Could You Love Me?

Author: TheSiner
Title: Could you love me?
Genre: Angst, Romance, Drama and some attempted humour :)
Pairings: Harry/Lucius; Draco/?; Severus/?(mentioned)
Word Count: ~ 150,000
Summary: HP/LM, slash, mpreg. Lucius forces Harry to marry him. Things get bad and then they get better. This is a story about two different people from different worlds trying to make it work. Complete.
Rating: For some sex, but there’s not that much of it.
Disclaimer: These characters are not my own and belong to J.K. Rowling and affiliates. I am not making any money.
Warnings: slash, mpreg - a boy having a baby, OOC (kind of), non-canon, not betaedited, dubious consent, A/U – it is the same old Wizarding world though. And there is angst and emotional suffering.
Setting:– after Harry’s fifth year. Lucius doesn’t get caught at the Ministry.

EIGHTH PART – MOMENTS OF PEACE

34. Severus Snape – the Unwilling Peacemaker

For at least half a minute Lucius Malfoy was standing amidst his guests, looking completely shell-shocked with his mouth hanging open as if he wanted to say something, but words were failing him.

He recovered fast though and was about to follow his husband, when he felt someone’s hand on his shoulder.

Lucius spun around to glare down the fool who had dared to do such a thing only to lock his grey eyes with very dark, almost black and very intense ones.

“A word with you, Lucius,” Severus Snape drawled smoothly.

“Now is not really a good time,” the blond wizard ground out, irritated and impatient to get to his young husband and put the boy back in his place. Too much was too much.

“I disagree,” the Potions master replied, but then grudgingly admitting that Lucius was not one of his students from whom he could demand obedience decided to give an explanation after all. “He needs to cool off and you need the same.”

“I don’t care…” the blonde wizard was about to declare in his usual arrogance.

“The child, Lucius,” Snape warned.

They stood like that, ones eyes swirling into others and then Lucius’ stiff posture relaxed and he nodded turning around and heading towards the exit, expecting the other wizard to follow him. Which was very presumptuous, but Severus decided that it was not the time to be scrupulous.

Lucius strolled into his study, sunk into one of the heavy leather chairs, and with an elegant gesture offered Severus the seat opposite him.

He did not use the study that often. It reminded him of father too much and made him to feel isolated. He preferred the library and working there, while his son or lately Harry was sitting on the sofa and reading. Actually, the Malfoys preferred the library for pretty much everything. It was not only Lucius’ workroom, but also their drawing room, living room, Draco’s playroom and everything else.

The fact that Lucius had chosen the office meant something.

“Don’t look so affronted Lucius,” Snape sounded slightly mocking and the blond wizard glared at him looking very much affronted, indeed. This did not affect the Potions Master.

Then the Severus let out a long-suffering sigh: “I remember myself telling you that marrying Potter was not a good idea. Do you think I was making something up? Exaggerating? I told you the boy was trouble. You got yourself into this mess.”

As you sow, so shall you reap.

“But to make a public scene…”

“Who did you think you wed, Lucius?” Snape snorted. “There is a valid reason I dislike Gryffindors, even if I don’t need one. Did you know Lily Evans? No, you didn’t, you were four years above us and she was a Gryffindor and a muggleborn. Not someone you were interested in.”

“Lily was the sweetest witch. Nice and polite, very tolerant of others, a teachers pet. Clever as well. But only until she lost her temper. It took a lot to drive her that far, but when it happened it was better to be far, far away. Every time lily Evans lost her temper times James Potter ended sprouting horns, a tail or other animal parts on his person. Or rather nasty boils. She knew a lot of hexes for a light witch,” it was obvious that Snape was very fond of those memories.

Lucius snorted. The man obviously got off on others’ misery. Moreover, probably had a thing for Harry’s mother. However, he could go enjoy himself somewhere else.

“Is there any point to this besides the fact that Potter has inherited his terrible manners from his mother?” Lucius asked testily.

“The point could be that you are lucky to have your skin intact and that you don’t know a shit about the real Harry Potter, Lucius, well, but apparently you will have the pleasure to enjoy finding out about him very soon. I must say, that what happened tonight was actually a good thing,” Snape smirked.

“What?” The grey eyes narrowed.

“Potter has not been himself since the day he confronted The Dark Lord and probably your decision to force him into marriage contributed to that state of inferi as well. Whom you saw tonight was the real Potter. I think that he is finally recovering from whatever happened to him. The boy is impetuous, temperamental, insolent, insubordinate, rule breaking little troublemaker. The meek, insecure little thing you have been dealing with was convenient, but not the way he should be and now he is finally snapping out of it,” Snape announced smugly.

Lucius grumbled something.

Severus kept smirking, he found it oh so amusing: “Pregnant Potter… I’ll be surprised if the Manor will be still standing by the time the baby arrives.”

Lucius groaned: “Having fun on my expense are you?”

Severus chuckled: “Always.”

“He is a handful, I guess,” Lucius sighed.

“Do tell me, I have been teaching the brat for six years and trying to save his neck. So, what did you do to cause the explosion?”

“You talk as if he were a bubbling cauldron of potion…” the blonde paused. “Someone suggested public birthing.”

“Oh, so his tantrum was not completely uncalled for,” Severus raised his eyebrows in mock surprise.

“I said we will think about it, I wanted to explain…”
“The meaning of the fact that there are people who are interested to see him giving birth?” The Potions master finished for his friend. “Don’t bother.”

“I was not going to order him to do it,”

“I hope not, I think you are too attached to your bollocks to try something like that,”

“You are so amusing tonight Severus,” Lucius sounded anything, but amused.
“I wanted to explain it to him.”

“Don’t bother Lucius, first, he will never understand, because he has been raised by muggles. Second, Potter doesn’t care that he would raise his and your heir’s prestige by going through that, he doesn’t care about that, which believe me or not, I can relate to. And, third, he is a very private person.”

“Draco was birthed that way,” Lucius noted stubbornly.

“Mhm, I remember how proud Narcissa was to be the one who whelped the Malfoy heir. Healthy and beautiful. She saw it as a testimony of what a distinguished witch she was. Turned Draco’s birth in quite a spectacle, didn’t she? Potter would never see it that way, last time I had the misfortune to see in his mind, the boy was mortified by the prospect of being with a child.”
“Sixteen years old, muggle boys don’t have children. He doesn’t want to prove anything to anyone or show off. Probably just wants to get it over with. I don’t mean that he doesn’t want the child,” Snape corrected when Lucius looked at him with wide eyes. “Probably can’t wait to have someone he could name in honours of his father or mother or the dogfather, but it doesn’t mean he likes being pregnant and the attention drawn to it.”

Lucius didn’t say anything.

“You will do yourself good to remember that he is not one of you and that he is as different from you as he can be. Of course if you think that he is worth the trouble,” Snape drawled.

“Of course he is one of us!” Lucius protested. “One of us , Severus?”

“Yes, one of you, I am not one of you as well,”

For some reason Lucius didn’t like Severus talking like that, the man was one of his oldest friends and very important to him despite his misanthropy and unpleasant nature. As far as Lucius was concerned, Severus was one of them; Lucius accepted and treated him as such. He didn’t quite want to admit that the reason of his ire was the fact that Severus didn’t need Lucius to accept him as someone he was not.

And then he realised that maybe Harry didn’t really need that as well.

“So, I’ll be going then, I don’t really like your parties. Too crowded, to many people… you should really pay better attention to whom you are inviting,” uncharacteristically Snape awerted his eyes and… was it a blush tainting man’s high cheekbones?

Lucius raised an eyebrow.

Severus regained some of his composure and cleared his throat: “Well? Are you going to sit like here the whole night long? Don’t you have sucking up to do?”

Lucius’ curiosity had been truly peaked now. Something was going on there, but what?

But Severus ignored his questioning gaze and went on.

