Second Chance (2025 Christmas Story) - Chapter 18

Title: Second Chance – Chapter Eighteen
Author: sesheta_66 || AO3: sesheta_66
Prompts used: slythindor100’s early bird prompt T—Christmas Tree in Crystal Ball (picture under the cut) and dracoharry100’s prompt 26: Caroling
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Word Count: 2.5K (this part)
Rating: R (eventually; this part PG)
Warning: none
Summary: This is the second Christmas for Draco without Astoria and Harry's first since Ginny remarried. Will best friends Scorpius and Albus be just what they need to rekindle something they'd thought fleeting and lost forever?
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Written for the slythindor100 Early Bird 25 Days of Draco and Harry and the dracoharry100 Christmas Challenge.

On LJ: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18

OR on AO3





Second Chance – Chapter 18

Draco woke without his customary sense of anticipation about going to Hogwarts. He usually looked forward to the day there, but his thoughts had been full of Potter and the Christmas party that Scorpius was about to throw at him. Why the boys had come up with such an idea was beyond him. Scorpius must think he had no life whatsoever. Which, in fairness, wasn't far from the truth. But he did have friends. He didn't see them often, true, but still. He didn't need to make nice with a bunch of Gryffindors that hated him. Not exactly his idea of fun.

Potter had confirmed as much. Perhaps they didn't all hate him, but his best friend / brother-in-law certainly did. They'd been on the same page, he and Potter, however irritating Draco had found reliving the choice Potter had made back in first year. They both knew it would be uncomfortable at best. But then Potter had gone and told him he was welcome to attend, and a part of Draco – however small – had wanted to say yes, Weasley be damned.

So now he needed to get through a day of lecturing and fielding student questions, knowing that supper was going to be spent talking about Potter again. Why the hell was it always Potter?

He could do this. He genuinely enjoyed teaching. Not so much that he'd give up his career, but he did get joy out of passing on his knowledge, and seeing the thirst for it in students' eyes.

When McGonagall had first invited him to teach occasional classes at Hogwarts, he'd been hesitant. He hadn't returned since the battle, and wasn't sure how he'd feel going back. His memories of sixth and seventh years weighed heavily on him, and he didn't know if he could face what he'd done.

She'd known what he'd been thinking, and had been patient, yet firm. "I understand your hesitation, Mr Malfoy, but one must face one's demons before one can move forward. Why don't you come to my office, have a cup of tea, and we can discuss?"

He'd reluctantly agreed, not sure what to expect. He'd never been outright rude to her, whatever he'd said in the privacy of the Slytherin common room about the head of Gryffindor, but he hadn't shown her what he would consider the level of respect befitting a professor. And now she was offering him the chance to … what? Clear his conscience? Make amends? Move on with his life? He had no idea, but after all that had happened during the Dark Lord's reign, he thought he ought to stop hiding from his past, and face it head-on. So he'd agreed.

Much to his dismay, when he'd entered the headmistress' office, he'd come face to face with Dumbledore. His former headmaster's portrait hung directly behind McGonagall's desk, so there had been no way to avoid looking at it. He'd nearly bolted, right then and there.

But then Dumbledore had greeted him. "Good to see you, Mr Malfoy." Draco had thought that unlikely. "I understand that you have moved on from the … unfortunate circumstances of your last couple of years here at Hogwarts and have made quite a name for yourself. I'm glad to hear it."

Unfortunate circumstances? That was understating things a bit. "I–" Draco hadn't expected this, though he supposed he should have. "Hello, sir."

Dumbledore looked over his half-moon spectacles and smiled. "Professor McGonagall tells me that she has offered you the opportunity to teach here occasionally. I do hope you will consider it."

Thoughts had raced around in Draco's head. Images of the Room of Hidden Things and that damn cabinet, hearing about Katie Bell and the weasel stumbling across his pathetic attempts at getting to this man, trying to kill him. Then letting in Death Eaters, facing and disarming the Headmaster, him so weak and fragile that Draco could have killed him with barely any effort. This man, knowing full well what Draco had done, had caused to happen, offering him and his family safety, a way out. And Snape stepping up to do the job Draco had been tasked with. Watching his Headmaster plummet to his death.

He'd cleared his throat then. "Thank you, sir. And you, Professor McGonagall." He took a deep breath and said what he'd been up half the night composing in his mind. "I appreciate the opportunity, but before I could even consider it, I feel that I must apologise to you both."

"I received your letter after the war," McGonagall said. Draco had sent many letters after the war, after his trial. He'd been given another chance at life and he'd wanted to begin on the right foot. He and his mother both. They'd never told Lucius, but then why would they have? The first letter for both of them had been to Potter. Of course it had. But then he'd found he had to reach out to many others, including McGonagall. Never sure what to expect in response – he'd received a mix of responses, good and bad, and many more non-responses. McGonagall had accepted his apology and had wished him the best moving forward, now that he was free from the pressures that had led him down that dark road.

