Fic: Baby's-Breath Boo-Boo (PG13)
Author: love_stoned0_0
Title: Baby's-Breath Boo-Boo
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco
Rating: PG-13
Summary: When Draco and Harry are left by their wives, Albus and Scorpius take it upon themselves to get their fathers together. After a love potion goes wrong, they find their families coming closer than ever.
Warnings: Mpreg. Lots of fluff.
Total word count: 7,250
Original prompt request number: 173
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 brixisonfire for the title. And a huge thanks to claynadian who put up with all my stuff.
Beta(s): Thanks aislinntlc for all the help with the story.
Baby's-Breath Boo-Boo
It was early Saturday morning, and Scorpius Malfoy woke up excited for his first Hogsmeade trip without parental supervision. He and his best friend, Albus Severus Potter, had planned out their day to the minute.
“Hey, Albus! Wake up!” Scorpius said loudly. He quickly scanned the room and noticed that none of the other boys were in the dorm. That was odd for a Saturday morning but he did not let it bother him. He walked over to his friend’s bed and pulled open the curtains. Albus rolled over and mumbled something about ‘Dad not killing himself’.
Scorpius frowned. He immediately knew his friend was dreaming about the difficulties his father had been experiencing, since his mother’s abandonment. It had been a difficult year for both families and they could not help be pulled closer together. Both families experienced a major loss and change within a short period of each other.
Astoria Malfoy decided twelve years after the birth of her first child that she wanted more children. Draco said he was happy with Scorpius and did not have the desire to have another child. Their marriage had been on the brink of falling apart for so long that Draco did not even want to fight with her anymore. One day, Astoria came home and declared that she was pregnant; Draco could not even be bothered to question her. She died of complications shortly after her announcement. The Healers never understood what happened. They claimed that it was probably some Muggle disease that took her life, and Draco did not see the point of dragging on the unpleasant process of discovering what happened to Astoria Malfoy.
Ginny Potter left her family for another man, shortly after Astoria’s death. She sent a letter to Harry and one to each of her children stating that she was unable to deal with Harry’s depression anymore and she was sorry to be forced to leave her family on such bad terms. She claimed she would always love him and wanted to try and keep her family together as much as possible, but she could not live her life in the past. Harry was furious and went on a rampage, blasting everything in sight to pieces. Draco had discovered Harry the following day, lying in his own vomit with his house torn to pieces. He quickly made it his priority to help the other man recover from his loss.
Since that night, the families had been almost inseparable. They had all found comfort in each other. James and Lily quickly accepted Scorpius as an honorary Potter and they spent all summer together at Malfoy Manor. Harry had gone for a long vacation alone, claiming he needed to re-evaluate his life. Albus wanted to stay with the Malfoys over the summer because Scorpius seemed to be the only one who understood him and James and Lily followed Albus because they did not want to be separated from their brother. They travelled in between Malfoy Manor and the Burrow during the summer, finding different comforts at both residences.
“Albus, is there something wrong with your dad?” Scorpius asked, forgetting all his worries about the past. He knew that Mr. Potter was having a harder time adjusting than he told his children. His father always seemed to be worrying about Mr. Potter and the only news they had got of him was from his father.
Draco had convinced Harry to accept Minerva’s request for him to give special DADA lessons, and Albus and Scorpius were looking forward to it. Albus had not seen his father or even heard from him since September 1st, but Mr. Malfoy had said that he was surviving and he would be at Hogsmeade, eager to start his new life.
“It’s not important, Scorpius,” Albus said yawning. He cast a tempus charm; it was already nine o’clock. “Bollocks! Scorpius, my dad is arriving at Hogsmeade at 9:30. You had better get your arse in motion.” The boys rushed to get ready and arrived at the train station with five minutes to spare.
“Why does your dad always insist on taking the train from London to Hogsmeade?” Scorpius asked breathlessly. It was not the first time he asked but he figured it was probably the time he would most likely get an answer, as he knew that Albus was thinking about his father.
“He just likes the train. I think he just likes remembering all the good things that happened, and whenever he comes to Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, he likes to remember,” Albus said turning around in circles. It was something about his father that confused him and led Albus to believe that his father was always reminiscing about the past. Ever since he had gone to Hogwarts, Albus felt like his father was drifting further away; to a place he could not reach him; to a place he did not even exist.
“Oh here comes the train!” Scorpius squealed. For all his talk about Malfoy composure and superiority, Albus always found that Scorpius was the first to lose his cool. Albus always enjoyed comparing Scorpius to Mr. Malfoy. They were so similar in appearance but had very different personalities. Mr. Malfoy was always calm and collected and harder to read. Scorpius was an open book with emotions flying all over the place.
The train pulled to a stop at the station and Harry was the only person to get off the train. Scorpius and Albus were staring at him in shock. The last time Albus had seen him, he was not in the best condition, but at least he was somewhat groomed. The man standing in front of Albus and Scorpius had not shaved since the last time they saw him a month ago. From the distance Albus could tell that he had not showered in a few weeks, his hair stuck to his head and he had a spot of dirt on the right side of his nose. His clothes were all rumpled and had stains. He had lost a lot of weight and seemed to be saggy skin over bones.
“Dad!” Albus yelled running to his father. He quickly wrapped his arms around his father’s waist and Albus pressed his face into Harry’s chest. Harry started to pat Albus on the back and stroked his son’s hair. He placed his head on the top of Albus’s and closed his eyes. They stayed like that for a few minutes while Scorpius shuffled from foot to foot. When Scorpius felt that they were ready, he moved forward.
“Hello, Mr. Potter. How are you?” Scorpius asked politely, extending his hand. He knew the answer before Harry could respond. He could see it in his best friend’s eyes. Albus was worried about his dad, and even standing there, he was calculating a way to make things better.
“Scorpius,” Harry reached to shake his hand, “how many times do I have to tell you to call me Harry in private?” Harry smiled. “How is school going?”
“Oh, it’s good. I’m really excited for your lecture on Monday. Everyone is talking about it. They have even been asking me questions about you.” Scorpius said proudly. He always liked being friends with Albus for the benefit of being famous for his association with a Potter, but he would never admit it to Albus. There were many reasons he loved being Albus’s friend; Scorpius just let him focus on those.
“We have so much planned for today, dad!” Albus said, pulling his dad along. They walked into to Hogsmeade and spent the morning looking at the shops. Scorpius noticed his friend was distracted and he tried harder to make sure Harry was entertained. After visiting Honeydukes and Scrivenshaft’s Quill shop, they went to the Three Broomsticks for lunch. After an awkward lunch, James and Lily joined them and Scorpius decided to let the Potters have an afternoon alone. He went to find some other friends and enjoy his afternoon. He would take to Albus at dinner.
