If Only He Had Listened...

Disclaimer: I no own, so you no sue. I don’t own any characters or settings from the Harry Potter books. Those belong to J. K. Rowling. I would be so very happy if she’d allow me the use of one or two… or three of them, but I know she won’t so don’t try anything. Thank you, that is all. -dpa06-

A/N: So I was going to make this a short story, kinda like my other two. However, I don’t think I can make too much of it. So, yeah. It’s a one-shot now. Yeah. That works for me. If you don’t like it, stop reading. Or don’t read at all. Or continue reading, complain about it, send me flames. My response will be: all flames are put in a jar and will be used when I take over the world. Because I will one day. I just have to learn who all I want to keep around. *crickets* I mean… *clears throat* Obliviate! All you need to know is that I’m an awesome authoress and that this is an awesome fic that you want to read and WILL NOT flame at the end. Also, you want to leave a review. I know you do. And so do you. Because I just told you that you do. Yeah. On with the fic now…

..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l..

The three began a routine that allowed Theresa to get used to Harry and Blaise at the same time as beginning her observations for treatment. Harry’s mood swings and cravings only got worse as the days wore on. Usually the cravings were easy to handle as they were something cooked: cooked ham, fried shrimp, baked pasta. Occasionally he’d throw in something weird, like chocolate syrup or grated Monterrey Jack Cheese. The mood swings were identified and ‘terminated’ as quickly as possible. However, at least once a day there was a door slammed somewhere in the overly large house they called home.

“You know,” Blaise began after one such incident, “I think I’m going to floo-call my parents and tell the we’d like to keep this house as our own. What do you think Theresa?”

She was quiet for a moment. “You’ve asked Harry, right? Making a decision like this could upset him greatly.”

“He’s said he would like to live here before.”

“But things change, Blaise. Ask him again.”

“Are you talking about me?” came a timid whisper. Blaise and Theresa turned to look at Harry who was standing in the entranceway to the kitchen from the dining room. “You are, aren’t you? It’s okay. I deserve to be talked about. I’ve been right awful lately, and I don’t know why I do it. I’m sorry Blaise, Theresa. I just… I don’t know. I’m sorry.” He stood there, head down with his hands clasped together under his slight bump of a stomach.

Blaise stood and went over to him, grasping him gently by the shoulders. “Harry, Harry look at me. It’s okay. I don’t appreciate being yelled at, and neither does Theresa. But we know why you’re doing this. A man was never made to get pregnant, and the chemical unbalance in your system is making what normal women go through twice as hard because you’re a man. I’m not saying it’s okay when you throw your tantrums, but we do understand why they’re happening. It’s okay, as long as you know you’re doing it and feel remorse for it, genuine remorse. Now, we were talking about you. Would you like to know why we were talking about you?”

Harry nodded his head as Blaise led him over to sit on a bar stool with him and Theresa. “Blaise had mentioned wanting to stay here, permanently. I asked if he had said anything to you about this, since it would be a major decision in both your lives. I know you’d said before that you would like to stay here for good, but sometimes you change your thoughts. I suggested he ask you again before he floo-called his parents,” Theresa explained.

“Do you really mean it Blaise?” Harry asked. “You really want to stay here? This is where we’d live?”

“Yes Harry, if you wanted to. We have multiple properties, but this one was the farthest one away from England and away from all the press that seems to be your shadow. I thought you might enjoy the reprieve.”

“Thank you Blaise,” Harry said, throwing his arms around his pseudo-husband. “Thank you so much!”

“That’s enough excitement for one day,” Theresa announced with a slight laugh. “It’s time for a check-up. Come on you two. Will Blaise be joining us today, Harry?”

“Yes, I think he will.”

“Well, come on you three then. The sooner we start the sooner it’s over.” She led them to the mini-doctor’s lab she’d set up just down the hall from Harry and Blaise’s rooms in case of an emergency. “Up on the table Harry, and lay back. I think we’ll try for a stronger heartbeat today.” Harry lay back against the pillows that had been set there and raised his shirt up, holding his breath in wait for the cold gel Theresa would be putting there. Then there was the sharp exhale as said cold gel finally was ‘plopped’ onto his stomach. “I know it’s cold. When someone creates a spell that does this for us, witches and wizards everywhere will cheer and shout for joy.”

“I’ll set up a party room just to hold one of the celebrations,” Harry mumbled.

Blaise just laughed lightly and looked at the black and white screen before them. “Harry?” Theresa asked after a few moments of silence. “Have you thought of a name for the baby yet?”

“Oh yes! It came to me just the other night. I was thinking of all the names I like, and how to arrange them in a way I’d like them, and I finally decided on McKay Draconis Malfoy.” All movement stopped. Nobody said a word or made a noise, except for the machine which beeped out the baby’s heart rate. “What? What’s wrong with that name? I thought it was a good idea to make Draco’s name the middle name.”

“The middle name is perfect Harry,” Blaise began softly, slowly. “Even the first name, McKay, is a nice name. I like it. But the last name… Harry, it would have to be McKay Draconis Zabini. You married me, not Draco. There’s no telling what would happen if you introduced your baby as a Malfoy. An upset would be a vast understatement. I want his middle name to be Draconis, and was going to suggest ‘Draco’ myself. However, the last name must be Zabini. I am sorry, Harry.”

There was silence once more. “O-oh,” Harry finally said. “Th-that’s okay, I guess. I… I can do that. Is everything okay with McKay, Theresa?” He pasted an obviously fake smile on his face as he turned to the medi-witch.

Knowing better than to try and get Harry to talk about what had just happened, Theresa also pasted a fake smile on and nodded. “So far so good,” she whispered. “This is McKay’s heartbeat. And here he is. See? These are his feet, and here’s his head. He’s perfectly happy, so long as you don’t eat anything spicy, okay?” They laughed lightly, although it was strained. “Here, wipe off the goo and sit up again. We’ll see how you’re doing now.” She waved her wand over him to see how he was handling the pregnancy. “You seem to be doing okay. But take it a little more easy; you’re getting tired faster.”

“Yeah, okay,” Harry answered. “Is that all?” Theresa nodded and watched as Blaise helped him off the table. Harry made his way to his room and closed the door behind him.

“I’ll go floo my parents and ask if we may keep the house,” Blaise said quietly. He left the room and made his way to the front room where he tossed a pinch of floo powder into the fire and then waited. “Hello mother,” he said when he saw her face appear. “We’re fine, before you ask. And before you ask when we’re coming home, that’s what I’m calling about. Harry and I were wondering if we may stay here, permanently. We’ve become rather attached to the château, and we already have a live-in medi-witch, one of the finest in Europe.”

“Well, if that’s what you want dear. Your father and I will have no problems with that. We’ll owl you the paperwork to change the name from us to you two. Enough of that. How’s my son-in-law? You mentioned a medi-witch was living with you? Is everything okay? No one was hurt were they? I’ll insist you come home if you or Harry are hurt now.”

“No mother, we’re not hurt. Harry’s pregnant.”

Mrs. Zabini squealed happily. “Oh! My first grandbaby! How exciting! Tell me everything!”

Blaise laughed lightly. “Calm down mother. It’s a boy, and Harry’s decided to name it McKay Draconis Zabini.”

“Draconis? As in your friend Draco Malfoy? Whatever for?”

“Well, we were all really good friends during our last years in Hogwarts, mum.” Blaise mentally kicked himself. He never called his mother ‘mum’ unless he was trying to hide something. “Really, I’m okay with it.”

“Blaise, you tell me what’s going on right now or I’m coming through this fireplace.”

Blaise sighed. “You might as well. I’ll have to ask Harry if it’s okay to tell you and you’ll want to be sitting down if he says it’s okay. Besides, we have a medi-witch on hand here should you need it. Come on through, and I’ll go talk to Harry about it.” Blaise stepped back and waited for his mother. “Just… sit down and I’ll be right back.” He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “Harry?” he called through the door. “Harry I need to talk to you, it’s important. Listen, I know what’s going on is weird, and it hurts, but this is very important. My mother’s downstairs demanding to know what’s going on. She knows something’s not right, and she wants to know what it is now. Please, Harry, either give me permission to tell her or you need to come down and tell her that it’s none of her business. She my mum, I can’t do that.”

