moci9.cc 
‘I see.’ The anger drained out of Harry in an instant and his expression was so wounded that Draco wished he could just evaporate on the spot. ‘This isn’t over.’ Harry said as he turned on his heels and stormed out.
Draco collapsed into his desk chair and took ragged breaths trying to get his anxiety under control. A couple of stray tears escaped his eyes, but he scrubbed them away with such ferocity it made his eyes sting.
Twenty minutes later he’d calmed himself down enough to resume his work. He refused to leave his office for the rest of the day, but it worked out quite well because he ended up collecting the evidence he needed to prove the pills Harry received from the clinic fit his theory on the cause of the magic core separation. He sent the results off to Macmillan, since he’d be avoiding dealing with Harry as much as possible in the future. When he went home that night, he sent an owl to Pansy asking if there was any possibility that she could get a last minute international floo. He didn’t think he’d make it through this week without some moral support.
Forget about the war, Thursday 1st September was shaping up to be the worst day of Draco’s life. He stood on Platform 9 ? for the first time since the beginning of his seventh year of school. There were kids everywhere, shouting between carriages, pushing and shoving to get their luggage on as quickly as possible and finding someone to spend their first train journey with. There were parents laughing and crying, some doing so at exactly the same time.
Draco was on edge from the minute he stepped through the barrier. He’d taken a double dose of his potion, against his better judgement, and could only hope that he would hold up long enough for the train to leave before he had his inevitable breakdown. Pansy, god bless her terrifying soul, was waiting at his flat for him. She hadn’t hesitated when he’d ask her to come and he would forever be grateful for her.
He spotted Harry and Teddy loading Teddy’s trunk onto the train. He was clutching onto the owl Draco had bought him from Eeyelops which Teddy had named Eltanin because it was the brightest star in the Draco constellation. He’d been ecstatic when Draco had bought him the eagle owl and hadn’t stopped talking about him since. Draco was just glad he’d have a well-bred owl that wouldn’t drop his letters in the river like Draco’s first ever owl had.
Draco could tell that Teddy wasn’t faring much better than himself. His hair was a dull shade of brown instead of the turquoise it usually was, or even the bubble-gum shade of pink it sometimes turned when he was overexcited. Draco took a deep breath as he approached but didn’t have as much time as he’d have liked to compose himself because Teddy had clocked him and launched himself into Draco’s arms. Draco clutched him as close to his chest as physically possible without Teddy crawling inside him and resisted the urge to cry his heart out.
‘Hey little wolf.’ Draco said, his voice scratchy. He glanced over Teddy’s shoulder to see Harry standing there holding Eltanin’s cage, a conflicted look on his face. Draco supposed it was a mix between the hatred he was feeling towards Draco mixed with the empathy he felt at the fact this this was a tough day for the both of them.
‘I don’t wanna go.’ Teddy said into Draco’s shoulder and he was sure he had an actual pain in his heart. He wanted to tell Teddy that Draco didn’t want him to go either, but this was the most important day of Teddy’s life so far and all issues aside, Teddy needed Harry and Draco to be there for him today.
‘I know sweetheart, but I promise you you’ll have a great time. You can owl me, or your dad whenever you want.’ He let Teddy down again and he looked up with watery eyes that made Draco’s chest ache terribly. Teddy walked back over to Harry and Draco reluctantly followed. It appeared that Harry wasn’t going to acknowledge their issues today and Draco was glad that they could pretend to be mature adults at the very least for Teddy’s sake.
‘You sure you’ve got everything, bud?’ Harry asked him. Teddy nodded seriously.
‘Yes.’ He said proudly, puffing out his skinny chest. ‘I checked three times. Twice last night and once this morning.’ Draco felt a stab in his chest knowing Harry got to spend Teddy’s last night with him while Draco drank a whole bottle of chateauneuf du pape and cried watching The Parent Trap.
‘Good. Remember what we talked about?’ Harry asked him. Teddy nodded.
‘You and Da-Draco will love me no matter what house I’m in, but if there’s a house I really want to be in the Sorting Hat will take it into account.’ Teddy parroted.
‘You really said that?’ Draco asked Harry. A glimmer of warmth flooding through him that Harry included Draco when he’d told Teddy that.
‘Of course.’ Harry said stiffly, not looking at Draco. Draco supposed he should take what he could get.
‘You’d best get on the train Ted, it’ll be leaving soon.’ Draco told him. He plastered a fake smile on his face and blocked out the voices that were beginning to sound in his head. The noise of the crowd was getting louder and parents fought to shout at the kids who’d already got on the train.
‘Family hug?’ Teddy asked, looking hopefully between Harry and Draco. Draco’s insides squeezed uncomfortably, and he looked to Harry for a clue as to what to do next. Harry glanced sideways at him and shrugged a shoulder almost imperceptibly. Fuck it, Draco thought, this is Teddy’s day not ours.
‘Of course, Ted.’ Draco said a little nervously. Thankfully, Harry took over and pulled both Draco and Teddy towards him. Draco felt Teddy’s skinny little arm cling onto his waist while Harry’s stronger grip pulled across his shoulders. Draco held onto Teddy tightly and rested his chin on Harry’s shoulder. It was a blatant attempt at seeking comfort and he knew as soon as Teddy had left Harry would go off on one at him, but Draco didn’t care in that moment. This wasn’t how he’d hoped this day would go and if he could tell himself even for a second that they were still a happy family, he’d take it.
