Chapter Text
Harry couldn't believe how he could have let the snowstorm catch him by surprise, but the truth was he'd been so focused on his new acrobatics and how frustrating it was for his body to keep refusing to just obey and pretend he was twenty again, he had ignored every gust of wind slipping past his robes and the way his fingers were starting to lose hold on the broom despite the gloves.
He wanted to teach something new to the kids come January but he just wasn't there yet. When the wind blew him off course and he crashed into one of the poles he resigned himself to hop off the broom and make his way home.
Except half way down the Hogwarts grounds a thick snowfall bolstered by harsh winds chilled him to the bone in a way that made even his thoughts slow down.
He made it home fifteen minutes later, his weather repellant charm barely holding and by the way Draco dragged him inside he had to guess he was looking quite rough.
"What were you thinking! I figured you'd stop at the castle with this weather!" He chided, spelling the afghan hot and wrapping it around Harry's shoulders without losing a moment. It did feel awfully nice, he had to admit.
"We have the gifts to wrap and you still have tomorrow to work, I didn't want to leave you alone!" His teeth were chattering so badly that it was almost hard to get the words out and Draco sighed, leading him up the stairs with a hand on the small of his back "You're an idiot, Potter."
"I've been told that a few times." he let out a chuckle, but it came half like a bad cough and the other half barely audible with how much he was shivering.
"If you wanted to come home why did you stay so late, anyway, the wind started two hours ago, no wonder you're an icicle!"
Harry huffed, letting himself be led into the bathroom where Draco raised the heat and summoned a warm gust of wind to help the temperature rise faster. "I was trying a new manoeuvre." he muttered, looking down at the bluish tint his fingers showed in the strong lights.
Draco sighed and started undressing him, setting the afghan aside and then peeling off his clothes "Don't move your fingers, they're literally blue, just wait a bit..." he murmured.
When Harry was in his underwear Draco nudged him towards the shower "Come on, in the shower with you!"
"Are you coming too?" He grinned, grabbing onto his husband's shirt.
"You didn't deserve it, chop chop. I'll make some tea, it’ll be waiting for you when you're done."
Harry pouted but did as he was told and the hot shower really did help chase away the chill. He found a nice surprise coming out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, Draco was sitting in bed with his book and the breakfast table across his thighs, the duvet turned down and waiting for Harry.
"They say body heat is the best way to regulate temperature between humans." he explained with a little raised brow, not like Harry was going to protest at all.
He pulled on a pair of pants and a t-shirt before slipping under the covers and cuddling close to Draco who wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pressing a kiss to his forehead "Have some tea, you had an awful idea this afternoon... You're not immortal, you know?"
Harry smirked but Draco just pressed the mug into his hands "I'm not joking."
Harry did take the mug and pecked Draco's lips "I didn't mean to scare you, I'm sorry. I was just frustrated by this particular manoeuvre and didn't notice the time or the weather."
"Apologies accepted."
"Do you have a lot left for tomorrow?"
"At least three batches and I heard two more orders getting dropped while I was making tea... I hate Christmas."
"You don't." he reminded him softly, letting the tea warm his hands first.
"Fine, I don't, but why can't people just order their biscuits without me having to work until the last possible second? It's not like they don't know they will want biscuits!" Draco whined, sipping his tea and rubbing Harry's arm "How are you feeling?" he asked softly, clearly still coming down from his worrying.
"Like I ran a marathon... But it's getting better, the tea is helping." he said quietly, relaxing and munching on one of the biscuits, savouring the comforting flavour "What do you need to make tomorrow?"
"Two batches of Christmas Cheer and one of Snowy Cones and I hope the new orders aren't for more Cones because I'm low on ingredients..." just as he spoke a little bell rang downstairs signalling the end of his office hours "AH! No more orders!"
Harry chuckled and pressed a kiss to his jaw "I can pop into Diagon Alley for your ingredients tomorrow, if you need, so you can work on the Cheer first..."
"And lose you until lunchtime to either Weasley or some other of the pile of people you know and you can't say no to? No way. I'll see if the Apothecary down the street has what I need or I'll just write to Lawson and pop there myself."
Harry groaned and set down his mug, nuzzling closer into Draco "I don't like this lack of confidence in my efficiency, suit yourself." he muttered.
Draco kissed the top of his head and held him closer. “We still need to pack too many of our gifts and hope the owls will manage to get everywhere in time... When is Lucy coming?"
"She said she'd get here tomorrow night if the Portkeys don't get delayed and Dave is flying in on Christmas Eve because the clan is celebrating the solstice these days and tonight is a full moon..." Harry listed off, a smile crossing his lips at the thought of all their little strays all grown up and taking on the world. Teddy would get his NEWTs this year and maybe request they stop calling him Teddy even, Harry had heard Victoire really liked Edward.
