You Know You Are Loved When A Gryffindor Loves You

2

Harry knew that his beloved was sad as he handed his keys back to the estate agents, he was also sad to hand in the Christmas gift that his lover had given him, the keys to the house. He shed tears over it that night before they headed back to London then to the Burrow to reclaim the children before the new term started. There was a poignant start to the school year as Minerva would be retiring at the end of this year.

Severus was also following his dream, to do pure research. He also handed in his resignation to take effect at the end of the school year. He wanted to work from home and watch his children grow up which would allow Harry to go full-time into teaching if he wished. He declined. He would rather stay part-time. He didn’t want to miss his children growing and changing.

Finding a suitable house was actually proving to be a problem, especially as Ginny made good on her promise and by Christmas was carrying her first child for her brother and his husband. Fortunately, the house they had all been renting was put on the market with the four having first refusal. They snapped it up in a trice. It was perfect for them all. Loads of space with a nice big garden and plenty of room for the kids. Harry commented. “Well, we are all used to sharing space, we all get on and I know the kids will love the idea of a baby they can play with and the place is big enough that we can all escape from each other and join up when we want to and it’s near Ron’s job at the Ministry”. They quickly established a Floo connection in one of the huge Victorian fireplaces so Harry and Draco no longer had to live-in at school but could Floo in to work.

Albus was less than gruntled: he had wanted Harry as head of Gryffindor house and Draco as head of Slytherin but this would have meant them being at school day and night and they both politely declined. They would be teachers and nothing more, returning to their families at night. Ron and Draco were even more delighted when they discovered that Ginny carried twins when she was dowsed at the three month point. They all went out for a big meal to celebrate and somewhere during the night, Draco, intoxicated, bent and kissed her slightly swollen belly and talked to his children inside. Ginny was awed and cried as she held his head against her belly. He grinned up at her, “Bloody hell, twins”, he exclaimed. Ginny rolled her eyes, “What did you expect, idiot? We have a genetic history of twins”. Draco held her tight. The children had been conceived by the ‘turkey baster’ method and they cared for her throughout the pregnancy. It was the nearest they would come to purely genetic kiddies from the two of them, a true joining of the Malfoy-Black line and the Weasley line.

Not to be outdone, Hermione re-iterated her offer and by Easter declared her own good news, she, too, was carrying evidence of the Weasley/Black line, twins.

Ron was overjoyed and Draco stuck his tongue out at Harry and Severus, “Ha!! We’re having four to your three”, and they all celebrated, there would be four men living with seven kids soon. Draco relaxed in Ron’s arms, “Happy now? Love of my life, we have the children we want. We are so in for a rough ride when they are all born”, but Ron shrugged, he was used to a house full of children, he had grown up with it after all and kissed his lover senseless when they heard the news. He knew his mum would help and she was overjoyed. Another quidditch team in the family and they were her grandchildren, she was in her element despite the unconventionality of the arrangement, hell, they were all married after all. She was proud to be presiding over the next generation of Weasleys albeit a little strangely conceived but family was family and one had to move with the times.

At the next house meeting, it was proposed that they made a flat out of the attic floor and invite the girls to share the house with them, after all, they had an interest in the new developments too. They were to be mothers. Draco expressed doubts, “Supposing they love those kiddies so much that they will not give them to us?” Ron had thought of this too but relied on his friendship and kinship with the two. Harry thought it extremely unlikely that Hermione at least wouldn’t come through for them, but he couldn’t be sure of Ginny’s position. She seemed more taken of the idea of ‘children’, whereas Ginny always referred to her new pregnancy by two names, Lynette and Martin. She was convinced she was having one of each although she refused to let the Medi-Witch tell her the genders.

Severus told them that they were playing with fire, but what were the two to do. Ron shrugged, he seemed so certain of Hermione’s motivations to be nothing more than an aunty given the stage she was at in her career and he knew she was most reluctant to be a full time parent at this point. He secretly wondered sometimes at his sister’s, given that she had already named her foetuses and she did seem attached, not to mention that she hadn’t really started a career of her own just yet. She was currently employed part-time in her father’s department in a fairly lowly clerical position and could give it up at any time to be a full-time mum.

