Pilfered Progeny - Stolen Dreams

Lucius Malfoy scowled as he looked over the paperwork. His contact within the Ministry of Magic, Wendell Wilkins, had contacted him when the adoption paperwork had reached his desk. When would Potter ever learn? It would be a cold day in hell before Lucius allowed him to adopt a child; any child at all. His bloodline would not be sullied by a child not born of his own son. No matter the bloodline; he would find a family member to take the child Harry desired even if he had to CREATE one!



"Is there a problem, Lord Malfoy…?" Wilkins asked, looking concerned. He was quite the willing tool; that was for certain. He was easily more venomous in his pursuit to maintain pureblood families than Lucius himself was…



"That useless beast that my son has attached himself to has the audacity once to again apply to adopt a child…" he sneered. "I need to have a paternity charm performed upon her at once…"



"Naturally… we must ensure all familial claims are followed up on; blood lines must be maintained…"



"I shall see to it myself." Lucius stated turning to firecall Severus.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.



Severus looked down as he heard the clearing of a throat to see his house elf, highly nervous, ears trembling. "Master Snape… Lord Malfoy calling by firecall, he… he seem very angry, master…" she added nervously.



"He is not angry with you, Missy…" Snape reassured her. "Go now; fix me some coffee, will you?" he said, and then moved off into his study as the house elf vanished. The fireplace was burning brightly; the coals had coalesced into the haughty visage of Lucius Malfoy. "Lucius." He greeted coolly.



"I see by the paperwork that another orphaned wizarding child has been located?" Lucius commented.



"Yes; it amazes me how quickly you find out about these things…" he commented, studying his nails a moment before he looked back. "The child appears to be muggle born… her parents died and she has been in muggle foster care. I met her at the hospital…"



"Appearances are often deceiving… squibs try to live as muggles but they still belong to our world. Every avenue must be explored to place the child properly…"



"What do you want, Lucius?" Severus asked a bit wearily. He didn't have time for this; he had to complete his potion, then had rounds at the hospital before nine...



"To ensure that wizarding bloodlines are restored to their proper families. What else would I desire, Severus?" he asked in a cool, measured and overly reasonable tone.



"Lucius, you and I have been friends for quite a few years… I think the need for dancing about the subject for political propriety is unnecessary, don't you?" Snape asked pointedly.



Lucius half-smiled; he had known Severus wanted to get directly to the topic, but sometimes it was just entertaining to irritate the slightly younger wizard. "True, very true... Very well; I require your unrivalled skills in potions making to determine the child's genealogical background." He answered, using the most flattering language he could muster.



Snape rolled his eyes at the compliments. He didn't need to be told he was good at what he did. "I only found the child yesterday evening; I've already begun the potion." He said with a tired sigh. "You know that I know how to do my job."



"I've never doubted you for a moment, Severus." Lucius smiled, and then his expression showed disapproval as he heard Remus call to Severus from another room. "I suppose I should let you go… it sounds like your bitch is home and he's in heat…"



"Finis!" Severus snapped and the fireplace flared, sparks flying up the chimney and soot billowing out as the coals were shattered out of their magical formation, falling into a much more normal random pattern. How dare that sanctimonious bastard say anything at all about his life…!



Remus moved into the study, worry showing in his soft golden eyes. Moving to his mate, he slipped his arms around the darkhaired man's slender figure, feeling the tenseness within him. "What's wrong, love…?"



Severus called upon years of practice stifling his emotions and quickly did exactly that; he quelled his anger so Remus got no more than a glimpse of it. "Nothing… Nothing that truly matters." He said, pulling Remus into his arms.



"The coffee is ready… come and have breakfast with me before you go hide in your potions room then leave me for the entire day…" Remus gave him a teasing smile."All right… just let me tend to this one last step and I will join you…" Remus gave him a soft kiss then moved out to let his husband work. Severus watched him go, then moved through the connecting door to his lab to complete the potion to identify little Angel's familial relationships. When properly brewed, the potion would reveal the parentage and even grandparents of any person tested… she did not need to be with a wizarding family for the potion to be effective. Severus tipped the vial of blood into the potion, stirring the required ten strokes before he extinguished the flames to allow the potion to cool for exactly two minutes. He summoned a parchment and laid it out on the table, weighting down the corners with potions bottles. Taking a silver dagger, he dipped it into the potion in the cauldron and allowed five drops to fall onto the parchment as he recited the spell. There was a flash of golden light and the blood-colored potion spread out rapidly to form a tree on the paper, the child's name and parent's names inscribing themselves upon the document.



