{Happy New Year everyone, may 2024 bring you everything you want and more!}

The choice about whether or not to attend Wednesday's practice was made for him. He had offhandedly mentioned the dangers of playing in the poor weather to Hermione, who had spent the time since Harry's minor injury pushing for changes in legislation.

Her argument that even the muggles don't play in such extreme conditions worked to her favor, and suddenly Harry found himself with a primarily cleared schedule. She wanted Harry to come in and speak in support of the law, which he had no issue in doing.

He talked about how playing in harsh conditions caused harm physically, mentally, and emotionally.

"It's also really hard to see what I'm doing when I can't see out of my glasses. It would be one thing just to chase after the snitch, but it's another when I can't see any members of either team. The bludgers can be hard to avoid on a good day. It's easier for accidents to happen when conditions are poor."

While they deliberated, Hermione asked Harry to lunch.

"So," she began once they sat down.

"I was wondering when you were finally going to ask about them," Harry replied with a sigh.

"I haven't been able to find the time when you've stopped coming around."

"I've been waiting for Ron to come around," he retorted pointedly.

"Ron is Ron. He'll-"

"Yeah yeah he'll come around in the end I know. Who cares about Harry and his feelings now that the world is saved?"

"Is that really how you feel?"

"It was, before them."

"Oh Harry."

"I don't need your pity. You were busy, I made myself scarce, that's how it is. I don't have to do that with them. They make time for me and they come to as many of my matches as they can. Scorpius takes pictures of me and they're brilliant. Draco is witty and sarcastic and he's so soft around his rough edges. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than with them."

"You sound like you're...," she hesitated.

"Maybe I am. If I'm not already, then I'm close. They've welcomed me into their little family, and I don't take that lightly. I'm loved and supported and that is what you can tell Ron. If you'll excuse me."

Harry was taken aback to see Hermione and Ron sitting with Draco at his next match. He flew over as quickly as possible without raising suspicions.

"Hi Harry!"

"Hey love bug," he greeted, ruffling Scorpius's hair.

"Are you going to win for us today Harry?," Draco teased.

"You know I am," he replied with a wink, before turning to Ron and Hermione. "What are you both doing here?"

"We've come to support you, if that's okay," Hermione said, tucking her hair behind her cheek to reveal Harry's number painted on it.

"You hate quidditch."

"But I love you. Besides, we wanted to spend time with your family." She pointedly looked at Draco and Scorpius, and Draco turned pink.

"Ron?"

"We just want you to be happy mate."

"Me, Harry, and daddy are happy!," Scorpius interjected.

"Well, that settles it then. Scorpius, you're going to have to tell me what's going on here because quidditch is the one thing that I don't know about."

"Okay! I'm going to be just like Harry when I grow up."

"Are you now?," Hermione asked with a smile.

"Uh huh! Harry even bought me a practice snitch and we'll fly together sometimes."

"Wish me luck?," Harry asked Draco quietly.

"Luck. But I think I need it more."

"Your efforts will be rewarded," Harry murmured before bidding Ron goodbye and going back to his warmups.

Harry didn't think he had ever played so well. There was a lot riding on this match, and most of his family was here in support. The winds were grueling, but after an hour or so of play he finally caught the snitch.

At the end of the day, it was the first person you wanted to share your success with. As Scorpius latched onto his legs and Draco his neck, Harry knew there was no better way to end a match, win or lose.

"I took so many good pictures!"

"I bet you did love bug. Did you take some of Jay? He's been getting really jealous of all of my beautiful pictures."

"I did, but I'm your photographer first," Scorpius answered with a nod.

"That's my boy," Harry replied with a grin, ruffling Scorpius's hair. "Dinner after I shower?"

"Of course. We'll be here."

"Daddy, Harry has a very pretty picture of you in his locker," Scorpius whispered.

"Oh, does he now?"

"Mhm. He always smiles at it when he opens the door."

"Well, that's nice to know."

"Malfoy?"

"Granger."

"You and Scorpius should have dinner with us sometime," she said carefully.

