A Heart So Ravenous (Sequel to A Love So Belated)
folder
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
44
Views:
36,876
Reviews:
326
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
44
Views:
36,876
Reviews:
326
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 33: Time
Chapter Number/Total: 33/44
Chapter Title: Time
Words: 3491 Words
Harry looked up at the clock again, not even hearing Branson at all. Over the last several days, he had been having to borrow notes from Ron to be able to keep up with everyone. It was almost like it had been when he'd first started out. Maybe even worse. They had just passed the seventh month mark with Draco's pregnancy. Harry was terrified that he would come home to nothing one day, that he would come home to find Draco.... It almost made him sick to even think about it. And what made it all worse was that Draco wasn't getting better. Harry could see it slowly happening, could see Draco's energy slowly draining away. Harry could hardly function in his worry. If it hadn't been for Ron, he might've already been kicked out of the program.
He continued to stare at the clock. Training seemed to go on for days rather than hours. He literally counted down throughout the entire day.
"Mate?" said Ron quietly beside him.
Harry looked at him absently.
"You can't keep doing this," Ron told him. "You can't."
Harry sighed and simply looked away from him. Ron wouldn't be able to understand even if he tried.
Ron shook his head sadly, sighing as he turned eyes back on Branson.
Harry did try to do some of his own notes, but he kept zoning out, wondering what Draco was doing and if he was okay. He had to convince himself several times a day, every day, not to walk out and go home. The only thing that could calm him, though it didn't calm him very much, was that Narcissa was with Draco almost all the time. At least she could look after Draco while Harry couldn't. Merlin, and there he was, zoning out again. He tried to sit straighter, focusing on the Auror in front.
There was a loud tapping and everyone in the room looked up to see a large owl flapping violently against the window. Harry easily recognised it was Draco's eagle owl. At once, his heart began to speed up.
"What in blazes ...?" said Branson. "I'll have someone's head for this. Stemp, run and get Ahsen ...." But she trailed off as Harry shot out of his seat and went to the window, letting the bird inside.
Branson seemed shocked. "Excuse you, Potter," she said, but Harry ignored her, reaching for the letter.
The owl nipped at Harry and flew across the room to land on Ron's desk, holding out its leg with the parchment to him.
Harry frowned, confused, and looked at Ron, who looked even more confused.
"What the hell is this?" Branson said. "Whose owl is that?"
"I – I don't know," said Ron.
"Take the damn letter!" Harry snapped, tempted to run out of the room to the Floo again.
Still confused, Ron reached for the parchment instead.
The letter was addressed to him:
Ronald Weasley,
Now is the time. Don’t let him out of your sight until you are sure he will be safe. My sons are counting on you.
Thank you,
Draco Malfoy
Ron's eyes widened and he looked up at Harry. "It's time," he said after a moment of quiet.
Harry's eyes widened as well. "T-time?" he said.
"Time," Ron confirmed.
"Time?" said Branson, obviously highly annoyed. "Time for what?" But neither man answered her.
Harry tore out of the room. "Sorry, we've got to go," he heard Ron say, but he didn't stop to ask what he meant by 'we'. He went straight to the Floo and didn't stop to ask why Ron was following either. It was like a horrible repeating nightmare. Harry even fell again when he had reached the kitchen at Grimmauld, only he couldn't shout this time. He didn't even know if he was breathing.
Harry didn't know what he had been expecting when he actually got home. Everything looked normal. There wasn't even any noise. He ran out of the kitchen, going for the bedroom upstairs when he did hear something, but he didn't know if he was going mad or if he was really hearing it. There was a baby crying somewhere. He felt like he was going to fall again as his footsteps sped up after that. It was like his legs were either too heavy or too weak to support him. He could vaguely hear Ron behind him, but only wanted to make it to the bedroom. He knew he wasn't breathing when he did reach the room. He wasn't even sure if he could remember how.
He was completely unprepared for the bizarre scene he found in his own bedroom. Kreacher stood at the foot of the bed. The elf was bloodstained, including his hands where he was trying to cradle an equally wet and screaming infant. He stood almost directly at Draco's feet.