Severus picked up the paper and stared in disbelief. "Oh… bloody hell…!" he whispered.



Remus looked over as Severus moved into the room. "All done…?"



"Yes." He sighed. "At least for now…" he sat, taking up the cup of coffee that Remus poured for him.



"So you know who the girl's family is…? Is she of wizarding stock?" He asked, serving up some coffee cake. Severus handed the parchment to Remus wordlessly.



The sandy-haired man looked at it, expression going blank with disbelief and shock. "No… Severus, this can't be…" he whispered.



"It's correct, Remus. I haven't had a false reading off that potion in years. That parchment tells the truth." Severus said firmly. "Harry Potter is the biological father of that girl." He said with a scowl.



"Could the blood have been tainted…?" Remus ventured.



"Not possible. I took the sample myself."



"But…how can this be…?"



"Obvious, isn't it…?" Severus asked darkly. "It seems that Potter has betrayed my godson."



"Harry wouldn't…! He loves Draco…." He murmured, shocked.



"What other explanation can there be…? I know Potter wanted a family, but why leave this child in the care of others? It makes absolutely no sense…"



"They've been trying for so long, Sev… if Harry knew he had fathered a child anywhere, I can't believe for a moment he would have abandoned her into the Muggle foster system. Draco would not have cared if it was Harry's child; he would have loved her…" Remus said, shaken by the possibility.



"Then it must have been a one night stand… on one of those trips no doubt, where he leaves Draco alone for weeks." Severus sneered. "Leave Draco home alone and go have a fling with some whore!"



"I still… I can't believe it…" Remus shook his head, refusing to believe that Harry, no matter how desperate, would ever do such a thing. "We have to tell him before we file that…" he said, tossing the paper on the table as if it was repulsive.



"Lucius will have a field day with this…" he sighed. "Let's go and see what he has to say for himself…"



Harry emerged from the bathroom curious, hearing the floo activate, his toothbrush in hand and dressed only in red sleeping pants that hung low on his hips. He looked surprised to see Snape and Remus. "Good morning… is something wrong…?" he asked.



"Where is Draco?"



"He's still in the shower… Severus, what's wrong?" Harry asked.



"Care to explain this, Potter?" Snape growled in barley restrained anger, shoving the parchment at him.



Harry took the parchment and opened it, gazing at the results of the test with pure disbelief. He'd seen this genealogical tree from Severus' potions before… he knew what it was but he couldn't understand why his name was above Angel's. "What the… this is a lie…!" He whispered, looking up at Severus, confused. "It isn't true!"



"I made the potion myself!" Snape snapped irritated. "Convenient, Potter, adopting the girl… it clears you of all guilt for the affair that created her!" he sneered.



"I didn't!" Harry said instantly, offended by the accusation. "I've never had one single affair! I've only been with Draco, I swear it!" He looked like he was in shock, which was now turning to anger. "Isn't Draco's father and all his acidic comments driving enough of a wedge between us?! Why the hell are you

doing this, Snape…? I thought you were our friend! I thought you gave a fuck about Draco!"



"Doing what…?" Draco asked, looking very worried as he moved out, a towel around his waist, showing the swell of his belly. "What's going on…?"



"Draco… perhaps you should sit down…" Remus said, concerned for the pregnant young wizard. There had been enough heartache for him…



"I'm fine, Remus…" Draco said dismissively, looking at the dark-haired wizard for the answer. "Uncle Sev, what is it? What's happened…?"



"It appears that your husband has been unfaithful." Severus answered bluntly, face clearly reflecting his anger.



"What?!" Draco gasped. "No! Harry wouldn't, not ever!"



"I swear I didn't, Dray…!" Harry said, glaring at Snape with acidic anger now, crushing the paper in his hand. "Severus seems to have decided that your father was right about me all along and is trying to force us apart just like your dad!"

"Severus there are ways we can prove his innocence…" Remus began.



