all unreal. He had to admit to it. It all seemed impossible, and very difficult to believe.

"well. Draco's asleep now. I need to thank you, Harry. A lot of people would have sneered at Draco, four years old or otherwise. I was more than a little upset when he came home from holidays and said you didn't want to be his friend. That was before Lucius had decided to force me into the 'cause'. I had hoped, maybe you would keep him firm against his fathers tidings. Why I ever married that man, I will never know." She shook her head.

"He kind of started it though. He was a right snob." Ron said.

"That would be Lucius in him. He loved his father so much. He would have done anything for him. He even tried to murder a man he sincerely looked up to, to save his father and myself." She half-whispered, rubbing her hands together slowly. Harry felt a swoop of anguish that was gone as soon as it came.

"he didn't though. Snape did."

"I made him promise, an unbreakable vow, so he would. So Draco would live, and so severus wouldn't be found out as a spy. " Harry gasped in shock and fell out of his chair.

"Albus begged, didn't he?" She said softly, eyes teary. Harry gasped a ragged sob. "He begged for Severus to do it. To save you and Draco and himself. He was truly a great man, with a bigger heart and soul than I could have imagined." A tear spilled down her cheek. Harry sobbed silently on the floor, the day reliving itself through his mind, the previously absent emotions burning him raw inside, tears leaking down his cheeks, green eyes tightly shut. A body slammed into his a few seconds later.

"Harry! What's wrong? Don't cry, Harry! I love you." Draco cried, tear rolling down his own cheeks as he rubbed Harry's away. Green eyes stared at the boy in front of him. He imagined the boy grown up, regally pointed features softened for once, eyes different colors leaking tears. Somehow it didn't seem right, he couldn't imagine it quite right. He loved Draco. Could he love Malfoy?

The little boy continued rubbing away tears as they continued falling, completely ignoring his mother's tears, smoothing Harry's bangs, and kissing cheeks, hugging him. It seemed to only make the tears fall faster, and he hugged Draco back, desperately hoping they never found a cure, that he could keep this sweet little Draco, the one who melted his heart and got under his skin so quickly it was shocking.

Mrs. Malfoy helped him up sometime later, and lead them both to bed, Draco still clinging to Harry. She did something that Harry had never had done before. She tucked him in with Draco, and kissed both their foreheads, humming baby mine under her breath as Harry sobbed himself to sleep next to Draco.

"Harry!" Hermione called. Draco rushed up ahead and got scooped up happily by Lavender and Parvati, giggling and waving at Harry, who smiled and waved back.

"yeah?" He asked, feeling a good bit better than he had this time last week. Draco had stopped running rampant in his classes, and taken to sketching little creatures on spare parchment, and he stopped worrying about the cure, worrying when Draco was going to be taken away from him, and just enjoying the time he had with the little boy.

"I did some reaserch the other day, on bonds and such between people. You have a heart bond! With Draco." She blathered.

"Heart bond?" He asked, rather confused.

"it's like empathy, between the two of you. I don't know what triggered it. It usually only happens in accordance with soul bonds, or soul mates, but you have one with Draco. That's why he always knows when you're upset. You haven't gotten to that point yet, though, which confuses me." She stated in her rapid, learn-as-much-as-possible-in-enough-time-to-not-lose-teenage-males-attention-span voice. Fondly dubbed her quick quotes notes voice.

"Well. Why does it confuse you? Maybe it just takes time?"

"If he felt it, you'd feel it, unless you were blocking emotions." Her eyes narrowed and Harry fought not to look guilty. "Oh, Harry! You can't do that! It's not healthy!" She mother-henned.

"I don't mean to!" He protested, sighing.

"You ok, Harry?" Draco asked, practically popping out of nowhere.

"I'm fine, pet. Come here." He hefted the boy up onto a hip and kissed the tip of his nose lightly, just to watch him scrunch it up and giggle.

"let yourself feel. It won't hurt." Hermione admonished. She was wrong. It did hurt. But maybe…

Maybe the pain is worth it. He thought, looking at the giggling boy in front of him.

"Harry! Lets see Hagrid! I like Hagrid, he's nice!" Draco bounced into his lap and put his hands on Harry's cheeks.

"Ok, poppit. It's really cold outside, so we need to grab cloaks, ok?" He replied, a warm love spreading through his chest. It was a little past Febuary, and still absolutely freezing outside.

"Oh, can we come, too?" Hermione asked, peeking from behind a book.

