Harry Potter and The Charming Prince (BP7)

Harry was very flustered and frustrated. Trying to feed two small, hyperactive children while also trying to keep two infants happy was not as easy as it might have looked. Harry thought Emily might have needed to have her nappy changed, and he knew that Sev would want to be fed as well in a few minutes. April was standing on her chair, dancing, and Valen seemed to watch serenely but had barely touched his sandwich.

At least one of them was calm even if he wasn't doing what he was supposed to do.

Ron and Hermione had gone out to eat, and Draco was working on ... whatever it was he was working on in his study. Harry wished it was nap time rather than lunch.

"April, get down!" he said for the third time. "You're going to break your neck."

She pouted and crossed her arms, but did sit down when Harry gave her his look. He couldn't believe he had a look; he'd never thought he would have one before.

"Daddy, can I have a biscuit?" Valen asked sweetly.

Harry sighed, taking Sev out of his swing as he started to fuss. "You didn't eat your sandwich," he answered Valen, rocking the baby in his arms.

"I'm not in the mood for this," Valen explained, poking at the sandwich disdainfully.

Harry laughed at the five-year-old. "Oh, you're not?"

April looked between her brother, Harry, and her half-eaten sandwich, obviously contemplating her next move.

"No, sometimes I just don't feel like eating some things but want to eat something else instead," Valen explained in that ‘oh-so-reasonable’ voice he had that sounded eerily like Draco.

"Like sweets?" Harry raised his eyebrows, trying not to smile.

"Exactly," the little blond boy said with an arched eyebrow. "Don't you?"

"Sure," Harry answered. "But it's better to eat your real food first."

"I don't want this either, Daddy," April joined in, her little hand slowly pushing her plate away from her.

Valen gave her a look that said he felt she was just copying him but didn't object. "Yes, Daddy," he answered happily.

Harry rolled his eyes but ... they were cute, staring up at him with big green and blue eyes. And what would a biscuit hurt, really? It wasn't as if they never finished meals or ate sweets all the time and Harry wasn't really in the mood for the consequences of denying them a biscuit. They could eat dinner later. "All right," he said. "You can each have a biscuit. Just ... don't mention it to Daddy Draco, and you have to eat all of your dinner later."

Valen's took the offered biscuit but then his eyes grew wide, looking over Daddy Harry's shoulder.

Harry winced, knowing immediately what Valen was staring at. He turned his head to see Draco standing in the doorway.

"Hi, Daddy!" April greeted him, standing on her chair again and waving her biscuit around with her hand.

Draco was leaning against the doorway in that forced casual thing he sometimes did that was reminiscent of their school days. He arched an eyebrow at his husband, trying not to show his anger in front of the children.

Harry sighed, still rocking Sev who definitely wanted to be fed now. "You two go ahead and play," he told April and Valen.

Valen grabbed his sister, apparently spotting trouble when he saw it coming, and led her from the room, glancing back at his daddies as he did.

Draco hadn't moved from the door, arms still crossed over his chest.

Harry could tell Draco was aggravated, but he didn't want to be the first to speak. Instead, he began to take his shirt off to feed the baby, hoping it might calm Draco since he liked watching Harry nurse.

Draco huffed and strolled into the room, looking pointedly at the unfinished sandwiches.

"I know, I know," Harry said before Draco could speak. "What's the big deal? They're biscuits, and it's only lunch."

"We agreed they would not have treats if they didn't eat their food," Draco insisted, trying not to raise his voice even though he was very angry at the moment.

"Draco," Harry sighed. "It's not like I let them have the whole jar."

"It's the principle of the thing," Draco snapped. "You are always giving in whenever they want something they aren't supposed to have. What's the point of making agreements if you don't keep them?"

"It's food!" Harry said incredulously. "And I don't do it all the time."

"And I try to keep our agreements and come out looking like the mean father," Draco sneered.

"Mean father," Harry repeated, sighing once again. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it? It's almost like school again. You don't want to follow the rules, so you ignore them," Draco snapped, realising it was probably an unfair comparison but angry enough that he didn't stop.

Harry scowled. "Well, I'm sorry, Mr Perfect," he retorted. He knew it was wrong of him to have given the sweets, but he couldn't help the way Draco made him feel sometimes.

"I used to get so mad at you in school when the teachers would let you break the rules but punish me for doing so," Draco insisted. "It wasn't fair then and it isn't fair now."

"I did get punished in school," Harry countered, frowning. "And fine, I really am sorry," he added grudgingly.

Draco sighed. Unfortunately, his brain had suddenly reminded him of that crazy bitch Umbridge and her sick ideas of discipline. He shook his head and pulled out the chair next to where his husband sat. "Yeah, I remember," he said sadly, reaching for his husband's hand.

Harry adjusted Sev so that he could hold the baby with one arm, putting his hand in Draco's. He didn't know how the man managed to make him feel angry and then guilty within five minutes. "That doesn't matter," he said. "And I didn't even think of the way giving the kids biscuits would make you look."

Draco traced the faint hint of a scar on the back of his husband's skin. "Gods, you were bloody amazing standing up to that wacko," he whispered, remembering the times he was glad Harry broke the rules. "Thanks," he said, acknowledging Harry's words then.

Harry smiled and shook his head. "While you were off joining the Inquisitorial Squad and taking House points. I don't think either of us followed the rules very well."

Draco nodded, smirking as he lifted Harry's hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it. "I think that when we make the rules, we should. So you want to change the rule or follow it?" he asked.

Harry blew his fringe up out of his eyes, looking towards the ceiling. "I suppose I should follow it," he answered. The rule was reasonable and he knew that if the kids indulged in sweets too often they would never eat the foods they should.