The door was flung open. “Tell her?” Harry asked with wide eyes. “You mean tell her that I was pregnant before I was married and that the baby’s not yours and that I’m not even sleeping with you? You want to tell her all of that? Why not?! Tell her everything why don’t you! And while you’re at it, tell her about my childhood and everything I’ve gone through and why we really want this house and why I can’t stand the thought of being in England again!”

Before he could slam the door closed again, Blaise stuck his foot in the doorjamb and hit hand on the door to keep it open. “Damn it Harry! I know you’re going through a lot of shit right now, but you need to think for just a moment! I am here for you, and although I’m not him I am doing my best. I’m sorry that the one thing you need I can’t get you, but I am trying my best to get you anything and everything else that could help! Now, my mother is downstairs wanting some answers. And I think she could help as well.”

“Fine!” Harry yelled back. “Tell her! I don’t care! I don’t care anymore, about anything! Just leave me alone!” He shoved Blaise back a bit and then slammed the door closed, locking it with several locking charms. He went back to his bed and curled into a ball to cry to himself.

Blaise just sighed and went back downstairs to face his mother. “How much of that did you hear?”

“All of it. Explain right now Blaise Zabini.”

With a heavy sigh, Blaise sat across from his mother and began the long explanation. “Harry and Draco became friends and then boyfriends shortly before the downfall of the Dark Lord. It was the day before graduation when I found Harry in the Great Hall. He told me he was waiting for Draco because Draco had something he wanted to talk to him about. He also told me he was pregnant with Draco’s baby. I hugged him in congratulations and Harry kissed my cheek. We were friends, that was all. I thought Draco knew that.

“Apparently he didn’t because he saw that and then left, not telling anyone where he was going. Harry started to freak out. I told him I’d pretend to be his fiancé until we found Draco and explained things to him. But Draco didn’t want to be found, so we took our plans a step further. I married Harry to keep his pregnancy under wraps. We sleep in separate rooms in the same hallway in case he needs something. I hired one of the best medi-witches around to live here. She promised to keep everything quiet since this is Harry Potter.”

After a few moments of silence, Mrs. Zabini sighed. “So he’s pregnant with Draco’s baby, and you’re doing him a favour by marrying him so he doesn’t have a bastard child?”

“Mother!”

“That’s pretty much it,” Harry whispered from the doorway. “I am so sorry Mrs. Zabini. You and your husband have been nothing but nice and caring and welcoming to me, and this must just completely ruin your picture of me. I never meant for things to get this out-of-hand. I’ll understand if you wish for Blaise and I to part. I am more than capable of taking care of myself and my baby. I never meant for anything to go this far. It was just supposed to last until we could find Draco and tell him what really happened that day but now I’ve gone and ruined Blaise’s life and everything you’ve hoped for from him but I don’t love him that way and I never will and I just-”

“Harry, Harry calm down!” Mrs. Zabini insisted, rising to her feet to stand before Harry. “It’s not good for the baby to be this stressed out. Calm down now. Take some deep breaths. You’re okay, just come sit down and talk to me. I will say that I am unhappy about being left in the dark about something this important, but I do see why I was. Now then, come and talk to me about what’s going on. There must be more to this story.”

“Not really,” Harry said with a sniffle. “I love Draco Malfoy, and I always will. No matter how much of a prat he’s being right now. When he left, he broke my heart. Blaise kept me strong enough to deal with these things for now, and I thank him with every breath I take, but he’s not Draco. I tried to tell him that he couldn’t do this for me, but he insisted, saying he wanted to help his friends. I’m so sorry Mrs. Zabini. I really am.”

“Now you listen to me, Harry, just listen,” Mrs. Zabini began. “I don’t understand any of your minds. I’m not sure I would have done the same thing for a friend as Blaise has done for you. I don’t think I would have handled the situation the same as Draco Malfoy did. And I don’t know if I could live the way you are Harry, pretending everything’s okay when it’s not. However, I cannot control any of your lives or decisions. I will keep this under my hat if that’s what you wish for me to do. The rest is up to you two. I will continue to be the doting mother-in-law who is ecstatic about having her first grandbaby. Not everything is as it seems; that’s one of the first things you learn in a pureblood household. This is no exception. Now, what have you decided to name the baby?”

Harry just laughed at the way his ‘mother-in-law’ was handling things. “Thank you so much Mrs. Zabini. You don’t know how much this means to me. I thought for sure you’d make Blaise and I part for this.”

“She wouldn’t do that Harry,” Blaise said with a smile. “A divorce is just as scandalous as the true story in this case. Not only would we be ridiculed, but she and father as well. No, she wouldn’t do that. Besides, she likes you.”

Harry laughed again. “McKay Draconis,” he finally answered. “I do believe Blaise already told you that. It is what started this whole conversation in the first place, correct?”

“Oh yes, yes he did. I think it’s a lovely name, and I would love for his middle name to be of his father’s. You do talk to the baby, don’t you Harry? Ah, well you must start right away. Talk to McKay as if you were already holding him and coddling him. Babies can hear, even in the womb my dear. I began talking to Blaise as soon as I found out I was pregnant. And have Blaise talk to him too. I know he’s not the biological father, but it will help the baby recognize familiar voices. Blaise will be around while he grows up.”

Harry placed a hand on the top of his stomach. “I’ll begin doing that immediately. Is there anything else I should know about my first pregnancy?”

“Lots of things, my dear. Where is your medi-witch? I should like to talk to her as well.”

“I’ll get her.” Blaise stood and went in search of Theresa while his mother and Harry continued talking. When they returned, they were included in the talk. It was some three hours later that Mrs. Zabini left for her home in England. And it was Harry’s stomach which told Blaise it was time for dinner. The three made their way to the kitchen and began to fix and eat dinner together.

..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l..

The months passed slowly, July turned into August with barely anyone noticing. Except that Harry’s birthday was July 31, and they celebrated accordingly. Harry was given all his favourite foods and was taken out to see some fireworks and get any three things he wanted. Unsurprisingly, he bought three things for the baby. As September drew closer, Harry and Blaise reminisced about getting ready for Hogwarts and riding on the Hogwarts Express. September 1, Harry sat alone in his rooms, talking to McKay.

“I just wanted to let you know that your daddy loves you. Not Blaise, because Blaise isn’t your real daddy. Draco, you remember me telling you about him? Well, he’s the man with the blonde hair and beautiful steel gray eyes. He’s your real daddy. Blaise will love you too, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that Draco would have loved you so much more because he helped to make you. And I don’t want you to ever think that it was your fault that he left. It was nobody’s fault except his own. Draco just threw a hissy fit when he saw something and misinterpreted it.” Harry sighed.

“Every year on this day we’d get on a big red train and travel to school. I loved this school. It’s where I fell in love with your real daddy, and met your other daddy. And every year, it never failed, your real daddy would come in and say something mean about me or one of my friends, Ron and Hermione. But in my fifth and six years there, Ron and Hermione grew closer together and forgot about me. It’s okay though. That’s when I found your real daddy and your other daddy. We all became friends. Then I defeated the big, nasty, scary man named Voldemort. Do you remember me telling you about him? I want you to never be afraid to say his name. He’s really gone now and nothing will hurt you or me ever again. I won’t let it.” A few tears leaked from the corners of Harry’s eyes. “I won’t let it,” he whispered again.

..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l..

September faded into October, and then on into November. Snow covered the grounds, telling Blaise it was time to keep Harry inside. However, he snow wasn’t telling the same things to Harry. Harry still went outside walking as much as he could. He always made sure he had at least two coats and a warming charm on before he went, but every time he came back it was always to Blaise trying to make him promise he’d stop walking outside when it was so cold. Harry never did. Just like he didn’t on this day. He slipped his feet into his boots and had them tie themselves since he could no longer see much less reach his shoes.

