Visions of an Empath

Chapter 27

Lucius apparated to the Burrow and knocked impatiently on the front door. Several long minutes later, Ron finally opened the door and just stared dumbly at the blond. Lucius sneered at the teen and pushed his way inside, calling for Harry. It soon became obvious that Harry was not in the house.

“Where’s Harry?”

Ron blinked at the question and looked toward the kitchen. “He was helping mum with the dishes earlier.”

“He’s not there now,” snapped Lucius. “Where did he go?” At the clueless look on the teen’s face, Lucius took a deep, calming breath, trying to reign in his temper. Harry would be pissed if he killed the little bastard. “Okay, where’s Molly?”

Ron shrugged his shoulders helplessly. Why did he always end up in this situations? “Hermione and I went upstairs after dinner while Harry stayed to help mum with the dishes. I don’t know where they are now.”

Lucius growled angrily and stormed from the house, apparating back to the safe house. Stalking into his bedroom, he found Severus sitting on the bed with Harry’s note clenched in his hand. The vampire looked up expectantly when he walked into the room only to scowl when Harry didn’t come in with him.

“Where’s Harry? Draco said you went to the Weasley’s to get him.”

“I did, but he wasn’t there,” snapped Lucius irritably.

“What do you mean he wasn’t there! Where else could he be?” demanded Severus.

Lucius glared at the other man. “Don’t you think that if I knew that I would be there already?”

They were interrupted by a soft giggle from behind them. When they turned and glared, Luna just smiled airily at them. “The Sprites are singing happily. They’re celebrating new life.”

Severus sneered at the girl until the last part of what she said registered. “New life? You’re not talking about Harry, are you? It’s too soon for him to give birth.” Merlin, please let it not be Harry.

Luna giggled again. “No, silly. The newest child of the moon is the one the sprites celebrate, but they anticipate the arrival of the Lightning child, as well. He will be the first in many, many years.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” growled Lucius in frustration. He was in no mood to try to decipher the gibberish the girl was speaking. He needed to find his mate!

Severus groaned in realisation. “Obviously, you’re referring to Lupin’s spawn. If that’s the case, Harry’s most likely at St. Mungo’s with the damn wolf.”

“For Merlin’s sake, why didn’t you just say so?” asked Lucius wearily.

Luna blinked at him innocently. “I just did. You just weren’t listening.” She gave him another dreamy smile and walked down the corridor.

“I don’t know how Harry deals with that girl. She’s worse than Dumbledore ever was when it comes to speaking in riddles,” sighed Lucius.

“Forget the girl, Lucius. We have a wayward mate to retrieve,” said Severus.

Severus grabbed the blond’s arm and pulled him into the shadows, teleporting to the Maternity Ward. They started down the corridor, looking for Lupin’s room. However, when they did find it, Harry was nowhere in sight.

“Lupin, where is Harry?” demanded Severus.

“Hm?” Remus was too busy cooing over his newborn son to really listen to anyone else.

“Lupin! Where the bloody hell is my mate?”

“He left with Molly a short while ago. You probably just missed him,” said Remus absently.

Lucius swore softly and stalked out of the room. Severus could deal with the irritating werewolf. He was going to find his mate. He didn’t make it far, though. As he turned the corner of the corridor, Severus jerked him into the shadows and teleported them to the Burrow. They ended up in the living room, but once again, the room was empty.

Heavy footsteps thundered down the stairs, and a moment later Ron stepped into the room. He stopped short when he saw Lucius and Severus, edging slowly back toward the doorway. How did he always end up being the messenger?

“He’s not here!” he blurted abruptly. “He went back home as soon as he got here.”

“And the brat slips away once more,” sighed Severus. “It’s ironic that the day we’re finally free to spend more time with him is the day he has no time for us.”

“Well, I’m glad you see the humour in the situation,” snapped Lucius.

“What right do you have to complain?” Ron finally asked. As oblivious as he usually was, he’d seen how lonely Harry had been the last month. “It was your choice to leave him alone for the past month. Harry didn’t complain, though, did he? He supported your decision and dealt with the loneliness as best as he could. And you want to whinge because he’s not waiting at home for you when you finally deign to return? It serves you right!”

Lucius’ face went blank. What was so bad, though, is that the boy was right. He had no right to complain, and he, in fact, had some serious making up to do.

Severus sighed again. “Lucius, let’s go home. We’ll fix this mess somehow.”

Lucius nodded wearily, and Severus pulled him into the shadows. He transported them directly to their bedroom and heard the water running in the bathroom. The water shut off, and a few moments later, Harry walked into the room, wearing only a slightly damp bathrobe.

Harry froze when he saw them before a wide smile crossed his face. “When did you get home?”

“We actually got home a bit earlier, but you weren’t here,” said Severus smoothly.

“Yeah, Tonks had her baby,” said Harry excitedly. “Oh, you should see him. He’s so cute and tiny. I can’t wait until this one is born so I can hold him in my arms.”

“We briefly saw him when we came to St. Mungo’s to find you,” said Lucius wryly. He then gave Harry an apologetic smile. “I’ve been a horrible mate the last month, and I’m sorry for that. Will you please forgive me?”

“I, as well,” said Severus regretfully. “Although I was just trying to ensure your safety, I should have gone about it in a more appropriate manner. I got so caught up in what I was doing, I didn’t even think about how you felt about it. I apologise for that.”

“You’re forgiven,” said Harry softly. “Yes, I was lonely without you, but I knew that you were only doing it to protect your family, and I can’t blame you for that. Just don’t let work become your only priority next time.”

“No worries about that,” Lucius promised. “The Ministry is now up and running smoothly, so I have all the time in the world to spend with you and our son.” He glanced pointedly at Severus and received a short nod in return. “And the rest of the Death Eaters are no longer a threat, so Severus will be here, as well. Soon enough, you’ll be begging us to leave you alone.”