“Grovel, Lucius. It will be easier than convince him that no matter what a public scene is highly inappropriate. You will simply get into another fight. If you don’t want to experience recurrence of tonight the only thing you can do is not to push your little darling husband into a similar situation.
Don’t give him a reason to make a scene and he will not. Really, Lucius, if I were forced to communicate with any of your guests, half of them would be hobbling home on wobbly legs, carrying their tongues in their pockets, if they managed to scramble them off the ceiling.”

With that, he stood up and swept out of the room, robes billowing before Lucius could say anything else. He was a Potions master, not a marriage adviser. However, the irony was that no matter with what he occupied himself; he was bound to suffer imbeciles.

***

Lucius made his way upstairs thinking about everything he and Severus had discussed. Then he snorted. More like Snape had lectured him. Now he had to find the right way to approach his husband. Lucius had never had this kind of problems with his first wife. Logically not. She had been very similar to him and Lucius hadn’t cared about her moods. And if he ever wanted something from Narcissa, there were things she always wanted from him.

Was it possible to bribe Harry with something? What would he want? Lucius had no idea. While they have lived together the young man had gladly accepted everything Lucius had given him and appeared very grateful, but had never asked for anything in particular. He somehow doubted that the boy would be delighted to get his hands on the Malfoy family jewels. No pun intended.

Lucius probably deserved all the headaches he got for marrying a teenage boy who had not been brought up according to their standards and traditions. Not even every pure blood was raised that way these days. Some were calling their ways old-fashioned and medieval…

Of course, nothing had gone the way he had been planning. Lucius had wanted to take the boy and mould him into a good pureblood’s spouse, but he had almost broken him instead. It had been said that there were wands that bent and wands that broke. Harry definitely wasn’t bending and Lucius should be glad that Harry hadn’t broken.

However, the Malfoy in him wanted to stamp his foot and whine about unfairness of this.

Lucius groaned. There was no point to keep denying it. He would have to squeeze something akin to a genuine apology out of himself. Why couldn’t he just buy Harry something?

Lucius took a deep breath and knocked on his husband’s bedroom door. There was no answer and the wizard tried the handle. The door was open, but Harry was not in his room and nor in the bathroom. Lucius panicked as he returned to the anteroom. He was about to call the house-elves and order them to start looking for the boy when his eyes stopped on the door of the newly decorated baby-room.

Since he had nothing to loose, the man acted on impulse and knocked lightly on the door.

“Go ‘way,” despite the dismissal the blond wizard was relieved to hear the voice. For a moment, he had been foolishly afraid that Harry might have disappeared, left the Manor and him.

He pushed the door open and entered. Harry was sitting in the rocking chair hugging a large stuffed dragon – the Common Welsh Green (Draco’s present).

“Get out!”

“I came to apologize,” Lucius stated with his usual confidence.

“You don’t look very apologetically to me,” Harry narrowed his eyes scrutinising his husband.

Lucius came closer to the boy: “I just don’t apologize very often.”

“Well, maybe then you should go and practice by the mirror and come back when you are ready,” Harry snapped.

“Are you being difficult on purpose?” For some reason Lucius was suddenly amused by the younger wizard’s antics; besides he had a feeling that Harry had cooled off significantly, but wanted to make him squirm some.

“And what if?” The dark-haired youth huffed.

“That’s very Slytherin of you,” Lucius teased. He had a feeling that it was appropriate, because some of the boy’s anger had already faded away. “But Harry, I really mean it. I am sorry, it was inconsiderate of me.”

“Yes, well, it was bloody inconsiderate to parade me around like some kind of trophy! The more I think about it, the ore humiliating I find it.”

“No, Harry, you are wrong,” Lucius objected stepping closer to the boy. “I didn’t mean to show you off. The Ball is a family tradition and you belong to the family. It is unfortunate that you found the company so objectionable. However that was not my intention.”

The boy sighed; his hand was rubbing the round belly: “The Dursleys treated me that way. They looked at me with scorn, disgust, as if I was worth nothing, called me names, and there was nothing I could do about it. I don’t expect everyone to like and respect me, I don’t need them to. But I cannot stand when someone tries to bully me and I cannot just walk away or tell them what I think about them. To simply stand there and take it… why would I spend time with people who don’t like me and aren’t even trying to hide that? I just hate it.”

He took a deep breath.

“I know you told me that they were going to be nasty, but I didn’t expect… I don’t know, what I did expect, but I couldn’t to stand there and listen to their shit.”

“I didn’t realize,” Lucius admitted. “I shouldn’t have put you through it. It is our way, but it is obviously not yours. And I truly didn’t plan to agree to public birthing,” which was actually true. He had made Severus believe that he was considering it out of sheer stubbornness.
“’I was being vague on purpose, Harry. It is not necessary to disappoint them by saying ‘no’ straight away, let them think what they want and do as you wish. It was a manoeuvre.”

Harry made a face; just thinking about giving birth in front of strangers made him queasy: “Yes, I realize that, if I think about it, but at that moment I just saw red, I was getting tired and so very annoyed.”

“I noticed,” Lucius’ lips quirked. “And about those Dursleys – I could send someone, I could make their life less pleasant. Discretely. No one would trace it back to us.”

Harry stared at the man in disbelief: “You are telling me that you have henchmen you can send to do some… do shady things for you?”

“Of course,” the man didn’t even bat an eyelash. “Should I run around bullying and bribing Ministry officials myself?” That would be unbecoming.

“And you are just telling me like that,” Harry looked astonished his anger long forgotten.

“There shouldn’t be too many secrets among the family,” with that, he naturally implied that there could be some.

“We are so different,” Harry stated flatly.

Lucius just shrugged: “Doesn’t it make life more interesting?”

“You were with Voldemort,” the boy accused. The fact that his husband had so casually implied that he would gladly do unimaginable things to his relatives had reminded Harry about Lucius’ involvement with Voldemort and all the things the wizard had done for the man who had killed Harry’s parents.

“Aha, that,” Lucius appeared wistful. He had been aware that this particular issue was bound to come up eventually. “The Dark Lord, yes, what you don’t know about him is that the man was different in the beginning, when I first met him. He was still a man and less insane. I assume that coming back from dead didn’t do him any good.”

“And I was different too, Harry. Very young, impressible and idealistic. It wasn’t a wise decision, I admit that,” his right hand unconsciously reached for the forearm where the Dark Mark was placed before Lucius became aware of it and pulled it back. So many times, he had clenched it in pain as the Dark Lord was summoning his servants.

No one will ever now how relieved the ex-Death Eater was that he madman had been stopped before he destroyed them all. Maybe except Harry. He probably deserved to know.

“Of course I am not going to deny that I am probably not what Light wizards would call ‘a nice man’. But I care for my family deeply. I was not going the Dark Lord to destroy it. I defected and helped to bring him down. Simple as that.”

“I care for you. In my stubbornness and arrogance, I have hurt you and I regret that. I wish I could get a time-turner, go back and hex some sense into myself… I am aware that we come from two very different worlds. What I can promise is to try and to be there for you. I promise to try to give you everything you want, everything you need and to take care of you both.”

“I apologize for tonight. It was not considerate.”

Harry was looking at his husband thoughtfully; he couldn’t deny that the sincerity was touching.

Lucius could be so infuriating, arrogant and selfish… but nonetheless the man was intriguing and gorgeous and he was making an effort.

And when the boy remembered how much he had missed his husband when he had been forced to return to Hogwarts…

He had been so angry just ten minutes ago, but now didn’t want to argue anymore. it was not Lucius fault that there were so many wankers in the world and Harry couldn’t stand them.

In the end, Harry took Lucius’ hand and they returned to their guests as if nothing had happened. Some were giving the couple dirty looks, but Lucius realised that for once in his life he didn’t care about appearances as much as he had been taught to. The wizard was too relieved that he had managed to put himself right with his husband.

Lucius left Harry with the Weasleys, Remus, Tonks and Hermione and returned to his other guests alone. Everyone surprisingly easily accepted the fact that the young man was slightly overemotional due to his pregnancy. He had not realised that there were probably many things he could excuse with Harry’s condition since male pregnancies were so rare that no one knew very much about them and what the condition meant.

