(Lovely readers! :D I know it really hasn't been too long, but I've missed you. ^^ And here we are, ready to go on another journey together. I so look forward to hearing from everyone, both old and new. As you might have already seen, if you've followed me before, reviews are love, and they tend to inspire me to write even faster, the more of them that I receive. In case anyone is new and confused, this is a sequel to my Drarry fic You and Me, and I advise that you read it first to avoid any confusion. ^^
Without further ado, let's set the stage and open the curtains, and let it… begin!)

"James Sirius Potter!"

With a wince, James ducked his head and wondered briefly if he would be safe from punishment if he just clung to the stair banister for the rest of his life. No need to go back to Hogwarts or get a job or live life at all. Just clinging to the rail down here so he didn't end up completely dead. Of course, Draco would kill him for dripping blood on the carpet, so it was a choice between which man he wanted to allow the opportunity of ending his young, sixteen-year old life.

"Upstairs!"

With a grumble, James began the slow ascent toward his dad's growing ire. That was his no-nonsense tone, and it meant he was really in trouble. He nearly groaned when he realized that Draco was there as well, and Scorpius. The younger blonde had one hand clamped across his face, blood seeping through his fingers from his nose. "Bloody hell, Scor, what's wrong with your face?" he asked with a grin, showing off his own split lip and bruised cheek.

"You know very well what's wrong with him," snapped Harry, and James' grin vanished. "What in Merlin's name is it going to take to get the fighting between you two to stop? You get along like best friends half the time, and worst enemies the rest! It's ridiculous!"

Silence fell as James scuffed the ground with his foot. He just knew Scorpius was smirking behind all that blood. He just knew it. "Scor started it this time," he mumbled childishly, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets.

Harry looked surprised, glancing over at the pair of blondes to his left. Draco spared him a brief look as he tucked away his wand, finished with repairing the damage his son's face had taken. "Go wash your face, Scorpius; you've blood all over you."

"Yes, father." Scorpius disappeared from the room, shooting James a look as he brushed past. From further down the hall, running water could soon be heard.

Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "James. You're the oldest one in the house aside from us. You're supposed to be leading by example, not picking fights with your brothe –"

"He's not my brother!"

A brief wince flickered across Draco's face, and James almost felt guilty. He wanted to explain that it wasn't really about the divorce anymore. Or the new marriage. He liked Draco, kind of; he was a good father, at least. He clearly did his best to try and treat them all fairly, to show them that he loved them all the same even though Scorpius was his only blood child. And even though he fought with his mom a lot – he and Ginny still never saw eye to eye, even after the past few years – he was still a pretty nice bloke.

But James refused to acknowledge Scorpius as his brother. For much more personal reasons than a teenaged rebellion against his parents' decisions.

Not that he could ever tell them that.

Harry reached subtly across and rubbed Draco's arm, hoping to reassure him. James watched out of the corner of his eye, looking away from them while they had their little moment. "James." The brunette glanced up at them, waiting. "Just… try not to fight. Please. You're leaving for Hogwarts in the morning. We can't be sitting at work wondering if you and Scorpius are pounding each other bloody on a weekly basis. We should be able to trust you not to do that sort of thing at this age."

James hung his head, thoroughly shamed once again, and noticed Scorpius in the doorway behind him, listening. "…Okay, Dad."

Harry relaxed a little. "Go on, then. Make sure you're all packed for tomorrow."

James nodded and left the bedroom, frowning at Scorpius as he headed down the hall to his own room, slamming the door behind him, and threw himself onto his bed, blotting at his bleeding lip with the back of his hand. Having the Malfoys come into their lives had complicated everything.

Next door, he could hear Scorpius shutting his own door, though much more quietly, and climbing into his own bed, which meant that they were now a wall away from being face to face, as their beds butted up against the same adjoining wall, almost in the exact same place on either side. A soft knock had him exhaling softly. Rolling over, he pushed his bedside table about a foot from the wall to reveal a small hole that had been carved through to the other side.

"Hey," said Scorpius quietly, his voice carrying easily thanks to their improvised ventilation.

"…Hey."

"Is this still about what happened with Alistair last term?"

James squeezed his eyes shut. Yes. "No. It's not like it's a big deal, is it? I mean, look at our dads. They're not going to care. You could do way better than that creep Zabini, though."

