Dragon Hunt

Hedwig interrupted breakfast and dropped a large envelope on the table in front of Draco. Harry raised an eyebrow at the Ministry Seal upon it. “What’s that?” he asked.

Draco tore open the envelope and smiled. “Malfoy Manor has been officially removed from the floo network,” he announced.

Harry struggled to swallow. “What? Why? How are we supposed to get home once Leo hatches? I refuse to fly with him and it is so far from anything it will be difficult to find transportation. We’ll have to take the Knight Bus and you know how I—“

“Calm down,” Draco said, laughing at his mate. “I renamed it. I didn’t feel right to call it Malfoy Manor when it is your home too.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t take your name, but—“

“I didn’t take yours either,” Draco pointed out to show that it wasn’t about that. “I just felt that our home should bear a name that reflects both of us.”

“And, so what is the name of our new home?” Harry asked.

“Dragon’s Nest,” Draco responded with a smile. Harry echoed the expression and put his hand on his mate’s thigh. Draco blushed and Harry’s smile changed slightly in a way Ron couldn’t figure out.

“Do you have any idea how annoying that is? Having conversations no one else can hear?” Ron grumbled. His fork dropped to his plate with a clink. He stared at his best friend and his husband across the Gryffindor table from him. Behind them, the Slytherin table was sadly empty. So many had been arrested when their involvement with the Deatheaters became known. The courts were sorting it out: how much of their actions were their own and how much was their parent’s influence or threats. But for right now, they were all being help in a detention center for under-aged wizards. Most of the remaining Slytherins were sitting with any friend they could find in another house. Draco sat with his husband, completely stealing Harry’s focus from any attempt at conversation. “Are you even listening?!”

Hermione giggled and leaned into Ron, kissing his cheek before looking back to Harry and Draco, who were lost in eachother’s eyes. “No, they’re not.”

Ron wasn’t giving up. He leaned across the table and poked his best friend. “Hey!”

Harry slowly turned towards his friends. “I’m sorry. Did you say something?”

Ron groaned. “Yes.” He rolled his eyes as he lifted a piece of bacon. “Don’t you two ever speak out loud any more?”

“Rarely,” Draco said dryly. He chewed primly on a piece of toast. “Except during sex. It’s hard to concentrate enough to form words in my mind.”

“Ugh!” Ron groaned, throwing the bacon onto his plate. “Too much information!” Ron pushed back, standing from the table. “Come on, Harry. How about a game of wizard’s chess during free period while these two head to advanced whatchamecallit?” Harry chuckled and nodded assent.

“Ron,” Hermione complained. “You have your herbology essay to be working on and exams to study for. You shouldn’t—“

“Shouldn’t stress myself out so much,” Ron finished. “I know. I’m trying to relax as best I can so that I don’t get over tired,” he said as seriously as he could. Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and pouted at the teasing. Ron smiled brightly and kissed her before turning back to Harry. “Coming, mate?” Ron asked.

“Don’t call him that,” Draco grumbled.

Ron only smirked. “I’ve called him mate longer than you.”

Draco opened his mouth to argue, but Harry beat him to it. “Yes, Ron, but now it makes me horny. Or was that your intent?” Ron only made a face at him in reply. Harry laughed kissed Draco heartily before standing from the table.

Hermione and Draco watched their significant others leave the Great Hall together. “So, everything going well between you and the Weasley?” Draco asked.

“Most definitely,” Hermione said brightly. “It kind of helps that we were friends for so long first. I know how to read him and as amazing as it sounds, as dense as he can be sometimes, he can read me too.”

Draco nodded in understanding. He and Harry didn’t have the benefit of a long standing friendship, but Harry had Draco’s purr and Draco had Harry’s scent to give them their cues. “Well, should we head off to our advanced whatchamacallit class?” Draco teased, using the name Ron had provided.



Draco sat in his seat beside, taking meticulous notes as he listened to the lecture on the application of arithmancy to spell research. Hermione was in the seat beside him, her usual place since returning to school in January, almost a month ago. He glanced up to look at a diagram on the board when he spotted a familiar red-head in the door frame. Ron was silent, but waving frantically to try and catch their attention. Draco smirked before elbowing his study partner and point towards the door.

