Paternity

Authors notes: Draco\'s response to whether or not Ron has said anything to him about a possible pregnancy is a play on the classic \'wham, bam, thank you, ma\'am\'. *From The Goblet of Fire.

Paternity
By Scribe

Part Sixteen
Consideration

Lucius was vaguely aware that he must look ridiculous--standing in the back room of the Hogshead, his mouth hanging open. For once in his life he just didn\'t have the inclination to worry about appearances--he had more pressing matters on his mind. \"Draco,\" his voice was deadly quiet, \"that isn\'t the least bit funny.\"

\"Don\'t I know it?\"

\"You\'re serious?\" Draco nodded. \"You are.\" He sat down heavily on a case. \"By all that\'s infernal, boy, this time you have done it.\"

\"Apparently so,\" Draco hesitated, \"if you\'re quite sure about Aunt Anisa?\"

\"She hasn\'t been wrong once within living memory.\"

Draco was studying his father warily. The elder Malfoy looked stunned, but Draco knew that it wouldn\'t be wise to count on that state continuing for any length of time. Lucius had been scheming and living by his wits for most of his life, and wouldn\'t be shocked into inaction for long. He was right. The glazed look passed from Lucius\' eyes, replaced by a flame as his features tightened into a mask of rage. Draco snatched up his wand and said coldly, \"If you so much as touch me I\'ll use the cruciatus on you, Father.\"

Lucius froze, studying his son. His voice was almost respectful as he said, \"You would, wouldn\'t you? You\'d use an unforgivable on your own father.\"

\"Let\'s dispense with the sentiment, shall we? You may have sired me, but you\'ve hardly been a father. Yes, I\'d use it--without hesitation. I\'ve taken my last beating at your hands, Father. The next time you strike me, you\'d best just go ahead and kill me, because I will most ASSUREDLY kill you.\" Draco\'s voice was emotionless, but his pale gray eyes sparkled like chips of ice. \"It may not be right away--but you have to sleep sometime.\"

Lucius smiled grimly. \"You\'re my son, after all. Lower the wand, Draco. We need to decide how this will be handled, and I\'d rather not do it at wand point.\"

Draco tucked his wand back into his belt. \"If we\'re going to be discussing this mess, then I need a drink.\" He brushed past Lucius on the way to the door. \"C\'mon--I\'ll buy you one to celebrate your first grandchild.\"

Lucius followed, muttering, \"I never noticed what a nasty sense of humor you have, Draco.\"

The bartender wasn\'t exactly happy to see the Malfoys settle into a booth in the back of the main room, but remembering the older man\'s mood when he went in the back, he decided to be happy that he wasn\'t having to rebuild half his establishment after a wizard\'s battle. He provided a bottle of their strongest tingleberry wine and a couple of their best goblets, and didn\'t ask for immediate payment. In fact, after studying their expressions, he concluded that if they decided to stroll out without settling the bill he\'d just chalk it up to \'protection\' money.

After his first sip of wine, Draco said, \"You know, I hadn\'t really thought about it, but Weasley HAS been acting a bit queer of late. He passed out for no good reason not long ago.\" Draco snorted softly. \"And you have to admit, the Weasley\'s are sturdy, peasant stock, so that isn\'t a very likely happening.\"

Lucius had finished his wine in a few gulps--an indication of his agitation. \"Has he said anything to you about it?\"

\"No, but then I doubt he would.\" He smirked. \"It wasn\'t exactly wine and roses for us, after all. More of a hump, spray, thanks for the lay.\"

Lucius grunted. \"Well, given the rate at which Arthur and Molly Weasley reproduce, I can\'t say that I\'m surprised that their child is as randy as his namesake, but I must say I\'m surprised at his choice.\" Lucius\' voice was detached. \\\'re\'re not unattractive, Draco, but frankly I\'d have thought Ron would have gone with Potter.\"

\"He has. I\'m fairly sure that they got together right after our impromptu tryst.\"

Lucius blinked. \"Quick little vermin, isn\'t he?\"

Draco shrugged. \"The only ones who didn\'t see it coming down the track were the twits themselves.\"

