Harry Potter and The Beloved Incubus (BP4)
folder
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
41
Views:
21,686
Reviews:
120
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
41
Views:
21,686
Reviews:
120
Recommended:
0
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.
Muggle Problems
Chapter Number/Total: 7/40
Chapter Title: Muggle Problems
Words: 3662 Words
Draco was still feeling a bit sleepy when he and Harry made their way down to the dining room at noon. Once there, he froze for a moment at the sight that met his eyes – Mrs Weasley, Mrs Granger AND Mrs Dursley, all sitting together.
Harry froze as well, utterly shocked. Aunt Petunia had hardly left her room at all in the time she'd been here. He'd known that Hermione's mother had been talking with her. Perhaps she'd made more progress than he'd thought.
"Oh, hello, dears," said Mrs Weasley when she spotted Harry and Draco.
"Er, hello," said Harry a bit awkwardly.
Draco took a breath and pulled himself together. "Good morning, ladies," he said in a properly polite voice. He noticed food was set out on the table, buffet style, so that probably meant the house-elves were still staying out of sight. He went straight for the tea, pouring cups for himself and Harry.
Harry gave a small smile to all three of them and moved to sit down, piling food on his plate. The awkwardness must have shown on his face, because Mrs Weasley asked, "Are you feeling okay, Harry?"
"Oh, I'm fine," Harry said, trying to smile more normally. It was strange to have Aunt Petunia there, even though she'd been there for the last couple days, she still hadn't really been there.
Mrs Granger and Mrs Dursley both said polite hellos but seemed nervous as well. Frankly, Draco was nervous. He hadn't been so uncomfortable with Mrs Dursley before his discussion with Harry about their childhoods the night before. Now he wanted to grab the woman and demand an explanation. Instead, he set Harry's tea and his own on the table and then put a bit of food on his plate.
Harry glanced at his food and then at Draco's and he didn't know whether to scold him for eating too little, or be embarrassed for eating so much himself. "Where's everyone else?" he asked, trying to make conversation.
“Oh, they're around here somewhere," said Mrs Weasley, easily the most talkative of the bunch. “Arthur and Bill have gone to headquarters, but I just saw Ron in here a bit ago."
"Hermione was here too," said Mrs Granger quietly.
Harry nodded, thinking about how he hadn't really talked to his friends too much over the last couple days.
Draco sipped his tea and poked at his food. He was glad to see Harry eating well. He listened, nodding. It was so odd to have a lot of people in the Manor. The place was more than big enough, but it had only been the four of them for the last several months.
Harry ate quickly, not bothered by Mrs Weasley or Mrs Granger but .... He stuffed his bread in his mouth and then another piece and slurped some soup down.
"You're certainly hungry," said Mrs Weasley, staring at him.
Harry coloured a little and gave a small shrug. "I guess," he said.
Draco covered a knowing smirk by taking a bite out of a sausage. He had to suppress the urge to stroke Harry's belly again. It was amazing to him how much he delighted in this.
"Well, a growing boy should eat," Mrs Weasley continued. "I certainly know all about that." She gave a small laugh.
Harry smiled and nodded, feeling like he just wanted to get out of there pretty much.
Draco ate a bit, but mostly pushed his food around and sipped his tea, making sure Harry had time to eat. After a little, he said, "I'm going to check in with Hermione and Ron. I will be back."
"No, I'll go with you," Harry said, perhaps a bit too eagerly. "Haven't had a chance to talk to them much," he said in explanation to the others at the table.
"All right, boys," said Mrs Weasley. "We'll be in here, I imagine."
Mrs Granger smiled and nodded softly.
Draco frowned. "Are you sure you are finished eating?" he asked.
"Are you kidding?" said Harry. "I ate half the food here." He took Draco's hand to further indicate that he was ready to go.
Draco hesitated and then nodded, taking his hand. "If anyone needs anything," he said, "please let us know." Once out in the hall, he called for Leakey and asked where the other two were.
"They be in the usual sitting room, sir," the elf squeaked.
"Thank you," said Harry, and he turned to Draco when Leakey had left again. "Why did you want to leave me in there?" he asked.
Draco rolled his eyes. "I never want to leave you," he smiled, "but I do want you to get enough to eat. You know why."
"But I did eat enough," said Harry, starting on his way to the room he thought of as the discussion chamber.
Draco smiled and followed Harry. After the Order meeting, he'd realised that the four of them needed to talk over their Horcrux search and how events would affect them.
Harry led Draco by the hand to the sitting room and Ron and Hermione were indeed there, curled up on one of the couches together. Harry wondered if they wanted him and Draco in there at all.
Hermione looked up at them and smiled gently.
Harry was happy to see that they didn't spring apart. He liked that they could be more open and comfortable, at least around him and Draco. "Hey," he said, moving into the room.
"Hi," they said in unison.
Draco sat down in one of the larger plush chairs and pulled Harry into his lap. "Quieter now," he observed.
Hermione nodded. "Yes, quieter," she said, staring out of the window.
Harry sighed.
