Disclaimer: I don't think I really need to mention this but, of course, I don't own Harry Potter. I'm not the wonderful J.K. Rowling, just an overly-obsessed fan with an undying love for Drarry.

A/N: I hope you all like reading this as much as I liked writing it. If you could possibly slip a review in, anon or not, I'd be most grateful! Thank you, and enjoy. (:

(P.S. all dialogue in italics is Parseltongue)

"So, how are you holding up?"

"I'm the Boy-Who-Lived, for Merlin's sake. I don't think a divorce really compares to beating death. Twice," Harry joked. A smug smile lit up his face but the light never reached his eyes. They remained tired and dull.

"No, need to brag, Potter," Draco replied, smirking at Harry's little quip.

The two men sauntered side-by-side down the Main Street of Diagon Alley, hands slid into the pockets of their well-tailored trousers. Both watched in endearment as their children ran down the cobbled street together, excited. Albus and Scorpius's first year at Hogwarts started next week and they were finishing up their supply shopping; all that was left to buy was a pet for the two boys.

Draco and Harry had started up an unexpected friendship a few years prior when Harry, finally sick of risking his life for a living, gave up the promotion of Head Auror and returned to Hogwarts to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, legally this time. Draco had already been Potions Masters for a while before he'd arrived, having taken over from Slughorn in the wake of the elder's retirement. It had been awkward at first, the pair having so many bad memories with each other, especially in the halls they walked each day, but after a drunken, staff night-out in Hogsmeade the two men became the best of friends. Turns out they had a lot more in common than either of them originally thought and though Ron would always be Harry's best mate, Draco was a good substitute when he was gone. He still couldn't get the pair together without a heated argument erupting, even after all these years – old habits die hard – so it was nice having separate friends.

Draco looked over at the brunette as they approached Magical Menagerie and frowned. "Are you okay? Really," he asked. His merriment faded and his tone lowered. The genuine concern in his voice was clear.

Harry sighed. No, he wasn't okay, but not because he had loved Ginny – it was never about love with her but about the right thing. And he had done the right thing: he married her, they had children, and he remained faithful to her throughout it all. It was her who strayed onto the road of adultery and, as consequence, found someone she actually loved as opposed to someone she loved the idea of loving. No, he wasn't sad about Ginny, he was sad because he didn't know what to do. What were you supposed to do when you'd had your whole life planned out by everyone but yourself and then, one day, you're chucked out on your own and allowed to make your own choice? Because, what choice do you make?

"I'm just worried for the kids, you know," he said. It was the truth at least, just not the whole truth.

"Yeah," Draco said, unconvinced, but he let it drop. He knew now when things were better left unsaid and unchallenged. "Will she see them a lot?"

"Of course, I wouldn't deny them their mother," Harry said quietly as they stopped beside the bunch of chattering, distracted, overwhelmed kids.

James took his role of 'protective big brother' seriously and was holding onto Lily's hand to make sure she didn't run off in excitement to explore, while Scorpius and Albus, best buddies, were jumping up and down on the spot trying to peer through the murky windows and into the pet shop.

"Da-aaad, can we go in now? Can we, can we?" Scorpius asked, dismissing Albus and running towards his father. Draco smiled down affectionately at Scorpius as he grabbed his hand and tried to pull him towards the door, letting himself be dragged away momentarily. He opened the door and held it in that position with his free hand and, as soon as Scorpius set food in the establishment, he let go of his father's hand, leaving to run off and see all the animals. Draco continued to hold the door open until all the kids were through and running wild amongst the other Hogwarts students or students-to-be. Harry stepped over the threshold and Draco let his hand drop, rolling his eyes as he look over at his who would have thought it- friend. You could barely hear the door close behind them due to the ruckus of children and parents and the squawking and scratching of animals.

The two men wandered around the shop a few feet behind their children at all times, talking and laughing together, or scowling in Draco's case when his son announced "look, dad, that ferret's so cute." Harry could barely contain his howls of laughter after that.