Draco spoke quietly to Harry until his husband started replying more slowly and dozed off, he got up carefully and tucked him in, a delicate warming charm on the duvet. The room was so warm now he didn't even mind being in just his pyjama pants.
He climbed down to the ground floor and went to the lab, checking the new orders and spelling them on the board that scribbled all the quantities he needed for his new batches on a handy list.
He started the Christmas Cheer filling, letting the familiar potion work reassure him and draw him in.
When the potion was bubbling on its own he put up his usual flame control charm and went to start the chicken soup for dinner.
If anyone had shown him this as a prophecy, Draco would have advised them to drop the spirits and go back to their tea leaves: a little two stories wizarding house in Hogsmeade hadn't been in the cards of any Malfoy family member ever, and yet here he was.
He set the vegetables to chop and butchered the meat on his own, he liked it best when he could control just how much fat and bone to leave on. He had been a spoiled bachelor with no house elves in sight when he'd learned how to cook, the trick had been to realise it really wasn't that different from potion brewing, he just needed to get to know his ingredients.
So he spent his days in Hogwarts working hard for his Potion Master certification and his nights in his little flat above the Hog’s Head chopping more edible versions of those plants into his dinner, it did help that the Manor estates supplied him with every ingredient he could possibly need.
Harry had come later, when Draco was just starting to work in collaboration with Honeydukes, there had been much talk about his years abroad in the States, everyone had felt a little bereft when the Golden Boy had up and left Britain on what looked like nothing but a whim.
The official explanation turned out to be he just wanted to find out about Quodpot and not have people constantly breathing on his neck to find out what he would do with his life. Draco could sympathise.
Neither of them had really known where they were headed when Harry started spending time in Hogsmeade, he didn't want to live in the castle despite being there almost every day for his History seminars and while he liked Madam Rosmerta, the Broomsticks was too crowded for his sanity. That's how they met under the watchful gaze of Aberforth, sharing the occasional meal and then a drink or two.
They started tentatively, keeping their topics on neutral ground and walking on eggshells but that soon devolved into a number of Quidditch versus Quodpot fights that brought them back to who would be the best Seeker today.
One word after the other they explored their childhood, unsure and confused as they were, pawns on a much bigger board they could have imagined in the halls of Hogwarts.
One night they were in Draco's flat because Aberforth had kindly kicked them out at midnight, they'd had far more than their share of Firewhiskey and Harry suddenly whispered into the fireplace.
"I'm gay, you know? It's why I left Ginny and then Britain, it wasn't for Quodpot."
Draco was stunned into silence and then started laughing like a madman, tears streaming down his cheeks in an unexpected turmoil of amusement and shock "I think she would have preferred the Quodpot!"
Harry had pushed him and Draco had just kept laughing until he dried his eyes and took a deep breath "I was born a girl, Cassiopeia Malfoy. I told my mother I was a boy at five, my parents hurried to change everything they could and got me all the best potions and everything... you should have seen her face when I told her I was gay!"
Harry stared at him and then started laughing too "So much for their fix!"
"She still goes on and on about how I’ll never continue the family line!"
Harry had grinned at that moment and sat back in his chair "Tough luck for her, I say, you’re such a handsome man…"
It hadn't taken long after that to figure out what had been apparent to all their friends for weeks already.
Harry and Draco had been for all intents and purposes the first public gay couple of the Wizarding world and it had rocked through their all in all small community like a lightening storm. Draco started loving it once the death threats subsided.
With the soup on the stove and cooking slowly Draco made it back to his potion as he heard shuffling upstairs.
Harry dressed in his most comfy and warm clothes and made it down the stairs, stopping on the entrance to Draco's lab, watching his husband work. It was everything he wanted, that his family was safe and content, even if Harry himself wasn't feeling too hot right now.
He followed his nose to the chicken soup and tore a bit of bread to dunk in the broth, letting it cool down and then taking a bite just as Draco walked in "Leave it be!"
"Quality control!"
"You doubt my quality, Potter?" Draco teased and Harry walked up to him to peck his lips "Never but around Christmas time it's smart to worry about Nargles, you know that." Harry joked in return, chuckling as Draco rolled his eyes with a fond smile.
"They're in Quebec, you know? She sent me a Floo-owl a few days ago, the twins are having the time of their lives in the snow and Rolf has found an artisan that might get him a wooden hand that won't conflict with either spellwork nor his creatures." Draco said quietly, stirring the food and then starting to set up the table with Harry.
