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Draco wearily climbs up the stairs. It has taken him an hour to clear up the mess in the living room. It feels like the exhaustion has seeped into his bones, making each step a fight. He doesn’t remember feeling this tired ever before and just the thought of having to go through this for another week makes him want to curl up somewhere and just cry.
“Draco.”
He looks up to see Harry standing at the top of the stairs. He’s sure he doesn’t look half as bad as Harry looks. His glasses are lopsided, he has flour on his face, and his hair looks even more unmanageable than usual. But it’s the defeated slump of his shoulders that makes Draco’s chest ache.
They share a look and it’s enough to confirm that they’re both thinking the same thing. This holiday is nothing like what they had imagined it would be.
When Harry had first suggested the idea of a combined holiday, looking all shy and bashful as he blushed throughout, Draco had been apprehensive. And also a little excited.
Their relationship was still new, in the stage where everything was bright and there was nothing wrong with the world. And after six months of dating, it was a given that they needed to merge their worlds in a way or another.
Nothing makes or breaks a relationship like a meeting between the kids.
They’ve met them individually. In a way Draco had an advantage because he’s met Teddy before, during his mother’s mandatory Thursday lunches with her sister. His meeting with Teddy went without a hitch.
Harry’s first meeting with Scorpius was a disaster.
At five, Scorpius has developed his own, strong personality. Normally, Draco would be proud that his son has had the chance to grow into his own person. But when midway during lunch, Scorpius throws a tantrum of epic proportions and overturns his glass onto Harry’s lap, Draco has to call onto every shred of patience he has not to react like his father.
In hindsight, maybe heading off for a combined family holiday was being too optimistic.
~*~
The cabin they arrive at for their reunited family holiday looks cosy and the scenery outside makes a Muggle think of Narnia in winter. In such a beautiful place one can’t stay too much indoors. So snow fight it is.
Harry laughs as Teddy tries to tackle him to the ground, his small fists barely making Harry feel a thing but he falls to the ground, groaning and pleading for mercy.
“Do you surrender?”
Harry’s words die in his throat as he takes in Draco’s appearance. They’ve been playing in the snow for an hour or so and the bitter wind caused a flush to stain Draco’s cheeks, wisps of hair peeking out from beneath the wool cap that Molly had insisted on knitting for him. Even dressed in all these layers, and there really are too many layers, Harry wonders how Draco ever survived the Hogwarts’ winters, he can’t help but rake his eyes over Draco’s body.
Rolling his eyes Teddy leaves the war zone and concentrates on helping Scorpius finish the snowman they started earlier, realising he won’t get now any answer from Harry.
“Eyes up here, Potter.” Draco’s smirking but he doesn’t miss the excited sparkle in Harry’s eyes, enough to make him grin satisfactorily at being the reason for it.
“Come on, up with you, I’d rather not freeze out here tonight,” Draco says, holding out a hand to hoist Harry up and really, he should know better by now. “Come on . . . ooff!”
“Hi.” Harry smiles up at Draco, their faces close enough that he can feel Draco’s warm breath on his lips.
Draco tries to glower but Harry can see the smile peeking through the facade and he takes his chance. “I love you.”
He doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of the look on Draco’s face each time Harry says those words. Though he could do without the hint of awe lurking behind all the affection, like Draco still can’t believe that Harry would say those words to him.
Harry is willing to spend his entire life making sure Draco knows how much he’s loved.
“Scorp, stop!”
They jerk apart at Teddy’s shriek. Harry takes in his half-finished snowman, who definitely had the upper part of his body the last time Harry had checked, with a sigh.
As Draco takes Scorpius inside, squaring his shoulders, Harry points out, “Teddy, he’s just five, you’re thirteen. He didn’t really mean it. You can fix this.”
~*~
“What if they never get along?”
If Harry hadn’t been leaning against Draco, he wouldn’t have heard the whispered question, an unspoken fear they’ve both been thinking about.
He puts down his book and stands up, tugging Draco with him. Wrapping an arm around Draco’s waist, he waits till Draco relaxes into his hold. The room is dark, save for the light from the fireplace which lends a warm glow to the ambience.
He sways them to an imaginary beat, a soft shuffle that takes them around the room. It’s a declaration and a promise all in one.
Harry presses a soft kiss against Draco’s neck, humming in satisfaction when Draco throws his head back, giving Harry more skin to whisper against.
“We can fix this.”
Draco’s determined nod against his shoulder is all the answer he needs.
~*~
The thing is, Harry knows that Teddy and Scorpius have always got along before. Draco has taken Scorpius with him to the occasional family lunch and he has it on good authority that Scorpius has always been the perfect little boy.
So the only reason behind this new, unpredictable behaviour has to be Harry’s presence.
It’s a good thing that Harry has always been a little stubborn because winning over a five year old is one of the toughest things Harry’s experienced.