Hermione looked up at her boyfriend. He looked really frustrated and pointed at Draco, waving him to follow. “I think he wants you,” Hermione said lowly so only Draco heard.

Draco looked up at his new friend, seeing that he was gesturing wildly in an attempt to get Draco to follow him. “What?” he mouthed silently. Ron was panicking, about to pull his hair out. Draco decided to put him from his misery, gathering up his things and leaving the class room. “What is it?” he snapped. “What could be so important that you have to—“

“Leo!” Ron sighed exasperatedly. Draco heard nothing else, dropping his book and running for the dungeons. By the time he’d made it down to the dungeons, into his room, through the magical doorway to the room he shared with Harry, he was too out of breath to speak.

Harry was kneeling on the floor by the bed, completely still. He barely looked over his shoulder at Draco. Draco staggered over to him, dropping down beside him. “Look,” Harry whispered. Draco looked at their precious egg, seeing its shining surface marred by a very distinct crack. Fear gripped him. Had the egg dropped? Who was responsible? Anger began to surface. He was comforted when Harry slid their hands together, their fingers entwining. “Ron and I were playing chess. Leo was in the basinet. Ron and I just heard it.”

Draco watched as another crack appeared, meeting the one already there. The egg shook, rocking back and forth on the soft mattress. It was only a few seconds later that the cracking began in earnest, one tiny flaw after another until the side of the egg looked like a mosaic. And then those tiny pieces were pushed away by a tiny little hand.

Draco gasped in absolute awe, tears already streaming down his face unchecked. “Harry,” he sighed happily, gripping his mate’s hand harder. With his free hand, Draco reached over, brushing his fingertip over the tiny palm reaching out from the cracked surface. Draco moved to pick at pieces of the shell.

“No!” Harry gasped. Draco froze before he could assist his son. “Remember what Charlie said. An egg must hatch on its own. It gives the hatchling strength.”

“But that’s a dragon,” Draco whined. “This is our baby, Harry.” Harry didn’t relent, taking Draco’s other hand in his so that he couldn’t assist in the hatching. They needn’t have worried. A moment later, almost a third of the shell fell away when a tiny foot kicked through. From there, pieces began falling away to reveal a pale skinned, dark haired infant. Draco’s hands tightened on Harry’s with the excitement he felt. And then they heard the most beautiful sound, a deep, hard cry of a newborn baby. “Now can I hold my son?” Draco teased, pulling his hands away, scooping the baby up into his arms and standing all in one motion. Harry stood too, picking away tiny pieces of shell that had stuck to his son’s skin.

“He’s beautiful, Harry.”

“Like you.”

Harry smiled, leaning over Draco’s shoulder to see their son. He reached to run his hand over the baby’s knuckles as Draco had done before and let out a happy sob when that tiny hand gripped his finger. “And strong like you.”

Draco took a few steps over to the couch, sitting gently into it. Harry followed suit, sitting close to Draco’s side. “Thank you for this, love.”

“Thank you, my dragon,” Harry returned, leaning to kiss his mate. He studied his son: perfect little toes, perfect little fingers, a tuft of dark brown hair. And though he hadn’t actually seen his son’s eyes yet, he knew they would be the same crystal blue he saw in hi smate. Leo wriggled around happily, making tiny little noises that Harry knew were contentment the same way he knew Draco’s joy.

“Thank you for giving me a family, Draco,” Harry said. Draco looked up at him, concerned about the tears on Harry’s face. “I’ve always wanted a family and you gave that to me and it’s better than I had ever dreamed. Thank you. I love you Draco.”

Draco smiled wetly. “I love you.” Draco snuggled into Harry more and leaned up to kiss him. Harry complied happily. He had his mate and his son and had never been happier in his life.

"Draco?” Harry asked nervously.

“Hmm?” Draco asked, distracted by his study of his son.

“When we move back to Mal—The Dragon’s Nest, how about you and I take another flight together?” Draco’s gaze turned to look at his husband, shock making his face slack. “You could ride me this time,” Harry added in a rush. Draco smiled at the double entendre. “Would you—“

“I would like nothing more, love,” Draco said quickly. Harry smiled with relief.

A particularly strong squirm and loud coo caught their attention and they focused back on the child in Draco’s arms: their child.


END

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