Lucius pondered this, then sighed. \"I suppose that will be our salvation. When he tries to name you as the father, we\'ll just insist that it\'s Potter.\"

\"That\'s possible,\" Draco agreed. \"But what makes you think he\'ll TRY to lay it at my door?\"

\"Don\'t be stupid, boy. You\'re a Malfoy--one of the oldest and most honored families in the wizarding world, and...\"

\"And the Weasley\'s don\'t give a toss about that. They\'ve all made that quite clear, haven\'t they? If Arthur Weasley was interested in money, he could have made a pot in black market enchanted Muggle artifacts, but he\'s never taken a penny aside from that pitiful salary of his. Same with Charlie and Bill. There\'s a lot of money to be made in dragons and curse-breaking, if you aren\'t disgustingly honorable. I\'d say it\'s fair to assume that Ron has inherited their mindset.\"

Lucius grunted. \"I suppose you\'re right. I don\'t suppose there\'s much of a chance they\'ll try actual blackmail. They might try to claim child support, though, and the courts are notoriously sentimental about such things. Perhaps I\'d better start totting up favors owed me, just in case we need leverage.\"

\"I think you\'re being premature about this,\" said Draco. \"From all I\'ve seen of Weasley he\'s going to be bound and determined that any brat he\'s bearing would be from Potter. In fact, I believe that if we were to suggest differently he\'d probably dig his heels in.\" He took another sip of wine. \"Of course you\'re going to do what you\'re going to do, but I\'d suggest just waiting, at least for a little while. Even admitting knowledge might be taken as a sign of responsibility.\"

\"You may have a point there,\" Lucius admitted. \"It might be better to pretend surprise and outrage if they bring it up.\" He sneered. \"The outrage won\'t be too much of a stretch. Good God, Draco--Ron Weasley.\"

\"Oh, belt up.\"

\"Draco!\"

\"If you\'d look past his family and his politics, you\'d admit that he\'s hot.\" Draco smiled nastily. \"You know what they say about redheads? Well, Ron rather lives up to it. I don\'t expect there are many virgins who take to shagging as readily as he did.\"

Lucius thought for a moment. \"I must admit that I have no idea how to proceed.\"

\"We\'re just going to have to wait for a bit to see which way Weasley jumps. Besides,\" Draco smirked, \"it\'s entirely possible that Aunt Anisa has finally reached senility, and there\'s nothing to any of this.\"

\"Perhaps,\" said Lucius wearily, \"but the Muggles have a saying, something about a law passed by someone named Murphy...\"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

There was a tap at the portrait, and both Ron and Harry looked up from the chessboard. Harry called, \"Password?\"

A squeaky voice answered, \"Password is that poor Golwoggle is going to drop nice supper if he don\'t get let in right quick!\"

They got up and went to the portrait. Harry said, \"Sounds like a house elf.\"

The Fat Lady replied, \"It is two of them, quite laden down.\"

\"Let them in, then.\"

Her voice was arch. \"It\'s quite against custom to open without the password.\"

Ron patted the back of the portrait. \"C\'mon, love. We\'re half starved, and they\'re doing us a good turn by not making us toddle all the way down to the Great Hall.\"

There was a sigh. \"Oh, very well, but mind you don\'t tell the rest of the house that I allowed this, or they\'ll all be wanting special privileges.\" She swung open, grumbling, \"Hardly worth having a password if it isn\'t going to be used.\"

Two house elves, a male and a female, stepped through. Both carried heavily loaded trays. The little female was almost staggering under her burden, and Harry quickly relieved her of it. She sighed, \"Oo, thank \'ee, sir.\" She put a hand to her back. \"Don\'t usually mind toting a tray, but since I got caught, my back do ache sometimes.\"

Ron had taken the second tray from the male elf. \"What did you get caught at? I thought you house elves never did anything but cook and clean, even for recreation.\"

The female giggled, and the male put an arm around her. \"Twitchet don\'t mean caught doing naughty, sir. She means we be going to have kits.\" He grinned, the smile stretching half-way around his head. \"I hope we has about six. Like small litters, I does. We can give each one more attention that way.\"

