Fatherhood | drarry teen adoptive parents au

twenty five | end of term

Harry and Draco were late for the Hogwarts Express.

The last day of term was a glorious sunny day and the boys had been keen to get going quickly, but three-month-old Casper had decided to throw up his entire milk bottle all over Draco's robes just as the boys were grabbing their final cases, and then refused to settle.

He was in an uncharacteristically grumpy mood; not even Harry tickling his tummy could cheer him up, and they were beginning to despair.

"Come on, CJ," Draco muttered, jogging the baby gently on his hip as Harry performed the cleaning Charm on his robes. "You're usually such a good quiet boy! What's got into you?"

"I reckon it's because messed up his routine," Harry sighed, stowing his wand back in his pocket. "He wants his nap now- but you can't have your nap, Casper, because Daddy and I need to carry you onto the train and that will be noisy and keep you awake."

The baby clearly didn't understand anything his fathers were saying, but they liked to speak to him like adults anyway, as Draco had read that it was good for his development.

"Come here, silly grouchy boy," Harry said, relieving Draco of the weight of the small baby again so he could pick up a second case. "We've got you, haven't we? And you've got such an exciting summer ahead of you!"

He had. The plan was for Draco to sneak Cass to Malfoy Manor with him, and Harry would secretly join the two of them in an unused wing of the Manor once he'd sorted out some things at the Dursleys. Lucius and Narcissa wouldn't even know he was there, and it wasn't like Vernon, Petunia, or Dudley would miss him. And he'd get to spend time with Draco and the baby in a stretch of endless summer.

It would be heavenly.

But first they had to catch the bloody train on time.

Harry grabbed the little carry-cot Casper slept in, which they had cunningly Transfigured the
night before to look like another case.

He lowered the baby gently onto the blankets, and thankfully he quietened down pretty quickly. If Casper stayed silent like that, Harry realised with relief, no one would even know he was in there. He just hoped Draco remembered which cases were real and which one was really the cot with their son in it!

"Ready to go?" Harry checked, after a final surveillance of the dormitory.

Draco nodded. "Let's go."

***

Somehow the boys made it onto the train with a minute to spare, and then managed to keep Casper quietly entertained over the journey from Hogwarts to London - thankfully it was only Harry, Draco, Neville, Luna, Ron, and Hermione in the carriage, which made it much less stressful.

Harry couldn't believe they'd actually managed to keep Casper a secret over the entirety of the summer term. It had been no easy feat, and wouldn't have been possible without the help of their friends or the Room of Requirement, all of which had been a godsend. But they'd really done it. It made Harry very proud to think of what he and Draco had achieved together.

Watching Draco's slender hand rock Casper's carry-cot and sing under his breath to him on the train raised a fleeting sense of grief which pulled all the air out of Harry's lungs. He was really going to miss them both.

He'd seen Draco every day since the start of the school year in September, and Casper every day since his birth; it was crazy to think of substituting the unconditional love he received from them for the cold hatred of Privet Drive, even for just a few days as he unpacked and re-packed his bags.

Harry had decided it was best not to tell his aunt and uncle in person about his plans to visit Draco - a note in his room would suffice.
He would leave in the early morning the following Thursday, it had been decided. Two trains later, he'd be reunited with Draco and Casper, and he could forget all about the abuse he was subjected to at the Dursleys again.

Hopefully this will be the last time I'll ever see them, Harry mused as he stared at the scenery rushing past the train window. I'll be at Draco's all summer, and at Hogwarts for all the next terms and holidays after that, and then next year I'll be seventeen and they can't touch me.

The idea was monumentally soothing to Harry's soul. He found it hard to gate people as a rule, he wasn't the hating type. But he'd gladly have watched Vernon and Petunia Dursley slowly burn to death any day, if the situation arose.

"Right, come on, you," Draco's voice jolted Harry out of his thoughts. "Train's started pulling in at the station. Better say goodbye before my parents come into view!"

"Are we in London already?" Harry asked in dismay. A quick glance out of the window confirmed that they were indeed at King's Cross, and it was time to disembark. His heart sank.

Draco saw his anxiety, and acted quickly. "It's ok, lover," he said quietly. "I'll see you in less than a week, and I promise I'll send you a letter tomorrow to say how Cass and I have settled in."

Harry nodded, fighting back tears. "I'll see you soon, then," he agreed. "We'll be fine."

"We will. Now, give Cassy and me a kiss before we leave?"

Ron pulled a face. "Does he have to do it now?" He asked, only half-joking. Harry ignored him and pulled the blonde in for a long kiss, before turning to peck his son on the cheek and pop him back into the Transfigured cot so he was safely hidden. Feeling awful, he performed a subtle Muffling charm over the baby so he wouldn't accidentally reveal himself by crying.

"It's for his own good," Draco said gently, and Harry nodded. He gave his boyfriend a final, yearning glance, then turned dutifully to pretend to rummage around in his cases while Draco stepped off the train. It would cause problems for Draco to be seen with Harry by the Malfoys; he knew it was better to linger behind and let the blonde go first.

But watching Draco leave was like ripping half his soul away from him, and Harry was unable to stop a couple of tears dripping down his face.

"It'll be ok, mate," Ron said awkwardly, pulling his friend in for a hug before pulling him onto the platform. "You'll see him and Cas soon. And you know you're always welcome at the Burrow if you need anything in the meantime? Mum'd love to see you."

"We'd all love to see you," Hermione insisted, pushing Ron aside for her turn to hug Harry.

She would be staying at the Weasleys' for at least the first part of the summer, having decided it was too awkward to go straight home to her parents with the massive secret she'd been carrying for almost a year now.

"Have fun," Harry told her seriously. "I'm sure it'll be lovely. And I'll stop by and see you both when I can."

The three hugged once more, then it was time for Harry to make his own way back to Privet Drive, on his own again.

"Let's get this over with," he muttered.

________________________________

a/n: thank you for reading! i just saw im #10 in the tag 'drarryfanfic' which is pretty cool so thank you everyone for that 🥰🥰

so harry's about to visit malfoy manor for the first time ! pretty exciting stuff, i hope, but it may be about to get angsty so hold tight ....

~ paradisedraco