Paternity

Paternity, 15/?
By Scribe

Confrontation

\"Well,\" said Ron, \"Two less Slytherin to worry about. Malfoy has apparently been so beastly to Eamon Pinkham that he talked his parents into letting him go home for the rest of the holidays, and Pansy Parkinson is off to her aunt\'s.\"

Harry looked up from his book. \"What? Where did you hear this?\"

\"From Filch.\" Harry raised an eyebrow. \"Oh, he didn\'t volunteer the information. He was muttering to himself just now in the front hall--cursing about having to help them get their trunks down to the station. I wish it was Malfoy who was going, but I s\'pose that old Lucius is pretty much tantrum-proof.\"

Harry closed the book, and stretched. \"Fancy a walk before supper?\"

Ron gave him a jaundiced look. \"You mean that since I didn\'t exercise this afternoon, it\'s time for it now.\"

Harry stood, an amused, but determined glint in his eyes. \"Don\'t make me put you in a head-lock and drag you, Weasley. It\'s damned awkward, and my shoulder cramps after a bit.\"

\"Nag, nag, nag.\" Ron started toward the door.

\"Wait.\" Harry caught up to Ron, and handed him a sweater.

Ron stared at it in disbelief. \"Harry, it\'s SUMMER.\"

\"But the sun will be down soon, and it might get chilly.\"

\"When did you turn into my Mum?\" He thrust the sweater back to Harry. \"If you insist on bringing it along, YOU carry the bloody thing. I won\'t tie it about my neck or waist. I may be pregnant, but I don\'t care to look effeminate if I can help it.\"

They made their way downstairs and took a stroll around the grounds, talking idly as they ambled. \"Have you started thinking about names?\" Harry asked as they walked beside the lake.

\"Bit early for that, isn\'t it?\" said Ron. \"The mite isn\'t much more than a half-inch long now--not much bigger than a good sized lima bean.\"

\"Yeah, but it has a beating heart, arms, legs, eyes, mouth, tongue...\"

\"...and a tail. You\'ve been reading pre-natal books, haven\'t you?\"

\"So\'ve you.\"

Ron shrugged. \"Yeah. I figure that since my body\'s decided to go barking mad, I might as well keep abreast of what\'s going on.\"

\"Anyway, I figure if it has a beating heart, it\'s time to at least consider who it\'s going to be.\"

Ron grunted, shoving his hands in his pockets. \"I guess it might be a good idea to give it some consideration if I want any say in it at all. Mum\'s going to have very definite ideas, and she\'s that determined when she sets her mind on something.\"

\"So, what d\'you think?\"

Ron paused, moodily kicking a stone into the water. A water pixie popped its head up, chattered at him briefly, then submerged again. \"Well... I know I don\'t want anything too lah-di-dah. You know, not one of the names that the Yanks use when they want to do a stereotype of an Englishman.\"

\"Like Nigel?\"

Ron grinned. \"Or Percy, or Giles.\"

\"Oh, I don\'t know. I quite like that Watcher fellow on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.\" Ron gave him a blank look. \"Right. I keep forgetting that you don\'t watch Muggle television much.\"

\"No, but judging from what I hear about it from you, I\'m getting one when I move out on my own. And none of those girl-names-used-as-boy-names, either. Bloody hell, sexual identity is hard enough without naming a lad Beverly, Vivien, Shirley, or Evelyn. What the hell got into people when they came up with that concept, anyway? You don\'t run into any girls named Ron or Harry.\" Ron scratched his head thoughtfully, then said, almost shyly, \"I wouldn\'t mind naming a boy Arthur.\"

Harry smiled at him. \"That sounds quite nice.\"

\"But I don\'t know how the other boys would take to it. I mean, what if Charlie or Bill want to use that name for one of their kids?\"

\"Pardon me if I\'m wrong, Ron, but haven\'t things always worked pretty much on a \'first come, first served\' status in your family? Besides, they could always do it if they wanted to. It\'s just that your son would be Arthur the Second, and theirs woul the the third.\"