Scorpius chuckled softly. "Just because he doesn't like you Gryffindors doesn't mean he treats me the same way. And it was just one kiss. We were just… experimenting."

James scowled. "Sure looked like one hell of an experiment."

He could almost hear the blonde rolling his eyes through the wall. "All right, big brother, I admit, he was snogging me senseless and it felt bloody fantastic. But I'm not going to let him into my pants, and I'm not deluding myself into thinking he's going to sweep me off my feet and become the love of my life. But I've seen you snogging Amanda Brown before breakfast just outside the Great Hall, so don't pretend you're so innocent."

James clenched his teeth. We're not brothers. "That's different. And besides, I'm not with her anymore. So I have room to preach again. No more snogging random Slytherins at the Quidditch Pitch." It was exactly the wrong thing to say, and he knew it, but he still couldn't stop the words from escaping no matter how hard he tried.

"I'll snog whoever I like," said Scorpius with an almost audible sneer. "You're not my keeper.

"Well, you bloody need one!" snapped James, his temper flaring immediately at the prospect of another good row. "Those Slytherins are going to turn you into a little slut if you keep letting them 'experiment' with you!"

"James, you…!" Scorpius' temper soared, and for a moment James felt a dark thrill at the idea of getting into another wrestling match so soon. It was the only way he could really get close to the blonde without it being awkward. Although, pinning him to the ground, straddling him…. Yeah, that sometimes ran the risk of getting awkward anyway. But he hadn't allowed it to happen yet. And with luck, he wasn't going to.

"Get bent." Scorpius shoved his nightstand back into place over their conversation, interrupting him from his thoughts, and James reluctantly did the same. He heard the soft squeak of the mattress, and then Scorpius' door opened and shut again. James threw his arm across his eyes and muttered a curse. Of course. He was going to Albus.

Back down the hall, Harry sighed and rubbed his temples, dropping onto his back on the bed. Draco did the same and ended up with his head pillowed on the brunette's chest. Harry stroked the soft blonde hair and just waited.

"Do you think it's something aside from my replacing her?"

Draco's voice was hushed, and Harry shut his eyes tightly for a moment, hating that, in this, the usually confident blonde needed reassurance. "Draco… Albus and Lily both love you. You've done absolutely nothing wrong. James is just…" He found it hard to describe what James was, but he knew it was nothing that Draco could help. "Just… difficult."

"It's been quite a while for him to still just be trying to be difficult." Harry kissed the top of his head and frowned up at the ceiling thoughtfully, uncertain of what to say to reassure his husband. "Do you think it's because we still don't get along? Could it be that he resents me for always fighting with her after all this time?"

Harry bit back a groan. "Not this again. Listen, Draco, I hate that you two still fight all the time. But you both provoke each other. It's no more your fault than hers, and I would hope that James isn't foolish enough to see it any other way."

Draco sighed quietly. "But the She-Weasel is his mother. Wouldn't you think it possible that he's biased against me because of that? You said that he was the most upset by the divorce. No doubt he blames me for that, and hates me for continuing to clash with her even now."

Harry sat up, tugging Draco with him, and wrapped his arms around him reassuringly. "James doesn't hate you," he promised. "Even if he has some kind of problem with you for what's between you and Ginny, he doesn't hate you."

Draco rested his head on his shoulder and shut his eyes, accepting the offered comfort. "If you say so, Potter," he muttered.

Harry smiled slightly. "Hey, it's Potter-Malfoy now, remember?"

Their fingers linked, and their rings caught the light and glinted faintly. Draco lifted his head, a small smile now gracing his features as well. "How could I ever forget?"

Harry lifted his free hand, cupping his jaw, and they kissed softly for a moment. "Everything will be fine, Draco. I promise."

(Time skip)

"Ginevra."

"Malfoy."

Harry ignored them as they exchanged their usual barbed greetings; at this point, he knew better than to try and reason with them to do otherwise. They were never going to get along, and nothing he said or did was going to change that. They were simply too different, and they had hated each other for too long. It could be argued, of course, that Harry had hated Draco for a long time too, but it was slightly different between them when Draco's past feelings were taken into account.

Albus and Scorpius were walking side by side several feet in front of them with their heads bent close together, talking with each other as if they hadn't been together all summer. Albus was chattering away, and Scorpius listened with his usual patient smile, willing to listen to whatever trivial details the brunette had to share as though they were the most interesting facts in the world. Lily trailed behind them, looking for her friends so she could rush off to join them, and James brought up the rear, looking as eager to be off as Lily.

