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“Teddy, do stop squirming,” Draco sighed as he hoisted the excited toddler in his arms.
No matter how many times he did it, taking Teddy through the Floo always made his nerves jump.
“Hawwy! Hawwy!” Teddy squealed, bunching his little fists into Draco’s cloak. Unlike his beleaguered cousin, the prospect of travel by raging fire only spurred his excitement. Draco, on the other hand, was not so buoyed. These hand-offs, short as they were, always made him a little sad.
He liked having Teddy around. Even if it was only on the weekends, looking after him and spending time with him...it eased his loneliness. His social life since the war was non-existent. The trial had been far more favourable than he deserved and he knew he should be grateful for his freedom, his job at the Ministry and the substantial family fortune that still remained even after paying out countless restitutions. But now, one year into the ‘new era of hope’ — as the Ministry so loved to call it — he felt the pangs of loneliness far more than gratitude. His parents were exiled, his friends had fled and he seldom ventured out anywhere for fear of hexes, curses and judging glances. Having Teddy, even for the too short weekends when he wasn’t drowning in work, helped alleviate that.
Until he had to go, of course.
“Daco,” Teddy complained suddenly, planting a sticky hand on his cheek. “Hawweeeee...”
“Yes, yes. I know you want to see Potter,” Draco grumbled. “Merlin knows you prefer him to me, as you should.” He settled Teddy on his hip and cast a quick Cleaning Charm on the baby's hands. The last thing he needed was Potter finding fault with his handling of their shared charge. He knew it was another thing he should be ‘grateful’ for — that both Potter and Andromeda supported his spending time with Teddy — and he was. But, with Potter...well, there would always be some tension there.
They’d subsided so far on small talk and the occasional slip into their old ‘bickering’ — as Andromeda liked to call it — but...well, Draco supposed he was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Potter had shown no signs of wanting to change their arrangement — Draco had weekends with Teddy, while Potter and Andromeda shared the week — but it still worried him that he might someday. And that Teddy wouldn’t miss him if he did.
“I’ll bet he spoils you,” he told the baby solemnly. Teddy gazed up at him with big, guileless eyes, listening with rapt attention. He always looked at Draco like that — like he was the most fascinating thing in the world. Draco would be lying if he said it didn’t stroke his ego just a little, but then he was quite sure he looked at Teddy the same way. “It’s all candy and sweets and that awful Muggle telly-thing, isn’t it? That’s why you like it so much with him. Well, I don’t see him reading the Wizard and the Hopping Pot six times before you go to bed. You’ll appreciate me a lot more when you’re older.”
“No bed!” Teddy protested, his eyes going even wider. “Hawwy.”
Of course. Draco rolled his eyes and gathered him close. “Alright,” he sighed, raising his wand and lighting the fireplace. “Let’s go see your godfather then.”
Grimmauld Place was a sight these days. Draco emerged from the fireplace, still clutching Teddy like his life depended on it, and took a look around.
The once dark, dreary and authentically pureblood house was now an odd mix of contemporary Muggle decor and bare-brick Industrial style — although the latter was probably thanks to Potter’s insistence on renovating the old house of horrors. Draco raised an eyebrow at the stripped floorboards and exposed walls, not to mention the wretched telly thing holding court in the living room. At least, it was turned off.
All in all, he supposed it wasn’t the worst attempt at interior decorating. At the very least, the large windows allowed for plenty of sunshine and the garden outside was no longer swamped with fluxweed.
“Potter?” he called, when the man himself showed no signs of appearing and greeting his guests like a civilized wizard.
“Malfoy? Is that you?” a voice called from somewhere in the interiors of the house, followed by the patter of footsteps.
Honestly. Who else would it be? He’d been here three minutes and he was already annoyed. Still, for Teddy’s sake, Draco pushed it down and resolved to be civil.
“Were you expecting someone else?” he asked, trying not to sound too accusing. Potter should not be expecting anyone else when he had a prior engagement, of course, but his business was his own. “Perhaps I should have called ahead…”
“It’s no problem,” Potter replied, finally emerging from the corridor. “You just surprised me, that’s all.”
Draco froze in his tracks. Potter smiled at the sight of them — Teddy in particular, he was sure. His hair was a fright and he was sporting those low slung denims he liked so much. There was a tool belt slung across his waist. Most noticeably however — and the reason Draco was having trouble formulating words anymore — was that Potter was shirtless. Shirtless with streaks of dirt running the length of his chest and tracking down his arms.
Oh.
Draco swallowed. His throat felt much too dry all of a sudden.
“You caught me in the middle of a project,” Potter was still talking, evidently oblivious. “I must have lost track of...oh hello, Teddy Bear.”