"You have a daughter don't you?," Scorpius asked.

"We do. Her name is Rose. She's your age."

Scorpius looked up at Draco with his wide eyes and he nodded.

"We would like that."

"I can't cook though," she admitted, and Draco couldn't help but laugh.

"I broke my first muggle stove, so I understand. What you really need is a slow cooker..."

When Harry came back, his heart was full of love and admiration. Hermione and Draco were laughing together, and Ron was squatting down talking to Scorpius.

"Ready?," Draco asked with a smile once he spotted Harry watching them.

"Ready."

Bidding his friends goodbye, Harry grabbed onto Draco so he could be side alonged.

"Make yourself comfortable Harry, I'll be right back."

"Okay."

Harry did just that, smiling as he looked at the new photo additions in the living room. Their lives blended together so seamlessly, and that was what Harry needed. He needed consistency and support, and that was what the Malfoys had to offer for him.

When Draco returned, he had a mischievous glint in his eyes that Harry knew all too well.

"Just what are you up to love?"

"Oh nothing darling."

Harry shivered involuntarily, and Draco smirked.

"Can you go grab my sweater for me please?"

"Which one?"

"The maroon one?"

"With the gold trim that I've been looking for?," Harry asked with a snort.

"That's the one."

It took about 10 minutes for Harry to look for the sweater before Draco came upstairs and laughed at him.

"You do know you're a wizard right?," Draco asked with a laugh.

"Of course I do," Harry huffed, summoning the sweater and promptly getting hit in the face with it.

"I wouldn't trade you for anything," Draco said fondly, caressing Harry's cheek where he was hit.

"Good," Harry nuzzled his face into Draco's hand.

"Let's have dinner, yeah?"

Grabbing Harry's hand, Draco led him downstairs.

"Why is it dark? Is Scorpius playing hide and seek?"

"He's at my parents' house. It's just us," Draco said softly.

"Just us?"

"I was going to take us out, but I decided to bring some takeout home instead. I thought we might enjoy that more."

"I'm already enjoying this more."

Draco pulled out Harry's chair for him so he could sit down, and Harry did the same for Draco with a smirk and a flick of his wrist.

"Show off," Draco teased.

"I'm pulling out all the stops tonight."

"Are you hoping for something then?"

"You already know, but if I haven't made it extremely clear, I would love to finally kiss you tonight, if you're comfortable with that."

"I'd like that."

Something as simple as Harry holding his hand across the table really shouldn't be making Draco feel the way that he is right now. Harry looks at him like he has all of the answers, and he thinks he would do anything to keep Harry looking at him like that.

After dinner, Harry asked Draco if he wanted to go on a walk with him. They went on a stroll, hand in hand, and Draco laughed when Harry brought him to the park where it all began.

"You're such a sap."

"I'm afraid I only get sappier," Harry replied, pulling out a sunflower to give to Draco.

"Oh Harry. This... this is perfect."

"Almost," Harry continued quietly, stepping forward to cup Draco's cheek in his hand.

"Kiss me," Draco whispered back, tilting his head down slightly to meet Harry.

Harry didn't feel the fireworks that everyone always talked about. He didn't even feel a spark. What he felt was safety and love and home, and that was better than any fireworks display Weasley's Wizard Wheeze's could come up with.

When they pulled away, Draco looked at Harry shyly, eyes shining.

"I didn't know it could feel like that."

"Draco, you feel like home."

On their way back, they shared idle kisses, and Draco swore he was invincible in that moment.

"Shall I walk you home?," Draco asked sometime later, in between lazy kisses shared on the couch.

"I was hoping I could go with you to pick up Scorpius and say goodnight?"

"He would love that."

Draco didn't know who was most surprised when Lucius opened the door to Draco and Harry holding hands on the front porch. Lucius stared at Draco, his eyes trailing down to their connected hands, and then finally rested on Harry.

"Good evening Lucius," Harry greeted, removing his hand from Draco and holding it out for a handshake.