Harry drew his thoughts back to his own party of three, startled by the silence between them. Draco was staring firmly ahead and seemed to be pretending that Ginny wasn't even there. For once, there were no casual insults or subtle jabs. They were completely silent. He was tempted to make a comment, but he didn't want to say or do anything to disrupt the peace.

As Ginny hurried ahead a few steps to wish her babies off, even offering a kindly smile to Scorpius, Harry caught Draco's hand and pulled him to a halt. "Is something wrong?" he murmured. Draco glanced at him, then forward once more to where James was being pulled into a tight hug against his mother, which he laughingly protested against but made no move to escape from.

His thoughts were clear, yet he only said, "Nothing."

Harry frowned a little, but Draco was stepping forward to bid his own farewells, squeezing Scorpius' shoulder, patting Albus on the back, inclining his head to James. Lily rushed forward and tugged him into a hug, forcing him into a little more public affection than he usually granted on his own. Draco smiled a little and bent slightly at the waist to hug the thirteen year old tightly. As much as he tried to act otherwise, he very much loved his adopted children, and their acceptance of him was extremely important.

Albus and Scorpius were the first onto the train after saying goodbye to Harry. Albus gave him a hug, and Scorpius stood there a little awkwardly until Harry pulled him close and he relaxed into the embrace, so very much like his father that it almost hurt to put them beside each other and watch them. Yet their subtle differences were just as amazing.

Lily bounded forward to hug him as well before disappearing onto the train to find the other third-year Gryffindors and talk all about her summer. James was the last to step forward, and Harry hugged him tightly. "Please," he whispered, and James nodded slightly, acknowledging his promise from the day before.

James headed up the stairs and found an empty train car, stowing away his belongings overhead and then throwing himself into one of the seats. He glanced out the window for a moment, watching the crowds of people pass, both students and parents alike, and then let his forehead rest against the glass, shutting his eyes.

There were a number of things wrong with his life at this point. One, he had a crush on Scorpius Malfoy. Two, he was 99% sure that Albus also had a crush on Scorpius. Three, Scorpius spent a lot more time with Albus than he did with James, for a number of reasons, and so it was incredibly likely that if he were to ever develop a crush on either one of them, it would be Albus, not James. Four, Scorpius was already experimenting with other guys, which meant it wasn't a dislike of his gender, just of himself as a person that kept them from having a chance together. And to top it all off at number Five, it was wrong for any of them to be together anyway because their dads were married and they were all living together.

With a muttered curse, James reopened his eyes and stretched out across the seat instead, getting comfortable since he was all alone. Normally he would be sitting with Albus and Scorpius and whatever Gryffindors had decided to join them. But this time, James felt like a solo ride to Hogwarts. Maybe a long nap would put him in a better mood.

But if he was totally honest with himself, he knew that his problems were nothing that a nap was going to fix.

A knock at the door disturbed him just before he could doze off, making him growl in irritation as he sat up to see who it was. Albus poked his head inside. "Hey, there you are! Me and Scor were looking for you everywhere!"

James frowned as the duo entered the car and Albus flopped down on the opposite seat. Scorpius studied the older boy for a moment, one brow arched, and then sat on his extended legs. "What the hell, Scor!" James gave him a shove, shifting his legs out from beneath the blonde. He immediately realized his mistake, as Scorpius then settled in between them comfortably as if it had been his plan all along.

Reclining backward until the back of his head rested on James' stomach, the blonde looked up at him from upside down with that damned eyebrow still arched, as if daring him to say something against it. James dropped his head back against the seat with a thump and swore to himself mentally. It was like the world was just trying to make things more and more difficult for him. Albus just laughed, "Hey, you're the one taking up an entire seat." As if that totally justified the blatant molestation he was being forced to endure.

"Why in the world are you hiding out in here all alone, James?" asked Scorpius. James didn't bother lifting his head. He could see the smirk that would be on the blonde's face just as clear as day in his mind's eye.

"I'm not hiding," he said, "I was just trying to be comfortable. I thought you two would be in the usual car with everyone else."

