An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Keep Your Brittle Heart Warm
flightinflame @flightinflame
Chapters: 15/15
Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Teddy Lupin & Harry Potter, Delphi & Draco Malfoy
Characters: Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Teddy Lupin, Delphi (Harry Potter)
Additional Tags: Hogwarts Eighth Year, Falling In Love, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Harry Potter Raises Teddy Lupin, Death Eaters, Kid Fic, Recovery, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, canon-typical child abuse, Panic Attacks, Canon-Typical Violence, Torture, Grief/Mourning, Families of Choice, Friends to Lovers, First Time, minor character hospitalization, Forced Separation from Child, H/D Erised 2022, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Nightmares, Getting Together, Parselmouths & Parseltongue (Harry Potter), Expecto Patronum | Patronus Charm (Harry Potter), Domestic Fluff, Cuddling & Snuggling, Angst with a Happy Ending
Eighth-year offers Draco a brief respite before he returns to Azkaban. With a restricted wand, and memories of a girl who shouldn't exist, he has very little hope for the future. But when Harry brings Teddy into the school, and proves to be utterly clueless, things change beyond anything he could imagine.
"Delphi has to be the priority," Draco agreed, and he twisted, leaning in to brush his lips against Harry's – the movement gentle, tender.
Harry pulled back, looking a little shocked and uncomfortable. Draco was about to apologise when Harry managed to get in there first. "I'm sorry, Draco, I mean, you don't have to – I uh… I didn't mean to make you feel – "
"Potter," Draco snapped to get him to be quiet, and then he carried on. "Harry, I don't actually think you're the kind of person to blackmail someone by holding the safety of their – of a child hostage. And I don't think you did this to get a kiss, fun though it would be to inspire that kind of passion in the Saviour of Wizarding Kind."
"Because I wanted to. I know you're trying to fix things, but you're fighting centuries of bureaucracy. If the Wizengamot want to punish me, they will. But you've said you'll see how she is, and get me a photograph, and… you're the boy I've loved for years now. Hated, too, for a lot of it. But you cared enough to get me news about Delphi, to give up your weekend to check on her, and I wanted to kiss you."
"Oh." Harry stared at him, and Draco went to pull away, embarrassed at what he had admitted to. Before he could, Harry leaned in to kiss him. Between them, Teddy squealed in delight, grabbing at Harry's shirt.