"Sure thing." he smiled. He got waves of excitement spilling over from Draco, and the little blabbering of four year old thoughts in the back of his mind. The bond was a very strange feeling. Hermione had taught him how to push the immediate thoughts to the back of his mind. Having a four year old talking to you was hard enough to follow, having a four year old linking minds with you was positively confusing. Harry was studying to an almost frenzy with exams and watching out for Draco. The baths at night constituted of Draco being floated about by a handy buoyancy charm, and Harry leaning against the wall of the tub, to exhausted to think, or even block Draco's thoughts and feelings. It was like being two people at once, and the exhausted seventeen year old half didn't quite agree with the hyper four year old half.

"I love you, Harry." Draco grinned. A warm burst in his chest came from the link and nearly hurt with it's intensity and strength.

"I love you, too, Draco." He sent the same feeling back, pulling the little cloak tighter shut. With everybody bundled up and uncomfortably toasty in the warm common room, they headed out to the grounds and eked to Hagrid's quaint little house.

"Hey, there! How are yeh doin' terday?" Hagrid smiled, patting fang as the large dog bounded past to munch on a big pile of snow. Draco nearly fell over in his haste to reach Hagrid and hug the half-giants knees.

They had a snowball fight worthy of Fred and George, panting and laughing, Ron kissing an already rosy cheeked Hermione as Draco fell giggling and panting into Harry's arms.

"Wotcher!" Tonks beamed, bounding out with standard neon pink hair.

"Hi, Professor Tonks!" Draco giggled, holding arms out to be hefted up onto her hip.

"Wotcher, Drake." SHe smiled.

"Having snowball fights are fun! Harry catches them though." He breathed, still panting. Harry scooped him up and spun him over his head. The little boy shrieked with laughter, and Harry spun in circles until he fell over into a thick, cold patch of snow.

"I love you, Harry!" Draco giggled, sucking his bottom lip in and squinting his eyes.

"Love you too, poppit." He replied, lurching to his feet and helping Draco up. Tonks laughed at the pair of them and brushed snow out of Harry's hair.

"I wanted to let you know, we found the cure. It's actually quite simple. A bit of modified aging potion." She smiled. Harry felt a lump in his throat, and quickly blocked his anguish from Draco. "He'll remember everything. I know you got attached."

"Ok. Draco?" He turned and lifted the little boy onto a hip. "we're going to go with Professor Tonks now, just for a bit, ok?"

"Kay!" Draco smiled, and kissed his cheek. Harry blinked rapidly, waving to Hermione and Ron, trying his hardest not to cry.

They walked up to the castle and down to Tonks' office, now decorated with odd little potions, pictures, and a large poster of the Weird Sisters.

"Drake, pet, can you drink this for me?" She asked. Harry nodded when the boy looked back at him. Tonks set his little uniform back to its original size as Draco grew up, baby flesh leaving and being replaced by sharp curves, eyes narrowing a little with age, but staying the same color. Draco had become Malfoy again. Harry let down the wards, and sighed, until a wave of shock and slight hystery skimmed across him, whisked away and blocked as soon as it had come. Malfoy sneered, walked the few steps over to Harry and back-handed him across the face, spitting on his shoe.

"Bastard!" He snapped, whirling out of the room. Tears that had been threatening all day fell, and Harry walked back to his bed and plopped down, still wet with snow, ignoring the small bed beside his.

He was numb, total anguish bleeding out everything else. He picked absently at the little scabs from the curse on his arm. He shouldn't have let himself feel, shouldn't have let himself get attached. He always ended up hurt, ended up heartbroken. He felt the hollow ache deep in his chest of losing someone dear, and the new ache of wanting a family. But the only family he seemed able to see was an aged Draco Malfoy and a little boy with Platinum blond hair and bright green eyes.

He sobbed silently, tears running past his temples into is hair, fogging up his glasses.

"hey Myrtle." Harry droned, sinking into the tub. A week had past, though it seemed like just a day, and he was growing weak, tired, dwelling in his loss, his pain.

"Hello, love." She replied, sitting at the edge of the tub.

"Thought you were moving on?"

"I am. It's a process." She smiled. "I heard you wanted a family."

"How'd you hear that?" He asked, scrubbing his hair absently, limbs heavy, heart heavier.

"Portraits know everything." She gave a wry little smile. "You love Draco. I know you do, no matter what age he is. Different loves, but love just the same. You could cheat, a bit. Have a piece of him just for you."

"What do you mean?" He asked, sitting up a little straighter.

"The charm only requires something of them. Normally it's… well, semen. But blood or hair would work just fine."

"Have the child of my unrequited love. It sounds like a cheap romance novel." He replied, sinking into the water.

"I want you to be happy, Harry."

