Pilfered Progeny - Stolen Dreams

Angel smiled as she sat on Harry\'s lap, eyes wide as she watched the medi-wizard run his wand over Draco\'s belly.



"You\'re doing quite well; I see no complications to worry about at all. The baby is fully formed, and all he needs to do is to grow. His magic is extremely strong and you may actually deliver sooner than expected."



"Early…?" Draco repeated, a little worried. "He\'ll still be all right, won\'t he…?"



The mediwizard chuckled softly. "Nothing out of the ordinary, I assure you young man." he smiled reassuringly. "I\'m not sure if you\'ve had this explained to you as this is the closest you\'ve come to delivering so far. You see, the magic creates the child. The baby is completely formed and his magic is allowing him to advance much quicker than if you had been a witch. Your little man will be here before you know it."



Draco smiled happily at Harry, his hands resting on his stomach. "We really do need to choose a name for our son."



"I think perhaps we should talk it over with Grandpa Lucius." Harry smirked.



Angel perked up. "We\'re going to go see Nonno?" she asked.



"Yes, love; I\'m sure he\'ll be thrilled to have you come visit his house." Harry smiled, kissing her hair.



Angel giggled. "Come on, Papa!" She grabbed Draco\'s hand. "Let\'s hurry and go see Nonno!"



The mediwizard chuckled softly. "Your daughter is quite charming, Draco." he said warmly, watching the girl a moment before he turned his attention to Harry. "It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Potter. I\'ll see you again in two weeks; but you must call me sooner if you need to."



"All right; thank you, doctor." Draco said, leaning to the side to push himself up. He was amazed, gazing down at the size of his abdomen. He seemed to be getting more and more round by the day.



"Yes, thank you so much, Mr. Doctor sir, for making sure my brother is safe and healthy." Angel said to him in a very sober tone that completely conflicted with the fact that she was bouncing in place excitedly in her eagerness to go. Harry laughed softly, helping Draco up from the table.



"You\'re quite welcome, little lady." The mediwizard chuckled at the girl\'s antics.



Angel then took one of Draco\'s and one of Harry\'s hands in hers, tugging on them. "Let\'s go, let\'s go, let\'s go…!" she said eagerly.



"All right, Angel, let\'s go." Draco chuckled as they walked out.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Lucius looked over at the fireplace as it activated; he\'d only just come down out of the nursery.



"Nonno!" Angel squealed happily, disentangling herself from Draco\'s robe and rushing to her grandfather, flinging her arms about him, her eyes shining.



"My little Angel!" Lucius scooped the girl up into a hug. "Whatever are you doing here?"



"We came to see YOU, Nonno!" She hugged him tight, arms about his neck. "Me and daddy and papa all came to see you!"



"Have you, now?" he asked with a smile. "And why would you wish to see me?"



"So you can name my baby brother!" she grinned, her eyes sparkling as she gazed back at him.



"Me?" he was surprised at that news.



"He IS the firstborn Malfoy heir." Draco answered as he and Harry moved over to join them.



"It has always been tradition that is true…" Lucius agreed. "But I thought; well, Potter…"



"Draco is my husband, that\'s true. But he is still a Malfoy." Harry answered.



Lucius glanced at Harry. "Sometimes I think you forget that." He commented drolly.



"When I do, let me know and I\'ll try to stop." Harry shrugged innocently.



"Nonno…? Do I get to meet my Nana today?" Angel asked hopefully.



"She has been waiting a long time to meet you, my cherub." Lucius turned and strolled out with the child in his arms, leaving Draco and Harry behind.



Draco chuckled softly. "I think that he\'s quite taken with our little girl." he commented. "Shall we go see what mother is up to?"



"Not only is he taken with her; he\'s spirited her off." Harry chuckled. Draco linked his arm through Harry\'s and they strolled after his father up the hallway.



"Cissa darling, we have visitors." Lucius called.



"Oh; I\'ll be just a moment more…" her voice came from the old nursery.



Angel bit her lip, a little nervous. "Do… do you think she\'ll like me, Nonno?" she asked him softly.



"She will adore you, little blossom." He said, tickling her, making her squeal and cling to him, laughing.



Narcissa came out of the room, shutting the door behind her. "Oh…! And who do we have here, Lucius?" she asked as if she hadn\'t a clue, smiling.



"This, Cissa, is our little Angel." He said, moving to her side.



"Hello." Angel said, feeling a little unsure, cuddled close in Lucius\' arms and taking comfort from him. None of the women she had met since her mother had died had liked her much at all. IN fact, her last foster mother had been downright cruel to her most of the time, if she\'d taken the time to notice her at all. She\'d usually been left to the care of the other kids and the other fosters as that family had been caring for four other foster children as well as herself.