Draco was partially propped up on pillows. There were strong looking ropes that had been attached to the canopy frame and hung with loops. One of the blond's long hands was still caught in one where he had been holding on. His eyes were closed and his skin so white it looked like ash. Or hers. Draco was female again, those delicate features even more stark.
Her legs were still spread and bent at the knees. Between them, the second infant lay unmoving in a large pool of blood, still attached by its umbilical cord.
Suddenly, Harry could breathe again, but it came in very unnatural and uneven gasps. His legs gave out and he sank to his knees. He couldn't move or speak, his eyes wide as he began to shake violently.
"Oh, fuck," Ron breathed. "Oh my – oh fuck. Harry! Harry, get up! Oh, Fuck!"
"Kreacher," Harry gasped.
Kreacher's eyes were wide as he turned to Harry.
"Give him to me and go get Healer Sharpner," Harry barely managed. "As fast as you can."
Kreacher handed the screaming, tiny little boy to Harry and left with a crack. The infant was so small he didn't look real. "Ron," Harry gasped next, trying to pull himself up. "Get Narcissa. Help me up and get Narcissa."
Ron was still staring at the bloody scene of the bedroom, looking confused and terrified. He shakily bent to help Harry.
Harry forced himself to stand, holding onto the wall for a moment to try and regain his balance. He staggered over to the bed, laying the boy in his arms down to reach for the other. He didn't know what to do with him, but he had to try. He didn't look at Draco. He knew that if he looked at Draco he would collapse again. "Get Narcissa, Ron," he said when he could still feel Ron standing there. He didn't look back as Ron's fumbling, quick footsteps echoed away.
Harry couldn't take the baby far enough from Draco's legs with his cord still attached. A gleam of silver caught his eye and he saw that there was a bloody knife lying on the bed. He reached for it, not completely sure where to cut so he picked a place in the middle. He pinched the cord, bringing the knife down and slicing until it was severed. Then he tied it off, his hands shaking and covered in blood by the time it was done. Then he turned the baby over, his heart pounding as he tried rubbing his tiny little back, his eyes filling with tears.
There was a crack again and Kreacher reappeared, this time with his arms awkwardly wrapped around the legs of Healer Sharpner. "Brought the healer," he announced unnecessarily.
Sharpner's eyes widened as she took in the scene. "Merlin help us," she said and then came directly to Harry, glancing briefly at the crying child but reaching for the one in his arms.
Harry gave the baby silently, shaking again. He chanced a glance at Draco and felt his stomach turn, the fear was so strong. He took in a gasping breath, tears falling freely as he went to Draco, taking his hand out of the rope.
He heard Narcissa scream Draco's name from down the stairs, and she screamed it several times before she reached the bedroom. Tears were already flowing down her face and she paused abruptly, looking highly confused for a moment with the sight of a woman lying in the bed, but then she rushed forward, going to her knees bedside him.
Sharpner focused on the quiet infant in her arms. She drew her wand and cast a couple quick spells. The child coughed and then gasped hard, taking in a couple lungfuls of air before he, like his brother, began to cry. "Narcissa," Sharpner barked. "Take care of your grandsons."
Narcissa was sobbing now as she looked up at Sharpner like she didn't know what she was saying.
Harry could do nothing but stare at Draco's face.
Ron was in the doorway again. He stepped into the room. "C'mon, Mrs. Malfoy," he said quietly, avoiding looking at Draco and helping Narcissa to her feet.
She took the help, apparently without even thinking about it, and trembled as she took the baby from Sharpner and then the second one from the bed, in a state of shock.
When both boys were held in her arms, they seemed to take comfort from each other, and their crying became less panicked.
Sharpner turned her attention to the body of Draco. She shook her head. "What have you done?" she whispered under her breath, coming up to that woman's face and lifting each eyelid. "She's breathing, but shallowly," she said after more inspection.
Kreacher tugged at Harry's sleeve. "Master Draco says Kreacher must give you this," he said, holding a scroll in one hand that was still covered in dried blood.
