Cicatrices- Marks That Remain

Training Broom

Happy Sunday, Wonderful Readers! If you are like me, then you are VERY COLD. I am so cold. My area is hitting historic lows.

That being said, I am working diligently on finishing this story around school, work, and a research project. For now, I can still deliver on my promise of a chapter every week!

Please let me know what you all think, and, as always...Enjoy!

Harry and Draco approached the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch pitch, each with a broom in hand, and Harry toting along a basket of food, including half of the treacle tart Draco had baked yesterday. Already on the pitch, Harry spotted Ginny and Ron, each with their own brooms, Hermione, setting up a folding table and seats with her wand, and Teddy, playing jovially with his toys on the perfectly manicured grass of the pitch.

Ron spotted them first, giving a wave and holding up his broom with an enthusiastic pump in the air. Harry responded by mirroring the gesture with his own broom. When they got within speaking distance, the conversation kicked up at once.

"Hey, mate! Good to see you!"

"You too, Ron." He and Harry clapped each other on the back as they hugged. Hermione stood, stowing her wand in a pocket.

"Hello, Draco, Harry. How have you both been?"

"Alright," Harry said with a shrug. Draco merely shrugged.

Teddy, noticing Harry, turned his hair into jet-black curls in an instant as he stumbled into a toddler run towards Harry's knees.

"Ha!"

Harry's eyes widened in surprise as he instinctively knelt down to catch Teddy in his arms, as though it were something he did every day. As though he hadn't avoided the very idea of Teddy for the last two weeks...

Teddy held him tightly, his tiny fists gripping tight to Harry's shirt. Unbidden, Harry suddenly felt tears swelling in his chest and stinging at his eyes. He leaned into the embrace.

"Hey, Ted... I missed you." He said it soft- nearly a whisper, as though they were sharing a secret in the dark hours of the night. Something only they understood.

Teddy had his face buried into Harry's chest. When Harry dared to loosen their hug to let him play, Teddy only gripped him tighter, letting out a mewl of protest. Harry let him, opting to carry Teddy instead. Teddy wrapped himself happily around Harry's torso.

Teddy looked... different. Though Harry couldn't for the life of him figure out how. Perhaps he'd grown? Or, more likely, Harry was imagining things. Either way, it was perfectly clear that Harry had missed the boy terribly and didn't want to spend so much time away again. Teddy seemed to be feeling the same.

"I'm sorry that I was gone so long," he whispered into the boy's hair.

"What did you bring?" Ginny was opening Harry's basket and reaching in, pulling out various food items as she named each with increasing enthusiasm. "Fruit, sandwiches..." She dug around some more "Crisps...! Treacle Tart! We're eating good today! Thanks, Har,"

"Thank Draco for the treacle tart. He made it yesterday," Harry replied.

"That's nice," said Hermione, offering Draco a smile. Draco straightened slightly, his expression calculating.

"Thank you," he said finally. "How is your pregnancy coming along?"

"Oh, it's going well. I'm nearing the end of my first trimester.... I'm nearly past the point I was at... with our last one."