"THIS is our little Angel?" she asked as if shocked, then smiled warmly. "Aren\'t you simply precious!" Narcissa brushed the curls from the child\'s vivid green eyes.



"Are you… are you my Nona?" she asked softly.



"Oh, yes, I most certainly am." She smiled. "And I\'m very happy to meet you. Lucius has told me a lot about you."



"Nonno said I have my own room here in your pretty house… is it true?"



"Not only is it true, little one, but your Nonno went shopping for your furniture himself, and ensured everything was ready for your first visit here with us."



She giggled. "My Nonno did that?"



"Yes I did." He said firmly. "Would you like to see?"



"Yes, yes! Oh yes please, Nonno!" Her eyes sparkled, her arms about his neck, her fingers playing in his long hair.



He chuckled indulgently and continued to ignore the younger men as he turned to stroll down the hall a bit further to open a door. Light spilled out of the room and into the hallway. The room had windows that faced north and east, allowing in the early afternoon sunlight to brighten up every last inch of the room. He stepped inside, still carrying Angel.



"Oh… oh Nonno…" she whispered, eyes wide at all the frills and lace. "It\'s so pretty…"



He set her down on her feet. "Go ahead and explore your room, little Angel." She hugged him tight, then moved off to go look at everything.



"Father, you\'re spoiling her." Draco said with a smirk.



"Nonsense! The child needs a room like this; I\'m sure she\'s never had it before. Besides; that\'s what grandparents do, I\'m told…" he answered aloofly.



"Of course it is." Narcissa agreed with a slightly wicked smile. "We spoil them, and then send them home to their parents."



Harry smiled, greatly pleased. He had no intention of stepping in the way at all; Angel was so happy. Lucius seemed to have forgotten he was there and that was just fine with him.



Angel halted, staring at the bed. Upon the lacy pillows lay a doll with vivid green eyes and long curly black hair. "Oh… Oh Nonno…! A doll… and… and she looks just like me…!" she murmured, climbing up onto the fluffy feather bed.



"Indeed; she is a special friend, just for my little Angel."



She crawled to the doll, gazing at it but unsure. "Can I…" she looked back at Lucius. "Is it all right if I touch her?"



"You may do more than simply touch her, my child." He half-chuckled; quite amused by her innocent awe of all the things in her room. "You may play with her, and with anything in this room. It is, after all, all yours."



She scooped up the doll and held it close, gazing at them with her eyes gleaming with joy. "Oh it\'s all so… so pretty… oh daddy, papa, come and see!"



Harry chuckled as he moved over to his daughter. "She is beautiful, Angel…" he smiled, caressing the girl\'s dark curls. "What do you say to your grandfather?"



Angel put the doll carefully down on the pillows once more, and then pounced on Lucius, flinging her arms about his neck, hugging him. "Thank you so much, Nonno!! Thank you!" she said, kissing him on the cheek, her eyes sparkling with joy.



Lucius smiled contentendly. He wanted to be sure to keep the look of joy in this child\'s eyes. He hugged her tenderly. "Of course, you\'re welcome, my little angel." he assured.



Draco, standing back with his mother near the door, grinned and leaned close to her. "She has him completely wrapped around her little finger." he observed.



Narcissa smiled. "Oh, yes, she does at that." she agreed.



"Mother?" Draco looked at her, remembering his father\'s comments from a few days earlier. "Where are the kittens?"



"Kittens?" she repeated, confused for a moment.



"Sleeping." Lucius answered smoothly, arching an eyebrow at his wife.



She suddenly remembered what he had told her that he had said to their son. "Yes; cuddled up together, they are the sweetest things." Narcissa agreed.



"Oh… can I see them? I love kittens!" Angel said, excited. "May I see them please?"



"I have a better idea, my sweet." he scooped the child up in his arms and strolled off with her. "How about we go to town and get you your very own kitten?" he said with a smirk toward Draco.



"Can I really?!" she asked, then looked back at Harry and Draco, her excitement fading a bit. "But we can\'t, Nonno; Papa and Daddy need your help to name my baby brother."



"The baby isn\'t here, yet, is he Angel? We\'ve plenty of time." he reassured.



"Is it all right, daddy? Can I really have a kitty?" she asked in an almost pleading tone.



"Uh… Draco?" Harry said, deferring to his husband.



"Of course you may, Angel." Draco assured, rolling his eyes at his father. "Just don\'t keep her out long, she hasn\'t had her dinner yet, father."



"I haven\'t forgotten about regular mealtimes for children or about their appetites." he assured, strolling off with the girl.



Harry watched him leave with her, trying not to feel uneasy about the situation. He had not had very many positive experiences with Lucius Malfoy and knew that Draco\'s childhood had been far from flowery. It was hard to trust him with his little girl.



