POGRĄŻENI W SZAROŚCI 4 - 16.pdf - Drarry - Kotani

Chapter 4

:: :: :: :: ::

Sunday, 29 February, 2004

The owl preened its dark feathers, as it had been doing since the sun rose. It was sleepy, but it

wasn't time to leave. Not yet.

It paused to glance at the street below, tilting its head to the side for a better view. A cat

slinked into an alley, sticking close to the buildings. The owl blinked once and looked away.

Its belly was full. It settled back against its perch under the eaves.

People occasionally strolled past: a woman with children; an elderly couple; a man carrying a

sack. The man paused outside the building's door and looked both ways, then lit a cigarette.

He leaned back against the brick, exhaling smoke in a steady stream. He clutched the sack

tightly to his side, raised the hand holding the cigarette to brush brown hair out of his face,

then returned the cigarette to his lips.

A few more long drags, and then the cigarette was dropped to the pavement. The man stepped

on it firmly and looked around again. He started for the doorway to the building, reached into

a pocket and produced a set of keys – and froze.

He was very still for several seconds, and then he looked up. The owl shifted on its perch,

tilting its head. The man's eyes looked beady from so far away, but he was staring right at the

owl. The owl stared back, unblinking.

The man looked away and pressed the key into the lock, and opened the door.

:: :: :: :: ::

A whooshing sound emanated from the fireplace. Draco looked up just in time to see Harry

step out, holding a small child in his arms.

“Can we do it again?” the child asked, arms twined about Harry's neck.

“Later, Harley. This is Draco. Say hello.”

The child stared at Draco for a moment, then buried his face in Harry's neck. Draco forced a

smile.

Another whooshing sound announced the arrival of Hermione with another child in tow. She

stepped out of the fireplace and smiled in greeting, shifting her daughter on her hip. “Cally, I

need you to– ow!” Hermione winced as the child tugged at her hair.

“Mummy, I'm hungry.”

“We'll eat soon.” Hermione set the girl on the floor and brushed the ash from her clothing.

She looked up at Draco and smiled. “Good morning.”

Draco smiled in return, though his stomach was twisting in knots; he'd been dreading this

brunch all weekend.

“Need help?” Hermione called into the flat's small kitchen.

Manny's head popped around the corner. “No, it's all under control.”

“Manny!” the twins chorused, running to cling to his legs.

He gasped at them, as if surprised to see them there. “Oh, I forgot you two were coming! I

have to cook more broccoli.”

The children giggled. “We don't eat broccoli for breakfast,” Cally chided.

“Oh, that's right,” Manny replied, grinning down at them. “Spinach, then.”

“No!”

“Cauliflower?”

“Children,” Hermione groaned, prying Harley's arms off of Manny's thigh. “Let him cook, or

we'll never get to eat.” She herded them to the sofa and rifled through the bag she'd brought

along, producing a coloring book and some crayons.

“Mummy, we aren't really having cauliflower, are we?” Cally's eyes were large and blue.

Harley giggled again and picked up a crayon.

“Even if we are, you'll eat it,” she warned, then turned to Draco. “Good morning.”

Draco grinned. “You already said that.”

“I did, didn't I?” She shrugged, and with an embarrassed grin, slipped into the kitchen.

“Good morning,” Harry said. He was standing so close that his breath brushed against Draco's

ear. It tickled and Draco reached up to scratch it, fingers brushing the jade stud in his ear – the

one Harry had given him a few weeks ago, just before they had shared their first kiss. Draco

felt a twinge of pleasure at the memory and smiled. Harry's eyes followed Draco's fingers, and

he smiled back. Just as Harry leaned in to kiss him, Draco remembered he'd not cleansed his

mouth after sneaking a cigarette.

“Coffee?” Draco asked, ducking away.

“Um, sure,” Harry replied, a quizzical expression on his face.

Draco headed to the kitchen, cursing himself. He'd have to find a moment he could get away

to wash his mouth out. Harry'd been so pleased that he was trying to quit – and he was trying,

really. But the thought of this morning's breakfast, after the tension of the last few days, had

nearly done him in. It had only been one cigarette. Each way of the walk to the grocer's.

He returned with two mugs. Harry was sitting next to Cally, acting as if he were impressed by

the child's artistic skill.

“Yes, it's a lovely… er, tree. And so very purple, too.”

Cally beamed at him. “An' that's you,” she said, pointing at a squiggle of crayon. She pointed

to another larger squiggle. “An' that's Mummy and Uncle Manny.”

“All run together?” Harry asked.

“They're kissing,” Cally replied with a giggle.

“Ah,” Harry said. He frowned at the paper and tilted his head, as if that would afford a better

perspective.

“Coffee?” Draco offered. Harry smiled at him and took the cup.

“Uncle Harry…” Harley had appeared next to Harry and was tugging on his shirt. Draco

smiled down at the child, and Harley returned a suspicious stare.

“What is it?” Harry asked.

“Who's he?” Harley was still staring at Draco. They'd already been introduced, but it was as if

Harley had just noticed him.

“That's Draco,” Harry replied. “He's… my boyfriend.”