Tears were still falling from Harry's eyes, though he wasn't making a sound. He stared at the scroll for very long moment before reaching out a shaking hand to take it.
Sharpner moved back down, casting spells and watching the black and red colours appear along Draco's body. "She's hemorrhaged, lost a lot of blood," she said, almost as if talking to herself.
The letter in Harry's hands was written in Draco's fine script:
To my dearest love, Harry James Potter,
You will probably be angry with me, but I need to tell you these things. I thought if I tried to tell you in person, you might not be able to hear them.
First, I decided that I wanted to do things my own way. I know, there is little surprise in that. I understand that Healer Sharpner is very experienced and has every reason to believe what she does. I just know in my own heart that I can do this. That this is the way I have to do things.
I decided to take the potion to turn female again and deliver naturally. I write this in between labour pains. I made a stronger dose this time and I am hoping it will last as long as I need it to. After the boys are born, I have an antidote that I brewed which I hope to use to bring me back to my old body shape. In an odd way, the form in which I have been has felt natural, though.
Don’t blame Kreacher. I forbade him to call or tell anyone until I was ready. It was probably cruel to do that to him, but I needed his help.
There are a number of things I want you to know in case I don’t make it.
I love you. I have always loved you. I know I have told you that every day for over a year. I wish I could keep telling you that every day for the next century. There is no possibility that even given that much time, I would ever really convey how much you mean to me. But even a year in your arms is worth a lifetime. Remember that.
I will miss watching Caelum and Corvus grow. That hurts. Yet, better they live and I don’t than the other way around. I know you will be a good father and raise them to be good men. Please, love, tell them about me. And I don’t mean just the sugary stuff. Tell them the truth. Tell them what a complete prat I was in school and about all the fights we had. Tell them how I could be so clever and entirely stupid. Tell them the mistakes I made and what I tried to do to make up for them. Tell them how much I wanted you and how much you meant to me. Tell them how much I loved them. Tell them all of it. I want them to know who I really was, and there is no one but you who knows.
My second request is that Teddy, Caelum and Corvus be raised as family and with as many people who love them as possible. I see it in my mind now – my parents, even Granger and the Weasleys are there – a family that is not a rejection of blood nor an adherence to it, but the best of both. You do that so much better than anyone I have ever seen. You taught me how.
And my last request is about your life. Love. Love again. Don’t spend the next century mourning me. There is no one more capable of love than you, Harry. Don’t waste it. Find someone who can share that with you and grow old with you. Honour me with love.
Always yours, Draco
Harry's hands shook so badly he was afraid he would rip the parchment. Draco's words rang in his head, and took the deadened feelings away. He felt anger, and joy, and love, and rage, and every emotion he felt was as intense as it possibly could be. He felt so full of it all, and so overwhelmed, and he let out a strange sound that was all those emotions in one, and felt like he might collapse again.
Ron crossed to Harry, wrapping an arm about his shoulders and easing him to sit on the edge of the bed. "Harry," he said gently. "Harry, look at those babies. They're the most amazing little things I've ever seen. Draco wants you to take care of them."
Harry was sobbing now instead of crying silently. Ron's words made it seem to Harry like the man was trying to get him to look on the bright side. Like Draco was already gone. "W-what's wrong with him?" he choked out. "Where's he he-hemorrhaging fr-from?"
Sharpner pointed to the swirls of black and red on Draco's belly. "Her womb hemorrhaged, probably bleeding out during the second birth," she said. "We need to get her to St. Mungo's. I don't know if there is anything that can be done. Even with surgery, Draco has probably lost too much blood."
Narcissa, who was still holding the two boys, let out gasp at that. "Oh, no," she sobbed. "No, Draco."
Harry felt completely helpless, he felt nearly insane with not knowing what to do. But then he stopped his gasping breaths and his eyes went wide. He looked down at the letter still clutched in his hands. "He wouldn't have a womb in his right body," he said, shaking again with nervousness and an edge of hope. "He made an antidote for the potion that turned him into a woman. He said so in this." He brandished the letter.
Sharpner's eyes widened and she took the letter, scanning it quickly. "It's dangerous but ... but it's a chance," she said. "Where is the antidote?"