Draco was the first to pull away, trying his best not to get overwhelmed.
‘I love you.’ Teddy said, looking up at them with a smile.
‘We love you too.’ Harry said, Draco watched as the little crinkles appeared by his eyes as he smiled and Draco memorised his face.
They ushered Teddy onto the train and Harry handed him Eltanin. Teddy seemed to have forgotten his worries already when he spotted another boy, clearly another first year, who also had an owl. Teddy went straight up to him and started asking him all about his owl and the other boy lit up with excitement. Draco smiled as he watched their exchange and the two boys scrambled into the nearest carriage together. Draco focused on Teddy and keeping his breathing even as he tried to keep his anxiety at bay.
Teddy’s face reappeared in the train window just at the train doors closed and Draco took in a shaky breath as his eyes welled up with tears. “A Malfoy never cries, and especially not in public.” His father’s voice echoed in his mind.
‘Stop that.’ Harry hissed behind his smile as he waved at Teddy. Draco frowned for a split second before he realised he was fidgeting, shifting his weight from one foot to the other like a maniac. He stood stock still immediately and Harry shot him a strange look.
‘Sorry.’ Draco mumbled. “Malfoy’s don’t mumble!” His father’s voice came again. ‘Shut up Father!’ Draco whispered.
‘Christ, Draco. Will you get your act together? This is important.’ Harry said, turning to Draco. Draco looked at him and came right out with it; they were running out of time.
‘Harry, I know I’ve been an absolute shit, but I need you to help me here, for Teddy’s sake, please.’ He begged him. Harry’s expression softened, and he nodded. He reached out and grabbed Draco’s shaking hand, holding it tightly in his own and suddenly Draco felt like he could breathe again.
‘Thank you.’ He whispered. Teddy was grinning and waving frantically, and Draco managed to wave him off with a smile that was marginally less forced than he thought it would be. He focused on the feel of Harry’s hand in his own and at the very last second, Harry pulled Draco against his side and wrapped an arm around his waist.
All in all, it wasn’t the perfect send-off Draco had hoped for, but it was a fair amount better than he expected and as Teddy’s smiling little face disappeared into the distance, Draco held onto Harry with every fibre of his being.
Even after the train disappeared, Harry kept holding onto Draco. Draco wanted desperately to say something, but he didn’t want to break the spell and remind Harry that he hated Draco. He knew he’d been an arse and he didn’t deserve for Harry to be even fake nice to him, but he was selfish, and he wanted it.
‘I can’t believe he’s gone to Hogwarts.’ Harry said disbelievingly.
‘I know.’ Draco croaked hoarsely.
‘What was all that?’ Harry asked him. He loosened his grip on Draco’s waist and Draco’s heart dropped, but he didn’t pull away fully.
‘Harry, look, there’s a lot I need to tell you and it’s been a long time coming. I just don’t think I can do this today. With Ted going away and the fight we had and everything else I’ve got going on, it’s just too much right now. If you can just stop hating me long enough to let me get used to Teddy going, I promise I’ll tell you everything.’ He was rambling terribly, but he was finally done keeping secrets and finally done lying and Harry really did deserve to know the truth about it all, from beginning to end.
‘I can respect that, Draco.’ Harry said gently and Draco nearly fell apart. ‘For the record, I don’t think there’s anything you could do that could make me hate you.’ It didn’t seem to matter what happened, Harry always had the capacity for forgiveness.
For once in who knew how long, Harry and Draco departed from King’s Cross Station as awkward and tentative friends. It was more than Draco could ask for, and far more than he deserved, but his grief at saying goodbye to his little wolf until Christmas was dulled just a little bit by the hope that he was finally about to be a mature adult and confront his relationship with his ex-husband.
‘We’re going out.’ Pansy said later that night when Draco’s mood hadn’t lifted all day.
‘Why?’ Draco said. He was curled up on the sofa hugging a cushion against his chest.
‘Because you’re absolutely miserable and I’m sick of looking at your stupid face.’ She said bluntly.
‘I see.’ Draco sighed. ‘And where exactly are you planning on taking me?’ He asked, although he wasn’t going to agree to go anyway.
‘Out. To a club. You need it.’
Draco rolled his eyes.
‘I don’t need to get laid, Pansy.’ He moaned, he knew exactly what she was thinking.
‘Yes, you do. Have you even slept with anyone since Harry?’
Draco shot her a death glare.
‘Of course I have Pansy, you utter tit.’ He said angrily. There had been a string of one- night stands in the earliest months of his divorce which he’d somehow managed to hide from everyone he knew. It had been fun at first, lowering his inhibitions and forgetting about everything for a while. The company staved off the loneliness and helped him relieve tension. After a while though, he woke up feeling even emptier than he had before. He never brought anyone to his own flat; it was much easier to sneak out of someone else’s bed in the early hours of the morning.
He really didn’t feel like going to all that effort today.
‘Come on, Draco. You need to do something, and I didn’t take an expensive international portkey just to sit here and watch you mope like a child even younger than Teddy.’ She told him firmly. Sometimes Draco really hated Pansy, but he had to give the woman credit, she was always strangely motivating.
‘You know what? Fuck it. Let’s go.’ He said decisively.