Except Scorpius did not see Albus again until late that night. He could feel that Albus was creating a plan to solve his father’s problems. Harry was there sitting at the High Table beside Hagrid but Albus was not anywhere around. Scorpius figured that Harry and Albus had had dinner at the Three Broomsticks shortly before they returned to the castle but from the way Harry was eating, Scorpius did not believe that was the case. Harry was eating with an abandon that Scorpius had never seen. Scorpius assumed that Harry had not eaten in days and was finally giving into his hunger.
When Scorpius got back into the common room, after having made a detour to the kitchens to get something for Albus to eat, he installed himself on Albus’s bed to await his friend. He did not expect to wait long, but quickly fell asleep. He awoke several hours later and found the curtains drawn on all beds except Albus’s, who had apparently never come upstairs. Scorpius grabbed a bathrobe and went to wait in the common room.
He did not have to wait long before Albus came through the entrance. Albus pulled the invisibility cloak off of him when he saw Scorpius sitting on the couch. Silently Scorpius handed Albus the supper he had nicked for him. He was waiting for Albus to explain where he had been and he had more than enough patience to outwait Albus.
“I have a plan, Scorpius,” Albus whispered. Scorpius sighed in return. Albus was not the best at coming up with plans and that never seemed to stop him. “My dad needs help, Scorpius, and I knew exactly who can help him.” Scorpius sat up straighter; he had a feeling that Albus was talking about his father, and he did not like where this was going.
Draco Malfoy had many problems since his wife died last April. He received numerous angry letters, claiming that he had killed his wife. He also had to deal with his parents nagging him to remarry, as a single man was not to be trusted. He had also come to terms with his sexuality and accepted that he was attracted to men along with women. Scorpius knew most of this and did not want to create more problems for his father. These were just the issues that Draco was dealing with in personal life. Many people still did not trust a Malfoy after the war, and did not trust Draco to make proper decisions as a Governor for Hogwarts.
“Here’s what I’ve been thinking,” Albus said. He pulled out an obscure book, called Love Potions to Solve Every Problem. Scorpius groaned. “My dad needs to get laid,” Albus exclaimed with a blush creeping up his neck.
“Merlin, Albus. That isn’t going to solve your dad’s problems. He’s messed up. Sex might just make things more complicated,” Scorpius reasoned. He knew it was not a good idea but he could feel that he was going to be dragged into this whether he wanted to or not.
“No, it will solve his problems, Scorpius, trust me! I found this potion,” Albus said excitedly. He opened to book to page sixty-nine and started to explain the properties of a potion called Love for a Night.
“Who are you going to get him to sleep with Albus? Your dad isn’t just going to sleep with some random person,” Scorpius asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered with the Potters at all.
“Your father,” Albus replied instantly. “He’s perfect. He convinced my dad to take this job, and he’s the only person who can get my dad interested in life these days. You should have heard my dad during the day. Everything out of his mouth was ‘Draco said I should do this’ and ‘Draco said I can improve that’. I was ready to shoot him. You know I really like your dad, Scorpius, but if I heard about him one more time, I don’t know what I might have done!”
“No way, Albus! Your dad would kill us and I don’t even want to think about what my father will do if he finds out!” Scorpius said. He did not like this plan and if Albus would just let him help, they could come up with a plan that would not get them expelled.
“Fine. I’ll just do it by myself,” Albus said, pouting. He got up started to walk away.
“Fine,” Scorpius said, giving in to his friend. He knew he would have to help. He could not in good conscience allow his friend, who had inherited his father’s skills at potions, to brew the potion alone. “I’ll do it, but only because I don’t want you poisoning anyone. If we get caught, you have to take full blame.”
Albus nodded excitedly. They sat around the fire for an hour discussing who would find and retrieve which ingredients, where they would brew the potion and how they would get Draco at Hogwarts. By the time they went to bed, they had one of Scorpius’s well-detailed plans.
Over the next two weeks, Albus and Scorpius collected ingredients for the potion and started to brew it. The potion took a week to brew and had to sit for an hour. Albus was jittery for the entire time. Albus had decided that the best location to brew the potion was the first floor bathroom where his aunt Hermione brewed the Polyjuice Potion in her second year, one of his favourite stories about his family. That is where they could be found every afternoon for two weeks.
“Albus, the potion is almost ready,” Scorpius said stirring the cauldron of bright pink goo. He was not impressed with the colour and the entire bathroom smelt of roses and chocolates. Scorpius was sceptical that Harry would actually drink the potion but that was not his part in the plan. He stopped stirring and bent down to add the crushed baby's-breath to the potion. He stirred the cauldron twice as indicated and walked to the sinks to get a glass of water.
Albus, who was not paying attention to the brewing process up until then, saw that the potion was ready for the baby's-breath. He grounded the remaining amount and added it to the cauldron.
“So, is it all done now, Scorpius?” Albus asked, stirring the potion the last required two times and turned to face his friend.
“Yes, it’s finished. It just has to sit for one hour and then it is ready to give to your father,” Scorpius said. “Listen, Albus, I don’t…”
“No, don’t say it, Scorpius. It will work,” Albus said hurriedly. He did not want to hear that his plan was going to fail or that if he was discovered he could be expelled. Everything had to work out fine because he could not see his father sad anymore. “I said I’d meet my dad for tea; is it okay if I leave you here to clean up and I’ll see you later?”
Scorpius nodded. As much as he cared for his best friend, he knew when he was beaten. He saw it in all the Potter children. Once they had their mind set on something, there was nothing short of death that could stop them.
Scorpius fingered the Fever Fudge in his hand. He could not understand how these things still fooled the school Matron. Scorpius knew that George Weasley was constantly modifying them and he had the latest batch in his hand, but he still could not understand. Albus claimed that this one had been modified to work for 72 hours and then clear up slowly on its own, making the unexplainable fever harder to trace and more believable.
Scorpius quickly chewed the candy. He had 72 hours to get his father into the school and it was up to Albus to get Draco into Harry’s bed.
It took two days in the hospital wing for Draco to finally show up after the Matron sent him several owls claiming that Scorpius was ill and had been asking for him. Draco knew better, but after the fifth owl he started to worry. He entered the hospital wing and looked around.
There in the back corner laid his son with a cloth on his forehead. Albus was sitting on one side of him talking animatedly and Harry was on the other side watching the two boys, occasionally patting Scorpius’s hand. Draco knew that Albus probably fought with the Headmistress and the school Matron, with the help of his father, to get out of class to keep Scorpius company. Draco smiled to himself and looked down at his watch and noticed that it was half past one. He had taken the rest of the day off and hopefully would be able to spend it with his son in peace.
Draco watched from the doorway the interactions between the two boys and the man he was trying to put back together. Albus seemed nervous about something by the way his hands kept fluttering around him. Draco immediately was on his guard. He knew those two boys were up to something. He was surprised that he did not anticipate it when the first owl arrived, stating that Scorpius had an unexplainable fever.
“Good afternoon, Scorpius, Albus, Harry,” Draco said walking forward. He nodded to the other two and he quickly scanned the room once more, and noticed what happened to be Scorpius’s untouched lunch. “How are you supposed to get better if you don’t eat your lunch, Scorpius?” he asked worriedly.