And Lucius noticed something else as well – the display had actually helped Harry gain some respect in eyes of those who had noticed the ‘leak’ of magic, not mentioning that the spell he had used to put up the dome had been an extremely powerful one. A lot of wizards and witches who had previously looked at Harry as if he was someone inferior were now looking at the youth with wariness.

35. One Night in the Life of Draco Malfoy

Draco Malfoy however had remained blissfully ignorant of the drama unfolding in the other part of the mansion. This was actually a pity since he always enjoyed a good spectacle. Not to mention that the younger Malfoy thought that the married couple was amusing to watch. Because of the guilt he was feeling, Lucius let his husband to get away with everything, but it didn’t mean that the man liked it. For Draco watching his fathers face as he resigned to bear with one thing or another was a real treat.

However, Draco had become too annoyed with everything. So annoyed that he was ready to hex the next witch or wizard who tried to present him their beautiful, smart and overall perfect daughter. Or son. Now when he was not the only heir anymore and Potter’s kid could continue the Malfoy line, Draco technically was eligible to marry with a male if their family could offer enough. But Draco didn’t think that his father would agree to that though. Lucius wanted his other child to become the Black Heir.

Draco understood his father’s ambitions. A Malfoy taking over the most ancient and noble house of Black. Well, it was something of a wet dream for a head of a pureblood line. Draco was afraid that meant Lucius would still want him to produce an heir for the Malfoy line. Of course, there were ways, if he chose a man, but…

Nonetheless, Draco couldn’t blame any of those families for wanting to form an alliance with the Malfoys. But he could be awfully annoyed. They were foolish not to realise that someone who was as stubborn and proud as him would never want to marry anyone who was thrust upon him. Draco would refuse them just on general principle.

Besides the pressure for him to marry and produce an heir has also lessened considerably since he wasn’t the sole heir anymore. He really owed Potter one for that.

Draco had been as aloof and denunciative as he could without causing a family feud, but those people just weren’t getting the message. So he had slunk away to hide in the library with a bottle of pink champagne. He stretched out on the plush sofa and watched the fire. He didn’t want to admit it, but sometimes all the attention he was getting, made him feel kind of… lonely? Damn it, he didn’t even want to think the word. Feeling lonely was for losers, he was not some whiny Hufflepuff after all. But the fact that everyone desired him for looks or for his money or his pure blood… Draco had this feeling that there was something wrong with it, that there was something else he would like there to be some other reason why he was so sought out.

Then the blonde took a sip from the bottle and closed his eyes, savouring the divine taste. He was being silly…

“Aren’t you too young to be drinking and aren’t you supposed to be too well-bred to be doing it straight from the bottle?”
Draco was suddenly startled by a low, manly and amused voice which was coming from somewhere above him.

The grey eyes shot open and what he saw was a red-haired man standing in front of him at the foot of the sofa. Well, not any redhead. It was one of the older Weasley sons; the one who had shook his hand and kind of surprised Draco with the gesture.

Probably because he already had had more than few, Draco couldn’t deny that despite being a Weasley the wizard was bloody attractive. He was about the same height, as Draco, but the man’s shoulders were much broader and his biceps much thicker.

The Weasley was a remarkable sight. Certainly, a man, no one would mistake him for a schoolboy. His body was so obviously as hard as steel under the dark blue robe and so well toned that one could see the impressive muscles even under the clothes.

Nonetheless, Draco could not call this Weasley beefy; he was nothing like Crabbe or Goyle. The upper part of his body was impressive, but his hips and waist narrow, the man was well proportioned and graceful.

The Weasley looked tanned, wore his hair very short for a pureblood and Draco had not been able to tell in the shadows of the library, but he had already noticed that his eyes were blue, very blue. As blue as Potter’s green and Potter’s eyes were incredibly green. And the face, strong jaw, high cheekbones, rather plump lower lip…

Then Draco reminded himself that he shouldn’t be checking out the Weasley, but berating him for invading his privacy. Well, but he was drunk after all, wasn’t he?

Still, Draco Malfoy also had an image to uphold.

“The party is out there,” the blonde remarked snidely.

“Are you sure? It actually looks like you were having one here,” the Weasley retorted, his eyes smiling teasingly.

“If I were then it would be a private one,” Draco returned irritated, there were times when even he was not feeling up to having a verbal spar. So he wanted for the annoying bloke to simply bugger off, no matter, if he was handsome or was not.

“Wouldn’t it be boring?” The red-head didn’t look like he was going anywhere though. He looked like he was having the time of his life by annoying the hell out of the huffy Malfoy.

“And that would be none of your business, Weasley,” with that Draco took another, challenging, sip from his bottle.

“Charlie,”

“What?”

“Charlie. It’s my name,” the redhead looked more and more amused with every passing minute.

“I don’t care what your name is, I want you to sod off,” Draco stated, but was ignored completely.

“My brother has told me a lot about you,” Charlie announced with a strange glint in his eyes.

Draco snorted: “Yes, I bet he has.” Draco could imagine Weasel whining about all of his wrong doings. He was not feeling repentant at all.

“Mhm, he told me about the boy who wore the name of a dragon and has the manners of one too, of course I was intrigued,” Charlie smirked.

Oh, now Draco remembered – he had briefly seen the guy during the Triwizard Tournament in his fourth year. By Morgan’s garter! Charlie was a Dragon tamer! Draco sat up a bit straighter, suddenly feeling more interested in his companion.

“Ah, and what are the dragons like then?” Draco asked intrigued. He had always been curious about the beasts.

“Wild, strong, difficult, stubborn, breathing fire. You can’t really tame a dragon,” then the blue eyes swept across Draco’s form shamelessly. “They are also very beautiful. And if one is up to challenge… it can be quite rewarding, but not for everyone.”

Draco couldn’t help it – he felt a strange jolt in his tummy when those eyes looked at him like that. He really didn’t want to feel that way, but it seemed that his body was rebelling against his brain. He suddenly felt very vulnerable lying there with Charlie standing over him. Draco took another swig from the bottle,… it went down completely wrong, and the blonde choked. He started coughing and trying to sit up which was…

Suddenly strong arms took him by the shoulders and easily pulled him up. Draco spat out the drink on the floor over his own lap while Charlie gently patted his back.

Finally, recovered Draco took a deep breath. The Malfoy heir felt his cheeks burn up – he had not been that embarrassed in his whole life. That had been so awfully clumsy. Draco was a very capable wizard, but what he couldn’t deal with was making a fool of himself, so he usually tried very hard not to.

Now he was sitting on the sofa absolutely horrified and vulnerable leaning against the Weasley who was gently drawing circles on his back with his large, warm hand.

He was not making fun of Draco, right? The boy felt a familiar sting irritating his eyes. Merlin, but he was in a strange mood tonight, and now about to start crying in front of a total stranger!

“Shh, it’s alright,” Charlie whispered soothingly on distressed blonde’s ear.

“I am drunk,” Draco mumbled miserably.

“Oh, yes, you are, quite smashed,” the man chuckled his breath ghosting over the blonde’s ear.

“Argh…”

“I think it’s time for you to turn in,”

Draco tried to get up only to loose his balance and almost fall on the hearthrug if only Charlie hadn’t caught him wrapping his strong arms around the younger wizard’s waist.

“Easy here,” Charlie still looked a bit amused and Draco sent him a glare which obviously didn’t have the regular fierceness, because the damn man didn’t look intimidated at all, no on the contrary, he kept smiling.

“Let’s get you to the bed,” Charlie took the blonde’s arm and put it over his own shoulder supporting the younger man as they started walking towards the door.

“I can get to my bed myself,” grumbled Draco whose pride was suffering quite a bit despite his drunken state.

“Yes, of course,” the scepticism could be clearly heard in the redhead’s voice. “Now shut up and tell me what direction your room is and be grateful that I am not carrying you.”

