hd inspiration for snottygrrl
Author: alisanne
Recipient: snottygrrl
Title: Sex and Consequences
Pairing(s): Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, hints of Hermione Granger/Charlie Weasley.
Rating: NC-17
Summary: A night of celebrating leaves behind more than either Harry or Draco are prepared for.
Warnings: Graphic sex, Rimming, non-graphic Mpreg.
Total word count: 10,200
Disclaimer: This story/artwork is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's notes: Thanks to my dear beta, sevfan, for all her hard work, and to my friends who stayed up late with me as I was writing this. You all ROCK! I hope you enjoy this story, snottygrrl. :)
Sex and Consequences
Harry smiled wanly at Molly and kept going. He was mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted, and he didn’t have it in him to stop and talk to her. Luckily, she was a bit too distracted by all the Aurors who were stopping to congratulate her on her defeat of Bellatrix Lestrange to delay him, and he managed to slip past her with a minimum of fuss.
Slipping into the hallway, he made his way towards the Gryffindor tower, having some vague idea that he could sleep in his old dorm room. That was if Voldemort hadn’t destroyed it in his attack on the school. Harry really hoped he hadn’t because he really needed some rest.
“Why are you in such a hurry, Potter?” a silky voice asked from the darkness. “Off to a rendezvous with the girl Weasel?”
Harry spun, peering into the corner, just able to make out a figure standing there. “Malfoy?”
Malfoy stepped forward. “Mm. I noticed how uncomfortable you looked in there just now,” he observed. “Then, when I saw you brush off your future mother-in-law, I thought I’d make sure you were all right.”
“Not that it’s anything to do with you, but Ginny and I... Well, I doubt Mrs. Weasley will ever be my mother-in-law. And anyway, why do you care?” Harry crossed his arms defensively.
Malfoy shrugged. “I care because you won, Potter,” he said. “You defeated that monster and we all owe you.”
Harry shook his head wearily. “You don’t owe me. You and your mother played your roles in the victory. I’ll make sure people know that. Is that what you’re worried about?”
With a raised eyebrow, Malfoy replied, “I won’t say no to that.” Then, after a brief pause, he continued. “Yes, I suppose we helped and we backed you when it was obvious you were a better alternative than that creature, but it took us a while to decide to do it, and even though my mother and I saved you, you saved the world. I have a bit of a vested interest in making sure you’re all right.”
Harry crossed his arms. “Yeah, okay,” he said slowly. “You did save me, and you didn’t have to. Why’d you do it?”
Malfoy looked away. “Seemed like the thing to do,” he finally said. “So, where are you off to if not to shag?”
“Not that it’s any of your business,” Harry said. “But I’m not off to... meet up with anyone. I’m just tired. It’s been a long day, so I’m going to bed.”
“Alone?” Malfoy chuckled, his thoughtful mood gone. “Defeating a Dark lord and saving the wizarding world ought to get you a good snog if not a bloody fine shag! Any Slytherin worth his salt would be off with at least three bed partners by now.”
“Good thing I’m not a Slytherin then, hm?” Harry began to walk away. “And shouldn’t you be looking for someone of your own to shag?”
“I’m not the hero,” Malfoy said, and Harry glanced back to see him following him down the hall.
“Oh, I dunno.” Harry stopped and leaned against the wall. “You could probably make a case for it. You rescued me in the Room of Requirement when you didn’t have to. I could have been killed then. And your mother lied about me being dead to Voldemort because she wanted to save you, so indirectly, you were responsible for saving me then, too.”
Malfoy smirked. “Well, when you put it like that, I suppose I am a bit of a hero. Guess that means I’m entitled to a reward. Thanks, Potter.”
To Harry’s shock, Malfoy leaned forward and pressed his lips against Harry’s. Before Harry had time to react, Malfoy was pulling away.
“I’m surprised you didn’t hex me,” he whispered as Harry stood there, clearly gobsmacked.
“You kissed me,” Harry said, clearly dazed.
Malfoy nodded. “Why, yes, Potter, I did. Well spotted.”
Harry blinked, raising his hand to touch his mouth. “Why’d you do that? What...?”
Malfoy smiled. “A word of advice. The non-shirtlifter response is to hex me or punch me,” he said. “The fact that you haven’t done either makes me think you need to come clean to girl Weasley before things get any more complicated.”
With that, Malfoy turned and began to walk back down the hall. That galvanized Harry into action, and he pushed off the wall to follow him. Grabbing his arm, Harry pulled Malfoy to a stop and pushed him up against the wall inside an alcove just off the main hallway.
“What are you playing at?” Harry snarled.
Malfoy gazed back fearlessly. “Oh, this is no game, Potter. Every hero needs a victory celebration. I was making sure you knew you had more than one option available for yours.”
Harry’s mouth fell open in shock. “You’re offering yourself?”
Malfoy nodded. “Was I being too subtle?” he asked with a smirk.
Harry let go of his arm and stepped back. “You don’t have to... I mean you’re not obligated to...”
Malfoy laughed. “Oh, I know that! I’m not offering because of any misguided sense of guilt or out of obligation. I’m offering because you’re bloody hot and because I’ve seen you looking, and I wanted to let you know I’m available.”
“I haven’t been watching--” Harry stopped when voices began coming towards them and instinctively, he pushed up against Malfoy, flattening himself so as not to be detected.
Low murmuring passed by and when the hallway was empty once more, Harry drew back.
Malfoy’s breath brushed his cheek as he laughed softly. “Well, I just felt the impressive evidence of your interest in me. Unless you always walk around with a hard on?”
“Shut it!”
“Make me.”
Harry surged forward, this time intending to take out his frustrations on Malfoy, but the kiss, which now involved teeth and tongues, quickly became more about mutual exploration and enjoyment rather than about shutting anyone up.
Harry moaned low in his throat and Malfoy pulled back, beginning to nibble at Harry’s jaw. “We should go somewhere secluded for this,” he murmured.
Harry gasped something that sounded like assent, and before he could draw another breath, Malfoy had pushed him out of the alcove and was propelling him down the hallway. “Slytherin’s closer than Gryffindor,” he whispered, and it appeared he was right since they reached the dungeons in what seemed to Harry to be mere moments.
“Ready to claim your reward?” Malfoy asked, tossing a saucy grin over his shoulder at Harry before leading him inside the Slytherin common room.
Harry might have stood a chance of changing his mind if only Malfoy hadn’t grabbed him and begun kissing him again as soon as he stepped through. His millisecond view of the room confirmed that it was deserted as expected, everyone having either left during the battle or for the current celebration taking place a floor above.
Malfoy pressed him into the wall, his questing tongue searching out and exploring every crevice of Harry’s mouth until Harry was whimpering under the sensual onslaught. He rocked against Malfoy, his legs automatically parting when a slim thigh pressed between them.
Hands fumbling at his trousers made him open his eyes only to see Malfoy watching him. “Too many clothes, don’t you think?” he panted, and Harry could only nod.
They made short work of stripping each other, and when they were naked, Malfoy manoeuvred Harry over towards a comfortable-looking sofa by the fireplace, all the while licking and sucking his jaw and neck.
Harry was attempting to caress every bit of bare skin he could reach, and when his finger brushed the crack of Malfoy’s arse, both men sucked in a breath.
“Have you ever--?”
Harry shook his head before Malfoy could finish the question.
Malfoy nodded. “Right. Then I top,” he declared.
Harry’s eyes widened. “What? But...”
Malfoy settled them both onto the sofa. “I’m not letting you near my arse until you know exactly what to do, Potter,” he whispered. Since he was plucking at Harry’s nipples as he spoke, Harry had little choice but to arch upwards and moan his agreement. “When I’m done, if you’re up for another go, maybe I’ll offer my arse, but not until you’re seen what to do.”
Malfoy’s hand had strayed close to Harry’s prick, his thumb resting in the curls at the base, and Harry tried to shift and encourage more contact. “Whatever you say,” he gasped. “Just... ohhh!”
Dipping his head, Malfoy captured Harry’s lips with his just as he grasped his cock and began pumping up and down. Harry’s legs parted, allowing Malfoy to settle easily between his thighs as they snogged.
Malfoy pulled back, smiling as Harry tried to follow. “Turn over,” he instructed. “It’ll be easier that way.” He shifted to allow Harry to move.
Panting, Harry nodded and rolled over, tensing slightly when Malfoy ran a hand over the curve of his arse cheek.
“Relax,” came the smooth voice from behind him, and before he could blink, he felt the tingle of a Cleansing Spell right there. “What... ohgods!”
Malfoy had leaned down and was licking the crevice between his cheeks, and even as Harry’s mind caught up with the fact of what the other was doing and how good it felt, a tongue tip brushed his hole and he bucked back.
Tilting his arse upwards, Harry offered it wantonly to Malfoy’s expert tongue, his nails digging into the arms of the sofa as he hung on to his sanity. Incoherent words spilled from his lips.
Malfoy’s tongue was inside him now, and Harry, who had never even conceived of such a thing, shuddered under the stimulation.
When Malfoy pulled his face out of Harry’s arse, it elicited a groan from Harry, who had been all the while begging inarticulately. “OhMerlinpleaseohgods...”
Malfoy whispered a spell that made Harry’s insides feel slick and wet, and when he pushed a finger inside Harry it slid in easily, aided by the lubrication provided by the spell.
“You... all right?” Malfoy panted.
It took Harry a moment to process the question, but when he did, he nodded.
A second finger was slipped in alongside the first, and Harry groaned, writhing as he was gently finger fucked. He felt as if his cock was about to burst. “I’m gonna...”
“Come, then,” Malfoy murmured, his lips brushing Harry’s ear as he spoke. “Come now.”
His mouth falling open, Harry did just that, his hips thrusting against the cushions as his seed spurted from him. Even amidst his pleasure, however, he felt it when Malfoy introduced a third finger and began spreading them apart. One brushed against something inside him that jolted Harry, making him squeal even as convulsions wracked his body.
As his orgasm wound down, Harry felt Malfoy shift behind him, and before he had time to get nervous, he felt the press of something broader than any finger against his hole. He was so relaxed, however, that his sphincter accepted the intruder without a protest, and he moaned as Malfoy slipped smoothly inside him.
“Tight,” Malfoy gasped. “Gods...”
Impossibly, Harry felt his spent cock twitch as Malfoy began thrusting in and out, and when Malfoy’s prick hit that spot inside him, Harry’s nerve endings jolted to awareness. “Fuck,” he whispered.
“I’m trying,” Malfoy said. “Still okay?”
“Yes,” Harry groaned. “Better than okay...” He thrust his hips back to meet Malfoy’s downstroke emphatically, making both of them gasp at the impact.
Malfoy set a steady pace, and for a while the only sounds in the room were the gasps and moans of their coupling.
Harry felt himself hardening rapidly, and he reached for his cock to pull it.
“Yes,” Malfoy hissed. “Stroke yourself.”
Harry did so, wanking in time to Malfoy’s thrusts. When he felt his balls beginning to tighten again, indicating his impending orgasm, he whimpered.
As his inner walls began spasming and caressing Malfoy’s cock, Malfoy shuddered and with one last push, spilled his essence inside Harry. They came together, finally collapsing in a sated, trembling heap.
“That was...” Harry sighed and tried again. “I want to do that to you next.”
Malfoy chuckled dryly in his ear. “Do let me take a moment to recover, Har... Potter.”
Harry smiled. “I think we can call each other by our first names now, Draco,” he murmured. He could feel the curve of Draco’s smile against his skin as he spoke.
“Very well, Harry. But that still doesn’t change the fact that we both need some recovery time.”
“Do you have somewhere you need to be?” Harry asked.
Draco sighed and shifted. “Not... not really. I’m happy to stay right here, actually.”
“Then I’ll get my chance later, yeah?”
With a chuckle, Draco murmured. “Yes, I imagine you will, Harry.”
~
They rested, both falling asleep briefly, and when they woke, Harry very ably demonstrated that Draco’s lessons had been effective by first rimming Draco then fucking him to a screaming orgasm that left them both smiling and relaxed in a sprawling tangle of limbs.
When they fell asleep the next time, they were wrapped around each other, and so it was with surprise that Harry awoke to an empty sofa the next day.
The dungeons had no real windows to the outside, but they did have a charmed window that showed daylight.
Harry cast a Time-Telling Spell and, realizing he had probably been missed by now, got dressed. He looked around carefully, hoping for some sort of note from Draco.
They had talked long into the night, and Harry had been sure that Draco hadn’t considered this a one-off, but when he didn’t find anything indicating otherwise, Harry had to admit defeat, and with bowed shoulders, he let himself out of the common room.
People were still milling about upstairs, and Aurors were doing general cleanup and questioning, Harry managed to snag some breakfast before anyone saw him. He looked about for Draco, but none of the Malfoys were evident, and he felt the last of his hope crumble.
“Harry! There you are!”
He smiled tiredly at Hermione who sat next to him and hugged him warmly.
“I was worried. You disappeared, and we wondered if something had happened to you.”
Harry shook his head. “I’m fine. I just needed to get away.”
“On your own or with someone?”
