A/N: Thank you to my lovely reviewers: Tenshi Yami – Angel of Darkness, xxxwallflowerxxx, iggle731, PikuPow, fan girl 666, sstark2010, mysterywriter125, JN Malfoy, Guest, kuroninja, Draco's Phoenix 99, PuckurtLvr, addictedtocsi777, Phnxgirl, zero-amu, Padfootette, AchillesTheGeek, and hPdC. Cheers readers and reviewers – all of you are great.
The final chapter – it's short and not much plot to it. Just tidying up the James and Zara storyline really, as Scorpius is now living with Draco and Draco and Harry are happily together.
Final Chapter
Harry went to, Ron and Hermione's after to tell them he was dating Draco, he didn't want them to find out from an enraged Ginny.
Hermione smiled, "I said to Ron that when Mal – Draco started working at Hogwarts, you'd either kill each other or end up together."
Ron sighed, "You could have killed him mate. You had to go choose the 'date him' option." He didn't sound angry, more so just objecting because that was what he thought he should do. Or at least attempt to do.
"So you're okay with it?" he asked his friends.
They nodded, "Why wouldn't we be? You're a grown man Harry, you can choose who you wish to date. You seem happy when you talk about him, so I assume it's going well?" Hermione asked.
He smiled, "Yeah. Great actually. Ginny may turn up here tomorrow and rant and rave at you. Sorry. Anyway, I'd better go, the house is a bomb site after the kids left. I need to try and sort it. Thanks for understanding guys."
The start of term was hectic but it felt good to be back. Zara Zabini was currently testing how much James wanted to date her. She made him wear a sign that read: I James Potter no longer have my head up my arse!
He had the sign on a piece of string around his neck. He wore it the first week of term. Draco asked him to remove it when in his class, but he refused.
"Can't sir. She'll have my balls. This is staying on all week, I don't even take it off when I sleep." He said, showing off. His way of dealing with embarrassment was to act confident and joke his way through it.
"Very well. I wouldn't want to be responsible for a student losing his balls – to a Slytherin no less. Continue with your reading." Draco coolly replied.
She also gave the Slytherin common room password to him and he had to spend his evenings sat amongst the Slytherin's. Alone. The first night he marched into the common room, took a seat in the middle of the room, he wasn't going to hide in the corner and started his homework, ignoring the death stares he was getting. A few seventh years came over and threatened him and told him to get out.
"No can do Uncle Fester and Lurch. Miss Zabini has asked me to tolerate the Slytherin common room, guess she thought I'd chicken out. Anyway, I'm here until she tells me to get lost. I wouldn't hex me if I were you, I have a nifty little thing on my person that rebounds any spells sent my way." With that, he started his homework.
Lurch tried to use physical force to escort him out, but he was stung the moment he touched James. "Ah, see Lurch I did warn you, this nifty gadget also stings anyone who tries to touch me. Cool huh!"
"Why do you keep calling me Lurch? And him Uncle Fester?" the tall seventh year asked.
James smiled, "Why you haven't seen the film 'The Addams Family', well I guess not. Let's just say you look like the characters in that film."
"Oh. So we look like famous actors. Cool." Lurch said.
James laughed, "Sure,"
On the third night, Zara joined James at the table, "I'm surprised you have made it to the third night," she told him.
He gave her a cheeky grin, "Just my charm. Even a den full of snakes can't help become charmed. Just called me Medusa."
She laughed, "Prat. Medusa was a woman. She had snakes on her head instead of hair and when she looked at you, you turned to stone."
"Oh. Well then just call me, James." He replied with a funny smile.
"Slytherin isn't that bad?" she asked.
"No, not really. Once they stopped trying to hex me and use brute force, most have been alright. Al said I was a dickhead and Scorpius said it was stupid Gryffindor bravery." He still sounded too happy.
Zara shook her head, "So you won't mind eating your meals at the Slytherin table then," she brightly told him.
He groaned, "Sure. I would love to. But I might have to check my food for poison."
She smiled, "Did you get me a present today?" she asked. She wasn't materialistic and most of James' presents weren't expensive, they were silly things.
But she liked them and had a box that she kept all the knickknacks regarding her and James.
He nodded, "Yep. I'm sticking with the handmade theme this week. So my skilled and lovely hands have made you, your very own friendship bracelet. It is Slytherin colours and your favourite colour – purple. I didn't make it using my wand. I used my hands and it took me forever – Aunt Hermione had to teach me. Anyway, it's a symbol of our friendship and you can think of me whenever you look at it." He finished, a little bit nervous.
After all, she was a pureblood and this was a muggle idea.