"Yes, and I received your reply. But I never spoke to you in person before today. Had our paths crossed before now, I like to think I would have apologised to you directly, but at the time I couldn't face returning here. To be honest, I hesitated even now." Both professors nodded but said nothing. He ploughed on. "I may have been a minor during most of the circumstances to which you refer, and I had been acting under duress, which I'm sure you know, but you offered me a way out, sir, even after knowing everything I'd done, and I didn’t take it. I should have."

"This is true, but I understand why you didn't," Dumbledore said. "Ideally, you would have come to me at the outset, but your father … well, let's just say that I imagine Lucius was rather a key factor in your decision making." Draco was struck again at the understanding afforded him by this man whom he'd disrespected from the day he'd arrived at the school. "And things happened rather quickly that day, so ..."

Once more, he saw Dumbledore topple over the edge of the tower. "I hope you know that I do regret so much of what happened, particularly my own actions, but also those of my family."

"Come now, Draco, you can't be expected to pay for your family's deeds."

"I know, but still. I don't expect forgiveness, but I do hope to work towards earning it nonetheless."

Dumbledore nodded. "I think that's all we can expect. As you say, you were a minor at the time, and under great pressure even after you had come of age. And we were assured by Mr Potter that you did help him in the end, you and your mother."

He didn't argue Potter's points at the time. Didn't speak up at the trials. He was facing life in prison, after all. But he couldn't pretend to these two. "I think Potter may have overstated our involvement."

"Perhaps," McGonagall said. "But he did what he felt was right and recognised that you had already suffered at the hands of Voldemort, so …" Once again, Draco had thought how Potter had changed the course of his life. In school, he'd been a thorn in Draco's side, but as an adult, his impact had been far more positive. And now here Draco was – sitting with two professors who had been instrumental in helping to shape Potter's life – being offered a job. Even years after they'd parted ways, he was still having a positive impact on Draco.

"Enough said on that matter, I think?" Dumbledore looked at McGonagall before returning his gaze to Draco. "I understand you are now married and have a son of your own?"

Draco smiled, relieved to switch to a subject he could talk about endlessly. "Yes, Scorpius. He's nine now, and Astoria and I are looking forward to receiving his Hogwarts letter in a couple of years."

McGonagall smiled. "He's on the list." Draco was relieved to hear it. Though he'd been nearly certain Scorpius would attend Hogwarts – generations of Malfoys had done before him, since William the Conqueror's days – he'd had doubts in the back of his mind. Sins of the father and all that.

McGonagall waved her wand and a tea service appeared. "So, shall we have that cup of tea now?"

They'd had that cup of tea then, along with some biscuits, and McGonagall had asked him about his time abroad, where he'd worked, what he liked most about his career. Dumbledore had closed his eyes and apparently gone to sleep, though Draco suspected he was listening to every word.

After tea, McGonagall had taken him on a tour of the castle – most things looked the same as when he'd attended – they'd done a remarkable job of repairing the damage caused by the battle – though they'd added a memorial on the grounds to those who'd lost their lives. When he'd looked at it, he'd been shocked to find the names of those close to him, from both sides, including Snape, his crazy Aunt Bella, and Crabbe. He'd needed a few minutes to collect himself afterwards and McGonagall had been gracious enough to give him some space and time to do so.

Draco shook off the memories. That had been years ago now. Why he was reliving that again today was beyond him. He wasn't sure if his subconscious was reminding him of all the horrible things he'd done, justifying the weasel's feelings about him, or telling him to go to the party and face his past head on like he'd done at Hogwarts.


After the lectures, Draco left his contact information with several students who were interested in pursuing further study in potions after leaving Hogwarts, two of whom he would keep an eye on as potential apprentices. Having a half hour before he was due to meet Scorpius, he walked the grounds and visited the memorial once more. Willing his mentor to posthumously guide him but receiving no response, he was left with nothing but his own scattered thoughts.

He met Scorpius in the Great Hall and they walked the familiar path into Hogsmeade.

"Where did you want to eat?" Draco asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.

"Three Broomsticks?" As expected. "Would you mind if we make a quick stop before we go for supper?"

"I don't mind at all. Where were you thinking?"

"We just had a Hogsmeade weekend and I saw something that I think Grandmother would like."

Draco smiled. "Sure, let's go see it."

When they arrived at Dervish and Banges, Scorpius led Draco to a display case, in which rested a crystal ball with a Christmas tree inside, complete with lights and a streetscape. "May we see this, please?" Scorpius asked the attendant.

"Certainly." She removed it from the case and handed it to Scorpius. "It's fragile, so be careful."

He held it up for Draco, took out his wand and whispered, "Nox," and all the lights went out. Then he said, "Lumos," and they all lit up again. He grinned triumphantly. "Do you think she'll like it?"

"I think she will love it." Draco paid for the gift, had the attendant gift wrap it and said he'd bring it home for safekeeping.

That done, they made their way to the pub. Once they'd ordered their meals, Scorpius said, "Albus' dad said he can come stay with us, but his parents need to figure out their schedule first."

"That sounds good. Have you given any thought to what you might want to do when he comes over?"

He shrugged. "Not really. I think he'd probably be happy to just hang around the house. Whenever he comes back after break, he talks about how busy everything is at home. Too many people around all the time."

Draco laughed. "Fair enough."

