Paternity

Part Fourteen
Premonition

The demerits accomplished what they were meant to--there were no clashes between the Slytherins and Gryffindors for the next few days. Of course, part of that was due to the fact that the house elves had, upon request, been happy to bring Ron and Harry their dinner on trays. The boys slipped down to the kitchens early and ate there much fussed over by the tiny, twittering creatures. Ron remarked that he\'d heard of being killed with kindness, but he\'d never understood what it meant until now.

Ron had been forbidden heavy work, but he managed to convince Pomfrey and Snape that dusting and polishing wouldn\'t be dangerous. \"And if anyone had ever told me that I\'d be ASKING to do housework, I\'d have made a reservation for them in the nearest loony bin.\"

Filch grumbled a bit about losing one of his workers, but it gave him an excuse to pile even dirtier, more tedious jobs on Harry. One afternoon, about a week after the food fight, Harry nearly sent Ron into a laughing fit. The other boy was so spattered with white from head to toe that Ron exclaimed dramatically, \"Oh, God, I knew it would happen! Voldemort got Harry, and now his ghost has come back to haunt me! Are you going to be challenging Nearly Headless Nick for the position of Gryffindor ghost, Harry?\"

\"Hah, bloody hah, Ron. I was whitewashing the magical beasts\' stable, and Fang came in.\"

\"Oh, dear.\"

\"Yeah. He\'s been kipping down in the stable while Hagrid\'s gone, so he\'s comfortable enough, and the house elves have been keeping him well fed, but he\'s LONELY.\" Harry picked at his clothes. \"He wanted a romp, and when something THAT big wants a romp, you don\'t really have much choice about whether or not you\'re going to participate.\" Harry went to his trunk and got a change of clothing. Starting for the door, he said, \"And you can just get that gleam out of your eyes, Ron Weasley. I\'m washing, and that\'s ALL I\'m doing.\"

\"Spoil sport.\"

\"Horny bastard.\"

\"It\'s my hormones.\"

\"Excuses, excuses.\" Ron stuck out his tongue. \"I told you no.\" They shared a laugh as Harry left for the lavatory.

Ron flopped on his bed. He\'d polished half the cups in the trophy room, and was feeling more tired than he\'d admit. He let his mind drift for a few moments, then became conscious of his position--his hands were clasped over his belly. Ron stared down at the intertwined fingers, cocking his head. He tried to decide if they were resting any higher than they had before. He wondered when he\'d really begin showing. Probably sooner than girls did. He wasn\'t sure exactly how it worked, but he had an idea that the wider hips sort of camouflaged things a little for them. He had better sense than to ever mention that to any female he knew, though. He hadn\'t had all that much experience with women, but he had an idea that talking about their hips was dangerous business.

He spread his fingers, considering, but he still didn\'t feel a bulge. \"Cripes,\" Ron muttered. \"What am I going to do when I DO start to show? Only so much of it can be passed off as too many chocolate frogs.\" *I could say that I had the bloat, or something, but then everyone would expect me to be in the infirmary all the time, and still, that would be good for only so long, even if Pomfrey agreed to fib about it. I mean, I wouldn\'t swell just in the gut, unless I had a tumor or something, and everyone would know that I\'d be sent to hospital if it was that serious.*

He was still looking thoughtful when Harry returned, damp hair sticking up in dark spikes. \"Cor, Harry, I know you have a hard time controlling your mop, but you might at least TRY. Get over here.\" He pulled out a comb and patted the mattress. Harry came and sat beside him, and Ron began to comb Harry\'s hair. \"I\'ve been thinking. If I was to wear my robes closed, how long d\'ya suppose I could hide my, er, expansion?\"

\"I dunno. It\'s not something I\'ve ever thought much about. From what I hear, every pregnancy is different. Some people don\'t need to wear maternity clothes till their seventh or eighth month, and some can\'t snap their jeans the day after they get preggers.\"

Ron sighed. \"Well, I\'m only about a month and a half along now, so there\'s no telling which side of the median I\'ll fall on.\" He took hold of Harry\'s chin and turned his head from side to side, inspecting him critically.

