Indago:Reborn

Chapter Thirteen

At precisely eight o’clock that evening, Draco opened the door to his home. He carefully hung his coat on the coat tree, briefly watching it as it stood back upright and cradled the coat lovingly. He then set his briefcase down on the padded bench to wait for him to retrieve it later and went in search of his husband. He opened the door to the sitting room and was arrested by the sight.

Snape sat on the settee, his brow furrowed in concentration as he looked over what appeared to be several rolls of parchment. But the surprising part was that his free hand was running its fingers through dark hair. Harry was asleep, lying on his side, his head in Snape’s lap. Malfoy training was the only thing that kept Draco from blinking in surprise.

“Well, if this isn’t the picture of domesticity,” he drawled instead. Snape’s eyes looked up as Draco came further into the room and looked down at the undisturbed form of his husband. “I am sure that this is some delusion my mind has created in place of the horror of you murdering each other that I must, in reality, be seeing.”

“That was very dramatic of you,” Snape said calmly, his eyes returning to his paper. “Not to mention long winded.”

“You must admit seeing you pet him like a cat is a bit… disconcerting,” Draco drawled. Snape made no response and instead carried on with his reading. Draco shook his head and began walking back out of the room. “I shall leave you in your domestic bliss while I try to wash the stink of many an idiot from me.”

Snape merely grunted a response and Draco left with a smirk on his face.

The sitting room was quite for only ten minutes longer before the softly glowing fire roared to life, casting a greenish hue about the room.

“It is usually customary to ask permission before flooing through, isn’t it, Lucius?” Snape asked as the elegant blond straightened and brushed the infinitesimal dust from his overcoat.

“Not when it is your own property,” Lucius bit back. Harry stirred to life at the cold voice, green eyes blinking open.

“Ah, then you do wake at some point during the day, then?” Lucius drawled nastily.

Harry glared and rose to his elbow. “I was just resting,” he answered.

“Yes, very tiring it is to be cuckolding my son, I imagine.”

“Lucius, it would be wise to think before speaking in this matter,” Snape said quietly. Harry glared harder and struggled to sit up, his enlarged abdomen making it a Herculean task.

“Heavy with my son’s child and yet you have the nerve to sleep with other men?” Lucius growled and sneered. Harry succeeded in righting himself, with Snape’s inconspicuous help, and heaved himself to his feet to face his father-in-law.

“I was taking a nap! That is hardly sleeping with other men! And yes, it is quite heavy to be lugging this weight around. Why don’t you try it sometime,” Harry snarled.

“Lucius, is there a reason for you to be here at this time?” Snape interjected as he gracefully rose as well. “As it is obvious this isn’t a pleasant social call.”

“This is my property, I may visit it as often and at anytime I wish,” the elder Malfoy said haughtily.

“Gods, will you stop rubbing it in our faces!” Harry growled. “Yes, yes, your house. We know!”

“Really?” Lucius drawled. “Then I would assume that you would show some respect while residing in it. Comport yourself as the spouse of a Malfoy. Not like a street trollop lying about in other men’s laps.”

“I was not acting like that! I was taking a nap in my own home!” Lucius opened his mouth and Harry made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat. “Alright! Your home! Merlin, you are a bastard!”

“Harry, you should go and--”

Harry rounded on Snape. “Don’t treat me like a child!”

“I was merely suggesting that you move away from the offending person in your presence,” Snape drawled.

“I would be quite careful in your words, Severus,” Lucius warned malevolently, “or you shall find things quite unpleasant.”

“I am quite capable of handling the unpleasant,” Snape said with a speaking look at the blond. Neither of the men missed the obvious motion as Snape stepped between Lucius and Harry. “You do remember, do you not, Lucius?” he asked quietly. Grey eyes narrowed at black.

“I knew it wouldn’t last--” Draco came through the doorway and stopped at the sight of his father. “Father? I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware you were here.”

“Your father was just kindly reminding us of whose house we live in,” Harry said nastily with a glare at the older Malfoy. He turned back with an angry fire in his eyes. “Oh, and was quite happy to call me a whore.” Harry looked at Lucius again. “You know, I just don’t know why we don’t have you over more often, Dad!” he shot out.

“Possibly because you are never out of bed. In both uses of the word,” Lucius shot back.

