Angel on the cover

Title: Angel on the Cover

Author: chibidraco

Beta: noscrubs12345

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related characters do not belong to me.

Warnings: mpreg



Summary: Harry Potter has left for the muggle world a year after he defeats Voldemort.

Draco Malfoy struggles to make a life for himself as he has to find employment, while dealing with the biological present that Harry left behind. (My memory is purposely selective when it comes to HBP- you\'ll see )







The airport was crawling with Muggles, murmurs and stifled tears, and unrestrained laughter and running footsteps echoed in the large air conditioned structure. Draco found it interesting the way they all interacted with each other--the prolonged goodbyes, the cherished reunions, and the overwhelming sense of adventure waiting just beyond the gates and terminals. Having been raised in a world where travelling required only seconds, it was strange to see the people trying to hang on to each other for as long as they could.







Such was the case with Hermione and Harry, who almost behaved as if they forgot for a moment that they were not Muggles and could Apparate next to one another at a moments notice. Draco saw the same confusion in Ron’s expression as he observed the two friends embrace. The blond accepted Hermione’s tender hug and apologies for his abduction with a slight smile.







He was back but it didn’t feel like it yet, wouldn’t feel like it until they were pulling up into their driveway and maybe not even then. Maybe Draco wouldn’t feel he was truly home until his finely tailored clothing was nestled next to Harry’s durable cotton in the wardrobe where they belonged. Maybe then he could shake off the nomadic feeling he’d slipped into during these last few months.







Harry stubbornly dragged both of their suitcases up the pavement behind him, not wanting Draco to exert any force. The blond rolled his eyes and covertly cast a charm on the heavy bags to lighten their load. Stepping out into the sunshine, he shielded his eyes from the light and observed Harry waving down a taxi. After loading the suitcases into the cab’s boot the brunet turned and extended a hand towards him, tenderly squeezing his palm as Draco took it and lead him into the car.









X x x X x x X







“Potter, stop hassling the woman!” Draco ordered in exasperation as Harry interrupted Madam Pomfrey’s examination for the umpteenth time.



Poppy hid a smile as she bent over the man, running her wand gently over his stomach where he lay on the hospital bed.



“I’m sorry, Poppy,” Harry apologised sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.





“Don’t be, dear. I seem to remember someone else asking just these questions not too long ago,” she teased with a wink in Draco’s direction, who blushed but refused to comment.





“Well, gentlemen, I’m very happy to say that the little one is perfectly fine. Development is right on schedule and even your initial weight gain issue seem to be resolving itself slowly,” Poppy gave Draco a meaningful look.





“Draco? You weren’t gaining enough weight?” Harry asked worriedly.





“It’s not like I was trying to keep the weight off,” Draco waved off the concern, “and I ate more to compensate for it.”







“It’s fine, Harry. His body looks like it’s getting used to the idea of being pregnant, so he should keep gaining the appropriate weight,” Poppy smiled, patting the nervous man’s shoulder.







When Poppy reached for the cleansing wipes to clean the ultrasound potion off Draco’s belly, Harry took it gently from her hands and made soft, careful strokes on the tiny mound.







Draco propped himself on is elbows to look at Harry performing his ministrations with a small smile.







Feeling the moment had become too intimate to be witnessed by a spectator, Poppy slipped unnoticed from the infirmary.







“Are you trying to get a shine out of the thing? It already looks like a full moon,” Draco teased softly.





Harry gazed at him with a strange expression on his face. “Not nearly a full moon. Maybe just a half,” he smiled, patting the pale flesh under his hand.







“I’ve missed so much already, haven’t I?” Harry said morosely.







“You have,” Draco agreed. “Let that be a lesson to you the next time you think that you can leave me behind.”







“I’ll never leave you again,” Harry vowed, sealing his declaration with a kiss to Draco’s stomach before capturing the man’s lips.









X x x X x x X







Unfortunately, a week and a half later the reality of his statement set in for Draco. The infuriating man spent literally almost every waking moment with him, making sure he ate until he felt uncomfortably stuffed, making him rest from his busy schedule of doing nothing, and generally being his shadow.







Draco felt at the end of his rope: any request to send the man to visit his friends went unanswered, and when he did visit them, if wasn’t long enough to satisfy him. He had taken to pretending to nap in the middle of the day so he could get some peace and quiet. At first he welcomed the attention-- he had missed Harry to the point of distraction and it had been hard to contemplate raising their child alone--but enough was enough. Something had to be done and soon to help calm him of his overprotective and crowding behaviour.







Laying in bed awake and thinking about Harry’s mollycoddling, the blond turned as quietly as he could to avoid rustling the sheets and stared off into the distance pondering the situation. He was about to close his eyes in defeat and rest for real when he had an epiphany. He grasped the Evening Prophet off the nightstand and brought it close to his face and smiled wide as he began to plot....







X xx x X x x x X







“When Malfoy informed me you were considering coming back I nearly hit the roof!” Shacklebolt announced jovially from across his large desk.





Harry narrowed his eyes at him from the leather wingback chair the Minister had all but shoved him into upon entering his office.





“Congratulations by the way! He mentioned you’re going to be a father,” Shacklebolt stood to grasp Harry’s shoulder, lightly shaking him in excitement.