"Bring it on! Bring it all on, I have nothing to hide!" Harry challenged angrily. Draco wrapped his arms about himself, pale and shaky. Harry threw the parchment aside and put his arms about his husband. "Draco… baby…" he whispered.



Severus summoned a calming draught. "Draco, Drink!" He ordered, moving to him.



"It's a lie…" Tears rolled down Draco's cheeks. "Harry wouldn't, he wouldn't…"



"Drink!" Snape ordered in a tone that brooked no argument. "Calm down; we will find the explanation…" he said soothingly as Draco shakily downed the potion.



Snape picked up the discarded parchment.



Harry shot Snape an accusing, angry glare. Severus had done this to his husband…! Damn him for coming here and fucking up the entire day…! He said nothing more, though, too concerned for the health of his mate to risk venting any more anger. "It's a lie, Draco, I swear it. I swear it on everything I love; it's all some weird twisted lie…" Draco took the document from Snape with a trembling hand, smoothing it out. He ran his fingers over Harry's' name, tears rolling down his cheeks. Harry glared at Snape furiously. "Legilimens me!!" he demanded. "Right now...! Give me veritaserum! Anything! I have

absolutely nothing to lose by being asked for the truth!!"



"Oh, I fully intend to, Potter." Severus produced a vial of the potent truth potion out of his robes, his tone an angered growl. It was his last vial but he truly didn't care. He'd give Potter the lot to ensure his godson knew the truth.



Harry held out his hand for it and without hesitation drank every last drop down, throwing the little crystal bottle aside to shatter against the wall. The full of effect of the potion left him dazed and everything seemed to go blurry around him… he could only focus his eyes on what was directly in front of him. Harry held onto Draco and endured it, teeth gritted. He forced his eyes up to Severus, narrowed. "Ask your fucking questions, you greasy old bat…!" He growled challengingly.



Severus glared back at Harry with narrowed eyes, carefully observing every nuance of his movements as he began to ask questions. There was no doubt that Potter had imbibed the entire potion and was fully under its effects. "Tell me, Potter… the name of every person you have ever slept with." He asked bluntly.



Harry didn't avert his eyes, the answer coming quickly to his mouth. "Once – and one time only – I had sex with Ginny Weasley when I was sixteen and I've told Draco all about that. My only other lover has been Draco Abraxus Malfoy. THERE HAVE BEEN NO OTHERS!!" He growled. The speed and clarity of the answer was very convincing; he obviously was not fighting the potion.



"And affairs? Flings…? Sexual relations…?"



"I have never. Not once. Not ever have I even imagined cheating on my husband. I have not even kissed another person in anything other than a brotherly manner or as a son. I have not touched another person with any kind of sexual intentions!" His voice remained strong, fluid and even, indicating he spoke the truth willingly.



Snape handed Harry the antidote, frowning slightly. How was this possible..? "There must be a logical explanation… the hereditary potion does not lie…"



"It doesn't matter…" Draco trembled in his husband's arms; his loyal and loving and faithful husband… "Harry was never unfaithful to me…"



"I apologize." Snape said quietly.



"You've upset him." Harry growled softly, eyes narrow as he glared at Snape, holding Draco close to him. "I don't think that I need to be around you right now; I know damned well I won't be civil. Get out." He snarled quietly at the dark-haired wizard.



"Get some rest, Draco. I'm sure your father will see you tomorrow. He has already demanded to see Angel's lineage."



"He can't take her from us now…" Draco whispered. "According to that paper she's ours… my father can't take her…"



"No, he cannot take her from Harry; this is true… but he could try to annul your marriage due to adultery."



"What…?! That's insane! I never…!" Harry spluttered.



"I know, Harry. But do you really think that will stop Lucius?"



"I'll take more veritaserum. I'll go before the entire Wizengamot, I don't give a fuck what I have to do. I'm telling the truth, and I will do what it takes until everyone knows I'm telling the truth!! I was NEVER unfaithful to my husband!!" Harry insisted.



"I just wanted you to be informed. Take care of Draco." Severus said softly as he turned to go.



"Just get out! You've upset him twice now!" Harry snapped, holding his husband close. "I won't leave you Dray. I swear it. Never…!" he murmured soothingly to him as Snape and Remus slipped away back to the floo.