"Mr. Potter. I was starting to think you were made up."

"Oh no, I'm quite real. You were out the last time I stopped by."

"Come in," Lucius said stiffly.

"Let's get Scorpius and then I'll take you home."

"Mr. Potter... a word?"

"Father-"

Harry waved him off.

"Go get Scorp."

With a lingering glance at his father, Draco did as told.

"I simply cannot get rid of you can I?," Lucius asked with a sigh. "It was funny at first, but I fear I have doomed myself to a lifetime of Harry Potter."

"I'm afraid that you have. I love Draco and Scorpius and I have all intentions to stick around. I'm hoping we can come to some sort of agreement."

"I'd be a right fool not to put my trust in you. My family is happy and well taken care of, and that is all I could ask. I haven't seen Draco this happy since he was a child. However, if you hurt him..."

"If I hurt Draco, nothing you could do to me would be worse than what I would do to myself," Harry swore.

"Good. I'm glad we're in agreement then. You have my blessing, off with you now."

Once Scorpius was tucked in and goodnights were shared, Draco walked Harry to the front door, a curious look in his eyes.

"What did he-"

Harry gently pushed Draco up against the door, kissing him softly.

"He gave me his blessing."

"Harry... that's..."

"A big deal, I know. I told him that if I hurt you, nothing that he does to me will be worse than what I would do to myself. I won't hurt you Draco."

"It might happen Harry. We've hurt each other before. Just... just don't do it intentionally."

"Never. If I ever do something, please tell me. Don't suffer silently."

"The same goes for you. I know you bottle things up. You don't have to anymore, not with me darling."

"I know love. I'll see you Draco, goodnight."

"Goodnight Harry."

"Soon" ended up being the next morning, Daily Prophet copy clutched in Harry's hand.

"Aren't you supposed to be at practice?," Draco asked in confusion.

He was expecting Pansy, not his... Harry.

"Tell me what to do about this," Harry instructed, handing the paper to Draco.

"Oh."

The headline read "Savior's Second Family?" and the story went on to talk about how Draco and his son had been attending more and more of Harry's matches. They wanted to wait for the story to "break" until they had definitive "proof" of the relationship. The two men flipped through the timeline of their relationship together, and Harry rolled his eyes at all of the speculation.

"At least they blurred out Scorpius."

"Oh no, that was me. You know that special quidditch jacket I bought him that he wears to matches? It reflects the flash off of cameras, making the photos useless."

"Absolutely genius Harry," Draco replied, resting his chin on Harry's shoulder.

"What do you want to do?," Harry asked again.

"I don't know. I mean, you could deny it if you wanted to," Draco said carefully.

"I... I don't want to deny it. You both mean so much to me. I just don't want to drag you into anything."

"As long as Scorpius is left out of things, I'm okay. I want to do this with you Harry, if you'll have me."

"I'll have you for as long as I can."

"I was hoping you'd say that. Now the fun can begin," Draco replied with a mischievous grin.

"What do you have in mind?"

"We simply never comment on the state of our relationship, ever. Let them assume what they want, they're going to do it anyway. That doesn't mean that we can't have fun with it."

"I like having fun with you," Harry teased, nipping at Draco's neck.

"Should send you out onto the field with your neck all marked up."

"They'll think the giant squid is my boyfriend," Harry replied with a laugh. "I'm not opposed to it though."

"Really now?"

"Everyone can know that I'm very happily taken."

"I just broke your Witch Weekly's most eligible bachelor streak," Draco said gleefully, covering Harry's face in kisses.

"Can I talk you into wearing one of my jersey's at my next match?"

"I may be persuaded."

"I may be arrested for public indecency because just the thought gets me-"

Harry stepped back immediately as he heard footsteps coming down the hallway and he swiftly stepped behind the counter as Scorpius made his way into the kitchen.

"Harry! Shouldn't you be at practice?"

"I skipped," Harry replied with a wink. "I thought I could take my boys out for the day instead."

"Really? Where are we going?"

"How about the zoo? I haven't been in ages."