"Um …" Draco looked at his son and waited for him to continue. "So Albus said they have a Christmas party every year, and he asked if I could go."

Draco gave no indication that he already knew this. "Did you want to go?"

"Definitely!"

"Alright, then. When is it?"

"They don't know yet. They have to work out–"

"Work out the schedule?"

"Mm hmm. It's kinda weird now, with his parents divorced. And his mum remarried."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Al's sister's pretty upset about it. She thought their parents would get back together."

"Did she now?"

"Yeah, but that's not going to happen now, is it?"

"No, I would imagine not."

"So Mr Potter said that you should come to the party too."

Fortunately, Potter had given him a head's up, or he might have burst out laughing at that statement. "Did he now?"

"Well, Al said that everyone's parents come, and it would just make sense for you to stay too. I think Al figures his dad might welcome someone new. Someone who, you know, doesn't remind him of Al's mum."

Draco considered this and wondered how much truth was in that, or if it was simply the boys' way of convincing him to go. It was plausible, given Potter had married into the Weasley family. And since they'd started dating back in school, they probably had many of the same friends from those days. He tried to imagine remaining civil, never mind friendly, with Astoria's family had they ever divorced. He'd have been wary of every drink they handed him. Nevertheless, he doubted Potter would have chosen Draco to be the one to not remind him of his ex-wife.

"Do you want me there?"

He shrugged. "If you want to go."

"You do realise that a party at the Potter house will probably include Albus' Uncle Ron too, right? I don't think he'd be too pleased if I were to go."

"I know. But Al says that Rose can get her dad to be nice. And Rose's mum can too."

He doubted very much that anyone could make the weasel play nice. "And you think that will work?"

"Well, if you bring me there and it gets all weird, you can leave and just pick me up later. If that's okay with you." He looked hopefully at Draco.

He hadn't made up his mind until now, but that look had done the trick. "I suppose I could do that, see how it goes." He would go to the party, wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and decide then if he would stay.

"Really?" Scorpius looked relieved, almost like he'd been a bit nervous about going on his own.

Draco smiled at his son, wondering if there was anything he wouldn't do for him. "Really."

When they left the pub and headed back towards the castle, they passed a crowd of people carolling. Draco nudged him and motioned towards the carollers. "Care to join them?"

He looked horrified. "Hell no," said Scorpius, as Draco knew he would. Thank Merlin for that.

Second Chance (2025 Christmas Story) - Chapter 19

Title: Second Chance – Chapter Nineteen
Author: sesheta_66 || AO3: sesheta_66
Prompts used: slythindor100’s early bird prompt X—Sun in a Cloudy Sky (picture under the cut) and dracoharry100’s prompt 3: Snowed in
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Word Count: 1.5K (this part)
Rating: R (eventually; this part PG)
Warning: none
Summary: This is the second Christmas for Draco without Astoria and Harry's first since Ginny remarried. Will best friends Scorpius and Albus be just what they need to rekindle something they'd thought fleeting and lost forever?
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Written for the slythindor100 Early Bird 25 Days of Draco and Harry and the dracoharry100 Christmas Challenge.

On LJ: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19

OR on AO3





Second Chance – Chapter 19

Harry called Ron and Drummond into his office Monday to brief them on Draco's progress. He summarised Draco's findings and thoughts on the skill level of the potioneer. "You received his notes, yeah?" he asked Drummond.

"I did, and I've spoken with the lab. They're working on pulling samples from evidence for other drug-related cases to begin short-listing them."

"Good. Once they do that, he'll go through those and look for a signature – ideally the same one – or other commonalities in the potion formulations. If he's able to further narrow the field, you can pull the case files and look for any overlaps. Bring in anyone that bought the drugs to see if they can lead us somewhere."

"I'll see if there are similar locations, customers, ingredients," Drummond said.

"And map out a timeline if you can," Ron added.

"Will do." He stood up to leave, looking lighter than he had in days. "Finally, we're getting somewhere. Guess Mungo's was right about Malfoy."

Harry agreed. "Let's hope we catch this guy and soon."

Ron said nothing but followed Drummond out.

The week passed in a flurry of activity. Staff in the lab worked extra hours going through the samples, and following Draco's instructions, were able to eliminate most from contention – too raw, lacking the finesse Draco had talked about – and the ones remaining Draco analysed, at the same time showing the lab techs how he was going about it. More than one of them expressed how cool it was – their words, not Harry's – to watch him work.

Meanwhile, Drummond reviewed the case files as they were shortlisted, created a timeline and cross-referenced details of the cases, so he'd be ready to go once Draco narrowed the cases down even further. He'd also canvassed the schools and reached out to potions masters across the country that take on apprentices and was awaiting responses.

On the home front, he and Ginny had worked out their schedule for Christmas and he'd been able to settle on a date for their annual party. Deciding that one day spent with Ginny – Christmas dinner at the Burrow – would be plenty for him, he would not be extending an invitation to her. They got along well and still agreed on pretty much everything to do with the kids, and Pedro was a decent enough guy, but Harry didn't actively seek out opportunities to spend time with his ex-wife, and certainly not her new husband. He may get to a point, down the road, when that wouldn't feel weird, but he wasn't there yet.