Draco did keep his tongue, which was rare, and out of character, but he did not want to increase his humiliation by being treated like some kind of damsel in distress and was feeling kind of tired and sleepy and wanted to get under the covers as fast as possible.

He obediently told the annoying Weasley the directions towards his rooms.

What Draco didn’t know was that in the end Charlie Weasley did carry him, because the blonde fell asleep halfway to his rooms.

The next day the Draco woke up with a hangover of the century and a bed head from hell, not remembering how he had gotten into the bed or taken off his clothes and then a realisation dawned upon him. The boy paled and then his face turned pink. Oh, Salazar, Draco had lost his face spectacularly in front of a Weasley who probably was telling his brother about it right at this moment and they were laughing their carrot heads off at his expense.

Shit!

And he had allowed the man to put him to bed and the Weasley had probably undressed him! Not that Draco had anything to hide or to be ashamed of, but…

Draco whimpered and buried his head in the pillows. He had never felt so embarrassed and so ill. He was never going to touch any wine again.

It was all Potter’s fault! The stupid prat with his pregnancy. Surely Draco might be having compassionate mood swings or something like that.

Draco waited until the room stopped spinning and then tried to sit up. It went well enough, considering the circumstances.
There was a glass of water on his nightstand and Draco was grateful to whatever magic that had landed it there, house elves usually weren’t that thoughtful. He emptied it greedily.

Then the blonde noticed a piece of parchment lying next to the glass.

It said:

See you on the first Hogsmeade weekend, Dragon. I’ll owl you.

Draco’s first impulse was to crumble the note or incendio it. It was just so presumptuous!

But then he let his long, manicured finger slide across the words and the young wizard’s lips twitched. Oh, he probably was going crazy and father was most likely going to kill him if he ever found out, but… Draco was really looking forward to seeing Charlie Weasley. Again.

36. Eternal Differences

When the party was finally over it was very late or rather very early in the morning and Harry was dead on his feet. He and Lucius had walked out the last of the guests who had been the Weasleys and Hermione and were standing in the middle of the deserted ballroom alone. The ice-sculptures had melted, most of the fairies had fallen asleep in their lanterns and the house elves were already sweeping the floor with brooms that were trice larger than they were.

“Where is Draco?” Harry asked impulsively. Actually, the teenager had just noticed that he hadn’t seen the obnoxious brat for some time.

Lucius grimaced: “I don’t really want to know where my son is and what he is up to and I assure you, you don’t either. I know that by experience. It doesn’t matter if one is an open-minded parent, there are just some details about your child’s private life you don’t want to know.”

Harry chuckled, his laugh echoing in the spacious room: “I won’t let you spoil my child so rotten, I hope you realise that? You have done a number on Draco.”

Lucius scowled: “I admit that Draco can be rather difficult sometimes, but he is confident and strong young pure blood who knows his self-worth. His grades are excellent and Draco is competitive and a leader in his house. It makes life difficult for other people, but easier for him. Well, I agree that he has a big mouth, which can be an advantage or a disadvantage, but otherwise I see nothing wrong with my son.”

Harry fumed; he just couldn’t believe the conceited git: “Confident? Ha! Your son thinks that he is better than everyone else is and that the sun shines out of his ass. He doesn’t know what empathy is and has no compassion. He is stuck of little drama queen who doesn’t know how to interact with people who don’t care for his status or money. He is awfully selfish and insensitive. And the last time I got in touch with Hogwarts’ rumour mill, I heard that he has been sleeping his way through the half of school’s population!”

Lucius frowned. He had thought that Harry and Draco were getting on well and that Harry somewhat liked his son: “I don’t really see what is so wrong with that, just because Draco doesn’t want to be everyone’s friend and takes from life what he wants… he is a Malfoy and we are better than other people.”

“No, you are not! You are setting him up for a hard fall from his high horse one day. One day he might need help from people who can’t be bought with money. One day his insensitivity and blindness to other people’s feelings might hurt someone he doesn’t want to hurt just because he won’t know another way. One day he might piss someone off for real and not know what to look out for. He knows no boundaries… and it can be a great advantage to have real friends not the ones he has to look out for.
Do you know what he told me the other day? That he was tired of being around people whom he could not trust. All the money and power, it will not make him happy,” Harry finished heatedly. He was not going to tell the man that it was him, who Draco almost hexed thus endangering their child.

Lucius pressed his lips tightly together and looked like he wanted to say something, but Harry didn’t let him: “Of course you don’t see what is wrong with that. It is the reason I am here, isn’t it? You wanted to marry me; you didn’t care how I felt about it.” Harry’s voice was, but bitter. He was not usually vindictive and had not planned to remind the other man of his sin all the time, but lately his emotions were just so wayward…

However, reminding the man of the forced marriage was effecting. Lucius suddenly froze as if he had been hit with Aguamenti

“Look at your own mistakes… Do you want to see Draco making the same ones? Only over my dead body my baby is going to be like that!” The boy exclaimed.

Lucius looked at the boy with wide, pained and guilty eyes. It was true, completely true. He had been so taken with his desire to have The-Boy-Who-Lived, so sure that everything was going to go according his plans that he had a right to take what he wanted, because he was a Malfoy and because he could.

“Harry,” he said gently, reaching out and smoothing back boy’s dark, silky hair with his long elegant fingers, with great relish the older wizard saw the boy leaning into the touch. “I am sorry, you can’t imagine how sorry I am and I want to make it up to you, but there is no way for me to erase the past…”

“I know,” sighed Harry. “And… I think I am on my way towards forgiving you, but I really can’t forget everything. Not yet.”

“Oh, I know,” Lucius let out a sigh of his own and let his arm slide down and wrap around Harry’s shoulders and pull the youth to his chest. Harry complied and put his head on man’s shoulder. It felt good and safe.

Lucius didn’t like admitting his mistakes, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t made any and Draco… in many ways they were pretty much alike and that could mean that Draco might repeat his father’s mistakes. Harry could be right.

“It turns out that you can be wise beyond your years,” Lucius noted trying to lighten the mood.

Unfortunately judging by the way Harry’s body stiffened, the comment had quite the opposite effect: “I have had a very mature life, Luciuss.” Harry hissed reminding the older wizard that he was actually a parselmouth and that The-Boy-Who-Lived was a more complex creature than most knew.

And then his shoulders slumped. Lucius suddenly felt feeling of guilt overcome him like never before Harry just looked so small and vulnerable in his arms.

“Harry…” he tried to reach out to touch the boy’s cheek, but Harry turned his face away. He felt the rejection pierce his heart like the coldest of blades.

Then Lucius did the unimaginable.

The man fell on his knees in front of the petite, dark-haired youth, wound his arms around the boy’s waist and buried his face into Harry’s robe just above the bump where their baby rested. Lucius rubbed his cheek against it wanting to be closer.

“I would do anything to fix this Harry, please believe me,” he had never apologized to someone this much actually meaning it, but he was ready to do it every day for the rest of their lives if Harry wanted him to.
“Ask whatever you want of me.”

“I… It’s, Ok,” Harry breathed out apparently calming down. And to his great pleasure Lucius felt fingers threading through his hair.

“God!” the boy then exclaimed startling the blond man who was in seven heavens allowed to be so close to his petite husband. “Who is the drama queen now?” Then he laughed out, the mood changing once again.

Lucius felt a small smile pulling at his lips as he kept nuzzling Harry’s belly with his nose, his hands sliding up and down the boy’s back. If only everyone saw him now… the arrogant pure blood had never stood on his knees in front of anyone besides The Dark Lord.

“It’s very late,” he finally said looking up into those amazing, vivid green eyes, his hands still holding the boy’s slim hips. “You should go to the bed.”

“Only me?” Harry raised an amused eyebrow. This time Lucius praised all the Gods he knew of for the mood swings if they allowed him to see Harry smile again.

“Both of you,” the man pressed palm against the baby bump.

“I guess we should,” Harry murmured playing with the long, white blonde strands of his husband’s hair.

Lucius slowly rose and then swiftly swept the smaller man off his feet.