"Happy to hear that, I hope they'll manage to come by for Easter… I miss them"
Dinner was a quiet affair if not for Harry starting to shiver more and more visibly until Draco put a hand on his forehead and frowned "I think you're running a bit too hot, you should take a Pepper Up if you want to feel fine in the morning!"
Harry sighed, frowning already in distaste "If you say so, Madame Pomfrey, but I'm not taking it before going to bed, I can't stand the aftertaste and I want one of your cookies." he pouted, feeling very childish but not caring very much. He hated having a cold and even worse one he'd brought upon himself.
Draco rolled his eyes "Toddler. Fine... Not more than one though or you'll throw off my batches."
"I wouldn't want to throw off your batches for any reason in the world!"
"You joke, Potter, I'd make you sleep on the couch until Easter!" Draco wasn’t very threatening when he was wagging a spoon at him but Harry knew better than to underestimate him.
Done with dinner Harry pulled Draco on the couch despite his protests “The potions will be there in half an hour, come on…”
Draco glared mockingly “You don’t really deserve these cuddles, mister, it would have ended much differently if we didn’t live so close to the school” he muttered, still he let Harry wrap him in a hug “Good thing we live close then.”
Nuzzled against his chest, Draco was playing with Harry’s hair gently, bouncing the curls by pulling them just a bit, Harry on the other hand was pressing light kisses to the top of his head and down the bridge of his nose until an owl tapped on the glass.
Draco went to open the window for the owl and handed Harry a cookie while the bird settled for a moment “Did you forget some meeting at the castle or something?”
“Not that I can think of, did you send their order already?”
“Of course… Oh it looks like Samuel’s writing…” Draco frowned, handing the letter over to Harry “I thought he was spending Christmas with his family?”
Harry didn’t like the feeling in the pit of his stomach that was brewing, he took the letter as if it might explode and then read the content slowly.
“Things didn’t go well with his parents, you could say they ambushed him.. He had been fearing something like this might happen but apparently it had started well.”
Draco took the letter from Harry as it was offered while Harry was already getting to his feet and retrieving a piece of parchment to reply.
“Poor Samuel, no one deserves this, you’re inviting him over for Christmas, right?”
“If I know him he will want to stay with the students now that he’s back at school but I’ll make sure he comes over for tea at least…”
His writing was even more scraggly than usual with his fever but Harry managed to put together a decent message all the same.
Our house is always open, you’re part of the family and we’re both very proud of you for standing up for yourself. They’ll see they made a mistake or they won’t, but you are loved.
HP
PS Should we set a place more at the table?
Harry sent the owl out into the cold winter night and went back to Draco, hugging him tight now in search of reassurance himself.
Their story had hit the Wizarding World like a blast, it had been weeks before either of them could set foot outside without being hounded by the press. At one point McGonagall and the rest of the teachers convinced Draco to stay at the castle for a semester as assistant to the Head of Slytherin house just to get him out of the line of fire.
Harry had moved back to the Burrow for similar reasons but his putative family wasn't exactly thrilled with his choice of partner either.
It had been hard, it was just something one wasn't supposed to do in Wizarding Britain, try and live openly. Harry would never bend to that, he had folded himself into shape trying to fulfil all the roles that had been asked of him: from soldier, to hero, to martyr and back again but he was done.
He was in the Hogwarts library, keeping Draco company one afternoon while the other man scribbled formulas from an old tome in his neat but cramped handwriting, when he started wandering the shelves of the History section. He'd started studying History of Magic on his own when he'd decided to start taking speech engagements to keep the memory of the two wars alive in the younger and older generation alike, he'd found an unexpected passion for it as he went deeper and deeper in his favourite subjects, turns out when it doesn't come from a literal ghost there's many perspective one can take on it.
One book caught his attention enough that afternoon that he went back and sat beside Draco, getting lost in the pages narrating the lives of queer wizards and witches, their Muggle loves and their secret communities built on Fidelius Charms and little houses in the most remote parts of Britain, branches of ancient houses quietly forgotten in spite of all the talk about blood purity.
Even still the volume he'd found was slim and dating back to the 30s, his brain let the the information trickle and stew as he went about his day until he put the question to Draco "Would you like to help me write a new edition of Queer and Magical through the ages ?"
"What are you on about? Does a first edition of that exists?" he'd asked, raising an eyebrow only to grab readily onto the book Harry was handing him "Where is this from?"
"The Hogwarts library but I've looked around and it's almost one of the last copies, it's certainly the last that is publicly available..."
Draco opened the book to glance at the index and then back at Harry with a little smirk "You're the history nerd, how could I help?" he teased, letting Harry push him a little in retaliation "I'd do the research I suppose but I'm not that good a writer, you're definitely better... I was thinking of involving Hermione too, she has done a lot more research than either of us into this kind of subject, you know discrimination and such."