Scorpius looked sheepish. He had not eaten anything for the last two days as part of the plan and he was starving. It did not matter to him that the food presented was almost inedible; Scorpius had an appetite to rival Ron Weasley on any given day.
“Oh! It’s because the food isn’t good. Have you eaten, Mr Malfoy? I could run and get some lunch for all of us in the kitchen!” Albus said quickly. Without waiting for a reply he ran out of the room. It was time to put their plan into action. Draco shook his head the boy’s lack of manners and knew for certain that something mischievous was about to occur.
Draco installed himself in the chair that Albus had just vacated and proceeded to ask questions about Scorpius’s health and well being. He did not want to ask anything of his son’s plan in front of Harry, because he had a feeling that the plan involved his friend. Before he could even start to ask Harry any questions about how teaching was going, Albus returned with a loaded tray of food. He brought everyone pumpkin soup, along with a cheese sandwich and a glass of pumpkin juice.
“If you would excuse me I would like to have a word with my son before we start our meal,” Draco asked seriously, casting a warming charm on the food. He looked at Scorpius, watching his son cringe. Albus took his father by the wrist and pulled him outside the entrance to the hospital wing, looking back anxiously at Scorpius.
“What’s in my food Scorpius?” Draco said scanning his plate. He knew better than to trust his son and his son’s best friend. They were always getting into trouble.
“A love potion, in Mr. Potter’s soup,” Scorpius replied quickly. His father was not a man to be crossed. Scorpius hoped that honesty would work best for him. He quickly explained to his father how rumpled and sad Harry had been when he arrived at the school and how Albus decide this was the best course of action.
“We want you to sleep with him,” Scorpius mumbled blushing. He had never talked frankly with his father about sex, but he knew that this was important to Albus and he could not let his friend down. “I brewed the potion myself. It’s a hundred percent perfect.”
Draco examined the soup from across the bed. He knew he would be taking advantage of Harry. He had wanted Harry since Ginny left him, and if he was being honest to himself he had wanted Harry for many years before that. Draco had hoped that being around the other man would make him notice it, but Harry was so deep in his depression that it did nothing but make him feel like he had a good friend. Draco was scared that if Harry found out he might feel betrayed, but at least Draco would be able to prove that he would always be around, and the worst thing that could happen is Draco could blame it on Albus and Scorpius.
Draco nodded. He would follow through with his son’s ridiculous plan. He got out of the chair and walked to the entrance and told Harry and Albus they could return. Albus anxiously watched Draco, hoping that everything would go as planned.
“Well tuck in,” Draco said. He watched Harry start eating the soup. Harry started by taking slow bites and half way through the bowl of soup, he lost all manners and started to drink right out of the bowl.
Albus grinned, his plan was going to work and his father would return to normal. Maybe, Albus thought, it will become a permanent relationship. He knew this was what his father needed.
Harry looked up and smiled seductively at Draco. “Draco, I’m stuffed. Would you like to go for a walk around the grounds with me and let the boys catch up?” Harry asked quietly.
Draco nodded and stood up and started to walk towards the door. He turned around and extended his hand back to Harry, which the other man took immediately. Draco glared at his son briefly and then continued to leave the room.
The minute the two men left the room, Albus jumped onto Scorpius’s bed exclaiming, “I knew it would work! I told you. I can’t believe we did it. We brewed the perfect potion!”
“What do you mean, ‘we brewed’?” Scorpius was annoyed that Albus was taking credit for his hard work. It meant nothing that Albus helped Scorpius retrieve the potion ingredients, he did all the brewing.
“I added the baby's-breath.” Albus said proudly, his chest puffing out. He knew his strengths did not lie in potions but adding the final ingredient was a good thing. It did not explode on him or anything.
“I added the baby's-breath, Albus!” Scorpius said hysterically. Scorpius started to have panic attack. His father was going to kill him. Something could go terribly wrong with the potion; nobody knew what could happen with a double amount of any ingredient in a potion. It was a potion designed to make the drinker aware of their hidden feelings for the person they cared the most for in a sexual manner. It obviously still worked in that fashion, but they did not know the consequences.
“Don’t worry, Scorpius, I’ll find them!” Albus said dramatically. He rushed out of the hospital wing to retrieve the Mauraders’ Map from James to find his father.
Once he located his father on the map, he realised how stupid he had been. Draco and Harry had not even made it outside. They were in an unused classroom beside the hospital wing. Albus ran down to the room as quickly as he could and threw open the doors.
“Merlin!” exclaimed Draco. He quickly grabbed his robes off the floor and turned around to face Albus. He nodded. It had been done. Harry was lying over a row of desks grinning. It had been the best time of his life.
Albus turned pale. He did not what was going to happen to his father but he did not think it would be good. He knew love potions were not meant to be played with and he could feel Draco’s eyes on him. Draco knew that something was wrong.
“Oh…er…I’m sorry” Albus stuttered leaving the room. He ran back to the hospital wing and looked at his friend. He shook his head. Albus suddenly realised that if the potion went wrong and something bad happened to his father, he would never be able to forgive himself.
“Your dad is going to kill us,” Albus mumbled when he saw Scorpius. Both boys knew it would do no good to run and hide, as Draco would find them as soon as he was able to leave Harry’s side.
Draco never had a reason to believe that something had gone wrong with the potion, though. Harry was fine and he frequently visited him, to talk and do more. Draco could not be mad at the two boys because it seemed that he had finally got all of the relationship he wanted with Harry. Draco still felt the occasional guilt with how he and Harry became a couple, but the ends justified the means and it seemed as if Harry was finally getting over his first failed marriage.
Albus and Scorpius spent a lot of time watching Harry. They watched him during classes, during meals and they spent as much time as he would allow with him in his private quarters. They did not notice much, but he seemed to have this glow about him. He seemed happy for once and his face always lit up whenever Draco entered the room.
After a month of observing Harry, Scorpius and Albus started to notice that during his DADA lessons, he would tire a lot faster. He gained weight but everyone chalked that up to him having proper regular meals. About two months after Harry had taken the potion he started to consume only tea at breakfast, while his appetite remained strong throughout the rest of the days, claiming that he was unable to keep down a meal before noon. Albus and Scorpius decided to dismiss it as normal adult behaviour. They came to the conclusion that nothing was wrong and they had done a good deed and there would be no consequences to their action.
Draco, on the other hand, was not convinced. He also spent a lot of time with Harry and at Hogwarts, under the pretence that he had Governor business to attend to. He could sense the change in Harry: his sudden mood swings and his constant use of the bathroom. Something was happening to Harry, and he was sure it was the potion. He decided to visit the school Matron and discuss Harry’s change in behaviour to discover what it might be without letting Harry know what he was thinking.
One night after a long discussion with the school Matron, Draco decided to use the diagnosis test he had learned on Harry. He crept slowly to the man lying on the bed and started a gentle incantation of spells. When Harry’s abdomen glowed a soft pink, Draco stopped horrified. He had laughed when the matron suggest that he try a pregnancy test on Harry, but now he could not stop casting it to see if the results changed. He suddenly became very scared of Harry’s reaction and had to go find the boys.