Draco reached his other hand out to caress that fringe, pushing it back for his husband. He glanced down and saw that Sev had fallen asleep nursing. "Difficult to go from rebel to daddy sometimes," he teased.

Harry snorted. "Rebel Daddy?" he said dryly. "I suppose that does sound ridiculous."

Draco grinned. "Just be careful who you are rebelling against," he warned, leaning in to kiss his husband now.

Harry kissed him back. "You got it, love," he agreed. "I suppose I need to learn to resist their charms."

"I can't resist yours," Draco admitted.

Harry grinned at that one. "I hope you never learn to."

***

Harry smiled, shaking his head as Sev tried to get away again, crawling as fast as he could move. He reached for the little boy, pulling him back on the blanket. Ron did the same with Emily, who had gone crawling in the other direction.

"She won't hold still!" Ron exclaimed as Hermione laughed.

Harry chuckled as well. "Get used to it," he said.

All of the inhabitants of Malfoy Manor were outside on the sunny July day, letting the children get some fresh air. Sev and Emily, however, were proving to be quite the handfuls. Their chubby bodies wriggled and squirmed each time they were captured until they were released to try and escape from the blanket once again.

Draco was lying on the extra large blanket, head propped up on one hand. "We could race them. Put them both in the middle and see which one makes it to the edge first."

Harry snorted, setting Sev in the middle of the blanket. With a grin, Ron did the same with Emily and both men then sat back on their heels and waited. Not surprisingly, the babies didn't move at all, staring at their parents with their wide eyes.

Draco laughed. Harry turned and grinned at his husband before laughing along with him.

"C'mon, Em," said Ron, patting the ground and then giving a small whistle as if calling a pet. "C'mon."
She only continued to stare.

Draco rolled onto his back, laughing harder now.

Harry smiled, watching as Ron continued to try to coax Emily to crawl, and then, turning eyes on Draco, laughed in amusement.

"That's right, Daddy," said Hermione, reaching for Emily. "You can't make me race."

Draco lay on his back, smiling at his strange family and snickering softly. He wiggled his fingers at Sev. "Come to Daddy, Sev," he cooed.

Sev looked over at Draco, watching his fingers. After a moment, he lowered himself down, crawling towards Draco.

"Aww, that's it," Draco encouraged as the infant came closer.

Sev placed both hands on Draco's chest, patting lightly.

Draco picked the infant up, laying him directly on his chest and petting his hair. "Such a good boy," he told him.

Sev smiled down at Draco, showing the edges of two little teeth. With an affectionate smile, Harry bent down to kiss husband and son. Draco smiled up at Harry and then looked past him frowning. "The other two seem awfully quiet. Can you see them?"

Harry frowned a little as well, turning his head. He could see April standing a bit away, her shoulders slightly hunched. He exchanged a glance with Draco before he called out, "April!"

She turned her head quickly ... suspiciously, and Harry narrowed his eyes. "Come here!" he called.

She glanced behind her before beginning on her way, seeming to take as long as she possibly could, which was even more suspicious. April never walked when she could run. Draco turned his head to see his daughter, one hand still petting the infant on his chest.

Harry cocked an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" he asked.

April looked at him. "I'm not doing anything," she said.

Harry doubted that. "Really?" he said.

April nodded, her eyes wide as if that would prove she was telling the truth.

"Where's your brother?" Draco asked suspiciously.

Her eyes flashed to Draco and then back to Harry – very rapidly. "He went to the loo," she said in too careful a voice.

Draco arched an eyebrow, looking up at his husband.

Harry looked back down at Draco, frowning. "April," he said seriously. "Where is Valen?"

She frowned too. "In ... the loo." She sounded less confident about saying it.

Draco rolled to the side, lying the infant on the blanket again and sitting up to look around for their son.

Harry's heart began beating just a little faster as he looked around as well. He didn't see Valen anywhere nearby. He didn't hear him either.

Ron stood from the blanket, hands on his hips. "I don't see him out here," he said.

Draco handed Sev to Harry and stood up, craning around to look. He saw no telltale head of blond hair. "Valen!" he called out.

"Maybe he did go in the house," said Hermione, standing with Emily as Harry got to his feet with Sev.

April kicked the ground, studying her own feet.

"April Narcissa," said Harry, rounding on her. "Where is your brother?"

It took her a few moments, but, "I don't know," she answered, sounding upset.

"Leakey!" Draco shouted and moments later the elf appeared in front of them.

"Master Draco," Leakey said.

"Where is my son Valen?" Draco demanded.

Harry's heart was pounding now as he waited for Leakey's answer.

"Master Valen be on the Quidditch pitch," the elf said.

"The Quidditch pitch?" said Harry in confusion. "What's he doing there?"

"Flying," the elf answered.

"Merde!" Draco gasped and Apparated to the pitch.

Harry's eyes widened and his mind went blank for a moment. He mouthed silently, looking back at Ron and Hermione.

"Give him to me and go," Ron said quickly, taking Sev out of Harry's arms. As soon as the baby was secure, Harry was gone, Apparating half a minute after Draco.

Draco arrived on the field and then looked about. He saw his son – his five year old – high above him on a broom. He was torn between furious and proud as his mouth dropped open, staring.

Harry's reaction was almost exactly the same. He was stunned for a few long moments before shouting, "Valen!"

Valen was flying in a circle about ten yards above them. When Harry called out, he looked down, his eyes going wide in surprise. He squeaked and the broom spun.

Harry gasped, throwing his hand out to slow the broom. The broom stopped in mid-flight but Valen lost his grip and fell. His small body began to plummet toward the ground as he cried out.

Draco reached to draw his wand, knowing he could not be fast enough.