Harry leapt up from the bed, that edge of hope expanding into something more. He looked around the room quickly, and saw the potion vial resting upon the bedside table. "This," he said. "This has to be it. He was planning to use it."
Sharpner took the vial from him and smiled a bit at the neat lettering that actually read 'antidote' on the side. "Hold her head, Harry," she said, uncapping it.
Harry sat back on the bed, lifting Draco's head and sliding under him. "Please work," he whispered. "Please, let this work."
Ron stood off to the side, watching with obvious nervousness and fear. Narcissa was still crying, rocking gently with Corvus and Caelum, though Harry wasn't sure which was which yet.
Sharpner opened Draco's mouth, which was slack and unresisting. "Pour this while I massage the throat," she said. "If she doesn't swallow, it could get in her lungs."
Harry nodded, blinking away the tears and reaching to take the vial, trying to keep his hand steady as he gently pressed the vial forward to Draco's mouth, tipping the liquid carefully inside.
Sharpner rubbed her fingers in circles on Draco's throat and it convulsed, swallowing. There was no reaction in Draco's face to the potion itself, no expression that indicated he tasted or felt anything. Then Harry felt a kind of warmth from Draco's body and the flesh began to shift in front of his eyes.
His eyes widened as he watched and felt Draco change into ... Draco. His body lengthened, and his features grew, and Harry looked down between Draco's legs, watching intently to see if he would change completely back. It was very odd to watch. His penis began to grow out, and flesh rearranged itself. It was like Draco was pushing his balls out of himself, but, God, there were balls. Harry had never been so glad to see them. The opening there closed, and Draco was a man again – a complete one this time.
Sharpner watched with a look of fascination on her face. "That is an amazing potion he invented," she whispered. Then she lifted her wand and cast the diagnostic spells again. There were no black or red spots this time. "Even better," she said, "he is no longer bleeding internally." She cast more spells, but still frowned.
Harry was breathless with hope and his heart leapt at her words, but his face fell when he took in her expression. "What?" he whispered.
"He has lost a great deal of blood, Harry," she said. "Even with Blood Replenishing Potions, there could be long-term damage." She opened each eyelid again, using Lumos at the tip of her wand. "He isn't responsive to light or touch," she said.
Harry swallowed. "What do I do?" he asked in a voice small with renewing fear.
She looked sadly between Harry and Narcissa. "There may not be anything we can do," she said gently. "We will give him the potions. But there is a chance he might not wake up."
Narcissa's mouth fell open as devastation crossed her face. Even the babies seem to feel it, squirming and whimpering.
Harry didn't know if he could take much more of this. "No," he said, eyes wide. "No, he will."
"We need to wait and see. If he doesn't wake up in a day or so, then we will know the damage is more extensive," the healer explained, as she opened her bag to get the Blood Replenishing Potion. Her hands trembled a bit as she did.
Harry prepared to give Draco the next potion, holding his hand out for it. This would work. Draco would wake up. He would wake up and see their babies, love them with Harry and they would be a family. Harry felt tears coming again, but he wiped at his eyes.
They gave him the potion, his throat swallowed, but he was otherwise unresponsive. Sharpner shook her head. "We need to decide if he stays here or we take him to St. Mungo's. And I need to examine the boys to make sure they're okay."
Harry nodded, because it seemed the right thing to do, but he wasn't exactly thinking straight. He was still trying to convince himself that Draco would be fine.
Narcissa stepped forward with the babies, who were both still covered in blood, her face tear-streaked. She seemed to be feeling similarly to Harry, strangely calm after all that, though Narcissa always seemed strangely calm if she was in control enough to get a hold on herself. Harry thought she was probably hanging on by a thread.
"He will need round-the-clock care as long as he is like this," Sharpner said. "Yet, you realise that we will have to explain what happened if we take him to St. Mungo's, don't you?"
Harry stared at her. "Are his chances higher if we take him there?" he asked quietly.
"There are specialists on this type of condition who may have access to treatments I don't know," she answered.
