Samsara's Curse (Drarry Slowburn)

RECONCILIATION

The twenty-second of December was more hectic than Harry had anticipated it being, what with all the last-minute Christmas preparations, cleaning out and transfiguring two rooms for Harry's children to stay in, putting Luna's Crumble Cookies out of reach from sticky fingers, and general holiday madness.

As promised, Draco went with Harry to King's Cross, where he met James for the first time. The bold young boy, who resembled his father in many ways, took one look at him and curled his upper lip in disgust.

"James," Harry reprimanded him. "Don't be snotty."

The boy's distasteful expression never waned. He only became more infuriated by a future he dreaded. But the Slytherin never cowered, even as James got in his face, "If you lay even a single hand on Albus, I will kill you."

"James!" Harry shouted, aggrieved by his behavior. He assured Draco that he wasn't normally like this, but he truly had no clue how much he might've changed since Harry left. The divorce was rough for all of them, but it was rainbows and sunshine compared to living with a mother like Ginny.

Albus exited the train after his older brother, lugging an oversized trunk behind him, "Hey! You said you'd wait for me!" He was obviously peeved, but his face lit up when he saw Draco. "Mr. Draco!" he exclaimed, dropping his trunk beside James, missing his foot by mere millimeters. He buzzed with energy as he clambered over to the tall blond wizard, "Dad said in his letters that you're a Slytherin! Is it true?"

Draco chuckled at the boy's question, caught a little off guard, "Well, I was." He graduated Hogwarts a fair bit ago, and Frankly, he didn't want to calculate just how long ago it was, for fear of feeling old.

Albus held his arms akimbo, in proclamation, "Once a Slytherin, always a Slytherin. That's what I say." He shielded the side of his mouth with the palm of his hand, "Between you and me, this family needs a little less Gryffindor energy."

Harry heard him despite his attempts at stealth. "Excuse me?" he said, voice tinged with a mild challenge.

"What?" Albus squeaked. "I've always been severely outnumbered—you know that!"

"Did you pack all the things you needed to study?" Draco asked the boy, redirecting his attention. "I didn't forget." He had promised to help Albus with his Transfiguration studies over the break, and he wasn't intending on breaking that promise.

"I was hoping you wouldn't," said Albus. He smiled widely, pointing a thumb over his shoulder to the ground-bound trunk, "I checked everything off my list!"

James unfolded his arms at this interaction, his stubbornness melting ever so slightly. Over time, Albus had become fairly skilled when it came to judging the intentions of strangers. If he liked Draco, then maybe he wasn't all that bad. Possibly. Perhaps? Only time would tell.

-x-

When they got home, Harry and Draco showed the boys to their new bedrooms. Draco had taken the liberty of Transfiguring Albus's room and the furniture inside it to resemble the Slytherin dormitories. Albus gasped at the green drapes hanging around the bed's ebony canopy, "This is my room?" He leapt onto the bed to test its springiness, finding it to be sufficient. "This is awesome!"

Harry smiled, "You deserve it."

Albus lifted his chin proudly, considering the fact, "You're totally right—I didn't get any detentions this term." He directed a smug grin towards his older brother, "Guess how many detentions James got."

"Shut up, Albus!" James said through gritted teeth. He grinned nervously at Harry, who had raised his eyebrows in curiosity, trying to coax the truth out of him with just a look.