Just as he was putting on his second coat, Blaise came out of his study to see Harry at the back door. “Harry, you know it’s not a good idea to be outside in this weather. What if you got sick or something? You’ve only got about another month before McKay is due. I don’t want anything to jeopardize that. Please, stay inside Harry?”

“I’m perfectly fine, Blaise. Theresa says I can move about as long as it’s not too fast or sudden or anything. You’re not my medi-witch. And I like sitting in the gardens. They’re comforting, whether or not they’re snowed over. I have coats and heating charms on. You’re acting like my mother, which you’re also not. And you’re sure as hell not McKay’s father so just back off!” As soon as he said the words he regretted them and tears welled up in his eyes. Harry wished he had a Time Turner to go back just five minutes to make sure he didn’t say those words. Blaise had given so much to make sure Harry was okay, and then he went and said something so hurtful. “Blaise, I-”

“I understand,” Blaise interrupted. “It’s the truth, on all accounts.” He sighed. “Theresa did say to take it easy though. I know you like the gardens, but it’s nearly freezing out there. Even with the extra layers and heating charms, you have to be careful of ice on the ground. And although I’m not McKay’s father I am your friend. I’m concerned is all, okay? So just… take it easy. I don’t want you to have gone through all of this just to have something happen. I’m sorry to keep bringing you down by saying that, but I just want you to be careful.”

Harry quickly made his way over to Blaise and buried his head in his shoulder once he was there. “I’m so sorry Blaise. It doesn’t matter what condition I’m in, that was uncalled for. I know you only care for my safety and well-being, it’s just so hard sometimes. I’m sorry. You’ve done so much to help me and I just keep throwing it back in your face. I really do appreciate everything Blaise, you know that right? I’ll stay inside, I promise. I won’t go out anymore unless you’re with me. I’m so sorry to keep worrying you.” He stepped back a little to reveal a tear-strained face.

“It’s okay Harry. Like I said, I understand. I don’t want to keep you inside, but I do thank you for promising not to go out unless I’m with you. I promise I’ll go out into the gardens with you at least once a week until Theresa says no more. How does that sound?”

Before Harry could answer his stomach growled. “I think a grilled cheese sandwich with roasted potatoes and some ranch dressing sounds better,” Harry said with a large smile.

Blaise just laughed. “You and your weird cravings. Come on then, McKay’s hungry it would seem.”

..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l..

Harry awoke in the middle of the night to a cramping in his stomach. It wasn’t the first time it had happened so he just got up and went walking around the house. First stop was to see the Christmas decorations he and Blaise had put up two days ago. It was December 21 and Christmas was definitely in the air around the château in France. When the simple walking didn’t stop the cramping, Harry made his way to the kitchen and asked Kipper for some chocolate chip cookies and a glass of cold milk. Even after those ten cookies, Harry didn’t feel well. Slowly, he made his way to Blaise’s room.

“Blaise?” he called quietly as he knocked on the door. “Blaise are you in there?” There was a bit of mumbling so Harry opened the door and walked in. After closing the door, he made his way to Blaise’s bed and stood beside it. “Blaise can you hear me? Are you awake? I don’t mean to wake you so late, but can I stay here with you for a bit? Please?”

“Harry?” Blaise asked groggily as he sat up. “Are you okay? What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“No, no I’m okay. I just can’t get back to sleep and was wondering if I could stay with you for a bit?”

“Yeah, I guess. If you want to, I mean.” He moved to the other side of the large bed and Harry crawled into his spot. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks Blaise. Really.” In just a few moments, both were sound asleep. However, that wouldn’t last for very long. Harry awoke to a sharp kick in the side. “You need to cut that out McKay Draconis Zabini, right now. Blaise will be most upset if he’s woken twice in one night because of you. Now settle down. I mean it. Don’t wake Blaise.”

“Too late,” Blaise mumbled. He gave a loud yawn. “What’s wrong now?”

“He won’t stop kicking. Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s okay. Do you want me to rub your stomach? Mother and Theresa said it helps sometimes.”

Even though he couldn’t see it, Harry blushed. “O-only if you’re okay with it.”

“No Harry, only if you’re okay with it.”

“I don’t mind, really.”

Blaise moved a bit closer and reached a hand out to rub Harry’s stomach, hoping to soothe McKay into going back to sleep. It wasn’t the first time he’d done this. However, Harry always had the same reaction. When he first touched the bulging stomach, Harry jumped then relaxed after a few moments. “Harry? You’re stomach is hard.”

“That’s because there’s a baby in there Blaise,” Harry teased.

“No, I mean like a rock hard. Feel for yourself.” He held one of Harry’s hands over where he’d been massaging and just waited for a moment. When McKay kicked, Harry hissed softly. “Harry? What was that?”

“McKay. I said he was kicking harder than normal.”

“He’s never kicked like that before.”

“Well, what do you think it is then. A contraction?” As soon as he said it they both knew that’s what it was. “Oh sweet Merlin. Blaise, what do I do?”

“Calm down, first of all. Lumos! Sit up slowly, and I’ll help you to Theresa’s room.” He helped Harry up and then helped him down the hall to Theresa’s. Every time there was a contraction, they stopped until Harry nodded to go on. Blaise knocked on Theresa’s door and called out to her. “Theresa?! Harry’s in labour! Time to wake up!” Theresa was there in a heartbeat. “He was complaining of McKay kicking him too hard so he came to see me. When I was trying to soothe his stomach, he suggested it may be contractions. We came to see you immediately.”

“Good. How long has this been going on, Harry?” Theresa asked.

“What time is it now?”

“A quarter past three,” Blaise answered.

“Forty-five minutes. I woke at about 2:30am and went to get some cookies and milk after walking around a bit. That usually helps, but it didn’t this time. Ouch!” They stopped for a moment. “Please tell me we’re nearly there.”

“Just a few more steps Harry,” Theresa coaxed. “There’s the door, right there. Okay, in we go. On the table, just like for a check-up.” She and Blaise helped Harry lay down on the table. “Do you want Blaise here?”

“Yes!” Harry sat up quickly with wide eyes, one hand lying protectively over his stomach. “Yes, please Blaise.”

“I’m not going anywhere, I promise Harry. I’ll be right here.”

“No, you stand over there by Harry’s head. That way you’re out of my way but still close enough for him to see you. I want both of you to do exactly as I tell you to exactly when I tell you to. Kipper!” The small house elf appeared. “I am going to need lots of warm water and towels. Do you think you could get that for me and place them on the table I’ll have set up by the time you get back?”

“Yes, Miss Theresa, ma’am.” She blinked out of the room. Theresa turned away from Harry for a moment and conjured a sturdy table and then a smaller table to place McKay once she could hold him. When Kipper came back, she simply gestured toward the table. “Here is the water, Miss Theresa. And the towels too, Miss Theresa.”

“Set them down and thank-you Kipper.” Kipper was gone once more. “I’m going to place a sheet up so you don’t see what I’m doing, but don’t worry. I’ll be talking to you the entire time.” The sheet appeared. “I’m going to spell your pants off Harry, and then place a numbing charm on the lower half of your body. Giving birth is painful, but I’m going to lessen the pain as much as possible. Okay? Here we go.” Harry gasped as the cold air hit his bare skin, then once again when he felt the spell take place. “Everything looks good Harry. You’ve formed a temporary canal. Let me know if you feel anything or experience anything.”

There was quiet for a few moments. “Are you okay Harry?” Blaise asked. Harry nodded quickly. “Scared?” Harry nodded again. “I’m right here, Harry,” Blaise said, taking one of Harry’s hands in his own. “I’ll be right here the entire time. I’m not going anywhere.”

Harry turned his head to look at Blaise with a few tears in his eyes. “Thank-you,” he whispered. “Theresa? It’s… I feel… It’s weird. I can’t explain it. I feel like… It’s like I need… I don’t know!” he cried, giving up on trying to explain the feeling. “Like another craving!” he finally said. “It’s like I want something, and I see it, but I can’t get to it. What does that mean?”