Harry almost choked on his toast. “Hermione! What makes you ask that?” he said, taking a sip of juice to avoid answering any questions for a while.
Hermione rolled her eyes. “It’s a totally normal reaction to a stressful situation,” she said. “Great danger is a natural aphrodisiac.”
Harry blushed and buried his face in his plate. Hermione smiled.
“Oh, something did happen last night, hm?” She looked around checking to see that they were alone. “I thought it may have, but when I saw Ginny hanging about and you gone, I hoped you’d found someone else since she’s not too good for you...” She stopped when she saw the expression on his face. “Harry?”
“You don’t think Ginny’s good for me? Why?”
Hermione pursed her lips. “Let’s just say I have my reasons. I’ll tell you later, just... tell me about last night!”
He shook his head. “I just... I don’t want to talk about it, yeah?”
She patted his hand. “Oh, Harry. Didn’t it go well?”
Harry sighed. So much for not talking about it... “Actually, it was amazing,” he said. “If you must know, it’s just... I woke up and h... the person was gone.”
Hermione’s gaze sharpened. “He?” she asked. “You were with a boy?”
Harry closed his eyes. “Hermione...”
“Oh, Harry, it’s not as if I hadn’t already guessed!” she said, surprising him.
Harry’s mouth fell open and he stared at her. “You... you knew?”
She snickered and leaned close so as not to be inadvertently overheard. “I guessed when you seemed so into Cho, until you actually got to do something with her.”
“And what about Ginny? I dated her.”
Hermione nodded. “Yes, but didn’t you ever notice how odd it was that when you weren’t around her you weren’t that interested? And did you notice she had a peculiar smell? It wasn’t until you got around her that you became attracted.”
“So?”
Hermione sighed. “Honestly, don’t any of you even pay attention in class? That’s how Amortentia works!”
Harry gaped at her. “You think she was drugging me?”
“I know she was. You didn’t really think about her while we were camping, did you?”
He shook his head. “I was a bit distracted, though.”
Hermione raised an eyebrow. “No one’s that distracted,” she said. “Even I found time to think about...” She flushed and stopped. “Anyway, it wasn’t a normal reaction for someone who was supposed to be in love. Plus, I’ve seen you checking out boys in the same way I do.”
He blushed. “But back to Ginny. I can’t believe that she would...”
Hermione shook her head. “I said something to Mrs. Weasley and she investigated. Turns out Ginny’s quite the potion maker at home. She had her own lab set up and everything. Anyway, it’s over, unless you want to push it further. The Weasleys have it in hand.”
Harry nodded. He really didn’t want to make Ginny suffer any more than she already had. “Just as long as she stays away from me,” he said.
Hermione nodded. “I think you can be assured of that.” She turned away for a moment and Harry spotted a red mark on her neck.
“Oho! Looks like you and Ron find time to be together last night, hm?” he asked, pleased to be able to turn the tables a bit.
Her eyes widened and she clapped a hand onto the reddened skin. “Oh! No... I... damn...”
Harry smiled. “No need to be ashamed,” he said. “I have it on good authority that great danger is a potent aphrodisiac.”
She smacked his arm lightly but was smiling as she did so, so he wasn’t worried. “Prat,” she muttered. She hesitated then, and turning to him said, “I was with someone last night, but it wasn’t Ron.”
Harry’s eyes widened. “Wha...? Oh. Okay. Right. Um, well, do you want to say who you...?
She shook her head. “Not unless you want to say who you,” she replied firmly.
Harry shook his head. “Right. Well, what’s on the agenda for today?”
She looked around. “Seems like more cleanup is in order, although I’d give a lot for a hot shower and a chance to sleep in my own bed.”
He nodded. A nap sounded lovely to him, too. He started to rise from the table when she grabbed his arm. “Oh, I forgot to ask. You did take precautions, yes?” She looked earnest as she asked the question, and Harry blinked before realizing what she was asking.
“What? Oh! Um, well...”
“Harry! You have to be careful!”
“Well, it all happened so fast...”
“That is no excuse. At least basic contraception would have been a good idea!”
Halfway out of his chair, Harry stumbled as her words hit him and ended up on his arse on the cold, stone floor. As she helped him up, he hissed, “Did you forget? I wasn’t with a girl.”
She stared at him. “So? You’re a wizard, Harry. And, presumably, your mystery man is, too. With all the wild magic floating around last night centred on you in particular, it would have been quite possible for you to conceive. Haven’t you read Hogwarts: A History yet?”
Harry closed his eyes. “Hermione, for the last time, no. I never have, nor is it likely that I ever will read that book. Why should I? You are a walking expert on it!”
She sighed and shook him. “I don’t know why I bother. Fine, I’ll tell you. The castle acts as a magic focus, and since the battle was mainly here, it probably absorbed a lot of the excess magic floating around. It can store some of it, but most of it would be passed on to the castle’s inhabitants, especially those with the most power.”
“Plenty of people here right now have power, though,” Harry said. “Why do you think I’m so vulnerable to... that?”
“You just killed a Dark lord, and all his magic would be forfeit to you. Plus, if the sex was as good as you say it was, it would have called the power. There’s a reason sex magic is so powerful, you know! It’s happened here before.” Hermione hesitated, then ploughed on. “So, um, who... topped?”
Harry paled. “We took turns,” he whispered.
“So you both could be...”
Harry shook his head. “I can’t worry about that now or I’ll go mad,” he said. “If I start to feel strange or sick, I’ll get checked out, otherwise, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
She looked as if she was about to argue, then, clearly thinking better of it, nodded and turned away, concealing the worried look on her face. “I know exactly what you mean,” she whispered.
“What was that?”
She spun back around, smiling brightly. “Nothing. Right, well, how about we talk to someone about getting out of here?”
~
Harry sipped at his tea carefully. His stomach was still upset and he didn’t want to upset it more, but he felt awful. It was only because of Kreacher’s nagging that he’d finally allowed the elf to make him some tea in the first place.
“Harry?”
He sighed. Of course, it would be Hermione. The last person he wanted to see. Then he mentally amended that. No, she was the second to last person he wanted to see.
“I’m coming through!”
She landed in the Floo gracefully, brushing herself off and glaring half-heartedly at him.
“How are you?” she asked.
Harry shrugged. “How do you think I am?” he growled. “Knocked up by that git! I can’t believe I allowed this to happen. I bet the bastard knew all along that this would...”
Hermione listened to the rant for a minute then held up her hand. “Harry, shut up,” she said.
He glared at her and she shook her head. “Now, I repeat my question. How are you feeling?”
“The tea’s helping,” he finally muttered, taking another sip.
She rolled her eyes. “You have got to see a mediwizard! This has lasted far too long. Enough of the excuses. You’ve been sick every bloody morning for a month and it has to stop.”
Closing his eyes, Harry knew she was right. It was past time he got checked out but he was just so tired all the time, and he felt so bad that he didn’t want go anywhere or see anyone.
He drained his cup and began to stand up, his hand automatically cupping the tiny bulge beneath his robes as he did so.
“Harry...” she growled.
He held up a hand. “All right! I’ll go and see Pomfrey, but only her.”
Hermione smiled and, coming up behind him, hugged him gently. “Good, because you have an appointment with her in ten minutes. We’re to Floo directly to her private offices.”
Harry would have been angry at her highhandedness, but he didn’t have it in him. He just felt so miserable.
Hermione called for Kreacher, and a minute later he was bundled up in a warm cloak and he was stepping into Pomfrey’s office. He stumbled, as was customary, but was caught in the mediwitch’s sturdy arms before he could hit the ground.
“For a normally agile person you really do not Floo well,” she chuckled, manoeuvring him onto the examination table.
Hermione stepped into the room a minute after, and already Pomfrey had Harry’s robes undone and was in diagnostic mode, running her wand over his head and torso as she clucked to herself.
“Fascinating,” she finally said. “I haven’t seen a male pregnancy in thirty years!”
“Oh?” Hermione asked.
“Mm, and that took about six months of potions and involved blood magic. Mr. Potter, you again amaze.”
Harry rolled his eyes. “Great,” he said, sarcasm oozing from every letter.
Pomfrey patted his head. “There, there, that’s just the hormones talking. Let me give you something for the nausea and the mood swings.”
“Mood swings? I’m not having mood swings! And I don’t need any bloody potion...”
“Shut up and drink it, Harry,” Hermione snapped. “Trust me when I say, if you don’t take it willingly, I will immobilize you and force feed it down your throat.”
Harry stared at her, then meekly accepted the potion when Pomfrey handed it to him. He drank it, surprised to find that it didn’t taste that bad. Almost immediately, he felt better, his nausea resolved, and he sat up straight on the table. “Hey, I do feel better,” he said.
Pomfrey nodded. “Of course you do. Males are just not used to the pregnancy hormones, so they need a little chemical help to deal with it. Now that you’ve had a full dose you’ll just need to take a tablespoon every morning and you should be fine.”
Looking down at her parchment, Pomfrey made a notation. “I’ll expect you back in a month, Mr. Potter. You can use the same entrance for discretion.”
Harry smiled. “Thanks.”
Hermione grasped his arm. “Are you really feeling better?” she asked.
He nodded, then feeling ashamed about his behaviour over the prior month, he hopped down and hugged her. “Sorry I was such an arse,” he whispered. “Forgive me?”
She blushed. “Of course. When have I ever not forgiven you? Now, how about some lunch? We need to talk.”
Harry nodded. Now that his stomach was settled he was actually starving, despite those ominous words.
A few minutes later they were seated at a cosy sandwich shop, tucking into some food, and Hermione, after eating most of her meal and nodding when Harry asked if he could finish her leftovers, sat back watching Harry pensively.
“What is it?” he finally asked. “What do you want to talk about?”
Hermione sighed. “Harry, don’t be angry, but I have to ask again. Are you sure that the other father wouldn’t want to know what’s happening? Maybe he didn’t mean for it to be a one-off...”
“He left without a word, Hermione. And if he really wanted to get in touch with me, I’m not that difficult to find.” Harry agitatedly picked at the last few chips. “I think it’s clear he only wanted one thing that night.”
“And there was no note left behind, magical or otherwise?” she persisted.
Harry shrugged. “I looked around but I didn’t see anything. And trust me, I looked. “
“You did a Reveal Spell?”
Harry looked up at her. “A what?”
Hermione’s eyes widened. “Harry, have you learned nothing?” As Harry’s face reddened and he began to answer, she shook her head and, leaning closer, spoke urgently. “Seriously. If a wizard wants to leave a message behind he’ll leave an invisible note in the air, keyed only to the recipient.”
“You mean D... he may have left me an invisible note?” Harry jumped up. “Gods, Hermione, that’s great! I thought it was odd that he just left like that, especially since we talked and it was so good...” He blushed and she smiled.
“Harry, it may even still be there,” she said. “I mean, it’s at Hogwarts, and the only ones there are the repair crews. They only just got approval to start the repair work this week, what with the Ministry having stalled allowing the place to be fixed.”
“That’s true.” Harry remembered the article in the Prophet the day before that had talked about that. “We have to go up there. Hermione, will you...?”
She smiled. “Of course I’ll go with you,” she said, standing up. “There’s someone there I’d like to talk to as well.”
“Oh? Who?”
Hermione simply smiled mysteriously. “Come on. If we Apparate now we can make it there and back before dark.”
~
Hogwarts looked different in the daylight. They had last seen it at dawn, and somehow the damage seemed more evident now, the whole east wing having been blown off in one of Voldemort’s attacks.
“It’s a bit sad to see it this way,” Hermione whispered, giving voice to Harry’s thoughts.
He nodded. “Wonder if anyone’s about?”
“Harry! Hermione!”
Harry spun and was almost bowled over by Hagrid’s fierce hug. Hermione gasped as she, too, was enveloped in giant arms.
“It’s so good ter see yeh!”
“You, too, Hagrid,” Harry wheezed.
“Oh, sorry!” Hagrid pulled away, apparently remembering that they were fragile humans. “I crushed yeh, didn’t I?
“It’s okay, Hagrid,” Hermione said, smiling and trying to straighten out her now wrinkled robes. “It’s great to see you, too.”
“So what can we do fer yeh, then?” Hagrid looked a bit breathless, as if he’d been interrupted mid-task.
“I need to look for something I may have left behind in the school,” Harry said. “Do you think I can go in?
Hagrid looked up at the crumbling school doubtfully. “Depends on where yeh need ter go, Harry. The Gryffindor tower is pretty beat up...”
“No, I need to check the dungeons,” Harry said, quickly avoiding Hermione’s eyes. “I’ll just nip inside and...”
“Hagrid! A bit of help here?”
Harry grinned as he saw Charlie Weasley walk out of the forest. “Hullo, Charlie!” he said, walking over. “What are you doing here?”
Charlie’s smiled and reaching out, took Harry’s hand, shaking it firmly. “Harry! This is a surprise. Good to see you. I work here now... ” His voice trailed off as he glanced over Harry’s shoulder. An odd look crossed his face. “And you brought company, I see.”
“What? Oh, yes. You know Hermione, don’t you?”
Charlie raised an eyebrow as Hermione approached. “We’ve... met.”