He'd put off an interview with Skeeter for as long as he could without her simply going ahead with a hit piece that she made up out of whole cloth, so he would be having coffee with her the next day. At least he could tell her they were making progress, though not much else. Maybe something would break today and he could make an announcement without having to meet her. Doubtful, but hope springs eternal.

The last department heads' meeting of the year was this afternoon, and he was busy preparing for that when a knock came on his door. He looked up to see Draco. "Got a minute?"

"About that long, maybe two minutes tops. What's up?"

"I can come back later."

"Later I won't have even a minute, so it's now or never." He waved him in. "What can I do for you?"

He took a seat and Harry noticed the dark circles under his eyes. It seems Harry wasn't the only one working himself to the bone this week. He ran a hand through his hair, looking frustrated. "I haven't been able to isolate a signature on any of the potions I've analysed so far, but there are still a fair number to go."

"Well, I know we'd been hoping for a quick slam dunk on this one, but at least we're moving forward."

"So I was thinking, what if the person tried to make a legal go of things and tried to register a patent. He might have been granted one, or possibly got rejected and then went the illegal route. If we looked at say the past five, maybe ten years of applications, we might find something that jumps out."

"Did you tell Drummond?"

"He's already doing so much, working the different angles, I thought I should check with you first. Don't want to put more on his plate if you don't think it's worth looking into."

Harry smiled. "Everything is worth looking into, and this is a great angle. Go ahead and let him know. If he needs help, he can pull in one of the junior aurors to work with him, or Ron can assign someone to help him out."

"Will do."

"Speaking of full plates, are you trying to get me in trouble with your son and your mother?"

"What?"

"You look like you haven't slept for days."

"Gee, thanks." He narrowed his eyes at Harry. "You look like hell too."

Harry laughed. "Thanks for noticing. It's been a week, that's for sure."

"We're going to get this guy," Draco said.

"Or die trying," Harry agreed.

"Speaking of my son, I haven't had a chance to talk to you since going to Hogsmeade."

Harry sat up. "Right. How did it go? Did he try to ambush you?"

"Not exactly, no."

"He didn't ask you about the party?"

"Oh, no, he definitely did. But I'm not sure it was an ambush. More like an attempt to pull at my heartstrings followed by a genuine request."

Harry wondered if Draco had been hoodwinked, but kept that to himself. "Do tell."

"He did as expected, and mentioned that the other parents would be there, but then suggested that you might want someone new there – someone that didn't remind you of your ex-wife."

Harry frowned. "What?" That was an angle he hadn't anticipated. And where the hell had that come from?

"Mm hmm. I wasn't sure if that was true – if Albus really thought you might feel that way – or if it was just a ploy, but there you have it. Anyway, I did mention Weasley and he said the same thing Albus told you – that mother and daughter would make him 'be nice' – and ended with the option to leave if it got weird."

Harry couldn't tell if Draco had agreed or not. And if he had agreed, was it because of what Al had said? And was there any truth to it? He'd have to ponder that later, after a decent night's sleep. And maybe a firewhisky or three. "And what did you say?"

"I asked him if he wanted me to go, and he brushed me off. But I got the sense that he did, so I said I would bring him and see how it goes. He seemed to brighten at that, so I think it was the right call. Even if I have been manipulated by my progeny."

Harry grinned. Despite knowing that Ron would likely be pissed, Harry found himself not caring. He was glad Draco was going to join them. "Glad to hear it."

Several mind-numbing hours later, Harry packed up his desk and headed out. The lift door opened and Draco was inside, looking, if possible, even more tired than he had earlier in the day. Harry supposed he looked the same. "What the hell are you still doing here at nearly eight o'clock?"

Draco leaned his head back and let out a sigh. "I could ask you the same."

"Ugh. Department head meeting. About ten minutes would have sufficed, for all that was accomplished, but Percy Weasley managed to stretch it out for hours. Last meeting of the year, don't you know. Must make it count! God, that man could write a how-to guide on making useless meetings last an eternity."

Draco chuckled. "And people wonder why I never wanted to work here."

Harry gave him a sidelong glance. "And yet here you are."

"Ah, but I don't work for the Ministry. I can leave whenever I want."

Harry snorted and looked pointedly at his watch. "Which, apparently, is eight o'clock at night."

"Shut up."

They got off the elevator and stepped outside. Fresh snow blanketed the street and Harry remembered another snow-covered scene long ago. They'd been snowed in, and he and Draco had taken a walk through the trees on that hazy day, the promise of their future as bright as the sun shining through the clouds.

Harry took a deep breath of the crisp air and let it out slowly. "Have you eaten?"

Draco seemed to consider this for a moment. "If about six cups of coffee and a rock-hard biscuit from the cafeteria count, yes I have."

"Care to join me? I'm too knackered to cook, so I was going to grab a quick bite at the pub before heading home."

Looking ready to fall over, Draco said, "You're paying?"

Harry chuckled. "Sure, why not?"

He gave Harry a lazy smile that brought him back about twenty years. "Then yes."