“What…?” Harry yelped suddenly finding himself in his husband’s arms.

“Trying to spoil you,” Lucius smirked carrying the boy towards the door.

“I can walk, you know,” Harry made the token complaint sticking out his lower lip and giving Lucius at least two ideas about what he would like to do with that red, plump, tasty morsel.

Lucius decided that kissing would be even better than simply holding Harry in his arms and started to walk faster.

When they finally reached the anteroom of Harry’s quarters Lucius put the young wizard on his feet still holding him close. He looked at the boy trying to make up his mind, he was not sure if it was appropriate… if Harry wanted to… Salazzar’s pants!
Lucius was feeling like some awkward teenager who was not sure if his crush would agree to a kiss or would hex him instead.
Not that Lucius had ever been awkward or had been slapped by anyone, but he knew that the youth might do exactly that, as unpredictable as he was.
Besides, he was sure that hands had to stand above the waist…

There was a tiny very pretty blush staining the boy’s cheeks though, his eyes appeared to be a bit glazed and lips dry and parted. Lucius was ready to hex himself if that wasn’t an invitation.

But he still decided to be a gentleman.

“Harry, can I kiss you?” He asked already letting tongue slide over his own lips, making them wet and ready just in case the permission would be granted.

Something fluttered happily inside him when Lucius saw Harry’s own pink muscle mimicking his. Definitely an invitation.

He decided to be a man and take the risk and leaned down to capture the boy’s lower lip between his own. Harry responded eagerly being the first one who applied his tongue. Lucius had already learned that if he wanted dominance he would have to fight for it. And it was maddeningly arousing.

Harry obviously liked kissing very much and his enthusiasm more than made up for the lack of experience. Lucius was not going to complain about that, because if he was the first who showed his little love how pleasurable things could be that would only bind Harry to him tighter.
One of the useful things he had learned from that awfully depressive book about atrocity of arranged marriages was that they often worked because one of the spouses was very young, inexperienced, with traumatising life experiences and inclined to develop attachment to persons who they were bound to as long as they showed ‘the victims’ some kindness.

Naturally, the Whitedowe woman had found that kind of development upsetting as well. However, Lucius did not see anything wrong with it if everyone was happy in the end.
Besides, he was ready to show Harry plentyof kindness, not just a little.The wizard had admitted his guilt, but he was not going to wallow in it. That would be quite counterproductive. Lucius was willing to repent though which as far as he was concerned telling his husband how truly sorry Lucius was and granting the boy his every wish.

And, if his beautiful wanted to be kissed, he really couldn’t mind.

Lucius had pulled Harry over to the settee where he had sat down pulling Harry on his lap facing the other man. He was not going to have the pregnant boy stand or risk crushing him with his superior weight. When Harry was sitting astride Lucius’ lap, his face was exactly on the same level as his husband’s.

Bright, green eyes were looking in the quicksilver ones, both men were flustered, their lips red and swollen, breathing uneven. Harry’s right hand was on Lucius’ shoulder gripping the fancy robe; the other was wound in the locks of fine, blonde hair. The boy’s own robe was opened and Lucius’ hands were running up and down his sides, with every other stroke sliding down to boy’s slender hips and thighs.

Harry adjusted himself on the man’s lap and whimpered. He had gotten a bit exited. And Lucius was looking at his petite husband like… Harry’s eyes widened, there was so much passion in those mercury orbs that even he couldn’t miss it, the usually aloof aristocrat suddenly reminded him of some wild predator whose prey was sitting in front of him, ready to be… Harry gulped audibly. And the magic was lost, focus returned to the previously glazed over eyes and the hands which had been getting bolder and bolder froze where they were.

“Merlin, Harry,” Lucius exclaimed trying to regain his composure, the boy was not ready to go further, besides… “It is awfully late! You should be in the bed already!” Really! They had gotten carried away like a pair of… well, one of them was a hormonal teenager, but what excuse did the other have?

Harry nodded, obediently crawling off Lucius’ lap, trying to decide if he was more relieved or disappointed.

He collapsed on the bed and had just enough energy left to pull the duvet over himself.

“Happy New Year,” Harry murmured, but there was no one in the bedroom to answer him.
37. A Boy or a Girl

Harry had really started to like the elderly Malfoys’ mediwizard Toto Tanabe. The boy couldn’t express how much he appreciated the calm, pleasant and clever man after experiencing overbearing and pushy Madam Pomfrey who treated everyone as if they were little children, poked and prodded them more than necessary and asked very uncomfortable questions without much consideration and demanded that everyone did as they were told without offering any explanations.

Harry had endured patiently; he knew that she probably meant well, but still avoided the medical ward if it was possible. He hadn’t known it could be any different, at least, until he had met Doctor Tanabe.

The first and the second time the doctor had treated Harry, he hadn’t paid much attention to the man under the circumstances – he had been pretty much out of it. However, later he had had many chances to get to know Toto Tanabe during the weekly checkups. The old wizard had fashion sense not too different from Dumbledore’s. The only difference was that the wizard obviously preferred to wear all the possible hues of yellow, sometimes yellowish green or orange.

Nevertheless, what really mattered that the man was very pleasant and unobtrusive and despite the situation made his patient feel comfortable. Harry could ask all the stupid questions which came to his mind and not feel like an idiot.

Madame Pomfrey had wanted to get her hands on Harry since he had returned to the school, but he had refused as politely as possible. Of course, it had been a bit of a drama when the two had met since Harry’s check-ups were to be held somewhere and they had to use one of the rooms in the hospital wing. But probably the fact that doctor Tanabe had some thirty to fifty years on Madam Pomfrey and experience of lifetime dealing with the Malfoys helped some – he was not easily intimidated by the woman.

When madam Pomfrey had marched out of infirmary Toto Tanabe had just smiled: “Mister Lucius’ glare was a lot scarier by the age of thirteen and young Mister Draco’s pout… hm, if I think about it, I believe he was born with it.”

That had made Harry laugh. Yes, the old doctor had better sense of humour as well and didn’t think that his patients should be punished for getting themselves into trouble. He never tried to make a lesson out of a medical procedure.

However what mattered was that the baby and Harry himself were both healthy even if Harry still slightly underweight. The mediwizard had explained that because Harry was very young and pregnant, his metabolism was incredibly fast and even if he consumed ‘heaps of food’ as the boy claimed, it was no surprise that he hadn’t gained more weight. However it was not really dangerous only meant some more prenatal vitamins for the young father to-be.

Overall Harry’s check-up had gone well. They were both healthy. However, there was another, more important reason for Harry to schedule his check-up a day before going back to the school. There was something Harry wanted to do and he wanted for both Lucius and Draco to be there. Not for support or anything like that, just because they deserved to witness this as well.

Harry was lying on the bed with his dark red sweater pulled up and a blanket covering the lower part of his body. He was starting to get uncomfortable since the two blondes were staring at his stomach as if he had accidentally swallowed the Philosopher’s Stone or something. He wanted to remind them that his head was up there… but Harry couldn’t really blame them for being a bit obsessed with the youngest Malfoy, the boy was becoming fond of the little bugger himself even if it was still hard to believe that the baby was there. Until it kicked him in the gut when Lucius and Harry were trying to have some very good time together. The boy suspected that every time he got particularly excited the little brat felt it and got unruly.

Harry had decided that it would be nice to know the sex of the baby after all. They could have tried to take a look earlier, but if it was a boy or a girl had not really bothered Harry. The sole fact that there was a baby inside him had been enough. Besides the doctor had said that this was very good time for that, because the baby was developed enough to see.

Harry shivered a bit as the Doctor started spreading some kind of cool jellylike transparent potion over his abdomen.

“There are several ways to do this…” Tanabe commented. “This is one I prefer, you will be able to see enough detail, but not too much, sometimes too much is just too much… You are a wonderful patient Mr. Potter-Black-Malfoy,” the elderly wizard cooed. “I wish all the Malfoys I have had opportunity to tend to had been so… well, I hope the little one takes after you. I really do. That would make my life so much easier.”