Draco had smiled at that point, reading the short introduction and leafing through more of the pages, stopping at the illustration of a little cluster of houses on the edge of a cliff "She'd love to help and she knows a lot more about Muggles too, do you know how they're faring in these things?" he mused, Harry could just shrug "I know it's similar but they are so many more than us and in the US they have all these marches and fights for civil rights, they say they might get married soon." he grinned and Draco shook his head "Maybe Muggles do have some good ideas every now and then... I think even Shacklebolt would have a fit if you asked him to marry us..." he murmured, turning the pages to a different illustration.
Harry smirked then, pulling the book down to look Draco in the eye "Why is that? Do you want to marry me any time soon?" he teased, chuckling when Draco blushed fiercely only to cut off his laugh with a kiss and look into his eyes for a long moment "I'd marry you tomorrow, Potter, don't be ridiculous."
Harry could only kiss him again, harder and then bring his hands to his lips "We'll marry, then."
Draco had sighed and pulled away to sit in his chair, the air of defeat was unbearable to Harry "I wish you could be telling the truth." he said softly.
Harry swallowed and caught Draco's eye once more.
"Just because it's not possible yet, it doesn't mean I'm not going to marry you, Draco Malfoy."
As they stared into the fireplace, holding onto each other, caught in their thoughts, Harry started shivering again and Draco pressed his lips to his forehead "You're really burning now, off to bed with you and take the Pepper Up before you get under the covers. I'll stay up for the potions a while longer and in case Sam needs an ear." he said quietly, Harry rubbed his face and got to his feet, an uncomfortable ache in all his bones at once "I'll go see him tomorrow, just casually drop by his classroom."
"As long as you don't bother him. He'll talk when he feels ready to." Draco reminded him gently and then added "He'll appreciate some chit chat about the other day's game, though."
"Just because all you people like to rub it in!"
"Deal with it, Potter, the Cannons will never win!"
Draco watched his husband go upstairs while sticking his tongue out at him and got up to take care of his cauldrons.
He worked on the Cheer potion and set it aside before starting a small batch of the Snowy Cones frosting, he'd need to make more in the morning but he'd have something to start with just in case he couldn't get the ingredients immediately.
In the back of his mind he kept thinking of Samuel, how opposite their experience had been, it wasn't always easy for Draco to understand him but it did speak to him on a deeper level.
Draco had hidden his past for years, he almost couldn't remember a time before his parents renamed him Draco and yet it had been drilled into him so strongly that he should never speak of Cassiopeia ever again that it was like they materialised his past out of shame and guilt.
Bellatrix had been the first person to deadname him, followed at some point by other Death Eaters, until the Prophet hadn't taken great gusto in spattering his secreted birth certificate on the first page of a Sunday edition. It had felt wholly absurd, somewhat like an out of body experience and at the same time it had cut deep enough for Draco to shut himself in his flat for days.
Then he stopped hiding.
Samuel on the other hand had simply been ignored, nudged into silence and invited to hide his first loves as long as he could keep a presentable facade. He shouldn't rock the boat, he shouldn't confuse his poor Muggle father more than his mother had by springing magic powers on him two days before the wedding. He'd paid in full every mistake his parents had made and he had hidden as a known bookworm high up in the Ravenclaw tower.
Draco rememebered him from his days as Assistant to the Head of House.
It had taken months for the kid to approach him, but late one night he'd knocked on Draco's door as it was open for students asking for remedial work, the time was almost over and he'd just sent a Gryffindor second year on his way when he let Samuel in.
"I think I'm a transgender man, I'd like to know what I have to do if I want to change like you did... I know you did it as a kid but you're the only one who talks about it." he'd spoken so fast Draco almost didn't catch all of it and he took a deep breath, closing the door behind Sam and calling up some tea and biscuits from the kitchens.
Samuel had wanted to know so many details Draco wasn't even sure how to explain but he could understand that thirst for knowledge, trying to find ways to add more and more pieces to this puzzle so that he could see himself.
Draco put off the flames and set away the cauldrons, wiping the counters while buying time for Sam to reach out again, deep down he knew he wouldn't, he was like that when things were hard, he needed some time to think on it.
Turning down all the lights he left the fireplace under a flame control spell just in case Samuel or another of their strays needed them in the middle of the night, there was something about the holidays that keyed everyone up.
He slipped in bed with his brain still churning on his thoughts and memories but the familiar scent of Harry and his now regular temperature soothed some of his worries enough that he fell into a light sleep, pressed along Harry's back and with his arm slung across his middle.
They'd made a family no one would have thought of, between their effort and that of others of their generation who were determined to never see a war like the one that had torn their lives apart again, Draco was starting to think they might actually leave behind something better for their kids.