Before Draco could cast Finite Incantatem, Harry started to stir and woke up. He noticed the pink glow emitting from his stomach. He scratched at his stomach as if to remove it, and then he looked worriedly at Draco.
“Draco, what is that?” Harry asked. He inhaled sharply. “It almost looks like that spell that Ginny made me perform when she was pregnant with Lily.” He sat up against the headboard and stared at Draco for a minute. “Why haven’t you answered me yet, Draco?”
“You’re pregnant. And I had nothing to do with it,” Draco said, wincing. Suddenly, he knew he had condemned himself, his son, and Albus to Harry’s wrath. “I don’t know how it happened, but I can tell you when it happened.” Harry just stared at him and flopped back on the bed.
“But…I’m a man,” Harry whispered. Draco shook his head. He knew that the potion had gone wrong. Draco knew that this was from the potion his son had brewed, but since he did not know the specific potion, he was not sure where the mistake had occurred. Draco had heard of men getting pregnant while influenced by love potions, but it rarely happened… and he wanted Harry so badly that he did not stop to think of the consequences.
“You’re about two months along. Actually you’re one month, twenty-nine days and seven hours along. It’s my fault,” Draco said quickly. He and Harry had agreed when they started to see each other regularly that they would be completely honest and open with each other. Draco knew better than to agree to such a thing, but he did not want to hurt Harry more and have Harry doubting his affection.
Harry had pulled his arm over his eyes as if to block out the confession completely. He did not know what to think. He was just starting to get over the loss of his wife and he was starting to readjust to life and here was the biggest change to happen to him in his entire life. He had been stripped of his parents at the age of one, he had been mistreated as a child and teenager, he had defeated a Dark Lord and here he was pregnant.
“Albus and Scorpius put a love potion in your soup that first day,” Draco said, “and I didn’t stop them,” he whispered.
Harry groaned in response. He did not know what to think. This was his son’s fault and here Draco was trying to take complete blame. He felt the bed shift and his hand was pulled away from his face.
“Harry, look at me,” Draco said coarsely. Harry turned his eyes to look at the other man. Draco was biting on his lower lip. “I’m sorry; I did not know this was going to happen. Scorpius promised me that the potion was brewed perfectly, and I wanted to see you happy again. Fuck, Harry I wanted you so badly.” He stood up and started to pace the room. It was not fair to Harry if he got mad.
“I wanted you so badly,” he repeated, “but you were closed off. You couldn’t see what was in front of you. I’ve loved you for years, Harry, and it took me forever to admit it. Sure, this is bad, but I won’t admit I don’t want this. I have never wanted anything more in my life.”
Harry sighed and walked over to his lover. He wrapped his arms around Draco’s waist, resting his chin on the other man’s shoulder and squeezed him tightly. “What are we going to do about the boys?” he asked.
Draco let out a breath of relief. Harry did not hate him and they would deal with this together. They sat back down on the bed and started to discuss their plan of action.
“I think the first thing we should do is discover which potion they used,” Draco said. Harry was not interested in knowing which potion they had used. It was done and knowing would not change what had happened.
“We should just get them to confess slipping me a potion,” Harry said, “and maybe have some fun along the way.” Harry grinned at the other man. He wanted to show his son that it was not right to play with potions, especially with Love Potions as he knew from the past they could be just as dangerous as poisons.
“I think maybe if we played up your pregnancy symptoms making them seem worst then they are should work at getting the boys to confess,” Draco said. He was glad that Harry was not angry even though he was slightly surprised that nothing worse had happened. Draco knew that it was probably the best way to getting to the boys, instead of just reprimanding them and taking their allowances away. They would never mess with potions again.
Slowly over the next few weeks, Draco became a regular feature at the High Table and within Harry’s lessons aiding with the demonstrating of complex spells. At first Albus and Scorpius were thrilled. Their fathers were getting closer and they would be bothers in everything but blood. As the weeks went out, the boys noticed how Draco was attending to Harry and they started to worry. It started off innocently from Draco offering to demonstrate a less complex spell, to opening doors and pulling out chairs for Harry, to cutting up his food for him because Harry was too weak.
Albus started to get very worried. He was wondering what was wrong with his father, and he knew it had something to do with the potion. Albus decided to start looking through the book to see if they brewed an alternate potion and find out its effects on the body. When Albus went to remove the book from the library, he found it missing. Scorpius was not worried; he claimed that it was probably just a 7th year, writing a potion paper.
Draco continued to cater to Harry, and Albus started to feel the guilt eating away at him. He developed difficulties sleeping and he was unable to think of anything other than the fact that his father was dying and he might be able to prevent it. After five weeks of seeing his father become so sick that Draco was practically teaching his class, Albus decided that it was time to come clean.
“You can’t, Albus. They’ll skin you alive,” Scorpius said, holding Albus’s wrist. “My father was a Death Eater, he knows some terrible magic. If he finds out you killed the man he loves, Merlin help you.”
“Scorpius, he’s my father! I can’t watch him waste to nothing. Maybe if we said we screwed up the potion they can help him!” Albus said frantically. Scorpius stood there, unsure of the consequences. He knew he told his father that it was Albus’s idea but the fact that he brewed the potion and promised it was fine, made the plan more his fault than Albus’s.
“Fine.” Scorpius stormed out of the common room. Albus almost had to run to keep up with the other boy rushing toward Harry’s private quarters. They knocked on the door and waited. Harry usually was quick to answer the door despite being sick. This time Draco answered to the door.
Albus went pale. “Where is my father?” Albus stomped into the room and rushed into his father’s bedroom. He threw open his door and discovered his father lying in a bed that seemed abnormally large for him.
“Dad!” Albus threw himself onto the bed. He snuggled into his dad’s neck. “I’m so sorry I killed you!” Albus started to sob. Harry started to shake with silent laughter, which only caused Albus to sob harder.
“We screwed up the potion, Dad,” Scorpius said. “We both added baby's-breath to the potion. I’m so sorry, Dad. Mr. Potter, I’m willing to take complete responsibility for the potion and I will do anything to help you recover.” Scorpius turned to face Harry and his friend. Harry’s face had turned red with suppressed laughter. “I’ve come too late!” Scorpius exclaimed falling to the floor.
Suddenly Draco burst out laughing. “No, you little git, Harry isn’t dying,” He wheezed out between laughs. Scorpius and Albus looked back and forth between the two men laughing.
“What!?” Albus exclaimed. He was furious and could not understand why they would play this evil joke on him. “Dad, I thought you were dying; I thought I had killed you. It was my fault the potion screwed up, I added the baby's-breath again after Scorpius had finished.”
Harry snorted, which just made the two men laugh harder.
“This isn’t funny, Dad!” Albus whined.