That night in bed Severus talked over his misgivings with Harry who agreed with him, “To be honest, Severus, I think they’re taking on too much too quickly. I know we got on with it, but neither of us knew we were pregnant to start with. I see this light in Ginny’s eyes as she strokes her belly and she keeps casting these odd looks in Draco’s direction when we all meet up. It’s not that I distrust her exactly, but we both know how strong our love is for our wee ones. I just think she might find it too hard to give up her babies once she lays eyes on them. I don’t doubt Hermione at all. I think it shocked her to find she was carrying two, but she’s brave and strong and determined to make the best of things but she has her career, something she has worked very hard for but Ginny would give up work in a heartbeat to be a full time mother like Molly and she would have lots of back-up from her parents, they wouldn’t see any of them wanting”.

Severus swallowed and sighed, “I don’t mean to malign the girl, but do you see a certain avaricious glint when she looks at Draco? Let’s face it, as the bearer of his children, she could sue for a decent chunk of his fortune. They have nothing in writing after all”. Harry rounded on him, “Severus! That’s appalling. I don’t think she’s doing this for financial reasons at all”. Severus sighed, “I’m sorry, Harry, but it’s in my nature to be paranoid and she could make a nice little butty out of this. Look at the facts, she does a lowly job that she cares little for and would give up in a heartbeat, you said so yourself, and I know she’s a bit envious of her brother’s new-found fortune while she and Hermione struggle along on a very modest sum. I hate to be mean about this, but I think that Draco ought to either protect his interest by getting something signed or agree to settle a chunk of change on her but only on surrender of the children but it would have to be a substantially larger sum than she would be awarded as the mother of his children as an incentive. Come on, the Weasleys have struggled for years on Arthur’s stipend from the Ministry”.

He held up a hand to stave off Harry’s comments and continued, “I think that Draco may need to take some advice over this. I know we’re all friends now but I don’t think her eagerness to do this is entirely motivated by friendship”. He knew Harry didn’t agree with him on this last point but as his husband sank his head against his chest, he knew he had struck a chord with him. As they settled to sleep, Harry sighed, “I hope you’re wrong, Severus, I really do”.

Severus took Draco into the garden for a chat to him on his own the next day. Harry, watching through the window, saw the two argue, the passion and denial on the blond’s face, the crestfallen look and his godfather trying to make him see reason, resulting in Draco slamming back into the house and up to his and Ron’s part of the property. That night they heard arguments coming from that quarter, then Ron stomped downstairs to Harry and Severus’ sitting room and burst in, demanding a word with Severus once their children were in bed, “How could you, Severus? Casting doubt on my own sister in this way”, but despite how calm Severus was as he tried to explain, Ron was having none of it and blazed at the two of them, “And what do you think, Harry?”, he flared at his best friend. Harry looked bashful and down at his lap and Ron fumed, “I see, so you agree with this tripe, do you? My sister is an honourable woman and she was the first to make the offer. I mean she can’t exactly have my kids, now, can she? So she had to make the offer to Draco”.

Harry raised his head and his patience gave way, “Yes, Ron, and look how they are living compared to you and Draco, a small flat that they can barely afford while you and Draco live like kings in this great big house with a fortune at your backs. Think hard about it Ron. This is as much about their futures as it is about the children. She gives birth and hands them over without a word and goes back to a poor existence while we all live it up in the house on the hill, with her babies. I think you need to offer some kind of comfort to her. I know Hermione isn’t as bothered about money. In the next year or so, after she finishes her training, she’ll be quids in and her parents aren’t lacking in that department either, but what’s in it for Ginny once she hands the babies over? Bugger all is how I’m reading it”. Ron said nothing more and left in high dudgeon. The atmosphere in the house was ugly and fractured that night.

As Harry drew the curtains the next day, it was to see Ron sitting morosely at the table in the garden, occasionally getting up to pace about, clearly still angry ignoring all of Draco’s attempts to make him see reason, “She’s my fucking sister damn it. What happened to trust?”, his arms flailing and his face red. Draco shook his head, “I’m still going to seek advice from the lawyers, Ron”. They heard him on the phone later that afternoon after Ron had gone to work. As they expected there was a cautious tap on their lounge door that afternoon and Draco entered looking dejected.