Teddy, who’d been bouncing excitedly ever since Potter appeared, shrieked in delight and grappled for him with chubby arms. Potter leaned over to buss a kiss to his head. Draco swallowed again as he drifted near, bringing the curious and not entirely unappealing scent of wood-dust with him.
“Hawwy, Hawwy!” Teddy chirped, reaching out for him with his no doubt sticky hands.
“I know, I missed you too!” Potter said, tickling his tummy and drawing out a happy giggle. “Did you have fun with cousin Draco?”
The sound of his name from Potter’s lips brought Draco back to the present. He cleared his throat and took a small step back, hoisting Teddy back up. “He did,” he answered. Teddy turned to him at once at the sound of his voice and Draco smiled, giving him a gentle bounce. “We read stories, fed the ducks and painted on the terrace. Or rather, we painted the terrace.” The house elves would have a time of getting Teddy’s handiwork off the marble flooring, but he didn’t think they’d mind. They were utterly besotted with him.
“Sounds like fun,” Potter returned with a grin. “But he always has fun with you.”
Draco raised an eyebrow at that. Was that a jab?
“I hardly think so,” he retorted. The impulse to disagree with Potter was as strong as ever. “He’s always asking for you when he’s at mine.”
Probably because you spoil him to bits, he thought mutinously.
Potter chuckled and shook his head. “I’m not surprised. He’s always asking for you when he’s here.”
He did? That...was certainly a surprise. He’d always assumed he was the ‘extra’ in this little dynamic they had going on. Andromeda was Teddy’s grandmother and Potter was his godfather. Draco was just a second cousin, hardly a notable title or connection. To hear that Teddy actually missed him when he was gone...he had to admit it brought a bit of warmth to his soul.
He smiled down at Teddy, carding a gentle hand through his downy curls. “Well,” Draco murmured, his tone softening a little — even for Potter, “you’ll have to tell me how he gets on this week. Same time Saturday, I presume?” He moved forward to bundle the baby in the man’s arms but Potter didn’t reach out to take him. He just stood there, smiling faintly.
“Actually,” Potter said. “I was wondering if you’d consider staying a while?”
Stay? Stay here? Draco gave him a nonplussed look and Potter gestured to himself. To his still shirtless self. Draco pointedly averted his gaze.
“Like I said, you caught me mid-project. I could use a shower and I wouldn’t want to leave Teddy all by himself…”
Oh. Well, that...sounded very reasonable. They could hardly leave a two-year-old unsupervised. Still, Draco hesitated. This arrangement only worked as well as it did because they stayed out of each other's way. He had never presumed to stick around while Potter minded Teddy before…
“What do you say, Teddy Bear?” Potter took the decision out of his hands by turning to Teddy. “Do you want Draco to play with you while I clean up?”
“Yes!” Teddy squealed and clapped his hands. “Daco!”
“Potter!” Draco protested, but the damage was done. Teddy gazed up at him with a gummy smile and bright eyes and all his protestations died in his throat. Draco sighed, smiled at him and nodded, then gave Potter the reproachful glare he rightly deserved. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re stuck with me,” Potter retorted with a shameless smirk. “Go on and make yourself comfortable, yeah? We can get takeout for dinner or something.”
He sauntered off, leaving Draco behind to deal with a deliriously happy toddler.
Wait. Did he say ‘dinner’?
With nothing to do but wait around while Potter straightened himself out, Draco took him at his word and made himself at home. Teddy was more than happy to accompany him as he took a round of the house.
He was rather curious about how Potter lived these days. Word was he’d declined to join the DMLE and spent most of his time at Grimmauld Place, fixing up the old horror.
Judging by the half finished carpentry projects and the worktable in the corner, it would seem the rumours were true. Home renovation seemed to be a passion, if not a lifestyle for Potter and Draco had to admit, he seemed to have a knack for it. Walburga’s portrait, for instance, was conspicuously absent from the foyer. That had to have taken some amount of magical prowess to Unstick. The rest of it was quite impressive too. Draco ran a finger down the length of a polished mahogany table. This was definitely hand-crafted, perhaps even without magic. Impressive.
Surely, the rumours about Potter going into hermit mode were an exaggeration though. If the papers were to be believed, he hadn’t ventured into society for months. Of course, Grimmauld Place was heavily warded against intruders — something Draco heartily endorsed given how much time Teddy spent here — and only a select few were permitted entry. Likely, Andromeda, Teddy, Weasley and Granger of course and...himself. But that hardly meant Potter’s supposed loneliness was anything like his. He was Potter, he must have an active social life. Why, he probably had any number of fans and admirers.
Probably has his pick of them too, if the Prophet got a photo of those abs, Draco thought dryly.
Salazar help him, that image was going to stick. But then, he’d been dealing with unresolved feelings for Potter since Fourth Year so it was hardly a revelation. No point in revisiting that mess, certainly.
