Disclaimer: I am not the owner of these characters (except for Evan), that honor belongs to JKR. Also, if you don't like slash this is not the story for you.

A/N: Can you believe this is chapter 20!! Nuts! Really and truly, thanks so much for all of the reviews. They really inspire me and have helped to mature my writing. xo The Mrs

Harry placed his sleepy-eyed son in his father's arms as soon as they caught sight of the entrance to their quarters. He wasn't taking any chances with Severus and his former lover in the same room. Harry did not doubt that Severus would try to control his temper with his son in his arms. Hopefully that works…

As he entered the room, Harry's eyes bolted between a worried looking Charlie Weasley and a man he hadn't seen since the final battle. Harry couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at the unexpected visitor. Before Severus could even enter the room, the blond pounced on him in what Harry would have thought was a very uncharacteristic display.

"Uncle Sev!"

Harry could see his mate's eyes fill with relief and develop the glossy shine of unshed tears.

"Draco…" the stoic Potions Master whispered before he wrapped his unoccupied arm around his godson and pulled him close. "Merlin…where have you been?"

The two held each other as if afraid that the other would disappear the minute they released their embrace. It was only when the occupant of Severus other arm got annoyed with his father's lack of attention and decided to use his first and one of his only words. "Pa!!"

The two men chuckled and relaxed their grip on each other, as Evan looked exasperatingly at his papa.

"Evan, I would like you to meet your godbrother. Can you say hello to Draco?"

The eight month old smiled showing the several teeth that had emerged over the last couple of months and waved a hand in the air.

"I couldn't believe it when I first heard, but he looks exactly like you, Sev. Except for Potter's eyes and nose. Who would have thought you two beasts would make such an adorable baby?" The blond smirked at his godfather and former school rival. "Let's be honest here, who on earth would have thought you would ever end up together?"

Harry smiled at his fiancé knowingly, "Merlin knows how it happened, but I am happy it did. Right, Ev?" The former seeker pulled his son from Severus arms and kissed the top of his head covered in silky black locks. "I'm going and put Evan down for the night. He's had a long day. Kiss Papa goodnight, baby boy."

Evan looked up at his Papa with his big green eyes and Severus was turned to mush. "Pa!" Evan started making kissing faces at his father, which forced their guests to bite their lips to keep from laughing out loud at the rather out of character display before them.

Severus kissed his son on the lips without a second of doubt, "Sleep well, my son. I will see you in the morning."

Evan cooed at his Papa, "Wuv Pa!"

Severus couldn't help but smile at the Evan-speak that had begun over the last several weeks. "I love you too, Evan."

Harry glared at their guests and threatened them with his eyes not to tease the Potions Master. Evan had already begun to rest his head on Harry's shoulder and would soon be drifting off to sleep. Harry stretched up on his toes to kiss Severus lightly and walked out of the living room with their tired child.

Draco couldn't control his glee at seeing his godfather so docile. "Honestly, Uncle Sev. What has Potter done to you? You almost seem…happy."

Sitting with his thoughts for a minute, Severus couldn't help but agree. "Of course I am happy, you daft fool. I have a gorgeous, powerful soon-to-be husband and a beautiful, brilliant child. What is there to be unhappy about?"

If Draco was a girl he would have sighed melodramatically at his godfather's words. Severus had found what he never knew he wanted and Draco always knew that he needed. Severus now had love and acceptance from someone who really understood him. Draco reached toward his godfather again and wrapped his arms around his neck. "I missed you, Uncle Sev."

Severus gave in to the sweet, but almost panicked need for comfort that his godson displayed and patted his back warmly, "Draco, where have you been? I have been worried sick and Dumbledore refused to tell me what you had gotten yourself into. Now you come back here without any warning and are black and blue all over. With a Weasley no less."

Draco looked at Severus with a haunted look in his eyes and said firmly "He found out."

"Who found out what?"

Draco pushed himself away from Severus and sat himself on the sofa a little closer to Charlie than one would think necessary. "My father. He found out about my spying for the light. He has issued an order for my capture – dead or alive."

Severus silently cursed the man he once considered a brother who had lost touch with not only his morals, but his sanity. How can a man turn against his own child?

