Tumgik
#cw:mentions homophobic bigots
Text
Day 129: Pangea
cw: mentions homophobic slurs
It was their day off.
Their one day when they didn't have to work and their five year old was at the muggle nursery school. They often cleaned and did laundry on days like these, but they always made a point of spending some quality time together. Harry had realized shortly after they'd adopted Cassie that it really hurt their relationship not to have time they set aside for just the two of them.
Today they were headed to get some ice cream and talking about the slumber party they were going to be hosting in a few days and all of the arrangements that had to be made when Harry's mobile started to ring.
Draco watched curiously as Harry pulled it out of his pocket, "Hello?"
"Yes, hi, is this Mr. Potter Malfoy?" a woman asked.
He glanced at Draco and put the phone on speaker, "Yes, this is Harry."
"Hi," the woman said again, "This is Linda in the school office. We're going to need you to come pick Cassie up."
"What? Why?" Draco asked before Harry could reply. "Is everything alright?"
"Sorry, I have you on speaker so my husband could hear you."
The woman chuckled and Draco looked ready to reach through the screen and strangle her. "Everything's fine. She just had a little disagreement with one of the other students and is pretty upset. The head mistress will have a chat with you when you get here."
"The head mistress!" Draco hissed.
Harry laid a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Thanks for calling us. We'll be right in." He hung up and braced himself for the inevitable.
(Read more below the cut)
"What happened?" Draco asked immediately.
He rolled his eyes and turned around to walk back to their house so they could drive to school, "You heard what I heard," he said. "I don't know any more than you."
"Yes but you went to Muggle primary school!" he protested, walking quicker. "You should have some idea-"
"I don't."
"Do you think it was accidental magic?" Draco asked.
He shook his head. "That was not the sound of a call about accidental magic."
"Then what do you think she was fight about?"
"Draco, there are a thousand things to fight about. Muggle children are just as unpredictable as wizarding children." He reached over and took Draco's hand, "She's only five, how much trouble could she be in?"
----------
When they arrived Cassie was over talking to a different adult and the headmistress waved them in.
She seemed happy enough so Harry let her be and followed the headmistress in, Draco all but vibrating with nervous energy behind him.
"Mr. and Mr. Potter-Malfoy, thank you for coming."
"Harry and Draco are fine," he said.
"What happened?" Draco asked quickly.
Harry glanced at him, "Sorry. We've just never been called in before. Is Cassie in trouble?"
"This afternoon, Cassie told a story to her classmates about how the continents got separated."
"Gaia," Draco nodded. "It's one of her favorites, she likes to hear about how life thrives no matter what."
Harry took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Right," Headmistress Blake replied, "and that's great. Storytelling improves communication skills and it's great for students to share like that."
"So why are we here?" Draco asked.
"Jacob told her that Gaia wasn't real, that the whole story was made up, and tried to tell her about Pangea."
"Pangea?" Harry asked incredulously. "How old is this kid?"
She chuckled, "His parents are geologists."
"Still!" Harry said, "That's pretty advanced for a five year old." Draco looked completely befuddled as though he had no idea what they were talking about. "But I still don't understand why we're here."
"I'm getting to it," she said. "She tried to tell him that it was just a story that her father told her."
Draco nodded, "Should we not tell her stories like that?" he asked, sounding panicked.
"Not at all," she said, giving him a warm smile in an obvious attempt to diffuse his anxiety. "But Jacob called you a liar and used a bit of derogatory language."
Harry's entire body froze, "Excuse me?" He'd been hoping that she'd be in Hogwarts by the time other kids were old enough to understand the implications of having two dads. It wasn't a big deal in the wizarding world, but it mattered in the muggle world still.
Headmistress Blake nodded, "She told him it wasn't nice to talk about people that way and insisted that Draco wasn't a liar. When Jacob doubled down on the slurs, she punched him."
"Good." Harry covered his mouth, "Sorry," he said quickly. "Sorry, it's just-"
"We have taught our daughter not to hit," Draco insisted, glaring at Harry. And while this was true, they had, it was only because Draco was already teaching her the words for jinxes that would be more effective. She was going to be a terror once she got her wand. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid that I don't understand what sorts of slurs you're referring to."
The headmistress rubbed her eyebrow uncomfortably, "He called you poofs and said that fags can't be trusted," she said and Draco's jaw dropped, his hand clenching Harry's so hard that Harry was afraid he'd need a healing spell cast when this was over. "Other students overheard and told Miss Murray after the fact."
"We taught her not to hit," he said, "But we've also taught her that it's important to stand up for what is right," Harry said. "It sounds like she tried to use her words first and then when that didn't work she used a different means available to her."
"But the next step should have been talking to her teacher, not punching another child."