Draco took a deep calming breath, but he could not remove the grin on his face. “I haven’t laughed like that in years.” He offered his hand to help his son of the floor. “Harry’s pregnant.” Scorpius fell back to the floor. Draco decide it was probably best that his son remained there and went to retrieve the book Love Potions to Solve Every Problem. “If you turn to page seventy-two, you’ll discover the potion you brewed.”
Scorpius sat for a long time on the floor reading the potion ingredients, brewing instructions and effects of the potion, while the others sat in silence watching him. When he had read it twice, he stood and handed the book to Albus. Albus proceeded to do the same himself. Harry and Draco were willing to wait until they talked first.
“You’re pregnant, Dad?” Albus finally asked. “How come you didn’t tell me? You let me spend five weeks worrying about you. I thought I killed you.” Albus whispered, hurt. He had never been betrayed like that by his father.
“You deserved it. You knew the moment you walked in on me and Draco that there was something wrong with the potion,” Harry said sternly. He was always afraid to discipline his children and left that up to Ginny because he wanted them to adore him. “You could have come to me with the truth right away.”
Albus looked away. He could not betray his friend Scorpius, though he wanted to tell his father right from the start. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry, I’ll never do anything like this again.”
“I should hope not,” Draco said, “you will not be convincing my lover to sleep with another man.” Albus looked at Draco. He’d never been scared of Mr Malfoy but he found himself retreating closer to his father. His father wrapped an arm around his shoulder, offering him the protection he needed.
“So I guess congratulations are in order then,” Scorpius said hopefully. He extended his hand to his father and they hugged. Draco whispered to his son that he loved him. Then Scorpius turned to Harry and offered his hand. “I guess if you’re going to give me the little brother or sister I always wanted, I’d better learn to call you Harry.” Then other man smiled in return and shook the young boy’s hand. He knew everything was going to work out fine for his new family.
It seemed like nothing could go wrong for the expecting couple and the months passed quickly. Their children were happy with the circumstances. The students where always asking what they were going to name the child and if they knew if it was a boy or a girl but Harry remained tight lipped. He knew he could not keep it a secret forever, but it was nice while it lasted.
The day Harry knew was coming, came a lot later than expected. It seemed that a reporter had followed him during his latest trip to Hogsmeade to buy new clothes and noticed his eight month pregnant stomach. It seemed like the Daily Prophet and other publications only wanted to write about the Boy Who Lived To Get Pregnant. Harry was shocked at how little the rumours and speculations bothered him. He could not remember a time he was happier, and he enjoyed reading the newest scandals that the reporters decided to print.
The only blip in Harry’s entire pregnancy was the issue of deciding the name of the baby. Draco would not stand for hyphenating the name of their child. He felt that she would already have too many problems being the daughter of the famous Harry Potter and infamous Draco Malfoy.
The worst fight took place when Draco declared that he wanted to name the baby Corona, after the constellation, but Harry would not hear of it. Pregnancy seemed to be the best thing for Harry’s self-confidence. He was not bothered by the problems that had plagued him before.
“She’s a beer!” Harry exclaimed hysterically. “You’re condemning our child to a life time of name calling!” Draco sighed. It seemed like this was all they talked about recently. It was a major decision that the men had to make together, but they could not seem to agree.
“I’ll let you name her whatever you want, as long as she’s a Malfoy,” Draco said finally.
Harry thought about it constantly. He thought of names that would sound perfect together for a Potter and for a Malfoy. In the end he knew his decision. He loved Draco and would do anything to please him.
It was what Harry was thinking about one afternoon in June beside the Black Lake, when he felt a pain like he’d never experienced before. He stood up quickly and cast the Patronus Charm to retrieve Draco from the Ministry and walked slowly to the Hospital wing. Draco and Harry decided that Harry should remain at Hogwarts during his pregnancy as it was the safest place for him and to be near the children.
As Harry walked toward the Hospital wing, he asked students to find his children and send them to the Hospital wing. It was pre-planned with school Matron that she would Floo-call the Healer when the time arrived. Harry walked slowly to his private room and started to undress. He was not scared, but he was anxious to see his little girl. He remembered the anticipation he felt when Ginny was pregnant with the other children, but it was not the same. He was ready to have the baby in his arms and hold her tight.
“Harry! Are you okay?” Draco asked, rushing to his side. “I’m sorry it took me so long, I had to run to Gringotts.” Before Harry could ask him what he needed from Gringotts a sharp pain seized him. The Healer entered the room.
“If you could just please leave the room, Mr. Malfoy. It will only be a moment,” said the Healer. Draco left the room and was immediately bombarded with questions by the children. He knew at that moment that they were a family, and while they would have plenty of ups and downs, he would always be welcomed here.
“You may all come in now,” the Healer announced. The children scrambled to come in before Draco. He gladly let his family go first. Harry was lying on the bed with the baby in his hands.
“Here, I brought her something,” Draco said, extending out a yellow quilt with the Malfoy crest. “It’s a Malfoy baby blanket. We all have one, even if she might be an honorary Malfoy.” Draco added sadly.
Harry took the blanket and wrapped it around his little baby. “Since we’re all here, I’d like to introduce you to Ara Narcissa Malfoy.” He smiled at Draco and Draco looked back at him with tears in his eyes. The children moved away as Draco came close. He fell to his knees beside the bed and kissed Harry. Then he kissed Ara’s forehead. He could hear Lily squealing in the background.
“My little Lioness,” Draco whispered so only Harry could hear. He removed the cap from Ara’s head. “Her hair is RED!” he yelled then fainted. Scorpius ran to his father’s side but Harry could not help but laugh. A Malfoy with red hair--he would never hear then end of it. Harry nuzzled Ara and knew he would not change anything for all the Galleons in the world.
The end
Title: Baby's-Breath Boo-Boo
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco
Rating: PG-13
Summary: When Draco and Harry are left by their wives, Albus and Scorpius take it upon themselves to get their fathers together. After a love potion goes wrong, they find their families coming closer than ever.
Warnings: Mpreg. Lots of fluff.
Total word count: 7,250
Original prompt request number: 173
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 brixisonfire for the title. And a huge thanks to claynadian who put up with all my stuff.
Beta(s): Thanks aislinntlc for all the help with the story.
Baby's-Breath Boo-Boo
It was early Saturday morning, and Scorpius Malfoy woke up excited for his first Hogsmeade trip without parental supervision. He and his best friend, Albus Severus Potter, had planned out their day to the minute.
“Hey, Albus! Wake up!” Scorpius said loudly. He quickly scanned the room and noticed that none of the other boys were in the dorm. That was odd for a Saturday morning but he did not let it bother him. He walked over to his friend’s bed and pulled open the curtains. Albus rolled over and mumbled something about ‘Dad not killing himself’.
Scorpius frowned. He immediately knew his friend was dreaming about the difficulties his father had been experiencing, since his mother’s abandonment. It had been a difficult year for both families and they could not help be pulled closer together. Both families experienced a major loss and change within a short period of each other.