"I know you do. But I can't, I don't seem to be allowed to be happy. Every time I let someone in, they either stab me in the back or die." He sobbed, lightly brushing a tear off the yellowing bruise on his right cheek. He sunk under water and lay there, with his nose plugged, eyes closed. He popped back up a little bit later, gasping slightly.

"Oh. You." He heard a very unwelcome voice.

"Don't you be rude to him, Draco." Myrtle snapped wagging a finger at him.

"You are not my mother." Draco replied, sticking his nose in the air. He was in a towel, only a towel, the thin scar where the curse was last year visible on his pale chest, even though he was quite blurry without Harry's glasses. Myrtle swooped through the boy, who gave an undignified meep and fell into the tub.

"Don't you sass me!" She replied, sticking her translucent tongue out at him.

"gee, thanks a lot. Now I'm in a tub with the last person I wanted to see and my towel's wet." He huffed. His hair stuck to his face, his eyes their cold gray, once again. Harry turned his back, fat tears dripping down his cheeks to mingle with the bath water.

"You took baths with him every night for a month!"

"I was a child!"

"STOP IT! Just stop it!" Harry snapped, spinning around and splashing water at the both of them. Myrtle simply looked contrite, while Draco blinked a few times. His yes trailed over to the lovely green and yellow purple bruise on his cheek. Harry knew he must look awful, with puffy red eyes, bags and a hand sized bruise on his cheek. Just looking at the other teen made his heart ache, and he didn't have the strength to hold up the barriers against it. A little of Draco shown through Malfoy and Harry choked on a sob.

"You should get some hair now." Myrtle stated amiably, straightening her ghostly spectacles.

"Hair?" Draco asked, seemingly able to throw off Harry's aguish.

"I'm not taking his hair, Myrtle." Harry snapped wearily.

"Why would you take my hair?"

"So he can cast a charm to carry your baby." Myrtle giggled. Harry rolled his eyes, leaning his head back against the tub wall.

"WHAT!" Draco shouted, splashing everywhere.

"It's her idea, not mine, and I'm not doing it." Harry replied, rinsing again and stepping out of the tub.

"Well, why not?" Myrtle inquired, affronted. "You're bonded, both of you. Why not own up to it?"

"No, we're not." Draco stated, crossing his arms and looking like a wet sulking puppy.

"Oh, really?" Harry asked wearily, turning his sorrow into a point and smashing past Malfoy's barrier. He immediately began crying a few tears down his cheeks and Harry thought back, to what seemed like so far ago.

"do you hate me now?"

"No! I don't hate you."

" I love you, Harry!"

"I love you, too, Draco."

"STOP IT!" Draco wailed gripping his head and whimpering.

"I didn't mean to…." Harry sighed, stepping out of the tub and wrapping a towel around his waist, drying his hair with another. "every time I let someone in they either stab me in the back or die…"

"Stop!" Draco wailed, gripping his chest as Harry slipped on his glasses.

"I can't! ok! I can't anymore! I'm sick and tired, of being sick and tired! I have been this close--" He held a finger and thumb and little bit apart. "--From tossing my arse off the astronomy tower! I didn't ask for this! I have enough shit to eat my heart out of my fucking chest, Malfoy!" He shouted the last bit, tears rolling down and fogging his glasses up.

"Whatever, Potter. I'm the one who was turned into a child and stuck with your sorry melodramatic arse! Quit being a drama queen." He snapped, grabbing another towel of his own and drying off. Harry sighed and slumped down to the floor, gripping his knees.

"I can't do this…I can't…"

"Shut up." Draco snapped, pulling on his trousers and throwing the towel on the floor. Harry screwed his eyes shut and pushed his pain at Draco, vicsiously until the boy was curled on the floor half naked and sobbing hysterically.

"Welcome to my world. Only I'm not allowed to cry anymore. At least not in front of anyone. You murder anyone, Draco? You realise you want a family, and because the person who literally stole your heart is a viscious bastard you will never get that? I stopped feeling and you had to open it all up again!" He screamed, as Draco stood back up, eyes red and puffy. Harry ran and punched his chest, beating on him, crying and muttering under his breath. Draco just stood there, chest getting redder with every punch. Harry finally collapsed and grabbed the slim hips, sobbing into the red chest, not ready to let go if the world fell down around them. "why me? WHY ME?" He wailed, sinking to his knees, pulling Draco down with him.

Only Myrtle saw the blonde's face soften, eyebrows knit, as he slid his arms around a trembling Harry.

