Indago:Reborn

Eek! I\'ve fallen behind. I have nothing yet written after this chapter, so it may be another week before I get more posted. Sorry about that. *blush*


Chapter Seventeen

Draco visited Harry three more times that day and three more the next. Every time he saw him and was allowed to hold the child again, but this last time Harry did not come out of his nest. Draco waited for quite some time, busying himself with building the fire again. But Harry did not emerge. When he left to complain to Snape, the older man – still practically giggling! – reasoned that Harry was just not up for visitors. Kicking the wall on his way out, Draco stalked to his study and stared at the papers on his desk. His only true amusement for the past two days was raising the wards and hearing the painful cries of the media spies. Obviously they had not anticipated the Burning Nettles spell.

He knew he was being childish, but he wanted Harry to come out of that bloody room and talk to him. Perhaps massage his neck like he often did. Draco turned his glare to the fireplace. Ridiculous, of course, now that Harry was preoccupied but, nevertheless, Draco wanted Harry to come sit on his lap and tell him something about the inanities of his friends so that he could laugh and make snide and clever remarks. Then Harry would get offended and Draco could have the pleasure of seducing him out of his snit.

Flinging his head back to rest on the chair, Draco stared up at the ceiling. He’d had to turn the annoying Weasel and his slag away at the door, which was a bit of fun as well today. Unfortunately, they weren’t all that miffed, knowing that Harry was still in seclusion. And to top it off, that ponce, Logan, showed up and sequestered Severus away for nearly an hour. And Draco knew that was another thing that had the Potions Master in such a good mood. That and the baby had his eye colour. Draco wondered if it would change like all babies’ eyes change. He wasn’t sure if he wanted them to or not. Although, explaining why the baby had Snape’s eyes to his father was not something he wanted to think about.

His father had not let up. This morning he had even demanded that he see his grandchild. Draco had had to actually argue with his father, which, he was ashamed to admit, left him feeling a bit sick to his stomach. Draco counted the days until he could face his father on the same level and not feel a bit intimidated. He couldn’t afford to lose his father’s support and backing at this time. All that he had worked to build could be destroyed by a few choice words from Lucius Malfoy, leaving Draco and his family in a rough spot. Draco did not like being in a rough spot, and yet the gilded cage his father wanted him to stay in was quickly becoming suffocating. Draco wondered if he would do the same with his own child.

A door opened upstairs and he prepared to deal with the joyous Snape. Stupid codger. But Snape did not appear. Frowning, Draco stood from his chair and wandered out into the entry hall to the base of the stairs.

Harry was out.

Draco knew that immediately and quickly climbed the steps. The den door was slightly opened and a green eye gazed out.

“Harry, are you alright? Is the baby alright?” Draco asked quickly when he got to the door. Harry stepped back and allowed Draco to enter. Harry was dressed in the blue sweater of Draco’s, which hung to the brunette’s knees, and nothing else. The baby was wrapped in a scarf and held tightly to Harry’s chest. “Did you need anything?”

“I’m okay,” Harry said softly. Draco blinked at the first words his husband had uttered in three days. “I wanted to see you. And I think it’s time I had a shower.”

Draco grinned. “Feeling a bit more human, are you?”

Harry blushed and ducked his head. “Yeah, you twit. You try doing what I just did and we’ll talk about feeling human, right?”

Draco stepped closer and took hold of his husband’s face, drawing it up for a sweet kiss. “Thank you, pet. Thank you for giving us a daughter.”

Harry smiled. “You are very lucky that you didn’t say giving you a daughter. I’d have bashed you good.”

Draco laughed and kissed his husband again and then led them down the hall to their room. He held the baby, while Harry had his shower. Of course, Draco had to hold the baby while standing in the bathroom with Harry keeping a close eye on them, but Draco didn’t mind, having the wonderful sight of water washing over his husband’s now slim form to entertain him.

Harry did not go down the stairs at all, wishing to stay near the den and his bedroom. That night, Draco had the odd and quite un-restful experience of sleeping in his bed with an infant between he and Harry. Draco barely slept, afraid he would accidentally roll onto her even though Harry kept her quite close to him. How Harry had and was still able to do it, he had no idea. When he had complained to Harry that they had a quite beautiful and comfortable crib, Harry looked at him in such uncomprehending horror, that Draco merely walked away to put his pyjama bottoms on. Pyjama bottoms that he could not remember that last time he had worn. Watching Harry wrap himself around the baby on their bed, Draco knew it would be a while before his husband would welcome him in a marital way.