"She has him oh so totally wrapped about her little finger." Narcissa laughed. "Why don\'t we go out to the garden for tea?"



"Brilliant idea, mother; then perhaps later the kittens will be awake and I can see them?" Draco attempted again.



"We will have to see." she said as she led them outside, calling for the house elves to serve them.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Angel gazed at the variety of kittens, eyes wide. "Oh Nonno, there\'s so many to pick from…" she murmured as she watched them frolic and play.



"Ask the kittens their name, Angel. Perhaps one of them will answer you." Lucius encouraged her.



She looked at him, hesitant. "It\'s… its okay to do that?"



"You are a witch, little Angel. Of course using magic is all right." He said firmly. "In fact, I expect it of you."



She blushed. "I just want you always to be happy with me, Nonno." she said with a shy smile, hugging his neck.



"I don\'t see how I could not be happy with you, my little love." Lucius stroked her soft curls. He couldn\'t help but think that the baby he and James would have had would have been just like little Angel, just as sweet.



She kissed him on the cheek, and then squirmed to get down. He set her on her feet and she glanced about a moment, looking at each type of cat. She let her feet and her feelings guide her. Lucius watched, amused as she slowly wandered past all of the muggle bred cats, moving onward to the pen that held the Kneazle kits. There were four in the pen, three spotted and one striped. They all stopped their play when Angel approached and stood at the side of the pen. One lashed its tail, walking away from her, its ears pinned back. The other three approached her.



"Careful, my own; don\'t try to pick them up if they don\'t wish to be." Lucius cautioned.



"All right." she agreed, and reached to awkwardly pick up the kitten with the spots. "Hi kitty… what\'s your name?" she asked softly. The kneazle mewled at her, and she hesitated, and then put the kitten down, reaching down for the first striped one. She asked each of the kits its name, then put them back, watching them as they sat and gazed back at her, tufted tails twitching almost in complete unison. Angel bit her lip, gazing at them, and then her face brightened. "Oh… Oh hi kitty… I almost didn\'t hear you!" she murmured, reaching for the one on the right and picking it up.



"What is her name, my Angel?" Lucius asked with a smile.



"Tia. She wants to be mine… can I have her…? Please…?" she asked, turning to face Lucius. She had the kneazle held with both her hands wrapped around its chest, its front paws hanging over her arms and the legs dangling, large ears perked toward Lucius as if asking the same question the child was.



Lucius chuckled, and then waved to the clerk. "We will take this one." He said.



Angel squealed happily and hugged her new pet. The creature began to growl softly, ears dropping back against its skull, its eyes fixed on something just past Lucius.



"Well, well, well…! What a pretty little girl you have there, Lucius." A cold voice stated from behind him.



Angel looked at the one who had spoken. He was not quite as tall as Lucius, his body showing the clear signs of an easy life; his black hair liberally colored with silver streaks. His face bore two scars; one right across the bridge of his nose and the other on his left cheek marring his face into a permanent leer. Lucius knew the man; his name was Thorfin Rowle. "Is she yours?"



Lucius dropped one hand to touch Angel, and she shrank behind him, eyes wide. The kneazle continued to snarl, peering around Lucius\' legs. "Yes, she is mine." Lucius answered without a whit of deceit. "Cissa and I always desired a large family."



"I\'ve been considering expanding my family myself." he gazed at Lucius a moment with a conspiratorial smile, and then looked back at the girl who was nearly invisible behind his robes.



Angel gazed back at the man, beginning to tremble in fear. The cages and racks about them began to vibrate, then to rattle.



"Easy, my angel…" he said soothingly. "No one here will harm you." She gazed up at him with frightened green eyes. The Kneazle continued to snarl, reaching one claw to hook onto Lucius\' robes, peering about Lucius’ legs to glare at the newcomer and bare its fangs.



"After all, I\'ve been offered a young wife; younger than your son, I believe. Being of old wizarding stock has its advantages." he grinned, eyeing the child.



"It does." Lucius agreed, suspicious of why Rowle would even approach him here.



"I see that Parkinson wasn\'t lying after all…" he mused, returning his attention to Lucius. "How much did she cost?"



"…excuse me…?" Lucius was taken aback by the statement, though none of his shock showed on his face. He could hide anything behind the Malfoy mask, if needed.



"It\'s obvious that you used Potter to sire her. She feels as if she\'s quite powerful for such a young little witch. Has she learned control yet?"



"Her strength and ability to control is not any of your business." He said, pausing a moment to disentangle the Kneazle\'s claws from the back of his robes, then scooping the girl into his arms. His eyes never left Rowle for a moment, giving him a warning glare.