Harry sighed, staring at the blurry ceiling, his glasses in his right hand. Vague feelings of confusion, irritation, and weariness, that were not his own. Once Draco had realized the bond was there, he seemed to broadcast everything he felt, all the time. Hence the reason Harry was awake at the ungodly hour. He gathered up the thick yarn of sleep in his brain, gathered into a ball, and tossed it at Draco mentally. He was rewarded by a 'sorry' feeling and a very, very good feeling of his 'other self' going to sleep.

He only got about five hours sleep before he was pulled out by that insistent feeling of needing to get up spilling over from his other self. He couldn't live like this, five or four hours sleep, feeling everything Draco felt, and not being anywhere near him, as the only time Draco even acknowledged Harry's existence was when he threw his sleepiness at him around one in the morning.

He curled on his side and sobbed silently into the pillow, clinging to one of Draco's little robes, almost waiting for the little child to hop into bed and play with Harry's hair until he felt better. It ached low in his chest, and burned through his eyes. The 'door' was slammed on his greif and he recoiled from the shock. After a while of snuffling longer, he got up and showered, getting his things together and sitting in the common room until everyone else awoke. His hands shook from lack of sleep, and his eyes felt puffy and dry.

He dozed for a bit while Draco had his shields up. He woke when Hermione bounced down the stairs, in her underwear, grabbed a giant book, and ran back upstairs. He chuckled lightly under his breath and got a questioning feeling floating over from Draco, and sent the mental image back through, getting rewarded with a mixture of horror and amusement before the wards were back up.

He sighed, and dozed off for a bit longer before classes.

"Harry! Please don't sleep in class! Ow!" Tonks winced as she rubbed the elbow that she smashed on a cauldron. He rubbed his eyes wearily, and straightened his glasses.

"'M sorry, Professor. I'm just really tired…" He replied, picking up his knife to start chopping leaves.

"Oh my god! Harry, your hand!" Hermione gasped, and the whole class turned to stare, bar a pair of silver eyes.

Harry looked down at his hand and winced, pulling the blade out or his knuckles. There were lines up his fingers to where he had just pulled the blade from. A loud "SHIT!" from across the room showed the same injury mirrored of Draco's left hand, and everybody stared between the two of them with confused looks.

"How did you manage this one, Mr. Potter?" Madame Pomfrey asked, tsking like a fishwife over his hand as she finished patching up Draco's.

"I don't know. I didn't even know I had done it until Hermione said anything."

"Oh? Are you getting sick?"

"I don't know. I don't sleep much. And I can't eat. I'm shaky, nauseous, and I can't concentrate. I almost flew into the pitch at quidditch practice the other day." He replied, eye lids lower, hands trembling. Madame Pomfrey came over a millisecond later and had him stick out his tongue, felt up his belly, hold out his trembling hands, get checked for a fever, and numerous other things while Draco rolled his eyes, practically oozing impatience and annoyance.

"I think it might be the bond acting up. They're quite finicky, you know." She replied, turning to Draco when he scoffed.

"Give him a sleeping potion, wave your wand at his hand, and get it over with then, I have classes to go to." He stated, crossing his arms. He was rewarded with a scolding as she walked over and cast a healing charm. Only it didn't work. Her eyebrows knit and she tried another, and another. They wouldn't heal him.

"Have you two been spending any time together?" She asked, almost accusingly.

"No. I refuse to be near him." Draco replied haughtily, drawing himself up like a spoilt prince.

"Are you insane!" She half shrieked. Harry felt dizzy, as though the world was tilting oddly, and his heart gave an odd lurch. "how long?"

"since I was returned to my proper age. He took advantage of a small child." Draco snapped back, crossing his arms and looking away.

"OH! You're lucky he isn't DEAD!" She shouted and Draco's face snapped back towards her.

"Madame…Pomfrey." Harry whimpered feebly, limbs trembling like a leaf in a breeze, eyes watering, heart fluttering oddly.

"Oh, God…" he gasped, and laid him on his back. "You! Go hold his hand or something, I need to speak with the headmaster."

"I will do no such thing."

"You will, or you'll be sent off to Azkaban with your father and the rest of those madmen." She snapped back, a look of utter anger on her face. Draco 'meep' ed a little and sat in a squishy armchair by Harry.

Numbness set in as Harry lay there. Draco had only the very tip of his index finger touching him, as if he was some disgusting creature that no one could possibly enjoy touching. harry sighed and gathered his strength, grabbing the pale hand feebly and entwining their fingers. he felt the ache of loss yet again, wishing that the child Draco and the seventeen year old Draco felt the same. He closed his eyes, feigning sleep, drawing slow even breathes. His glasses were pulled gently off his nose, and fingertips traced over his scar lightly, brushing back his bangs. A tear slipped out from under Harry's closed eyes and the same hand brushed it away. He opened his eyes and looked into the slightly blurred face of Draco, who had a rather embarrassed lok on his face and braught his hand back to his lap, as if to pretend he hadn't done anything.