Harry couldn’t help but beam at that, mollifying the anger he felt at his prior statement. Leaving that morning, he had no idea that the missive he had been sent from the Ministry had been orchestrated by Draco, but at the same time he wasn’t surprised.







“Seeing that you’re about to become a family man, Harry, we wouldn’t put you on any active cases, maybe searching for some intelligence on those Death Eaters that have gone into hiding,” Shacklebolt explained earnestly. “Your hours are flexible and your own to manage besides the weekly meetings you’ll have with me to go over your progress and any help you may need.







Look, Harry, I know that the war left a lasting impression on you. Merlin, it did that to everyone but I am horribly understaffed. We’re trying to get all of this behind us but it’s f hard with all of these reminders about, you know?”







Harry nodded; knew all about reminders and was painfully aware of some of his own recollections that constantly swarmed about in his head.





“I don’t see how me doing this would really make a difference,” Harry replied, purposely avoiding any mention of his involvement or feelings about the war.





“Trust me, Potter, knowing you’re on these cases would be a load of weight off my shoulders.”





Seeing the brooding look on Harry’s face, he regretted mentioning the war, well aware of the meetings the man had with the Ministry psychiatrist he had sought out after the war.





The older man sighed and tried to be more understanding. “But I understand you have done enough for the Ministry. Hell, you’ve done more than can ever be repaid by any wizard or witch in any amount of lifetimes.”





Seeing Harry’s frown he hastily added, “Harry, if you don’t want to do this you don’t have to. I don’t want it to seem like I’m trying to guilt you into this. Like I said, you don’t owe us anything.”





There was an awkward pause and Shacklebolt looked uncertainly at his desk, wondering if he had pushed the young man too far, so he was surprised when he suddenly asked a question.





“I would just be handling closing cases, not ones with suspected active attacks going on or plotting? Just simply flushing out hiding rats and sending them to Azkaban?” Harry\'s tone was serious.





“Nothing more than that,” Shacklebolt assured him, relieved that it seemed the man was not shooting the idea down completely and seemed to be considering it.





Harry nodded but quietly replied, “I’ll think about it and I’ll let you know my decision within the week.”





He stood up, the other man mirroring his actions. They shook hands firmly and with one final well wish, Harry Potter left the office and made his way home.







X x x X x x X







“That was a shitty thing to do, Draco,” Harry announced upon finding the man on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table.







The blond shrugged, scooping a spoonful of yogurt into his mouth before choosing to reply. “So are you going to take it?”







“Isn’t that what you want? Isn’t that why you let me go there thinking they were calling me in while you orchestrated all this?” Harry asked petulantly, remaining on his feet.







Draco set his midday snack aside and lifted himself to a sitting position “What I want Harry is for you to have something to do, to get out a little and to stop hovering over me,” he explained calmly.







“So you don’t want me around you?” Harry asked with a hurt face. “I knew you didn’t forgive me about leaving you--”







“Potter, that’s in the past. You were a bloody idiot but that’s not what this is about. I love your daft self, but if you keep shadowing me and watching my every move like a hawk, I’m going to have to hex you.







“I’m fine and the baby is fine. We need to start getting into a normal routine again, at least as normal as possible for us.” Draco patted the seat next to him on the settee and Harry plopped down in defeat.







“I thought you hated me working at the Ministry,” Harry threw the observation in his face.







“Not the Ministry, no. I just thought it was ridiculous for you to continue fighting evil like some Muggle superhero--as if you’re the only one who can deal with the Death Eaters still out there. Those days are over now. You’re just Harry, not the bloody Boy-Who-Lived.” He smiled when Harry laid his tan hand over his and squeezed in appreciation.







“Then why did you set that meeting with Kingsley up?” Harry asked, confused.







“Because I haven’t forgotten your morbid little mural at that shack you called a home, much less those memories in your Pensieve. I don’t think I want to know how often you watched those,” Draco confessed with a shudder.







“Harry, I know about the Ministry doctor.” He held on tightly to both of Harry’s hands, refusing to let go when Harry tried to flee.







“I think it’s a great idea, just a little surprised you were wise enough to think of it,” he teased, slowly pulling Harry closer. “You’ve gone through some awful things, Harry, and anyone--anyone--would react negatively after being touched by that kind of darkness. You need to work these things out--this martyr complex and this unreasonable guilt, and maybe by closing these cases you’ll be able to close that chapter of your life.”







Draco drew both his hands to his stomach and pressed them gently on the mound. “Because there are more important things that are coming and, quite frankly, Potter, there’s only enough room for one attention hog in this relationship and I’m not about to share.”







Harry released a tearful laugh, thankful for Draco’s tension breaker. How he loved this man, who pulled out all the stops and who told him how stupid he was being but made him feel so important at the same time.







He rubbed his now free hands on Draco’s stomach, marvelling once more at their unborn child and realised that Draco was right. He needed to work out these issues because his own life had been touched by darkness at an early age and he yearned for so much more for their child.







Harry squeezed Draco to him tenderly.







“Thank you” he whispered in the shell of his ear.





A/N: Let me know what you guys thought, hopefully you liked. I know its been a long time but I\'m seeing the light at the end of the road and I can see whats in my head being translated into ink. :D