"Yes, then," Harry said. "I'll take him to St. Mungo's and tell them what I must. I'm not taking any chances."
Ron put a hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed.
Chapter Title: Time
Words: 3491 Words
Harry looked up at the clock again, not even hearing Branson at all. Over the last several days, he had been having to borrow notes from Ron to be able to keep up with everyone. It was almost like it had been when he'd first started out. Maybe even worse. They had just passed the seventh month mark with Draco's pregnancy. Harry was terrified that he would come home to nothing one day, that he would come home to find Draco.... It almost made him sick to even think about it. And what made it all worse was that Draco wasn't getting better. Harry could see it slowly happening, could see Draco's energy slowly draining away. Harry could hardly function in his worry. If it hadn't been for Ron, he might've already been kicked out of the program.
He continued to stare at the clock. Training seemed to go on for days rather than hours. He literally counted down throughout the entire day.
"Mate?" said Ron quietly beside him.
Harry looked at him absently.
"You can't keep doing this," Ron told him. "You can't."
Harry sighed and simply looked away from him. Ron wouldn't be able to understand even if he tried.
Ron shook his head sadly, sighing as he turned eyes back on Branson.
Harry did try to do some of his own notes, but he kept zoning out, wondering what Draco was doing and if he was okay. He had to convince himself several times a day, every day, not to walk out and go home. The only thing that could calm him, though it didn't calm him very much, was that Narcissa was with Draco almost all the time. At least she could look after Draco while Harry couldn't. Merlin, and there he was, zoning out again. He tried to sit straighter, focusing on the Auror in front.
There was a loud tapping and everyone in the room looked up to see a large owl flapping violently against the window. Harry easily recognised it was Draco's eagle owl. At once, his heart began to speed up.
"What in blazes ...?" said Branson. "I'll have someone's head for this. Stemp, run and get Ahsen ...." But she trailed off as Harry shot out of his seat and went to the window, letting the bird inside.
Branson seemed shocked. "Excuse you, Potter," she said, but Harry ignored her, reaching for the letter.
The owl nipped at Harry and flew across the room to land on Ron's desk, holding out its leg with the parchment to him.
Harry frowned, confused, and looked at Ron, who looked even more confused.
"What the hell is this?" Branson said. "Whose owl is that?"
"I – I don't know," said Ron.
"Take the damn letter!" Harry snapped, tempted to run out of the room to the Floo again.
Still confused, Ron reached for the parchment instead.
The letter was addressed to him:
Ronald Weasley,
Now is the time. Don’t let him out of your sight until you are sure he will be safe. My sons are counting on you.
Thank you,
Draco Malfoy
Ron's eyes widened and he looked up at Harry. "It's time," he said after a moment of quiet.
Harry's eyes widened as well. "T-time?" he said.
"Time," Ron confirmed.
"Time?" said Branson, obviously highly annoyed. "Time for what?" But neither man answered her.
Harry tore out of the room. "Sorry, we've got to go," he heard Ron say, but he didn't stop to ask what he meant by 'we'. He went straight to the Floo and didn't stop to ask why Ron was following either. It was like a horrible repeating nightmare. Harry even fell again when he had reached the kitchen at Grimmauld, only he couldn't shout this time. He didn't even know if he was breathing.
Harry didn't know what he had been expecting when he actually got home. Everything looked normal. There wasn't even any noise. He ran out of the kitchen, going for the bedroom upstairs when he did hear something, but he didn't know if he was going mad or if he was really hearing it. There was a baby crying somewhere. He felt like he was going to fall again as his footsteps sped up after that. It was like his legs were either too heavy or too weak to support him. He could vaguely hear Ron behind him, but only wanted to make it to the bedroom. He knew he wasn't breathing when he did reach the room. He wasn't even sure if he could remember how.
He was completely unprepared for the bizarre scene he found in his own bedroom. Kreacher stood at the foot of the bed. The elf was bloodstained, including his hands where he was trying to cradle an equally wet and screaming infant. He stood almost directly at Draco's feet.