"I'll go get dressed! I'm so excited, thank you Harry!"

"Public indecency hmm?," Draco asked, placing a finger under Harry's chin and tilting his head up.

"I love the thought of you wearing my name. Drives me absolutely wild."

"That's very good to know," Draco murmured against Harry's lips. "Let me get ready. Zoos are family establishments Potter, can't have you with what I can only hope is a very big problem around all those families."

"Good thing you're such a great problem solver, hmm?," Harry replied with a wink. "I'll go pack the car, come over to mine when you're ready."

Draco leaned his head against the doorway, a happy sigh leaving his lips.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, my star?"

"Is Harry going to become my daddy too?"

"Oh. Scorpius, I... I don't know how to answer that. It's very early to think of things like that."

"I would be okay with it, if he does. He makes us happy. Not because he's Harry Potter. I just like Harry, my best friend."

"As long as I remain your bestest friend," Draco replied softly, booping Scorpius on the nose.

"Always. Now stop thinking about Harry and get dressed so we can see him!"

"So much like your mother you are," Draco said fondly with a laugh. "I'm going, I'm going."

"I already picked out your clothes too."

That was suspicious, but Draco didn't seem to find any issues with the outfit laid out before him. He only realized what had been done when Harry's gaze lingered on him more than usual.

"What?"

"You're wearing my sweater again love."

"Scorpius," Draco said with a laugh.

"High five Scorp!"

As they walked around the zoo, Scorpius held one of Draco's hands and one of Harry's, unless he was taking pictures. Harry watched as Scorpius excitedly cheered at the snake exhibit.
"Hold this," Scorpius instructed, removing his hand from Draco's and placing it in Harry's as he went to take a closer look at the exhibit.
"Hey there you," Harry said fondly.

"This has been so nice."

"Hasn't it? It's worth the chewing out I'm going to get when I show up for training tomorrow."

"I hope what's his name finally gets to play more now."

"They can't rely on me forever. Winning isn't always everything, I wish they would realize that."

"While that's a nice sentiment, when was the last time you actually lost?"

Harry opened his mouth, and then closed it, lost in thought.

"Towards the beginning. I was still healing, I hadn't completely thrown myself into training yet. I suppose there's worse coping mechanisms."

"I can think of some better ones," Draco replied softly, leaning forward to capture Harry's lips with his own.

They pulled away at the flash of a camera and the giggles Scorpius released.

"Harry? Can you still, you know," Scorpius asked, nodding his head at the snakes.

"Let's try."

Getting down on his knees and looking around quickly, Harry whispered a "hello."

"You speak my language," the snake replied.

"I do. My name is Harry."

"Harry, what's the snake saying?," Scorpius asked, eyes wide in excitement.

"That I speak their language."

"My name is Samara," the snake hissed.

"Her name is Samara."

"Hi Samara, I'm Scorpius."

"Samara, is there anything I can do for you?"

"The temperature in my enclosure needs to be warmer please."

"I'm on it. Thank you for speaking with me."

"Check on your tall mate."

"Draco?," Harry asked in confusion, turning around to see Draco biting his lip, lost in thought.

"Hmm?"

"Are you okay?"

"Of course I am. Gift shop?"

"I need to find an employee to fix the temperature in her enclosure. I'll be right back."

Casting a cooling charm at Draco, Harry went on his way to get the temperature adjusted. He made something up about having a veterinary science background, and mentioned some symptoms the snake would exhibit if the enclosure was too cold.

Samara, one of the smartest snakes Harry has ever met, knew enough to exhibit the symptoms as Harry was talking. This resulted in the temperature being turned up quickly and Harry promptly being thanked and offered an item of choosing from the gift shop. Harry turned the choice over to Scorpius, who of course wanted a giant snake plushie.

"So, parseltongue huh?," Harry teased as Scorpius asked the employee more questions than he could keep track of.

"What about it?"

"You like it, don't you?"

"I have a thing for men who can speak multiple languages. That's all."

