Hopes

It was so easy to forget about everything in His arms. Forget about Hermione, forget about Ron, and forget about the responsibility that sat upon his shoulders because he was the Boy Who Lived. Harry sighed and rolled over, waking Draco.

"Hmmm.... Something wrong, Harry?" Draco asked, draping an arm around Harry's naked waist. Harry smiled at the slight drawl Draco used subconsciously, but fatigue crept into his voice as he answered.

"Yeah. I have to go back soon. I told 'Mione that I would only be gone for a few days," Harry's eyes closed briefly, picturing his wife tossing and turning as she tried to sleep without him by her side.

"Harry, can I remind you of something?" Draco inquired, propping himself up on his elbow.

"Sure," Harry replied, rolling back over to face Draco.

"I called you back out here to relax, not to worry about your wife or your kids or your parasitic best friend. I called you out here to worry about having fun," Draco replied, a slight smile creeping into his face.

"Oh, and I suppose that you take me for a fool because I fell victim to you?" Harry asked, tickling the silver-haired man.

"Of course," Draco panted between laughs, causing Harry to laugh himself.

"You'll regret that," Harry threatened, his other hand moving further down. Draco gasped, moaning in pleasure while still laughing.

Harry stopped tickling Draco and kissed him instead. He loved to feel Draco moan against his lips, the pleasure-filled sound leaving Draco's body and filling his own.

"I love it when you do that." Draco whispered, snuggling close to Harry. Harry only nodded, loving the feeling of Draco's silky hair over his chest.

"Harry, can I ask you a question?" Draco queried as he looked up into Harry's eyes with the way Harry's little daughter Lily often did.

"Sure," Harry gulped, grimacing as his voice cracked.

"Can I go home with you?" Draco asked, his eyes wide with feigned innocence.

"What?" Harry asked, sitting up and pushing the younger man off his chest.

"I said-," Draco began, but was interrupted by Harry.

"I know what you said, it's just...Ron's already living with us, and 'Mione would get suspicious if I were to suddenly come back from Hogwarts with you," Harry explained, sitting up on the edge of the bed and letting his feet dangle in the cold air.

"Forget Hermione. I can convince her to let me stay," Draco said casually. Draco was acting as though he often targeted the families of former school rivals. Then Harry was an inch from Draco's face in an instant, his face red with anger.

"You better not touch her. She's my wife!" Harry snarled. Draco smiled and gave Harry a quick kiss. The crimson color began to recede from Harry's face, but he was still angry.

"She may be your wife, but you're cheating on her with your school rival," Draco replied smoothly, with the knowledge that he had Harry at a stalemate. Harry's eyes looked away, the defeat clearly visible in the twin emerald pools.

Harry moved away from Draco and sighed. Draco's eyes grew alight with joy as Harry turned back to face the younger man with a smile on his face...

...Checkmate, Hermione mentally announced as she moved the piece across the board. She enjoyed playing Muggle chess to relax, and lately even Ron had been learning how to play.

"Mommy! He's doing it again!" Lily's high-pitched voice rang through the entire three-story house. Hermione sighed and was ready to stand when she heard Ron's calming voice reply.

"James, stop torturing your sister. Lily, stop provoking your brother," Ron would always forget that the twins were only 6 years old and use words that they would most definitely not understand.

"Uncle Ron? What does 'pre-yolk' mean?" Lily asked, always playing the innocent little angel until she got what she wanted.

"It's 'provoke', Little Lily, and it means to make him do something. You keep making him levitate, and he doesn't like that, so he makes you hang upside down. Get it?" Ron explained. Hermione could just picture Ron kneeling next to the girl while she twirled a strand of her chestnut brown hair around her finger.

"Yeah, I got it, Uncle Ronnykins," Lily giggled, and Hermione couldn't help but chuckle.

Lily had learned of Ron's nickname from her Uncle Fred and Uncle George. Hermione sighed, remembering how disastrous that first Thanksgiving had been, and how it had been the Weasley family who had saved the day.

"Does Mommy get it?" Ron stuck his head into the living room. Hermione nodded wearily.