“Charlie?” Hermione appeared, a smile playing about her lips. “This is a bit of a surprise to see you here.”
Hermione's voice sounded different, softer somehow, and Harry glanced between the two of them, suddenly aware of some potent undercurrents.
“This is a bit new,” Charlie said. “Haven’t had a chance to tell anyone yet, really. You’re the first to know.”
“I suppose yeh musta fergotten that I mentioned it when yeh Flooed earlier, eh, Hermione?” Hagrid said jovially.
Hermione blushed, making Harry stare. “Oh, right, I guess it slipped my mind.”
Harry’s eyebrow went up at that unlikely statement.
“It is good to see you both,” she continued, gazing at Charlie. “We’re back because Harry needs to look for something, and I decided to come with him. I’ve found I miss Hogwarts.”
“Well, now that I work here you’re welcome to visit anytime,” Charlie offered, an intent look in his eyes. “Since the Ministry decided that they want a dragon preserve set up close to the school, they’ve asked me to run it and I agreed.”
“That’s wonderful! Congratulations. I bet your mother is excited about that.” To Harry’s eyes Hermione’s lips seemed to be saying one thing and her eyes another.
“I hope she’s not the only one,” Charlie murmured.
Charlie and Hermione stepped closer, gazing into each other’s eyes for so long that Harry began to feel uncomfortable. Hagrid had already wandered off, and Harry was definitely getting the feeling he was superfluous to this conversation.
“Right. Well. Um, I guess I’ll go inside and, um, look for, um, what I came to look for.”
Hermione, never taking her eyes away from Charlie’s, said, “That’s great, Harry.”
“Or I could just give up and go home,” he continued.
“Mm, sounds good,” she murmured. “Whatever you think is best.”
Harry rolled his eyes. It appeared Hermione's mystery man’s identity had been solved.
Turning away, he walked up to the place he’d called home for seven years. Several of the front steps were crumbling, but he could see where the repair had begun as he carefully picked his way inside.
There were holes in the walls, and even one part of the roof was gaping such that the sky was visible. He saw some workpeople in the distance, and as he picked his way over to the staircase leading towards the dungeons, he could make out someone that sounded like McGonagall.
No one tried to stop him.
The Slytherin common room entrance looked the same, apparently the repeated attacks had spared the dungeons, and Harry whispered the password, smiling as the portrait opened to admit him.
The room looked untouched, and, making his way over to the sofa where he’d spent those blissful hours, Harry ran a hand over the fabric before taking a deep breath and saying the spell that Hermione had taught him.
For a long moment he waited, then, shoulders slumping, he turned away. It had been a long shot, really, an unlikely... He froze as something began to happen.
In the air above the sofa there were words forming, the letters sparkling weakly in the muted light. The message had a few words missing, but there were enough to get the gist across.
Harry. I have to locate my parents before they leave to go home. I tried to wake you up, but evidently killing Dark lords is tiring work, since you didn’t budge. I left you to sleep, but I should be home at Malfoy Manor by this afternoon. Floo me this evening or tomorrow. I’ll be waiting for your call.
Draco.
“Bloody hell,” Harry breathed. “I’m so fucked. He’ll never forgive me!”
~
Pansy was worried. More than worried, really, she was seriously fretting. Draco wasn’t talking to her, he was keeping his own council and that, she knew, was bad. Very bad.
Ever since the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco had been distant, withdrawn. It had been a traumatic night for all of them, but lately, Draco seemed to be pulling even further away from her, and she was determined to find out why.
This is for his own good, she told herself as she climbed the stairs to his room. Lady Malfoy had nodded at her without comment, probably figuring that, as Draco’s best friend, he wouldn’t mind her walking, unannounced, into his room.
Pansy did not disabuse her of that notion.
Reaching Draco’s door, she placed a gloved hand on it and checked the wards. Smiling as she recognized the same ones he’d used in school, she dismantled them easily and opened the door, walking in quietly.
Looking around for her friend, she spotted him in a chair by the window. In his sleep he looked angelic. She snorted to herself.
Sauntering over to him, she looked him over, eyes lingering on the dark circles beneath his lashes. He looked exhausted, emaciated, all except for... She gasped as her mind registered the curve of his belly, and the sound was loud enough to startle him out of sleep.
“Expellia...!”
“Stop, Draco! It’s me!”
Draco blinked up at her, colour flooding his cheeks. Before her eyes the circles disappeared as did the belly bulge, and he sat up looking a tad defensive. “Pansy? What are you doing here? Can’t I even take a nap in my own room without an interruption?”
She shook her head, tugging off her gloves. “Not when you make me worry about you,” she scolded. “You’ve been secretive for weeks. What is going on?”
“Nothing. I just need time to recover from all that happened over the past year. I would have thought that you’d understand that.”
Pansy backed off immediately. “Well of course I understand, Draco. I understand that you think you’re the only one with issues since that night.” She shrugged elegantly and inspected her nails. “You don’t have to tell me anything. I can ask your parents if they know what’s wrong and why you seem to be gaining weight...”
Draco’s eyes widened. “I am not...” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I’ve missed you,” he said ruefully.
She smirked. “Of course you have. Now, why aren’t you sleeping? And what is with the Glamour?”
Pushing himself up out of the chair, Draco gathered his tattered pride. “I... Fine! You can’t tell anyone about this, though, all right?”
She rolled her eyes. “Draco, I know the rules here. Just because we’re not in school doesn’t mean they’ve changed. The standard secrecy clause applies.”
Draco relaxed. “Right, well...”
As he told of his night with Potter (Harry, she was going to have to remember to refer to him as Harry now), Pansy took in how animated Draco seemed, and she smiled.
“It’s finally happened, hasn’t it?” she said when he got to the end of his story.
“What?” Draco was pouting at being interrupted, and Pansy recognized the signs of an impending tantrum.
“You’re finally in love with someone who you can’t manipulate or control.”
Draco smirked. “As if! I can control Harry. And who said anything about love?”
“Right,” Pansy said, sarcasm oozing from every pore. “So that’s why you’re secluded in your room, why you haven’t set foot outside the manor in a month, and why you have a Glamour over yourself.” She shook her head. “You’re acting emotionally, Draco. If I didn’t know better I would think you’ve turned into a girl...” Her eyes widened and she stopped as Draco turned away, flushing.
“Merlin! Tell me you didn’t let him impregnate you,” she said.
Draco began pacing. “Fine. I didn’t,” he said.
“Oh, Draco...”
He held up a hand. “I don’t need sympathy now, Pansy, I need advice. You’ve got it in one. I’m pregnant, which is why I had to put up the Glamour. Can you imagine what Mother would say, or, even worse, Father?” He shuddered. “Put that crafty brain of yours to some use and help me figure out how to get out of this situation.”
“What do you want?” she asked, sitting on top of his bed. “Let’s start there, because if you want to be rid of this problem, I know many mediwizards who will...”
Draco had placed a protective hand over his abdomen and was backing away. “No. I... I want the child,” he whispered. Raising troubled eyes, he asked. “Gods, I’m fucked, aren’t I?”
Pansy smirked. “Well you were, that’s clear.”
Draco’s mouth dropped open, and for a long moment he gaped. Then, he began laughing. “I guess I deserved that. I really have missed you. All right, what’s your advice, oh canny one?”
She smiled. “Right, well then first, we have to get you to a reputable and discreet mediwizard to get checked out. Maybe some of this is hormonal.”
“Some of what?” Draco looked confused and Pansy shook her head.
“This indecisiveness,” she said. “This business of remaining locked in your room for weeks on end and not going out and scheming and plotting to get Pot... Harry. This is not you! You clearly want him. Why don’t you go get him? In fact, why didn’t you tell him that when you were together?”
“I did,” Draco said. “And I left him a wizarding note telling him where I was and how to contact me, and I’ve heard nothing.”
“You’re sure he’s bright enough to have seen the note?” Pansy held his gaze when Draco spun towards her. “He was raised by Muggles,” she reminded him. “He may not have even known there was a note, or how to retrieve it.”
Draco blinked as if that thought hadn’t even occurred to him, and she sighed. “Right, first things first. Let’s get you to a mediwizard and get you sorted, then we can get you your Potter.”
~
Harry had cleared his throat several times as he walked towards the snogging couple, but it seemed they were oblivious to all their surroundings.
“Um... guys? You’re out in the open. Hello?” he tried, and that, finally, appeared to stir Hermione.
She broke the kiss with Charlie and pulled back to look over at Harry, a blush spreading across her face. “What? Oh! Errr... back already, Harry?”
It was obvious that Charlie wouldn’t allow her to go too far away, maintaining a secure embrace around her while meeting Harry’s eyes squarely. “Is something wrong?” he asked.
Harry hesitated, shooting a pleading look at Hermione. “I, um, need to talk to Hermione. Alone, if I can...”
Charlie smiled. “Of course. I have some things I have to do right now anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner, yeah?” He said it softly, but clearly enough that it was audible to Harry.
She smiled and reached up, kissing him lightly on the mouth before nodding. “Seven o’clock. I’ll be ready.”
Charlie released Hermione and, walking over to Harry, shook his hand. “I hope things work out for you,” he said, then, he spun and stalked away into the forest.
Eyes widened, Harry turned towards Hermione. “What did you tell him?”
Hermione patted his arm reassuringly. “Just that you were retrieving a lost message. No details, since I don’t know any details. You know I can keep a secret.”
Relieved, Harry nodded. “All right. Sorry, and you’re right, you can keep a secret.” He smiled slyly. “Charlie, though, Hermione?”
Hermione blushed and quickly changed the topic. “Mmm,” she mumbled. “So was there a message?”
Harry nodded. “Yes, but Hermione! Back to you and Charlie! What... When...?”
Her practical nature asserted itself and she rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Harry, that’s hardly important. This is about you. My love life is... satisfactory, so now we need to fix yours. So, what did the message say?”
Harry told her the gist of it, leaving out Draco’s name, and she pursed her lips, clearly deep in thought. “Is he the sort to take offence easily?” she asked.
He sighed. “Is he ever! When I didn’t Floo immediately, he probably threw a spectacular tantrum, especially with our history. In fact, I bet he won’t even talk to me now.”
She smiled, patting his arm. “Oh, I think we can salvage this, Harry,” she said. “Malfoy may have a bit of a temper, but I think you can make him see reason, especially if we go about it the right way.”
Harry gaped at her. “Merlin, Hermione. I never said who it was! How did you know?”
Hermione arched a brow. “There are only a few people you have a ‘history’ with, Harry, and you did follow Malfoy around our entire sixth year. It was easy to deduce.”
“Um, okay.” Harry took a nervous breath before asking, “So... you’re okay with me and Dra... Malfoy?”
Hermione smiled and nodded reassuringly. “Of course! Harry, I just want you to be happy. If the war taught us anything it’s that things are not always how they seem. I’ve long suspected that Malfoy was playing a role, and if you see something in him then there must be something worthwhile there. You know I’ll always support you.”
Harry stared at her for a long moment before pulling her into a tight hug. “Thanks,” he whispered.
“You’re welcome,” she murmured back. “Plus, you haven’t given me a hard time about Ron.”
Harry snickered as he pulled away. “I love Ron, but, Hermione, Charlie is a bloody dragon-keeper! How could anyone compete with that?”
“I know, right?” She giggled then clapped a hand over her mouth, glancing around guiltily. Biting her lip, she changed the subject. “We need to get back to London. As it is, we won’t be back before dark. And we need to plan our strategy to get you your Malfoy.”
As she began pulling him towards the gate, Harry smiled, feeling relieved and hopeful for the first time since realizing his mistake. If anyone could work this out, it was Hermione.
~
Draco felt much better after visiting the mediwizard’s office. “I still can’t believe that my depressed mood was due to the pregnancy,” he muttered, chagrined.
Pansy shrugged. “That’s not important now. What is important is that you’re back, and now we can plot a way to get you and Potter in the same room together.”
Draco rolled his eyes. “What good will that do if all he wanted was a one-off?”
“Oh please! He’s a Gryffindor,” she reminded him. “This is probably all some silly misunderstanding. They always want relationships. Plus, it doesn’t matter if that’s all he wants. You’re bearing his child, and he has to take responsibility for that. It’s the only decent thing to do and I’ll be happy to let him know that.”
Chuckling, Draco said, “Gods I missed you.”
She smiled. “I can see that.” She looked him up and down critically. “Now, I think some shopping is in order, and then I’m taking you out for a meal.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Draco said doubtfully. “Mother may be upset...”
Pansy waved her hand airily. “Relax. Your mother was thrilled when I told her, actually. I think she was worried about you, too.”
Taking her hand, Draco brought it up to his mouth and kissed it. “You think of everything,” he said.
Pansy blushed, then, as if embarrassed by that, she stuck her tongue out at him. “Enough flirting. Save that for Potter. We have serious shopping to do. Let’s go.”
Draco laughed, and his mood was so improved that he allowed her to pick his outfit for him. When he had changed, they Flooed to Diagon Alley, thus, no one was there to receive the owl when it arrived.
~
Harry’s hands shook slightly as he rolled up the parchment and attached it to the owl. It hooted softly at him, accepting the Owl Treat he offered before it flew out the window and on its way. “I hope he answers,” he said, chewing his lip.