“It means you’re hungry Harry,” Blaise joked.

“No, it means he’s wanting to push but doesn’t know it. Give it just a few more minutes Harry. You’re not fully dilated. And if you’re not fully dilated, this is going to hurt like hell. Think of it as not having any preparation before having sex.” Harry and Blaise both winced. “Yeah, compare it to that. I have no clue what that feels like, but your facial expressions sum it up pretty well. I’m going to check again. Hold on.”

“She makes it seem like I know what she’s doing,” Harry quipped. “Like I had any idea I could even get pregnant until I went to see Madame Pomfrey. She’s the one that chastised me for nearly an hour about unprotected sex. Now there’s something I could have lived without.”

“Well it’s true,” Theresa muttered. “Harry I want you to push for me, see where that gets us.”

“Push what?”

“You know that feeling you’re having? Act on it. Do something that makes it go away. That’s pushing.”

“O… kay…” Harry was quiet for a few minutes before he started turning red in the face.

“Stop and breathe now, Harry,” Theresa said. “That was good. You have to keep doing that when I tell you, but remember to breathe. It won’t help anything at all if you go and pass out on me. Nothing was hurting was it? The numbing spell should take care of all that for you.” Harry shook his head. “Good, good. Push again.” Doing as told, Harry started pushing. “Good! Take a deep breath and do it again. Okay, keep pushing. I can see his head, Harry. Keep pushing.”

“I swear if she tells me to push one more time I’m going to kill here!”

“Do you feel any pain?” Blaise asked.

“No, but it’s bloody annoying not being able to feel anything. I mean, those are my bits down there!”

“Not right now they’re not,” Theresa said. “Now push or you’ll suffocate your son.” Harry pushed and a loud wail went through the air. “Again, that was just his head.” Harry took a deep breath. “And one more should do it. That’s it! It’s done and over with Harry! Hang on while I get McKay cleaned up.” There was a lot of moving around, lots of crying, and a little bit of noise Harry didn’t quite get. “Here is McKay Draconis Zabini, born December 22 at 4:09am. Say hello to your son Harry.” She handed the wrapped bundle to Harry and then went to cleaning and setting things to rights around her and the area.

“Look at all that hair,” Blaise said quietly. “And it’s so dark. Looks like he’ll have your hair Harry.”

“Shame. I’d hate to curse another generation with it.”

“Just because it’s dark now doesn’t mean it will stay dark. Same with the eyes. All newborns have blue eyes, but they can and probably will change within the next month. Here’s a bottle; he’ll want to feed. Do you remember everything I’ve taught you? Good. I don’t want to be woken every few hours to feed him. Also, I will have silencing charms around my rooms. My hours are from 8:00am to 10:00pm unless otherwise told. The ten hours of sleep and rest I get I plan on getting. You on the other hand… Well, sleep whenever he sleeps for now. That’s the best advice I’ve got for you.”

“You’re not leaving just yet are you?” Harry asked.

“Oh no,” Theresa said quickly, “I’m not going anywhere for a few months at least. You’re not ready to be on your own with a baby. Nope, you’re stuck with me for a little while longer.” Theresa smiled and left the room, letting Harry bond with his child.

“McKay, I know you’re eating and probably don’t understand a word I’m saying, but I’m your daddy. I’m Harry, and this big guy next to me is your other daddy. I told you about him. Remember Blaise? But he’s not your real daddy. I told you that before. Draco’s your real daddy. Blaise is just here to fill in for him since he’s being an idiot. But don’t worry one bit, we love you still the same,” Harry said softly as McKay sucked on the bottle. “He’s so little.”

“That’s not what you were saying last week,” Blaise joked.

“You carry ten pounds inside of you and see how small you feel,” Harry shot back playfully. “Can I go back to my room now? I don’t like this table thing.”

“I’ll ask Theresa.” Blaise left to ask Theresa if Harry could move around. When he came back, he started helping Harry up. “As long as it’s slow and easy, she says. And no moving about until tomorrow. Conjure anything and everything you need until then.” Harry nodded and slowly made his way down the hall to his room with Blaise’s help. “Is there anything you need while I’m here?” Harry shook his head. “Do you want me to stay?” Again, Harry shook his head. “You know where my room is. Call Kipper if you need her.” Blaise walked out, taking one last look before he closed the door behind him.

..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l..

When Blaise went to check on Harry the next day, the door wouldn’t open. And he wasn’t answering either. So he cast a detection charm to see if Harry and McKay were still in the room and saw that they were. Blaise shrugged it off and went to fix some breakfast. When Harry didn’t appear for lunch or dinner, he became worried and went to the door once more. But Harry still didn’t answer. “Kipper!” he called. The house elf was immediately before him. “Can you get into Harry’s room?”

“Yes sir, Master Blaise. Alls I need do is leave here.”

“Is he okay in there? Does he need anything? Has he had meals? What about McKay? Does he see Theresa?”

“Yes, Master Harry is in the room. He isn’t needing anything right now. He be eating breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, even tea times! Master McKay is just fine, but is very loud, sir. And he said Miss Theresa ma’am is coming by twice today.”

“Could you go in there and tell Harry that if he needs anything, he only has to ask me?”

“Yes sir, master Blaise.” Kipper disappeared and came back a few moments later. “He says he’s just fine.”

“Okay.” He looked at the door once more before going to his own rooms. The next day was the same, and the day after that, and the day after that. Sunday evening, Harry brought McKay down of dinner in the dining hall. “Harry, how nice to see you. That’s a weird thing to say considering we live in the same house. Would you like something to eat?” He received a nod for an answer. Harry sat where he normally would and kept McKay in his lap the whole time. When he was done, he left the dinner table and returned to his rooms. The next day, he didn’t come out.

That was the routine. Monday through Saturday Harry would stay in his rooms with McKay, only allowing Kipper and Theresa into his rooms when needed. On Sundays, he would join Blaise and Theresa for dinner but wouldn’t say anything while there. Then he’d beat a hasty retreat to his rooms. Blaise allowed this for some time, nearly five months, before he talked to Theresa about it. “I don’t understand why he would shut himself up like this.”

“He’s upset and unbalanced. Pregnancy is hard, but so is the time right after you have the baby. The hormones and chemical unbalances are still there. And Harry is hurting even more because he’s a single parent who’s married to someone he isn’t romantically involved with. Draco’s missed everything when it comes to his child, and it was only because he didn’t stop to listen to the explanation. I’m not saying that this is a good thing for Harry, because it’s certainly not healthy to keep a baby from interacting with other people. I’m glad he comes out at least once a week. But he doesn’t say anything. Try talking to him.”

“He’s got charms on his doors, and he won’t return any of the notes I’ve sent him.”

“At dinner on Sunday. When he comes down, talk to him. Try asking him things. Make him stay until after dessert or coffee or something. Tell him what you’re telling me, that as his friend you are concerned for his and McKay’s well-being. Ask him if there’s something you can do to make this easier on him. Other than that… I don’t know Blaise.” She sighed and left to walk around outside. The snow had melted and it was Summer time now.

Sunday came, and so did Harry and McKay when it was dinner time. He held McKay in his left arm while he ate with his right hand. Blaise asked him how he was doing and if everything was okay. Harry simply nodded. When he was done and McKay began to get fussy, Harry stood to leave. Blaise reached out and took hold of Harry’s wrist to stop him. “Will you please not leave? Not tonight. You’ve been doing this for months, and I’m worried Harry. You lock yourself up in that room. It’s not good for you or McKay. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Harry whispered. He tried to leave.

“Would you at least talk to me? I told you I would be here for you. I can’t help you if you won’t even talk to me. What happened? Is there something wrong with McKay? Did I do something to upset you so? You don’t even talk to me the one night a week you leave your rooms!” Harry sat back down, knowing he wasn’t going to be able to leave just yet, and began rocking McKay slowly against his shoulder. “Damn it Harry, you’re worrying me! I am concerned for you and McKay. Did I do something wrong? Can I fix whatever it is that’s going on with you right now?”