Amused, Harry said, \"Satisfied?\"

\"Hell, I know it will last five seconds after it dries, but at least I know I tried.\"

\"Not going to be trying to change me, are you, Ron?\"

\"Not much, but I don\'t want the father of my baby running around looking like he just got out of Borstal.\"

\"Look, Ron, quit worrying about it, eh? I trust Snape, Dumbledore, and Pomfrey to keep their traps shut about this. Aside from them and your parents, no one else has any idea.\" Harry squeezed Ron\'s shoulder reassuringly. \"It\'s so improbable that it\'s highly unlikely anyone will consider it as a possibility.\"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

\"Sir?\"

Lucius Malfoy did not look up from his cards. \"Be quiet, fool.\" The steward stepped back, cheeks flaming, then paling. He had not wanted to interrupt Malfoy at his whist game. The wizard was notoriously impatient with any form off annoyance or inconvenience. But the steward thought of the individual who had so coldly declared that no, she would NOT be pleased to wait till the set was over to speak to him. He folded his hands and waited. He would NOT be leaving without delivering the message.

Lucius finished the hand, completing it to his satisfaction. Therefore he was feeling a bit magnanimous, and did not turn the presumptuous servant into a toad. \"What is it?\"

\"A Miss Anisa Malfoy desires to speak to you. She says that it is a matter of importance.\"

Lucius stood abruptly, snapping, \"Why didn\'t you TELL me, idiot? Show me to her immediately.\" Prudently not responding, the steward led Lucius from the card room to one of the hotel\'s small salons.

She was sitting on a small, plump, upholstered love seat, perched rigidly on the very edge. Lucius thought that he had never seen the woman\'s spine anything but severely straight. He wasn\'t sure how much of it was due to posture, how much was iron will, and how much was the resultruthruthlessly rigorous corseting. The general Malfoy blonde hair had gone silver, but it was thin, and fine. The single braid that was coiled at the base of her neck was very long, but no thicker at the base than his thumb.


His great-aunt was a rail thin woman, and the elegant Malfoy features had thinned and sharpened with age. Lucius had no idea of her actual age, but his earliest memories of her did not differ a particle from her present appearance. Lucius stopped before her, and bowed slightly. \"Great Aunt.\"

\"Lucius. I do hope you are teaching your child better manners than to keep his elders waiting.\" Her voice was dry.

Lucius sh hos hostile look at the steward. \"I can\'t be held accountable for the failure of others.\"

\"That\'s an excuse, Lucius--and a rather shoddy one at that.\"

Anxious to be away from whatever unpleasantness was about to commence, the steward said, \"Madam, is there anything else you require?\"

\"It is Miss, and I require your absence. Leave us.\" He did so, as quickly as possible.

Lucius remained standing before the elderly woman. As a child, it hadn\'t taken more than one or two hard smacks to teach him not to sit before his elders unless invited to do so. Though he was no longer physically afraid of the old woman, he knew that she was not without power, and he would not antagonize her if he could help it. \"I was given to understand that you had something important to impart?\"

She was studying him with eyes that were the color of week old London slush--and just as warm. \"It is traditional to offer congratulations in a situation such as this.\"

Lucius frowned. \"I don\'t understand. Situation? We take a vacation every year.\"

She snorted softly. \"Well, either you are being remarkably obtuse, or your wife keeps secrets from you.\"

\"What are you talking about?\"

\"You are aware of my singular familial talent.\"

\"Of course.\" Great Aunt Anisa had one of the inexplicable, and completely unpredictable, talents that sometimes cropped up in witches and wizards. For three generations, Anisa had known before anyone else any time a Malfoy had conceived, or sired a child. Though the stock had thinned out considerably in the past decade, she had never missed an actual pregnancy, and she had never made a false pronouncement.

\"So, the Malfoy line will once again bear fruit. Narcissa is currently the only family member of child bearing age, and so I have come to offer congratulations.\"

Lucius\' expression was frozen. He snatched up the small bell sitting on a side table and rang it with an impatient jerk. The reluctant steward returned, and Lucius snapped, \"Get my wife--now.\" The hotel employee hurried off, and Lucius began to pace quickly. \"You\'re absolutely sure?\"

\"Do not insult me, young man.\"

\"But there are other female family members.\"

Anisa snorted. \"There\'s your Aunt Clementa, but she\'s over fifty, and as plain as a mud fence. It\'s hardly likely. Your cousin Tiberius had that unfortunate virus, and will have no more children, and his daughter is only twelve.\"

Lucius arched a pale eyebrow. \"Mas has have been known to be precoscious.\"

Anisa matched his expression. \"Indeed--but not in this case. I have been to see the child myself, and she is... still a child. No, Lucius--your branch is the only one capable of this blessed event at this time.\"

\"I don\'t know how bl \'b \'blessed\' it is,\" he growled.