“Oh,” Harley replied, blinking. To Draco's surprise, Harley reached up and took Draco's hand.

Draco didn't know whether to be more pleased that Harry had acknowledged him or that

Harley seemed to have accepted him so easily.

Cally began humming to herself and picked up another crayon. Harley tugged Draco's hand,

pulling him away from the couch. Draco cast a questioning glance at Harry, who just smiled

at him and looked back to Cally's drawing. Harley led Draco to the kitchen. Hermione and

Manny were standing over the stove, conversing quietly.

“Mummy, I'm hungry!” he announced.

Hermione turned toward them and seemed genuinely surprised to see Draco standing there.

He shot her a helpless look. “Not much longer,” she replied.

Harley made a whining sound and turned, pressing his face right into Draco's crotch. Draco

jumped back in surprise.

Hermione laughed. “He's worse than a dog that way.”

Draco blushed, not sure how to respond.

“ Draco is Uncle Harry's boyfriend ,” Harley announced, now hanging from Draco's hand.

Hermione smiled. “Yes, he is. And who's Mummy's boyfriend?”

“Uncle Manny!” Harley chimed. Manny turned from stirring eggs to beam at him.

“Let's not bother them,” Draco said tugging Harley's hand. “Let's go and… er, color, shall

we?” He winced; he was terrible with children.

Harley dropped his hand and dashed back to where his sister was coloring with Harry.

Hermione tilted her head and smiled at him. “You're doing fine,” she said.

Draco snorted. “Am I?”

He returned to the living room to find Harry with a child in his lap and another waving a

paper in his face.

“Look, Uncle Harry, look!”

“Yes, Cally, that's very nice. Ouch! Watch your foot, Harley.”

Harry shot Draco a grin. He was clearly enjoying the attention. The thought of being covered

with small children made Draco's skin crawl.

“It's you and Draco, see?” Cally grinned at Harry and Draco in turn.

Harry took the paper and examined it. As far as Draco could tell, it was a multi-colored

squiggle.

“Oooh,” Harry replied, casting a conspiratorial glance at Draco. “We seem to be kissing in

this picture.”

Cally and Harley both giggled. Harry smiled, and for a moment, time nearly stood still. Draco

felt something in his belly melt.

“Uncle Draco,” Harley said, tugging his hand. Draco glanced down at him. Wasn't it

confusing for these children to think they had so many uncles?

“Yes?”

One of Harley's hands was squeezing his crotch. “I haff to wee.” He craned his neck up to

stare at Draco, expectantly.

“Erm… all right,” Draco replied. “The toilet's through that door over there.”

Harley blinked at him, not looking at where Draco was pointing.

“He wants you to help him,” Harry said.

Draco's jaw dropped. “What?”

Harry's lips twisted into a smile. “Come on, Harley.” He stood and took Harley's hand, and

led him to the toilet.

Cally started singing to herself again, intent on covering her entire drawing with pink

squiggles. Draco settled against the sofa's arm, feeling uncomfortable at having been left

alone with her, even though other adults were mere meters away. He'd never spent time with

small children, even when he was one himself.

A loud giggle from the direction of the toilet preceded the reappearance of Harley – naked

from the waist down and sprinting around the room. Cally burst into laughter, which only

seemed to increase Harley's speed. Hermione stepped around the corner and just missed

colliding with her son. She shook her head in mock frustration, but she seemed to be trying

not to laugh.

Draco wondered why no one else seemed bothered by the commotion.

Harry's head popped through the doorway of the toilet. “Harley, get back here!” Harley did

one more lap, then dashed back into the toilet. Harry gave Draco a pained look. “Sorry – is it

okay if I just spell away the mess?”

“Mess?” Draco repeated. He crossed to the bathroom and stood in the doorframe. There was a

puddle by the toilet, suspiciously yellow in color.

Harry was kneeling in front of Harley, trying to get him to step into a pair of small

underpants. “Come on. You can't appear in front of ladies with your willie flopping about,

now can you?”

Harley snickered and let Harry put the underpants on him. Harry helped him finish dressing,

then paused to press a kiss to his forehead. Draco bit his lip – Harley looked so very much

like Ron. He hadn't realized it until now, seeing him close to Harry like this. Harley's red hair

was longish, curling at the edges, like Ron's had done those last few years of school. As much

as he'd hated him back then, Draco hadn't been able to help noticing his boyish good looks.

As had a good many of the girls at Hogwarts -- and Harry, of course. Draco swallowed.

“That's a good boy,” Harry said. “Run along.” Harley zipped past Draco and disappeared.

Harry sighed. “Sorry. They have a little step stool at home to make it easy to reach the toilet. I

had to hold him up and… well, he still needs help aiming, obviously.”

Draco wrinkled his nose and summoned his wand from his coat. Harry stood back while

Draco muttered a cleaning spell. After a moment's thought, he followed it with a disinfecting

one as well. Harry leaned against the wall and smiled at him.

Draco spun his wand through his fingers. “You're fantastic with them.”

Harry shrugged. “I'm just used to them.”

“No, I mean… you really care about them, and they aren't even your children.”

POGRĄŻENI W SZAROŚCI 4 - 16.pdf

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