"He can't take you from me… Our baby needs his father…" Draco whispered.Severus Snape sighed, glancing out the window at the early morning sun as he passed; barely noticing the pretty little garden for the patients was covered in blossoms this morning. So early, and he felt as if he'd already put in a full day's work as he walked into the neonatal unit at Mercy Hospital. He had worried and fretted half the night that he had upset Draco far too much last night, and truly for no reason; there was little doubt in his mind that Potter had not intentionally done anything to create a child. But still… the girl was living proof of the simple fact. Potter was her father…



"Good morning, Dr. Snape… has it already been a long morning…?" Nurse Walker smiled at him.

"Indeed." Severus sighed. "How is the Stock boy…? Has his breathing improved?"



"Yes, he's been doing quite well, since you adjusted his medication…"



Snape moved over to the incubator and checked on the infant himself; the tiny boy was sleeping and breathing evenly. "Good… he is much improved… if he continues to show progress we can take him off the respirator tomorrow…" he said with a satisfied nod. "So… where are the two born last night? I heard they are barely over a pound each…?"



"Yes… but they seem to be doing incredibly well considering the fact that they are only 30 weeks old…" she led him to the back section where the twins lay in an incubator together. Snape stopped; his eyes wide and face losing a shade of color. Inside the bed were two tiny babies, miniature copies of Draco Malfoy as a newborn babe.



"Is there something wrong, doctor…?" the nurse asked softly.



Snape gathered his wits quickly. "Tell me, Miss Walker… why is it there are no names for these infants?" He asked, the cards giving him an excuse for distraction, gesturing to the cards that simply said baby girl and baby boy.



"We have no names for them at all… their mother came in to the hospital as a suicide attempt. The poor thing looked to be maybe sixteen; no one found out her name. We were able to save her babies, but she did not survive… The ambulance drivers that brought her in think she must have been raped or something equally horrible… that's why she did it. But I guess we'll never know…"



Snape stared at the infants. A suicide, possible rape… Lucius hadn't been that twisted in many, many years, but… it couldn't possibly be…! Not Draco…! These babies were much too young… it simply couldn't be Draco… "Get their last names down, at least…" he murmured. He couldn't shake the firm belief that these two were Malfoy children.



"That's just it, doctor. No one knows… it's so sad, really… I wish I could take them in, but… I'm sure they'll get good homes…" she shrugged.



"Another foster case…" he said with a bit of distaste. He was growing irritated with the damned muggle foster care system lately. "Have the police been contacted with the mother's photo…?"



"Yes, they were here for several hours last night; they said it was a shame the girl didn't come in to them instead of taking her own life… the babies will be here for a while, yet so maybe they'll be able to track down the girl's family. She's downstairs in the morgue for now…"



"I understand." He said thoughtfully. "Thank you, nurse Walker…."



"Are you sure you're all right, Dr. Snape…?" she asked, worried. "They're doing really well, considering how horribly they had to come into the world…"



"Yes, yes, I'm fine, thank you…" he assured quickly; he didn't want anyone to pry into anything before he had a chance to see for himself. This had to be a simple coincidence… "Just… bad memories is all…" he said, watching the babies a long moment or two longer.



"Excuse me, doctor…" Nurse Walker said as an alarm began to chime on one of the other incubators. She hurried off to tend to that baby.



Snape stepped closer to the incubator, touching the baby girl's hair tenderly. The baby squirmed slightly, trying to turn her face toward the touch she felt, clearly tenacious in her grip on life. Snape glanced over at the nurse, clearly occupied with the infant she was caring for at the moment, and then slipped out his wand. He set up protective spells over the two tiny lives before him. The boy, who had been sleeping fitfully, settled into a much calmer sleep; his sister seemed to calm as well.

Snape slipped his wand back into concealment as the nurse started his way. "I need a blood sample." He said.



"I hate taking blood from tiny ones… they're so small; I'm afraid I'll hurt them…" she made a face.



"These two are fighters." Snape replied. "It's for their own good…"



"Yes, I know that, but still…"



"Would you prefer I do the draw?" Snape asked.



"Oh, no, Dr. Snape, you have much more important things to attend to…" she smiled at him.