Astoria Malfoy decided twelve years after the birth of her first child that she wanted more children. Draco said he was happy with Scorpius and did not have the desire to have another child. Their marriage had been on the brink of falling apart for so long that Draco did not even want to fight with her anymore. One day, Astoria came home and declared that she was pregnant; Draco could not even be bothered to question her. She died of complications shortly after her announcement. The Healers never understood what happened. They claimed that it was probably some Muggle disease that took her life, and Draco did not see the point of dragging on the unpleasant process of discovering what happened to Astoria Malfoy.
Ginny Potter left her family for another man, shortly after Astoria’s death. She sent a letter to Harry and one to each of her children stating that she was unable to deal with Harry’s depression anymore and she was sorry to be forced to leave her family on such bad terms. She claimed she would always love him and wanted to try and keep her family together as much as possible, but she could not live her life in the past. Harry was furious and went on a rampage, blasting everything in sight to pieces. Draco had discovered Harry the following day, lying in his own vomit with his house torn to pieces. He quickly made it his priority to help the other man recover from his loss.
Since that night, the families had been almost inseparable. They had all found comfort in each other. James and Lily quickly accepted Scorpius as an honorary Potter and they spent all summer together at Malfoy Manor. Harry had gone for a long vacation alone, claiming he needed to re-evaluate his life. Albus wanted to stay with the Malfoys over the summer because Scorpius seemed to be the only one who understood him and James and Lily followed Albus because they did not want to be separated from their brother. They travelled in between Malfoy Manor and the Burrow during the summer, finding different comforts at both residences.
“Albus, is there something wrong with your dad?” Scorpius asked, forgetting all his worries about the past. He knew that Mr. Potter was having a harder time adjusting than he told his children. His father always seemed to be worrying about Mr. Potter and the only news they had got of him was from his father.
Draco had convinced Harry to accept Minerva’s request for him to give special DADA lessons, and Albus and Scorpius were looking forward to it. Albus had not seen his father or even heard from him since September 1st, but Mr. Malfoy had said that he was surviving and he would be at Hogsmeade, eager to start his new life.
“It’s not important, Scorpius,” Albus said yawning. He cast a tempus charm; it was already nine o’clock. “Bollocks! Scorpius, my dad is arriving at Hogsmeade at 9:30. You had better get your arse in motion.” The boys rushed to get ready and arrived at the train station with five minutes to spare.
“Why does your dad always insist on taking the train from London to Hogsmeade?” Scorpius asked breathlessly. It was not the first time he asked but he figured it was probably the time he would most likely get an answer, as he knew that Albus was thinking about his father.
“He just likes the train. I think he just likes remembering all the good things that happened, and whenever he comes to Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, he likes to remember,” Albus said turning around in circles. It was something about his father that confused him and led Albus to believe that his father was always reminiscing about the past. Ever since he had gone to Hogwarts, Albus felt like his father was drifting further away; to a place he could not reach him; to a place he did not even exist.
“Oh here comes the train!” Scorpius squealed. For all his talk about Malfoy composure and superiority, Albus always found that Scorpius was the first to lose his cool. Albus always enjoyed comparing Scorpius to Mr. Malfoy. They were so similar in appearance but had very different personalities. Mr. Malfoy was always calm and collected and harder to read. Scorpius was an open book with emotions flying all over the place.
The train pulled to a stop at the station and Harry was the only person to get off the train. Scorpius and Albus were staring at him in shock. The last time Albus had seen him, he was not in the best condition, but at least he was somewhat groomed. The man standing in front of Albus and Scorpius had not shaved since the last time they saw him a month ago. From the distance Albus could tell that he had not showered in a few weeks, his hair stuck to his head and he had a spot of dirt on the right side of his nose. His clothes were all rumpled and had stains. He had lost a lot of weight and seemed to be saggy skin over bones.
“Dad!” Albus yelled running to his father. He quickly wrapped his arms around his father’s waist and Albus pressed his face into Harry’s chest. Harry started to pat Albus on the back and stroked his son’s hair. He placed his head on the top of Albus’s and closed his eyes. They stayed like that for a few minutes while Scorpius shuffled from foot to foot. When Scorpius felt that they were ready, he moved forward.
“Hello, Mr. Potter. How are you?” Scorpius asked politely, extending his hand. He knew the answer before Harry could respond. He could see it in his best friend’s eyes. Albus was worried about his dad, and even standing there, he was calculating a way to make things better.
“Scorpius,” Harry reached to shake his hand, “how many times do I have to tell you to call me Harry in private?” Harry smiled. “How is school going?”
“Oh, it’s good. I’m really excited for your lecture on Monday. Everyone is talking about it. They have even been asking me questions about you.” Scorpius said proudly. He always liked being friends with Albus for the benefit of being famous for his association with a Potter, but he would never admit it to Albus. There were many reasons he loved being Albus’s friend; Scorpius just let him focus on those.
“We have so much planned for today, dad!” Albus said, pulling his dad along. They walked into to Hogsmeade and spent the morning looking at the shops. Scorpius noticed his friend was distracted and he tried harder to make sure Harry was entertained. After visiting Honeydukes and Scrivenshaft’s Quill shop, they went to the Three Broomsticks for lunch. After an awkward lunch, James and Lily joined them and Scorpius decided to let the Potters have an afternoon alone. He went to find some other friends and enjoy his afternoon. He would take to Albus at dinner.
Except Scorpius did not see Albus again until late that night. He could feel that Albus was creating a plan to solve his father’s problems. Harry was there sitting at the High Table beside Hagrid but Albus was not anywhere around. Scorpius figured that Harry and Albus had had dinner at the Three Broomsticks shortly before they returned to the castle but from the way Harry was eating, Scorpius did not believe that was the case. Harry was eating with an abandon that Scorpius had never seen. Scorpius assumed that Harry had not eaten in days and was finally giving into his hunger.
When Scorpius got back into the common room, after having made a detour to the kitchens to get something for Albus to eat, he installed himself on Albus’s bed to await his friend. He did not expect to wait long, but quickly fell asleep. He awoke several hours later and found the curtains drawn on all beds except Albus’s, who had apparently never come upstairs. Scorpius grabbed a bathrobe and went to wait in the common room.
He did not have to wait long before Albus came through the entrance. Albus pulled the invisibility cloak off of him when he saw Scorpius sitting on the couch. Silently Scorpius handed Albus the supper he had nicked for him. He was waiting for Albus to explain where he had been and he had more than enough patience to outwait Albus.
“I have a plan, Scorpius,” Albus whispered. Scorpius sighed in return. Albus was not the best at coming up with plans and that never seemed to stop him. “My dad needs help, Scorpius, and I knew exactly who can help him.” Scorpius sat up straighter; he had a feeling that Albus was talking about his father, and he did not like where this was going.