Draco was partially propped up on pillows. There were strong looking ropes that had been attached to the canopy frame and hung with loops. One of the blond's long hands was still caught in one where he had been holding on. His eyes were closed and his skin so white it looked like ash. Or hers. Draco was female again, those delicate features even more stark.
Her legs were still spread and bent at the knees. Between them, the second infant lay unmoving in a large pool of blood, still attached by its umbilical cord.
Suddenly, Harry could breathe again, but it came in very unnatural and uneven gasps. His legs gave out and he sank to his knees. He couldn't move or speak, his eyes wide as he began to shake violently.
"Oh, fuck," Ron breathed. "Oh my – oh fuck. Harry! Harry, get up! Oh, Fuck!"
"Kreacher," Harry gasped.
Kreacher's eyes were wide as he turned to Harry.
"Give him to me and go get Healer Sharpner," Harry barely managed. "As fast as you can."
Kreacher handed the screaming, tiny little boy to Harry and left with a crack. The infant was so small he didn't look real. "Ron," Harry gasped next, trying to pull himself up. "Get Narcissa. Help me up and get Narcissa."
Ron was still staring at the bloody scene of the bedroom, looking confused and terrified. He shakily bent to help Harry.
Harry forced himself to stand, holding onto the wall for a moment to try and regain his balance. He staggered over to the bed, laying the boy in his arms down to reach for the other. He didn't know what to do with him, but he had to try. He didn't look at Draco. He knew that if he looked at Draco he would collapse again. "Get Narcissa, Ron," he said when he could still feel Ron standing there. He didn't look back as Ron's fumbling, quick footsteps echoed away.
Harry couldn't take the baby far enough from Draco's legs with his cord still attached. A gleam of silver caught his eye and he saw that there was a bloody knife lying on the bed. He reached for it, not completely sure where to cut so he picked a place in the middle. He pinched the cord, bringing the knife down and slicing until it was severed. Then he tied it off, his hands shaking and covered in blood by the time it was done. Then he turned the baby over, his heart pounding as he tried rubbing his tiny little back, his eyes filling with tears.
There was a crack again and Kreacher reappeared, this time with his arms awkwardly wrapped around the legs of Healer Sharpner. "Brought the healer," he announced unnecessarily.
Sharpner's eyes widened as she took in the scene. "Merlin help us," she said and then came directly to Harry, glancing briefly at the crying child but reaching for the one in his arms.
Harry gave the baby silently, shaking again. He chanced a glance at Draco and felt his stomach turn, the fear was so strong. He took in a gasping breath, tears falling freely as he went to Draco, taking his hand out of the rope.
He heard Narcissa scream Draco's name from down the stairs, and she screamed it several times before she reached the bedroom. Tears were already flowing down her face and she paused abruptly, looking highly confused for a moment with the sight of a woman lying in the bed, but then she rushed forward, going to her knees bedside him.
Sharpner focused on the quiet infant in her arms. She drew her wand and cast a couple quick spells. The child coughed and then gasped hard, taking in a couple lungfuls of air before he, like his brother, began to cry. "Narcissa," Sharpner barked. "Take care of your grandsons."
Narcissa was sobbing now as she looked up at Sharpner like she didn't know what she was saying.
Harry could do nothing but stare at Draco's face.
Ron was in the doorway again. He stepped into the room. "C'mon, Mrs. Malfoy," he said quietly, avoiding looking at Draco and helping Narcissa to her feet.
She took the help, apparently without even thinking about it, and trembled as she took the baby from Sharpner and then the second one from the bed, in a state of shock.
When both boys were held in her arms, they seemed to take comfort from each other, and their crying became less panicked.
Sharpner turned her attention to the body of Draco. She shook her head. "What have you done?" she whispered under her breath, coming up to that woman's face and lifting each eyelid. "She's breathing, but shallowly," she said after more inspection.
Kreacher tugged at Harry's sleeve. "Master Draco says Kreacher must give you this," he said, holding a scroll in one hand that was still covered in dried blood.
Tears were still falling from Harry's eyes, though he wasn't making a sound. He stared at the scroll for very long moment before reaching out a shaking hand to take it.