"Just a few drops will do." Snape assured, and then watched as the nurse quickly slipped on gloves and performed the procedure on the tiny twins.



"Shall I take these down to the lab…?"



"No need; I'll take them down myself." Snape took the charts, signing off on them. "I'll get the results much faster that way." He smirked.



"Of course, doctor." She smiled, handing them to him.



"Thank you." He said as he turned away. She smiled and hurried to tend to the needs of another of her tiny charges in their little protective beds.



Severus turned and walked out of the nursery, pulling out his cell phone he punched in the phone number of Harry's office. Potter should be in the office by now…



"Potter and Zabini Detective Agency, how my I help you?" A young secretary's voice piped over the line.



"Put Potter on the line." Severus said shortly.



"I'm sorry, sir; Harry Potter is not in the office today. May I take a message…?" she offered.



"No." He said flatly and hung up without waiting for her response, scowling.



"Doctor Snape!" A nurse bustled toward him. "Dr. Snape, we've an emergency; this child is four years old, snake bite over an hour ago; we can't find Dr. Asen anywhere and Dr. Bulle sent me to find you..." she said urgently.



"What room?" Snape slipped his phone away, following the nurse.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





Lucius stared down at the parchment in his hands, rage boiling up inside him. How dare that bastard cheat on a Malfoy?! A sneer touched his lips. Finally, that beast had done something that would allow him to do what he wanted all along… "Well, there's no choice now, is there? That marriage will finally be ended!" He snarled.



"Lucius…?" Narcissa looked over at him by the fireside with her fine needlework.



"What is it, what's wrong?"



"Potter has finally done the unforgivable; he has fathered a child with a muggle whore!" He snarled.



"But Lucius… Draco hasn't been able to provide him with a child… it's completely acceptable to take a mistress, if only to provide an heir for the bloodline…" she said reasonably in a soft tone.



He glared at her, angry that she was not supportive of his bid to rid his family of the Potter brat once and for all. "A child fathered by that Potter boy is NOT of Malfoy blood!" he said acidly. "It's not Draco's fault that Potter isn't half man enough to have a child with our son! Why must you constantly take the side of that black-haired cur?"



"Draco loves him." Narcissa answered simply. "And Harry not only loves, but he cherishes our son."



"Not enough, it seems." He said as he lowered his eyes to the paper that he had received from Wilkins by owl only a few moments ago. "If he loved and cherished our son as much as you claim he never would have done this to him. Draco will learn to love another… Harry Potter is simply NOT good enough for our son!"



"Harry may not be pureblood, love, but he is powerful and he does love Draco. That's really all that matters to me." Narcissa answered, unruffled by her husband's unreasonable anger.



He looked disgusted. "And he has you completely taken in." he said distastefully, and then glared at the house elf that appeared just clear of his elbow.



"Letter, Master, from the Ministry…" the elf held up a silver tray with a letter upon it.



"Fix me a drink." He growled, snatching the letter off the tray, opening it up. Undoubtedly it was a letter and an official documentation of heredity…



"It's a blessing, truthfully…" Narcissa began, trying to get her husband to understand the beauty and the joy of the situation. "Our family is growing; we finally have grandchildren…"



"Draco needs to remember his obligations to the Malfoy name." He said as he unfolded the parchments to see the paternity form and the formal letter from the Ministry indicating that a child had been born to the Malfoy-Potter name. His scowl deepened as he scowled at the document. "We must have a proper heir!"



"Your drink, Master…" the elf squeaked.



"The little devious bastard…!" Lucius snarled, snatching the drink.



Narcissa sighed and left him to be on his own in the room; talking to him at this point in time would do neither of them any good. Well, a mistress was nothing unheard of and as far as she was concerned, this was a miracle to be celebrated…



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





Severus pulled out his cell phone and dialed Harry's cell phone number. To his satisfaction, this time he did get hold of Harry.



"Potter here…"



"Potter, we need to talk." Snape said.



"You did your share of talking last night. Out to accuse me more…?"



"I apologized this morning; I will do it no more." He answered tersely. "This is important…"



"Something's wrong..? Is it Angel…?"



"No, the child is doing quite well, but I need you to come down to Mercy."



"Draco is out in the garden; I'll just fetch him and…"



"No, Potter. Just you."