“Hey!” Draco protested indignantly.

Harry giggled and stuck out his tongue.

“Children,” Lucius chided.

“Alright, now I am ready to cast the spell,” Tanabe announced.

Everyone instantly grew serious again and turned their eyes back to Harry’s stomach. Of course.

“Parvulus revelo!” Toto Tanabe pronounced confidently and clearly and Harry’s stomach started glowing as if there was light shining from somewhere inside it and the skin above the foetus started becoming pinkish and transparent. Then everyone could see the baby clearly. Harry had once seen a picture of sonograph in one of the encyclopaedias in his muggle school and it had been almost impossible to tell which were its feet and which were the arms. Not that the boy had been very interested at the moment.

This however was a very clear picture, it was not even a picture, Harry was looking directly at his little one who was lying there in foetal position, so small and pink, who had legs and feet and really tiny fingers and was so damn cute! It was obviously not like a fully developed baby, because it still looked a bit strange and alien-ish, but enough human to be called cute. Unbelievable… his baby!

“Ah, there it is,” Tanabe smiled pointing with his wand somewhere in baby’s general direction while Harry was looking at it and smiling like an idiot, feeling familiar prickling in his eyes and while both Malfoys were gaping at it with their mouths hanging open. “Yes, we definitely have a little wizard there.”

“Really?” Draco lifted his head. “A boy? I am having a baby brother?”

“I believe that it is what you are having, yes, Mr. Malfoy,” the mediwizard confirmed.

Harry kept grinning and didn’t even remind Draco that it was him who was having a baby boy.

Then Lucius reached out with his arm and put his palm right over the baby smiling softly.

“Hey, you’re blocking the view!” Draco protested.

Harry rolled his eyes, no really. What a brat!

But then the spell obviously started fading by itself.

“The child,” Lucius looked up at the mediwizard. “Is it healthy? Is everything in order?” He demanded.

Harry wondered if Toto Tanabe was taking some kind of patience enhancing potion or draught and if he could get some as well.

The mediwizard just kept smiling: “As I already told you about ten minutes ago, everything is perfectly fine and if you need to know, nothing has changed during the last ten minutes.”

Lucius narrowed his eyes at the older wizard obviously realising that he was being teased, but obviously, the man decided to let it go this time.

Harry decided that enough was enough. He brushed Lucius’ hand off and pulled down the sweater. “Ok, the show’s over,” he announced. “If you want to see it again, you will have to wait until it gets out.”

“Him, Harry,” Lucius corrected, but the boy just rolled his eyes.

“What are we going to call him?” Draco looked between two other men enthusiastically and expectantly.

Harry shrugged; he hadn’t thought about it that much. Hermione might have mentioned something, but he hadn’t been in the right mood or something. He certainly wasn’t going to insist that they call the baby ‘James’ or ‘Sirius’, no, his son should have his own name.

“Abraxas?” Lucius suggested straight away.

Harry made a sour face: “That sound old. I wouldn’t like my child having an old person’s name. And it’s weird. And too similar to ‘abraxan’.”

“It is my father’s name, Harry,” Lucius reminded looking a bit offended.

“Well your father can keep it,” the dark-haired youth snapped sliding off the bed and straightening out his clothing. “My father’s name was James and I am not going to call the baby ‘James’,” Harry explained. “I want the child to have his own name. Something new. If we try to find one we both agree on among our long dead relatives… well, must I remind you that half of mine were muggles?” Harry was bluffing there, he had no idea what his maternal grandparents were called, not to mention other kinsfolk, but it was effective enough. He didn’t miss his ‘dear’ husband’s wince. Lucius was probably imagining all the awful, plebeian, muggle names Harry knew. Good. Harry had won this round.

“He’s got a point,” Draco agreed. “Abraxas is just so…” he waved his arms trying to convey some message, which was not really clear, but…

“Exactly,” Harry obviously understood what the other boy had meant.

“Alright,” Lucius was going to be reasonable about it. After all there were many appropriate names. There just had to be something they both could agree on, there just had to be something they could agree on. Hopefully.

“I think we are finished here gentlemen,” Toto Tanabe interrupted their musings. “See you in a week Mr. Potter. If anything troubles you don’t hesitate to owl me any time.” He bowed and left smiling mischievously.


***

Harry was feeling conflicted. Now when the Weasleys and the other people who cared too much and who tried to rule his life had finally left the boy alone, he was free to make his own decisions. Which was not that easy, because a part of him wanted to stay at the Malfoy Manor, but another part wanted to return to the school. It was not an easy decision to make.

It was actually strange, because Hogwarts had always been the place where Harry had wanted to go more than anything, well of course, comparing with the Privet Drive Number Four… Anyway, he wouldn’t have imagined in his wildest dreams that one day he would think of the Malfoy Manor as a place where he was safe and comfortable and that he would be ready to call it ‘home’. Well, almost ready.

And Harry kind of thought that it would be nice to spend some more time with Lucius… and then the teenager kind of had this prejudice about pregnant people – that they didn’t go to schools. He had heard Aunt Petunia bash the girls who had gotten themselves pregnant with her stuck-up housewife friends more than once. The housewives of Little Whinging had been certain that teenage mothers were giving bad example and corrupting other, good girls and they should be separated from ‘normal’ children.

Harry hoped that other parents didn’t send howlers to remove him from Hogwarts. It hadn’t been his fault and he was married after all. Before he hadn’t actually been THAT pregnant, because others hadn’t known, but now when they did, Harry Potter was REALLY pregnant. If that made any sense…

However, everyone kept assuring him that it was no trouble and he was welcome and it all depended on what he wanted and Lucius promised not to be upset and visit… so in the end Harry decided that he wanted to return to Hogwarts. Probably for the last time. He couldn’t imagine returning after the baby was born. There was no way… Harry would never leave his child alone, not even for his seventh year. Lucius would have to hire a tutor for him or five of them or whatever to prepare the teenager for his NEWTs, or maybe the NEWTs were not so important anymore. There were enough wizards who dropped out of the school after their OWLs who were doing perfectly fine for themselves.

He didn’t exactly talk to anyone about those plans yet, because they were just thoughts and nothing was decided, but he could see at least some kind of direction in his life for once. He was resigned to the fact that for some time all the important decisions in his life would be made considering the little boy he was carrying. There was a part of him, a small voice whining that it wasn’t fair, that he should be able to do whatever he wanted with his life and didn’t deserve to be tied down by the baby at the age of sixteen.

But he knew that it wasn’t baby’s fault and it wouldn’t be fair to make it suffer because of it. He had started reading the baby books and most of them said that babies needed their mothers very much. Especially when they were small and Harry knew that he couldn’t be selfish and take it away just because he wanted to finish the school if there were other options.
Now when the baby had gender it had become even more real to Harry, like a little person. Now Harry could give the child a name if he wanted – John, Frank, Richard… He snickered imagining Lucius’ and Draco’s faces if he declared that the little one would be named John! He made a mental note to tease both Malfoys with ‘John’ or ‘Jack’ or ‘Pete’.

So, when the Hogwarts’ Express came, Harry got on it to return to the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the last time.

***

38. Hogwarts again


Harry had almost forgotten that while the news about his pregnancy had been out for a couple of weeks already, most of the Hogwarts hadn’t seen him yet. On the train, he had managed to hide in his compartment with his friends as his bodyguards and after that made a quick dash for the carriages.

However, when he had to walk into The Great Hall, it was the first day over again.

All of them were staring. Staring shamelessly at Harry’s stomach, which was obviously rounder than it should be. Harry had forgone the baggy robes he was usually wearing and chosen ones which were more fitting, because now when everyone knew the boy didn’t want to look like he was hiding something and hoped that they would ask less questions if it was obvious that, yes, indeed, he was carrying a baby.

Should he be relieved that the infamous scar had suddenly become less interesting? Well, he was not.