Second Chance (2025 Christmas Story) - Chapter 20

Title: Second Chance – Chapter Twenty
Author: sesheta_66 || AO3: sesheta_66
Prompts used: slythindor100’s early bird prompt U—Christmas Tree Ornaments (picture under the cut) and dracoharry100’s prompt 30: Santa's elves
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Word Count: 1.5K (this part)
Rating: R (eventually; this part PG)
Warning: none
Summary: This is the second Christmas for Draco without Astoria and Harry's first since Ginny remarried. Will best friends Scorpius and Albus be just what they need to rekindle something they'd thought fleeting and lost forever?
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Written for the slythindor100 Early Bird 25 Days of Draco and Harry and the dracoharry100 Christmas Challenge.

On LJ: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20

OR on AO3





Second Chance – Chapter 20

Harry sat down with Skeeter and was giving her the updates he had that he was willing to make public at this time – in other words, giving her some filler without disclosing much – when he received an alert from Drummond. Another rave the night before; another three cases at Mungo's, one critical.

"Sorry, Rita, but I have to go."

Her eyes lit up and her quill hovered jauntily over the page. "Ooh, do tell! My readers will want to know."

There was no point remaining quiet. She'd find out about thirty seconds after Harry left. One quick call to Mungo's ought to do the trick. "There's been another incident. Three more taken to St Mungo's. I need to get there."

"But – who is it? Was it another rave? Where was it held?"

"That's all I have for you now," Harry said, putting on his coat. "I have to get back to work."

As he ran out the door, she shouted, "I expect a full update later!"

He arrived at Mungo's in short order, and got the update from one of the Healers. As she spoke, Harry looked around the youth unit, Christmas tree with its festive ornaments and Santa's elves mocking him. The one in critical condition was not doing well and had to be restrained and sedated for her own safety. She was only thirteen years old. Lily's age. The other two were stable with family keeping vigil. They were both fifteen.

Several others, Drummond informed him, had been badly tripping according to witnesses, but no word on their locations at present. The thirteen-year-old had gone out with her older brother who had told their parents that they were just going to a friend's house. From there, the friend had apparently suggested they go to the party. No word yet on how she came to ingest the drug.

"We've got people at the party location – abandoned, but running forensics – as well as the homes of those we know were in attendance."

"Keep me posted."

"Sir?" Drummond looked like a cross between someone ready to kill, ready to collapse or ready to throw up. "This one went bad fast. I think we're gonna see a lot more cases come in. We need to get word out to the public so they act quickly."

Harry nodded. "On it."

He didn't have to go far. As expected, Skeeter was outside the hospital when he exited. He made a bee-line for her. As much as it sickened him to see her excitement, he knew she would be the best way to get word out fast. "Rita, I have an update for you."

Her quill shivered in response. Even it was excited. Harry felt ill. "Do tell!"

"There was a rave last night, an abandoned warehouse just off Knockturn Alley. Several children – the youngest thirteen years old – have been brought into the hospital for treatment. We don't have all the details yet, but this case appears to have the potential to be worse than the previous ones. We need to get word out to the public that anyone who attended a party in that vicinity last night should seek medical attention immediately." He thought of the little girl inside fighting for her life. "There is a concern that the drug may have been administered without the victims' knowledge."

The pen flew across the page, and to Harry's relief did not seem to be embellishing his words. "Do you know who did this? Has anyone been arrested?"

"I'll give you more updates as I have them. But please, get word out as fast as you can. If anyone is experiencing anything out of the ordinary, and attended a party in the area, get to a Healer. And a special alert to parents: if your child went out last night without you, please talk to them now. Assess their condition and bring them to a Healer right away if they exhibit any unusual behaviour."

"Harry, can you comment on–"

"No." Harry pulled out his wand. "I need to get to the office now. I'll be in touch, and I suspect we'll have a press conference later today." With that, he Apparated to the Ministry.

The first place he went was to the lab. Ron was already there, deep in conversation with one of the techs. He nodded at Harry, looking sick, then went back to his conversation. All hands were present, frantically assessing the samples they'd collected. Draco looked like death warmed over, his hands shaking as he cast spell after spell. Harry approached him. "Anything?"

He looked up, surprised at seeing someone standing there. "What? Oh, yeah. This is bad, Potter."

"Tell me."

"Same manufacturer, no question. Signature and all. But he's upped his game. This stuff is nearly double the potency." Harry's blood boiled. "Those three cases you've got? They won't be the last. There will be more, and I'd wager they'll be coming in soon."

"Fuck."

"Couldn't have said it better myself. There's something else, too. A new ingredient, trace amount, but it might be the mistake we were hoping for."

"How so?"

"Well, not that he needed it, what with the potency already upped, but this particular ingredient acts as an accelerant when combined with some of the others, and is powerful in very small amounts. So the effects kick in faster and stronger."

"Fuck," Harry said again. "So how is this something we'd hope for?"

"Okay, bad choice of words. But this might be the key to catching this guy. The material is tough to come by, highly regulated. Even in Knockturn, you'd have a hell of a time getting your hands on it."

"Did you let anyone know?"

"You're the first. I just isolated it a minute ago and was about to tell Weasley when you walked in."