Hermione patted his shoulder. “Even if he doesn’t, I have a plan.”
Harry smiled. “Mm, why am I not surprised?” he said. “Thanks for helping me with this, by the way.”
She shrugged. “I just want to see you happy, Harry,” she said. “And with that in mind, I think I’ll take you out to dinner tonight. You’ve been cooped up in here with only Kreacher for company for too long.”
“But...” Harry paused and Hermione waited. “What if he answers right away? I should be here...”
“So what if he does? It’ll still be here when you get home, and this way you get to have a nice evening out. When was the last time you did that?”
“Yeah, all right.” He stood up and wobbled a bit. “Oh, I think I need to take more of that potion before we go, though.” He reached for the vial, taking a few drops before putting it back in his robes. “I’m ready.”
They Flooed to a classic eatery in Diagon Alley but the place was packed. Not even the name Harry Potter could net them a table immediately, although the staff were quite deferential and promised they would find them a table as soon as possible. As they waited, Hermione glanced inside, looking around. She went still, then smiled. Surely it can’t be this easy?
“Harry, look!” She pointed and Harry looked, mouth falling open when he saw who was there. His heart began to pound as he watched Draco, who looked amazing, he had to admit, bring a goblet to his lips and take a sip.
“This is your chance. Trust me,” she hissed. Tapping the waiter on the shoulder, she whispered something and he nodded. A moment later, he was speaking to Draco and Pansy (Harry wasn’t sure how he felt about seeing her in such a romantic setting with Draco) and gesturing them over.
Hermione led the way, smiling brightly. “Hullo, Malfoy, Parkinson,” she said brightly. “We saw you over here and thought we could join you. There’re no tables anywhere else, unfortunately. Unless you’d rather we didn’t...”
Pansy smiled politely. “Oh please do join us,” she said, gesturing towards the two seats the staff were pulling up. “It’ll be... nice to catch up on things.”
Harry hadn’t said a word, his eyes were glued on Draco who seemed totally relaxed, despite the potential awkwardness of the situation. He exhaled the breath he’d been holding when Draco raised his head and looked directly at him, saying, “Well? Do sit down, Potter, you’re making me nervous hovering like that.”
“It’s Harry. I thought we agreed on first names,” Harry said, biting his tongue as soon as the words were out.
Draco raised an eyebrow. “I thought we agreed on a lot of things that haven’t actually happened,” he drawled. “But, if you prefer, I can call you Harry.”
Harry inclined his head and sat down. “Yes, I prefer that you do, Draco,” he said.
Draco’s demeanour thawed slightly. “All right. So fancy seeing you two here,” he said, dabbing at his lips with a napkin. “What have you been up to for the past... month?” he asked. “Take any romantic trips?”
Harry’s mouth dropped open. “Wha...?”
Hermione leaned forward, interrupting him as she laughed. “Oh no! Harry and me? Goodness no.” She took a sip of some water and, looking around as if sharing a secret, said, “Harry won’t tell you this, but he’s not been well at all.” She ignored the soft sound of distress that Harry made.
“Is that right?” Draco looked interested, and Hermione smiled.
“We just got back from Hogwarts today,” she continued. “We had to go up there on an errand, and it’s a good thing we got him some medical attention before we left, he would never have survived Apparating that far otherwise, I don’t think.”
“Are you feeling better?” Draco asked, running what seemed to be concerned eyes over Harry. Harry held his gaze for a while before he replied.
“Nothing that time won’t take care of,” he finally said.
“Well, that and good medical care,” Hermione added, shooting a warning look towards her friend.
Draco looked back and forth between them before he asked, “You went back to Hogwarts?” When Harry nodded, Draco sat up in his chair. “Why? What did you have to do there?”
Harry took a deep breath and spoke from his heart. “I went back because I realized that perhaps everything was not as I thought it was my last night there,” he said. “Some amazing things happened to me, and I thought they would never happen again, only... It took Hermione explaining certain facts of the wizarding world to me for me to, um, get the message.”
Draco dropped his napkin but he didn’t notice, he was too busy staring at Harry. “I see. So you retrieved this message... together?”
Hermione smiled and shook her head. “Oh, I was just moral support. My...” She blushed but continued gamely. “My boyfriend, Charlie Weasley, is working there now, so it was a good excuse for me to see him while Harry ran his errand.”
Pansy looked interested in that. “Oh, he’s that dragon-keeper, isn’t he? What a fascinating job.”
Hermione nodded. “He is. So, um, what have you two been up to?”
Pansy smiled mischievously. “Oddly enough, Draco’s also been ill, too, ever since the last battle in fact. There must have been something about that last night there... Anyway, thank goodness I made him get medical attention today. He’s so much better now.”
“Oh?” It was now Harry’s turn to be concerned and he leaned forward. “Are you all right?”
Draco shrugged. “Just one of those things, I suppose,” he said. Rummaging in his robes, he pulled out a vial that Harry thought he recognized. “I got this potion and I feel much better.”
“Oh Merlin,” Harry whispered, staring. “You, too?”
Draco looked puzzled for a moment, then his eyes widened. “Me, too? Are you taking a similar potion?”
Harry nodded, speechless.
“Well, now isn’t that a coincidence?” Pansy said blandly. “I suppose Draco’s not the only one who’s been very irritable and nauseated, hm?”
“Pansy!” Draco was fast turning bright red. “Feel free to shut up at any time.”
Hermione snickered and she nodded. “It must be contagious. Harry’s symptoms were very similar. Mood swings, nausea... Perhaps it was something you both ate or um, did?”
Both men turned red and looked away as the girls laughed.
Finally, Pansy set down her napkin, a pleased look on her face. “Well, now that that’s settled, I think you two need to talk and I need to powder my nose. Let’s go, shall we, Granger?”
Hermione nodded and they both stood and left the table.
“How long have you known?” Draco asked softly, nibbling his upper lip as if nervous.
Harry shook his head. “What?”
“About your, you know, affliction?”
Harry’s eyes widened, but he answered honestly. “I knew almost immediately,” he whispered. “Hermione saw me after we... anyway, she asked me if I’d taken any precautions and, well, she explained that it could happen. I was in denial for a while, until I began throwing up every morning.” He rolled his eyes. “You?”
Draco smiled. “I knew about the possibility, but I never honestly thought I would be one of the rare fertile male wizards around,” he finally said. “My parents don’t even know.”
Harry’s mouth fell open. “Um, when are you going to tell them?”
Closing his eyes and beginning to laugh, Draco said, “Can you imagine the reaction when I tell them that I am going to have a child? And that you are, too? I think I’ll have to move out.”
“You can stay with me,” Harry said softly.
Draco’s eyes snapped open. After a moment, he said, “You don’t have to make that offer, you know, Harry. I understand if this took you by surprise...”
Harry took his hand. “Draco, I knew I wanted more our first night together. We talked about making it more than a one-off, remember? I’m sorry I missed your message, but I finally got it, and I owled you a reply today. It should be waiting for you when you get home, but you can answer the question I asked in the message now if you like.”
“What was the question?” Draco’s fingers entwined with Harry’s almost unconsciously.
“If we could start over from our last time together. If you would have dinner with me so we could talk.”
Draco looked down at their joined hands and smiled. “You mean date? We’re doing things a bit backwards, aren’t we?”
“We never have done things by halves,” Harry reminded him.
“True.” Draco raised a brow. “So, as it appears we’ve already done the things you asked, what now?”
Harry smiled. “I’d like for us to get to know each other better.”
“I think I know you pretty well, actually.”
Harry smiled. “Well, we know we’re compatible sexually,” he said. Draco’s low chuckle made him shudder. “Exactly! So, the next step is to see if we get along in other ways.”
“All right. Tea at the manor tomorrow afternoon?” Draco smiled wickedly as Harry paled. “You do have to get along with the people who are important to me. Plus, I’m going to have to tell them eventually. I may as well get them used to the idea of us before I do that.”
Harry nodded. “Fair enough. So... dinner on Saturday at the Burrow?”
“Where?”
“The Weasley homestead.”
Draco blanched, but nodded gamely. “All right. If I must. You’re lucky the sex was so good.”
“And potent,” Harry added, casting his glance down towards Draco’s concealed stomach.
Draco smirked.
Harry shook his head. “So will your parents really be angry?”
Draco sighed and began playing with Harry’s fingers on the table. “My parents have been pushing me about selecting a potential wife, but now that I’m a fertile wizard... Well, it changes everything.” He pursed his lips. “In the end, I think they’ll accept you, since you’re proven to be the most powerful wizard of your age. They can hardly ask for a better son-in-law.”
Harry smiled, and giving in to his instincts, leaned across the table and kissed Draco soundly on the lips. “I can hardly ask for a better partner,” he whispered.
Across the room, Hermione and Pansy watched fondly. “Well, looks as if they’re sorted,” Pansy said.
Hermione nodded. “Shall we leave them to it?”
Turning to exit the restaurant, they paid for the meals and asked the waiter to inform Harry and Draco that they had both gone home, and he agreed to do so.
“I’m sure I’ll see you again, Granger,” Pansy said.
Hermione smiled. “I expect so,” she agreed.
As two Apparition cracks sounded outside, two heads inside popped up briefly, but then almost immediately bent towards each other once more.
~
The sound of a crash downstairs alerted Harry to potential disaster. “What was that?” he called.
“Nothing!” a small voice yelled back.
He sighed and rolled his eyes. “There probably won’t be a house left by the end of this,” he lamented.
Draco snickered. “Perhaps we’ll have to move into the manor after all,” he said, leaning close to the mirror to adjust his hair. “Mother’s been asking again. She would love it.”
“I know she would,” Harry agreed. “It’s your father I would be concerned about, however.”
“Oh, he’d love more access to his grandchildren,” Draco murmured, finishing his cravat with a flourish. “And since you did make it possible for him to have said grandchildren in the first place, he would accept you as a necessary evil.”
“Great,” Harry said dryly. “I think I’d rather we stay in our own home, thanks.”
“I have to agree,” Draco said, turning to face him with a mischievous grin. “I like having the run of the house when the children are asleep, even if I have to ‘encourage’ them to do so.”
“Draco!”
“Relax.” Draco smirked. “The Sleep Encouragement Spell is a long-time staple in wizarding households. It doesn’t hurt them.”
Harry sighed. He could hardly complain about Draco’s Slytherin tendencies, he’d known what he was getting into, after all.
Draco eyed Harry’s formal robes critically. “Stop. Let me do that. You’re hopeless,” he said, brushing Harry’s hands away.
Harry let him, remaining still until Draco had fixed his outfit, then he leaned close, pressing his lips to Draco’s. Draco moaned and opened his mouth in response, deepening the kiss from chaste to passionate.
As happened every time he touched Draco, Harry went from relaxed to aroused in seconds flat, and he moaned into Draco’s mouth, his hands beginning to roam the familiar form through the formal robes. Neither heard the footsteps.
“What are you two doing...? Oh for Merlin’s sake, people are outside waiting!”
Harry pulled away from Draco reluctantly, turning to face Hermione with a sigh. “Sorry,” he said insincerely.
“Mm, I’m not,” Draco said with a smirk. “I like snogging Harry.”
“As you’ve demonstrated several times. In public,” a voice from the hallway said. Pansy stuck her head through the door a moment later.
Draco shrugged. “I bagged a hot man. Why hide that?”
“No one was in any doubt,” Hermione said dryly. “Now, if you two are done, there are several hundred people waiting outside to watch you get married. And I should think that since you fought so hard for this, you would be eager to see it happen.”
“I am,” Harry said, grabbing Draco’s hand. “There were times that I thought it would never happen.”
Pansy smiled. “Oh, I knew it would,” she said. “Once you got Lucius Malfoy on your side it was assured.”
Harry nodded. The fact that Lucius had argued in front of the Wizengamot in favour of the rights of gay wizards to marry would never cease to be a source of amazement to him. “That’s true, although it didn’t hurt that you and Hermione were so persistent. It’s always useful to have Ministry solicitors on your side.”
“Be that as it may,” Hermione said. “May I remind you that people are waiting, and your children, who are not known for their patience, are down there getting restless?”
Harry and Draco both paled, making Hermione smile.
“Right, time to go,” Draco declared, dragging Harry towards the door. “We can snog later.”
The trip down the stairs was fast, and soon they were standing at the entrance to the path that led to their wedding gazebo.
At the end of the flower-strewn path were Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy and, on the other side, Molly and Arthur Weasley. As Harry looked around, he saw Hermione slip in beside Charlie and he smiled. “Let’s do this,” he whispered.
Bending down, Draco hugged his daughter and then set her on the path. “Go on, Adele,” he said.
Adele did so, scattering more petals on the path as she went. When she got to the Malfoys, she giggled and hugged Lucius’ legs, surprising a smile from him and a chuckle from the crowd.
Next was Andrew, who Harry hugged and then sent on his way. Andrew didn’t scatter any flowers, he simply ran to Arthur, who scooped him up, grinning.
“Ready?” Harry asked.
Draco, eyes shining, nodded, and they set out, hand in hand into their future.