Ron frowned. \"Wouldn\'t Arthur the Second have to have a kid and then that one be named the Third?\"

Harry looked blank. \"Well, you\'ve got me there.\"

\"Let\'s leave that for now. It\'s just an idea. Anyway, as much as I love Mum, I wouldn\'t name my daughter after her.\" His voice dropped to a whisper. \"Don\'t ever tell her I said that, but I always thought that Molly was a br nar name for the family pet--a dog or a cat.\"

Harry had a good laugh over that. \"Oh, God, Ron. Thank heavens you had the good sense to confess that to me and not Fred or George.\"

\"Do I LOOK mad?\" He gave Harry a glance that was almost shy. \"If it\'s a girl... Harry, if you wouldn\'t mind, I\'ve always liked your mother\'s name.\"

Harry\'s expression softened. \"Lily?\"

Ron nodded. \"It\'s feminine, but not girlie, know what I mean?\"

\"I think so. If it\'s what you\'d like, I\'d be honored Ron.\"

Ron was flushing slightly. \"Yeah, well, it\'s a thought,\" he said gruffly. \"I think I\'ve had enough fresh air. Let\'s go .\" .\" They turned and headed back towthe the entrance of the school. \"Y\'know, Harry, your Mum\'s the only flower named girl I\'ve run across who was worth anything. I mean, there\'s Pansy Parkinson, and your aunt Petunia...\"

\"Please, Ron, my stomach. But you\'re right. There\'s a Muggle telly show where there\'s some absolute horrors named Hyacinth, Daisy, and Rose. But Fleur from Beau Baton wasn\'t so bad--just a tad stuck up at first.\" He stopped abruptly. \"Oh, bloody hell!\"

\"What is it?\"

Ron gestured. \"Not only have we not gotten rid of one Malfoy, we\'ve acquired another. I\'m not a coward, Harry, but let\'s just step behind that bush till Lucius Malfoy has stormed inside.\"

Harry eyed the tall, pale-haired figure stalking up the road and said, \"This isn\'t cowardice, Ron--it\'s just good sense to avoid an unnecessary unpleasantness.\"

Both boys ducked behind a thick stand of shrubbery before the obviously preoccupied Lucius spotted them. After he\'d passed Ron whispered. \"I\'d say maybe he\'s come to take Draco away, but from the look on his face it\'s more likely that he intends to strangle him.\"

\"Or strangle somebody, anyway,\" agreed Harry. \"It should be safe to go in now. At the clip he was moving, he\'s not going to stand for being forced to hang about downstairs. He\'ll have demanded to see someone in charge or Draco right away. Let\'s nip up to the tower quick and change the password on the port.\"t.\"

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

As it happened, the first figure of authority that Lucius ran into was the least likely to be impressed by his fit of pique--Severus Snape. The dark potions master was just coming up from the dungeons when the elder Malfoy swept into the front hall. Each man paused at the sight of the other, then approached slowly. Snape said, \"Malfoy.\" Lucius gave an icy nod of recognition. \"Dumbledore hasn\'t mentioned that you were expected.\"

\"I do not feel obligated to telegraph my intentions, especially when it is a matter concerning my son,\" said Lucius coldly. \"Please summon him at once.\"

Snape arched an eyebrow in an expression familiar to every student who had passed through his class. \"While playing the role of messenger boy is undoubtedly one of my favorite past times, I cannot accommodate you. I believe that Draco is at present visiting Hogsmeade. He spends a good deal of time there.\"

Malfoy gritted his teeth. \"At what time is he expected back?\"

Snape shrugged. \"The official curfew is eight o\'clock, but he has, of late, demonstrated a willingness to accept a few demerits rather than cut short his visits. I\'m beginning to wonder how he intends to make up the deficit when the term begins. He\'s already thirty points in the hole, and I\'m being lenient. If he isn\'t careful, he\'s liable to foster a good bit of animosity from his housemates.\" Lucius\' hand tightened on his cane till his knuckles were white. He turned without another word and started for the door. \"Malfoy, did you want to see the headmaster?\"

Lucius shot him a frosty glance. \"Not now, but quite possibly in the near future.\" He strode out.