The kids had made a few new friends and James had run into a number of people from his own year but neither Albus nor Scorpius had come close to making a decision yet.

Draco and Harry, bored from admiring the same speckled ravens and rugged rats and pristine, preened cats, found themselves sneaking into the back room where all the more interesting animals were kept. Draco remembered coming into this section as a child. He almost picked out a lizard to buy but decided on that fuzzy, warm owl from the Emporium across the street. Lucius hadn't entirely pleased about that.

The room was musky and dingy, and there was so much dust that it could be seen floating in the thick, groggy air. Draco was Merlin-knows-where when Harry came across a big cube with a – what probably used to be white but was now a smoky grey – sheet draped over the top. His curiosity, as always, got the best of him and he reached out, clasped the cloth between his fingers, and ripped it away. The sheet wriggled down to the floor, leaving a nasty layer of dust on Harry's palm and fingertips, so he brushed the muck onto his trousers instead and looked up. His vision clocked a beautiful, pink sparkle. It was a snake, turquoise and silver in colour, with misty rose eyes and a long, ruby tongue. It was small and slender and breath-taking. Harry knelt down to look at her.

"Hello, my little friend, what'sss your name?" Harry hissed. It had been so long since he'd last spoke Parseltongue; the words slithered off his tongue with a somersault of his stomach and jolt of pleasure up his spine.

The snake's head jerked up, clearly unaccustomed to company let alone a Parselmouth. She studied Harry for a few moments before relaxing and resting her head on her spiralled body again. "Athhena," she replied.

"Nice to meet you, Athhhena, I'm Harry."

"I know who you are, Missster Potter," she said. Harry raised his eyebrow in surprise but before he could question her, she caught onto his confusion and replied. "You are very popular with our kind, Missster Potter. There isss no other wizard alive who hasss the ability to speak to usss like you do." Athena uncoiled herself and raised her head so that she was face to face with Harry. "It iss and honour, Sssssir."

"Likewissse," he said. "I should be going but thank you, Athhena, it'sss been a while sssince I've been able to sssspeak like this. I could do with a friend like you more permanently."

"Maybe, Missster Potter, I would like that. But for now, I think you've got a guessst," she replied and Harry could have sworn he saw her wink. She coiled back into her spiral and he furrowed his brows. What did she mean by that?

Pushing himself up, he got to his feet and turned around cautiously to find Draco standing behind him, wide-eyed. He blushed, not that you would've been able to see it in this light, and rubbed the nape of his neck nervously.

"Sssorry about that, I got a bit carried away," he explained, accidentally rolling the 's'.

"Don't," Draco croaked. He cleared his throat and his eyes darted around the walls, agitated. He clocked the door with his gaze. "Don't be sorry, it's none of my business, anyway." He pushed past Harry, flinching at the touch when all he really wanted to do was succumb to it. His pupils were dilated and his breathing heavier than average.

Was he..? No, thought Harry, he can't be. But that didn't stop him from smirking. If the tables were turned, if it were Harry in Draco's position, Draco wouldn't take a second thought before messing with him. Maybe he'd been spending too much time around the manipulative git, but he wasn't willing to give this chance a miss either.

Harry chased after him a few feet and reached out to grab the blonde's wrist before he had time to escape his grasp: Seeker reflexes, he still had them. Draco's breath caught in his throat and he whipped his head around to look at Harry, panic dancing in his eyes. Harry smirked wider this time.

"What's wrong, Draco? Snake got your tongue?" He quirked his eyebrow up and parted his lips, letting his tongue slowly, sensitively slither out and wet his pink mouth. A short, soft whimper left Draco. He backed up, trying to escape from Harry, managing only to find himself deeper within the dark maze of a room.

"Oh. Ssso you do like thisss? Interesssting," he called out into the darkness.

Draco had no idea what Harry was saying. All he knew was that it was the most erotic sound he'd ever heard. The crotch of his trousers grew tighter as he grew harder; he needed to get out of here before matters grew worse. Jumping as his back hit the wall, he quickly threw a glance over his shoulder to confirm that, yes, there was no way out. And, yes, he was cornered. Harry smirked, almost inducing Draco into a heart attack.