Snape and Draco moved at the same time. The older man stepping closer to Harry, shielding him from Lucius’s view and Draco moving to Lucius. “Father, Harry is only a week or so away from delivery. It is not wise to antagonise him,” he said in his best Ministry voice. “He needs stability and rest right now, you understand.”

“If he is so delicate, I would have to say he is quite unfit for the rigours of parenthood.” Lucius brushed past Draco and made his way to the doorway before Draco could speak. “But let us not mourn what can not be helped,” he said imperiously. “Come, my son, I have need to speak to you. Privately.”

With a quick look to Harry that spoke volumes, Draco followed his father out.

Harry was livid. How dare that stupid old man come in here and say those things about him! Bastard! Let him carry around something as big as a hot air balloon in his guts and see how spry he is!

Harry turned and took the step closer to Snape, instinctively looking for the comfort the other man’s presence and scent would give him. Lucius’s words about “other men” popped into Harry’s mind and he immediately stopped and took a step back.

“You do realize that to listen to Lucius’s jealous ramblings are quite asinine,” Snape remarked casually.

“Jealous?” Harry asked in confusion.

“You are a direct threat to his influence over Draco. Lucius is quite aware that you are the deciding factor in his son’s life. The pitfall of parenting,” the older man mused, “is that you spend years moulding a child only to have that child chuck it all in the end. Lucius never believed he would ever face that, so well he had Draco trained. Unfortunately, Lucius made the mistake of dosing the boy with pride and arrogance. It was bound to happen.”

“You’d think the bastard would be twinkling over getting another Malfoy!” Harry groused.

“Of course, he is. You’re not paying attention.” Snape moved a bit closer to Harry. “But you are now giving Draco another tether to you. And another pull away from Lucius’s influence. And for the first time since I have known him, Lucius is acting purely out of emotion with no regard to thought. He does not see that he is driving Draco away from him.”

Harry shook his head. Why did things always have to be so complicated? Before the baby, Harry and Draco were at least content. Harry enjoyed his work at the zoo and Draco was climbing quickly up the ladder of the Ministry. As much as Harry hated his husband’s chosen profession, Draco was rather good at it and they had had a fairly normal existence for those years. It was true that Harry hated being under Lucius’s thumb, but in general, they were happy and content. That is until last summer, when Harry couldn’t stop thinking about Lustrum. All he thought about was Lustrum. Which, normally, by late summer, both he and Draco would be looking forward to it. Draco called it their sex holiday and they would rarely leave the house during that time. But this past summer, Harry wasn’t thinking about the amazing marathon sex as much as he was thinking about the possible product of those escapades. It took many, many discussions and downright arguments for Harry to get Draco to agree to forego the contraceptive potion. Draco had argued that they had plenty of time and that Harry was just bored. But Harry had known what the real issue was. Draco was scared for him, scared that the baby would bring back bad memories, scared that Draco would be inadequate as a parent.

Now, instead of happily anticipating the baby in a week’s time, they were fighting with Lucius and dealing with a huge move out of country. It was just too much. Harry took the last step and pressed his body against Snape’s. The two stood there, Harry with his head against the taller man’s shoulder and said nothing.

“Why aren’t you pushing me away or yelling at me?” Harry asked into the shoulder.

“Pheromones and instincts, unfortunately, do work both ways,” came the murmur from above. “I am not immune from them without the potion.”

“Oh,” Harry said softly. He began to feel a bit centred and relaxed as Snape did whatever mind trick he did to allow more of his scent to fill the room.

“So you don’t mind being around me anymore,” Harry stated.

“No, I do not, amazingly enough.” The chest drew a deep breath. “I will need to write this down.”

“What? Tell me.”

Snape paused for a moment. “My acceptance of wanting you near and… at ease.”

“Oh,” Harry said again. “That’s good.”

“Harry.”

Harry looked up and saw Draco standing in the doorway.

“Come here,” the blond called. Harry rubbed his cheek against Snape’s shoulder and was pleased to receive a light brush of a hand over his hair. He slid around the dark man and went to his husband, sliding into his open arms.

“We’ll be free soon, pet,” Draco murmured into Harry’s ear. “I won’t let him speak to you like that again. I promise.”

Harry nodded and rose up to accept the kiss Draco placed on his lips. Harry knew that Draco always kept his promises.