Harry Potter and the Womb of Requirement NOW CODED

40

He was greeted by a sea of smiling faces, his own grin nearly splitting his face in two. Tonks ran up and hugged him hard, {It’s really gone?}. He hugged her back, nodding against her curls, then burst into tears. She led them both to a bench then sank down with him, holding him tight, his head on her shoulder as he cried himself out. As the sniffles diminished, he sat up wiping his eyes as Harry and Draco reappeared with Bertha in their wake. Draco was holding Cariad. Harry saw his old friend’s distress and rushed to his side, throwing an arm around him to be assured that he was okay.

Draco marched up to Dumbledore and laid the baby in his arms, {I bet you’ve never met one of your future pupils quite this young, Professor. Even Harry was older when you laid him on the steps of his step-parent’s house. She’s magical, but nothing to get excited about. Apparently her dowse was quite normal}, he beamed.

Albus looked down into that tiny innocence and smiled, {She has Lily’s eyes and your smile, Draco. She will be beautiful indeed she will probably break her fair share of hearts just like her parents did}. Draco looked at his ex-Headmaster, puzzled, {Oh yes, dear boy, half the hearts in seventh year were bruised when you and Harry got together, not just on Harry’s account either, in case you were wondering, once word got out of how much you had changed, Draco, then you acquired several, what’s the word I need here, ....fans, that’s it, fans. You have many well-wishers, dear boy}.

Draco blushed and looked down, {I know. We had many beautiful gifts for the baby, sir, just before she was born. Lots of folk had gone to all sorts of trouble to produce things for us. That reminds me, I’ve written notes to everyone who gave, but I don’t have the home addresses of everyone, I wonder if you could possibly....?}. Dumbledore patted his arm, {Consider it done. It is very pleasant to see that some of my pupils have not forgotten old-fashioned manners}. Draco grinned. His Headmaster continued, {Draco, which House would you prefer that the Hat sort your daughter into?}.

Draco tensed, {You mean I have a choice?. I thought the Sorting Hat just read you and acted accordingly}. Albus laid a hand on Draco’s arm, {Son, your Father gave a great deal of money to the School to have you placed in Slytherin. The Hat wanted to make you a Ravenclaw or a Gryffindor. We here at School knew you were special. We had no idea about Harry of course, but we bowed to your Father’s wishes}.

He reached for his daughter in a kind of trance. Albus handed her over. He could tell his former pupil was stunned by the news, so he stayed quiet and let the boy absorb it. Draco had a bottle prepared for his daughter, but ignored or forgot it, yanking up his t-shirt and fastening his daughter to him, rocking her as she fed, needing the comfort as this all sank in. Harry felt the spike and was beside his bond-mate in an instant taking him in his arms, {What is it, love?. Tell me}, purred over their private line. Draco sent everything, succumbing to Harry’s embraces.

Dumbledore chuckled as he watched them together, {But all turned out for the best in the end, did it not?}.

They excused themselves and departed, Draco leaning on his bond-mate. Harry’s arm about his waist. Lavender sighed as she watched them go. Seamus leaned in and kissed her, {What is it, Princess?}. Lavender turned to him, {Is there any sight more erotic than seeing a couple leave, and knowing they’re going off to make love?}. He answered, {I can think of a few. You lying beneath me wanting me beyond reason. Me under you, waiting for you to impale yourself on me}, she giggled. In a single move, she straddled her lover, kissing him hard, {Which way this time, love?}. Seamus pulled her down to him greedily, {Oh, I think you on top this time, whaddya say, Princess?}. They excused themselves and left for the Protected Section.

At the same table, two old friends were sending on a private channel. An invite to drinks, but let’s leave a respectable time apart. Severus excused himself as the watch changed pleading a need for sleep. Remus leaving minutes later, his eyes blinking in tiredness saying he needed rest. Everyone wished him sweet dreams as he left. He had no notion of heading to the Guest section. Instead he made his way towards the Slytherin dungeon, tapping on a door, being admitted, into waiting arms, lips brushing his own, his mouth opened in response, his tongue twining around his lover’s, {I know I won’t need my Potions anymore, but there are other ways of taking care of me....lover}, as Remus sank into Severus Snape’s arms and took his tongue into his mouth eagerly.

The Protected Section was quiet that afternoon, heavy with silencing charms crackling against each door. Each pair of lovers enjoying each other. Ginny took her Missy hard, bound, gagged and blindfolded, her poor girl needed to lose control for awhile. Seamus cried aloud as his Princess lowered herself onto him. Draco cried out as his Harry filled him up. And deep in the School, somewhere in the Slytherin dungeon, Severus emptied himself hard into Remus as he wetted Severus’ hand with his own release, each gazing into the other’s eyes.

Remus lit two cigarettes and passed one to his partner. They lay side by side, smoking, leaning against the headboard, {Thanks for that, Sev. It’s been far too long}. Severus glanced sidelong at Remus, {Come on, I know we only got the edited highlights before, now tell me the rest}. Remus blew out a long stream of smoke and sent the whole thing. They both sniggered, {Tying you down, that’s hilarious}. {I got a bloody hard-on, can you imagine. I’ve never fancied a girl in my life. I was mortified, but she seemed to be okay about it. She’s sex on legs that one. She sent to her girlfriend and I hesitate to think what they were up to but I had to lay a silencing charm as I left}. Snape shook his head, {I caught them at it over my private lab bench a couple of days ago, I had to erase the memory. Cheeky mare that she is}.