"What's up?" asked Ron, drawing patterns on Hermione's arm absently.
"Nothing," said Harry. "Just haven't talked a lot lately."
"There's hardly been time," said Hermione, turning her attention back to the room.
Harry gave a little shrug.
"Your mother seems to be doing better, Hermione," Draco said, "and she is welcome to stay as long as you like."
Hermione nodded and opened her mouth to say something, but then seemed to decide against it.
Harry sighed again. He knew this would be very hard for Hermione.
"So many people are dead," she said very quietly after a few moments.
Draco's first impulse was to say that it would get a lot worse, but he knew better than to give voice to that at this moment. "Yes," he said quietly, unsure how to start the conversation they needed to have.
"Seamus," Ron nearly whispered. "And Dennis Creevey."
Harry frowned sadly and plucked at Draco's sleeve, laying his head on his shoulder and nearly pressed into his neck. He'd been trying not to think of that, but he had known he would have to eventually.
"I am sorry for your loss," Draco said, his arm curling around Harry's back and holding him tighter. "There is a lot to deal with. Refugees. Funerals. Clean-up."
"I know," said Hermione, her voice very small, and then she sighed. "And we all know this isn't the only thing we have to deal with."
Ron looked at her with eyebrows pulled together in a frown, as if he wanted to tell her to not worry about that, but he was silent.
Draco nodded. "After things settle a bit, we will need to resume our search," he said.
Hermione nodded as well. "Yes, we do," she said.
"We don't even know what it is," Harry said, finally sitting up a bit straighter. "And we still haven't taken that brooch in to see if it's the real thing."
"We should contact Snape too." Draco nodded. "See if he has any real leads."
"He never does," Harry said a bit bitterly. He hated seeing Snape, even if the man hadn't been so bad the last few times. "But I suppose you're right."
"He saved lives by sending us that letter," Draco reminded him.
"Yes," Harry said, feeling a bit of respect for Snape despite himself. "He did do that."
Hermione sighed again. "I very much hope he knows something," she said. "I feel like we're coming to a dead end."
"I have another matter to bring up," Draco said quietly
"What?" Harry asked, sitting straighter still and raising an eyebrow.
"I am reluctant to bring it up, because I am unsure how I feel about it," Draco said, "but I am aware that we have a large place here that is warded. That we are safe while others are not."
"What are you proposing?" Harry asked.
Hermione stared at Draco with quiet interest.
"I am not sure what to propose," he said, frowning. "I want us to be safe, and bringing in outsiders makes that a little more difficult. But I feel awkward sitting in an Order meeting where we are trying to figure out where it is safe to house people."
Harry nodded, frowning thoughtfully.
"Well, is there any way to set it up so that certain places in the Manor are warded so that only certain people can enter? Like the lower levels?" said Hermione.
"Well, there are the outer buildings," Draco said, frowning. "They haven't been used in a long time, but they could be made ready pretty easily. When this place was a Manor for the locals, it was meant to house people in times of war."
"Well, that's perfect then," said Harry. "We could house people here in lower England, and then Hogwarts can deal with the people up north in Scotland. I know it isn't perfect and that not everyone lives close to either place, but it will work for many, I'm sure."
Draco smiled at Harry, resting his face against the other man's hair. "So the next question is who stays here? Who needs to be here?" he said.
"What do you mean?" Ron asked. "As far as Muggles? Or other people?"
"Yes," Draco said. "First, we are going to have to teach the Muggles who stay here about magic. Since they are related to magical folk, I suppose the restrictions about telling them don't apply?"
"No. They already know about it. It has to be told to them. They just don't know exactly what's going on with all of it. Mind you, my mother knows quite a bit though from what I've told her," said Hermione.
"So, my proposal is this," Draco said, taking a deep breath, "people we know and trust, such as Order members, and their families, can stay here or at headquarters. Others who need help can be housed in the secondary buildings on site. Harry and I have the money, and with the help of the house-elves, I think we can handle it."
"Yes, so do I," said Harry. "So how do we go about setting this up?"
"We will need to look at the secondary buildings and see what they need to make them habitable," Draco said. "And, Hermione, I will need your help. I really don't know what Muggles need to make a place habitable. You know we don't have wires in the walls and the like. For them, it might be like living pretty primitively."
Hermione was actually, really smiling, something she hadn't done for the past few days. "Yes. It will feel like that to them, but they'll just have to get used to candles. We're going to need to give them plenty of matches or lighters. And they're also going to need things to do, since there won't be any televisions ... and food, and we'll probably need to set up charms for them to keep the food cool, unless the elves help with that and bring food to them everyday ... and they'll also need ...." She went on and on, listing item after item, suggestion after suggestion.
Harry thought it would probably be good for her to get her mind on something else for a while, and he was glad she seemed so enthusiastic. He himself was happy to be helping with the situation.
Draco nodded, but let her continue, kissing the top of Harry's head. "Mmhmm," he would say occasionally, smiling.
"... and it's really just loads of things to get ready," she finished.
Ron was looking at her with an expression of mixed surprise and amusement.
