Drarry One Shots

Brilliant

Revised: 8/2021
Tags/Warnings: Dogs, Diagonally, Teddy Lupin, fluff, post war
Summary: Draco looses his dog while walking her. Luckily, a young boy with a handsome godfather is there to give her belly rubs so she doesn't run away, 

~~~

"Damnit, damnit! Where did that bloody dog run off to?" Draco scanned the edges of the large grassy park off an alley way in Diagonally. The park had been added a few years after the war, meant to provide a more relaxing environment that was friendly to young children. His Poodle Astra knew the area well as he walked her here frequently, and had tugged the leash right out of his hand and run off as they had approached. Now he was running, utterly undignified, through the grassy field looking for his dog.

The park was full of other dogs and families using the play grounds and benches. Kids rocketed frighteningly high on swing sets, making many adults anxious even with the knowledge of the many safety charms that covered the area. Dogs chased each other and balls that flew around the park of their own accord. Occasionally the ball would drop and let itself be caught, before launching again with several dogs after it. One of the most popular areas was the center of the park, which featured a magnificent dark wood tree. It's branches reached all the way to the ground, forming steps and slides and twisting up the trunk and high into the air. The large leaves were sturdy enough to sit on, and were bouncy in a way that attracted many kids into using them like trampolines.

Draco didn't find Astra until he looked beyond the large tree, able to see her shock white tail wagging furiously just around the edge of the trunk. Draco rushed over, though slowed when he realized she wasn't running, but laying on her back and getting belly rubs.

A young boy was petting her and giggling, his hair the exact color of hers. "Astra!" Draco called from a few feet away. His happy dog bounded up and circled him once before sitting at his legs. She barked happily as he grabbed her leash. Draco looked back to the boy, who's hair was now a much darker color. Draco was thrown aback for a moment. Metamorphmagi were rare, but not obscenely so. His cousin had been one, in fact.

He looked a bit closer at the boy, seeing some features that resembled Draco's. Curious, he waved. The boy smiled. "Hi!"

"Hello there. Thank you for catching Astra, she gets so excited to come to the park." Draco crouched so he was closer to the boy's eye level. He couldn't have been more than six years old, perhaps. "What's your name? I'm Draco Malfoy."

"My names Teddy! Are you my cousin Draco?" Teddy asked, bouncing excitedly.

"Well I think I am. Where are your-" Draco stopped. His parents had died in the war, he knew. Draco looked around for any familiar faces, trying to remember who had taken the boy in. Had it been the boys grandmother, Andromeda Tonks?

But he instead spotted a spry and utterly too handsome Harry Potter striding towards him with his hands in his pockets, an easy expression on his face.

"Hullo, Draco. I see you've met Teddy," Harry spoke pleasantly, reaching out to shake Draco's hand. Draco did, his surprise overtaking him for a few moments. He hadn't expected Potter (Harry?) to address him by his first name.

"Ah, yes," Draco said, feeling a little awkward and unsure. "He kept Astra here from abandoning me completely." Draco gestured towards his poodle. Harry took a good look at the dog, dropping to his knees to be eye level with the dog. Harry rubbed her ears and let her lick his face, laughing all the while.

"Don't tell me you picked her out because she would always match you," Harry teased, motioning with his head towards Draco's hair.

"I'll have you know I did not. It is, however, a nice bonus," Draco bantered. Harry smiled up at him, giving Astra another pat before getting to his feet.

"How have you been? Haven't heard much of you recently," Harry asked. Draco looked for any sense of malice in his expression, but only for a moment. Harry Potter had never been one to ask questions for the sake of pleasantries. He must have been sincere, which surprised Draco again. "I've been fine, thank you. I've been trying to stay out the papers. Looking for more of a quite life currently. I assume the same of you?"

Harry nodded, his eyes on Teddy who had creeped over to pet Astra, and now had the dog on her back to pet her belly once more. "Yeah, I want a calm childhood for Teddy, I know how all the attention can... really ruin some things for a kid." Harry spoke comfortably, though Draco found himself standing more awkwardly than he had been. He understood what Harry meant now, though he hadn't for a very long time.

"Yeah, well, I'd say you're doing a good job as a parent. Do you have any of your own?" Draco asked, then immediately wanted to cringe back into his skin. That had felt like much too intrusive a question. Harry didn't seem to mind though. He looked at Draco, a smile quirking the corner of his mouth. Draco didn't understand what was so funny.

"No, just Teddy for me. We're a happy little family. I even got us a small house off of Diagon, so we weren't in that enormous house on Grimmauld all by ourselves."

Draco nodded, wholly understanding. Sometimes he wished he could do the same, but he couldn't leave his ancestral home, bad memories and all. He did, however, lock up the wings that had been used when his Father had allowed The Dark Lord to use it as a head quarters. "I do remember that house being dreadful. Absolutely hated it as a kid." Harry laughed. "What about you?" Harry asked, gesturing at Teddy.

"Hm? Oh, you mean kids? No, no, just Astra. She's plenty for me," Draco laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Astra seemed to be in bliss, having Teddy's undivided attention. "Makes sense," Harry said. He looked like he was debating something, Draco watched his mouth work and open once before it snapped shut. Almost aggressively Harry turned to look away from Teddy and Astra, instead looking at him. "Do you want to come for dinner tonight?"

Of all the things Draco had considered Harry might be thinking, that had not been it. "Really?" He asked, then shook his head at himself for the stupid question. Though it seemed to make the tension leave Harry, who laughed at him.

"Yeah, sure. I've been wanting to... I guess, fix some things I had messed up as a kid. Would that be okay?" Harry asked, smiling at him again.

"Yeah, that would- yeah. Yeah." Draco swallowed the words he had been going to ramble, nodding. Harry's smile brightened.

"Brilliant."

"Yeah, brilliant." Draco found himself smiling much too softly at Harry, a fuzzy and uncomfortable feeling in his chest. Harry cleared his throat and turned away, though he was still smiling.

Draco wondered what this would turn out to be, and he was excited to find out.