"H-Harry," he stuttered, trying to regain control of himself whilst hopelessly searching for an escape route.

"Yessss?" He spoke in English this time but purposely rolled his 's', making Draco's eyes grow wider and his pupils expand.

Harry closed in on him. He was trapped against the wall, the brunette's hands either side of him, his jade eyes piercing up into his own. Rising his hands, Harry cautiously and gently ran them over Draco's hips; caressing his bones, his abs, his waist, his chest. Draco looked down at the other man's plump, nude lips and absently let his tongue flicker out to moisten his own. They were level with the point of his chin. All it would take was one swoop and he could- No.

"I- uh- I… I have a wife, Potter! Yes, a wife," Draco rushed, desperate and shaky and unconvincing all at once.

"But you've said yourself, Draco, that your marriage to Astoria was just a convenience. I can ssssee that what you really want isss me,"he purred.

Closing his eyes tightly, Draco pressed himself flush against the wall and hoped that it would swallow him up any second. He could feel Harry's sweet, scorching breath blanketing his face and neck and it done nothing to help his ever-growing arousal. With every syllable of that intoxicating language, Draco found it more and more difficult to remain in control of his actions and not pounce on Potter like a horny, teenage boy. Though, that was exactly what he felt like; a horny teenage boy. He hadn't been this submissive, nor had he been this curious since his days as a student. This just excited him more, and he hated that he loved every moment of it.

"Tell me you don't want this and I will stop," Harry challenged as he closed the space between them, crushing Draco's body with his own. He tried to wriggle free but only made the situation worse for himself. Somewhere along the way, neither could pinpoint when, Harry had become so caught up in teasing Draco that he had forgotten he wasn't supposed to be enjoying it. Draco felt his erection rub against Harry's and groaned, internally cursing the fabrics that separated them.

He needed flesh on flesh. A hot, hard body pressing him up against the wall, pushing him and pulling him and fucking him and-

"Tell me, Malfoy," and on the hiss of the blonde's name Harry ground his hips against him.

And that's when Draco lost it.

He grabbed the front of Harry's shirt and yanked him forward. Lips crashed against lips, tongues battled with tongues, hot, searing, sweet, delicious, desperate.

Draco really should have been thinking about Astoria but their relationship was hardly normal. They married for the sake of family ties, reproduced to carry on the Malfoy name, and lived in the same house for show. They weren't in love and there was barely any sex. Astoria always had other suitors to satisfy her needs and Draco always turned a blind eye.

Now it was his turn. Not that it was his choice though, because he was too far done to listen to sense anymore.

Harry traced the hollow of Draco's hip with one hand and grabbed a fistful of platinum hair with the other; Draco snaked his hands inside of Harry's robes in retaliation and tugged at his shirt, lifting it up just enough to slip his hands underneath. He ran them over his muscular torso, clawing at the tanned skin, extracting a delectable moan from Harry. Their tongues slipped and slid against each other, moaning, groaning, clutching onto one another for dear life as it they were the only two people who mattered.

Draco rutted against Harry, needy whimpers and heavy breathing filling the silence in the corner of that back room. He rutted against him again, this time groaning into Harry's open mouth, his hands grasp and grabbing and pulling the brunette hard against him. He needed this, he needed him, but Harry was in control.

Harry pulled away from the kiss and Draco growled in frustration. "Now, now, Draco. Mannersss," he teased. Draco's eyes glazed over and he tried to grind his hips forwards but Harry had a hold on him, both hands on his hips, pushing him roughly against the wall and ceasing all movement.

"Harry, please, don't stop," he gasped.

Harry managed to hook his head underneath Draco's chin and latch onto his neck. He sucked and slurped at the porcelain skin, his mouth warm and wet as it trailed from his collar bone, along his jugular, and up to the crease beneath his jaw.