"I certainly think we'll do just fine with you helping, Hermione," Harry said, face looking much like Ron's.
"Please feel free to make lists, so that I can reference it," Draco said. "Maybe your mother and Harry's aunt would like to help."
Hermione nodded.
Harry did too, although he wasn't sure if Aunt Petunia would, but he didn't say anything. He wasn't sure of anything with that woman.
Just then, Fred and George came striding into the room, eating sandwiches. They each leaned over the couch Ron and Hermione were sitting at.
"What are you lot doing?" George asked, swallowing his mouthful.
"Just talking about how we're going to keep Muggles here," said Hermione enthusiastically.
"And Order members," Draco added.
"Mmhmm," said Hermione.
"Brilliant," said Fred taking another bite. "I know the Ministry's having a cow trying to figure out what to do in this mess. Quite a situation they've got on their hands."
George nodded next to him. "Wouldn't be surprised if they gave you an Order of Merlin, Draco," he said. "Maybe not first-class, but hell, why not?"
Harry shrugged and then went to take a deep breath and stretch - but he stopped suddenly. "Oh, Merlin, what is that smell?" he asked, making a face of utter disgust.
Draco snorted at George's words. Then he frowned and looked at Harry, shrugging.
Ron, Hermione and the twins looked at Harry too, confused, sniffing.
Ron shrugged. "I don't smell anything, mate."
"Ugh," Harry groaned. "I think I'm going to throw up," he said, covering his mouth.
Draco, whose lap Harry's was sitting in, looked alarmed. "I think it's your sandwiches," he said to the twins quickly, "so out with them."
Fred and George gave each other puzzled looks.
"Since when does tuna make you feel sick?" George asked.
Harry groaned again. "Oh, hell. Yes, that is it," he said, hand still covering his mouth. "Out. Please, out!"
The twins threw two last confused looks before shrugging and retreating quickly with their awful tuna.
Harry got weakly out of Draco's lap, prepared to run for it if he had to.
Draco took out his wand and transfigured a small figurine into a bowl, handing it to Harry.
Harry took it and faced away from everyone, retching as quietly as he could. He sat down on the floor, still looking disgusted.
"What the ...?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hermione pinched him.
"Well," Draco said smugly, "it's official."
"Ugh," Harry said, wiping at his nose. "What?"
"It isn't just my sensitivity that tells us your condition." Draco smirked. "Now you are acting pregnant." He dispelled the mess with his wand.
Harry scowled. "Acting pregnant?" he said.
Ron turned a bit red. "Oh," he said very quietly.
"First symptoms. Nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to smells," Draco listed, sounding like Hermione lecturing. "I looked it up a couple weeks ago."
"Thank you for telling me," Harry said sarcastically, still feeling a bit sick.
"I thought you knew," Draco said, shrugging again.
"How the bloody hell am I supposed to know?" Harry snapped.
"Irritability is another one," Hermione said, and Harry could tell from her voice that she was trying not to smile. It only served to annoy him more.
Draco did more than smile, he chuckled. "If you want to know more, just ask," he said. "Of course, some things may not work the same with you, given you don't have a womb."
Harry glared at him slightly.
"You know, I have been thinking some more about that," said Hermione. "I wonder what the baby is enclosed in .... Because Draco's right, you don't have a womb."
"No," Harry said with mock surprise. "You're kidding!"
Draco grinned. "It's okay, love," he soothed, stroking Harry's hair. "We are just trying to help."
"Yeah, well ...." Harry couldn't think of anything to say to that, so he simply huffed.
"The baby draws on his body," Draco said to Hermione now, "because I can feel it when he doesn't eat enough."
"It still must have some sort of protection around it," said Hermione. "Probably some sort of magical replacement for an amniotic sac."
Harry made a face. "That sounds disgusting," he said. "What the hell is that?"
"The books I read said it is a flesh protection around the baby that cushions it, and there is a flesh tube that connects to the mother to feed it," Draco said.
"It's also filled with fluid. The baby floats in it for the nine months," Hermione said.
Harry made another face. "Exactly how many books have you read, Draco?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Everything we have here," he said. He shook his head. "You never pay any attention to what I am reading unless you are trying to distract me from it."
"So then ... what else am I supposed to expect?" Harry asked. "When do I start getting ... big?" He said it as if it were the worst word in the entire world.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
Draco smirked, colouring slightly. He had no idea why this whole thing delighted him so. "A woman would start to show around five months," he said, "but my guess is you will show sooner than that."
"Yes, you have a rather thin frame," Hermione said, looking Harry over. "And very narrow hips compared to a woman's. I expect it might be a lot of strain on your back as well."
Harry looked horrified.
"Maybe we shouldn't tell him any more." Draco looked worriedly at Harry.
"I would rather not be taken by surprise, thank you very much," said Harry indignantly.
"Coming from you, that's amusing," Draco said, lifting an eyebrow. "So what else do you want to know?"
"What else is there to know?" Harry said. "I don't even know what to ask. I've never even been around anyone pregnant before."
Draco looked taken aback. "Really?" he asked.
