Chapter Text
Chapter One
Draco had just about touched his forkfull to his lips when the doorbell rang.
“Is someone coming over?” Aster asked him, through a mouthful of spaghetti bolognese. They had just sat down together for dinner in their kitchen. It was only the two of them because Malcolm and Chrissy would eat when she got home from orchestra practice. Draco hesitated, the hand holding his fork hovering over the plate.
“Did we get the wrong day for the car pool?” he asked his son, trying not to sound too hopeful about the possibility of staying in tonight. The parents of the under 17s football team took turns driving everyone to training on weekdays and Draco never wanted Aster to feel like the carpool shift was a nuisance to him. But it had been a long day at work, and football training ran into Emmerdale.
“I’ll go Dad” Aster said, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and going to stand up. Draco sighed, laying his fork down and standing up himself. “No love, you eat. We need to get ready to go.” He made his way from the kitchen to the hallway. Upstairs he could hear Malcolms shower running and tried not to feel miserable about the prospect of standing on the dark pitch for the next two hours, in January. In Salford. He was thinking of how he needed to remember to bring gloves this time - maybe Malcolm had one of those heat packs left from skiing? - when he opened their door and came face-to-face with Harry Potter.
Draco stared. Harry bloody Potter was standing on his doorstep, like some sort of apparition. He felt his heart beat pick up in his chest and his mouth go dry. Maybe because he hadn’t seen the man in 20 years, or because he was wearing full wizard robes, looking all heroic and windswept, in the middle of a non-magical suburb. But Draco’s brain was having trouble processing him as real. “Shit”, he thought, “Harry fucking Potter.” He found all he could do was stare.
“Who is it Dad?” Came Aster’s voice from the kitchen. Draco started, his surprise turning suddenly more sour, more nervous. Why would Harry suddenly appear at his home? How did he even know where he lived? Draco had completely left the wizarding world almost 15 years ago.
“Eh, Hello Malfoy.” Harry said, clearing his throat. He looked a bit sheepish, his hands fidgeting at his sides. Maybe he could sense that Draco’s brain was currently turning into jelly. “Can we maybe come in? We need to talk to you. It’s important.” “We?” Draco thought to himself, looking beyond Harry and noticing for the first time that there were two figures standing a few paces behind him. Bloody hell. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were watching him warily from the end of his driveway.
Someone touched his back and Draco flinched a bit. “Dad, is everything okay?”. Aster had come to the floor behind him and was looking out at the people standing at the door. Draco cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. Yeah.” he put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “Aster, you might recognise these guys. This is Harry,” Draco indicated to the man, “Hermione”, he said, pointing out the curly-haired witch and then the tall red-haired man beside her, “and Ron.”
Aster gasped, “woah, what?”. His brown eyes were wide as saucers. “Like the heroes?”
“Like the heroes”, Draco confirmed, turning back to the golden trio, who were now looking between Aster and himself, as people often did. “And this is my son, Aster.” he told them. Aster did a little wavey thing with his hand. Harry’s eyes did something, landing on Draco. Draco’s hand tightened over Aster’s shoulder a bit.
Suddenly, the sound of two quick beeps of a car horn broke through the air.
The car pool. Shit. “Oh crap, Aster get your kit.” Draco said to his son, waving in the general direction of the road and Aster turned to grab his things from the entrance of their home. “Did you eat? Do you have water?” “Omg Dad yes relax, I’m fine. I packed everything this morning.” Aster said, throwing on his jacket, kit bag over one shoulder. He gave Draco a quick side-hug, stepping out the door hurriedly. Looking at their guests he said “Ugh I can’t believe I’m missing this. I literally have so many questions. Hermione, you are my literal hero.” There was another beep. Aster ran down the driveway, waving back over his shoulders. “Byeeee!” He shouted and then there was the sound of him getting into the car and driving away.
The silence returned between the four of them, although it had come back distinctly more awkward. Draco shifted in the doorway, and sighed. “My family is inside. I can come with you.” He told them, directing his words more to the space between the three of them than anyone in particular.
He hadn’t kept up with anyone from the magical world. He didn’t know who the people standing in front of him were anymore, who they had become or who they worked for. Probably themselves. Probably everyone else worked for them these days. Draco had long since let go of any form of resentment towards his former classmates. He had grown to admire them, even had told his children of their bravery. But he also knew that there was no good reason the most important people in magical Britain were suddenly standing on his doorstep, 20 years after the last time he had seen them. 20 years after they had fought on opposite sides of a devastating war. Three months before his probation for the part he played in that war was to end.
Looking up to see Harry’s nervous expression didn’t do anything but emphasise his suspicions.
“We can’t be seen with you in the wizarding world. People are watching. Look- I’m sorry about this but- we can explain everything to you.” Harry scratched the back of his head, looking at Draco. He seemed sincere. It wasn’t comforting. “Please can we come in?”
Draco looked at them again for a moment, then stepped aside and opened his door wider for them. “Yeah” he said quietly, “yeah I guess you’ll have to.”