“Daco,” Teddy piped up, tugging his sleeve and pointing down the hallway. “Toys!”
“You want your toys?” Draco repeated meaningfully. He did his best to enunciate and speak full sentences around Teddy. Of course, he was too young just yet, but all the books said children were like sponges at this age. He wondered if Potter had read any child-rearing books before taking this up. Draco snorted at the thought. Far more likely, he was going on instinct, like he did with everything else.
“Toys,” Teddy repeated solemnly.
“Alright,” Draco sighed, carting him off to what he supposed was the play area. Somehow, he doubted that Potter had invested in intellectually stimulating playthings. Far more likely, he’d just picked out whatever was loudest, brightest or shiniest. Oh, wouldn’t this be fun? “Let’s go see what brain numbing entertainment Potter has in store for us.”
Teddy squealed and nearly fell out of his arms as Draco entered the little playroom. He put him down hurriedly and paused to take a look around.
Well. It would appear he was mistaken.
While there was no dearth of loud, bright and shiny, it was also obvious that a great deal of care had gone into this space. First of all, it seemed that Potter had built most of the furniture himself. There was a rocking horse in the corner, a little desk and chair set complete with paints and pictures strewn about, some building blocks with bright letters and a little hand-carved broomstick. Draco raised an eyebrow at that last one. He picked it up to investigate, taking note of the fine finishing. It was a charming piece, although certainly not something Teddy should be near without supervision for a few years. Then again, it didn’t seem charmed to fly yet.
He may have judged Potter a bit too soon in this — and it wouldn’t be the first time.
He shook his head, feeling slightly bemused and turned to watch Teddy. His baby cousin was busy with the blocks, which gave Draco an opportunity to snoop some more.
That was when something in the corner caught his eye.
“What…?”
Draco frowned. This...wasn’t something he was familiar with. He wasn’t exactly an expert in Muggle toys but he knew enough to recognise them or at least, figure out how they worked. With the exception of the one time Teddy’s clockwork dog had barked at him and nearly scared ten years off his life, he hadn’t come across any that stumped him.
But this thing was odd to say the least.
It was a board, that much he was certain off. Wooden, stuck to a wall, placed at about Teddy’s height. So it was definitely meant for him. But what really caught Draco’s eye was the strange collection of bits and pieces attached to the board. They were mostly Muggle odds and ends. Some of them were just metal bolts and latches for doors. Just...stuck to the board, seemingly without purpose. Draco pulled one to test it. The latch opened as he slid it and then shut when he slid it back. It didn’t open or close anything, so it was utterly devoid of function. And that wasn’t even half of it.
He spotted several switch buttons too — the kind Muggles used to turn on lights or answer a door. Draco pushed one, half expecting a light to go off somewhere but nothing happened. Some small mirrors...at least they were doing what they were supposed to although Draco could hardly guess their purpose on the board. A metal spring welded with a hook; it extended when he pulled it and then sprung back into place. There was also a small section with fabric swatches, buttons and zippers. A shoelace, threaded with beads and tied up to make a zig zag across the board. And that thing, in the corner of the board...he didn’t recognize it. Draco’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. It was glued on too. Flat and squarish, with odd little buttons, numbered from 1 to 9 and the letters C and AC.
“What in Merlin’s name is all this?”
Teddy pattered over to investigate. His eyes widened at the sight of the mystery board. “Ooh,” he declared, grabbing the switch immediately. His little hands went to explore and investigate the entire selection of Muggle rubbish and if Draco wasn’t so confounded, he might have stopped him.
“My,” Teddy decided, when Draco prodded at the flat square thing again. Could he turn it on? What did AC mean? What did any of it mean? Teddy huffed at being ignored and made grabby hands at the thing. He must have done something because numbers started lighting up the small rectangular screen.
“What the…?” Draco blinked and leaned in to glare at the numbers. “How did you…?”
“My,” Teddy declared, louder this time.
“Wait a minute. I’m trying to understand how this…”
“No! My!”
“Teddy, no.” Draco huffed as Teddy tried to push him away. “You have to share. Go play with the spring instead.”
“I see you’re both entertaining yourselves just fine,” an amused voice spoke up behind him. Draco startled and turned around, giving Teddy ample opportunity to squeeze in around him and seize control of the board. Potter just grinned at the sight, still towelling off his wet hair.
“I…” A blush crept up Draco’s neck. Of all the embarrassing, ridiculous situations to put himself in. And around Potter. How long had he been standing there? “I...I was…what in Merlin’s name is that?” Draco straightened himself and pointed imperiously at the board, determined to recover some ground here.
Potter’s grin widened. “That would be my new project. I was just finishing it up when you arrived.”