Draco was going weak at the knees. He didn't know how much longer he could take this teasing. Letting go of Harry, he fumbled with his trouser button, pulled at the zip furiously and yanked the waistband of both his trousers and boxers down past his thighs. His cock sprung out from the confines of his boxers and he wrapped his long, slender fingers around it, hissing at the feeling. Before he could do anything, though, his hand was batted away.

Resurfacing from his neck, Harry looked up to stare intensely at Draco. The fair-skinned wizard caught a glimpse of Harry's eyes- washed in amongst the sparkling emerald was an undeniable dose of lust, and a spark of life that he hadn't seen since before the divorce. He looked so alive and so… so… beautiful.

With a smirk that he'd picked up from Draco over the last few years – honestly, he was such a bad influence on Harry – Harry took his own hand and pressed it against the heated member, earning a squeal from the other. He pushed his hand, slowly, up the shaft on the underside of his cock. Once he had reached the head he let it flop back into his palm and squeezed it lightly.

"Oh, Merlin," Draco cried out. He threw his head back against the wall, leaving his clean, pale neck exposed and ready for demolition. Harry took this opportunity and locked onto it once more, sucking and biting that sweet spot below his ear lobe. Between bites he'd pull back and whisper into Draco's ear, then return to mark his neck with his tongue and teeth.

"If I'd known how sssweet it would be to have you like thissss, I'd have done it yearsss ago," he hissed breathlessly. Draco moaned at the sound of those slow, soft-spoken syllables."Oh Merlin, Draco, I love it when you moan," Harry groaned against his neck. His burning breath ghosted across his skin, extracting a shiver from the taller of the two. Harry started pumping his tight fist around Draco's cock. It felt foreign to have someone else's but his own in his hand, heavy and large and pulsing, but it felt equally as brilliant.

Draco's head was in a whirl. He had never been touched like this in a long time and even then he never recalled it feeling this good. It was driving him wild, and it was only a hand-job. He couldn't begin to imagine what the sex would be like- he couldn't let himself imagine otherwise he would explode.

"God thisss feelss sssoo right. Doessn't it feel right?" Harry's fast strokes dissolved into slow, agonising caresses. He pulled and squeezed on Draco's cock so erotically but so painfully slow. With every tug Draco moaned, losing his mind a little bit more each time. "Who knew Draco Malfoy, of all people, would have a kink for Parssseltongue? Who knew that I could be the only one to drive him wild?" he said. His voice was low and husky now, betraying his desperate arousal. This time Harry didn't return to claim Draco's neck, but settled instead to gaze intently up at him. He wanted to watch the infamous Draco Malfoy when he lost control, and at his hands.

"Luckily for me I'm the only one who can ssspeak like thisss. I'm the only one that can ever touch you like thisss," Harry panted, rubbing his thumb across Draco's head, pre-cum pooling beneath his fingertip. "I'm the only one who can break- you- down." With that, Harry quickened the pace at which he stroked Draco's shaft, edging himself forward so that there were mere millimetres between their lips.

By this point Draco was a quivering mess. He was so close to his release that he had forgotten who was bringing him to it. He didn't care that he couldn't understand a single world he heard because all that mattered was that it got him going; brought back a raging fire within him that he'd thought had died out long ago. Opening his eyes he found himself staring deep into Harry's and, as if were the only logical thing to do, he dove forward and seized the brunette's lips. The kiss was hungry and passion-filled. It was teeth and moans and hot, searing tongues. It was extraordinary.

His left arm clung around Harry's waist, refusing to let him go, and his right hand cupped his well-defined jaw. He was almost there but he needed one more thing. One more thing before this was all over and they would return to their boring, sexless lives; their mundane friendship.

Pulling back, Draco rested his forehead against Harry's and panted heavily, trying to regain his breath.

"Say my name," he said breathlessly. "Say my name in Parseltongue. Say it," Draco demanded. Harry teasingly brushed his lips diagonally across Draco's, causing his own self to shudder in pleasure, before murmuring that one, sweet word into the blonde's open and gasping mouth.

"Draco."

Malfoy let out an indecipherable howl, his piercing the top layer of Harry's skin, clawing at his back and jaw. Frantic for more, more, "More," he growled.