Harry gave a crooked, sad smile, and hummed 'Baby Mine' under his breath, shakign slightly from repressed sobs as tears trailed down his face.

"Stop…" Draco half whispered. Harry rubbed his face to rid it of tears silently.

"Why did you do this to me?" Harry whispered back, lips trembling in his silent anguish.

"I didn't know the bond could make you sick. I feel fine." He replied.

"Not that." Harry sighed shakily.

"What then?"

"Why did you have to make me love you? Why did you take what little piece of a heart I managed to get back and stomp on it? What is so bad about me that no one can love me?" He asked, sobbing brokenly. It hurt, cutting deeper than the sharpest sword, penetrating everything.

Draco was silent, and Harry gave a scoffing little laugh before rolling onto his side, hand still clasped with Draco's behind his back. Neither boy said a word or made a sound, until Harry started to doze. The mattress creaked slightly as Draco climbed up behind Harry, letting go of their clasped hands and pulling Harry back to meet his chest, arms wrapped around his waist as he buried his nose in the crook of Harry's neck, sending gooseflesh up Harry's spine.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, breath sending more shivers through Harry. He rolled over and looked Draco in the eye, before burying his face in Draco's soft jumper and clinging to the other boy for dear life. "I didn't think you'd still love me. Self preseration.except for the fact that I wanted to jump off the astronomy tower eight times a day."

"Stupid." Harry mumbled.

"do you hate me now, Harry?"

"No. I don't hate you." he looked up again, and Draco ran his thumb over Harry's cheek, ridding it of tears, before pressing lips to the tip of Harry's nose. Harry laughed quietly at the familiar gesture, then moved in and pressed his lips to Draco's, sighing quietly and happily into their first kiss. It deepened, though somewhat sloppily, as they were both exhausted and tear streaked.

"I love you, draco."

"I love you, too, Harry."

Harry sighed with irritation, straightening his glasses, and attempting, yet again, to get off of the couch.

"DRAKE! Get in here and help me up!" He bellowed, sending a large wave of irritation through the bond. His Husband laughed his way into the room, grabbing Harry's hands and leaning back to help him stand.

"No couch, ok?" Draco smiled, and kissed his cheek.

"Yeah, yeah… I'm never doing this again."

"That's what you said last time, love."

"Well, I mean it this time!"

"Yeah, sure thing, poppit." Draco replied, smiling in that infuriatingly adorable knowing way.

"Papa, Papa!" Serendipity squealed, latching herself onto Draco's leg. She giggled happily as he bent down and scooped her up onto a slim hip, smoothing her black hair back from her face. She had wide blue eyes, Draco's nose, Harry's chin and hair, and Draco attitude.

"Did daddy get stuck in the couch again?" She giggled and Harry scooped her up, propping her on top of his swollen belly.

"Now listen here, missy. You're going to have babies one day, and I am going to laugh myself silly when you get stuck in the sofa." He then smooched her cheek and set her down on the floor. She scurried off after receiving permission to go play with her little broomstick out back.

"I can't wait to see our new baby." Draco smiled, rubbing Harry's belly fondly.

"I can't wait to see my feet again!" Harry declared and Draco laughed, kissing him fondly.

"I love you."

"I'm still not having more kids."

"But Harry…"

"Nope. You want more, you can carry them."

"Yeah, right. You really want to put up with a hormonal me?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking in an old familiar way.

"Sure. I like seeing my feet." Harry replied cheekily, sending a wave of love and affection through the bond, and receiving the same with a tinge of excitement back.

"So, what're we naming him?"

"James."

"No. I don't do family names."

"Aw. Come on!" Harry begged, putting on a puppy face. He sat down in his large, squishy armchair, and Draco curled up on the arm of said chair.

"Nope. How about--sebastion?"

"No way. That makes me think of the crab in the little mermaid." Harry replied, scrunching up his nose. Draco laughed a bit. Harry had made him watch every movie he could think of once they got the muggle appliances to work.

"Taniel?"

"Oh! I like that! Taniel Roland!" Harry beamed.

"Yes! I like that a lot." Draco smiled and kissed his cheek. There was a loud yowl from a cat outside, and a distinctively evil laugh from a little girl.

"Serendipity Rose Malfoy-Potter! What have I told you about beating the cat with a broom?" Draco snapped, rushing out to snag the little girl around the waist.

Harry smiled happily. Utter chaos, just how life was supposed to be.