~
Recipient: snottygrrl
Title: Sex and Consequences
Pairing(s): Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, hints of Hermione Granger/Charlie Weasley.
Rating: NC-17
Summary: A night of celebrating leaves behind more than either Harry or Draco are prepared for.
Warnings: Graphic sex, Rimming, non-graphic Mpreg.
Total word count: 10,200
Disclaimer: This story/artwork is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's notes: Thanks to my dear beta, sevfan, for all her hard work, and to my friends who stayed up late with me as I was writing this. You all ROCK! I hope you enjoy this story, snottygrrl. :)
Sex and Consequences
Harry smiled wanly at Molly and kept going. He was mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted, and he didn’t have it in him to stop and talk to her. Luckily, she was a bit too distracted by all the Aurors who were stopping to congratulate her on her defeat of Bellatrix Lestrange to delay him, and he managed to slip past her with a minimum of fuss.
Slipping into the hallway, he made his way towards the Gryffindor tower, having some vague idea that he could sleep in his old dorm room. That was if Voldemort hadn’t destroyed it in his attack on the school. Harry really hoped he hadn’t because he really needed some rest.
“Why are you in such a hurry, Potter?” a silky voice asked from the darkness. “Off to a rendezvous with the girl Weasel?”
Harry spun, peering into the corner, just able to make out a figure standing there. “Malfoy?”
Malfoy stepped forward. “Mm. I noticed how uncomfortable you looked in there just now,” he observed. “Then, when I saw you brush off your future mother-in-law, I thought I’d make sure you were all right.”
“Not that it’s anything to do with you, but Ginny and I... Well, I doubt Mrs. Weasley will ever be my mother-in-law. And anyway, why do you care?” Harry crossed his arms defensively.
Malfoy shrugged. “I care because you won, Potter,” he said. “You defeated that monster and we all owe you.”
Harry shook his head wearily. “You don’t owe me. You and your mother played your roles in the victory. I’ll make sure people know that. Is that what you’re worried about?”
With a raised eyebrow, Malfoy replied, “I won’t say no to that.” Then, after a brief pause, he continued. “Yes, I suppose we helped and we backed you when it was obvious you were a better alternative than that creature, but it took us a while to decide to do it, and even though my mother and I saved you, you saved the world. I have a bit of a vested interest in making sure you’re all right.”
Harry crossed his arms. “Yeah, okay,” he said slowly. “You did save me, and you didn’t have to. Why’d you do it?”
Malfoy looked away. “Seemed like the thing to do,” he finally said. “So, where are you off to if not to shag?”
“Not that it’s any of your business,” Harry said. “But I’m not off to... meet up with anyone. I’m just tired. It’s been a long day, so I’m going to bed.”
“Alone?” Malfoy chuckled, his thoughtful mood gone. “Defeating a Dark lord and saving the wizarding world ought to get you a good snog if not a bloody fine shag! Any Slytherin worth his salt would be off with at least three bed partners by now.”
“Good thing I’m not a Slytherin then, hm?” Harry began to walk away. “And shouldn’t you be looking for someone of your own to shag?”
“I’m not the hero,” Malfoy said, and Harry glanced back to see him following him down the hall.
“Oh, I dunno.” Harry stopped and leaned against the wall. “You could probably make a case for it. You rescued me in the Room of Requirement when you didn’t have to. I could have been killed then. And your mother lied about me being dead to Voldemort because she wanted to save you, so indirectly, you were responsible for saving me then, too.”
Malfoy smirked. “Well, when you put it like that, I suppose I am a bit of a hero. Guess that means I’m entitled to a reward. Thanks, Potter.”
To Harry’s shock, Malfoy leaned forward and pressed his lips against Harry’s. Before Harry had time to react, Malfoy was pulling away.
“I’m surprised you didn’t hex me,” he whispered as Harry stood there, clearly gobsmacked.
“You kissed me,” Harry said, clearly dazed.
Malfoy nodded. “Why, yes, Potter, I did. Well spotted.”
Harry blinked, raising his hand to touch his mouth. “Why’d you do that? What...?”
Malfoy smiled. “A word of advice. The non-shirtlifter response is to hex me or punch me,” he said. “The fact that you haven’t done either makes me think you need to come clean to girl Weasley before things get any more complicated.”
With that, Malfoy turned and began to walk back down the hall. That galvanized Harry into action, and he pushed off the wall to follow him. Grabbing his arm, Harry pulled Malfoy to a stop and pushed him up against the wall inside an alcove just off the main hallway.
“What are you playing at?” Harry snarled.
Malfoy gazed back fearlessly. “Oh, this is no game, Potter. Every hero needs a victory celebration. I was making sure you knew you had more than one option available for yours.”
Harry’s mouth fell open in shock. “You’re offering yourself?”
Malfoy nodded. “Was I being too subtle?” he asked with a smirk.
Harry let go of his arm and stepped back. “You don’t have to... I mean you’re not obligated to...”
Malfoy laughed. “Oh, I know that! I’m not offering because of any misguided sense of guilt or out of obligation. I’m offering because you’re bloody hot and because I’ve seen you looking, and I wanted to let you know I’m available.”
“I haven’t been watching--” Harry stopped when voices began coming towards them and instinctively, he pushed up against Malfoy, flattening himself so as not to be detected.
Low murmuring passed by and when the hallway was empty once more, Harry drew back.
Malfoy’s breath brushed his cheek as he laughed softly. “Well, I just felt the impressive evidence of your interest in me. Unless you always walk around with a hard on?”
“Shut it!”
“Make me.”
Harry surged forward, this time intending to take out his frustrations on Malfoy, but the kiss, which now involved teeth and tongues, quickly became more about mutual exploration and enjoyment rather than about shutting anyone up.
Harry moaned low in his throat and Malfoy pulled back, beginning to nibble at Harry’s jaw. “We should go somewhere secluded for this,” he murmured.
Harry gasped something that sounded like assent, and before he could draw another breath, Malfoy had pushed him out of the alcove and was propelling him down the hallway. “Slytherin’s closer than Gryffindor,” he whispered, and it appeared he was right since they reached the dungeons in what seemed to Harry to be mere moments.
“Ready to claim your reward?” Malfoy asked, tossing a saucy grin over his shoulder at Harry before leading him inside the Slytherin common room.
Harry might have stood a chance of changing his mind if only Malfoy hadn’t grabbed him and begun kissing him again as soon as he stepped through. His millisecond view of the room confirmed that it was deserted as expected, everyone having either left during the battle or for the current celebration taking place a floor above.
Malfoy pressed him into the wall, his questing tongue searching out and exploring every crevice of Harry’s mouth until Harry was whimpering under the sensual onslaught. He rocked against Malfoy, his legs automatically parting when a slim thigh pressed between them.
Hands fumbling at his trousers made him open his eyes only to see Malfoy watching him. “Too many clothes, don’t you think?” he panted, and Harry could only nod.
They made short work of stripping each other, and when they were naked, Malfoy manoeuvred Harry over towards a comfortable-looking sofa by the fireplace, all the while licking and sucking his jaw and neck.
Harry was attempting to caress every bit of bare skin he could reach, and when his finger brushed the crack of Malfoy’s arse, both men sucked in a breath.
“Have you ever--?”
Harry shook his head before Malfoy could finish the question.
Malfoy nodded. “Right. Then I top,” he declared.
Harry’s eyes widened. “What? But...”
Malfoy settled them both onto the sofa. “I’m not letting you near my arse until you know exactly what to do, Potter,” he whispered. Since he was plucking at Harry’s nipples as he spoke, Harry had little choice but to arch upwards and moan his agreement. “When I’m done, if you’re up for another go, maybe I’ll offer my arse, but not until you’re seen what to do.”
Malfoy’s hand had strayed close to Harry’s prick, his thumb resting in the curls at the base, and Harry tried to shift and encourage more contact. “Whatever you say,” he gasped. “Just... ohhh!”
Dipping his head, Malfoy captured Harry’s lips with his just as he grasped his cock and began pumping up and down. Harry’s legs parted, allowing Malfoy to settle easily between his thighs as they snogged.
Malfoy pulled back, smiling as Harry tried to follow. “Turn over,” he instructed. “It’ll be easier that way.” He shifted to allow Harry to move.
Panting, Harry nodded and rolled over, tensing slightly when Malfoy ran a hand over the curve of his arse cheek.
“Relax,” came the smooth voice from behind him, and before he could blink, he felt the tingle of a Cleansing Spell right there. “What... ohgods!”
Malfoy had leaned down and was licking the crevice between his cheeks, and even as Harry’s mind caught up with the fact of what the other was doing and how good it felt, a tongue tip brushed his hole and he bucked back.
Tilting his arse upwards, Harry offered it wantonly to Malfoy’s expert tongue, his nails digging into the arms of the sofa as he hung on to his sanity. Incoherent words spilled from his lips.
Malfoy’s tongue was inside him now, and Harry, who had never even conceived of such a thing, shuddered under the stimulation.
When Malfoy pulled his face out of Harry’s arse, it elicited a groan from Harry, who had been all the while begging inarticulately. “OhMerlinpleaseohgods...”
Malfoy whispered a spell that made Harry’s insides feel slick and wet, and when he pushed a finger inside Harry it slid in easily, aided by the lubrication provided by the spell.
“You... all right?” Malfoy panted.
It took Harry a moment to process the question, but when he did, he nodded.
A second finger was slipped in alongside the first, and Harry groaned, writhing as he was gently finger fucked. He felt as if his cock was about to burst. “I’m gonna...”
“Come, then,” Malfoy murmured, his lips brushing Harry’s ear as he spoke. “Come now.”
His mouth falling open, Harry did just that, his hips thrusting against the cushions as his seed spurted from him. Even amidst his pleasure, however, he felt it when Malfoy introduced a third finger and began spreading them apart. One brushed against something inside him that jolted Harry, making him squeal even as convulsions wracked his body.
As his orgasm wound down, Harry felt Malfoy shift behind him, and before he had time to get nervous, he felt the press of something broader than any finger against his hole. He was so relaxed, however, that his sphincter accepted the intruder without a protest, and he moaned as Malfoy slipped smoothly inside him.
“Tight,” Malfoy gasped. “Gods...”
Impossibly, Harry felt his spent cock twitch as Malfoy began thrusting in and out, and when Malfoy’s prick hit that spot inside him, Harry’s nerve endings jolted to awareness. “Fuck,” he whispered.
“I’m trying,” Malfoy said. “Still okay?”
“Yes,” Harry groaned. “Better than okay...” He thrust his hips back to meet Malfoy’s downstroke emphatically, making both of them gasp at the impact.
Malfoy set a steady pace, and for a while the only sounds in the room were the gasps and moans of their coupling.
Harry felt himself hardening rapidly, and he reached for his cock to pull it.
“Yes,” Malfoy hissed. “Stroke yourself.”
Harry did so, wanking in time to Malfoy’s thrusts. When he felt his balls beginning to tighten again, indicating his impending orgasm, he whimpered.
As his inner walls began spasming and caressing Malfoy’s cock, Malfoy shuddered and with one last push, spilled his essence inside Harry. They came together, finally collapsing in a sated, trembling heap.
“That was...” Harry sighed and tried again. “I want to do that to you next.”
Malfoy chuckled dryly in his ear. “Do let me take a moment to recover, Har... Potter.”
Harry smiled. “I think we can call each other by our first names now, Draco,” he murmured. He could feel the curve of Draco’s smile against his skin as he spoke.
“Very well, Harry. But that still doesn’t change the fact that we both need some recovery time.”
“Do you have somewhere you need to be?” Harry asked.
Draco sighed and shifted. “Not... not really. I’m happy to stay right here, actually.”
“Then I’ll get my chance later, yeah?”
With a chuckle, Draco murmured. “Yes, I imagine you will, Harry.”
~
They rested, both falling asleep briefly, and when they woke, Harry very ably demonstrated that Draco’s lessons had been effective by first rimming Draco then fucking him to a screaming orgasm that left them both smiling and relaxed in a sprawling tangle of limbs.
When they fell asleep the next time, they were wrapped around each other, and so it was with surprise that Harry awoke to an empty sofa the next day.
The dungeons had no real windows to the outside, but they did have a charmed window that showed daylight.
Harry cast a Time-Telling Spell and, realizing he had probably been missed by now, got dressed. He looked around carefully, hoping for some sort of note from Draco.
They had talked long into the night, and Harry had been sure that Draco hadn’t considered this a one-off, but when he didn’t find anything indicating otherwise, Harry had to admit defeat, and with bowed shoulders, he let himself out of the common room.
People were still milling about upstairs, and Aurors were doing general cleanup and questioning, Harry managed to snag some breakfast before anyone saw him. He looked about for Draco, but none of the Malfoys were evident, and he felt the last of his hope crumble.
“Harry! There you are!”
He smiled tiredly at Hermione who sat next to him and hugged him warmly.
“I was worried. You disappeared, and we wondered if something had happened to you.”
Harry shook his head. “I’m fine. I just needed to get away.”
“On your own or with someone?”
Harry almost choked on his toast. “Hermione! What makes you ask that?” he said, taking a sip of juice to avoid answering any questions for a while.