He sat on the sofa with his head in his hands, “Why is he being like this?. Can’t he see that it’s in all of our best interests?” Harry sat beside him and took Draco’s hands in his own, “Sorry Draco, but you’re seeing the conflict of interests raging in his head not to mention the legendary Weasley stubbornness. He cannot believe that a member of his own family would shaft him or hold your babies to ransom and he’s torn and this is how it expresses itself. I think he also thinks that he is still in a tenuous position regarding your, now, shared funds. Some part of him thinks it’s all still yours, Draco”.

Draco clutched at his hair, “What more does he want? I married him, for fuck’s sake. I love him and I want this to work. I don’t mind us settling a chunk on both girls for what they are doing for us and I am eternally grateful to them both. It’s only fucking money after all and what’s money when lives of innocents are at stake. Fuck knows, it was him that taught me this. Oh, why won’t he see reason?”

Harry smiled, “Ron never was the reasonable type, Draco. He’s fierce and possessive and he wants to trust, but a situation like this needs more than just trust. Drag him if you have to, to see the solicitors, but this must be laid out legally for all of you, all eight of you”. The atmosphere in the house was still heavy that night and Harry and Severus heard snatches of the arguments filtering through their walls and Draco’s pleadings and tears. It was unsettling the children, particularly Amanda, who was very fond of her ‘uncuh Jaco’, and hated to hear him cry and wanted to charge into the other half of the house and beat up her ‘uncuh Won’ for making him so sad.

This gave Severus an idea which he relayed to Harry who was a bit annoyed at first at the blatant emotional blackmail that Severus was suggesting but grinned as he saw the direction his beloved was thinking. That evening they let Amanda go into the other half of the house. They could hear her voice shouting at her ‘uncuh Won’ for making his lover cry and for keeping her and her siblings awake by their shouting at night. She stomped off, resisting all of Ron’s attempts to pick her up and carry her and she struggled with the stairs all on her own-io glaring at all of Ron’s offers of help and refusing them, “You’re not my fwiend”, she declared as she re-entered her own home.

Sometime later, they heard Ron on the stairs sobbing and the low voices of Ron and Draco as Draco sat beside him, halfway down the stairs. Severus popped his head out to see Draco holding his new husband tight and rocking him as he wept and heard Ron saying, “I’m being an utter prat, aren’t I?” and Draco’s nod as he held him against his chest rocking him in his arms. “Oh, fuck, baby, even the kids have got more sense than I have”. Draco held Ron close, “Well, you have to admit, Manda Panda is a very astute child for four and a bit, and it’s the nature of small children that they want peace between the grown-ups. They hate us rowing and, fuck it, it’s only money. Imagine for a moment, if the boot was on the other foot, I’m sure Ginny would want to do right by her favourite brother. I mean, for pity’s sake, these girls are doing a huge amount for us and it’s just a case of seeing them right. We’re not buying our babies, love, just doing what’s right by them”.

Severus smiled as he picked up his daughter and hugged her. Harry also popped his head out a few moments later when everything had gone silent to see the newlyweds still on the stairs with their tongues in each other’s mouths and their arms wrapped around each other. Amanda asked, “Have uncuh Jaco and uncuh Won stopped fighting now?” Severus and Harry hugged their beautiful daughter and reassured her that her favourite uncles were friends again. She nodded sagely at the news as her mummy and daddy tickled her until she laughed aloud, then put them all to bed.

They heard no more of their house-mates that night except the odd shout of passion as they made up spectacularly but they ignored it in favour of their own passion as the tension in the house eased at last and all could sleep in peace once more.

They had the girls over for dinner a few nights later after they had seen the solicitor and laid it all out before them both. Hermione declared, “You needn’t have gone to all this trouble but I see the logic behind it”. Typical Hermione. But Ginny’s eyes widened as she saw the two different settlements. One if she kept the children, the other, much larger, if she gave them up. This would allow her to have her own as per the original unofficial agreement. Draco had written his promise to give her a child of her own if she agreed to hand over her first borns into the Weasley/Black family. Hermione signed the affidavits without demur. Ginny was a little more hesitant and read all the documents through twice but seeing no catch inked her own signatures with Harry and Severus acting as witnesses, and because this was a Magical agreement, all pricked a finger and left a bloody fingerprint on the bottom of the documents. It was now sealed in blood and everyone could relax. After the girls had gone home, the four men got spectacularly drunk once the little ones were in bed.