“It hasn’t been real until now,” Harry said softly, still not looking up. “It was okay at first, that he missed his first sonogram and his first kicks and the first time he moved.” Harry looked up now, tears streaming down his face but a fire in his eyes Blaise hadn’t seen in a long time. “But he missed his own son’s birth! It wasn’t real until then! And all the congratulations from your family and friends, congratulating me and you, like you had anything to do with…” He trailed off, once more looking down. “It just hurts.”

It was silent in the hall. McKay, sensing something was going on, was quiet in Harry’s arms. Theresa didn’t say a word. She was sure the others had forgotten she was even there. Blaise slowly sat in his chair once more. After a few moments, he gently cleared his throat so as not to scare Harry when he spoke. “I think you need to get out of this house and go somewhere. You were cooped up for your pregnancy, and you’ve hidden away in your rooms for three months now. Where would you like to go?”

“Really?” Harry asked. “You’ll take me wherever I want to go? Me and McKay, the both of us?”

“Anywhere, Harry. You name it, and I’ll find a way to get us there. All four of us, if Theresa wants to come.”

“You’ll laugh,” Harry said, looking down. “But when I was still living with my aunt, before I found out about being a wizard and Hogwarts, I got really sick one day and had to stay home from school. My aunt, while she was cleaning, was listening to the radio and this muggle song came on about a bunch of different islands. I can’t remember all of it, but can we go to all the ones I can remember? Just… just to spend a few days at each one?”

“That sounds great Harry. Where do you want to start?”

“Jamaica. It’s the first one I can think of.”

“I’ll make plans tomorrow. Until then, would you like to walk with Theresa and I in the gardens? It’s not too cold or hot out yet; just a little slippery. We’ll stay close to the house, and only be out for a few minutes.” Harry nodded with a smile and followed Blaise outside. Theresa trailed along behind with a smile on her face.

..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l..

Two weeks later saw Harry, McKay, Blaise, and Theresa in Jamaica, playing on the beach in the sun. Harry sat at the water’s edge helping McKay to stand up in the little bit of water that made it up to them. With McKay bleach blonde hair they were unsure of whether or not he’d burn so they put plenty of sunscreen on him anyways. His bright green eyes sparkled happily every time the surf hit his little feet. Theresa sat a few meters back under an umbrella with a drink in her hand. Blaise was just a little ways away, further up the beach away from the water playing Ultimate Frisbee with some other guys that were there.

He kept one eye on his little family and the other on the game. When the Frisbee came to him, he threw it to one of his teammates down the beach, Leonard might have been his name. However, he overshot his strength and it landed on a porch of one of the beach front properties that was there. Blaise apologized to the other guys and ran up to the house. A man was standing there, Frisbee in hand. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to throw so hard. It won’t- Draco?!” There in front of him stood the blond Slytherin himself. “Is this where you’ve been hiding? Holy hell, man. Harry and I searched for you all over the place.” He shot a look over his shoulder at Harry playing with McKay in the water. “What in the hell is wrong with you?!”

“Hello Blaise,” Draco said, completely emotionless. He looked over where Blaise had looked and his muscles tensed for a brief moment. “I see you and Harry are perfectly happy together. Congratulations are in order, I guess.”

Blaise’s jaw dropped. “You self-absorbent, self-righteous, downright arrogant prick! Do you know the shit you put Harry through?!”

“Well, he had you didn’t he?”

“Damn it Draco!” Blaise stormed up onto the porch and shoved Draco against the side of the house. “You’re going to listen to me for a few minutes now. No more guessing based on what you see. That is not my baby out there with Harry so don’t even try to throw that in my face.”

“Oh, just happen to be on the same beach as Harry are you? Let go of me and get off my property before I call the police Zabini.” He shoved Blaise back and straightened his clothes before walking inside his home.

“Get back here Draco!” Blaise called, following the blonde. “That’s not my baby, it’s yours! That’s your son, Draco!” Draco froze and turned to face Blaise with a pale face. “Yeah. Weren’t expecting that one were you? The day that you were going to propose, Harry told me he was pregnant and I hugged him in congratulations. It was nothing more. The kiss on the cheek was a simple ‘thank-you for being there for me’ because you know we’re friends. You reacted before we could explain, and then ran off like a two-year old. Now you’ve missed some of the most important moments of your son’s life.”

Silence rang throughout the beach home. You could hear the children playing, and the voices talking, even the water splashing upon the sand, but it was all ignored by the two men. Draco’s eyes dropped from Blaise’s face to his feet for a few moments. “What’s his name?” he whispered.

“McKay Draconis Zabini.” Draco’s head shot up, a fire in his eyes. “I married him to keep him from being in the spotlight of the news and papers. He’s had his own private suite just down the hall from my own at our place in France. I hired one of the best medi-witches around to help and she’s here with us today. Harry got real depressed after McKay was born and locked himself in his rooms. I finally got him to come out with the promise of taking him anywhere he wanted to go. He wanted to go island hopping, starting in Jamaica. I’ll go get them so you can meet your son. Hold on.”

Blaise left, giving the Frisbee back to the group. “Sorry guys, I have business to attend to.” He laughed when they began teasing him and went off to get Harry and Theresa. “Harry! Harry come here. I want you to meet someone. You too Theresa. Bring McKay. In fact, give McKay to Theresa.” He helped gather their things together and then took everything from Harry so he wasn’t carrying anything. “Just past where I was playing Frisbee. I want you to meet this guy.” They walked over to the house and up the steps. As they were walking in, Blaise said, “Harry, I’d like you to meet the biggest idiot on the face of the planet.”

“Blaise!” Harry instantly said, turning to face him before turning back to the mysterious man. “That’s no way to talk-!” He froze when he saw Draco standing in the front room of the home. “D-draco?” he stammered. “Is it really you?” He didn’t wait for an answer before throwing himself at the blonde, bursting into tears. He sobbed and tried to talk as Draco led them to couches in the living room. “I thought you were gone and we couldn’t find you because you didn’t tell anyone where you were going and I was so worried and scared and mad because there was nothing for you to leave over and I cried so much and I was pregnant with your son because I’ve never slept with anyone but you even after I got married so McKay would have a name and I’m so sorry…” He kept going.

“It’s a good thing you had me take McKay,” Theresa said with a smile. “I don’t think Harry even realizes there’re other people on this planet besides him and Draco right now.” She smiled as McKay looked up at here and giggled. “And what are smiling about? Your daddy’s making a scene with Draco.” McKay giggled again. “What? Draco?” McKay giggled. “You like the name of your real daddy? Draco. Draco Draco Draco.” McKay would have fallen over he was laughing so hard if Theresa weren’t laughing so hard.

“Would you look at that,” Draco said as he got Harry to calm down. “Have you been talking about me to our son Harry?” Harry burst into a fresh wave of tears. “What did I do now?”

“You… you said ‘our son’!” Harry cried. “It just sounds so good to finally hear that. Give me McKay, Theresa. I want him to get a good look at his real daddy. McKay, you remember Draco right? I showed you pictures of him and talked to you almost every day about him. Blaise is your other daddy, and I’m the daddy that carried you. But this is your real daddy. Do you remember?” McKay just giggled and reached out to Draco. Slowly, carefully, Draco picked the child up and held him. “You won’t break him, I promise.”

“It’s just so… weird. I mean, I was wallowing in my own misery this morning and now I have a son!” Draco said, still shocked by everything. “I insist that you all stay here for dinner tonight, my treat. I’ll cook you whatever you want.”

“You?” Blaise choked out. “Cook?! Someone call the Prophet!”

“Shut up Blaise. I can too cook.”

“I’m having a strange sense of déjà vu,” Harry muttered. Blaise chuckled lightly and Draco looked at him with a confused expression. “When Blaise and I first got married,” a dark look passed over Draco’s face then, “he asked me what I wanted for dinner after waking from being sick because of portkeying to the house in France. I was amazed, thinking all purebloods would simply have a house elf do it for them. But Blaise said that his mum made sure he’d be able to handle all situations. And now you’re saying the same thing. Why do you know how to cook?”