Hermione rolled her eyes. “It’s a totally normal reaction to a stressful situation,” she said. “Great danger is a natural aphrodisiac.”
Harry blushed and buried his face in his plate. Hermione smiled.
“Oh, something did happen last night, hm?” She looked around checking to see that they were alone. “I thought it may have, but when I saw Ginny hanging about and you gone, I hoped you’d found someone else since she’s not too good for you...” She stopped when she saw the expression on his face. “Harry?”
“You don’t think Ginny’s good for me? Why?”
Hermione pursed her lips. “Let’s just say I have my reasons. I’ll tell you later, just... tell me about last night!”
He shook his head. “I just... I don’t want to talk about it, yeah?”
She patted his hand. “Oh, Harry. Didn’t it go well?”
Harry sighed. So much for not talking about it... “Actually, it was amazing,” he said. “If you must know, it’s just... I woke up and h... the person was gone.”
Hermione’s gaze sharpened. “He?” she asked. “You were with a boy?”
Harry closed his eyes. “Hermione...”
“Oh, Harry, it’s not as if I hadn’t already guessed!” she said, surprising him.
Harry’s mouth fell open and he stared at her. “You... you knew?”
She snickered and leaned close so as not to be inadvertently overheard. “I guessed when you seemed so into Cho, until you actually got to do something with her.”
“And what about Ginny? I dated her.”
Hermione nodded. “Yes, but didn’t you ever notice how odd it was that when you weren’t around her you weren’t that interested? And did you notice she had a peculiar smell? It wasn’t until you got around her that you became attracted.”
“So?”
Hermione sighed. “Honestly, don’t any of you even pay attention in class? That’s how Amortentia works!”
Harry gaped at her. “You think she was drugging me?”
“I know she was. You didn’t really think about her while we were camping, did you?”
He shook his head. “I was a bit distracted, though.”
Hermione raised an eyebrow. “No one’s that distracted,” she said. “Even I found time to think about...” She flushed and stopped. “Anyway, it wasn’t a normal reaction for someone who was supposed to be in love. Plus, I’ve seen you checking out boys in the same way I do.”
He blushed. “But back to Ginny. I can’t believe that she would...”
Hermione shook her head. “I said something to Mrs. Weasley and she investigated. Turns out Ginny’s quite the potion maker at home. She had her own lab set up and everything. Anyway, it’s over, unless you want to push it further. The Weasleys have it in hand.”
Harry nodded. He really didn’t want to make Ginny suffer any more than she already had. “Just as long as she stays away from me,” he said.
Hermione nodded. “I think you can be assured of that.” She turned away for a moment and Harry spotted a red mark on her neck.
“Oho! Looks like you and Ron find time to be together last night, hm?” he asked, pleased to be able to turn the tables a bit.
Her eyes widened and she clapped a hand onto the reddened skin. “Oh! No... I... damn...”
Harry smiled. “No need to be ashamed,” he said. “I have it on good authority that great danger is a potent aphrodisiac.”
She smacked his arm lightly but was smiling as she did so, so he wasn’t worried. “Prat,” she muttered. She hesitated then, and turning to him said, “I was with someone last night, but it wasn’t Ron.”
Harry’s eyes widened. “Wha...? Oh. Okay. Right. Um, well, do you want to say who you...?
She shook her head. “Not unless you want to say who you,” she replied firmly.
Harry shook his head. “Right. Well, what’s on the agenda for today?”
She looked around. “Seems like more cleanup is in order, although I’d give a lot for a hot shower and a chance to sleep in my own bed.”
He nodded. A nap sounded lovely to him, too. He started to rise from the table when she grabbed his arm. “Oh, I forgot to ask. You did take precautions, yes?” She looked earnest as she asked the question, and Harry blinked before realizing what she was asking.
“What? Oh! Um, well...”
“Harry! You have to be careful!”
“Well, it all happened so fast...”
“That is no excuse. At least basic contraception would have been a good idea!”
Halfway out of his chair, Harry stumbled as her words hit him and ended up on his arse on the cold, stone floor. As she helped him up, he hissed, “Did you forget? I wasn’t with a girl.”
She stared at him. “So? You’re a wizard, Harry. And, presumably, your mystery man is, too. With all the wild magic floating around last night centred on you in particular, it would have been quite possible for you to conceive. Haven’t you read Hogwarts: A History yet?”
Harry closed his eyes. “Hermione, for the last time, no. I never have, nor is it likely that I ever will read that book. Why should I? You are a walking expert on it!”
She sighed and shook him. “I don’t know why I bother. Fine, I’ll tell you. The castle acts as a magic focus, and since the battle was mainly here, it probably absorbed a lot of the excess magic floating around. It can store some of it, but most of it would be passed on to the castle’s inhabitants, especially those with the most power.”
“Plenty of people here right now have power, though,” Harry said. “Why do you think I’m so vulnerable to... that?”
“You just killed a Dark lord, and all his magic would be forfeit to you. Plus, if the sex was as good as you say it was, it would have called the power. There’s a reason sex magic is so powerful, you know! It’s happened here before.” Hermione hesitated, then ploughed on. “So, um, who... topped?”
Harry paled. “We took turns,” he whispered.
“So you both could be...”
Harry shook his head. “I can’t worry about that now or I’ll go mad,” he said. “If I start to feel strange or sick, I’ll get checked out, otherwise, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
She looked as if she was about to argue, then, clearly thinking better of it, nodded and turned away, concealing the worried look on her face. “I know exactly what you mean,” she whispered.
“What was that?”
She spun back around, smiling brightly. “Nothing. Right, well, how about we talk to someone about getting out of here?”
~
Harry sipped at his tea carefully. His stomach was still upset and he didn’t want to upset it more, but he felt awful. It was only because of Kreacher’s nagging that he’d finally allowed the elf to make him some tea in the first place.
“Harry?”
He sighed. Of course, it would be Hermione. The last person he wanted to see. Then he mentally amended that. No, she was the second to last person he wanted to see.
“I’m coming through!”
She landed in the Floo gracefully, brushing herself off and glaring half-heartedly at him.
“How are you?” she asked.
Harry shrugged. “How do you think I am?” he growled. “Knocked up by that git! I can’t believe I allowed this to happen. I bet the bastard knew all along that this would...”
Hermione listened to the rant for a minute then held up her hand. “Harry, shut up,” she said.
He glared at her and she shook her head. “Now, I repeat my question. How are you feeling?”
“The tea’s helping,” he finally muttered, taking another sip.
She rolled her eyes. “You have got to see a mediwizard! This has lasted far too long. Enough of the excuses. You’ve been sick every bloody morning for a month and it has to stop.”
Closing his eyes, Harry knew she was right. It was past time he got checked out but he was just so tired all the time, and he felt so bad that he didn’t want go anywhere or see anyone.
He drained his cup and began to stand up, his hand automatically cupping the tiny bulge beneath his robes as he did so.
“Harry...” she growled.
He held up a hand. “All right! I’ll go and see Pomfrey, but only her.”
Hermione smiled and, coming up behind him, hugged him gently. “Good, because you have an appointment with her in ten minutes. We’re to Floo directly to her private offices.”
Harry would have been angry at her highhandedness, but he didn’t have it in him. He just felt so miserable.
Hermione called for Kreacher, and a minute later he was bundled up in a warm cloak and he was stepping into Pomfrey’s office. He stumbled, as was customary, but was caught in the mediwitch’s sturdy arms before he could hit the ground.
“For a normally agile person you really do not Floo well,” she chuckled, manoeuvring him onto the examination table.
Hermione stepped into the room a minute after, and already Pomfrey had Harry’s robes undone and was in diagnostic mode, running her wand over his head and torso as she clucked to herself.
“Fascinating,” she finally said. “I haven’t seen a male pregnancy in thirty years!”
“Oh?” Hermione asked.
“Mm, and that took about six months of potions and involved blood magic. Mr. Potter, you again amaze.”
Harry rolled his eyes. “Great,” he said, sarcasm oozing from every letter.
Pomfrey patted his head. “There, there, that’s just the hormones talking. Let me give you something for the nausea and the mood swings.”
“Mood swings? I’m not having mood swings! And I don’t need any bloody potion...”
“Shut up and drink it, Harry,” Hermione snapped. “Trust me when I say, if you don’t take it willingly, I will immobilize you and force feed it down your throat.”
Harry stared at her, then meekly accepted the potion when Pomfrey handed it to him. He drank it, surprised to find that it didn’t taste that bad. Almost immediately, he felt better, his nausea resolved, and he sat up straight on the table. “Hey, I do feel better,” he said.
Pomfrey nodded. “Of course you do. Males are just not used to the pregnancy hormones, so they need a little chemical help to deal with it. Now that you’ve had a full dose you’ll just need to take a tablespoon every morning and you should be fine.”
Looking down at her parchment, Pomfrey made a notation. “I’ll expect you back in a month, Mr. Potter. You can use the same entrance for discretion.”
Harry smiled. “Thanks.”
Hermione grasped his arm. “Are you really feeling better?” she asked.
He nodded, then feeling ashamed about his behaviour over the prior month, he hopped down and hugged her. “Sorry I was such an arse,” he whispered. “Forgive me?”
She blushed. “Of course. When have I ever not forgiven you? Now, how about some lunch? We need to talk.”
Harry nodded. Now that his stomach was settled he was actually starving, despite those ominous words.
A few minutes later they were seated at a cosy sandwich shop, tucking into some food, and Hermione, after eating most of her meal and nodding when Harry asked if he could finish her leftovers, sat back watching Harry pensively.
“What is it?” he finally asked. “What do you want to talk about?”
Hermione sighed. “Harry, don’t be angry, but I have to ask again. Are you sure that the other father wouldn’t want to know what’s happening? Maybe he didn’t mean for it to be a one-off...”
“He left without a word, Hermione. And if he really wanted to get in touch with me, I’m not that difficult to find.” Harry agitatedly picked at the last few chips. “I think it’s clear he only wanted one thing that night.”
“And there was no note left behind, magical or otherwise?” she persisted.
Harry shrugged. “I looked around but I didn’t see anything. And trust me, I looked. “
“You did a Reveal Spell?”
Harry looked up at her. “A what?”
Hermione’s eyes widened. “Harry, have you learned nothing?” As Harry’s face reddened and he began to answer, she shook her head and, leaning closer, spoke urgently. “Seriously. If a wizard wants to leave a message behind he’ll leave an invisible note in the air, keyed only to the recipient.”
“You mean D... he may have left me an invisible note?” Harry jumped up. “Gods, Hermione, that’s great! I thought it was odd that he just left like that, especially since we talked and it was so good...” He blushed and she smiled.
“Harry, it may even still be there,” she said. “I mean, it’s at Hogwarts, and the only ones there are the repair crews. They only just got approval to start the repair work this week, what with the Ministry having stalled allowing the place to be fixed.”
“That’s true.” Harry remembered the article in the Prophet the day before that had talked about that. “We have to go up there. Hermione, will you...?”
She smiled. “Of course I’ll go with you,” she said, standing up. “There’s someone there I’d like to talk to as well.”
“Oh? Who?”
Hermione simply smiled mysteriously. “Come on. If we Apparate now we can make it there and back before dark.”
~
Hogwarts looked different in the daylight. They had last seen it at dawn, and somehow the damage seemed more evident now, the whole east wing having been blown off in one of Voldemort’s attacks.
“It’s a bit sad to see it this way,” Hermione whispered, giving voice to Harry’s thoughts.
He nodded. “Wonder if anyone’s about?”
“Harry! Hermione!”
Harry spun and was almost bowled over by Hagrid’s fierce hug. Hermione gasped as she, too, was enveloped in giant arms.
“It’s so good ter see yeh!”
“You, too, Hagrid,” Harry wheezed.
“Oh, sorry!” Hagrid pulled away, apparently remembering that they were fragile humans. “I crushed yeh, didn’t I?
“It’s okay, Hagrid,” Hermione said, smiling and trying to straighten out her now wrinkled robes. “It’s great to see you, too.”
“So what can we do fer yeh, then?” Hagrid looked a bit breathless, as if he’d been interrupted mid-task.
“I need to look for something I may have left behind in the school,” Harry said. “Do you think I can go in?
Hagrid looked up at the crumbling school doubtfully. “Depends on where yeh need ter go, Harry. The Gryffindor tower is pretty beat up...”
“No, I need to check the dungeons,” Harry said, quickly avoiding Hermione’s eyes. “I’ll just nip inside and...”
“Hagrid! A bit of help here?”
Harry grinned as he saw Charlie Weasley walk out of the forest. “Hullo, Charlie!” he said, walking over. “What are you doing here?”
Charlie’s smiled and reaching out, took Harry’s hand, shaking it firmly. “Harry! This is a surprise. Good to see you. I work here now... ” His voice trailed off as he glanced over Harry’s shoulder. An odd look crossed his face. “And you brought company, I see.”
“What? Oh, yes. You know Hermione, don’t you?”
Charlie raised an eyebrow as Hermione approached. “We’ve... met.”