"Well, I've seen pregnant women, but I've never actually known one and been around them long enough to learn anything."
"Plus, you're male and therefore probably wouldn't have cared anyway," Hermione offered.
Harry shrugged, thinking she was probably right.
"The good news is that the nausea goes away after a while," Draco said, "but then you will have back trouble. Your ankles may swell and you may have some problems with other parts of your body."
"Other parts?" Harry asked, thinking that sounded rather ominous.
"We don't know how your body will react," Draco said, "so we will just have to handle things as they appear. I have some potions I want to make to help as well. In fact, I really need to start doing more potion work. We are going to need a lot more supplies than we have on hand."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, once again thinking that sounded rather ominous.
"What do you think, Harry?" said Hermione.
"I have already used many of the Healing Potions I had," Draco pointed out.
Harry took a very deep breath. "How's he coming out?" he asked, even though he'd already asked Draco this before. "Because I don't think I have anywhere for that to happen." He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.
"Do you really want to talk about this now?" Draco asked.
Harry groaned. He really didn't want to talk about it ever. He knew that day would come when all of these questions would have to be answered, but he felt like he was going to be skinny and pregnant forever, not like he was going to get any bigger.
Draco saw they were still alone and called a house-elf to bring Harry something to drink, hoping it would help settle his stomach. Then he reached to pull him back into his lap.
Harry gingerly climbed back into the chair with Draco and laid his head on his shoulder again after drinking some water. "What if I get sick all over you?" he asked, tracing Draco's jaw with a finger.
"Then I will do a Cleaning Charm," Draco said, petting him again.
Harry sighed and closed his eyes, pressing a very gentle kiss against his neck. "If anyone comes near me with tuna again, I'll kill them," he mumbled into his skin.
Draco chuckled, shaking his head. "No tuna," he assured him. "But, love, if you keep protesting loudly, it is going to look a bit ... odd."
"I know," Harry said quietly. "I suppose I'll just get up and leave the room from now on. I just didn't know what was going on."
"Just let me know what other changes you experience," Draco said. "I want to make sure we do the best to take care of you."
Harry sighed again and nodded. "Okay," he said quietly.
"Back to the guest situation," Draco said. "Will your mother be staying with us, Hermione? And your aunt, Harry? If so, we should probably tell them about house-elves."
"My mother already knows about them," said Hermione. "And ... she'll need to have some way to get to work eventually ... so I don't know how long she'll stay. But for now she's staying here."
Harry shrugged. "I don't know what my aunt wants to do. I suppose she can stay here if she wants to."
Draco nodded. "And there is the matter of the funerals. I would like to make an offer," he said.
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at Draco. "What?" asked Harry.
"I would like to pay for them," the blond said.
"For my ...?" Hermione trailed off, looking to the floor for a moment. Ron took her hand.
"For both?" Harry asked, leaning back a bit to look at Draco's face better.
"Yes," Draco said quietly.
Harry sighed. "Well, yes, I suppose that would be ... We could do that."
"Draco, you really don't have to," Hermione said. "I mean ... it's going to cost ... a lot, and -"
"Hermione," Harry cut in quietly, "I'm sure he doesn't mind."
"More than that," Draco said. "Malfoy money financed the Dark Lord's rise and return to power. We owe it."
Hermione closed her open mouth and nodded. "Well ... thank you," she said oddly, but not without gratitude.
"We should probably be taking both your mum and my aunt home for them to ... plan these," Harry said. "There's probably going to be police work too, but I think the general thing with that is to use magic to get out of it. That's what the Ministry's been doing according to Mr Weasley anyway."
Ron nodded. "They're mostly just Confunding them," he said.
"Muggle papers have been reporting some of the mass deaths as attacks by some Muggle Irish terrorists," Draco said.
Harry sighed. "It's all a big mess," he said.
Ron nodded to Draco. "IRA, I think they're called," he said. "Some Muggle paper reported it as a possibility and the Ministry latched onto it and started spreading it as a cover. Fred and George said Dad told them."
"Our war could start a war in the Muggle world," said Hermione quietly.
"Well, I'm sure something will be done to try and prevent that," said Harry, "but our war has already leaked into the Muggle world. It was inevitable."
Draco frowned, thinking. He had never before considered how much his world impacted that of the Muggles. The worlds were never as separate as his kind wanted to believe.
The four were quiet for a bit and then Hermione let out a small sigh. "Well, I'll go and let Mum know about the money," she said. "When do you think we'll be taking them home?"
"Tomorrow if we can," said Harry. "I would think it needs to be done as soon as possible."
"Yes," Draco agreed, hoping they had time to bury their dead before the next attack came. Because it would come, and they needed to be ready for it.
Hermione nodded and got to her feet and Ron followed after her.
Harry remained seated in Draco's lap and just stared at his face for a bit before kissing him gently. "I should go tell my aunt," he whispered.
"I will owl Wyndham and get the process started," Draco said, kissing him back.
Harry nodded. "I love you," he said with a small smile as he kissed Draco again. Then he got reluctantly to his feet and was glad that his stomach seemed to have settled.