“Because my father was an arse and I wanted to make sure I lived through any meals I know he ‘oversaw’ or ‘checked’ before eating them,” Draco answered with malice in his voice. “Screw him. What are we going to do now? I won’t let you stay married to Blaise, no offense my friend, or McKay to remain a Zabini.”

“Well, that’s a simple answer,” Theresa said. Three pairs of eyes shifted to her; they’d forgotten about her. “Yes, I still exist. Blaise and Harry were married in a simple ceremony where the bondsman was silenced on pain of death from the Harry Potter, yes? Well, the only people who know this marriage is a farce is you, Harry, Blaise, me, and Mrs. Zabini.”

“Your mum knows and she let you get married anyways?!”

“I slipped and called her mum,” Blaise explained. “I never do that. She demanded answers.”

“Anyways, what you need to do is get the marriage annulled.”

“Annulled? We’ve been married for over a year,” Harry said. “How will that be possible?”

“An annulment has nothing to do with the length of time that you’ve been married, Harry,” Blaise began.

“Only if you’ve slept together,” Draco monotoned, glaring at Blaise.

“We didn’t,” Harry insisted, “but I got pregnant and had a baby. They’re not going to believe me! Even if I am Harry Potter, the evidence is overwhelming in the wrong direction. They won’t annul this marriage. We’ll have to get a divorce Blaise, I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to because it will shame your family, but I love Draco and you know this. I can’t stay in this marriage if Draco’s willing to marry me now that he knows the true story and has stopped being a stupid prat.”

“Harry,” Theresa broke in. “We’re wizards. They’ll have no choice but to believe you if you take Veratiserum. And they can do a paternity test on McKay and see that he’s Draco’s. Both are major factors in your favour. Then the marriage can be annulled and you will be free to marry Draco. Problem solved.”

“Oh.”

..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l..

Draco, Harry, Blaise, McKay, and Theresa all left the island that night and may their way back to Britain, stopping by Blaise’s home to tell his mother what was going on. She insisted they call ahead to make sure everything would be ready when they got there. They had to use Harry’s ‘maiden’ name and Draco’s status, but they got a private appointment with a doctor that would be ready in ten minutes for them to floo straight into her office. When they did floo in, Theresa went with them to verify everything with her own testimony.

“Hello Mr. Potter, er Zabini. Excuse me. I wasn’t told about anything that would be happening with this appointment. Is this a check-up for one of you, or the child?” she asked.

“No no, something much more important,” Harry began. “May I ask your name first?”

“Of course, excuse me! I am Jennifer Morris. I’m sorry, there are too many of you. Who is who and why are you here?” she asked.

“That’s the problem,” Harry said. “There’s a story behind it. You might want to sit down. Before we graduated from Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy and I,” here he pointed at Draco, “were dating and involved. I became pregnant with his child. When I went to tell him, he mistook the friendly hug I was giving Blaise Zabini,” he pointed to Blaise, “as something more than friendship and left, not telling anyone where he was going. Blaise decided to save me embarrassment and married me to keep the world from finding out about my baby. We hired Doctor Theresa Rhodes as our live-in medi-witch to help with the pregnancy and delivery.”

“Theresa Rhodes, you say?” Dr. Morris asked. “Wow. It’s an honour to meet you, really. I studied all of your work extensively when I tried to get into the field myself. However, I didn’t pass the bar high enough. I wasn’t given the ability to be a labour and delivery specialist, just a regular check-up doctor or a helping hand should one be needed. Sorry. You were saying?”

“Yes, well,” Harry said, a little miffed at being interrupted like that when all he wanted was the man of his dreams back in his life, “we hired Theresa and she did check-ups and things. Months passed, I got bigger and moodier and hungrier, but Blaise stayed with me. His mother found out the true story and was upset, but let us deal with it as we had been. When McKay was born early on December 22, I was so happy. And then I was depressed because Draco wasn’t there to see it. I locked myself in my rooms and only came out once a week for dinner Sunday nights. Otherwise I took meals in my rooms and Theresa checked on me and McKay there. After five months, Blaise had had enough.

“He kept me at dinner one Sunday night and made me talk about what was bothering. We finally decided to get out of the house. I wanted to go island hopping, so we set up the appropriate portkeys and things, then went to Jamaica just two days ago. Yesterday, McKay and I were playing in the surf while Theresa was sun bathing and Blaise was playing Frisbee with some other guys. The Frisbee landed on one of the porches on the beach, and it turned out to be Draco’s porch. Blaise and Draco talked, and then Blaise gathered the rest of us there. We came back today to rectify everything and tell Blaise’s mother what was going on.”

There was a moment of silence after Harry finished. “So what would you have me do?” Dr. Morris asked.

“Harry and I never slept together,” Blaise said. “We want our marriage annulled so Harry can marry Draco and change McKay’s name to Malfoy, since he is a Malfoy. But, no one will believe that we haven’t had sex since we’ve been together over a year and a child was born. We need you to take a paternity test for McKay and a Veratiserum test for Harry and me to prove this is the truth. Can you do that? And stay silent about it?”

Dr. Morris was speechless for a moment. Then she shook her head before looking at them all again. “Let me get this straight. You love him,” she said, pointing to Harry then Draco. They nodded. “And had his baby?” Another nod. “But you married him,” she said, pointing to Blaise, “because he,” pointing to Draco, “left without knowing about him,” pointing to McKay. More nods. “Then you,” pointing to Blaise, “hired her,” pointing to Theresa, “and you,” still pointing to Theresa, “cared for him and him,” pointing to Harry and McKay. Nodding. “Now, you two want to separate?” she asked, motioning between Blaise and Harry. Nodding. “And you want to marry him?” She pointed at Harry, then Draco, only to receive another couple of nods. “And change his name?” She pointed at McKay.

“That’s about it,” Draco confirmed.

“You’re all bloody nuts!” Dr. Morris exclaimed. “You need to see a shrink not me. But yes, I can do this. I want no part in any sort of backlash from the media you might receive.”

“Keep your mouth shut, Dr. Morris, and there won’t be any media backlash,” Blaise growled.

Dr. Morris put her hands up in a defensive posture. “Okay, okay, keep your knickers on. Let me go get the supplies I can do them both at once, it will be easier.” She left the room, mumbling about crazy people and their messed up lives. When she came back, she had a small tray floating behind her with several vials, some empty and some not, on it. She set it on a spare counter. “Blaise, you take this one. Only half the dosage that’s in there please. Thank-you. Now you Harry, you take the other half. Good, just set that here. Now then, I will need a bit of hair from McKay, so while the Veratiserum works into your systems, I’ll cut a lock… just… here.” She snipped a few hairs from McKay’s head. “Please, neither of you say anything to Blaise or Harry. I don’t want the potion in effect just yet so no talking either.”

She turned her back to them, doing some shuffling and clinking before turning back around with a vial in her hands, swirling it as one would a good glass of wine. “When it turns sky blue I will need some of Draco’s hair and some of Blaise’s hair to determine the paternity.”

“My hair?” Draco asked. “Do you really need to cut my hair?”

“Are you really that vain, Mr. Malfoy, that you do not even wish to make sure this is your son?”

“How dare you imply that I am that vain?!” Draco shouted.

“How dare you imply that I sleep around with men and don’t know my own child’s father!” Harry yelled at the same time. “I’ve only had sex with one person and that’s Draco Malfoy!”

“Well, the serum is in effect so I know that true. Just a moment please.” Dr. Morris turned back around and picked up a small notepad and a quill. She whispered two charms, one to make both items float and another to make the quill write whatever was spoken. “My name is Doctor Jennifer Morris. I am specialized in all basics of medical needs for witches and wizards, and specialize in male pregnancies and the such. I cannot deliver, but I can assist.” She point to Theresa to do the same.

