The next day was Christmas Eve. Harry and Draco had set up camps in their respective house dormitories so they could secretly wrap the other's presents, but Draco in particular was finding it hard to focus.

Partly it was the excitement of Christmas and of receiving presents from Harry that had him distracted, but partly it was the memory of his conversation with Hermione the night before.

He was beginning to realise he was actually, unbelievably, on Harry's side - the two of them would be capable of raising the baby if Hermione needed them to. The idea was becoming more and more appealing in Draco's mind, as well as entirely plausible.

He considered the positives.

He and Harry had love on their side, of course, and the stable, committed relationship Hermione craved for her child to grow up in.

Their respective bank accounts looked healthy to say the least, and this would especially be the case when Harry turned seventeen and could inherit the entire Black fortune left to him by Sirius, and the Potters' fortune from James and Lily.

They'd also both always wanted kids, which certainly helped. And Draco liked to think that between them, he and Harry had the characteristics to make great fathers.

He had patience, sensitivity, determination, and the ability to plan ahead, whereas Harry was blessed with fierce loyalty, constant energy, good humour and apparently unfailing optimism. And if he was any more laidback, he'd be horizontal.

What more could you need in two young parents?

As he wrapped Harry's presents in crisp silver paper, Draco couldn't help but let his mind wander to the millions of possibilities.

What if he and Harry suggested the adoption seriously to Hermione, and what if she said yes, and he and Harry could literally have a tiny baby to look after?

Draco pictured his beautiful dark-haired boyfriend, perhaps in a soft grey hoodie with his hair all messy and sleepy, with a little baby nestled into his chest. He pictured the two of them taking the baby out for secret trips to Hogsmeade in a little bundle, celebrating their own Christmas as a tiny family, giving the baby the childhood he'd yearned for as a little boy.

The vision was so real it almost scared him, and certainly made it hard for Draco to focus on the task at hand.

"Ow, shit."

He flinched as an edge of the paper sliced into the skin of his little finger, and put it it straight into his mouth to suck the blood, a reflex action.

Draco hadn't been this obsessed with a questionable idea since Second year when he couldn't stop tormenting Harry, but this felt somehow even more powerful.

"It's ridiculous," he muttered to himself, wiping the cut dry on a tissue. "Stop embarrassing yourself, Draco."

"Talking to yourself, darling?" Harry's head peeped suddenly round the door, and Draco jumped. He hoped Harry hadn't heard what he'd been saying.

"Oh, get over yourself, Potter," he sneered, pushing the gifts and paper hurriedly behind his back. "And get out of my room, you little pervert. It isn't Christmas yet and I haven't finished wrapping."

"Oooooh, get over yourself, Potter," Harry mimicked his boyfriend in a silly high voice. "What did you get me, anyway? Bet it's shit."

"It is not shit!" Draco snapped indignantly. "I have impeccable taste and you know it. What do you bloody want from me?"

"Just to see your pretty face," Harry smiled sweetly. "It's looking especially pretty today."

"Well, it'll still be pretty later and I'm still busy, so do you reckon you could bear to leave me alone for five minutes of your life?

"Fine," Harry pouted. "I'll be waiting in your Common Room. I didn't walk all this way down here for nothing!"

Draco chuckled to himself as the other boy left the room. Harry had been a bloody menace all day; he always got overexcited in the run up to Christmas. This is good practice for parenting, the half-joking thought popped up before he could stop it.

He finished wrapping the last of Harry's little gifts, being careful not to get blood on any of the paper, and began to sign each tag with 'Merry Christmas, Harry darling. All my love, Draco.'

Finally everything was done, and Draco carried the presents out of the dorm to the Common Room, where Harry had draped himself extravagantly over one of the green sofas.

"I thought you'd never come," he said, springing up at the sight of Draco in the doorway.

"Harry, I always cum," Draco smirked, and Harry laughed.  "What's the plan for this evening, anyway? You clearly have one, if you're so desperate for my attention."

"I thought we'd go for a nice Christmas Eve walk around Hogsmeade, see all the lights!" Harry beamed. "I've got snacks from the kitchen and a bottle of Firewhiskey too!"

"Now that's an offer I can't resist," said Draco. He grabbed a warm cloak for each of them, and a hat and gloves too, and swapped his Oxford brogues for boots better suited for the icy weather. "What are we waiting for?"

***

Hogsmeade was always heavenly at Christmas.

The fairy lights strung across each house scattered jewel colours over the cobbles, and little makeshift stalls had been set up on either side of the streets where you could buy mulled wine, or gingerbread, or hot chestnuts.

The air was wintery and crisp, but merry laughter and singing clung to the breeze and made it feel less all-encompassingly cold.

Through the glowing windows of each building, people could be seen inside, drinking and laughing and being in love. It was nothing short of magical.

Harry and Draco themselves were wandering aimlessly around outside, painting silver clouds with each breath and taking turns swigging from the amber bottle to keep warm.

"I told Granger we'd have her baby, y'know, Harry," Draco slurred at one point, suddenly confident from the whiskey in his veins.

Harry's eyes were so wide when he responded that Draco could make out the whites in the dark. "You told her that?"

"Ehh... not exactly," Draco admitted tipsily. "But we should! And not because I'm drunk!"

Harry could feel his heart rate pick up embarrassingly quickly as he stopped to stare at Draco. "You really think so? If she says yes?"

"Yeahhh!!" Draco yelled, a little too enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, one hundred times yes! Let's have a baby!"

"Let's have a baby," Harry repeated slowly, and then again, louder, "Let's have a baby, Draco!!"

"Yeah!! Fuck fear!"

Harry giggled at his drunk boyfriend. "Fuck judgement!" he added.

"Fuck haters like my dad!!"

"Yeah, fuck you, Lucius, you can choke on my dick!" Harry yelled excitedly.

"Don't do that, Dad!"

Harry laughed so hard he coughed and was nearly sick. "Fine, don't do that, Lucius! In fact stay the fuck away from me, you gay Pureblood!"

"Harry, I'm a gay Pureblood," Draco pointed out in between drunken giggles.

Harry paused, uncertain how to respond, before opting for another, "Fuck judgement!" and causing them both to collapse into hysterics again.

As they weaved their way drunkenly home, each was acutely aware of how grateful he was for the other, and how this was to be the happiest Christmas Eve of their lives.

________________________________

a/n: thank you so much for reading! i liked writing this bit, i think it's super soft although it is weird to write christmassy stuff in autumn haha

hopefully this made you smile, please favourite and comment if you enjoyed it, and stay tuned for the next part!

~ paradisedraco