"Don't be embarrassed, love. If you started speaking French to me I think I'd snog you against the closest hard surface immediately."

"Now that's something to keep in mind mon chéri."

"Just wait until we're alone again," Harry replied, clicking his tongue at Draco. "I'm going to look around."

"I'll keep an eye on Scorpius. Meet by the vending machine after?"

"Brilliant. I'll see you soon."

Draco let Harry softly kiss him goodbye before he walked over to a rack of souvenirs. He really thought he should buy something Harry might like, and his eyes caught on the bracelets.

"Interesting, very interesting."

Once home, Scorpius went down for a nap, and Draco and Harry cuddled up on the couch.

"I got me a present for you. You a present for me?," Draco tried again, wrinkling his nose.

"I don't even know what that means love."

"Open it, but then put it on me. This is temporary of course, I'll have to get a better one."

Harry raised an eyebrow when he removed a bracelet with snake charms on it that read "Harry."

"This is... for you?," Harry asked slowly.

"You said you wanted to see your name on me."

"Oh," Harry replied, clipping the bracelet onto Draco's wrist. "Oh yes, I like that a lot. I'll have to get you a better one," Harry murmured, kissing along Draco's neck. "Real silver. Real diamonds. Real emeralds. Nothing but the best for my Draco. I'm going to spoil you rotten."

"Harry. My room, not the couch."

Holding onto Draco tightly, Harry apparated them into his bedroom.

"Merlin, that's so hot."

"Wordless and wandless huh? I can't wait to show you what else I can do."

"A silencing charm, I hope. Throw in a locking one too. We don't have much time."

"I'll take what I can get," Harry murmured against Draco's lips, lifting Draco to settle him on his lap.

"My new favorite seat," Draco teased, pushing his hips down into Harry's.

"Sit here anytime you'd like."

"This okay?," Draco asked, repeating the motion.

"More than. I just don't want to start something we can't finish love."

"I think we could finish quickly if you're dedicated enough."

Laughing, Harry attached his lips to Draco's collarbone.

"I'll show you how dedicated I am."

"Absolutely perfect," Draco thought, stretching out on top of Harry with a grin.

He traced the marks he left on Harry's neck with his fingertips, and shivered at the feeling of Harry's magic washing over them.

"Can I do something for you?," Harry asked, caressing Draco softly.

"Less clothing next time?," Draco teased, kissing down Harry's face.

"I like the promise of a next time."

"I sure hope my boyfriend would want a next time."

"Call me your boyfriend again and next time will be right now."

"My boyfriend," Draco enunciated slowly, fingers trailing down Harry's chest.

"Oh-"

A knock at their door had Draco pulling back.

"Daddy, Harry?"

"Get to the bathroom, I'll take care of him," Harry instructed, helping Draco up.

"He's in the bathroom love bug, I'm coming."

"Your neck," Draco hissed.

Rolling his eyes Harry glamoured the marks before opening the door.

"Is it dinner time?," Scorpius asked, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"What shall we have?"

"Pizza?"

"Pizza sounds perfect. Let's go."

Harry quite enjoyed Draco's lingering glances all throughout the night. Once Scorpius was in bed, Harry felt himself pressed against the door.

"Let me see them."

With a grin, Harry dropped the glamour.

"When can I see you again?," Draco asked.

"That depends on my practice schedule and how mad they are that I skipped today."

"They read the paper don't they? If you show up with these tomorrow, they'll get the idea."

"Would you like that? If I showed up to work covered in my boyfriend's marks? Everyone will know it was you."

"Yes."

"I'll leave them then," Harry replied with a grin before pulling Draco into a searing kiss. "I'll see you soon my love."

"Oh. I like that a lot."

"Draco, my love. The light of my life. My-"

"Tomorrow night," Draco mumbled against Harry's lips. "Come see me. I don't care what time."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"Yes, it was."

Harry didn't stop smiling the whole night, and it was worth the teasing from his teammates the next day. He wore the marks proudly on his neck, and was looking forward to getting some more that night.