\"We wait,\" murmured Snape, \"with bated breath.\"

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

The barman at the Hogshead looked up as the new customer entered. The rag he was using to swab the inside of a dingy glass froze as his stomach plummeted. He remembered this one from around end of term. The pale git had left one of the house elves so nervous that it had dropped two trays of glassware before the owner had made it go have a lie down.

The tall man paused in the door and scanned the public room with a gimlet eye. More than one patron hunched up, turning their face down toward their drinks. They needn\'t have worried, because the man didn\'t find who he was looking for. He came to the bar and, ignoring the fact that he already had the barkeep\'s attention, rapped sharply on the bar with his cane. The man put down the glass and hurried over. \"Yes, sir?\" He didn\'t use the honorific title very often, but he had a feeling that he\'d avoid a lot of grief by observing the niceties.

\"I\'m looking for a boy--about seventeen.\"

The bartender shrugged. \"Not many of \'em around right now. You should check back of a weekend when school is in session.\"

Lucius lunged, and the bartend found his breath being cut off by an elegantly shaped, but very STRONG, hand on his throat. That near colorless, hard, face was only an inch from his own as the man hissed, \"My SON, you ass! With the family resemblance, you couldn\'t mistake him. He has to be here--I\'ve looked everywhere else that\'s open.\" He td thd the bar with his cane again, almost gently this time. \"If I have to search this filthy hovel, I doubt that I\'ll leave much standing.\"

\"Storage room,\" the bartender choked out. \"Down that hall.\" He was released. As Lucius Malfoy moved toward the hall, the bartender called, \"But he isn\'t...\" Lucius disappeared into the hall, and the bartender\'s voice dropped, \"He isn\'t alone, you bastard.\"

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

This time the most appealing warm body in the Hogshead had been female. She had pale blonde hair--though the dark roots proved that it owed more to chemistry than genetics. Draco was indulging in a bit of Oedipal kink, pretending that the only slightly blowsy woman was Narcissa Malfoy. Even though he kept his face pressed to the woman\'s admirably firm bosom, the illusion was incomplete--Draco was sure his mother had never enjoyed sex as much as his partner was.

They were both naked from the waist down, and she was sitting on a wine crate, just at the level for Draco fuck her as he knelt before her. She had her legs locked behind his back, her slightly rough heels bumping his ass as he pumped into her. He\'d just about decided that it was time to rethink his decision that he was bi. Perhaps he was gay after all. Although the woman was nicely wet and hot, she certainly didn\'t grip like Ron Weasley.

It took them both by surprise when the door slammed open, banging against the wall. The woman had a glimpse of what seemed to be a taller, older, and much scarier version of the boy who was fucking her so nicely. Then the intruder took a step forw gra grabbed the boy by his silvery hair, and dragged him to his feet. The woman squeaked in frightened disappointment as the lovely, hard cock that had been drilling her was jerked away, leaving her gaping and empty. It bobbled and wavered as the young man kicked and struggled, scratching back at his captor, and yelling, \"What the fuck do you think you\'re doing? I\'ll have your balls for this. Do you know who I am?\"

\"Yes, much to my sorrow,\" hissed the man.

The transformation was startling. The boy, so arrogant before, seemed to deflate. Actually, he DID deflate--he lost his erection in seconds. \"Father...\"

\"Silence.\" Lucius released Draco with a shove that sent him stumbling against the wall. Then, using only his thumb and forefinger, he plucked the woman\'s panties off a nearby shelf and tossed them at her. He also dug a galleon out of his pocket and flipped that at her. She wasn\'t so shocked or outraged that she dropped it. \"Out. And if you want to keep your tongue in your head, you won\'t let it wag.\" She shoved both coin and underwear into her skirt pockets and scurried out.