“My name is Doctor Theresa Rhodes. I specialize in all aspects of male pregnancy, including the labour and delivery. I was hired to care for a pregnant wizard and his child.”

Dr. Morris pointed to Draco. “My name is Draco Malfoy. I don’t work. I am the father of the child, and am partaking in this only to get my husband and child back. I think this is stupid, for the record.”

“Thank you, Mr. Malfoy,” Dr. Morris said sarcastically. “Blaise?”

“I am Blaise Zabini. I am under Veratiserum. I am the current husband, but wish to part with my husband in favour of bettering his life, his future husband’s life, and their child’s life. The child is not mine. I do not work either, currently, but was actually looking into a job just near where we were living in France. That’s not important, is it Dr. Morris?”

“No Blaise. Thank-you. Harry?”

“I am Harry Zabini, and I have no reason to work because I’m freaking rich and just had a baby.” He blushed crimson at the first statement. “I am under Veratiserum currently. I had Draco’s baby, but married Blaise because of a mix-up. Now Blaise and I wish to part so McKay and I may reunite with Draco. McKay is our son.”

“Thank-you Harry. Let the record state that Harry Zabini was formally Harry Potter. Sorry Harry, it has to be said. Do you think you could get McKay to say something just to show on the record that the child is here?”

“McKay?” Harry cooed. “Say hello to your real daddy for me, please. Say hello.” McKay cooed and giggled at Harry’s tone of voice and the little wave that Draco gave. “Good enough?”

Dr. Morris looked over at the notepad. “Yep. Okay. Short story, once more. Draco and Harry were in a relationship and Harry ended up pregnant. Draco misunderstood some things, and Blaise married Harry to keep him from embarrassment from having a child out of wedlock. McKay, the child, was born and Harry became depressed. Blaise treated him to Jamaica where they found the long-lost Draco. Now they have come to terms and wish to part. Blaise and Harry that is. Draco wants to marry Harry and for McKay to take his name.”

“What about Theresa?” Blaise asked. “She’s kinda important.”

Dr. Morris sighed. “Theresa Rhodes was hired as a live-in medi-witch for Harry. There. Okay, let the questions begin. Harry, how many men have you had sexual relations with?”

Harry blushed furiously and squirmed in his seat. “One. Draco Malfoy. And he’s the only one I’ll ever have sex with again.” His blush deepened. Draco gave him a peck on the cheek.

“Harry, have you ever had sex with a woman?”

“No.”

“Blaise, how many men have you had sex with?” Blaise only mumbled something. “I’m sorry Blaise, but the quill didn’t get that. How many?”

“A bunch, okay?”

“I’m going to need a number.”

“I don’t know.”

“How can you not know?” Harry asked, astonished.

“I slept around in school,” came the automatic response. Blaise blushed and closed his eyes, wishing he would stop speaking. “A seventh year introduced me to it when I was in my fourth year and ever since then I just slept with whomever I wanted to. I didn’t sleep with just anyone; I had my standards.”

“Would you mind sharing those standards?” Dr. Morris asked.

“Yes, I would mind,” Blaise growled.

“That’s none of your business!” Harry said. “And it won’t help or hurt this in any case so please move on.”

“Okay, sorry. Have you ever had sex with a woman, Blaise?”

“Yes.”

“How many?”

“Twenty-seven. I know who each one of them were, and I do not wish to disclose who they were.”

“That’s okay. Harry, do you love Blaise?”

“As a friend, or a brother maybe. Well, of course as a friend. And I do kind of see him as a brother, which is weird because we’re married. But not as a lover or a boyfriend or anything more. No. Not at all.” Harry’s eyes apologized to Blaise, but Blaise’s just smiled in understanding.

“Blaise, do you love Harry?”

“Same answer. As a friend, but nothing more.”

“Blaise, why did you marry Harry?”

“Because he was pregnant and in a right tight spot. Draco had disappeared because he found Harry and I involved in a strictly friendly hug. He got jealous and took off. I couldn’t let my friend go through a pregnancy all alone. It would be his first, and the media would be all over him. He was Harry Potter! The media knew everything about him. So I married him to keep his name clean, and to give his child a name.”

“Harry, why did you marry Blaise?”

“I don’t know. I was so emotional over losing Draco, because that’s what happened. I lost him. I was hysterical, not knowing what would happen to me or my baby. I grew up without knowing anything about my parents. I didn’t want that to happen to my baby as well.”

“Very good. Now, for clarity and just to double check, Harry did you ever sleep with Blaise?”

“Yes.”

“What?!” four voices shouted. The sudden noise made McKay start to cry. Harry, surprised at his own answer, took a second to respond to his child. He finally shushed him by magicking a bottle and giving it to the hungry and surprised little boy. Draco decided to continue from his earlier outburst in the mean time. “What do you mean you’ve slept with Blaise?! You just said a second ago that you’ve only slept with one person and that was me and that’s all you’d ever want or need. And now you’re saying you’ve slept with Blaise?!” He turned to face Blaise. “I thought you said you hadn’t had sex with him!”

“I didn’t!” Blaise said back, eyes wide. “I swear by Merlin’s name we’ve never been together like that. I was never interested in Harry in that manner. Yeah, he looks good, but I’m not gay Draco.” Everyone was silent then. “Hey, I’m not gay,” Blaise said as if just coming to the realization himself.

“If you’re not gay, Blaise, then why did you marry Harry?” Dr. Morris asked.

“I already answered this. He’s my friend. I wasn’t going to let him suffer.”

“What about all those guys you slept with?”

“I… don’t have an answer, truly. There was no reason to it. It was pleasurable, or I wouldn’t have done it so often, but I like women. See? I couldn’t have had sex with Harry!”

“Just because you like women doesn’t prove anything Blaise,” Dr. Morris said. “You have slept with other men before and you just said that it was pleasurable. Now we need to figure out why you slept with Harry.”

“Because he asked me to,” Blaise answered easily. “Wait, what?!”

“You wanted to sleep with Blaise?!” Draco yelled. “You asked him?! Fuck Harry, when did this happen?”

“Just before McKay was born,” Harry began, his eyes growing in shock as he answered an answer he didn’t know he had. “I wasn’t feeling well and went to Blaise’s room. I knocked, and then entered. I asked if he would mind sharing his bed, and he said he didn’t. Then he scooted over to the other side of the bed and I crawled in, keeping to my side. We fell asleep for a few hours.” There was a moment’s pause. “We didn’t have sex!” Harry explained. “We slept together, literally. We were sleeping in the same bed. The question was just worded weirdly.”

“Yeah,” Blaise agreed. “In fact, you asked me that other time, just after we were married as well. When you were still extremely upset over Draco and the wedding. Holy shite! I’m glad we’re getting this cleared up here and now. To have anyone else ask if we’d slept together and us answer yes would have meant an immediate no on the application for annulment.”

“You’ve got that right,” Dr. Morris said. “Let the record show that Blaise and Harry have never had sexual relations with each other. If asked if they have slept together, however, the answer will be yes as they have shared a bed before. Moving on. Harry, what is McKay’s full name?”

“McKay Draconis Zabini. But it’s only Zabini because I was married to Blaise when he, he being McKay, was born.”

“Whom is McKay’s father?”

“Draco is McKay’s father, and the only man I ever have and will sleep with. Er, I mean have sex with.”

“Let the record show that the paternity test I will soon administer will verify these statements as 100% truth in addition to the Veratiserum statements. Harry, did you give birth to McKay?”

“Of course!”

“Dr. Rhodes, will you verify this?”

“Of course,” Theresa answered, saying the first thing in quite some time. Well, she was one of the four to yell ‘what’ when Harry answered ‘yes’ to sleeping with Blaise. “I was hired by Blaise Zabini to take care of his then-pregnant husband, Harry. Harry shared with me the real story, that the baby was Draco Malfoy’s and that he, Harry, was only friends with Blaise. That wasn’t the reason I was there, and didn’t care. I was there to take care of a pregnant wizard, and soon deliver a baby from said pregnant wizard. I was awoken around 3 am on December 22 of last year when Blaise and Harry claimed Harry was going into labour and having contractions.