"He's still rather shaken about everything you said this morning…" Harry said, glancing out the window at his husband. "Will this take long? I'd rather stay by his side…"



"Not too long, but I do not wish Draco to be present for this… at least not yet."



Harry frowned; he didn't like the sound of this at all. "Very well; let me know I'm stepping out…" he said, then disconnected as he moved to the door to let Draco know he would be gone for a few minutes.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





Holly smiled at Severus; she was the day nurse in the neonatal unit at Mercy. "Hello, Dr. Snape… that steroid you developed is working wonders… baby girl is already off the ventilator and they both have gained an ounce…" she said.



Severus smiled in satisfaction. The medication he had provided would not have harmed muggle babies, but would have had just this effect on children of power. There was no doubt now; they were wizarding children for certain. "Very good… thank you. We'll leave them on it for a few more days to ensure their progress, then…" he advised.



Harry stepped into view outside the nursery, looking quite apprehensive. He'd come to the hospital and they had directed him to the neonatal intensive care unit… what the hell was going on? Did they find another child…?



Snape glanced over at him. "If you will excuse me…" Snape said, moving to Harry. "I'm glad you came…" he said, pulling a folded paper from an inside pocket.



"What's all this about?" Harry asked, eyeing him suspiciously.



"Come. I need to show you something…" Snape opened the nursery door and Harry followed him with great trepidation to the back of the room where the twins lay sleeping. "Last evening, a young witch was brought in with child. She had tried to take her own life by slitting her wrists, but she was found by muggles… they brought her here to this hospital. We did not manage to save her, but her twins

survived the event…"



Harry froze, staring down at the babies, tears glistening in his eyes. They looked so much like little Andie, the baby they just lost… so tiny, so delicate… "Merlin…" he whispered, his voice breaking slightly with emotion. "Who… was the mother…?"



"Rodolphus Lestrange's youngest girl: Syrielle."



"Lestrange…? But she's… she couldn't have been older than sixteen…!" Harry murmured, one hand moving to touch the cover of the unit the children lay in.



Snape noticed that his hand was trembling. "Indeed. In fact, she was only fifteen this past summer. She would have been sixteen this year. I thought that perhaps Lucius…" he began, and then offered Harry the parchment. "Here; read for yourself. These are the results of the paternity spell." He said.



Harry took it and opened the parchment, frowning as he gazed at the archaic looking tree, with two unnamed children and branching up as their parents were Syrielle Lestrange and… He looked up at Severus with anger and pain in his eyes. "What the hell are you trying to do?! Haven't we had enough of this shit lately? Enough is enough already!" He snapped. "First you accuse me of fathering Angel, and now this! Have you decided that Lucius is right and we ought to never have been a couple? Draco Malfoy is NOT the father of those babies! He wouldn't! I refuse to believe any of this!" He gazed back at the infants; the damning proof was there in their innocent faces for anyone to see.



"No, Harry. Draco would not." Snape agreed quietly; to Harry's surprise he was not accusing in the least. That didn't soothe Harry's anger at him in the least; he was sure as fuck quick to accuse Harry but instantly assumed Draco's innocence in the exact same situation... "That is why I called you in and not Draco. We must discover how these children came to be… how Angel came to be. You are a detective, are you not, Harry? I want the truth. I want you to use the skills you've developed working with Damitri Zabini to find that truth. Draco loves you, Harry, and I have accepted that. No matter what my friendship is with Lucius, I would never harm my godson by helping him."



Harry took a deep breath to try to calm down. "All right… you're right; something really twisted is going on here…" he looked back at the paper.



"Indeed." Snape agreed, gazing down at the infants. "The young mother was of a pureblood family, a dark family. Why would she kill herself? I could understand why, were she pregnant by a half-blood, or a muggle… with Bellatrix as her mother that sort of pregnancy would be nothing short of an instant death sentence for the infants…"



"But Malfoy is a strong, pureblooded line…" Harry murmured.



"Not all pregnancies are by the choice of the mother, Potter." Snape reminded.



"The police suspected rape…"



"It couldn't be rape; we both know that." Harry said firmly, glancing at the paper that clearly and without doubt named Draco as the father. "But you're right; women can become pregnant against their will…"



"Who would do this? And why?"