"Oh, fuck, Dracoooo," Harry moaned, his hand moving at super-speed, his other snaking around Draco's waist and holding onto him tightly.

Malfoy shuddered and a few quick, hard, forbidden strokes later, a flash of pure bliss rippled through his whole body. With his eyes tightly shut he threw his head back, not caring much for the bump he'd wake up with the next morning. He cried out in pure pleasure. Harry could feel Draco pulsing in his hand and within seconds his cock was spurting out a hot, cloudy liquid, and lots of it. It coated their pristine, black shirts in equal measure, like the Northern Lights in the dark, winter sky. It spilled over onto Harry's hands and trickled down his wrist, but all this went by unnoticed as he was too busy fixated on Draco. The way he looked so relaxed, so ravaged and sleepy; natural. He watched as his tongue darted past his lips to wet them before recoiling back into the cave of his mouth. He was mesmerising.

Harry let go of Draco's cock and wriggled his sticky palm under his robes and around to the small of his back, peeling him off of the wall and letting him stumble onto his chest. Draco pressed both hands against Harry's torso to stabilise himself but he felt so drained and weak, so he succumbed to the embrace and slumped against him.

Still heavily aroused, especially since he had just witnessed the most beautiful orgasm in Wizarding history, Harry nudged his way to Draco's face and planted small, hungry kisses around the blonde's battered and swollen lips. "Draco," he whispered. Malfoy shivered and whimpered slightly one last time; Harry groaned and let his head fall in defeat, nuzzling into the contours of Draco's neck.

The Potters' and Weasleys' stood on Platform 9 ¾, wisps of steam filling the air and twisting between all the families as they said their goodbyes. Ginny, although recently divorced from him, had remained on good terms with Harry and was standing by his side to see another of her children off to Hogwarts. She leant down to kiss James on the forehead, much to his dislike, and then proceeded to do the same to Albus who embraced the kiss with love and warmth. They both waved farewell to their mother before splitting up. James sauntered onto the train to find his friends whilst Albus darted off into the crowd and found Scorpius. The blonde boy was receiving the same treatment from his mother along with a complimentary brush of the hair. Though Harry wasn't paying much attention to that blonde but more to his father; Draco. Their eyes met.

They hadn't spoken since that frisk in Magical Menagerie. Once the hormones had died down, the two men had quickly cleaned themselves up and headed back into the body of shop. Neither looked at each other, quickly hurrying their children to pick their pets, to buy them, say their dumpy goodbyes, and disappear back to their separate houses. They went on with the next week as if nothing happened… or they tried as much but it didn't quite work. Though, neither Harry nor Draco would ever admit to all those times they had replayed their little moment together over and over; nor would they admit to catching themselves thinking about what it would be like to just kiss and holdthe other; what it would be like to fuck them into the mattress with sweat and screaming and scars-to-be.

Now they were here, staring at each other from across the train platform. Draco peeled his eyes away but had to double take as something caught his attention. The ginger haired girl, Lily, standing between her mother and father – nobody would have ever guessed they had split, they looked like a proper, all-together family – had something wrapped around her neck. Something green-blue with flecks of silver. His heart almost leaped out his throat when the realisation crashed over him – it was a snake. Not just a snake, though, it was that snake; the one from the animal shop. If it weren't for her, Draco would have never have given himself all to Potter that afternoon. For that, he couldn't decipher whether he was annoyed or grateful.

Harry followed Draco's gaze and grinned, his eyes darted back up to look at the sharp, porcelain features. Draco slowly raised his gawk from Lily and the snake to Harry. Something about that goofy smile melted away his anxiety and shock and he found himself shaking with laughter. The two grown men shared a childish, inside joke with each other from a distance; each smirking as they tried to hide their amusement.

Ginny turned to Harry, raising a perfectly-shaped, ginger eyebrow at his bizarre outburst. She didn't question though and quickly changed the subject to suit herself. "So, what's with the snake?" she asked, looking down at their daughter. Lily was too occupied whispering to their newest family member to care for any other conversation.