Harry nodded. "Great work, Draco. Give me the details and I'll pass it on."

"Go," he said. "I'll give him the update. You go talk to the Minister."

Harry nodded and left to do just that.

After briefing Kingsley, Harry arranged for a press conference for the afternoon and called a meeting of all department staff to bring them up to speed. Draco attended as well, providing the update from the lab. The hit wizards looked ready to take out the guy responsible and every auror looked ready to join them. Harry couldn't blame them; he wanted to do the same. With everyone up to date on the events, and bracing for an influx of inquiries and, sadly, more cases at Mungo's, Harry returned to his office to prepare for the presser.

A short time later, Ron, Drummond and Draco knocked. "We have news," Ron said.

"Good news, I hope."

"Progress anyway." Harry couldn't recall seeing Ron look this bad, ever. "Malfoy was right about that substance. Hard to come by, but after scouring Knockturn, we were able to come up with a supplier. They're bringing him in. We're going to interrogate him now, if you're interested."

Harry wanted to. Badly. But he needed to prepare. "No, you can handle it. I have to get ready for this presser. Just let me know how it goes."

Ron nodded. "Will do."

"You might want to bring Draco in with you." He looked at Draco. "If you're comfortable with that."

Draco looked apprehensive but nodded. Ron turned to him. "I thought you could observe from the next room, feed us details if there's anything we should ask. That way you won't have to go in."

Draco looked relieved at that. "Good idea," Harry agreed. "Everyone good?"

"Fucking fantastic," Drummond said sarcastically. "Thirteen! What's next? Ten-year-olds?"

The rest of the day went about as Harry had expected. The press conference was a nightmare. Eight more cases were brought to Mungo's with another fifteen deemed lucid enough to remain under home observation, with strict instructions to bring them to the hospital if their conditions worsened. No deaths so far, though, despite the drug's upped potency, so there was that. No change in the thirteen-year-old's condition.

At about seven o'clock that evening, Draco knocked on his door looking better than he had in days.

"I think I have an antidote."

Second Chance (2025 Christmas Story) - Chapter 21

Title: Second Chance – Chapter Twenty-One
Author: sesheta_66 || AO3: sesheta_66
Prompts used: slythindor100’s early bird prompt P—Pillar Candles on Decorative Holders (picture under the cut) and dracoharry100’s prompt 24: Midnight Mass
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Word Count: 2.7K (this part)
Rating: R (eventually; this part PG)
Warning: none
Summary: This is the second Christmas for Draco without Astoria and Harry's first since Ginny remarried. Will best friends Scorpius and Albus be just what they need to rekindle something they'd thought fleeting and lost forever?
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Written for the slythindor100 Early Bird 25 Days of Draco and Harry and the dracoharry100 Christmas Challenge.

On LJ: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21

OR on AO3





Second Chance – Chapter 21

"I think I have an antidote."

Harry's heart leapt. "What?"

Draco approached his desk, hands raised. "Look, I know you said your priority was finding the guy making this poison, but once I managed to isolate all the ingredients, the next logical step was to figure out the one to transform them."

"Golpalott's Third Law, yes."

Draco's jaw dropped. "You know … ?"

"I may not have done well in Snape's classes but I did pick up a thing or two. Go on."

Draco blinked as though not quite able to accept this news. "Anyway, I've been doing this on my own time. I won't bill the Ministry for it. I know it wasn't what I was hired to do, but once the lab was up to speed and working on narrowing down the cases, I put in a few hours here and there at home trying to work it out."

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Draco's face reddened and he looked angry. "I would have thought you'd want to save–"

Harry jumped out from behind his desk and threw his arms around Draco. "This is fantastic!" He released Draco, holding him at arm's length. Draco's smile lit up his face. "Get to Mungo's and see what they can do with this. I'll tell Ron and Drummond. Maybe we can save that little girl."

"Right."

"Oh, and Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"Great job."

Harry updated the team (all of whom were still working) and the lab (most of whom were also still at work) that Draco was en route to Mungo's to see if they could administer the antidote to the little girl. While potions tended to need extensive testing before approval for use on witches or wizards, they would likely administer one in cases of emergency with the parents' approval.

Buoyed by this news, Harry ordered in dinner for both teams and they doubled down on their efforts and continued working until nearly nine. By then everyone was seeing double and decided to call it a day and get back to it in the morning, despite it being the weekend. The aurors had tracked down the buyers that the seller had eventually given up. Two of them were dead ends, but one might have been sent by the guy they were looking for. He'd given them another name, which led to another, and they continued to track that last one down. His name didn't register – he was a homeless guy that the locals said moved around between shelters and parks in the city – so he wasn't the mastermind. Their best hope was that he was the final link.

It wasn't until Monday that Drummond heard back from the patent office. He passed along the details to Draco, to see if any looked like they could have been developed by this guy and he continued to go through the nearly forty possibilities.

Mungo's had indeed been given permission by the mother of one of the earlier cases, the one in the worst condition, to administer Draco's potion. He'd come round just that morning and was looking to be on the mend. They were running tests on him to be sure he had no adverse reactions before administering to the other children, front of the line being the little girl. Meanwhile, the labs at the Ministry and St Mungo's were producing the antidote as quickly as they could, so that it would be ready whenever they got the all clear.