Harry shook his head and sighed. "What will happen to these little ones…? The Lestranges won't get them will they?"



"No. Draco is the father."



"So… Draco gets them…?" He looked at Snape again, unsure.



"Draco has blood rights over them." Snape nodded. "Even the Wizengamot cannot change that fact and truth."



"We can't tell Draco yet…" Harry said softly. "Let me look into what I can…" he suggested as his cell phone rang. He glanced at it, and then tapped the button to silence it; Ron's call could be handled later. He'd call him back when he got done dealing with all of this… "So why don't they have names? All the other babies at least have a last name…"



"The muggles could not identify her, and no family has come forward to claim her body." Snape answered. "They have no names to give them."



"Are you going to tell the Lestranges about her…?"



"Absolutely not…!" Snape answered firmly, leading Harry out of the nursery.



"I'd prefer they never find out." Harry said softly, his mind already working on possible directions for research.



"How is Draco? His pregnancy…?" Snape asked. "Why did you not tell us sooner?"



"Severus, I just found out myself the day I came home…"



"I find it hard to believe that Draco didn't tell you." He commented.



"Really…?" Harry asked. "I understand it completely. After all the pain we've been through losing the babies, he didn't want to bring any more pain to our relationship…" he answered. "His pregnancy is past the danger point; he tells me that he has been visiting regularly with a mediwizard who specializes in male pregnancies and the mediwizard tells him that the baby is strong and healthy…"



"We need to make sure he is calm; stress is not good for him…"



"This morning's little scene wasn't good for him." Harry said with a flash of anger.



"I will make some potions for him to take daily to help mediate his stress." Snape went on, ignoring the statement and the anger as justified. He couldn't change what he'd done.



"I want him to be able to be happy about these children… I won't tell him yet and I would prefer it if you didn't as well… I want to find out the truth to tell him when I introduce him to them…" Harry said, and then sighed. "Thanks, Severus… for all your help."



"I will arrange to transfer the twins to a private hospital as is fitting to a Malfoy-Potter. I will see to their care personally. I was also told to tell you that your daughter will be ready to come home by this weekend…"



"I'll send Draco on a shopping trip for her; that will be good for him." Harry smiled warmly. "Draco loves shopping…" He fell silent as his phone began to ring again.



"Your adoring public can't seem to leave you alone for a moment, can they Potter?" Snape rolled his eyes, turning away.



Harry pulled the phone out, glancing at the number; Ron again. "Adoring..?" he snorted with laughter. "It's Ronald Weasley." He called after the ex-professor's retreating back, and Snape pretended not to hear as he couldn't have cared less.



Harry opened his phone and turned, heading for the door as he answered the call. "Hey Ron…"



"Harry. Um… Hey… can I… can I come over and talk a while…?" he asked in an uncharacteristically hesitant tone.



"Now's not too good a time… I'm at the hospital right now, mate…"



"Oh, Merlin…! Sorry mate, I didn't know; is everything all right…? Draco…"



"Fine, no worries, Draco is just fine. I was talking to Snape… he's a doctor here at the hospital. Why don't you and Hermione come on over for dinner tonight…?"



"I'll come, but… but Hermione is off on a convention for work; she'll be gone until Monday… is it okay if I come by myself…?"



"Of course, mate. We'll take care of you while 'Monie is gone." Harry chuckled.



"I know I can always count on you… thanks mate. I'm tired of eating out and being a burden on mum…"



"You're always welcome, Ron; you oughta know that by now. Hell, Charlie and Blaise are over to eat at least once a week."



"I just don't wanna be in the way… you two act like newlyweds most of the time…"



Harry chuckled. "Believe me, Ron. I feel like a newlywed with Draco…. Hey. Tell you what. We'll feed you, and you bring over the afters. Draco's been really partial to white chocolate lately."



"That sounds like a deal." Ron agreed. "How about a white chocolate cheesecake…? I know a shop just down the way that sells 'em and they're absolutely smashing…"



"Sounds perfect." Harry smiled.



"Raspberry white chocolate or cherries…?"



"Rapsberry."



"All right, mate. See you tonight…" Ron said, and then hung up. Harry sighed and slipped his phone away as he strolled out of the hospital.