Draco squeezed his hand. "I love you," he said, and watched Harry leave the room before going to the writing desk to pen his letter to his solicitor.
Chapter Title: Muggle Problems
Words: 3662 Words
Draco was still feeling a bit sleepy when he and Harry made their way down to the dining room at noon. Once there, he froze for a moment at the sight that met his eyes – Mrs Weasley, Mrs Granger AND Mrs Dursley, all sitting together.
Harry froze as well, utterly shocked. Aunt Petunia had hardly left her room at all in the time she'd been here. He'd known that Hermione's mother had been talking with her. Perhaps she'd made more progress than he'd thought.
"Oh, hello, dears," said Mrs Weasley when she spotted Harry and Draco.
"Er, hello," said Harry a bit awkwardly.
Draco took a breath and pulled himself together. "Good morning, ladies," he said in a properly polite voice. He noticed food was set out on the table, buffet style, so that probably meant the house-elves were still staying out of sight. He went straight for the tea, pouring cups for himself and Harry.
Harry gave a small smile to all three of them and moved to sit down, piling food on his plate. The awkwardness must have shown on his face, because Mrs Weasley asked, "Are you feeling okay, Harry?"
"Oh, I'm fine," Harry said, trying to smile more normally. It was strange to have Aunt Petunia there, even though she'd been there for the last couple days, she still hadn't really been there.
Mrs Granger and Mrs Dursley both said polite hellos but seemed nervous as well. Frankly, Draco was nervous. He hadn't been so uncomfortable with Mrs Dursley before his discussion with Harry about their childhoods the night before. Now he wanted to grab the woman and demand an explanation. Instead, he set Harry's tea and his own on the table and then put a bit of food on his plate.
Harry glanced at his food and then at Draco's and he didn't know whether to scold him for eating too little, or be embarrassed for eating so much himself. "Where's everyone else?" he asked, trying to make conversation.
“Oh, they're around here somewhere," said Mrs Weasley, easily the most talkative of the bunch. “Arthur and Bill have gone to headquarters, but I just saw Ron in here a bit ago."
"Hermione was here too," said Mrs Granger quietly.
Harry nodded, thinking about how he hadn't really talked to his friends too much over the last couple days.
Draco sipped his tea and poked at his food. He was glad to see Harry eating well. He listened, nodding. It was so odd to have a lot of people in the Manor. The place was more than big enough, but it had only been the four of them for the last several months.
Harry ate quickly, not bothered by Mrs Weasley or Mrs Granger but .... He stuffed his bread in his mouth and then another piece and slurped some soup down.
"You're certainly hungry," said Mrs Weasley, staring at him.
Harry coloured a little and gave a small shrug. "I guess," he said.
Draco covered a knowing smirk by taking a bite out of a sausage. He had to suppress the urge to stroke Harry's belly again. It was amazing to him how much he delighted in this.
"Well, a growing boy should eat," Mrs Weasley continued. "I certainly know all about that." She gave a small laugh.
Harry smiled and nodded, feeling like he just wanted to get out of there pretty much.
Draco ate a bit, but mostly pushed his food around and sipped his tea, making sure Harry had time to eat. After a little, he said, "I'm going to check in with Hermione and Ron. I will be back."
"No, I'll go with you," Harry said, perhaps a bit too eagerly. "Haven't had a chance to talk to them much," he said in explanation to the others at the table.
"All right, boys," said Mrs Weasley. "We'll be in here, I imagine."
Mrs Granger smiled and nodded softly.
Draco frowned. "Are you sure you are finished eating?" he asked.
"Are you kidding?" said Harry. "I ate half the food here." He took Draco's hand to further indicate that he was ready to go.
Draco hesitated and then nodded, taking his hand. "If anyone needs anything," he said, "please let us know." Once out in the hall, he called for Leakey and asked where the other two were.
"They be in the usual sitting room, sir," the elf squeaked.
"Thank you," said Harry, and he turned to Draco when Leakey had left again. "Why did you want to leave me in there?" he asked.
Draco rolled his eyes. "I never want to leave you," he smiled, "but I do want you to get enough to eat. You know why."
"But I did eat enough," said Harry, starting on his way to the room he thought of as the discussion chamber.
Draco smiled and followed Harry. After the Order meeting, he'd realised that the four of them needed to talk over their Horcrux search and how events would affect them.
Harry led Draco by the hand to the sitting room and Ron and Hermione were indeed there, curled up on one of the couches together. Harry wondered if they wanted him and Draco in there at all.
Hermione looked up at them and smiled gently.
Harry was happy to see that they didn't spring apart. He liked that they could be more open and comfortable, at least around him and Draco. "Hey," he said, moving into the room.
"Hi," they said in unison.
Draco sat down in one of the larger plush chairs and pulled Harry into his lap. "Quieter now," he observed.
Hermione nodded. "Yes, quieter," she said, staring out of the window.
Harry sighed.
"What's up?" asked Ron, drawing patterns on Hermione's arm absently.
"Nothing," said Harry. "Just haven't talked a lot lately."