Narcissa entered the room, eyes skittering nervously between her husband and his relative. She went to stand beside Lucius, and nodded to Anisa. \"Great Aunt, what a pleasant surprise.\" She looked at her husband questioning.

Lucius did not bother to be tactful. \"Are you pregnant?\"

Narcissa blinked, stunned. \"Lucius! I--why are you asking me that?\"

He clenched his hands into fists, and she had to brace herself to keep from flinching back. \"Why do you think?\" He gestured at Anisa. \"You know that she knew that Draco was on the way before we did. Well, she says there\'s going to be another Malfoy heir...\" color was rising in his pale face, \"and I TOLD you that this is NOT the time! There\'s no telling when the final conflict will come, and I won\'t have time to worry aboou aou and another brat.\"

\"But Lucius... No, I\'ve taken every precaution.\" She looked at Anisa pleadingly. \"I swear, I\'m not pregnant! At least I don\'t... think... so...\" Anisa was studying her, eyes sharp as knives.

Lucius grabbed her arm, fingers sinking deep into soft flesh, and gritted, \"You don\'t THINK?\"

\"Lucius, cease!\" Anisa\'s voice rapped out. \"She\'s telling the truth. She isn\'t expecting. There isn\'t a spark of new life about her.\" There was pity bordering on contempther her voice. \"The poor thing seems only half-alive herself.\"

Narcissa wilted in relief as Lucius released her. \"But you said that Narcissa was the only likely candidate.\"

Anisa cocked her head. \"The premonition is for when a female Malfoy conceives, or a male Malfoy sows his seed. Any other possibilities, Lucius?\"

He scowled. \"No. When would I have time?\"

Anisa closed her eyes briefly. \"Your density sometimes amazes me. How old is Draco?\"

For a brief moment the two women were treated to a very rare sight--Lucius Malfoy looking foolishly surprised. His mouth actually hung open for a moment. Then it closed into a tight line, brows lowering, and he hissed, \"I will kill the boy.\"

\"You will not,\" said Anisa firmly. \"Lord, it wouldn\'t be the first time a pure blood wizarding family had a member born on the wrong side of the blanket. You\'ll just have to look into the situation and decide whether there\'s going to be a fast wedding, or an even faster pay-off. If the girl is the least bit acceptable, I\'d advise you to have Draco marry her. A suitable wife can be a great asset in society, and if she\'s a bit rough around the edges, issaissa andill ill be able to smooth her out quickly enough.\"

\"What if she doesn\'t want to marry him?\" Lucius and Anisa looked at Narcissa as if she\'d lost her mind. \"I love Draco, but I know that he\'s not easy to love.\"

Lucius snorted. \"Love. I thought you\'dned ned enough wisdom to realize that love was hardly a necessity for marriage.\"

Even after all these years, Lucius\' coldness c sti still sting. \"It is for some. And what about the baby? If Draco is the father, he has a responsibility...\"

\"If the silly wench wouldn\'t take the proper precautions, my son can\'t be held...\"

\"Lucius,\" said Anisa, \"there is no need for you to argue with us. Save it for the girl and her parents. In any case, even if the mother isn\'t up to Malfoy standards, there\'s still the baby to consider.\"

\"I don\'t shy Ihy I should help support a child I\'m not going to raise,\" Lucius insisted.

Anisa\'s eyes glittered. \"Lucius,\" she said severely, \"whatever the genealogy of the other branch of the child\'s family tree, it will be a Malfoy, and our dlindline is capable of overcoming many weaknesses. While I cannot dictate to you,\" she smiled grimly, \"and yes, I admit that--I must suggest strongly that you consider taking the child in and rearing it. It would be shockingly damaging to the family reputation if it was knowat aat a Malfoy was being raised by a lesser family.\"

Narcissa said, \"But if the mother doesn\'t want to marry Draco...\" She trailed off as the other two gave her cynical looks. Narcissa shook her head. \"No. No, I can\'t believe that a mother would give up her baby like that.\"

\"How touchingly naive,\" said Lucius dryly. \"Besides, my dear, if I should decide that is how it should be,\" his voice lowered, becoming silky, and Narcissa shuddered, \"You know how persuasive I can be.\"