“Charlie?” Hermione appeared, a smile playing about her lips. “This is a bit of a surprise to see you here.”
Hermione's voice sounded different, softer somehow, and Harry glanced between the two of them, suddenly aware of some potent undercurrents.
“This is a bit new,” Charlie said. “Haven’t had a chance to tell anyone yet, really. You’re the first to know.”
“I suppose yeh musta fergotten that I mentioned it when yeh Flooed earlier, eh, Hermione?” Hagrid said jovially.
Hermione blushed, making Harry stare. “Oh, right, I guess it slipped my mind.”
Harry’s eyebrow went up at that unlikely statement.
“It is good to see you both,” she continued, gazing at Charlie. “We’re back because Harry needs to look for something, and I decided to come with him. I’ve found I miss Hogwarts.”
“Well, now that I work here you’re welcome to visit anytime,” Charlie offered, an intent look in his eyes. “Since the Ministry decided that they want a dragon preserve set up close to the school, they’ve asked me to run it and I agreed.”
“That’s wonderful! Congratulations. I bet your mother is excited about that.” To Harry’s eyes Hermione’s lips seemed to be saying one thing and her eyes another.
“I hope she’s not the only one,” Charlie murmured.
Charlie and Hermione stepped closer, gazing into each other’s eyes for so long that Harry began to feel uncomfortable. Hagrid had already wandered off, and Harry was definitely getting the feeling he was superfluous to this conversation.
“Right. Well. Um, I guess I’ll go inside and, um, look for, um, what I came to look for.”
Hermione, never taking her eyes away from Charlie’s, said, “That’s great, Harry.”
“Or I could just give up and go home,” he continued.
“Mm, sounds good,” she murmured. “Whatever you think is best.”
Harry rolled his eyes. It appeared Hermione's mystery man’s identity had been solved.
Turning away, he walked up to the place he’d called home for seven years. Several of the front steps were crumbling, but he could see where the repair had begun as he carefully picked his way inside.
There were holes in the walls, and even one part of the roof was gaping such that the sky was visible. He saw some workpeople in the distance, and as he picked his way over to the staircase leading towards the dungeons, he could make out someone that sounded like McGonagall.
No one tried to stop him.
The Slytherin common room entrance looked the same, apparently the repeated attacks had spared the dungeons, and Harry whispered the password, smiling as the portrait opened to admit him.
The room looked untouched, and, making his way over to the sofa where he’d spent those blissful hours, Harry ran a hand over the fabric before taking a deep breath and saying the spell that Hermione had taught him.
For a long moment he waited, then, shoulders slumping, he turned away. It had been a long shot, really, an unlikely... He froze as something began to happen.
In the air above the sofa there were words forming, the letters sparkling weakly in the muted light. The message had a few words missing, but there were enough to get the gist across.
Harry. I have to locate my parents before they leave to go home. I tried to wake you up, but evidently killing Dark lords is tiring work, since you didn’t budge. I left you to sleep, but I should be home at Malfoy Manor by this afternoon. Floo me this evening or tomorrow. I’ll be waiting for your call.
Draco.
“Bloody hell,” Harry breathed. “I’m so fucked. He’ll never forgive me!”
~
Pansy was worried. More than worried, really, she was seriously fretting. Draco wasn’t talking to her, he was keeping his own council and that, she knew, was bad. Very bad.
Ever since the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco had been distant, withdrawn. It had been a traumatic night for all of them, but lately, Draco seemed to be pulling even further away from her, and she was determined to find out why.
This is for his own good, she told herself as she climbed the stairs to his room. Lady Malfoy had nodded at her without comment, probably figuring that, as Draco’s best friend, he wouldn’t mind her walking, unannounced, into his room.
Pansy did not disabuse her of that notion.
Reaching Draco’s door, she placed a gloved hand on it and checked the wards. Smiling as she recognized the same ones he’d used in school, she dismantled them easily and opened the door, walking in quietly.
Looking around for her friend, she spotted him in a chair by the window. In his sleep he looked angelic. She snorted to herself.
Sauntering over to him, she looked him over, eyes lingering on the dark circles beneath his lashes. He looked exhausted, emaciated, all except for... She gasped as her mind registered the curve of his belly, and the sound was loud enough to startle him out of sleep.
“Expellia...!”
“Stop, Draco! It’s me!”
Draco blinked up at her, colour flooding his cheeks. Before her eyes the circles disappeared as did the belly bulge, and he sat up looking a tad defensive. “Pansy? What are you doing here? Can’t I even take a nap in my own room without an interruption?”
She shook her head, tugging off her gloves. “Not when you make me worry about you,” she scolded. “You’ve been secretive for weeks. What is going on?”
“Nothing. I just need time to recover from all that happened over the past year. I would have thought that you’d understand that.”
Pansy backed off immediately. “Well of course I understand, Draco. I understand that you think you’re the only one with issues since that night.” She shrugged elegantly and inspected her nails. “You don’t have to tell me anything. I can ask your parents if they know what’s wrong and why you seem to be gaining weight...”
Draco’s eyes widened. “I am not...” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I’ve missed you,” he said ruefully.
She smirked. “Of course you have. Now, why aren’t you sleeping? And what is with the Glamour?”
Pushing himself up out of the chair, Draco gathered his tattered pride. “I... Fine! You can’t tell anyone about this, though, all right?”
She rolled her eyes. “Draco, I know the rules here. Just because we’re not in school doesn’t mean they’ve changed. The standard secrecy clause applies.”
Draco relaxed. “Right, well...”
As he told of his night with Potter (Harry, she was going to have to remember to refer to him as Harry now), Pansy took in how animated Draco seemed, and she smiled.
“It’s finally happened, hasn’t it?” she said when he got to the end of his story.
“What?” Draco was pouting at being interrupted, and Pansy recognized the signs of an impending tantrum.
“You’re finally in love with someone who you can’t manipulate or control.”
Draco smirked. “As if! I can control Harry. And who said anything about love?”
“Right,” Pansy said, sarcasm oozing from every pore. “So that’s why you’re secluded in your room, why you haven’t set foot outside the manor in a month, and why you have a Glamour over yourself.” She shook her head. “You’re acting emotionally, Draco. If I didn’t know better I would think you’ve turned into a girl...” Her eyes widened and she stopped as Draco turned away, flushing.
“Merlin! Tell me you didn’t let him impregnate you,” she said.
Draco began pacing. “Fine. I didn’t,” he said.
“Oh, Draco...”
He held up a hand. “I don’t need sympathy now, Pansy, I need advice. You’ve got it in one. I’m pregnant, which is why I had to put up the Glamour. Can you imagine what Mother would say, or, even worse, Father?” He shuddered. “Put that crafty brain of yours to some use and help me figure out how to get out of this situation.”
“What do you want?” she asked, sitting on top of his bed. “Let’s start there, because if you want to be rid of this problem, I know many mediwizards who will...”
Draco had placed a protective hand over his abdomen and was backing away. “No. I... I want the child,” he whispered. Raising troubled eyes, he asked. “Gods, I’m fucked, aren’t I?”
Pansy smirked. “Well you were, that’s clear.”
Draco’s mouth dropped open, and for a long moment he gaped. Then, he began laughing. “I guess I deserved that. I really have missed you. All right, what’s your advice, oh canny one?”
She smiled. “Right, well then first, we have to get you to a reputable and discreet mediwizard to get checked out. Maybe some of this is hormonal.”
“Some of what?” Draco looked confused and Pansy shook her head.
“This indecisiveness,” she said. “This business of remaining locked in your room for weeks on end and not going out and scheming and plotting to get Pot... Harry. This is not you! You clearly want him. Why don’t you go get him? In fact, why didn’t you tell him that when you were together?”
“I did,” Draco said. “And I left him a wizarding note telling him where I was and how to contact me, and I’ve heard nothing.”
“You’re sure he’s bright enough to have seen the note?” Pansy held his gaze when Draco spun towards her. “He was raised by Muggles,” she reminded him. “He may not have even known there was a note, or how to retrieve it.”
Draco blinked as if that thought hadn’t even occurred to him, and she sighed. “Right, first things first. Let’s get you to a mediwizard and get you sorted, then we can get you your Potter.”
~
Harry had cleared his throat several times as he walked towards the snogging couple, but it seemed they were oblivious to all their surroundings.
“Um... guys? You’re out in the open. Hello?” he tried, and that, finally, appeared to stir Hermione.
She broke the kiss with Charlie and pulled back to look over at Harry, a blush spreading across her face. “What? Oh! Errr... back already, Harry?”
It was obvious that Charlie wouldn’t allow her to go too far away, maintaining a secure embrace around her while meeting Harry’s eyes squarely. “Is something wrong?” he asked.
Harry hesitated, shooting a pleading look at Hermione. “I, um, need to talk to Hermione. Alone, if I can...”
Charlie smiled. “Of course. I have some things I have to do right now anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner, yeah?” He said it softly, but clearly enough that it was audible to Harry.
She smiled and reached up, kissing him lightly on the mouth before nodding. “Seven o’clock. I’ll be ready.”
Charlie released Hermione and, walking over to Harry, shook his hand. “I hope things work out for you,” he said, then, he spun and stalked away into the forest.
Eyes widened, Harry turned towards Hermione. “What did you tell him?”
Hermione patted his arm reassuringly. “Just that you were retrieving a lost message. No details, since I don’t know any details. You know I can keep a secret.”
Relieved, Harry nodded. “All right. Sorry, and you’re right, you can keep a secret.” He smiled slyly. “Charlie, though, Hermione?”
Hermione blushed and quickly changed the topic. “Mmm,” she mumbled. “So was there a message?”
Harry nodded. “Yes, but Hermione! Back to you and Charlie! What... When...?”
Her practical nature asserted itself and she rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Harry, that’s hardly important. This is about you. My love life is... satisfactory, so now we need to fix yours. So, what did the message say?”
Harry told her the gist of it, leaving out Draco’s name, and she pursed her lips, clearly deep in thought. “Is he the sort to take offence easily?” she asked.
He sighed. “Is he ever! When I didn’t Floo immediately, he probably threw a spectacular tantrum, especially with our history. In fact, I bet he won’t even talk to me now.”
She smiled, patting his arm. “Oh, I think we can salvage this, Harry,” she said. “Malfoy may have a bit of a temper, but I think you can make him see reason, especially if we go about it the right way.”
Harry gaped at her. “Merlin, Hermione. I never said who it was! How did you know?”
Hermione arched a brow. “There are only a few people you have a ‘history’ with, Harry, and you did follow Malfoy around our entire sixth year. It was easy to deduce.”
“Um, okay.” Harry took a nervous breath before asking, “So... you’re okay with me and Dra... Malfoy?”
Hermione smiled and nodded reassuringly. “Of course! Harry, I just want you to be happy. If the war taught us anything it’s that things are not always how they seem. I’ve long suspected that Malfoy was playing a role, and if you see something in him then there must be something worthwhile there. You know I’ll always support you.”
Harry stared at her for a long moment before pulling her into a tight hug. “Thanks,” he whispered.
“You’re welcome,” she murmured back. “Plus, you haven’t given me a hard time about Ron.”
Harry snickered as he pulled away. “I love Ron, but, Hermione, Charlie is a bloody dragon-keeper! How could anyone compete with that?”
“I know, right?” She giggled then clapped a hand over her mouth, glancing around guiltily. Biting her lip, she changed the subject. “We need to get back to London. As it is, we won’t be back before dark. And we need to plan our strategy to get you your Malfoy.”
As she began pulling him towards the gate, Harry smiled, feeling relieved and hopeful for the first time since realizing his mistake. If anyone could work this out, it was Hermione.
~
Draco felt much better after visiting the mediwizard’s office. “I still can’t believe that my depressed mood was due to the pregnancy,” he muttered, chagrined.
Pansy shrugged. “That’s not important now. What is important is that you’re back, and now we can plot a way to get you and Potter in the same room together.”
Draco rolled his eyes. “What good will that do if all he wanted was a one-off?”
“Oh please! He’s a Gryffindor,” she reminded him. “This is probably all some silly misunderstanding. They always want relationships. Plus, it doesn’t matter if that’s all he wants. You’re bearing his child, and he has to take responsibility for that. It’s the only decent thing to do and I’ll be happy to let him know that.”
Chuckling, Draco said, “Gods I missed you.”
She smiled. “I can see that.” She looked him up and down critically. “Now, I think some shopping is in order, and then I’m taking you out for a meal.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Draco said doubtfully. “Mother may be upset...”
Pansy waved her hand airily. “Relax. Your mother was thrilled when I told her, actually. I think she was worried about you, too.”
Taking her hand, Draco brought it up to his mouth and kissed it. “You think of everything,” he said.
Pansy blushed, then, as if embarrassed by that, she stuck her tongue out at him. “Enough flirting. Save that for Potter. We have serious shopping to do. Let’s go.”
Draco laughed, and his mood was so improved that he allowed her to pick his outfit for him. When he had changed, they Flooed to Diagon Alley, thus, no one was there to receive the owl when it arrived.
~
Harry’s hands shook slightly as he rolled up the parchment and attached it to the owl. It hooted softly at him, accepting the Owl Treat he offered before it flew out the window and on its way. “I hope he answers,” he said, chewing his lip.