Harry nodded, "I can understand why you'd-"
"Excuse me, Harry," his husband interrupted, "But I can't," Draco said bluntly. "And here's why; we are raising our daughter to be strong and independent because Salazar knows that women are not taken seriously in this world. Teaching her now that there is someone to help her when she is being verbally assaulted will not help her when she is grown."
"Mr. Potter-Malfoy, I understand what you're saying but-"
Draco shook his head, "With all due respect, there is no but. If her teacher didn't notice that another child was shouting bigoted slurs at her because she has two fathers then no one was coming to her rescue."
The headmistress squared her shoulders, "Cassie's being suspended for two weeks."
"What?" Draco spat.
"We cannot set a precedent that allows for violence to be the answer."
"And what is Jacob's punishment?" Draco demanded.
She blinked at him, "He's got a broken nose."
"Setting aside that his actions still deserve a punishment from a source of authority so he doesn't continue to grow into a bigoted prick, let's just say for the sake of argument," Draco said, voice sharp as nails, "that she'd gone over and told Miss Murray about what he'd said what would his punishment have been?"
"He would to apologize," she replied.
"What? Just said he was 'sorry'?" he asked incredulously. "That's it?"
She nodded, "Yes. He's only five."
He turned to look at Harry completely outraged, "This whole school can fuck off," Draco said, standing from his chair and pointing at Harry, "I told you this was a bad idea."
Harry winced, he had in fact said this was not a great plan, just not for this reason.
"We'll be taking our daughter home today and she will not be coming back," he said. "And we will be telling this story to anyone who will listen."
"Mr-" she started, looking taken aback, since Draco had always been the polite one of the two of them.
"Oh, don't even start with me," he growled. "I run a very successful design business and while I do not understand how most of the social media works, I have someone who I pay to do it and she and I have been friends for a long time. Get ready to lose any family that you have that has a conscience, you can become the place for all backwards bigots." He started toward the door and Harry stood up.
"We'll sue you for slander," she said.
He looked over at her, completely unimpressed, "It's only slander if it's not true."
"It'll be your word against ours," she replied.
A pale eyebrow rose, "Yes it will. Lucky for me that I've recorded this entire lovely exchange," he said, twirling a pen that the Weasleys sold at the joke shop that did just that. "Feel free to contact our solicitor about anything else."
And with that he swanned out of the office.
Harry stared at her for a long moment, "Maybe you should consider educating your parents and students." Then he followed Draco out.
Draco was already squatting next to Cassie, murmuring softly to her, "yes, well done, my darling," he said pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"He was really mean, papa," she murmured.
His husband nodded, "I know, love."
"Hey, bean," Harry said, ruffling Cassie's curls and bending over to kiss her temple. "Let's get out of here, yeah? Do you have all of your things?"
She held up her unicorn backpack and nodded.
Harry helped her get her backpack on and then they set off, each of them holding one of her hands.
Cassie chattered away about the rest of her day, not even mentioning her run in with Jacob again.
-------------
After they put Cassie to bed they came back downstairs and Harry collapsed onto Draco on the sofa, resting his head in his lap.
"Pansy says that story is spreading like wildfire."
"Really?" Harry asked.
Draco nodded.
"S'kinda sexy," he said.
Draco laughed, "Sorry?"
He shrugged a shoulder, "You getting all livid and protective. It was sexy."
His husband's fingers combed through his fringe, "I'll always fight for you, for her, and for us," he promised.
"I know," he replied. "You're a good man Draco Potter Malfoy."
"It's only going to get harder," Draco said.
"Maybe, but we'll look for a more inclusive nursery school-"
Draco shook his head, "I mean when she heads to Hogwarts."
"I don't think so. People don't care about a man marrying another man," he said.
"But they care about the savior marrying a death eater and then disappearing for almost a decade and a half." He sighed, "I just wanted her to start somewhere where my sins wouldn't burden her and here we ar-"
"Hey," Harry said, sitting up and stopping the words coming out of his mouth. "You are not a burden to her and our marriage isn't a sin that could ever burden her-"
"I didn't mean to imply that you-"
"Listen to me," Harry interrupted. "Draco, you are a good dad," he said as he cupped his cheeks in his palms. "You are a good husband and you are a good person. We are both lucky to have you."
"Harry," he murmured, eyes downcast.
"You are," he promised. "I love you and Cassie loves you. and we are so blessed to have you."
"I love you too," he said, "But this isn't the last bully-"
"I know," Harry assured. "And we'll always be here for her, yeah?
Draco took a deep breath before nodding. "Yes. You're right."
"Ooh," Harry replied, crawling over him and straddling his hips. "I love it when I get to be right."
His husband rolled his eyes, "Just kiss me already."
And of course Harry obliged him.
Life wasn't always easy or perfect but they always had each other and Cassie always had two dads who would go to the end of the earth for her.
----------------------
Day 128: Snake | Day 130: Forfeit
243 notes · View notes