She beamed at him though and grabbed the bracelet. "You made this by hand? That's lovely. That you took the time to do that. Thank you, Potter – um sorry James. Will you tie it up for me?"
She held out her wrist and James tied it on. "You're welcome. Next week the gifts will be purchased and more expensive. I wanted to make the gifts in the first week to show you that I wasn't trying to buy you and that I would sacrifice my time to make you something."
She smiled at him, knowing she would do anything for this idiot boy, but she would wait until he finished the tasks she had set him.
"I've had a few other girls tell me that I should think myself lucky that you want me. That I should just be a good girl and give you whatever you wish. I think that's stupid, what do you think?" she knew James had many admirers.
James shrugged, "I don't want an airheaded girl who giggles at my jokes when they aren't funny. You wouldn't, you'd call me a twat and say that it wasn't funny – I like that. I don't want fake, I want real. I want a girlfriend who isn't afraid to speak her mind – and we all know you like to speak yours. Never stop!" he joked.
She kicked him under the table, but also reached for his hand and held it at the same time.
"Good. Then you're free to return to Gryffindor tower. See you at the Slytherin table for breakfast. Night, Potter." She squeezed his hand and let go.
He stood, pulled her ponytail gently, "Night, Zabini," and he left with a huge smile on his face. That went well.
Harry was having a chat about the uproar that James being in the Slytherin common room had caused, with Draco at breakfast.
"I know I had a few complaints. But apparently, he just does his homework, hasn't caused trouble and Zara gave him the password and invited him. So he hasn't forced entry so I can't discipline him. Brave though. I'm surprised he hasn't ended up in the hospital wing." Draco coolly told Harry.
Harry laughed, "Yes, brave but idiotic. But that's James for you. Oh, he's gone and made it worse, he's eating at the Slytherin table." Harry said as he pointed to James.
Draco looked up and smiled, "He wants to date, Zara Zabini then! Even if he passes all her tests, he has her father Blaise to get through. I don't envy him at all."
Harry turned to look at him, "You're saying, Blaise wouldn't approve?"
Draco arched an eyebrow, "Harry, please think about it. Blaise chose his wife because she was from a respectable pureblood family. Zara is a pureblood and she wants to date James, not a pureblood. And a Potter/Weasley I'm not sure he would take to it."
Harry bristled, "Tough shit. Zara can date whoever she wishes. Blaise better not make it difficult for them."
Draco placed a hand on Harry's leg under the table, "I'm sure it will be fine. Zara isn't one to listen to someone when she doesn't agree with them. She's stubborn, determined and will go against her dad if she likes James enough."
Harry relaxed slightly, but then groaned, "Argh, I hope I don't have to have the awful sex talk with him."
Draco laughed, "I'm sure he is well aware of sex and the basic concept by now. Maybe just give him the spells for protection but he'll be alright he's smart enough."
Harry groaned again. "At least you only have to do it once. I have three bloody kids."
Draco looked smug, "I don't even have to do it once. Scorpius has already informed me he is well aware of 'sex' and that I shouldn't embarrass us by attempting to explain it."
A month into term and James was officially dating Zara. Harry had to break them apart a few times in the corridor and empty classrooms. Harry regretted giving James the invisibility cloak. Al got the map, but he shared it with his siblings.
"James, this is the third time this week. I suggest you find a more secluded area to kiss, Miss Zabini in." Harry scolded.
Zara looked embarrassed, James looked smug.
"Sure dad. Sorry." He said too cheerfully.
Harry rolled his eyes, "Maybe you should ask Al for the map, and then I won't have to stumble across you two all the time."
James laughed, "Dad. Are you suggesting a way for me to bend the rules?"
Harry shook his head, "I wish to save my eyes. I have had enough of seeing my eldest son making out with his girlfriend."
Zara blushed and James chuckled, "Okay, I'll ask Al for it."
Harry hoped Al would be a bit more discreet when he finally starts dating. Harry suspected that Al preferred boys to girls, but he wasn't 100% sure. He may be close to Scorpius, but Harry was close to Ron and he never fancied him.
He hoped Lily wasn't interested in the opposite sex yet, he hoped that.
Things with Draco were going great. More than great, they were brilliant, he has never felt this way, not even with Ginny. Harry was extremely happy with his life at the moment. He was sure Draco was too. Finally having his son in his life had done Draco wonders.
Ginny had eventually accepted Harry's relationship, knowing she didn't have a say in the matter. Also, no one around her listened to her ranting and she soon grew tired of being ignored. So she wasn't overly happy, but she accepted it.
Astoria had found out about their relationship somehow and had blabbed to the newspaper, but Harry didn't care. He preferred for it to be out in the open. He didn't care what people would say or do, he was happy and that was all that mattered.
-The End-