Hermione patted his shoulder. “Even if he doesn’t, I have a plan.”
Harry smiled. “Mm, why am I not surprised?” he said. “Thanks for helping me with this, by the way.”
She shrugged. “I just want to see you happy, Harry,” she said. “And with that in mind, I think I’ll take you out to dinner tonight. You’ve been cooped up in here with only Kreacher for company for too long.”
“But...” Harry paused and Hermione waited. “What if he answers right away? I should be here...”
“So what if he does? It’ll still be here when you get home, and this way you get to have a nice evening out. When was the last time you did that?”
“Yeah, all right.” He stood up and wobbled a bit. “Oh, I think I need to take more of that potion before we go, though.” He reached for the vial, taking a few drops before putting it back in his robes. “I’m ready.”
They Flooed to a classic eatery in Diagon Alley but the place was packed. Not even the name Harry Potter could net them a table immediately, although the staff were quite deferential and promised they would find them a table as soon as possible. As they waited, Hermione glanced inside, looking around. She went still, then smiled. Surely it can’t be this easy?
“Harry, look!” She pointed and Harry looked, mouth falling open when he saw who was there. His heart began to pound as he watched Draco, who looked amazing, he had to admit, bring a goblet to his lips and take a sip.
“This is your chance. Trust me,” she hissed. Tapping the waiter on the shoulder, she whispered something and he nodded. A moment later, he was speaking to Draco and Pansy (Harry wasn’t sure how he felt about seeing her in such a romantic setting with Draco) and gesturing them over.
Hermione led the way, smiling brightly. “Hullo, Malfoy, Parkinson,” she said brightly. “We saw you over here and thought we could join you. There’re no tables anywhere else, unfortunately. Unless you’d rather we didn’t...”
Pansy smiled politely. “Oh please do join us,” she said, gesturing towards the two seats the staff were pulling up. “It’ll be... nice to catch up on things.”
Harry hadn’t said a word, his eyes were glued on Draco who seemed totally relaxed, despite the potential awkwardness of the situation. He exhaled the breath he’d been holding when Draco raised his head and looked directly at him, saying, “Well? Do sit down, Potter, you’re making me nervous hovering like that.”
“It’s Harry. I thought we agreed on first names,” Harry said, biting his tongue as soon as the words were out.
Draco raised an eyebrow. “I thought we agreed on a lot of things that haven’t actually happened,” he drawled. “But, if you prefer, I can call you Harry.”
Harry inclined his head and sat down. “Yes, I prefer that you do, Draco,” he said.
Draco’s demeanour thawed slightly. “All right. So fancy seeing you two here,” he said, dabbing at his lips with a napkin. “What have you been up to for the past... month?” he asked. “Take any romantic trips?”
Harry’s mouth dropped open. “Wha...?”
Hermione leaned forward, interrupting him as she laughed. “Oh no! Harry and me? Goodness no.” She took a sip of some water and, looking around as if sharing a secret, said, “Harry won’t tell you this, but he’s not been well at all.” She ignored the soft sound of distress that Harry made.
“Is that right?” Draco looked interested, and Hermione smiled.
“We just got back from Hogwarts today,” she continued. “We had to go up there on an errand, and it’s a good thing we got him some medical attention before we left, he would never have survived Apparating that far otherwise, I don’t think.”
“Are you feeling better?” Draco asked, running what seemed to be concerned eyes over Harry. Harry held his gaze for a while before he replied.
“Nothing that time won’t take care of,” he finally said.
“Well, that and good medical care,” Hermione added, shooting a warning look towards her friend.
Draco looked back and forth between them before he asked, “You went back to Hogwarts?” When Harry nodded, Draco sat up in his chair. “Why? What did you have to do there?”
Harry took a deep breath and spoke from his heart. “I went back because I realized that perhaps everything was not as I thought it was my last night there,” he said. “Some amazing things happened to me, and I thought they would never happen again, only... It took Hermione explaining certain facts of the wizarding world to me for me to, um, get the message.”
Draco dropped his napkin but he didn’t notice, he was too busy staring at Harry. “I see. So you retrieved this message... together?”
Hermione smiled and shook her head. “Oh, I was just moral support. My...” She blushed but continued gamely. “My boyfriend, Charlie Weasley, is working there now, so it was a good excuse for me to see him while Harry ran his errand.”
Pansy looked interested in that. “Oh, he’s that dragon-keeper, isn’t he? What a fascinating job.”
Hermione nodded. “He is. So, um, what have you two been up to?”
Pansy smiled mischievously. “Oddly enough, Draco’s also been ill, too, ever since the last battle in fact. There must have been something about that last night there... Anyway, thank goodness I made him get medical attention today. He’s so much better now.”
“Oh?” It was now Harry’s turn to be concerned and he leaned forward. “Are you all right?”
Draco shrugged. “Just one of those things, I suppose,” he said. Rummaging in his robes, he pulled out a vial that Harry thought he recognized. “I got this potion and I feel much better.”
“Oh Merlin,” Harry whispered, staring. “You, too?”
Draco looked puzzled for a moment, then his eyes widened. “Me, too? Are you taking a similar potion?”
Harry nodded, speechless.
“Well, now isn’t that a coincidence?” Pansy said blandly. “I suppose Draco’s not the only one who’s been very irritable and nauseated, hm?”
“Pansy!” Draco was fast turning bright red. “Feel free to shut up at any time.”
Hermione snickered and she nodded. “It must be contagious. Harry’s symptoms were very similar. Mood swings, nausea... Perhaps it was something you both ate or um, did?”
Both men turned red and looked away as the girls laughed.
Finally, Pansy set down her napkin, a pleased look on her face. “Well, now that that’s settled, I think you two need to talk and I need to powder my nose. Let’s go, shall we, Granger?”
Hermione nodded and they both stood and left the table.
“How long have you known?” Draco asked softly, nibbling his upper lip as if nervous.
Harry shook his head. “What?”
“About your, you know, affliction?”
Harry’s eyes widened, but he answered honestly. “I knew almost immediately,” he whispered. “Hermione saw me after we... anyway, she asked me if I’d taken any precautions and, well, she explained that it could happen. I was in denial for a while, until I began throwing up every morning.” He rolled his eyes. “You?”
Draco smiled. “I knew about the possibility, but I never honestly thought I would be one of the rare fertile male wizards around,” he finally said. “My parents don’t even know.”
Harry’s mouth fell open. “Um, when are you going to tell them?”
Closing his eyes and beginning to laugh, Draco said, “Can you imagine the reaction when I tell them that I am going to have a child? And that you are, too? I think I’ll have to move out.”
“You can stay with me,” Harry said softly.
Draco’s eyes snapped open. After a moment, he said, “You don’t have to make that offer, you know, Harry. I understand if this took you by surprise...”
Harry took his hand. “Draco, I knew I wanted more our first night together. We talked about making it more than a one-off, remember? I’m sorry I missed your message, but I finally got it, and I owled you a reply today. It should be waiting for you when you get home, but you can answer the question I asked in the message now if you like.”
“What was the question?” Draco’s fingers entwined with Harry’s almost unconsciously.
“If we could start over from our last time together. If you would have dinner with me so we could talk.”
Draco looked down at their joined hands and smiled. “You mean date? We’re doing things a bit backwards, aren’t we?”
“We never have done things by halves,” Harry reminded him.
“True.” Draco raised a brow. “So, as it appears we’ve already done the things you asked, what now?”
Harry smiled. “I’d like for us to get to know each other better.”
“I think I know you pretty well, actually.”
Harry smiled. “Well, we know we’re compatible sexually,” he said. Draco’s low chuckle made him shudder. “Exactly! So, the next step is to see if we get along in other ways.”
“All right. Tea at the manor tomorrow afternoon?” Draco smiled wickedly as Harry paled. “You do have to get along with the people who are important to me. Plus, I’m going to have to tell them eventually. I may as well get them used to the idea of us before I do that.”
Harry nodded. “Fair enough. So... dinner on Saturday at the Burrow?”
“Where?”
“The Weasley homestead.”
Draco blanched, but nodded gamely. “All right. If I must. You’re lucky the sex was so good.”
“And potent,” Harry added, casting his glance down towards Draco’s concealed stomach.
Draco smirked.
Harry shook his head. “So will your parents really be angry?”
Draco sighed and began playing with Harry’s fingers on the table. “My parents have been pushing me about selecting a potential wife, but now that I’m a fertile wizard... Well, it changes everything.” He pursed his lips. “In the end, I think they’ll accept you, since you’re proven to be the most powerful wizard of your age. They can hardly ask for a better son-in-law.”
Harry smiled, and giving in to his instincts, leaned across the table and kissed Draco soundly on the lips. “I can hardly ask for a better partner,” he whispered.
Across the room, Hermione and Pansy watched fondly. “Well, looks as if they’re sorted,” Pansy said.
Hermione nodded. “Shall we leave them to it?”
Turning to exit the restaurant, they paid for the meals and asked the waiter to inform Harry and Draco that they had both gone home, and he agreed to do so.
“I’m sure I’ll see you again, Granger,” Pansy said.
Hermione smiled. “I expect so,” she agreed.
As two Apparition cracks sounded outside, two heads inside popped up briefly, but then almost immediately bent towards each other once more.
~
The sound of a crash downstairs alerted Harry to potential disaster. “What was that?” he called.
“Nothing!” a small voice yelled back.
He sighed and rolled his eyes. “There probably won’t be a house left by the end of this,” he lamented.
Draco snickered. “Perhaps we’ll have to move into the manor after all,” he said, leaning close to the mirror to adjust his hair. “Mother’s been asking again. She would love it.”
“I know she would,” Harry agreed. “It’s your father I would be concerned about, however.”
“Oh, he’d love more access to his grandchildren,” Draco murmured, finishing his cravat with a flourish. “And since you did make it possible for him to have said grandchildren in the first place, he would accept you as a necessary evil.”
“Great,” Harry said dryly. “I think I’d rather we stay in our own home, thanks.”
“I have to agree,” Draco said, turning to face him with a mischievous grin. “I like having the run of the house when the children are asleep, even if I have to ‘encourage’ them to do so.”
“Draco!”
“Relax.” Draco smirked. “The Sleep Encouragement Spell is a long-time staple in wizarding households. It doesn’t hurt them.”
Harry sighed. He could hardly complain about Draco’s Slytherin tendencies, he’d known what he was getting into, after all.
Draco eyed Harry’s formal robes critically. “Stop. Let me do that. You’re hopeless,” he said, brushing Harry’s hands away.
Harry let him, remaining still until Draco had fixed his outfit, then he leaned close, pressing his lips to Draco’s. Draco moaned and opened his mouth in response, deepening the kiss from chaste to passionate.
As happened every time he touched Draco, Harry went from relaxed to aroused in seconds flat, and he moaned into Draco’s mouth, his hands beginning to roam the familiar form through the formal robes. Neither heard the footsteps.
“What are you two doing...? Oh for Merlin’s sake, people are outside waiting!”
Harry pulled away from Draco reluctantly, turning to face Hermione with a sigh. “Sorry,” he said insincerely.
“Mm, I’m not,” Draco said with a smirk. “I like snogging Harry.”
“As you’ve demonstrated several times. In public,” a voice from the hallway said. Pansy stuck her head through the door a moment later.
Draco shrugged. “I bagged a hot man. Why hide that?”
“No one was in any doubt,” Hermione said dryly. “Now, if you two are done, there are several hundred people waiting outside to watch you get married. And I should think that since you fought so hard for this, you would be eager to see it happen.”
“I am,” Harry said, grabbing Draco’s hand. “There were times that I thought it would never happen.”
Pansy smiled. “Oh, I knew it would,” she said. “Once you got Lucius Malfoy on your side it was assured.”
Harry nodded. The fact that Lucius had argued in front of the Wizengamot in favour of the rights of gay wizards to marry would never cease to be a source of amazement to him. “That’s true, although it didn’t hurt that you and Hermione were so persistent. It’s always useful to have Ministry solicitors on your side.”
“Be that as it may,” Hermione said. “May I remind you that people are waiting, and your children, who are not known for their patience, are down there getting restless?”
Harry and Draco both paled, making Hermione smile.
“Right, time to go,” Draco declared, dragging Harry towards the door. “We can snog later.”
The trip down the stairs was fast, and soon they were standing at the entrance to the path that led to their wedding gazebo.
At the end of the flower-strewn path were Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy and, on the other side, Molly and Arthur Weasley. As Harry looked around, he saw Hermione slip in beside Charlie and he smiled. “Let’s do this,” he whispered.
Bending down, Draco hugged his daughter and then set her on the path. “Go on, Adele,” he said.
Adele did so, scattering more petals on the path as she went. When she got to the Malfoys, she giggled and hugged Lucius’ legs, surprising a smile from him and a chuckle from the crowd.
Next was Andrew, who Harry hugged and then sent on his way. Andrew didn’t scatter any flowers, he simply ran to Arthur, who scooped him up, grinning.
“Ready?” Harry asked.
Draco, eyes shining, nodded, and they set out, hand in hand into their future.
~