"There's hardly been time," said Hermione, turning her attention back to the room.
Harry gave a little shrug.
"Your mother seems to be doing better, Hermione," Draco said, "and she is welcome to stay as long as you like."
Hermione nodded and opened her mouth to say something, but then seemed to decide against it.
Harry sighed again. He knew this would be very hard for Hermione.
"So many people are dead," she said very quietly after a few moments.
Draco's first impulse was to say that it would get a lot worse, but he knew better than to give voice to that at this moment. "Yes," he said quietly, unsure how to start the conversation they needed to have.
"Seamus," Ron nearly whispered. "And Dennis Creevey."
Harry frowned sadly and plucked at Draco's sleeve, laying his head on his shoulder and nearly pressed into his neck. He'd been trying not to think of that, but he had known he would have to eventually.
"I am sorry for your loss," Draco said, his arm curling around Harry's back and holding him tighter. "There is a lot to deal with. Refugees. Funerals. Clean-up."
"I know," said Hermione, her voice very small, and then she sighed. "And we all know this isn't the only thing we have to deal with."
Ron looked at her with eyebrows pulled together in a frown, as if he wanted to tell her to not worry about that, but he was silent.
Draco nodded. "After things settle a bit, we will need to resume our search," he said.
Hermione nodded as well. "Yes, we do," she said.
"We don't even know what it is," Harry said, finally sitting up a bit straighter. "And we still haven't taken that brooch in to see if it's the real thing."
"We should contact Snape too." Draco nodded. "See if he has any real leads."
"He never does," Harry said a bit bitterly. He hated seeing Snape, even if the man hadn't been so bad the last few times. "But I suppose you're right."
"He saved lives by sending us that letter," Draco reminded him.
"Yes," Harry said, feeling a bit of respect for Snape despite himself. "He did do that."
Hermione sighed again. "I very much hope he knows something," she said. "I feel like we're coming to a dead end."
"I have another matter to bring up," Draco said quietly
"What?" Harry asked, sitting straighter still and raising an eyebrow.
"I am reluctant to bring it up, because I am unsure how I feel about it," Draco said, "but I am aware that we have a large place here that is warded. That we are safe while others are not."
"What are you proposing?" Harry asked.
Hermione stared at Draco with quiet interest.
"I am not sure what to propose," he said, frowning. "I want us to be safe, and bringing in outsiders makes that a little more difficult. But I feel awkward sitting in an Order meeting where we are trying to figure out where it is safe to house people."
Harry nodded, frowning thoughtfully.
"Well, is there any way to set it up so that certain places in the Manor are warded so that only certain people can enter? Like the lower levels?" said Hermione.
"Well, there are the outer buildings," Draco said, frowning. "They haven't been used in a long time, but they could be made ready pretty easily. When this place was a Manor for the locals, it was meant to house people in times of war."
"Well, that's perfect then," said Harry. "We could house people here in lower England, and then Hogwarts can deal with the people up north in Scotland. I know it isn't perfect and that not everyone lives close to either place, but it will work for many, I'm sure."
Draco smiled at Harry, resting his face against the other man's hair. "So the next question is who stays here? Who needs to be here?" he said.
"What do you mean?" Ron asked. "As far as Muggles? Or other people?"
"Yes," Draco said. "First, we are going to have to teach the Muggles who stay here about magic. Since they are related to magical folk, I suppose the restrictions about telling them don't apply?"
"No. They already know about it. It has to be told to them. They just don't know exactly what's going on with all of it. Mind you, my mother knows quite a bit though from what I've told her," said Hermione.
"So, my proposal is this," Draco said, taking a deep breath, "people we know and trust, such as Order members, and their families, can stay here or at headquarters. Others who need help can be housed in the secondary buildings on site. Harry and I have the money, and with the help of the house-elves, I think we can handle it."
"Yes, so do I," said Harry. "So how do we go about setting this up?"
"We will need to look at the secondary buildings and see what they need to make them habitable," Draco said. "And, Hermione, I will need your help. I really don't know what Muggles need to make a place habitable. You know we don't have wires in the walls and the like. For them, it might be like living pretty primitively."
Hermione was actually, really smiling, something she hadn't done for the past few days. "Yes. It will feel like that to them, but they'll just have to get used to candles. We're going to need to give them plenty of matches or lighters. And they're also going to need things to do, since there won't be any televisions ... and food, and we'll probably need to set up charms for them to keep the food cool, unless the elves help with that and bring food to them everyday ... and they'll also need ...." She went on and on, listing item after item, suggestion after suggestion.
Harry thought it would probably be good for her to get her mind on something else for a while, and he was glad she seemed so enthusiastic. He himself was happy to be helping with the situation.
Draco nodded, but let her continue, kissing the top of Harry's head. "Mmhmm," he would say occasionally, smiling.
"... and it's really just loads of things to get ready," she finished.
Ron was looking at her with an expression of mixed surprise and amusement.
"I certainly think we'll do just fine with you helping, Hermione," Harry said, face looking much like Ron's.
"Please feel free to make lists, so that I can reference it," Draco said. "Maybe your mother and Harry's aunt would like to help."