Draco Malfoy had many problems since his wife died last April. He received numerous angry letters, claiming that he had killed his wife. He also had to deal with his parents nagging him to remarry, as a single man was not to be trusted. He had also come to terms with his sexuality and accepted that he was attracted to men along with women. Scorpius knew most of this and did not want to create more problems for his father. These were just the issues that Draco was dealing with in personal life. Many people still did not trust a Malfoy after the war, and did not trust Draco to make proper decisions as a Governor for Hogwarts.
“Here’s what I’ve been thinking,” Albus said. He pulled out an obscure book, called Love Potions to Solve Every Problem. Scorpius groaned. “My dad needs to get laid,” Albus exclaimed with a blush creeping up his neck.
“Merlin, Albus. That isn’t going to solve your dad’s problems. He’s messed up. Sex might just make things more complicated,” Scorpius reasoned. He knew it was not a good idea but he could feel that he was going to be dragged into this whether he wanted to or not.
“No, it will solve his problems, Scorpius, trust me! I found this potion,” Albus said excitedly. He opened to book to page sixty-nine and started to explain the properties of a potion called Love for a Night.
“Who are you going to get him to sleep with Albus? Your dad isn’t just going to sleep with some random person,” Scorpius asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered with the Potters at all.
“Your father,” Albus replied instantly. “He’s perfect. He convinced my dad to take this job, and he’s the only person who can get my dad interested in life these days. You should have heard my dad during the day. Everything out of his mouth was ‘Draco said I should do this’ and ‘Draco said I can improve that’. I was ready to shoot him. You know I really like your dad, Scorpius, but if I heard about him one more time, I don’t know what I might have done!”
“No way, Albus! Your dad would kill us and I don’t even want to think about what my father will do if he finds out!” Scorpius said. He did not like this plan and if Albus would just let him help, they could come up with a plan that would not get them expelled.
“Fine. I’ll just do it by myself,” Albus said, pouting. He got up started to walk away.
“Fine,” Scorpius said, giving in to his friend. He knew he would have to help. He could not in good conscience allow his friend, who had inherited his father’s skills at potions, to brew the potion alone. “I’ll do it, but only because I don’t want you poisoning anyone. If we get caught, you have to take full blame.”
Albus nodded excitedly. They sat around the fire for an hour discussing who would find and retrieve which ingredients, where they would brew the potion and how they would get Draco at Hogwarts. By the time they went to bed, they had one of Scorpius’s well-detailed plans.
Over the next two weeks, Albus and Scorpius collected ingredients for the potion and started to brew it. The potion took a week to brew and had to sit for an hour. Albus was jittery for the entire time. Albus had decided that the best location to brew the potion was the first floor bathroom where his aunt Hermione brewed the Polyjuice Potion in her second year, one of his favourite stories about his family. That is where they could be found every afternoon for two weeks.
“Albus, the potion is almost ready,” Scorpius said stirring the cauldron of bright pink goo. He was not impressed with the colour and the entire bathroom smelt of roses and chocolates. Scorpius was sceptical that Harry would actually drink the potion but that was not his part in the plan. He stopped stirring and bent down to add the crushed baby's-breath to the potion. He stirred the cauldron twice as indicated and walked to the sinks to get a glass of water.
Albus, who was not paying attention to the brewing process up until then, saw that the potion was ready for the baby's-breath. He grounded the remaining amount and added it to the cauldron.
“So, is it all done now, Scorpius?” Albus asked, stirring the potion the last required two times and turned to face his friend.
“Yes, it’s finished. It just has to sit for one hour and then it is ready to give to your father,” Scorpius said. “Listen, Albus, I don’t…”
“No, don’t say it, Scorpius. It will work,” Albus said hurriedly. He did not want to hear that his plan was going to fail or that if he was discovered he could be expelled. Everything had to work out fine because he could not see his father sad anymore. “I said I’d meet my dad for tea; is it okay if I leave you here to clean up and I’ll see you later?”
Scorpius nodded. As much as he cared for his best friend, he knew when he was beaten. He saw it in all the Potter children. Once they had their mind set on something, there was nothing short of death that could stop them.
Scorpius fingered the Fever Fudge in his hand. He could not understand how these things still fooled the school Matron. Scorpius knew that George Weasley was constantly modifying them and he had the latest batch in his hand, but he still could not understand. Albus claimed that this one had been modified to work for 72 hours and then clear up slowly on its own, making the unexplainable fever harder to trace and more believable.
Scorpius quickly chewed the candy. He had 72 hours to get his father into the school and it was up to Albus to get Draco into Harry’s bed.
It took two days in the hospital wing for Draco to finally show up after the Matron sent him several owls claiming that Scorpius was ill and had been asking for him. Draco knew better, but after the fifth owl he started to worry. He entered the hospital wing and looked around.
There in the back corner laid his son with a cloth on his forehead. Albus was sitting on one side of him talking animatedly and Harry was on the other side watching the two boys, occasionally patting Scorpius’s hand. Draco knew that Albus probably fought with the Headmistress and the school Matron, with the help of his father, to get out of class to keep Scorpius company. Draco smiled to himself and looked down at his watch and noticed that it was half past one. He had taken the rest of the day off and hopefully would be able to spend it with his son in peace.
Draco watched from the doorway the interactions between the two boys and the man he was trying to put back together. Albus seemed nervous about something by the way his hands kept fluttering around him. Draco immediately was on his guard. He knew those two boys were up to something. He was surprised that he did not anticipate it when the first owl arrived, stating that Scorpius had an unexplainable fever.
“Good afternoon, Scorpius, Albus, Harry,” Draco said walking forward. He nodded to the other two and he quickly scanned the room once more, and noticed what happened to be Scorpius’s untouched lunch. “How are you supposed to get better if you don’t eat your lunch, Scorpius?” he asked worriedly.
Scorpius looked sheepish. He had not eaten anything for the last two days as part of the plan and he was starving. It did not matter to him that the food presented was almost inedible; Scorpius had an appetite to rival Ron Weasley on any given day.
“Oh! It’s because the food isn’t good. Have you eaten, Mr Malfoy? I could run and get some lunch for all of us in the kitchen!” Albus said quickly. Without waiting for a reply he ran out of the room. It was time to put their plan into action. Draco shook his head the boy’s lack of manners and knew for certain that something mischievous was about to occur.
Draco installed himself in the chair that Albus had just vacated and proceeded to ask questions about Scorpius’s health and well being. He did not want to ask anything of his son’s plan in front of Harry, because he had a feeling that the plan involved his friend. Before he could even start to ask Harry any questions about how teaching was going, Albus returned with a loaded tray of food. He brought everyone pumpkin soup, along with a cheese sandwich and a glass of pumpkin juice.
“If you would excuse me I would like to have a word with my son before we start our meal,” Draco asked seriously, casting a warming charm on the food. He looked at Scorpius, watching his son cringe. Albus took his father by the wrist and pulled him outside the entrance to the hospital wing, looking back anxiously at Scorpius.
“What’s in my food Scorpius?” Draco said scanning his plate. He knew better than to trust his son and his son’s best friend. They were always getting into trouble.
