Saving Myself || A Drarry Story

LXIX: Reunited

Harry was unexplainably nervous as he got dressed. It wasn't as if he were supposed to be dressed formally, but he worried that Draco wouldn't like Albus, that Sirius and Remus and Teddy no longer cared for him, that---

Harry stopped himself from going any farther. He hadn't spiralled down that way in years and he wasn't ready to do it again. "Daddy?" he heard from the doorway of his bedroom as he buttoned up his shirt. It was long-sleeved, despite the summer heat and it was fashionable with pencil-thin grey lines on his black shirt.

Harry turned, frowning slightly when Albus was holding up his favourite jacket, a small, grey and white zip-up. "It's a bit warm for that, don't you think?"

Albus shook his head forcefully and held the jacket out to his father. Harry smiled as he put the jacket on Albus, not zipping it all the way. "There."

Picking up Albus, Harry took his car. It was a nice car, small and sleek and black. And expensive.

Thankfully, the drive from Yorkshire to London wasn't too much. Just over a half-hour, but for Harry, it seemed like an eternity. Was he overdressed? What if Draco hated Albus?

Mentally, Harry shook his head. That wouldn't happen. Draco isn't like that.

"Excited?" Harry asked Albus. He nodded. "There'll be another boy there, Teddy is his name. He's. . .ten. Just a bit older than you."

"Okay, "

Harry drove and tuned the radio to the Wizarding Wireless Network, hearing Albus say, "I'm hungry."

"We can stop when we get into London, okay?"

"Okay, " Albus said, pleased by this. And the pair ate at a small café, where Albus chewed his food disgustingly loud just to make his father look bad. "That was yummy."

"Yes, it was, " Harry agreed, though he had only had a coffee. In the car, Albus pointed excitedly at all of the tall buildings, having never seen the city before. He was practically bouncing in his car seat as Harry had to remind him to calm down a bit.

When they arrived at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, Harry tried to flatten his hair, to no avail. As he took Albus out of his car seat, his heart pounded. It was nearly five, but Harry thought it was earlier than that. "Want me to carry you?"

Albus shook his head but walked behind his father, his emerald eyes wide and his mouth drawn tight with his dark eyebrows furrowed. Harry held his son's hand, feeling quite nervous himself as he knocked on the front door.

After a few moments of silence, the door opened and Draco stood there, his t-shirt wrinkled and his jeans loose, but not too much so, his blonde hair a bit damp from a recent shower.

"Oh, hello, Harry." Draco smiled widely as if there had never been space between them. "Who's holding your hand down there?"

"This is Albus, " Harry said, stepping to the right a bit, making Albus Potter visible. Draco looked down at the small child in shock. The child, Albus, looked almost identical to Harry, just that his skin wasn't as dark and he didn't have glasses and there was no scowl or wrinkle between his eyebrows. But, then again, Harry wasn't scowling or frowning, rather smiling softly down at the boy. "Say hello to Draco, Albus."

Albus mumbled, hiding back behind Harry's leg, "Hullo. . ."

"He's a bit shy, " Harry whispered and Draco nodded.

"Here, come in, " Draco told Harry, stepping aside for the two. Harry pushed Albus forward a bit as Draco asked the little boy, "Are you enjoying London, Al?"

After a second of silence, Harry prompted Albus, saying, "London is wonderful, isn't it, Albus?"

Albus nodded.

"Use your words a bit, son."

"Yes, it is, " Albus murmured as Draco led them to the den, where Remus and Sirius were reading.

Remus saw Harry first and, instead of frowning in disapproval as Harry had imagined, he stood and smiled, shaking Harry's unoccupied hand in both of his. "It's good to see you again, Harry."

"You too, er, Remus, " Harry chuckled nervously. "This is my son Albus."

Remus bent down, saying to Albus, "Hello, young man. It's nice to meet you."

"He's a bit shy, " Harry smiled as Albus waved from behind his leg. "Hello, Sirius."

"Hey, Harry, " Sirius grinned. "Cute kid."

"Thank you, " Harry beamed, putting his hand in Albus' midnight hair.

"There are more of you now?" a joking voice said from the stairs. Harry looked over, seeing Teddy Lupin with teal hair and a large, goofy grin on his face. "Merlin, Draco said you'd be coming with a kid, but I thought he was joking."

"Hello to you too, Teddy, " said Harry in mock dryness, grinning. Teddy bounced down the stairs with Snuffles in his wake, the once dark fur now greying. "Want to meet Albus?"

"No, not really, " Teddy laughed. He came forward, leaning down a bit and saying, "Hullo, Albus. I'm Teddy."

"You have weird hairs."

"Really?" Teddy grinned. "I've been told that."

Harry kneeled down, straitening Albus' jacket, telling him quietly, "You're going upstairs to play with Teddy for a while, okay?"

"Okay."

"C'mere, " Harry grunted, pulling Albus into a quick hug. "Be good, okay?"

Albus nodded, letting Harry give him another hug before following Teddy up the stairs. One, two. Step. Look back at Daddy. One, two. Step. Look back at Daddy. One, two. Step. Look back. One, two. Step.

Harry followed Draco into the kitchen, tucking his shirt in. "Want a drink? We've got Firewhiskey, Giggle Water, bourbon, brandy. . ."

"Water, " Harry told him. "I stopped drinking a few years ago, actually."

"Really?" Draco said, filling two glasses with water. "That's good."

"Yeah." Harry sipped the water slowly.

"You said he's three? He's tiny."

"Well, " Harry said, setting the glass down on the tabletop as he sat down, "he turns three next Thursday. July thirteenth."

Draco nodded. "He's adorable."

"Thanks." Harry smiled. "I love him a lot."

Draco put his hand over Harry's. "I can tell."

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