\"Oh. Um, congratulations,\" said Harry. \"This is the first time I\'ve heard of one of you having kids.\"

\"Don\'t happen much,\" the female agreed. \"Be like you gentlemen.\" The little woman stood on tip-toe, reached up, and patted Ron\'s belly. \"Rare as rare, but special-nice for that. When you be having your kit, sir?\"

It was a good thing that Ron had put the tray down on the table, bse hse he would have dropped it. As it was he sat down suddenly, going pale. \"You\'re crackers.\"

The elves exchanged looks. \"No crackers,\" said Golwoggle. \"Nice rolls it is tonight, but Twitchouldould hop down smart and get some for young sirs. Water crackers, or saltines?\"

\"Never mind that.\" Harry was as stunned as Ron was, but handling it a little more calmly. \"What do you mean about Ron?\"

Twitchet looked puzzled. \"Sir?\" Her face lit again in understanding. \"Oh! Wizard kits take long time to grow, inside and out, yes?\" She bubbled with laughter. \"Poor witch ladies and wizard lads waddle, waddle a long time, but house elf just...\" She blew a raspberry noise, \"and kits come. Just a few weeks and elf kits run all over, but wizard kits so weak, so long, years and years. So, you don\'t know when your kit will come?\" She eyed him critically. \"Oo, not till next spring, most like.\"

\"Twitchet,\" Ron said firmly. \"I don\'t know what got that idea into your head, but I am NOT going to have a kit.\"

Golwoggle frowned, then patted Twitchet. \"That\'s right, Twitchet. Babies, they call them--not kits.\"

Harry said, \"What makes you think Ron is pregnant?\"

Golwoggle looked at him in surprise. \"Is, isn\'t he?\"

\"Well... Seriously, why do you think that?\"

The elves shrugged, and Golwoggle said, \"House elf just KNOW.\"

Twitchet added, \"It be house elf\'s duty to care for the masters, yes? How could we care properly for mistress or master who is with kit if we don\'t know?\"

Ron took a deep breath. \"Look, you can\'t say anything about this to anyone.\"

\"Sir?\" Golwoggle said questioningly.

Harry squatted down so that he was on eye level with the little creatures, and said levelly. \"Look, this isn\'t something we want everyone to know about.\"

\"But... but...\" Twitchet looked distressed. Her voice was soft. \"Kit birthing is joyous thing. Yes?\"

Ron sighed. He reached down and stroked the elf\'s thin hair. \"Yeah, Twitchet. But we don\'t want everyone knowing our business.\"

Twitchet nodded. \"Yes, I see.\" She smiled at Harry. \"Holding the news close, yes? Not ready to share.\"

\"That\'s right,\" said Harry. \"We want it to be just our secret for awhile longer. So please, don\'t...\"

\"Sir!\" said Golwoggle sternly. He drew himself up to his full height, head reaching just over knee height to Harry. \"A house elf does NOT gossip about his masters.\" He shook his fir firmly. \"Never!\"

Harry recalled Winky, and her years of devotion in keeping the Crouch family secret*. \"I\'m sorry, Golwoggle.\"

Golwoggle smiled back at him. \"It\'s all right, sir. You\'re likely to be a bit nervous, what with first kit on the way. Anything else, sir? Crackers?\"

Ron laughed weakly. \"No, thanks.\"

The elves held hands, ready to disappear, but Golwoggle pointed at Ron and said severely, \"Drink the milk!\" Twitchet giggled. There was a popping sound, and the elves were gone.

Ron slumped. \"Well, at this rate I s\'pose I can expect a front page notice in the Daily Prophet any time now.\"

Harry sat on the arm of the chair Ron was occupying, and put an arm around his shoulders, giving him a squeeze. \"I don\'t think you have to worry about that. But Ron? It\'s something you\'re going to have to think about. Things have been kept pretty quiet so far, but eventually, it\'s going to come out.\"

Ron was touching his belly. \"In about eight months.\"

\"Ron...\"

\"I know, I know.\" Hehed hed gustily. \"I just want a little more time to get used to the idea, before people start wanting me to explain it. How am I going to explain it when I don\'t understand it myself?\"