By some miracle, no one had died from this round – at least not that they'd heard – but another dozen had been brought in. One of the healers had hypothesised that perhaps the added ingredient, by accelerating the effects ended up blowing through the active ingredient or ingredients that had overwhelmed the earlier victims. Either that or something in the chemical makeup had buffered the worst of the effects. They were going to continue researching both possibilities once all the cases were cleared. But for now, the focus had to be on treating the current patients.

The Muggle cases they'd looked into hadn't amounted to anything. While the symptoms and conditions had appeared similar, that's where any potential connection had ended. Their best hopes rested with the former potions students and patents angles.

On Tuesday, Drummond heard back from a potions master in Oxfordshire who'd been out of the country visiting family. When he'd heard what had been going on, he said that yes, in fact, he'd had a student that would be capable of producing a product of the calibre they were describing. He'd been the most gifted potioneer the man had ever seen.

Unfortunately, he'd had to let the boy go a year into his training, because he'd caught him producing his own potions in the lab. The man had strict rules around that sort of thing, and had made that clear when he'd hired him. The boy had left in a rage and months later an "accident" had nearly destroyed the man's lab. He hadn't reported it to authorities at the time because he'd been able to save the lab, thanks to the extensive security precautions he'd had in place. And he couldn't be sure that it was his former apprentice who had done it – he had no proof – and didn't want to accuse him without some sort of evidence. That had been about five years ago.

Drummond passed along the apprentice's name to Draco, and he found two patent applications authored by him near the bottom of the pile, which he would review right away.

Draco, Drummond and Ron knocked on Harry's door late that afternoon. "This could be the guy," Draco said. "I can't be sure without seeing the potions themselves, but based on the descriptions and methodology noted here, it's sophisticated work."

"Were the applications approved?" Harry asked. "Are the potions on the market now?"

Draco shook his head. "No, they rejected both for lack of sufficient details to replicate. It seems our boy here didn't want to give away his secrets, even if it meant being unable to get patents to sell the fruits of his labour."

"But there's enough information for you?"

"No. But there's enough here for me to conclude that both were developed by a highly skilled person. That's the best I can do without seeing the potions directly and analysing them."

"But we're much further ahead now than we were a week ago," Drummond said.

"Do we have a current residence for this guy?"

"No, but he grew up in Wales and was homeschooled until he decided to pursue an apprenticeship in potions. He spent a year at Hogwarts to prepare for his exams. I have a meeting with Professor Slughorn after classes today, to see if I can get a better measure of him. Meanwhile, he's since had three flats here in London and we've got the team out canvassing the neighbours, discretely, both in London and back in his home town."

"Great work, everyone." Harry looked at their exhausted faces. "We're closing in. We're gonna get this guy."

"Let's bloody hope so," Ron said.

"Amen to that," Draco agreed.

They regrouped after Drummond returned from Hogwarts. "Slughorn said he was almost unnaturally talented at potions, like he had a second sense about how they functioned. Said he could visualise the connections like they danced colourfully before him in mid-air. But he was undisciplined, possibly due to his homeschooling. Slughorn only met the boy's father once, but he seemed like a bit of a wild card, unimpressed that his son would have to attend formal school even for one year in order to prepare for exams. He'd only relented when he'd been told that no potions master would take him under their wing unless he'd passed his potions NEWT. Slughorn said he'd tried to caution the boy to at least feign an interest in complying with established protocols, but he was not particularly interested. Even still, he did give a recommendation for him to apprentice, based on his skills."

"Did he have any problems at Hogwarts?" Ron asked. "Any trouble with the other students?"

"The usual that might come from attending a school only in the final year: not included in established groups, seemed to keep to himself. Might have had a couple of run-ins with other students, but nothing that was ever brought to Slughorn's attention. He also didn't attend other classes, just potions, so he didn't get to know too many people. And he wasn't assigned a house, but rather stayed in guest quarters at the castle."

"Sounds like the perfect set-up for other students to see him as either someone to be preyed upon or jealous of," Draco said.

"Have experience with that, do you Malfoy?"

"Shut it, Ron," Harry said.

"No, it's okay, Potter. Yes, I do. You may not have experienced this in Gryffindor, but in Slytherin we were taught to look for weakness in others, or opportunities to gain from associations. I imagine that hasn't changed. Someone like that – no friends, no house affiliation – would be viewed as weak, or at least easily targetted, if they didn't have any support. Alternatively, if he didn't have to share living quarters with anyone, he could be viewed as being favoured by the administration. Someone to be jealous of. That would also have made him a target."

"Good points," Harry said, cutting off any rebuttal Ron might have chimed in with and turning his attention to Drummond. "Maybe you could follow up with McGonagall in the morning. She might have seen some things Slughorn didn't, particularly if he wasn't placed in a house. She'd have seen the bigger picture, I think."

They signed off for the day, but Harry asked Ron to stay back. When the others had left, Harry closed his door. "He's been a huge help on this case. You aren't helping matters reacting like you just did."