The next few days brought more packages, more letters from Lucius and more attempts to see Harry from his friends. When the baby was six days old, Harry finally went down stairs and spent a bit of time in the sitting room. Draco was quite happy that day, because Harry would not stay downstairs without Draco being there. So they spent the early afternoon, lying on a blanket on the sunlit floor, happily holding and playing with their daughter. Draco knew he would remember those few hours for the rest of his life. Especially when Snape joined them. Draco had thought he was losing his mind when the dark man actually sat down on the floor and admired the baby. Harry, for his part, merely smiled and answered all of Snape’s questions and allowed the older man to hold the child. Which was possibly the oddest thing Draco had ever thought to see. The mean black bat of Hogwarts, holding a baby as if he had done it a hundred times before.

“Harry,” Draco called as Severus was handing the baby back to Harry. “The Naming Ceremony is in three days. Will you be up for it?”

Harry grimaced. “I guess. Is this really necessary?”

“It is tradition. It can’t be forgotten,” Draco said, and then relented. “But I can have it pushed back if you don’t think you’ll be ready by then.”

Harry sighed. “No, best to get it over with. That’s all, right? No more ceremonies or parties,” Harry stopped as a look crossed between the two other men. “What?” he asked suspiciously.

“You know my parents penchant for parties. They are going to be having a ball in Maia’s honour directly after the Naming,” Draco confessed. Harry grimaced.

“I don’t want to go to a ball.”

“Then we won’t,” Draco stated calmly and received a surprised look from his husband.

“What, no argument? Won’t your parents be expecting us?”

“Yes, but they will have to celebrate and boast without us.” Snape rose to his feet just then.

“I will be leaving right after the Ceremony,” he stated, looking down at the other two men. “Would you like me to give you a copy of my research findings before they are published?”

Harry grimaced again. “Why do you have to publish them? I mean, everyone is going to know all those things about me.”

“It is for posterity and science, Mr. Potter. Think of more than just yourself, will you?” Snape smirked and swept out of the room.

“More like it’s for his bank vault. He’s going to make a mint off of that,” Harry grumbled but did not appear to upset by it. He looked down at his daughter’s sleeping face. “Draco, I don’t remember agreeing to Regina as a middle name.”

“Oh? I am almost sure that you did, pet.” Draco slid closer until he was brushing his leg against Harry’s.

“No, I am sure I did not.” Harry looked up at the blond. “In fact, I remember saying that it was a highly pretentious name. I had suggested ‘Lily’, remember?”

“Yes, and I countered with ‘Narcissa’. Then we yelled for a few moments and I ended up shagging you against the wall,” Draco said smoothly. Harry gave him a sideways look before chuckling.

“Fine. Have your sodden name. It’s not as if anyone will be using it,” he said with no real venom. “Isn’t that right, my love?” he said softly to the baby. “Your father is an arrogant man, but we will show him poise and humbleness.”

Draco laughed. “Poise, yes. Humble, no. No Malfoy is humble. For that matter, neither were the Potters, my dear husband. Perhaps they were not as… lofty as we, but I am told that they had quite the arrogance about them.”

“Yes, well, I wouldn’t know anything about that.” Draco smiled innocently up at Draco and the blond couldn’t help himself. He leaned down and kissed him. Their lips met gently and then a tongue was allowed inside and Draco was plundering the tender mouth, drinking from it like a starving man. And wasn’t he starving, kept away from his husband for far too long? His hand ran up Harry’s arm and then down his back, bringing him close.

“I’ve missed you, pet,” Draco breathed into the glistening wet mouth.

“Me, too,” Harry admitted in a shuddery breath. He looked down at the sleeping infant. “I suppose it wouldn’t be horrible if she slept in her own bed tonight.”

“No, not terrible at all.”

Unfortunately, Harry reconsidered that thought the moment the child was laid in the crib. Draco was left again with a restless night of making sure he didn’t squash the baby between them. And contemplating if he would ever have Harry alone again.