Sharpner moved back down, casting spells and watching the black and red colours appear along Draco's body. "She's hemorrhaged, lost a lot of blood," she said, almost as if talking to herself.
The letter in Harry's hands was written in Draco's fine script:
To my dearest love, Harry James Potter,
You will probably be angry with me, but I need to tell you these things. I thought if I tried to tell you in person, you might not be able to hear them.
First, I decided that I wanted to do things my own way. I know, there is little surprise in that. I understand that Healer Sharpner is very experienced and has every reason to believe what she does. I just know in my own heart that I can do this. That this is the way I have to do things.
I decided to take the potion to turn female again and deliver naturally. I write this in between labour pains. I made a stronger dose this time and I am hoping it will last as long as I need it to. After the boys are born, I have an antidote that I brewed which I hope to use to bring me back to my old body shape. In an odd way, the form in which I have been has felt natural, though.
Don’t blame Kreacher. I forbade him to call or tell anyone until I was ready. It was probably cruel to do that to him, but I needed his help.
There are a number of things I want you to know in case I don’t make it.
I love you. I have always loved you. I know I have told you that every day for over a year. I wish I could keep telling you that every day for the next century. There is no possibility that even given that much time, I would ever really convey how much you mean to me. But even a year in your arms is worth a lifetime. Remember that.
I will miss watching Caelum and Corvus grow. That hurts. Yet, better they live and I don’t than the other way around. I know you will be a good father and raise them to be good men. Please, love, tell them about me. And I don’t mean just the sugary stuff. Tell them the truth. Tell them what a complete prat I was in school and about all the fights we had. Tell them how I could be so clever and entirely stupid. Tell them the mistakes I made and what I tried to do to make up for them. Tell them how much I wanted you and how much you meant to me. Tell them how much I loved them. Tell them all of it. I want them to know who I really was, and there is no one but you who knows.
My second request is that Teddy, Caelum and Corvus be raised as family and with as many people who love them as possible. I see it in my mind now – my parents, even Granger and the Weasleys are there – a family that is not a rejection of blood nor an adherence to it, but the best of both. You do that so much better than anyone I have ever seen. You taught me how.
And my last request is about your life. Love. Love again. Don’t spend the next century mourning me. There is no one more capable of love than you, Harry. Don’t waste it. Find someone who can share that with you and grow old with you. Honour me with love.
Always yours, Draco
Harry's hands shook so badly he was afraid he would rip the parchment. Draco's words rang in his head, and took the deadened feelings away. He felt anger, and joy, and love, and rage, and every emotion he felt was as intense as it possibly could be. He felt so full of it all, and so overwhelmed, and he let out a strange sound that was all those emotions in one, and felt like he might collapse again.
Ron crossed to Harry, wrapping an arm about his shoulders and easing him to sit on the edge of the bed. "Harry," he said gently. "Harry, look at those babies. They're the most amazing little things I've ever seen. Draco wants you to take care of them."
Harry was sobbing now instead of crying silently. Ron's words made it seem to Harry like the man was trying to get him to look on the bright side. Like Draco was already gone. "W-what's wrong with him?" he choked out. "Where's he he-hemorrhaging fr-from?"
Sharpner pointed to the swirls of black and red on Draco's belly. "Her womb hemorrhaged, probably bleeding out during the second birth," she said. "We need to get her to St. Mungo's. I don't know if there is anything that can be done. Even with surgery, Draco has probably lost too much blood."
Narcissa, who was still holding the two boys, let out gasp at that. "Oh, no," she sobbed. "No, Draco."
Harry felt completely helpless, he felt nearly insane with not knowing what to do. But then he stopped his gasping breaths and his eyes went wide. He looked down at the letter still clutched in his hands. "He wouldn't have a womb in his right body," he said, shaking again with nervousness and an edge of hope. "He made an antidote for the potion that turned him into a woman. He said so in this." He brandished the letter.
Sharpner's eyes widened and she took the letter, scanning it quickly. "It's dangerous but ... but it's a chance," she said. "Where is the antidote?"