Harry couldn’t exactly stop his cheeks from burning up – he hadn’t gotten used to the attention and was very sure that he never will. The boy hurried over to the Gryffindor table avoiding everyone’s prying eyes and sat down as usually between Ron and Hermione. And without looking at anyone started on the food which had appeared on the plate in front of him – courtesy of Chirpy, the house elf which Harry was allowed to have at school because of his condition.

Of course, many students had looked askew at him thinking that the Hero of the Wizarding World was receiving a special treatment for no other reason than his fame. Now at least they would know that there was a good reason for him to have extra help.
Besides, it was not always such a great fun, being forced to eat very healthy meals following the doctor’s prescription, but no one noticed that, naturally. Everyone always thought the worst.

“Hey, Harry,” someone greeted joined by many other gryffindors from his and other years.

The boy looked up and returned the greeting without much enthusiasm.

“So, Harry,” the voice belonged to Seamus Finnegan. “Is it true?”

“What exactly?” The boy was feeling irritated. “I have no idea what exactly ‘The Prophet’ has written, but, yes, I am pregnant, if you are asking about it. That much is true.” He still didn’t like people knowing, admitting something that made him so much different from all the other sixteen year old boys around. Harry didn’t want to be ashamed of his child, but he couldn’t completely help it.

“Whoa!”

“Blimey!” Someone exclaimed.

Harry just scowled; he didn’t want to discuss it. Wasn’t that obvious?

“No, I understand that you had to marry Malfoy, but having his baby… that must be…”

“When I told my mother about it,” Lavender Brown joined. “She wrote a letter to the Ministry straight away. She said that it was barbaric to make a boy marry a man who could be his father and then force him to carry a baby! I mean Harry is so young!”

“Oh, you can’t even imagine how angry my dad became when I showed him the paper!” Cormac McLaggen, another muggle born exclaimed. “Da says that it’s unnatural and is giving poufters ideas. He thinks that there are too many of them anyway. Almost didn’t let me come back there! Well I told him that it wasn’t as if it was contagious…”

“How dare you! Shut your gob before I do it for you!” Ron was the one who jumped on his feet with wand pointer at his fellow Gryffindor.

“Ron!” Hermione cried out pulling the boy back down into his seat and glancing at the teachers’ table to see if anyone had noticed and was coming over to give Ron detentions. “Stop it, no need to get in trouble because of that bigoted idiot.”
Then she turned her most scathing glare towards McLaggen: “And it is not unnatural, not less natural than any other kind of magic at least, only rare,” those who knew the girl could recognise ‘the lecture mode’.

“The last man to give birth was actually Andrew Prewett about one hundred and fifty years ago. And the fact that Harry is having a baby is a miracle! It was nothing he planned or did intentionally. No dark magic or blood rituals. And honestly, McLaggen, you have spent seven years in this world, you should have noticed that they don’t have the same kind of prejudices as muggles and keep your big mouth shut if you know what is good for you,” she finished with a warning.

That was true; some of the wizard-borns looked a bit cross with the boy.

“She is right,” Parvati Patil spoke up. “Even the traditionalists and purists agree that one is allowed to pursue whoever they want after producing an heir. And Harry’s condition is a proof that the magic is great and with magic everything is possible.”

“Because of people like you some wizards don’t like the muggle borns, McLaggen, you come here with your values, but never really accept our way of live and magic,” someone added.

“Oh, and all your pureblood traditions are so great!” Another student exclaimed. “You marry because of bloodlines and then cheat on each other, breed like horses just to create your perfect heirs…”

“Exactly! People like you disrespect all the true values in life like love, selflessness, honesty and it’s your fault that the Wizarding World is corrupt and full of hypocrites…”

“Hey! Not all the pure-bloods are like that!” Ron protested. “We value family and morale and we don’t fuck everything that moves like Malfoy…” then Ron suddenly stopped when he realized what he had said. “Oh, sorry, Harry! I meant Draco Malfoy…”

Harry had had enough at that point; his appetite was ruined anyway, so he just got up from his seat and headed for the door. Someone called his name, but the boy ignored whoever it was, he did not want to deal with that kind of crap. He was not going to allow anyone to use his situation, his life as an argument for their political disputes.

He had to get out before he hexed someone.

As he was angrily marching down the corridor, the boy almost literally run into someone. Luckily, Professor Rasputin was paying more attention to where he was walking and caught the boy as he almost bumped into his teacher.

“Hey, Harry! Where is the fire!”

The boy sighed and his shoulders slumped: “Well, you read ‘The Prophet’ or at least heard about it? Everyone did. I really don’t care what they think, but I don’t want to hear it anyway.” Well, he was not being completely truthful. To some extent, the boy cared.

“You want to talk?” Rasputin offered.

“No, I…,” Harry hesitated. “You are probably hungry and…”

“It is not a problem Harry, truly,” professor smiled kindly.

Harry nodded. He really wanted to talk to someone who was not so involved in everything and since he was forced to have those sessions with the defence professor; Harry had grown to like them and the man. Now when he was returned to the Manor, the boy probably wasn’t obliged to continue them, but, maybe it was not such a bad idea.

***

About five minutes later Harry was sitting in one of the comfy armchairs in the professor’s office with a cup of tea.

“So, Harry,” Rasputin started. “Tell me how are you feeling?”

The dark-haired teenager scowled: “Oh, I think the correct term would be… homicidal?”

“Shall I call the Aurors?” Rasputin chuckled.

The boy snickered suddenly feeling less tense: “No, not yet, I think I am not actually going to attack anyone, but there are many people I would like to hex at the moment.”

“Tell me about it,” Rasputin urged.

“Gryffindors. They are staring at me as if I were some kind of freak with two heads. I just don’t like when people staring at me,” he explained taking a sip from his cup. It was chamomile tea; he wasn’t allowed too much caffeine anymore.

“But Harry,” the man reached out and put a hand on boy’s knee in a calming gesture. “You are very special and people obviously notice that.”

Harry tried to smile, but actually, he was feeling a bit… well, Professor Rasputin was a very good person to talk to, but he certainly had his moments. Weird moments.

“No,” the boy stood up and walked across the room to one of the shelves pretending to inspect some kind of device which he was not interested in, the boy just had to overcome the sudden discomfort he was feeling. “I don’t think I am more special than anyone else and… well, it doesn’t matter, I don’t want to be, I just want to be like everyone else and to be left alone.”

“You are a very humble young man, Harry,” Rasputin smiled. “But sometimes it can’t be helped, you are who you are.”

“I know,” the teenager groaned. “But I can’t always like it. Right?”

“Of course, you are right,” Rasputin agreed. “And how was your holiday?”

Harry sighed: “It was alright, I guess. I was at the Manor and… me and Lucius, sometimes it’s like we don’t have much in common, like he doesn’t understand me at all and I am afraid that he never will and we will keep having those stupid fights and misunderstandings, but on the other hand – he is trying very hard…”

“But trying sometimes is not enough,” Rasputin suggested his unusually light brown eyes were almost boring into green ones.

Harry averted his gaze: “I don’t know.” He was not sure, he thought that the fact that Lucius was trying should be enough and they just needed more time.

“Harry,” Rasputin sighed looking at the young man with compassion. “You are very loyal and decent young man, but not all the people are like you and when it comes to marriages… not all the people match and sometimes no matter how hard you try… there are things that can’t be forced. Sometimes you just have to accept that. You have a very big and loving heart Harry and you deserve to be happy and… I shouldn’t be saying this, because it is unprofessional, but… do you see me as your friend, Harry? Not only your professor?”

Harry was taken aback by the question, well, he hadn’t exactly thought about the man that much at all, but he could admit that they were on pretty friendly terms and they had talked a lot, besides he really didn’t want to offend the wizard who had shown him nothing, but kindness, so the boy nodded affirmatively.

Rasputin looked very pleased at that: “As a friend I must confess that I really don’t see you happy with Lucius Malfoy.”

“You know him?” The boy frowned.

“Not personally, Harry, but I listen to you. I know him from what you tell me, I know your situation.”

“But… but we are having a baby together!” Harry protested.