Before Harry could respond to that, Severus picked him up and carried him over to the bed, setting him in the centre of the bed and climbing up beside him. Lucius quickly took the hint and crawled in on Harry’s other side. As Lucius and Severus both placed a hand on his stomach, Harry just sighed in contentment. It was nice to feel this connection with his mates once more.

***

Draco sighed softly as he looked around the empty library. Ron and Hermione had moved out last month, choosing to stay at the Burrow, and Luna had returned home to her father a week ago. To be honest, he wanted to go home, too. Summer was just starting, and the gardens at the Manor were beautifully at this time of year.

Harry watched the despondent blond and grinned impishly. He had just the cure to the feelings of longing coming from the other teen. He, Lucius, and Severus had been quite busy the last two months making the preparations, after all.

“What’s wrong, Draco?” he asked innocently.

Draco jumped in surprise at the other teen’s question. He hadn’t even heard Harry enter the room. “I’m just a little homesick, I guess. Everyone else has gone home, but we’re still stuck here.”

Harry smiled widely. “We’re going home today.”

“What?” asked Draco, staring at Harry in shock. “We’re going back to the Manor today?”

“Yep,” said Harry cheerfully. “The house-elves finished the repairs just yesterday.” He hissed softly as the baby kicked strongly. He had less than a month before the baby was due.

“So what are we waiting for?” asked Draco excitedly. “Oh, I have to pack!”

Harry laughed at the blond’s exuberance. “Calm down, Draco. The house-elves have already packed everything and taken it to the Manor. All you have to do now is either apparate or floo to the Manor.” He looked down at his bulging belly with a rueful grin. “I, on the other hand, have to go with Severus since apparition and flooing are too dangerous now that I’m this far along.”

Draco stopped abruptly and turned to look at Harry, staring at the brunet’s bulging belly almost as though he’d never seen it before. “Bloody hell! You’re due any day now, aren’t you? No wonder Father was in such a hurry to get the Manor habitable again. Every Malfoy since the Manor was built has been born in that house.”

“Every Malfoy?” asked Harry incredulously. “Do none of your ancestors have any siblings?”

“No,” said Draco simply. “According to family legend, a curse was placed on the Malfoy line.”

“What kind of curse?” asked Harry curiously. Lucius had never mentioned any curse to him. Of course, Lucius didn’t mention family much at all really.

“Well, centuries ago, shortly after Malfoy Manor was built, my many times great-grandfather, Lucien Malfoy, was betrothed to Theodora Weasley. However, the betrothal ended when Lucien was forced to marry Callandra Goyle when she became pregnant with Lucien’s child,” Draco explained.

Harry snorted at that. “Well, that certainly explains it. Theodora was obviously pissed at Lucien’s infidelity and cursed him. What exactly is the curse, though? Your family obviously has had no trouble finding spouses and carrying on the family line.”

“I don’t know exactly. All I know is that from day forward, every Malfoy has only produced one male heir,” said Draco. He placed his hand on Harry’s stomach and smiled at the brunet. “This little guy is a very special child. He will be the first Malfoy born as a second son in generations.” His smile turned rueful. “He’s definitely your son, Harry. He’s not even born yet, and he’s already doing the impossible.”

Harry just smiled and pushed Draco toward the door. “Enough with the flattery. It’s time for you to go home.”

Draco nodded and hurried out of the room. He was excited about going home.

***

Harry was wide-eyed with awe when he got his first glimpse of the Manor. Seeing the splendour around him, he could definitely see why Draco was so proud of his ancestral home. Of course, he would never tell Draco that. The smug little git didn’t need anything to boost his already sizeable ego.

“I have a surprise for you,” said Lucius almost immediately. Therefore, Harry didn’t really have a chance to see more than the foyer before Lucius pulled him toward the stairs. And since Harry was still holding onto Severus’ arm, he had no choice but to follow them. Of course, he wasn’t exactly complaining. He wanted to see Harry’s reaction just as much as Lucius did.

Lucius stopped in front of a set of double doors and opened the doors with a flourish. “This is our bedroom.”

Harry stepped into the room and gaped in shock. The room was absolutely huge with an enormous four-poster bed, a large walk-in closet, and a connecting bathroom with a pool-sized bath. He saw another door and opened it curiously only to gasp in wonder. The connecting room was a beautifully decorated nursery.

“Lucius, it’s beautiful.”

“I designed it, and Severus and I painted it this week,” said Lucius proudly.

“Of course, it was my idea to turn the adjoining chambre into the nursery. Draco’s nursery was in the west wing,” said Severus dryly.

“That’s because Narcissa refused to sleep in the same wing as a crying infant,” said Lucius. “It’s probably a good thing she couldn’t have anymore children after Draco. She didn’t start spending a significant amount of time with Draco until he was potty trained.”

“Well, that certainly explains a lot. No wonder he’s such a daddy’s boy,” said Harry impishly. He patted his stomach and said, “But you won’t be that way, will you?”

“So he’ll be a momma’s boy instead?” asked Severus teasingly. “With a mother as devoted as you, I suppose that isn’t that unexpected.”

“Mother?” spluttered Harry. “I’m not a bloody woman!”

Lucius smirked at the teen. “But you are a mother. After all, you’re the one who is carrying our child.”

Harry scowled at the blond. “You better not even think about teaching our child to call me that.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” said Lucius. He’d just have Severus and Draco do it for him.

Harry didn’t believe it for one minute, but he just shook his head in resignation. “I’m going to take a bath before supper.”

Lucius and Severus watched the teen leave before following after him with a lustful smirk. This was going to be a very enjoyable bath if they had anything to say about.