"Sorry, mate. Force of habit. Just sort of came out. And yeah," he conceded, "he has helped a lot."

"Glad you can acknowledge that. And it does seem you've been working together well."

"I wouldn't go that far, but yeah. We both want the same results, so we've done what we had to do." Harry nodded, pleased that they'd made progress. Then Ron grumbled under his breath, "But I don't have to like the git."

Harry sighed, knowing a lost cause when he saw one.

He'd thought about telling Ron about the party, but figured he might just leave it until the day. Better to deal with it head-on. Plus it wouldn't help anyone to hear Ron grumbling around the office for the next week. And Harry didn't feel much like giving him time to prepare a line of attack. He'd tell Hermione and leave it up to her and Rose to prepare him or not.

As Harry left for the day, he took a chance and swung by the lab. Sure enough, Draco was there. "Haven't you done enough for the day?" he asked.

Draco jumped. "Merlin's beard, Potter. Warn someone when you enter a room."

"It's not like I was being stealthy."

Draco went back to his task. "Yeah, well, Auror training. You're stealthy without even realising it."

"Am I?" Harry wasn't so sure about that, but he'd let it go.

"Like a ninja!" He didn't look up when he said it, but his lip twitched.

Harry laughed. He'd never been called a ninja before. "So, back to the matter at hand. My budget is going to run out of money if you keep working late."

Draco looked up finally. "I told you, I did the antidote work on my own time."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't be an idiot, Draco. We all want this guy caught, but we also want the kids to get better. You'll be paid for your work."

"Not if I don't submit an invoice for it I won't."

Harry glared at the man, but couldn't be angry with him. He was helping to save kids' lives. "Fine. Then dinner's on me. Pack up your shit and get back to it tomorrow. You won't do anyone any good if you're over caffeinated and under nourished."

"Twice in one week? What will people say?"

"I don't give a damn what people say." Strangely enough, once the words were out, Harry realised that he meant them. He wondered what might have happened had he adopted that stance twenty years ago, but before he could dwell on that thought for too long, his stomach chose that moment to let out a cry. "Besides, I'm hungry, obviously, I don't want to cook, and it'll be easier to avoid random strangers coming up to me if someone's along for the ride."

Draco eyed him suspiciously but didn't argue with his logic. "Fine then. Use me as your shield. But I pick the place this time. No pub food tonight."

Harry sighed. He liked pub food. But he found he quite liked Draco's company too, so he'd go to a proper restaurant with the man.

Fortunately, Draco didn't pick the fanciest restaurant in town – something Harry wouldn't have put past him, particularly when it was Harry who was paying – but it was a nice Italian place, one Harry hadn't been to before. The tables were set tastefully, with candles set atop miniature wreaths. Festive but not overtly so. Classy but also not overtly so. It suited Draco. The place was warm, quiet, and perfect after a long day. Long week, actually.

Draco opened his menu. "So, what are your plans over Christmas?"

Harry closed his menu and put it down, having already decided what he wanted. "Let's see, party next week, dinner with Andromeda and Teddy whenever she decides on a date, Christmas Eve dinner at the Burrow, and then I don't know. Nothing else planned."

Draco put his menu down and scrutinised Harry. "You are going to your ex-wife's family Christmas dinner? How does that work?"

Harry sighed. "They're my family too. Have been since I was in school. Molly would hear nothing of it when I suggested they could celebrate without me." Draco's eyes bored into him, and if he didn't know better he'd swear the man was trying to read his thoughts. "She said that I was as good as her son, no matter what happened between me and her daughter. If Ginny had a problem with that, she could take it up with her, because there was no way in hell she was leaving me to have Christmas alone." Harry cleared his throat. "Or something along those lines."

"Wow." Draco picked up his menu again and they sat in silence while he decided what to have. As soon as he closed it and placed it on the table, the waitress came to take their order. Once she'd left, he resumed boring into Harry's brain. "So what did Ginevra say?"

Harry shrugged. "Nothing. She's fine with it. We get along well enough."

Draco leaned back, crossing his arms across his chest. "And how do you feel about it?"

"They're family, even if Ginny isn't anymore."

"Huh."

Uncomfortable with the scrutiny, Harry countered. "So what about you? What are your plans?"

"Similar to yours, actually. Apparently I'm attending a Christmas party with my son." He smirked at Harry. "Then Andromeda's whenever she decides, then Christmas Eve dinner at the Manor, after which we go to midnight mass and back to the Manor for the night. Christmas Day is lunch and afternoon at the Greengrasses. Sometime between Christmas and New Year I'll have dinner with Pansy and Blaise, and the rest is up in the air."

The waitress brought their wine, Draco pronounced it acceptable, and she left.

"And I believe we are to have a house guest for a few days, timing to be determined." He raised his glass and Harry clinked it with his own.

He savoured the wine for a moment before asking, "No New Year's plans?"

"I prefer to stay in and my friends tend to go out, so we have nothing planned so far. You?"

"My friends are Ginny's friends, and I get them for the Christmas party. She gets them and the kids for New Year's. So no plans yet."

Their meals arrived and plans for the holidays were forgotten as they enjoyed their meal.