As it got closer to the school year, everyone had to start making preparations. Scorpius wasn't in the best of moods, but he remembered what Draco had said about taking that out on everyone else and he worked hard to keep his temper under control. Both Harry and Draco wanted to help, but they knew he had to deal with this by himself. Even Teddy was leaving him alone for fear of saying something he shouldn't.

"You're sure you can watch the girls?" Harry asked, while pulling his socks on and going in search of his trainers. Draco stared at him with a level gaze. "Oka~y. Well, I'm gonna go call Dudley."

"Is he going with you when you take the Stevensons to Diagon?" Draco said raising his wand and summoning Harry's shoes from downstairs near the door, handing them to him with a playful smirk. "Looking for these?"

"He is and I was," said Harry through a laugh, snatching the shoes away. "I'm going to show him around Diagon Alley, and take him to Gringott's to convert pounds to galleons so h-"

"I thought you had a lifetime ban from Gringott's?"

"So," he said dragging it out playfully, "Neville is taking him to Gringott's. Now, are the boys coming with me or are they ordering from catalogue this year?"

Draco snorts.

"They're going because Nick and Natalie are going, but they both have to get fitted for their updated robes and hats. They can get their books from catalogue so you don't have to carry them all back."

Harry nodded as he stood, fully dressed and moved closer to where Draco was leaning against their wardrobe, still in pajamas, to give him a kiss before rushing out the door and rounding everyone up.

--:--

"Neville, this is my cousin Dudley, and his daughter, Ava. Ava, Dudley, this is the herbology professor at Hogwarts, my friend, Neville Longbottom," he said, proud to introduce the dapper guy beside him as his friend. Neville had come such a long way from being that awkward kid with too big teeth and enough love to suffocate an erumpent. He still managed to love a ridiculous amount of people and extremely deadly plants, but he was more confident now.

"Nice to meet you," Neville said nodding at Dudley and smiling down at Ava. He reached a hand out for her to take or shake and she grabbed it excitedly. "Do you like flowers?"

"Yes! I used to help my mother in the garden all the time before my letter came," she said going from excited to confused to sad in the span of only a few seconds. Her father rubbed her head causing her to look up at him and take a deep breath. Harry wathed as Neville led them towards Gringotts and turned back around just in time to see Teddy trying to sneak off. Scorpius was sending soft smiles to Nick and Nat as they tried to talk to him and keep his mind off of his first heart break.

Harry cast a tempus and nodded to himself. They had at least another hour before they had to be anywhere else.

"Your appointment isn't until later. I set it so Ava could get fitted when you lot did. And I figured you guys probably wouldn't want to hang with me all day," he said the last part staring at Teddy and the blue haired boy grinned playfully at him.

"And you'd be absolutely right!"

"Don't stray too far, yeah?"

"We'll meet you at Madam M's at half past?"

"And Teddy-"

"Watch out for Scorp," Teddy finished for him. "Of course."

"I can look after m-myself," growled the blonde in question. "You're not my real dad and I don't n-need a babysi-sitter. You could have just left me with Dad if-"

Teddy threw a hand over his brother's mouth and you could see the panic in the younger boy's eyes.

"Don't mind him. He's just a li'l grumpy."

Scorpius nodded quickly before peeling Teddy's hand from his face.

"Pa, I'm so s-sorry. I d-didn't mean it, I'm just- " He shook his head. "I shouldn't have l-lashed out. You d-don't deser-serve it."

"It's fine, Scorp," Harry said, but his voice was soft and sad. He wasn't Scorpius' father. He knew that, but he loved him like his own, and it was hard for him to hear otherwise. "I understand, okay? Just go find something to eat so you can take your potions."

The blonde was pouting as his friends and his brother dragged him away, towards the Leaky Cauldron for a full English, being that they hadn't had time for a proper breakfast before starting the day's errands.

Harry looked after them with a sad little smile before walking near one of the new shops that had opened after the war. There had been work on new magically enhanced muggle cell phones and he wanted to see how they worked. Before he could make it to the door however, he saw the flash of a camera bulb and turned around with his wand in his hand and a smile on his face.

It'd been ages since he'd been out and about this close to the start of term just because he wanted to avoid being seen. Try to help Dudley and Ava though, he had forgotten.

"Mr. Potter!" the lone photographer asked. "I just have a few questions. The wizarding world misses you. So question number one, are you still happy with your job as professor of Defense at Hogwarts?"

Harry smiled and nodded, trying not to paint himself into a corner or a conversation.

"And word around town is that you have a pair of twin girls now, is that true as well?"

Again, Harry nodded with a content smile on his face.

"So, where are your girls right now, Mr. Potter?"

"They're home with their father. I'm taking the rest of my children school shopping. You know, getting books and robes for the new year."

"Of course, you are!" The man took another picture of Harry smiling and pitched his voice a little higher. "You hear that folks?Harry Potter, school shopping, just like the rest of us. You must be a great dad, Mr. Potter."

"I sure hope so," he responded a little thrown off by a pleasant interaction with the press. He meant to ask who hired him or what paper he wrote for, but he never got the chance.

"Nice speaking with you, sir!" the man said, then he was off like a shot to interview the woman standing outside of Ollivanders. If Harry remembered correctly, her name was Suzanne and she was Ollivander's apprentice. She laughed and smiled and blushed at the camera man bursting with questions and energy and when he finally walked away, she was red as a tomato. She had a long nose on a round pale face, with huge brown eyes. Her purple hair fell in ringlet curls around her face though she had attempted to pin most of it back into a messy bun with her wand poked through. She wore what looked like unicorn horn gauges that curved slightly at the end and round wire glasses with so many bends and scratches that she could put Harry's to shame.

Harry decided they could logically get Ava's wand before getting her fitted and almost as soon as the thought passed through his head, Neville was leading the two Dursleys back up the lane. Things were just working out for once. His stomach twisted at the thought that it meant something was up. Something would happen soon.

Harry placed a hand on his stomach and took a deep breath. Maybe he should eat something too. It wasn't quite 12 yet and he was a bit nauseous. He would have to just wait until the kids were getting fitted. Family first, he thought, then food. His stomach lurched, but he stood firm with a smile on his face.

-&-

hola futher muckers
move in is wednesday & school starts monday, so you know what that means???

everyday updates til i go back!!

gonna finish this fic before school starts because i have a few extra classes this semester and i don't want to have so much on my plate and get overworked and overwhelmed halfway through the term

anyways....hope you liked this chappie
lemme know whatcha think, eh?

love y'all

-- angel janeé xoxo 💋