A/N: Okay I think I'm off the lazy train, but that may change so fingers crossed!

Disclaimer: As you know the only thing I own is Braden and Aden!

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Chapter 12: October Jitters

The Ball was close and Harry was nervous. Not only were the twins now two, but they had become more adventurous in there new age. Braden was the worst of the bunch running ahead of the group when they took walks outside and getting into all sorts of trouble. Aiden approached his exploration with caution, still unsure of himself, but never the less just as much a trouble maker as his brother. When the twins learned about the Halloween Ball coming up, along with Halloween all together, they immediately pleaded with their parents to go. Of course they could in the end, because really, who can say no to their cute little faces.

So here they where, in a costume store in Hogsmead, shopping for Halloween costumes.

"Ma! yizard!" Braden called struggling to hold up a green scaly costume. Harry smiled and took the costume from his son who immediately ran off to find another one. The Savor of the Wizarding World fallowed his wayward son, who was trying to reach another costume that looked to be a snake. Harry rolled his eyes at his sons fascination with scaled creatures, and helped him get the costume down.

"Ma!" Harry heard Aiden call from the isle over. Draco was with their other excited son who ran over to his mummy with an happy grin on his face, and thrusted a costume in his hand. "Yook! Bager!" Aiden gushed, absolutely taken with the little badger costume. Draco was shaking his head with an exasperated sigh, but didn't complain with the choice of costume. Harry smiled and took the costume, "It's perfect Aiddy!"

Aiden preened under the praise and dashed off, dragging his chuckling father with him to find another costume, this time for his daddy.

"Ma!" Braden called yanking on his pant leg impatiently. Harry looked down at his son and almost chocked at the costume his son was holding. It was a Quittage uniform. A very skimpy Quittage uniform. The costume consisted of a tight (almost see-through) Slytherin crop top jersey and tight, almost spandex green and sliver leggings. To tie the look together a pare of fake Quittage goggles and beater club came with it. Harry flushed at the outfit taking it from his son intending on putting it back, "I don't think that would work for me Braden." Harry tried to explain.

Braden frowned grey eyes narrowing, "Why not?"

Harry fumbled trying to come up with a better excuse, "Uhh.. Well… You see it's just not… right for me…"

Braden sniffle, "But I like it…. and you wuv Quibbage."

Oh god… here comes the water works….

"What Mummy is trying to say is that he loves the outfit." Draco said from behind the flustered Gryffindor.

Harry turned around to give the blonde a piece of his mind when he was cut off by a soft kiss. "I think you'll look positively sexy in that outfit." The cheeky Slytherin whispered into his lips before pulling away with a smirk.

Harry flushed at the intense gaze the Blonde fixed him with, and barely registered that the Slytherin had taken their items to the counter to pay for them.

Cheeky Slytherin.

And so they left the store with a grumbling Gryffindor, a smug Slytherin, and two happy toddlers.

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It started with a sneeze, and then a sniffle. Braden was playing by the lake like always with his partner in crime, Aiden, when all of a sudden he let out a loud sneeze fallowed by a sniffle. It was cold out and both of them were well covered courtesy, of Harry's worrying tendencies. So they dismissed the small sniffle. When they made their way back to the room, Braden was trailing behind, his face flushed and nose running. Harry, always a worrier, fussed over his son, touching his face checking for a fever. Aiden hovered by his brothers side worried. Braden coughed softly leaning into his mummies warm touch sniffing feebly.

Harry bit his lip, "He doesn't feel too warm.. but I think he should go to bed early…"

Draco nodded, frowning in worry at his ill son, and scooped him up into his arms.

"nooo.. no bed…" Braden complained softly while snuggling into his daddies warm body heat, already almost asleep. Draco calmly walked to the twins room, when they got back to the room, softly taking to a coughing Braden.

Aiden bit his lip looking up at his brother his green eyes watery, "Is Bwaddy okay ma'ma?"