Rowle continued to smile, eyeing the girl. "I see I\'ll have to speak with Parkinson… my bloodline could use strength like that."



Angel hid her face against Lucius\' chest and the kneazle she held that now was cradled between her little body and Lucius peered out of her arms, its eyes glowing with clearly evident dislike, still growling, its tail lashing wildly.



"Speak to her if you wish; I\'ve long since been done with her. I\'ve no time for witches of her ilk." He said coolly, turning to the clerk, who was hesitating at his elbow. "Send the bill to my manor, will you? And add a month\'s supply of the proper amenities to care for the creature."



"Of course, Mr. Malfoy…" she answered, giving him a respectful bow. Lucius turned and walked out of the shop at a brisk pace. Rowle stood, watching them leave with a calculating smile.



"I don\'t like that man, Nonno…" Angel whispered. "And neither does Tia."



"You are a clever girl, my Angel." Lucius answered her. "Now hold your kit; we are going home now…" he said and the world blurred as he apparated home.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Angel held her pet close in her arms as Lucius strode into the manor with her. "Moxie!" he called out.



A house elf appeared almost instantly, bowing until its head touched the carpet. "Master is needing Moxie?"



"Where is Narcissa?" he asked in a slightly sharp tone.



"Mistress is in garden with Young Master and mate."



"Come, Angel." Lucius set the girl on her feet. "Let us show your father your new friend." He put on a smile for the girl.



She smiled, feeling the fear that had gripped her in the presence of that stranger fading away. "All right Nonno?" she asked softly.



"I will be fine, not to worry my own." he soothed her, though he was seething with anger.



Angel smiled and turned her attention toher Kneazle kit that she still held about its chest under its forepaws. "Do you see, Tia? This is Nonno\'s house. He and Nona live here." she said as she followed Lucius through the great hall then the lounge and out into the gardens.



"Oh, welcome home…" Cissa smiled.



"Potter. My den. Now." Lucius said in short clipped words, eyes ice cold as he turned and walked back into the manor.



Harry rose to his feet, looking at Draco with more than a little trepidation. "Oh… bloody hell…" he murmured softly.



Angel moved over to them, watching as Harry moved into the house after his father-in-law.



"What happened, baby?" Draco asked her.



"I was good, I promise papa; it was the bad man. Tia didn\'t like him and he made Nonno angry." she said softly, hugging her kit with its big red bow about its neck.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Harry followed Lucius to his den, worried. What in the blazes could have happened to make his father-in-law so furious…? He\'d only gone to the pet store with Angel…



Lucius sealed and silenced the door, then moved to the liquor cabinet, opening the doors with a sharp gesture of his wand. He pulled out two glasses and poured drinks, then picked one up and took a drink. Harry watched him make all these preparations, unsure at all of what was going on.



Finally Lucius raised his eyes full of burning outrage on Harry. "How did she do it?" He demanded.



"She…? How did who do what…?" Harry asked, his confusion clear.



"Parkinson, you fool!" he snapped, greatly irritated. How could Potter be so daft as not to know what he had discovered?! "Surely you know!"



Harry sighed and picked up the other glass, moving to take a seat. "I did intend to tell you everything, Lucius, once we\'d broken the case." he said softly.



Lucius shot him a glare, beginning to pace up and down the length of his study, every muscle tense and body clearly showing his fury. "I was approached today in Madam Myrts Menangerie by Thorfin Rowle. He saw Angel and assumed, I surmise, that Angel was my child whom I had you father. He seemed surprised that Parkinson had told him the truth about something, and after seeing the child he decided that he was going to inquire to her about her services. He said he wanted your power and blood in his family…"



"Lucius, I did not father Angel personally."



He halted, eyes narrow as he considered Harry. "You never met her mother, did you?"



"No, sir." he said firmly.



"How in Merlin\'s name did she do this?!" he demanded angrily.



Harry sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair. He took a moment or two to consider how to explain. "Muggle science is the answer, I\'m afraid. Muggle science was used to create Angel. I can tell you without doubt that she was not born of this mad scheme of Pansy\'s; she was born before Pansy got all this insanity into her head and got it started. She was created out of what someone believed was friendship, and that in her infancy our little Angel was greatly loved by her parents. Angel only came to me because her mother died."



"How did they get your…" Lucius hesitated; he always had hated the muggle term for male seed. Semen… sounded like a muggle sailor. "How did they get your ESSENCE?" he managed. "And how many have used your essence? And that of my son?"



"The how is easy. We had to give samples when we were trying to have a baby at the clinic; that is what they used. How many? We\'re not sure yet. But we are not the only ones who have had our \'essence\' harvested." Harry told him quietly. "We\'re working to find that out; that\'s why no one has been arrested as of yet. We knew that Pansy was in the middle of it, though."



"Who else is involved?" Lucius demanded angrily.



"I can\'t tell you that. We\'re working to find everyone involved; one of them has turned over their wand and is doing everything they can to assist us in the search for information." Harry answered evasively.



Lucius stalked to his favorite chair but did not sit; he was too angry to seat himself or even be still for more than a few moments. He drew himself up proudly. "Wizarding Law, Mr. Potter, states that a child belongs to its sire. Any child of the bloodline is the responsibility of the head of the family. Now you may be the head of the Potter line as you are the only male of age. But Draco is not the head of the Malfoy line, I am! Any child born of Malfoy blood is my responsibility and as such I have a right to know of each and every one of them!" he growled.



"Yes, I know, Mr. Malfoy. I do understand that." he sighed softly. "You will know. But you and I must BOTH wait until we can know where ALL of them are, to enable us to take them and place them in their rightful homes."



"How many other wizarding families are involved in this mess?!" He demanded. "This should be in the hands of the Aurors, not a private detective!"



"I\'m working with the head of the Auror department, sir." Harry clarified.



Lucius grunted in acknowledgement of that fact, pacing once more. He wasn\'t getting any answers that satisfied him at all from Potter. He glared at him as he stalked past him. He took another drink before he spoke again. "And exactly when were you going to introduce me to my grandchildren? The twins upstairs in my nursery?" he asked.



Harry blinked in surprise. "They\'re here already? I thought they\'d be at least a month in the incubators, they were so tiny…"



"Spells and potions, Mr. Potter." He said with a bit of a sneer. "We ARE wizards, are we not? Severus Snape is a master of potions. Both babies have developed full lung and bodily functions, and are gaining weight on a daily basis." He added with clear pride.



"That\'s really good to know." Harry said softly, and then took a drink. "I just… they were so small, even smaller than Andie, and… and Andie…" he couldn\'t finish the thought verbally. Andie didn\'t survive.



Lucius glanced at him and saw the grief on Potter\'s face as he mentioned his most recently lost child. He\'d never known nor even cared how much that death had affected his son\'s husband; all his focus had always been on his son. Now he could see that grief and it touched him, it reflected what he felt when he thought about his own daughter (he was sure it had been a girl) with James. "They are doing well, but you\'re not worried about them, are you?"



Harry shook his head slightly. "Draco\'s medi-wizard believes he will deliver early. I\'m worried… about him, about our son…" he said softly, head bowed.



Lucius took a moment to take a deep breath, trying to quell his anger somewhat. Potter was not the cause of this mess and it was pointless to take his temper out on him. "This is different, much different, Potter. Andie was born much too soon, the doctors said so and even you must know that." He said, and then realized sarcasm had slipped into his voice again. He throttled down the impulse, just for a moment, to be snarky to the younger man.



"Yeah… I guess…"



"All pregnancies are different, and wizard pregnancies are the most varied of all. An average wizard\'s pregnancy is around nine months, but the magic influences the growth and development of the child. You and Draco are far from average. A gifted wizard could deliver in as little as six months… I do believe Merlin delivered his own child in five; it was the shortest pregnancy in wizarding history."



"Merlin was the most powerful wizard in history, so that makes sense." Harry mumbled softly. "But… Draco and I aren\'t Merlin. He\'s only a little over four months along…"



"And your worrying isn\'t going to affect my son? He\'s a sensitive man, Potter. You have to be up front with him about everything; I told you that, years ago when you took him for a husband!"



"I know, and I am being honest with him. He knows I\'m worried; that\'s why he hid his pregnancy for so long. To spare us both…" Harry said softly.



Lucius hesitated, and then moved back to his chair. He slowly sank into it, finally allowing himself to relax somewhat. What he had on his mind wasn\'t going to be easy to say; he still felt deep down inside that this child of Lilly Potter wasn\'t nearly good enough for his son. But there were children now, and he did not want to be kept out of their lives due to the opinions that he had voiced over the years. As far as he was concerned, they were all true and remained so. It was only a fluke; a stroke of fate that Potter had finally managed to get his son pregnant and taken care of long enough to get this far in pregnancy. He wanted Draco here on a daily basis if he could manage it, just to ease his own mind. "Potter… I know that we have not exactly gotten along…" he began.



Harry glanced up at him, pushing away thoughts and memories of his lost child, allowing Lucius the luxury of time to get his wording the way he wanted it.



"I am forced to admit that I am a very selfish man. I did not believe that you and my son would ever provide me an heir, but you have done that." he considered his glass a moment. "I wish to remain involved in the lives of my grandchildren and to be there for them as I was unable to with Draco."



"I don\'t mind you visiting with them at all." Harry said softly. "Family is a precious thing. I really didn\'t have one that cared for me at all. So I know the value of family more than most do."



"What I\'m trying to say is I\'d like a fresh start. I\'ve been told…" he said, thinking of Severus\' comments the day the babies had arrived at the manor. "… that I\'m driving my son from me. I do not want that to happen. I\'m willing to at least make the attempt to be civil to you, Potter."



Harry gazed at him, stunned, taking a moment to find his voice again. "How could I possibly say no to that, sir?" he asked, a smile stealing over his lips. Lucius Malfoy, in his arrogant aloof manner, had just apologized in a roundabout manner, and he recognized the apology without it having to be put into precise words. "I\'d be glad to start over."



"I still don\'t think you\'re the perfect match for him." Lucius said immediately. "But… you will do." He added with a smirk. He let Harry have a few moments to think before he began to speak again, eyeing the level of liquor left in his glass. "Do you think that Draco is up to being introduced to the \'kittens\'?" he asked, giving Harry the chance to make the decision. Personally he thought it was a good idea to bring Draco in and let him see how much work was ahead of him with only one child, much less three tiny infants.



Harry frowned softly, thinking hard. "I… I don\'t know. I\'m not willing to do anything that will risk his health or that of our baby. The mediwizard said everything was fine, but…"



"The choice is yours." Lucius sipped his drink. Harry did not seem to be willing to make such a decision at the moment. "Would you like to see them?" he offered after an extended silence.



"I\'d love to, if it\'s all right." Harry said, setting the glass aside.



Lucius rose, setting his glass down as well in silent assent. Harry followed Lucius up to the nursery where the twins slept; a house elf sat in the room, clearly on guard duty. They both moved to the crib side and Harry gazed down at them, amazed.



The babies were twice as large as he remembered them, nowhere near as frail; little arms and legs filled out instead of skinny and starved looking. "It\'s just been what, a couple of weeks since I saw them last? They\'re so much larger…" he murmured softly, impressed by their progress.



"Beautiful, aren\'t they?" Lucius smiled proudly.



"Absolutely ravishing…" Harry murmured with a smile, straightening the blanket over them with gentle, tender hands.



"You know, Potter…" Lucius began. "You and my son will have your hands full, with him expecting as well as your Angel to tend. You don\'t know how many more you will discover that you will be obliged to take in as head of your family. Cissa has been a wonderful mother to these two." he said in his most persuasive tone, hoping that Harry would take the bait and let him keep them.



"I\'m sure she has; you\'ve got a wonderful wife in Narcissa." Harry said softly. "But that choice is neither mine nor yours to make; they are Draco\'s children. Where they stay and depends upon what he wishes to do about all of this."



"I understand that." he sighed with reluctant acceptance. He had so hoped… but he would have to wait until Draco was well and strong enough to make the decision himself.



Harry glanced at him and smiled. "Even if we do take them home, I\'m sure you\'ll still see them almost on a daily basis."



"I certainly expect to. You are a busy man, and my son should not be left on his own in his delicate condition, whether he has received good reports from the mediwizard or not."



"My feelings exactly." Harry agreed in a soft voice.



Lucius glanced at him, surprised that they actually agreed on something. "Hm. Well; perhaps we should go join the others before they begin to believe that I murdered you in my den…"



Harry chuckled softly, giving the tiny babies one last look; they were so beautiful. Tiny reproductions of Draco, they were; fine blonde hair barely visible, tiny and perfect. "What are their names, Lucius?" Harry asked softly.



"Lillian Cassiopeia and Remus Severus." He answered.



Harry smiled softly. "I think the names suit them; I think Draco will love their names as well. Mum would love it I think. I just wish she and dad could see the kids." he said as they turned and walked out of the nursery.



"James would love them." Lucius said quietly as they walked. He was silent as they made their way to the balcony and down the grand staircase. He stopped at the foot of the stairs and Harry hesitated, glancing at him. "You know, Potter; I think its time. I have something for you… go on and join the others in the garden. I will bring it out to you."



"All right." Harry said, curious but moving onward out the doors and into the bright sunlit garden. Angel ran to him with a happy squeal, little Tia bouncing along after her and swatting at the ties of her dress playfully. Harry knelt and hugged her gently.



"Are you okay, daddy? Nonno was so mad…" she murmured, gazing at him worriedly. The kneazle at her side looked at him with her large ears perked, head tilted to the side as if questioning.



"He was upset, not angry little love. He wasn\'t upset at either of us at all, especially not you. It\'s all right now, we\'ve talked it through and all is well now…"



"Okay." she said, kissing him upon his cheek before taking his hand. "Come on, daddy, there\'s biscuits with jelly in the middle of them and they\'re really good, almost as good as the ones Rosie made for Papa." Harry allowed himself to be tugged to his feet and guided over to join the others at the table, the kneazle kit bounding along behind them.



Draco fixed Harry a cup of tea as he took his seat. "What did father want, Harry?" He asked, worried.



"Nothing to worry about… we talked… and then he asked if we could start over. Put the past behind us." Harry said as he sat, Angel taking the seat at his left as Draco was seated at his right.



Narcissa looked greatly pleased by the answer. "He finally did! Oh that is fantastic news; good for both of you!"



"I\'m willing to try." Harry grinned softly.



"Should I get your biscuits, daddy?" Angel asked him.



"Go right ahead, love. You know which ones are the best." he winked at her. Angel beamed at him, and then busied herself with picking out the cookies for her father.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Lucius strolled through the lounge and to the French doors that opened onto the garden only a few moments later. He stood in the doorway a moment, watching the domestic scene before him.



His wife seemed to be glowing with happiness, as beautiful as the day he had married her. He had come to love her, despite the fact that their wedding had been one neither of them would have preferred. His son… Draco was incandescent. Smiling, open, relaxed… Lucius had rarely seen him behave as he was at this moment. Little Angel was cuddled in Harry\'s lap, giggling as she watched her kneazle kit romp across the garden chasing a pixie it had spotted. A gentle breeze stirred the flowers and tiny motes of pollen drifted across the scene, sparkling in the afternoon sunlight.



There had been dozens… perhaps hundreds of times when he had come to this door to see his family out in the garden; his wife and infant son, in the garden. When he had seen that they were fine, he had always turned and gone back inside to tend to business or other things. He had very rarely gone out to join them when his son was present, and often he would leave Narcissa out there alone to mull through his own thoughts. It was time, now to put all that behind him. They had more than enough to ensure their comfortable life, as well as his son\'s and grandchildren\'s… it was time to enjoy and become part of that scene of tranquil joy.



He stepped out the doors and into the sunlight, taking his time to stroll to the table where the others sat. Draco looked up at his father, the smile on his face warming Lucius\' heart. Telling Harry he wanted to start over had been an excellent choice; clearly Potter had told them about that part of their conversation.



"Potter; I have something that I have treasured for many, many years…" he said softly, one hand slipping into a pocket of his elegant wizard\'s robes. "I have allowed Narcissa to view it, but no other has ever touched this stone…" he withdrew a small box from his pocket. "I do believe, though, that James would have wanted you to have this…" He handed the box to Harry.



Harry took it, glancing at both his husband and Narcissa. The witch smiled; she knew exactly what it was and she was quite pleased that Lucius had passed it on.



Draco watched curiously as Harry opened the box. Lying nestled among the deep green silk was a teardrop shaped crystal pendant upon a silver chain. "Oh… it\'s… its beautiful Lucius…" Harry started, unsure. Why was Lucius giving him jewelry?



"…but you have absolutely no idea what it is, do you, Potter?" Lucius smirked, taking a seat beside his wife. She took his hand, leaning over to kiss his cheek tenderly.



"None whatsoever… I can feel that it has magic, but…"



"It\'s a memory crystal, isn\'t it father?" Draco asked, gazing at it. "It holds a memory. Like a pensieve, but you don\'t need a bowl to view the memory."



"Precisely." He nodded.



"A memory crystal?" he gazed at it. This thumb-sized piece of crystal held a part of his father as a young man… "How do I activate it…? How do I view the memory?"



"You simply speak the keyword." Draco answered.



"And that keyword is Easter Break." Lucius smiled softly. "I included another keyword; it\'s on a slip of parchment underneath the silk. That will trigger a more… shall we say, PRIVATE memory. One I don\'t recommend for the younger set." he said with a smirk.



"I\'ll do that later." Harry assured.



"Oh daddy, that\'s so pretty!" Angel murmured softly, watching as her father slipped the chain over his neck.



"Isn\'t it, love?" he smiled at her, stroking her cheek. He took the crystal in his hand and held it up, whispering the words. "Easter Break."



The vision leapt up from the crystal, visible from all sides like a three-dimensional hologram.



The scene was of a nineteen year old Lucius and a sixteen year old James seated together out by the lake sharing a picnic lunch together. Bright afternoon sunlight filtered through the trees and lit the scene with shafts of dancing light. James was playful and teasing, picking up bits of this and that and feeding them to his lover. Lucius smiled and teased him right back; it was clear the two were very comfortable with each other and quite smitten with each other.



Harry was reminded of his little island in the muggle park that he loved to share with Draco as he watched the scene unfold.



Lucius produced a box tied with a bow and James grinned charmingly at him, and then opened it. He blushed, pulling out a pair of bunny ears. The vision faded after that and Harry found himself smiling softly.