The painfully thin frame of the normally regal looking blond began to shake with silent sobs and Severus moved to comfort him until he saw the hand of the muscular dragon tamer rubbing circles on his godson's back and whispering quietly to him. Severus' thoughts raced in trying to process the interaction before him, but he calmed at the sight of his mate reentering their living room. Harry glanced at the pair on the couch and raised his eyebrows in silent questioning to Severus.

"What's going on, Malfoy? Sev has been trying to get in contact with you for months."

The young Slytherin didn't even attempt to answer Harry's inquiry before Charlie began to speak.

"Dray and I were staying in Romania on the dragon reservation and trying to gather intel from the vampire coven across the woods. It was rumored that Lucius and several other low level Death Eaters were using Karkaroff's connections to try and ingratiate themselves with several powerful groups of dark creatures." The red-head rested his once traveling hand on Draco's thigh casually and continued his explanation. "Dray had contacted his father and arranged for a visit where they were held up in a small village in the mountains. Apparently, Lucius has begun to question all of those in his ranks after he barely got away from the aurors last time and he started interrogating everyone under veritaserum. Draco's firewhiskey was spiked and he didn't hold up to the questioning. I could barely get Draco out of there in one piece. Lucius was brutal."

A weak voice chimed in. "If Charlie hadn't been monitoring me, I would not have survived. I couldn't even see my father in that man's eyes. I think my mother was the only thing grounding him. Now that she is dead, Lucius Malfoy has succumbed to this monster inside of him that lives off power alone. He is going to stop at nothing to track me down. I'm sorry for coming here, Uncle Sev. Charlie convinced me to seek refuge with the Order, but I don't want to put your family at risk."

"Draco, you are my family. Don't ever doubt that." Severus looked at Harry for a nod of agreement before he continued. "You can stay here, Draco. We have an extra room or we can ask Dumbledore to assign you someplace else in the castle. He really should be made aware that you have returned regardless."

Draco looked up at the two men offering him sanctuary with watery eyes. "Thank you. I am worried that the castle isn't safe until the students are gone for the holiday. I know that my father still has connections with some of the older Slytherins, even if I have lost their ear."

"Dray, you can stay at the Burrow with my family. You know that they are going to want to be properly introduced to you sooner or later."

"Charlie, I am not going to put your family in any more danger than they already have experienced. It is enough that I am risking the life of another one of their sons."

Charlie's hand looked to be gripping the young Slytherin's thigh more firmly. "You know that there is nothing you can say that will stop me from trying to protect you, right?"

Draco let out a rather sad sounding huff of resignation and nodded in understanding.

"I am glad I have gotten through that thick Slytherin brain of yours. Your head of house is going to start docking points if you keep acting like a bloody self-sacrificing Gryffindor. Honestly, Dray. You are mine to protect now, and nothing you say or do is going to stop that. We are either staying here or at my parents. Our family will keep us safe."

The blond pureblood rested his head in his hands and was silent for several long minutes as the two raven haired men looked on afraid to break the tense interaction between the two obviously close men.

Finally, Draco sighed and spoke. "Alright, would you mind if Charlie and I stay here in your quarters until the students are gone? We can talk to Professor Dumbledore about different lodging in the morning, but I am too tired to do much of anything tonight."

Harry spoke before his distressed mate could interject. "Of course you both can stay. Charlie and I are practically brothers, in a totally bizarre and incestuous kind way, and you are all the family Sev has left other than Evan and me. As twisted as it may sound, we are family, Malfoy. We take care of each other. Whether you like it or not."

Draco's shoulders dropped as the tension seemed to drain out of him. "Thank you."

"You have to promise me something though, Malfoy."

"There is always a catch with you, Potter. What do you want?" The Slytherin attempted his usual snark, but sounded only weary.

"Stay at least through the new year. We want you to be there when we get married on the 31st. Sev needs his best man and it wouldn't feel the same if you weren't there. Both of you."

Charlie looked in Harry's eyes a little longer than was necessary before seeking permission from the older man. "Professor, are you OK with my being here? I know that the last time we were in each other's company, it didn't go so well."