They laughed together, then Remus turned to gaze at his sometimes partner, running a lazy hand along his thigh, {There’s still an hour or so before dinner. Again?}.

Harry crawled back up their bed and lay in Draco’s arms, his head over his lover’s heart hearing it hammer in his ear, then gradually slow to normal. They lay there silent or a while, then Draco sent, {Harry, you seemed awfully worried going into Cariad’s dowse earlier. Why?}. Harry shrugged, {Dunno. Well, yeah, I was hoping she’d be Magical really. I’d still love her to bits anyway, but, you know}. Draco leaned down and kissed Harry’s hair, {Come on, you didn’t really doubt the outcome did you?. I mean, I know there are non-Magical folk in your background, but no Mundanes in this half of the lineage, love}. Without meaning to, Harry winced.

{What was that for, Harry?}. Harry slowly rose on one elbow scrubbing his face with one hand looking a bit guilty, then gazed into his beloved’s eyes and sent the whole of his conversation with Severus from a few days previously. Draco broke eye contact staring at the tester over the bed, two tears tracked into his hair. Harry saw them, {I’m sorry Dragon, I shouldn’t have kept it from you}, he wiped them away with a fingertip. Draco shook his head, {No, Snape’s right, my parents should have told me. That bastard}, Draco sat up staring wildly around him.

Harry panicked seeing Draco in this mood, {What is it, lover?}. Draco turned to him and spat, {Don’t you see!. The bastard was grooming me. For Him. My fucking Father. Who never told me of my status. Who never had me trained. Who bribed the School to Sort me into Slytherin. Who tried to torture me into taking the Dark Mark last summer. For fuck’s sake, that’s why Voldemort’s having these fantasies. He thinks he owns me already}. Draco plunged his head into his hands, shaking with rage.

He sat up threading his arms around Draco. Tentatively, he sent, {Perhaps they didn’t tell you because, being so close to your sister, you couldn’t have parted at eleven. There was no point in starting your Higher Magic training when you were little, when you could not leave Cariad’s side. She would have needed to be apart from you and this you could not do, yes?}.

Draco turned to look into those malachite depths, {You know, Harry, this is one of the things I love most about you. You always see the best in people, even though they don’t deserve it. You might even be right about the first bit anyway. But why did he turn into the nutter that’s in Azkaban now. Why can’t he accept the odd Mundane, even in his own frigging family?}.

Harry kissed Draco’s shoulder, wearing a thoughtful expression, {Okay, hex me if I’m out of order here, but supposing he thought that having the same illness, taking the Mundane, leaving the Magical was a clue somehow. A wrong clue, but an idea he could follow. Come on, Dragon, we’re parents now. Imagine how unhinged we’d be having to bury our Cariad. I know what he’s done to you is wrong, but I don’t think all of his motives were misguided. I mean, supposing our second child is born a squib, what then?}.

Draco’s brow creased. He turned in Harry’s arms, facing him, {I haven’t a sodding clue}. Harry touched their foreheads together, {I imagine that’s how they felt, too. It’s like us, you have to make it up as you go along, take decisions that are appropriate to the time, even though they may prove wrong in the future, then try and fix any fuck-ups. Come on Dragon, we’re still together despite all efforts to keep us apart, even our own}, he chuckled. Draco couldn’t help but agree. He regarded his bond-mate from close quarters, {They say that Magi are possessed of a great wisdom, Harry. You just demonstrated yours, love}. Harry pulled his love towards him, kissing him, {We will both be this way. It’s like Bertha said, your power is directed inwards. Wait ‘til it directs outwards}. Draco shook his head, {Actually, I’m loving inwards. She needs it. Harry, you are so going to love all this}. Harry sighed and held his Dragon closer, {I know. I can’t wait}.

They held each other then Draco sat up again, {I want to show you something}, he slid from their bed, fishing beneath for his trunk, dragging it out and flipping it open. He carefully lifted things out, until faced with the flat bottom, then made swift motions with his fingers, revealing a panel which he lifted, extracting a slim cloth-wrapped parcel. He sat back on the bed and unwrapped it. A photograph set in a fine gold frame. Draco passed it to Harry. He leaned back retrieving his glasses, pushing them up his nose, then looked. Two small children, one blond, one with hair of midnight black, a blue sheen in it as the sun lit her head. Two pairs of eyes full of mischief sharing a conspiratorial glance before looking out at the camera, arms about each other’s shoulders. A pair of silver-grey eyes, the others deep royal blue. Harry gazed, captivated, upon the small cheeky-faced girl in the picture. She had his Dragon’s dimple, the pointed chin, the same way of throwing her head back when she really laughed and such intelligence in her eyes, that Harry had only seen once before. Snape was right again. Hermione’s eyes, not the same colour or shape, but in the way they snapped and schemed, the way they lowered a little when she was thinking.

{She was beautiful, Dragon, just like her brother is. Then and now}, Harry handed the picture back to his bond-mate, who returned it to his trunk. {You shouldn’t hide her you know. Be proud of her. You loved her. You still do. She was part of your life}. Draco thought a moment, retrieved the picture and placed it on the mantel. Then hopped back into bed with his Harry, kissing him senseless. {You’re right, babe. I love her. Always will. I shouldn’t hide her away. But I’m going to draw the curtain on this side of the bed for now}, as he took hold of his Harry, {We’ve got at least an hour before dinner, my love}, then took him, making him cry out, beg, before he took his Harry over the edge, joining him in sweet release.