His first attempt, cooking Scorpius breakfast, is met with a shattered plate and porridge on the floor.
The second time, Scorpius resolutely ignores Harry’s attempts to colour with him.
And so on it goes, Harry constantly trying and Scorpius rebuffing him.
It comes to a head about two days before they’re scheduled to head back home.
They’re back outside again, enjoying the last few days of unpolluted snow when Harry notices that Scorpius isn’t out with them. With a quick kiss on Draco’s cheek, Harry heads inside, wondering what new form of torture Scorpius would subject him to. He’s definitely a Malfoy, Harry thinks, chuckling to himself, his tantrums have been downright devious and he stops dead in his tracks.
He’s entirely unprepared for the sight of the little boy sitting just inside the door, watching the scene outside with tears in his eyes.
Scorpius scowls when he sees Harry but there’s no hiding his bloodshot eyes and the pitiful sniffling. Something inside Harry melts, the urge to wrap this little boy in his arms and to make everything better so strong that it almost brings tears to Harry’s eyes.
Instead, he very carefully takes a seat next to Scorpius and looks outside. Teddy and Draco are shaping the snowman’s body and he knows it’s going to take them a while to get it done, and judging by the mulish expression on the face of the tiny blonde sitting next to him he knows that he’s going to get nothing by pushing.
“I don’t like you,” Scorpius states, arms crossed across his tiny chest.
Harry hums. “I know, but I think you are pretty amazing.”
Scorpius huffs.
“I also don’t like Teddy.”
“Well, that’s unfortunate because I know for a fact that Teddy really likes you.”
Scorpius looks interested at that but quickly looks away before Harry can notice. Harry almost laughs out loud; definitely Draco’s kid.
“Teddy has always wanted a little brother or sister. He was so happy when I told him we were all going on a vacation. He’ll be so sad when he hears you don’t feel the same way.”
He can see Scorpius’ bottom lip trembling and Harry wants to pull him close and never let go, protecting him from everything that could harm him but he knows he needs to wait it out till Scorpius is ready to talk.
It takes a few more minutes, enough time for his boys outside to get the snowman’s body ready.
“I like Teddy, too.”
Harry hides his smile. “I’ll let him know.”
He waits it out, watching Draco and Teddy argue about the snowman’s looks outside. He’s broken out of his thoughts by a sniffle. The sight of Scorpius crying, big grey eyes blinking back tears as his bottom lip trembles, makes Harry’s heart melt.
He can see that Scorpius is trying to say something and though it’s difficult, he wants nothing more than to comfort the kid, he stays patient.
Finally, in little more than a whisper, Scorpius says, “I’m not Father’s favorite anymore.”
Harry bites back the instant denial that springs to his lips. “Why do you think so?”
“He spends all the time with you now. And Teddy. But Teddy is okay because I like playing with him.” Scorpius adds with a pout.
“Oh, Scorpius.” Harry throws caution to the wind and gathers Scorpius onto his lap, wanting nothing more than to comfort him. “Your Father loves you very very much.”
Scorpius shrugs, pulling on a loose thread in Harry’s sweater.
“Did you know, when I was your age, I had no friends. Only my cousin and he wasn’t very nice so I used to play alone.”
“You didn’t have any friends?” Scorpius asks, looking genuinely scandalised.
“Nope.” Harry shakes his head. “I didn’t have a very nice family for a very long time but now I do and it makes me so happy.”
“Who?”
“Well, there are my best friends Ron and Hermione, and their daughter Rose, you met her at Teddy’s birthday party this year during his Easter holiday from Hogwarts, remember?”
“I like her, we played a lot together and eat from the same big piece of cake.”
“Then there are the Weasley’s, so many of them, and of course, Teddy and your Father and you.”
“I am in your family?”
“Yes,” Harry says, adding hesitantly. “If you want to be. Big families are fun, so many people who love you and want to take care of you. That’s what your Father and I want, for you and Teddy so that both of you are never alone.”
Scorpius frowns thoughtfully, mulling it over.
“I still love you a lot Scorpius, you’re my little baby, but I also love Teddy and Harry.”
Harry smiles up at Draco, flushing under the look of adoration directed at him.
“Promise?”
Draco scoops Scorpius from Harry’s lap and cuddles him close. “On my life.”
“Does this mean that Harry will make me lemon blueberry cupcakes everyday?”
Harry laughs, already heading towards the kitchen.
“Well, I don’t know about everyday . . . “
~*~
Harry stops at the door to the living room and takes in the sight in front of him. Draco is on the couch, trying not to direct Teddy and Scorpius on the proper way to unwrap gifts. Teddy is showing Scorpius the new model Quidditch Set that his Uncle Ron gifted him while Scorpius tries on his Weasley sweater.
“Harry.”
He looks up to see Draco beckon him closer and he smiles, carrying in the tray of hot chocolate to cheers and laughter.
To his family.