"She was upset that she wasn't going to Hogwarts this year, sad that she wouldn't be able to get a pet for another two. I thought, since she no longer has Albus at home, a new friend might be good for her," Harry replied with a smile too happy for Ginny's liking. She shrugged.

"You could have at least run it by me first. I've got to care for it while you're away, remember," she said. Harry rolled his eyes and a small, wry smile appeared on Ginny's lips. Then the train growled and the conductor started shouting for all the passengers to get aboard. Harry then knelt down and looked at his daughter. He said his goodbyes, received a bone-crushing hug – just as strong as her mother, he thought – and planted a small kiss on her cheek. "Look after yourself. And look after Athena too, alright?" he said.

"Of course I will, Daddy!" and with that she turned her head to look at the snake once more. She was smitten, and Harry was glad. He left Ginny with a courteous nod and a pat on the shoulder, and boarded the Hogwarts express. Another year teaching, he thought. Some might find that boring but he loved every ordinary moment of it.

Harry had found an empty compartment at the back of the train and slid the door open, pushing his way through into the small space. He used to this they were so big – much bigger than his cupboard back at the Dursleys' – but now they seemed just as small as his old bedroom.

"Professor Potter."

He could recognise that drawl anywhere.

Turning slowly on the spot, he found himself staring at a smug Draco leant against the door frame of the booth. In this moment he was reminded of the cool, arrogant boy he used to rival with at school except, this time, he wasn't at all angry with the guy. In fact, he was rather enchanted. "Professor Malfoy, what a surprise. Would you like to join me?" Harry gestured towards the cushioned bench across from him as he took perch on the other. The blonde nodded in agreement and swooped down to take his seat.

The silence between them built up to an uncomfortable level before Draco finally broke it.

"You know, I never did thank you for that… favour you did me the other day," he said, biting back his smirk.

"Oh?" Harry raised his eyebrow, his expression equally as haughty.

"Yeah," and then there was a long pause. "You don't suppo-"

"I haven't seen Myrtle in a while," Harry cut in. It was an odd change of subject, and Draco felt hurt by the rejection, but he went along with it and hid his feelings well. After all, he did have years of practice behind him. "Have you?"

"No, I can't say I have."

"I don't think she sees much of people, do you? That bathroom is always so... deserted." Harry was looking out the window as the train pulled away from the station, waving goodbye to his daughter and Ginny as if the conversation he and Draco were having was entirely casual.

Draco finally caught on but he couldn't be sure if he was getting the right end of the stick. He could feel his heart thudding against his ribcage in excitement, "No, she won't get many visitors. Nobody ever goes in there."

"That's right. I can't help but think that maybe we should pop in, see if she's home," he said. Harry pulled his stare back from the window and aimed it right at Draco, his line of vision piercing into his soul. Draco finally realised the implications, confirmed only by the lust pirouetting in Harry's eyes, and smiled crookedly.

"I think she'd like that," he replied, running his tongue along his bottom lip before biting down into the supple, nude flesh.

"Mama?"

"Yes, dear?" Ginny said, looking down from the departing train to Lily, rubbing her gentle palm across her cheek.

"Do Daddy and Mr. Malfoy love each other?" she asked, innocently.

"No, Lily. What makes you think that?" Ginny raised her eyebrow, confused. She let her fingers absently play with her daughter's short hair, remembering her hair being this short around her age.

"Athena said so," the little girl replied. Ginny relaxed and sighed in relief, before chuckling sweetly. "Oh, I'm sure she did," she said condescendingly. The imagination of kids these days, she thought as she shook her head in dismissal. Taking Lily's hand in her own, she began to gracefully glide towards the exit of Platform 9 ¾ with the small, ginger girl following behind her.

Lily turned her head ever so slightly and spoke in a tiny, quiet voice so that only her new companion could hear. "She doesssn't believe me, Athhena," she hissed softly. "Oh, she will, Lily. Jussst you wait."

Lily smiled goofily at her pet snake and she could've sworn she had winked at her in return.