Lucius shut the door, then turned to glare at his son. Draco, not disoriented enough to ignore the fact that facing his father half naked was not a good idea, was struggling into his trousers. He gave Lucius a defiant glare, then said, \"All right--she isn\'t up to family standards. There isn\'t a wide range of choices right now.\"

\"Is this the first time you\'ve screwed her?\"

Draco sneered. \"Of course. Does she look like someone I\'d have an affair with? I don\'t even know her name.\"

Lucius regarded him with stony eyes. \"Do you know the name of the girl who\'s carrying my grandchild?\"

Draco gaped at his father, stunned. \"What the hell are you talking about?\"

Lucius backhanded him. \"You\'ve shamed the family badly enough, boy. You WILL keep a respectful tone when you speak to me.\"

Sullen, Draco rubbed at his aching cheek. \"Would you explain what you mean... sir?\"

Lucius used his cane to point to the case that the woman had vacated. \"Sit.\" Draco obeyed. Lucius rested his cane before him, then folded his hands on the head. \"My peaceful interlude in Monaco was interrupted by a visit from Aunt Anisa.\"

Draco frowned. \"Is she still alive?\" Lucius\' hand rose, and Draco flinched, saying quickly, \"I just haven\'t seen her for years.\"

Lucius slowly lowered his hand. \"She will quite likely outlive us all.\" He sneered. \"If I did not know that all vampires are required to be registered, I would venture to say that we would have to drive ake ake through her heart and bury her at a crossroad to be rid of her, but that is irrelevant. She graced me with her presence specifically to congratulate me on the lengthening of my family line.\"

\"Really?\" Draco smirked. \"When\'s Mother due?\"

Lucius gritted his teeth. \"Deliberately feigning ignorance will not help matters, Draco. You heard me--I used wor word \'grandchild\'.\"

Silence descended. The two men stared at each other. Finally Draco said, \"I\'d say you\'re joking, but you have no sense of humor.\"

\"I find very little to laugh at in my life. Before you suggest that one of the relations is in the family way, that has already been considered and discarded as impossible. That leaves only two possibilities--one much more likely than the other. Either you have impregnated someone, or you have yourself been impregnated.\" He cocked his head. \"And from what I\'ve noted of your temperament, I find it unlikely that you bottom willingly.\"

\"Even if I did,\" said Draco, \"a male pregnancy takes a bit of effort, and I\'m not about to TRY.\"

\"So I thought. Well?\"

\"And I don\'t think the other is likely, either.\" He indicated a small, gummy object on the floor near his feet. \"I have enough sense to use protection when I fuck a woman.\"

\"Always?\"

\"Always.\"

Lucius scowled. \"Then I\'m at a loss, and I don\'t like that, Draco. I don\'t like that at all. There has to be some other explanation.\"

\"I tell you, Father, that there isn\'t a single instance when I fucked anyone without a rubber where a pregnancy could have resulted. I haven\'t gotten the details of what it takes for a wizard pregnancy, but I\'m pretty sure I would have noticed if any of my male partners had... had...\" He stuttered to a stop, naturally fair complexion going even paler.

\"What?\" demanded Lucius. Draco just shook his head. \"Damn you, boy, WHAT?\"

\"No. No, it\'s just not possible.\" He laughed raggedly. \"It\'s just impossible.\"

\"There\'s very little that\'s impossible, Draco. You should know that by now.\"

\"Well, let\'s say that it\'s less likely than Snape being voted favorite teacher by the Gryffindors.\"

\"Draco, if you do not tell me what you suspect this moment I will take great pleasure in beating it out of you.\"

Draco folded his arms. \"It\'s six of one, a half-dozen of the other.\"

\"Meaning?\"

\"Meaning I that I think I\'m just as likely to catch a beating when you find out that there\'s a good chance I may have knocked up Ron Weasley.\"

For one glorious, terrifying moment, Draco thought that he might very well have given his father a coronary...