“Oh, Harry,” Rasputin sighed. “You are mistaken if you think that a child can mend failing relationship between its parents, it’s not true and it’s not fair children are happy to see their parents suffering together just because of them. Believe me; most of them would prefer their parents happily separated. It is not fair to expect that much from your child. It would be tragic if in the end it felt responsible for parents’ misery.”

“It’s ‘him’, it is going to be a boy,” Harry corrected instantly. “ And we are not miserable!”

“Harry, I didn’t want to remind you, really, but considering your past, you can’t always judge what is a normal relationship and happiness.”

The boy wished he was not reminded of that. Rasputin was probably right what did he know about families and healthy relationship when he had never had that?

“But doesn’t it mean that I need Lucius? To show me?” For some reason the young man couldn’t stand that the professor was dismissing his husband that easily and felt like he should be defending Lucius.

“It doesn’t have to be Lucius,” Rasputin contradicted. “And Harry, are you sure that he knows what a happy, healthy family should be like? Remember that I teach his boy. Do you want your child to turn out like that?”

Harry wanted to protest, say that Draco was not so bad and after all, Lucius loved his son… but… the older wizard had just voiced some of the doubts Harry himself had.

“I… it’s late, I will be going now,” he finally said, heading for the door. He didn’t want to hear more of it.

“Of course, but you know that my door is always open for you,” Rasputin looked sad as he said it and Harry almost felt guilty for not being able to give his professor the answer he had wanted to hear.

Anyway, with a very heavy heart and depressing thoughts the boy returned to his rooms ignoring everyone he met on the way back. Harry was lucky that he was dead tired and fell asleep almost instantly after asking Chirpy to bring him a banana. No matter what Harry was obliged to his little one. Nevertheless, he didn’t feel guilty that he had allowed them to drive him out of the Great Hall before finishing the meal, sometimes emotional comfort was mote important that physical.

***

The Next morning Harry was feeling a bit better. At least until he remembered the previous day. Irritation washed over the boy like a tidal wave as he slid off the bed and waddled to the loo. Maybe, maybe he should pack the trunk and return to the Manor where no one would be ogling The-Boy-Who-Lived-To-Have-a-Baby? But hiding would be cowardly and at the Malfoy Manor he would be alone with Lucius whom the young wizard liked more and more with every day they spent together and started seeing as someone more than just his protector.

Liking Lucius just couldn’t be right. The man had forced Harry into that bloody marriage after all! And at the time when the boy had been the most vulnerable, just after dealing with one monster… well at the time he had seen Lucius Malfoy as another and then the wizard had showed Harry how good it could be and made him want to forgive him.

He just wished his life was less complicated.

He almost ordered Chirpy to bring the breakfast to his room, because it didn’t matte since she was the one who served Harry anyway, but decided against it. Exercise was good for him and he was not going to hide in his room.

More motivation was provided by Ron and Hermione who predictably came to get him looking a bit concerned.

“I am very sorry for my big mouth, Harry,” the first thing Ron did was apologizing. “He’s your… well, he’s kind of your family…” the topic was obviously making the red-head uncomfortable.

“It’s alright, Ron,” Harry sighed. “You don’t have to like him or his lifestyle,” damn it, the boy suddenly realised that he sounded very mature. “It’s just that when you get to know him… well, Draco is not that bad. He is just… different.”

“Yeah, different…” Ron snorted. “Well, as long as he stays away from my family…”

Harry wisely didn’t comment. It was obvious that Ginny was turning into quite a heartbreaker. She was more discreet and Harry was not sure how far the witch went with her boyfriends, but there were more than one of them.

Hermione just rolled her eyes: “It’s not Malfoy whom we are worried about…”

“I am perfectly alright guys, Ok?” Harry tried to reassure them

“If you say so, mate,” Ron shrugged and they made their way to the Great Hall.

It was obvious that his pregnancy or sole existence was still novel enough, but Harry did his best to ignore it, he tried to smile and wave in the general direction of everyone at the Gryffindor table, but didn’t greet anyone specially and after that looked nowhere but at his breakfast until the owls carrying the morning post arrived. A sizable package was deposited in front of him by the familiar, huge eagle-owl. Harry almost groaned. It was what? His second day back? And Lucius was already sending him care packages. As if Harry needed to attract more attention at the moment. He shrunk the package without even checking what it was and stuffed in his schoolbag.

“Really, Potter,” a slightly nasal voice drawled behind his back. “Haven’t anyone told you that not everything can be shrunken safely? If father has sent you a rare magical artefact it could be ruined.”

Harry turned around to glare at Draco: “What a pity. It won’t be any good for the museum of rare magical artefacts I was planning to open!”

The blonde lifted his hands in surrender, he could swear that the unusually green eyes were sending off sparks of anger: “Alright! Calm down will you. It’s not good for you, you know? What got you so worked up this early in the morning? Are you or aren’t you good for anything?” He glared at Ron and Hermione who raised eyebrows at Malfoy who was implying that they should do better job watching over their best friend. She had also noticed spots of red staining Harry’s cheeks.

“Well, anyway,” Malfoy obviously didn’t know when to keep his big mouth shut. “We have potions together this morning, so I decided to walk you there, since one obviously can’t rely on gryffindors,” another sneer at Ron and Hermione. “Give your bag to Goyle… are you not feeling well? You seem flushed…” Draco reached out with his hand the way Harry had seen Mrs. Weasley do to check if one of her children were having fever.

The hand was batted away before it reached Harry’s forehead: “I am flushed from all the effort it’s taking me not to hex you! I don’t need a mother. And even I needed one you would be the last I would turn to! Is that clear?” What the dark-haired boy said was stressed by rattling of some of the plates on the table.

‘Hormones,’ Dean Thomas mouthed behind Harry’s back and was damn lucky that his pregnant house-mate didn’t see that.

On his way to the dungeons with his friends and Malfoy with his entourage, carefully following him in the safe distance Harry did hex two of fifth years who dared to ask him if they could touch his stomach. He made a mental note to thank Ginny for teaching him the Bat-Bogey hex.

TBC

***

A/N:

Sorry for late update, was having Internet problems. Gah!


Jea: Thank you!


Kyle21: I agree abut funny. I didn’t want to be acused of making all the main characters gay and Remus/Snape is so cliché. Guess I wanted to be a bit adventurous.

Kyouteki: He’s not meek, he has just had very hard time with loosing Sirius and killing Voldemort. Now, when the kitten is feeling better, he is starting to show his claws.

Llyoung: Wow, I am flattered, really. You should try using those few recommendation sites that are out there, to find more. It is hard sometimes, really, but there are a couple of good ones out there.

Rokkis: Well, Lucius is an old dog who has to taught new tricks. But he willl learn.


Jen: You will got your wish considering Draco and Charlie.


Maria Anne Ldon: sorry about disappointing you with Charlie/Draco, but I personally think that the Twins would not be serious enough for Draco and annoy the hell out of him, he is not someone who likes being made fun of.
There will be a bit of Tonks, about Bill, I can’t promise, since the story has been written and I am just changing and adding to it a bit every week.
Ginny – sorry, I just can’t be bothered with her.


velveteendragon: Hey, thanks.

Ophelia": Well, i will say this - I haven't written a story with an unhappy ending yet. And believe me you are not the sickest out there. Ok, I see you want me to erite three more stories.


Glossary
Aguamenti – Charm that conjures a fountain or jet of clear water from the caster's wand.

Bat-Bogey Hex – Engorges an opponent's 'bogies' to bat-size, gives them wings, and sets them to attacking his or her face. (HP Lexicon)

Unanswered Questions
Yes, if someone was wondering, Harry is hormonal and his mood is changing a lot.
Persons
Charlie Weasley – born 1972, which makes him eight years older than Draco – for those who were wondering.
Andrew Prewett – whom Hermione mentions as the last man to get pregnant is most certainly related to Ron, since Prewett is Molly’s maiden name.

Time table
The beginning of January – Harry is 5 months pregnant