Hermione nodded.
Harry did too, although he wasn't sure if Aunt Petunia would, but he didn't say anything. He wasn't sure of anything with that woman.
Just then, Fred and George came striding into the room, eating sandwiches. They each leaned over the couch Ron and Hermione were sitting at.
"What are you lot doing?" George asked, swallowing his mouthful.
"Just talking about how we're going to keep Muggles here," said Hermione enthusiastically.
"And Order members," Draco added.
"Mmhmm," said Hermione.
"Brilliant," said Fred taking another bite. "I know the Ministry's having a cow trying to figure out what to do in this mess. Quite a situation they've got on their hands."
George nodded next to him. "Wouldn't be surprised if they gave you an Order of Merlin, Draco," he said. "Maybe not first-class, but hell, why not?"
Harry shrugged and then went to take a deep breath and stretch - but he stopped suddenly. "Oh, Merlin, what is that smell?" he asked, making a face of utter disgust.
Draco snorted at George's words. Then he frowned and looked at Harry, shrugging.
Ron, Hermione and the twins looked at Harry too, confused, sniffing.
Ron shrugged. "I don't smell anything, mate."
"Ugh," Harry groaned. "I think I'm going to throw up," he said, covering his mouth.
Draco, whose lap Harry's was sitting in, looked alarmed. "I think it's your sandwiches," he said to the twins quickly, "so out with them."
Fred and George gave each other puzzled looks.
"Since when does tuna make you feel sick?" George asked.
Harry groaned again. "Oh, hell. Yes, that is it," he said, hand still covering his mouth. "Out. Please, out!"
The twins threw two last confused looks before shrugging and retreating quickly with their awful tuna.
Harry got weakly out of Draco's lap, prepared to run for it if he had to.
Draco took out his wand and transfigured a small figurine into a bowl, handing it to Harry.
Harry took it and faced away from everyone, retching as quietly as he could. He sat down on the floor, still looking disgusted.
"What the ...?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hermione pinched him.
"Well," Draco said smugly, "it's official."
"Ugh," Harry said, wiping at his nose. "What?"
"It isn't just my sensitivity that tells us your condition." Draco smirked. "Now you are acting pregnant." He dispelled the mess with his wand.
Harry scowled. "Acting pregnant?" he said.
Ron turned a bit red. "Oh," he said very quietly.
"First symptoms. Nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to smells," Draco listed, sounding like Hermione lecturing. "I looked it up a couple weeks ago."
"Thank you for telling me," Harry said sarcastically, still feeling a bit sick.
"I thought you knew," Draco said, shrugging again.
"How the bloody hell am I supposed to know?" Harry snapped.
"Irritability is another one," Hermione said, and Harry could tell from her voice that she was trying not to smile. It only served to annoy him more.
Draco did more than smile, he chuckled. "If you want to know more, just ask," he said. "Of course, some things may not work the same with you, given you don't have a womb."
Harry glared at him slightly.
"You know, I have been thinking some more about that," said Hermione. "I wonder what the baby is enclosed in .... Because Draco's right, you don't have a womb."
"No," Harry said with mock surprise. "You're kidding!"
Draco grinned. "It's okay, love," he soothed, stroking Harry's hair. "We are just trying to help."
"Yeah, well ...." Harry couldn't think of anything to say to that, so he simply huffed.
"The baby draws on his body," Draco said to Hermione now, "because I can feel it when he doesn't eat enough."
"It still must have some sort of protection around it," said Hermione. "Probably some sort of magical replacement for an amniotic sac."
Harry made a face. "That sounds disgusting," he said. "What the hell is that?"
"The books I read said it is a flesh protection around the baby that cushions it, and there is a flesh tube that connects to the mother to feed it," Draco said.
"It's also filled with fluid. The baby floats in it for the nine months," Hermione said.
Harry made another face. "Exactly how many books have you read, Draco?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Everything we have here," he said. He shook his head. "You never pay any attention to what I am reading unless you are trying to distract me from it."
"So then ... what else am I supposed to expect?" Harry asked. "When do I start getting ... big?" He said it as if it were the worst word in the entire world.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
Draco smirked, colouring slightly. He had no idea why this whole thing delighted him so. "A woman would start to show around five months," he said, "but my guess is you will show sooner than that."
"Yes, you have a rather thin frame," Hermione said, looking Harry over. "And very narrow hips compared to a woman's. I expect it might be a lot of strain on your back as well."
Harry looked horrified.
"Maybe we shouldn't tell him any more." Draco looked worriedly at Harry.
"I would rather not be taken by surprise, thank you very much," said Harry indignantly.
"Coming from you, that's amusing," Draco said, lifting an eyebrow. "So what else do you want to know?"
"What else is there to know?" Harry said. "I don't even know what to ask. I've never even been around anyone pregnant before."
Draco looked taken aback. "Really?" he asked.
"Well, I've seen pregnant women, but I've never actually known one and been around them long enough to learn anything."
"Plus, you're male and therefore probably wouldn't have cared anyway," Hermione offered.