Severus nodded, but kept his edge with the broad-chested, gorgeous Weasley. "You keep your hands off my fiancé and we won't have any problems."

Charlie let out a deep rumble of laughter that still had the power to curl Harry's toes. "Don't worry, Professor. I have somewhere else to put my hands now." Charlie couldn't hold back his devilish smirk.

Severus nodded, but stared at him with his typical look of distain. "As I have noticed, Mr. Weasley. We may need to have a conversation about your intentions with my godson."

Draco rolled his eyes dramatically, despite his heart secretly warming the idea of being loved and cared for by a parent again. "Uncle Sev, please don't torment Charlie. As much as I enjoy it myself, I don't think he can handle your unique brand of torture."

"We'll see, Draco. For now, let's get you two set up in Teddy's room. We only have a twin bed in there, so you will have to transfigure a bit of extra furniture and ignore the overflow of toys. The children in our life are apparently spoiled rotten by Weasleys."

"That is an understatement if I have ever heard one. If there is one thing Weasleys cherish, adore, and spoil it is our children." Charlie winked at Draco and saw a look of hope for the future in his boyfriend's eyes.

"Professor, Harry, thank you for letting us stay with you. If we had gone to the Burrow there would have been a lot of questions that we were not ready to answer."

"Mr. Weasley, I think that since you are sharing a bedroom with my godson and I don't even want to think of what past history you have with my future husband, you can call me Severus."

"Thank you. You are obviously welcome to call my Charlie, sir. Though I know that screaming out 'Weasley' at any red-head in the vicinity tends to be a more efficient method of identification."

Harry couldn't help but feel elated at the lessening of tension between Severus and his former flame. Both were important to his life and clearly extremely important to the exhausted looking blond pureblood that sat slumped on his sofa.

"Come on, Dray. Let's put you to bed and I promise you can sleep as late as you want." Charlie purred to his boyfriend as he pulled him off the couch by the hand.

Harry and Severus chuckled together knowingly at that comment, before Harry let them in on the secret. "You may want to put up silencing charms if you intend to sleep later than 6:30. Evan is an early riser and he likes me to sing while I make breakfast."

"Trust me, silencing charms are required." Severus teased back at Harry and grabbed him around the waist playfully.

"Hey!" Harry smacked his lover lightly in jest. "I would like you to know that your son likes my singing."

"He tries to eat his feet. He is not discriminating, love."

The two couples laughed good naturedly at the typical banter between the engaged couple, before showing the others who were nearly dead on their feet to their room.

After checking to ensure that Evan was still sleeping peacefully, Harry quietly closed the heavy wooden door of their bedroom and let out a breath that he didn't know that he was holding.

"Do you think he is going to be alright, Sev?"

Harry could see the tension sitting in the lines between the Potions Master's eyes. "I don't know, love. He now has the protection of some of the most powerful wizards in the world, all of which live under this roof. I just hope that is enough to keep him safe from Lucius' insanity."

"I know that we don't talk about my abilities a lot, but you know that I can protect him, Sev. I promise you that I will do whatever needs to be done to keep him safe."

Sev nodded and leaned his forehead onto Harry's firm chest, seeking out the scent and warmth of his love. "You are the strongest wizard in the world. As much as we don't discuss it, you are the most capable person of keeping him safe from the maniac that Lucius Malfoy has become. I don't have to like it, but I know it is true. Regardless of how powerful you may be, I still want to keep you safe. Our son needs you." I need you.

"Let's just worry about getting married right now Sev. Your godson is here to stand beside you, and I for one cannot wait to be your husband." Harry placed a tender kiss to his former professor's neck and continued his soothing words. "The students leave in two days and then we have two whole weeks to enjoy time together and with our family. Lucius will not ruin that."

Severus allowed Harry to pull him off of the bed gently and lead him by the hand to their enjoining bathroom. Stripping the tall, slim professor, Harry filled the tub with warm water and the essence of sandalwood permeated the steam. No words were needed as Harry guided his lover into the water and slowly released the tension from his body. No one will harm my family. Lucius Malfoy will pay for threatening those we love, if that is the last thing he does.