“I led both of them to the birthing room I had set up early on and coxed them through everything from the temporary canal forming all the way through feeding McKay for the first time. I’ll spare the details, but suffice to say I am 100% positive it was Harry that gave birth that night. And I’m sure Blaise can attest to his hand being nearly broken from the pressure put on it.”

“Thank you Dr. Rhodes. I think that just about does it. The paternity test is sky blue, signifying that the hair I took from McKay Zabini proves that he is a male child and has read his DNA from the hair strands. I am pouring the concoction into two separate vials so that I may add a few strands of Draco Malfoy’s hair to the one on my left, and Blaise Zabini’s to the one on my right. One will turn red, and one will stay sky blue. The sky blue on will show who the biological father is. The one that turns red shows that that’s person is not the biological father. Draco, if you please?”

“I hate this, just for the record,” Draco griped, but obediently stepped forward and allowed Dr. Morris to slip a few short strands of hair from his right temple. “Can you tell that she took any hair?” he asked.

“It looks just fine to me baby,” Harry said.

“Great. This coming from the guy with a black mop on his head,” Draco said with a snort.

“Hey! I would like for the record to state that Draco Malfoy is a vain ponce!” Harry said.

“Am not!” Draco argued back.

“Blaise, your turn.” Blaise walked forward and allowed the doctor to take some strands from his right temple as well. “I have added Draco Malfoy’s hair to the paternity test on the left. I am now adding Blaise Zabini’s hair to the paternity test on the right. I am now swirling both carefully to mix the hairs and paternity tests. It will only take a moment to get the results.” Sure enough, as soon as she stopped moving the vials, the one on the right (Blaise’s) started turning a deep red colour. “The vial on the right, the one containing Blaise Zabini’s hair, has turned a violent red. He is not McKay’s biological father. The one of the left, Draco Malfoy’s, has remained blue. He is McKay’s biological father. I state, for the record, that Draco is McKay’s biological father and Harry is, for lack of a better term, McKay’s biological mother. Take the antiserum please.”

Blaise and Harry took the antidote to the Veratiserum and breathed a sigh of relief. Dr. Morris took the quill and notepad out of the air, effectively ending both spells on the items. “That was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever done,” Harry said with a slight laugh. “I thought Draco was going to fly off the handle and hurt someone when I said I had slept with Blaise.”

“I thought he was going to kill me,” Blaise added.

“I was,” was Draco’s simple response. It was quiet for a few moments.

“Okay then,” Dr. Morris said quickly. “I will get these copied so you can have a copy to take to the Ministry with you to get the annulment. You do realize that this isn’t over yet? You might be put through that again.”

“What?! Why?” Harry asked, rocking McKay gently in his arms to get him to sleep.

“The Ministry is like that and you know it, Harry,” Draco sighed. “It is quite possible that what Dr. Morris said is true. But quite frankly, I’d do this twice a day for the next six months if it meant getting you and McKay back. I’d even,” he paused to take a steadying breath, “I’d even cut my hair that many times to prove McKay’s paternity.”

“Are you serious? You’d cut your hair again and again to get us back?” Harry asked. Draco nodded. Quickly, but carefully, Harry handed McKay to Blaise and threw himself at Draco. “Thank-you,” he whispered into his neck. “That means so much to me, that you would give up something so precious for me. Thank-you Draco.”

Draco looked a little confused. “It’s nothing, really. I mean, I take great pride in my hair, but it grows fast. And in case you haven’t noticed I keep it relatively short which means I must cut it in some way. It would grow back. It’s really not that big of a deal.”

“It is to me,” Harry answered, his face still buried.

“Really, it means a lot to him,” Theresa said with a smile. “The first time I was in their home in France, Blaise was frying some ham for one of Harry’s cravings. Well, he offered some to me and the three other doctors. They each took some, but remembering my sister-in-law’s cravings, I declined until Harry offered me some. Harry came in shortly thereafter and was very grateful for the ham. He learned that I was the only one not to take the ham and thanked me for it numerous times. And then, when we were alone for a private interview, he thanked me again. He didn’t know why he was so thankful, but he was. Just accept the thank-you and move on.”

“Okay,” Draco agreed. He looked down at Harry. “It’s no problem Harry, just a sign of how much I love you.”

Harry sniffled. “Thank-you for saying that.”

..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l..

Thankfully, when they reached the Ministry, they took Draco and Harry’s names, and the written report from Dr. Morris and gave the annulment for Blaise and Harry’s marriage. That evening, Harry and Draco were wed in a simple, quiet, civil ceremony and the papers were filed to change McKay’s last name to Malfoy. Theresa took McKay and stayed at the château in France with Blaise while Harry and Draco went on a real honeymoon for two weeks. Over this time, Theresa and Blaise grew closer. And when the newlyweds returned, they were in the beginnings of a relationship.

And that was the end of the fiasco of the beginning of Harry’s adult life. Moral of the story: ask questions before storming off to Jamaica like a two year old who’s rich enough to do so.

..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l..

A/N: Okay, so again with the ending thing. I just liked the way this went. Meh, whatever. I liked it. You didn’t? Leave me a flame. I’ll use it to roast my ham and cheese sandwich. Won’t bother me. Thanks for reading everyone! Sorry if I confused anyone with the bit about the one-shot at the beginning. It was aone-shot, but my computer said it was a thirty page one-shot, so I broke it down into two chapters. It's over now. And I won't be posting anything else for a while. I'm going home for Christmas and I'll use those 2 1/2 - 3 weeks to write all the fics I have planned. And I have about twenty planned, all ratings (G to NC-17). So, let's get to the reviews, yeah?

Madamdragon: Can I just say I love your name first? Dragons are awesome... Thank you for the review, and I'm happy you liked it. This was the second, and final, part. Happy Christmas!

fanfic mom: Thanks for the review. As you've probably noticed, this is the second part. LOLz! Thanks once more.

thrnbrooke: Hello! So glad you made it over to this fic. Here it is. Hope you enjoyed it!

Anon: Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. This was a one-shot that got turned into a two-shot. Sorry...

Hexane: Your name sounds like it should mean something to me. Where is it from? Anyways, thanks for the review. When I write MPregs, I take info I know from my sisters' pregnancies. They were weird...

Slashy Snitch: Thanks for the review and the compliment. I hope this met your expectations.

Jan: Thank you thank you thank you! I hope you like the ending as much as the beginning.

nercomi: There are only two chapters, sadly. I wanted to draw this one out, but the muses were against me. And if you write by muse, you know better than to go against them. Bad things happen otherwise. Now then, I agree that Harry marrying Blaise was kinda weird. I was trying to go for the whole "Harry would be shunned by society if they found out he was pregnant and unwedded" kind of thing. Don't think I took your review as a flame because I didn't. I enjoy reviews like this because it helps in future writing. I know it was kind of weird, but you also have to think about Harry's upbringing: As a muggle, he wouldn't know men could get preggers. So this was all a shock to him. Thanks for the review nercomi, and I'm happy you made it over from my last one. Happy Christmas!

Keba-kun: Thanks for the review. I try to draw off experiences I've had with my sisters' pregnancies when I write an MPreg fic like this. Leslie was the worst, but it was Jennifer that had the weird food cravings. She woke me up one night by phone call to ask me to drive over and wake James up so he could go get her some Monterrey Jack cheese and maraschino cherries. Not too bad, considering. But I lived three hours away! I told her to go back to sleep and she burst into tears. Thank goodness that woke James up. And that was only in the fourth month...

Ashley: Hee hee! We have the same name... I'm sure you've never heard that before. (< sarcasm) Anyways. I hope you liked it. "If Only" was my favourite to write so far. I hope the ending was all you hoped for a more.

Thanks so much you guys. I love reviews. They make me happy. And they make me want to write more. *wink* I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Christmas, or whatever other holidays you may celebrate. I'm Christian, so I celebrate Christmas. w00t. -dpa06-