Harry leapt up from the bed, that edge of hope expanding into something more. He looked around the room quickly, and saw the potion vial resting upon the bedside table. "This," he said. "This has to be it. He was planning to use it."
Sharpner took the vial from him and smiled a bit at the neat lettering that actually read 'antidote' on the side. "Hold her head, Harry," she said, uncapping it.
Harry sat back on the bed, lifting Draco's head and sliding under him. "Please work," he whispered. "Please, let this work."
Ron stood off to the side, watching with obvious nervousness and fear. Narcissa was still crying, rocking gently with Corvus and Caelum, though Harry wasn't sure which was which yet.
Sharpner opened Draco's mouth, which was slack and unresisting. "Pour this while I massage the throat," she said. "If she doesn't swallow, it could get in her lungs."
Harry nodded, blinking away the tears and reaching to take the vial, trying to keep his hand steady as he gently pressed the vial forward to Draco's mouth, tipping the liquid carefully inside.
Sharpner rubbed her fingers in circles on Draco's throat and it convulsed, swallowing. There was no reaction in Draco's face to the potion itself, no expression that indicated he tasted or felt anything. Then Harry felt a kind of warmth from Draco's body and the flesh began to shift in front of his eyes.
His eyes widened as he watched and felt Draco change into ... Draco. His body lengthened, and his features grew, and Harry looked down between Draco's legs, watching intently to see if he would change completely back. It was very odd to watch. His penis began to grow out, and flesh rearranged itself. It was like Draco was pushing his balls out of himself, but, God, there were balls. Harry had never been so glad to see them. The opening there closed, and Draco was a man again – a complete one this time.
Sharpner watched with a look of fascination on her face. "That is an amazing potion he invented," she whispered. Then she lifted her wand and cast the diagnostic spells again. There were no black or red spots this time. "Even better," she said, "he is no longer bleeding internally." She cast more spells, but still frowned.
Harry was breathless with hope and his heart leapt at her words, but his face fell when he took in her expression. "What?" he whispered.
"He has lost a great deal of blood, Harry," she said. "Even with Blood Replenishing Potions, there could be long-term damage." She opened each eyelid again, using Lumos at the tip of her wand. "He isn't responsive to light or touch," she said.
Harry swallowed. "What do I do?" he asked in a voice small with renewing fear.
She looked sadly between Harry and Narcissa. "There may not be anything we can do," she said gently. "We will give him the potions. But there is a chance he might not wake up."
Narcissa's mouth fell open as devastation crossed her face. Even the babies seem to feel it, squirming and whimpering.
Harry didn't know if he could take much more of this. "No," he said, eyes wide. "No, he will."
"We need to wait and see. If he doesn't wake up in a day or so, then we will know the damage is more extensive," the healer explained, as she opened her bag to get the Blood Replenishing Potion. Her hands trembled a bit as she did.
Harry prepared to give Draco the next potion, holding his hand out for it. This would work. Draco would wake up. He would wake up and see their babies, love them with Harry and they would be a family. Harry felt tears coming again, but he wiped at his eyes.
They gave him the potion, his throat swallowed, but he was otherwise unresponsive. Sharpner shook her head. "We need to decide if he stays here or we take him to St. Mungo's. And I need to examine the boys to make sure they're okay."
Harry nodded, because it seemed the right thing to do, but he wasn't exactly thinking straight. He was still trying to convince himself that Draco would be fine.
Narcissa stepped forward with the babies, who were both still covered in blood, her face tear-streaked. She seemed to be feeling similarly to Harry, strangely calm after all that, though Narcissa always seemed strangely calm if she was in control enough to get a hold on herself. Harry thought she was probably hanging on by a thread.
"He will need round-the-clock care as long as he is like this," Sharpner said. "Yet, you realise that we will have to explain what happened if we take him to St. Mungo's, don't you?"
Harry stared at her. "Are his chances higher if we take him there?" he asked quietly.
"There are specialists on this type of condition who may have access to treatments I don't know," she answered.
"Yes, then," Harry said. "I'll take him to St. Mungo's and tell them what I must. I'm not taking any chances."
Ron put a hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed.