Indago:Reborn

Chapter Fourteen

Draco again came through his front door at eight o’clock in the evening the next day. He again gave his coat to the coat tree and went in search of his husband. In his hand he held a colourful book. And again, he found Severus sitting on the settee in the sitting room looking over essays and tests.

“Where’s Harry?” Draco asked, looking about the room. He was glad that they would be buying all new furniture for their new home. He didn’t want Harry reminded of this house. Draco realized that he had been an utter fool to agree to this living arrangement. All he had thought of was no living expenses other than food and such. Which, at the time, the deal between he and his father had been perfect since Harry had just begun at the muggle zoo and he had just started as an apprentice at the Ministry. Unfortunately, he had not thought it through in the long term. He had not seen that his father would use it as an excellent tool to keep tabs on him and Harry. And, of course, to move out on their own when they were being given a free roof would have been inexcusably rude. Draco sighed as he again looked over the furniture. Thankfully, he had played his cards right, manipulated the right amount of people and had given him and Harry a way out. It wouldn’t be much longer before he would no longer need to endure another of his father’s increasingly strict lectures, as he had the night before.

“He’s not asleep, is he?” Draco asked, bringing his thoughts back to the present. “I have a gift for him. And it was a bloody nuisance to get, too.” Draco stalked to the armchair and sat down with a whoosh. “Do you know those foolish muggles want your address on their lists before they give you a bloody catalogue?” he grumbled. “I should think it enough that I would even consider looking at their products.”

“And what products would those be?” Snape asked without looking up from his papers. “I hope it isn’t maternity clothing?”

Draco snorted. “Harry nearly tore my head off when I happened to mention that idea. Instead, I have had to endure the sight of some horribly ridiculous clothes on him. Do you know he actually wanted to wear something called “sweats”? As if one would wish to perspire while simply wearing the clothes.” Draco rested his right ankle on his left knee. “I overruled that, of course. Unfortunately, I stupidly left him to deal with the tailor that created those ridiculous trousers of his. Their only saving grace is that they are quite easily removed.” Draco smirked.

“Then what muggle products catalogue did you require, then?” Snape asked into his notes.

“Toys.” Draco let his head fall to the back of the chair. He studied the ceiling as he spoke. “Harry has mentioned a few times about some toys that he had wanted as a child. I thought he and I could look through this catalogue and order a few of them. Give him something to do.” Draco’s eyes narrowed and then he frowned. He looked about the room and surreptitiously breathed in the air.

“Something’s not right,” he murmured. He picked his head up and looked at Snape. Something’s… off.”

“Oh?” Snape murmured carelessly.

Draco’s eyes narrowed and he stood up. “Where’s Harry?”

“In the den.”

Silver eyes widened in sudden understanding. He spun and headed toward the door.

“I wouldn’t go up there if I were you,” Snape said and put the parchment roll down. He looked intently at Draco. “He’s locked the door. Any tampering and you will be as acquainted with the opposite wall as I was.”

Draco’s hands opened and closed at his side, but otherwise he did not betray the riot of emotion inside him. “How long?”

“He had been pacing all morning. He went in there just after lunch.” Snape looked down at his notes. “I noticed his extended stay in there another hour after that. At that time I attempted to enter and was thrown back. I do not believe it was a preset spell, but a reaction on his part.”

“Why did you not inform me?” Draco asked stiffly. “You haven’t seen him since?”

“I did not call on you because it would be pointless. We can only wait. And no, I have not seen him. He apparently found the recording spells I placed in there and disabled them. Both audio and visual.” Snape’s voice was calm and smooth, but a tick thrummed in his throat and Draco could smell the other Supero’s anxiety. It matched his own.

“Then we have no idea if he needs help?” Draco asked with a deep frown.

“Nature will proceed as it will. If he has need of us, we will know.”

Draco looked out into the hall and up the stairs. Nothing moved. No sound was heard. He took a deep breath and carefully walked back to his chair and stiffly sat down.

“Tell me of your harrowing adventure with the muggles and their address lists,” Snape instructed. With another carefully drawn breath, Draco did.

Two very observant and calculating pairs of eyes, one silver and one black, were glaring at the intruders. Draco stood near the doorway and watched the many people in his home he really wanted to eject. Including his mother and father. Two hours ago, Draco had been incredibly amused to watch his parents try to have a civil and polite conversation with the Weasley brood. It hadn’t gotten very far and had now become a very odd sight with Granger playing mediary and still trying vainly to pretend that everyone was in social accord. Snape and he stood at opposites sides of the room and glared.

Stupid Granger and Weasel. They had intruded not more than an hour after he had come home. Apparently Harry had made plans to visit with them this evening. He’d have to talk to Harry about inflicting his friends on him without warning. Granger, the bint, had quickly figured out why Harry was indisposed at the moment and not more than fifteen minutes later it seemed a sea of red hair and freckles had spilled into his home. Knowing that his father would be livid if he were not informed along with the horde, Draco soon had the present situation. And he was not happy. Neither was Snape by the look of it. If Harry didn’t regard these idiots, sans his parents, as family, Draco would have tossed the lot out.

“Well, it is quite amazing, the gestational period of the subicio,” Hermione said for the third time. Draco would have enjoyed her discomfort more if she weren’t standing in his house with the rest of them.

“Will the baby be an Indago as well, then?” Mrs. Weasley asked no one in particular. Granger, of course, fielded the question.

“It would be very rare. But it is a possibility, isn’t that right, Professor Snape?” She looked hopefully at the dark man. If Granger thought she was going to get any help in keeping the conversation alive from that quarter, she had indeed gone mental.

The silent man shifted and looked at the young woman with a sneer. “Actually, Ms. Granger, I believe it is a very likely event,” the Potions Master stated calmly. All eyes turned to him in surprise.

“Really,” Lucius drawled. “And what has brought you to that conclusion?”

“Through observation and case study.” Snape looked about the room as he would his class. Therefore concluding that all of them were as dumb as a pole. “Mr. Potter has been presenting signs that he is carrying something more than a pure human. It is, of course, possible that history has distorted the facts and my recorded data could merely be normal for a male pregnancy. But it deviates enough from normal male pregnancies, as rare as they are, and correlates enough like the information I have gathered to indicate that the foetus is indeed Indago.”

Draco could actually see his father’s eyes begin to glow with anticipation. If Severus were correct, it would be an enormous boon to the Malfoy name. His father would be considered more powerful than he already was, having now two Indago in the next two generations of his line. Draco, himself, would most assuredly be receiving marriage contract requests for the child almost immediately from the greatest families in the wizarding world. Merlin, the heads of muggle royal lines would be clamouring at his door as well. His child would have his or her pick of anything, even more than they already would, being a Malfoy and the child of the Saviour of the Wizarding World. There would be media frenzy as they watched everything he or she did. Trends could possibly be set by what he or she wore or said.

Harry was not going to be happy about this.

Fortunately, Draco, like a true Malfoy, had already made huge steps in preparation of the child. He had become the epitome of calm and control at the Ministry. No one who met him or worked with him would see him as a ravening beast. The incident in Hogsmeade back in his school days did not haunt him as long as he would have thought. Most likely due to the fact that the moron who had attacked Harry had been vilified in the press and then had quietly left the country. With a sizable threat from the Malfoy name, of course.

Harry losing it in the Ministry lobby could have greatly damaged his standing, but fortunately was easily dealt with. Now the image anyone had of Draco was of a supremely powerful pureblood wizard who was adept and remarkably clever at his profession. He had paved the way for his child if he or she were to be an Indago. No one would look at them as anything other than desired and respected.

“That would be truly amazing!” Granger breathed. “They are incredibly precocious. They can eat solid foods at birth.”

“Draco was incredibly gifted,” Narcissus said to the room. “He was running about at six months. Everyone was quite in amazement.”

“You are singing my praises to the wrong crowd, Mother,” Draco said with a smile for her. Then with a look at Severus, he straightened from the wall he stood next to and said, “I’m going up.”

“But I thought you said it was dangerous. That he wouldn’t let anyone in,” Ron said suspiciously.

“I am not hiding him away from you, Weasley,” Draco retorted sharply. “I am merely going to take a tray of food up there. Severus says he hasn’t eaten since lunch, and as it is now nearly midnight, I suspect he may be hungry.”

“He may allow you in with food,” Snape agreed. Draco nodded and then strode away.

After stopping in the kitchen for a tray from Ably, he made his way up the stairs. The hall was silent as he walked softly to the closed door. He didn’t sense any tingle of magic, didn’t hear any sounds. He stepped close to the door, without touching it; he listened for any noise inside. Nothing.

“Harry?” he called softly. “I’ve brought food, pet.”

No response. Draco took it as a good sign that he wasn’t being flung back. Without further ado, he grabbed the door handle. It turned effortlessly and the door swung open.