“Finishing it,” Draco echoed blandly. “And is it? Finished?”
“Well, yeah. What do you think?”
Draco was utterly nonplussed. “I...think it’s bits of Muggle rubbish glued to a board,” he answered frankly. Potter looked even more amused now, and it was starting to annoy him. “The buttons don’t do anything,” Draco protested. “That switch thing doesn’t work. And what are the mirrors for?”
How could it be ‘finished’ if half of it didn’t work right?
“It’s called a ‘busy board’,” Potter explained, and that was definitely humour lighting up his green eyes now. “And from what I saw, it’s working just fine.”
Draco crossed his arms, even as an embarrassed blush rose to his cheeks again. “What exactly is it for, Potter?”
“Come here, I’ll show you.”
Potter tugged his arm, leading him to the board again. Teddy ignored them. He was still pushing, prodding and pulling at everything, utterly consumed. “See?” Potter grinned, gesturing to him. “Busy.”
Draco shook his head helplessly. “I still don’t get it.”
“I didn’t either, at first,” Potter replied. “But apparently, they’re very popular with Muggle families. Hermione told me all about them.” His hand was trailing the length of Draco’s arm as he spoke. Draco’s breath hitched in his throat. “They’re like little activity centres and they’re supposed to be great for building motor skills. Teddy’s learning all kinds of things right now. How small tools work and what he can do to make them work.” The hand was moving to the small of his back now and Draco was just barely keeping up with Potter’s words. “He’s learning how textures feel and how to unhook strings and open locks and hinges. It’s great for his development. And my peace of mind.” Draco frowned and Potter gave him a grin. “He runs off with my keys all the time. I can never find them.”
Ah. Draco nodded in understanding. Children did love playing with the things they saw grownups using, no matter how dull they were. He couldn’t count the number of times Teddy had scampered off with his goblin crafted pocket watch.
“I might have to get one of those myself,” Draco murmured thoughtfully.
“For you or Teddy?” Potter asked innocently.
Draco scowled and dug an elbow in his ribs. Potter laughed and dodged artfully, wrapping an arm around Draco and pulling him a little closer. “For the record,” he murmured, his voice teasing in Draco’s ear, “it’s called a calculator. Muggles use them to do sums.”
“And you’re called an idiot,” Draco grumbled, putting up a decidedly half-hearted struggle. “Let go of me, you cretin. Your godson is right over there.”
“Well, it’s a good thing he’s distracted then,” Potter retorted. His hold tightened. His lips brushed the shell of Draco’s ear. He smelled like mint and pine and a little wood-dust, and Draco’s struggles were ceasing and his body was going limp against his bloody will. Potter chuckled and angled his head, letting his lips brush down Draco’s jawline now. It was utterly unfair and Draco wasn’t sure which end was up anymore.
“You’re so good with Teddy,” Potter murmured. “You love him so much and he adores you and it shows. You’re so good, Draco. And it helps that you look like you walked out of my fantasies. Everytime you come here with him, all I want to do is ask you to stay a little longer.”
“Potter…” His voice was a raspy whisper. All of this...he couldn’t get his head around it fast enough. Potter had been watching him? Potter wanted…?
“So, I’m asking. Stay a little longer? Just for dinner?” Potter’s grin flashed against his throat. “I’ll let you play with my toys.”
“You’re absolutely ridiculous,” Draco muttered. Warm lips brushed his neck in a small kiss and heat shot up the length of his spine. It took all his wherewithal — not to mention, the toddler ten feet away — to step away and out of the man’s grip.
Potter let him go, thankfully. It gave Draco a little time to consider his options. As far as internal deliberations go, it was a rather short one.
“Fine,” he declared, trying his best to sound collected and aloof. Appearances did matter, after all. “But just for dinner.” He flashed a warning look when Potter’s face lit up. “And you will behave yourself while there’s a child present.”
“I can do that,” Potter replied, his grin turning rakish. “Besides, Teddy has to nap sometime.”
They turned back to the toddler. Teddy ignored them both, jabbed violently at the calculator and tugged at a latch. Draco rolled his eyes. He’d been so concerned with losing Teddy’s affections to Potter. Apparently, he should have been worrying about a plywood board instead.
“At least your keys are safe,” he told Potter dryly.
Potter smiled back and his fingers brushed against Draco’s. “At least,” he replied, looking endearingly bashful after all his bravado. “And...now I have time to get to know you better.”
Draco had half a mind to roll his eyes again. He couldn’t imagine why he let his fingers wrap around Potter’s instead. But, as they left Teddy to his devices — still ignoring them, by the way — and headed to the sofa for...conversation, he supposed he could figure it out later.
This ‘getting to know you’ business sounded promising. And if Potter’s mischievous grin was anything to go by, he rather thought he was in for a busy evening himself.