Harry sighed picking his distraught child up and hugging him tightly in comfort, "We'll see baby, but right now your brother isn't feeling well."

Aiden sniffed tears falling, "Is he gonna die."

Harry stiffened and looked down at his son in shock, "No! why would you think that?"

"Rosie tolded me. you sick, you die!" Aiden cried, burying his face into his mummy's neck.

Harry shook his head, "No, baby, Rosie is wrong. Braden won't die ok? He will get better, you know why?" Aiden shook his head still not coming out of his hiding spot, "Because he loves us."

Aiden looked up at his mummy with wide green eyes, "He does?"

"Yes baby, he does. So that means he will get better." Harry said softly, kissing his son's forehead affectionately.

"Do You and Daddy love us?" Aiden whispered, causing Harry's heart to clinch.

Tears filled his eyes and his hugged his baby boy close, "Yes, Aiddy, Mummy and Daddy love You and Braden so much."

Aiden sniffed burying his face in Harry's shoulder, "So you'll never leave us right?"

Harry had to look up at the ceiling as tears fell silently before kissing and nuzzling his sons head, "We'll never leave you and your brother. Ever."

Aiden nodded still hugging his mummy tightly as if scared he will leave. That was how Draco found them when he walked back into the living room.
He stood at the entrance watching his son and lover holding each other, and his heart clinched. He never had that with his parents, the only one who treated him like that was Severus, and he was grateful for everything his godfather did for him. He never thought he'd be a good parent, always scared he would end up just like his father. But when he held Braden or Aiden, he couldn't even fathom how his father ever beat his child. The amount of love he felt for his son's was scary. He knew he would gladly die for them in a heart beat, and would do anything to protect his family. The thought of Braden and Aiden leaving at the end of the year was heartbreaking, and he couldn't see himself without them. He needed his son's, and as shocking as it sounds, he needed Harry. Harry was everything he wanted in a partner. The Gryffindor had wormed his way into his cold heart and stayed there refusing to leave. Draco loved the warm hearted Gryffindork more than he cared to admit, more than he wanted to admit.

Harry looked up and smiled softly at the blonde, his eyes slightly red from crying. Draco frowned at the red rimmed eyes, and came over standing in front of the crying Gryffindor and son. He softly lade his hand on Aiden's back, rubbing soothing circles. The exhausted child had no chance at staying awake and soon dozed off in his mummies arms. The Blonde raised an eyebrow at his lover wanting an explanation.

Harry sighed and shook his head taking Aiden to the nursery to put to bed. Draco didn't let up, and fallowed the obviously distraught teen. When Harry tucked Aiden in he went to Braden's and kissed his son's slightly hot forehead. Braden sniffled and burrowed into the covers, his breathing a little wheezy but nothing unusual for a cold. Harry straightened and sniffed slightly wiping his tears with a rough hand, he didn't protest when strong arms wrapped around him from behind. He took in a shuttering breath and turned into Draco's embrace burrowing into him.

"What happened, everything seemed fine today, other than Braden catching a small cold." Draco asked softly rubbing his lovers back soothingly.

Harry sobbed softly into the blondes chest making the arms around him tighten. "Aiden asked if we would leave him, like my parents left me. It just hit me… My parents died at the age of 21… only three years older than you and I."

Draco sighed and swept the weeping brunette into his arms and walked out of the nursery and to the bedroom. "We are not leaving them Harry. Never." Draco said laying them on the bed, cuddling his love close.

Harry sobbed harder clinging to the blonde, thin body trembling, " We will at the end of the year."

Draco bit his lip heart clinching, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there. We're two months in, Harry, we have a long time before that day comes."

Harry's sobs continued for another 30 minutes before they tampered off when he fall asleep curled on top of his Slytherin.

Draco stayed awake almost all night running his fingers threw his lover's wild hair trying to give him some comfort from his restless sleep. He didn't know what was going to happen when the kids were taken from them, but Draco knew it wasn't going to be good.