"I\'ve never seen that side of you, father." Draco said softly. "You loved him… but…" he glanced at his mother.



She smiled at him. "Your father and I were the best of friends in school." she said, her hand resting in Lucius\' on the table. "He loved James very much, and I knew and was so happy for them… Your father still loves James… our marriage, son, was arranged by our fathers against our wishes… but over time, we have come to love one another."



"I understand that, but…" Draco frowned. Why had his father married his best friend instead of the man he truly loved?



"No one has ever told me what happened." Lucius said quietly, his smile gone now.



"I wish things had been different for you, Mr. Malfoy; but you can\'t change the past."



"I am quite aware of that. And if it had been different, neither you nor Draco would be here now."



"I\'m glad daddy is here." Angel said, hugging Harry and smiling over at Draco. "And my Papa too."



"So am I, my own." Lucius brushed off his melancholy thoughts and smiled at the little girl.



She slipped out of Harry\'s arms and crawled up into his arms, cuddling up to him in pure contentment. The kneazle bounded over to them, mewling, stretching up to reach her then she began to climb up his pant leg. Lucius smirked and picked it up by the scruff, depositing it on Angel\'s lap. She hugged the kitten happily.



"So, mother…" Draco mused thoughtfully. "Do you think your kittens are awake yet?"



"They are far too small to be played with, Draco." Lucius said. "You see, their mother died and they need a lot of care."



"I don\'t want to play with them, father. I just want to look at them." Draco retorted with a smirk.



"Their mommy died?" Angel asked eyes wide and sad as she gazed up at him. "That\'s awful!"



"Yes, and they are very tiny and delicate…"



"They\'ll be okay, Nonno. They have you and Nona to take care of them." she said in a serious tone.



"Yes, they do indeed." He smiled at her.



"Can I help take care of them? I\'ll be very, very careful…"



"Once they get a bit larger, yes." Narcissa smiled at her. She beamed proudly at the thought that she was going to be allowed to help.



Draco sat back in his chair, bemused by all that he had seen today. His father was not acting normally; had just meeting Angel changed him so much? He actually asked Harry if they could start over; that was enough of a shocking change. But now he was here with them, out in the garden, holding a child in his lap and doing all he could to simply make that girl smile. He\'d never known the man he saw before him and found himself wishing that he could have.



"Have you seen your pony yet, my own?" Lucius asked.



"I get a pony too…? Really?" she asked in awe.



"Of course…! You are a Malfoy, after all…" he picked up the Kneazle and set it in Draco\'s lap, then rose, scooping the girl up into his arms. He described the little pony with its yellow-gold pelt and black mane and tail as he strode away with her.



Draco watched them leave in complete bemusement. "Mother?"



"Yes, Draco?"



"Who is that man? And just what have you done with father?"



Narcissa laughed softly at his questions. "That is the man I was friends with forever… and who I fell in love with." she answered with a soft smile.



"Oh, he\'s definitely Lucius." Harry agreed with a soft smile, remembering the outbursts that he had endured from Lucius only a short while ago. "But he is trying."



"I\'ve never seen him this way." Draco murmured softly.



"Well, my dragon…" she said softly, sipping her tea. "He sees what could have been his in Angel. Your father was so completely, incredibly in love… and he always wanted a daughter. He often told me that getting married to James and having a baby girl would make his life complete. You should have seen his joy when he found out that James was carrying their child."



"Father had a baby with James?" Draco murmured, almost shocked. His father had never mentioned… not even hinted… Oh Merlin; that explained so much. His father couldn\'t have James so he was determined that Draco couldn\'t or shouldn\'t have Harry…



"Oh, no, Draco." Narcissa corrected in a soft tone. "Their baby disappeared. We never found out what happened to the child that James carried. Lucius was so sure that it was a girl, but he and James never went to a healer to find out. Then James vanished, spirited away by his parents to the coast, and when he returned he had no memory of any of the past year and a distinct dislike for Lucius. I always hoped that the baby had been allowed to be born and that it was sent to a family and not destroyed. Lucius looked; he searched all the records at the ministry that he could get his hands on, but he never found any mention of the baby at all. Si.ce we don\'t know where they spirited James away to, we have no idea where to look. Your father spent almost a year, searching… Russia, Japan, Italy… he searched every place he could but found nothing at all…"



Harry frowned softly. "I\'ll see what I can find… I know Lucius looked, but maybe he didn\'t look everywhere. And I have several connections that aren\'t associated with the ministry." he said thoughtfully.



"It would give Lucius some closure, just to know what became of her…" Narcissa said in a grateful tone.



"I\'d like the chance to meet her anyway; just to see what my half-sister is like…"