Harry shrugged, thinking she was probably right.
"The good news is that the nausea goes away after a while," Draco said, "but then you will have back trouble. Your ankles may swell and you may have some problems with other parts of your body."
"Other parts?" Harry asked, thinking that sounded rather ominous.
"We don't know how your body will react," Draco said, "so we will just have to handle things as they appear. I have some potions I want to make to help as well. In fact, I really need to start doing more potion work. We are going to need a lot more supplies than we have on hand."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, once again thinking that sounded rather ominous.
"What do you think, Harry?" said Hermione.
"I have already used many of the Healing Potions I had," Draco pointed out.
Harry took a very deep breath. "How's he coming out?" he asked, even though he'd already asked Draco this before. "Because I don't think I have anywhere for that to happen." He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.
"Do you really want to talk about this now?" Draco asked.
Harry groaned. He really didn't want to talk about it ever. He knew that day would come when all of these questions would have to be answered, but he felt like he was going to be skinny and pregnant forever, not like he was going to get any bigger.
Draco saw they were still alone and called a house-elf to bring Harry something to drink, hoping it would help settle his stomach. Then he reached to pull him back into his lap.
Harry gingerly climbed back into the chair with Draco and laid his head on his shoulder again after drinking some water. "What if I get sick all over you?" he asked, tracing Draco's jaw with a finger.
"Then I will do a Cleaning Charm," Draco said, petting him again.
Harry sighed and closed his eyes, pressing a very gentle kiss against his neck. "If anyone comes near me with tuna again, I'll kill them," he mumbled into his skin.
Draco chuckled, shaking his head. "No tuna," he assured him. "But, love, if you keep protesting loudly, it is going to look a bit ... odd."
"I know," Harry said quietly. "I suppose I'll just get up and leave the room from now on. I just didn't know what was going on."
"Just let me know what other changes you experience," Draco said. "I want to make sure we do the best to take care of you."
Harry sighed again and nodded. "Okay," he said quietly.
"Back to the guest situation," Draco said. "Will your mother be staying with us, Hermione? And your aunt, Harry? If so, we should probably tell them about house-elves."
"My mother already knows about them," said Hermione. "And ... she'll need to have some way to get to work eventually ... so I don't know how long she'll stay. But for now she's staying here."
Harry shrugged. "I don't know what my aunt wants to do. I suppose she can stay here if she wants to."
Draco nodded. "And there is the matter of the funerals. I would like to make an offer," he said.
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at Draco. "What?" asked Harry.
"I would like to pay for them," the blond said.
"For my ...?" Hermione trailed off, looking to the floor for a moment. Ron took her hand.
"For both?" Harry asked, leaning back a bit to look at Draco's face better.
"Yes," Draco said quietly.
Harry sighed. "Well, yes, I suppose that would be ... We could do that."
"Draco, you really don't have to," Hermione said. "I mean ... it's going to cost ... a lot, and -"
"Hermione," Harry cut in quietly, "I'm sure he doesn't mind."
"More than that," Draco said. "Malfoy money financed the Dark Lord's rise and return to power. We owe it."
Hermione closed her open mouth and nodded. "Well ... thank you," she said oddly, but not without gratitude.
"We should probably be taking both your mum and my aunt home for them to ... plan these," Harry said. "There's probably going to be police work too, but I think the general thing with that is to use magic to get out of it. That's what the Ministry's been doing according to Mr Weasley anyway."
Ron nodded. "They're mostly just Confunding them," he said.
"Muggle papers have been reporting some of the mass deaths as attacks by some Muggle Irish terrorists," Draco said.
Harry sighed. "It's all a big mess," he said.
Ron nodded to Draco. "IRA, I think they're called," he said. "Some Muggle paper reported it as a possibility and the Ministry latched onto it and started spreading it as a cover. Fred and George said Dad told them."
"Our war could start a war in the Muggle world," said Hermione quietly.
"Well, I'm sure something will be done to try and prevent that," said Harry, "but our war has already leaked into the Muggle world. It was inevitable."
Draco frowned, thinking. He had never before considered how much his world impacted that of the Muggles. The worlds were never as separate as his kind wanted to believe.
The four were quiet for a bit and then Hermione let out a small sigh. "Well, I'll go and let Mum know about the money," she said. "When do you think we'll be taking them home?"
"Tomorrow if we can," said Harry. "I would think it needs to be done as soon as possible."
"Yes," Draco agreed, hoping they had time to bury their dead before the next attack came. Because it would come, and they needed to be ready for it.
Hermione nodded and got to her feet and Ron followed after her.
Harry remained seated in Draco's lap and just stared at his face for a bit before kissing him gently. "I should go tell my aunt," he whispered.
"I will owl Wyndham and get the process started," Draco said, kissing him back.
Harry nodded. "I love you," he said with a small smile as he kissed Draco again. Then he got reluctantly to his feet and was glad that his stomach seemed to have settled.
Draco squeezed his hand. "I love you," he said, and watched Harry leave the room before going to the writing desk to pen his letter to his solicitor.