"Mommy misses Daddy, doesn't she?" James stuck his head in on the other side of the doorway. Hermione nodded again with tears in her eyes.

"When's Daddy coming back, Mommy?" Lily asked, appearing in the doorway. Hermione smiled at her little girl; she always loved to make a splash.

"I don't know, honey bunches. I really don't know," Hermione replied, opening her arms for a hug. Instantly, the twins ran into her open arms. Ron hung back, knowing that this wasn't his territory. But Hermione pleaded with her eyes at him, and he soon found his arms wrapped around her shoulders...

...The windshield wipers creaked as Harry and Draco drove threw the rain towards Harry's London home.

"Jeez, Potter, live far enough away?" Draco asked sarcastically. Harry threw him a look and Draco knew that he was pushing his luck. He had been lucky enough that Harry had agreed to take him home. Draco was not looking forward to returning to his home.

Lucius had disappeared as soon as Voldemort had come back to power, and Narcissa had been unable to continue without her husband. She now resided in the mental ward at Saint Mungo's, where Draco visited her twice a month. Draco was hoping that at Harry's house he would see the type of family that he had never had.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

"I'm home!" Harry announced as he walked in the door. He turned the corner to find Ron, Hermione, Lily, and James hugging. The group broke apart sheepishly as Harry cleared his throat.

"Harry! You're home!" Hermione exclaimed, throwing her arms around Harry's neck. She showered his cheeks with kisses, then looked into his eyes as she kissed his slightly swollen lips.

"Hey 'Mione. Someone's going to stay with us for a while, if you don't mind," Harry said, winding his arms around his wife's nimble waist.

"Who, darling?" she asked, love almost oozing from her eyes.

"An old friend," Harry replied as Draco stepped into Hermione's view. She gasped, and Harry could tell that Draco's ragged appearance was getting to her. Part of her wanted to let him stay and fix him up, but the other part of her wanted to slap him and kick his arse out of her home.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Granger, if I'm intruding," Draco said. "I was slumping around Hogsmeade and Harry offered me a warm home for a few weeks, until I can get back on my own two feet again."

Hermione resisted a sneer as she asked, "What about your parents, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco winced slightly as she returned the false amenities, but still managed to reply.

"My mother has fallen into a state of mental disrepair, and is currently residing at Saint Mungo's. My father disappeared after the Dark Lord rose to power again. I have no wish to join the son of a-." Draco hoped that Hermione would believe the sincerity in his voice.

"Watch it, Mr. Malfoy. There are small children around," Hermione snapped. She realized that she had no choice: Draco and Harry had obviously made amends for what Draco did to them at Hogwarts, and Hermione had promised to hold no grudges when she married Harry.

"You can stay. I'll give you the room across from Ron. Ron, you wouldn't mind showing Draco to his room, would you?" Hermione asked, looking into Ron's eyes.

"Of course not," Ron replied, forcing a smile. It relieved Hermione to know that Ron hadn't forgiven Draco either. She could tell in the tone of his voice, and the way he kept his back rigid when he climbed the stairs, that Ron would try his hardest to accommodate Draco. After all, Ron was still a guest in their house.

"Mommy, Daddy, who's that?" Lily asked, pointing up the stairs to Draco's slouched form.

"That, children, is our new guest named Draco," Hermione explained. Harry smiled at his wife's attempts to return everything to a state of normalcy.

"Hermione-", Harry began.

"I don't want to hear it, Harry James Potter. I know very well that you went to Hogsmeade to retrieve his sorry arse, and now you expect us to bend over backwards to support him when Ron and the twins are already stressful enough," Hermione said calmly. She had to keep her cool around the children, and so far she hadn't done very well.

"That's why I'm sending the twins away to enjoy a weekend with Arthur and Molly. We need some time to ourselves, and since Ron and Draco are capable adults..." Harry explained, pulling his wife into a hug.

"Oh, Harry! I love it when you surprise me!" Hermione squeaked as she kissed Harry passionately.

Little did Hermione know that the weekend would be more stressful than the twins could ever be.

END