"We were," said Albus. "But Scor noticed the train was starting to move and you weren't coming, so we decided to come and find you." So he had Scorpius to thank for the invasion. Somehow, it didn't seem quite so bad anymore. It meant that Scorpius had noticed his absence and apparently missed it enough to come looking for him.

James wanted to hit himself in the face. Godric, he sounded so sappy and idiotic. And over Scorpius, a Slytherin. One of the least sappy and idiotic people he knew. Well, except for Ravenclaws. They were all bloody geniuses. Gits.

Another knock at the door was almost a relief as it tore him out of his self-depreciating thoughts. But the person who stepped inside made him want to leap up and do some serious damage. Deep brown eyes skimmed the car, darkening with intent as they landed on Scorpius, gracefully relaxed into James' lap. "Mind if I join you?" asked the newcomer smoothly, already letting the door slide shut at his back. Scorpius' smile made James' temper spike higher.

"Alistair. Of course, take a seat."

The dark-skinned boy sank into the seat beside Albus, smirking slightly. James let his head thump against the seat again. It was going to be a very long ride to Hogwarts.

(Time skip)

"Gilbert sure spends a lot of money on postcards," noted Harry with amusement as the familiar brown owl dropped off yet another colorful picture with just a scribble of sentences on the back. Draco glanced up from the cauldron he was bent over, giving the contents a final stir before leaving it to simmer for exactly thirteen minutes.

"Yes, they seem to suit him. And he's been very excited ever since Roderich proposed. After that brief separation last year, I had feared he would be moving back here to escape the heartbreak. I'm glad they got everything worked out, though." Draco slid his arms around his husband's waist and began to nibble at his neck, reading the postcard over his shoulder.

"Mmmm." Harry leaned back against him contentedly. "Apparently they're coming for a visit soon. They should try to time it with the holidays so they can see the kids, too." Draco laughed and rested his chin on Harry's shoulder.

"You mean so that Gilbert will take them off our hands for hours on end to spoil them endlessly and tell them all sorts of fantastic stories about Austria?"

Harry smirked. "Obviously. But seriously, he does love them. He always manages to amaze me whenever he comes here."

Draco hummed quietly. "He has an amazing capacity to both love and forgive. I'm almost jealous. I've finally got you all to myself and I can still hardly stand to look the She-Weasel in the face." Harry couldn't help but laugh, even though it was horrible, mostly because it was the absolute truth.

"And now we see him several times a year, and hear from him by post almost constantly. It's rather amazing." He made a soft sound as Draco resumed his nibbling, tilting his head back to give him more room. "How much more time do you have?"

"Three minutes and counting," mumbled Draco, his arms tightening briefly around him. "You haven't distracted me quite that much yet."

Harry chuckled. "Amazing," he said again, but didn't have the chance to elaborate before he was being pushed back against the counter and his mouth was thoroughly ravished. Just as conscious thought began to slip away, Draco released him and stepped back to his potion, mostly calm, if slightly ruffled. Harry blinked at him owlishly for a moment as his senses slowly returned to working order, a pout soon turning the corners of his mouth.

"As I said, you haven't distracted me quite that much yet," said Draco with amusement, "And you won't until I've finished with this."

Challenged now, Harry slipped forward and watched as Draco tipped a small vial of bright blue into the green-ish mixture in the cauldron, leaning forward to stir it counterclockwise eight times. Just as the blonde leaned back, intending to reach for another ingredient, Harry scooped him up into his arms, startling him. "H-Harry!" he snapped, "Put me down!"

Harry just headed for the stairs, grinning to himself as his husband began to struggle. "Bloody hell, Harry Potter, if you don't put me down I'll –" The threat went unfinished as Harry caught his mouth in a scorching kiss that soon ended his struggles and had him clinging tightly instead. Harry drew back and smirked as they reached the top of the stairs and headed down the hall to their room.

"It's Potter-Malfoy," Harry reminded him, and kicked open their bedroom door.

(Well, it's a little shorter than I had originally intended, but it's a good start, lovely readers. ^^ Consider it a prologue of sorts, just to get us all acquainted with the new situations which are unfolding. I think this is going to be an interesting ride, lovely readers, and I hope you all enjoy going on it. Be sure to read and review, and let me know what you think! ^^ I've got quite a lot to write currently, but I intend to make this a priority as my major series of the moment. Be patient with me, however, as I'm going back to school very, very soon and it's going to be quite hectic for a little while.)