“A love potion, in Mr. Potter’s soup,” Scorpius replied quickly. His father was not a man to be crossed. Scorpius hoped that honesty would work best for him. He quickly explained to his father how rumpled and sad Harry had been when he arrived at the school and how Albus decide this was the best course of action.
“We want you to sleep with him,” Scorpius mumbled blushing. He had never talked frankly with his father about sex, but he knew that this was important to Albus and he could not let his friend down. “I brewed the potion myself. It’s a hundred percent perfect.”
Draco examined the soup from across the bed. He knew he would be taking advantage of Harry. He had wanted Harry since Ginny left him, and if he was being honest to himself he had wanted Harry for many years before that. Draco had hoped that being around the other man would make him notice it, but Harry was so deep in his depression that it did nothing but make him feel like he had a good friend. Draco was scared that if Harry found out he might feel betrayed, but at least Draco would be able to prove that he would always be around, and the worst thing that could happen is Draco could blame it on Albus and Scorpius.
Draco nodded. He would follow through with his son’s ridiculous plan. He got out of the chair and walked to the entrance and told Harry and Albus they could return. Albus anxiously watched Draco, hoping that everything would go as planned.
“Well tuck in,” Draco said. He watched Harry start eating the soup. Harry started by taking slow bites and half way through the bowl of soup, he lost all manners and started to drink right out of the bowl.
Albus grinned, his plan was going to work and his father would return to normal. Maybe, Albus thought, it will become a permanent relationship. He knew this was what his father needed.
Harry looked up and smiled seductively at Draco. “Draco, I’m stuffed. Would you like to go for a walk around the grounds with me and let the boys catch up?” Harry asked quietly.
Draco nodded and stood up and started to walk towards the door. He turned around and extended his hand back to Harry, which the other man took immediately. Draco glared at his son briefly and then continued to leave the room.
The minute the two men left the room, Albus jumped onto Scorpius’s bed exclaiming, “I knew it would work! I told you. I can’t believe we did it. We brewed the perfect potion!”
“What do you mean, ‘we brewed’?” Scorpius was annoyed that Albus was taking credit for his hard work. It meant nothing that Albus helped Scorpius retrieve the potion ingredients, he did all the brewing.
“I added the baby's-breath.” Albus said proudly, his chest puffing out. He knew his strengths did not lie in potions but adding the final ingredient was a good thing. It did not explode on him or anything.
“I added the baby's-breath, Albus!” Scorpius said hysterically. Scorpius started to have panic attack. His father was going to kill him. Something could go terribly wrong with the potion; nobody knew what could happen with a double amount of any ingredient in a potion. It was a potion designed to make the drinker aware of their hidden feelings for the person they cared the most for in a sexual manner. It obviously still worked in that fashion, but they did not know the consequences.
“Don’t worry, Scorpius, I’ll find them!” Albus said dramatically. He rushed out of the hospital wing to retrieve the Mauraders’ Map from James to find his father.
Once he located his father on the map, he realised how stupid he had been. Draco and Harry had not even made it outside. They were in an unused classroom beside the hospital wing. Albus ran down to the room as quickly as he could and threw open the doors.
“Merlin!” exclaimed Draco. He quickly grabbed his robes off the floor and turned around to face Albus. He nodded. It had been done. Harry was lying over a row of desks grinning. It had been the best time of his life.
Albus turned pale. He did not what was going to happen to his father but he did not think it would be good. He knew love potions were not meant to be played with and he could feel Draco’s eyes on him. Draco knew that something was wrong.
“Oh…er…I’m sorry” Albus stuttered leaving the room. He ran back to the hospital wing and looked at his friend. He shook his head. Albus suddenly realised that if the potion went wrong and something bad happened to his father, he would never be able to forgive himself.
“Your dad is going to kill us,” Albus mumbled when he saw Scorpius. Both boys knew it would do no good to run and hide, as Draco would find them as soon as he was able to leave Harry’s side.
Draco never had a reason to believe that something had gone wrong with the potion, though. Harry was fine and he frequently visited him, to talk and do more. Draco could not be mad at the two boys because it seemed that he had finally got all of the relationship he wanted with Harry. Draco still felt the occasional guilt with how he and Harry became a couple, but the ends justified the means and it seemed as if Harry was finally getting over his first failed marriage.
Albus and Scorpius spent a lot of time watching Harry. They watched him during classes, during meals and they spent as much time as he would allow with him in his private quarters. They did not notice much, but he seemed to have this glow about him. He seemed happy for once and his face always lit up whenever Draco entered the room.
After a month of observing Harry, Scorpius and Albus started to notice that during his DADA lessons, he would tire a lot faster. He gained weight but everyone chalked that up to him having proper regular meals. About two months after Harry had taken the potion he started to consume only tea at breakfast, while his appetite remained strong throughout the rest of the days, claiming that he was unable to keep down a meal before noon. Albus and Scorpius decided to dismiss it as normal adult behaviour. They came to the conclusion that nothing was wrong and they had done a good deed and there would be no consequences to their action.
Draco, on the other hand, was not convinced. He also spent a lot of time with Harry and at Hogwarts, under the pretence that he had Governor business to attend to. He could sense the change in Harry: his sudden mood swings and his constant use of the bathroom. Something was happening to Harry, and he was sure it was the potion. He decided to visit the school Matron and discuss Harry’s change in behaviour to discover what it might be without letting Harry know what he was thinking.
One night after a long discussion with the school Matron, Draco decided to use the diagnosis test he had learned on Harry. He crept slowly to the man lying on the bed and started a gentle incantation of spells. When Harry’s abdomen glowed a soft pink, Draco stopped horrified. He had laughed when the matron suggest that he try a pregnancy test on Harry, but now he could not stop casting it to see if the results changed. He suddenly became very scared of Harry’s reaction and had to go find the boys.
Before Draco could cast Finite Incantatem, Harry started to stir and woke up. He noticed the pink glow emitting from his stomach. He scratched at his stomach as if to remove it, and then he looked worriedly at Draco.
“Draco, what is that?” Harry asked. He inhaled sharply. “It almost looks like that spell that Ginny made me perform when she was pregnant with Lily.” He sat up against the headboard and stared at Draco for a minute. “Why haven’t you answered me yet, Draco?”
“You’re pregnant. And I had nothing to do with it,” Draco said, wincing. Suddenly, he knew he had condemned himself, his son, and Albus to Harry’s wrath. “I don’t know how it happened, but I can tell you when it happened.” Harry just stared at him and flopped back on the bed.
“But…I’m a man,” Harry whispered. Draco shook his head. He knew that the potion had gone wrong. Draco knew that this was from the potion his son had brewed, but since he did not know the specific potion, he was not sure where the mistake had occurred. Draco had heard of men getting pregnant while influenced by love potions, but it rarely happened… and he wanted Harry so badly that he did not stop to think of the consequences.
“You’re about two months along. Actually you’re one month, twenty-nine days and seven hours along. It’s my fault,” Draco said quickly. He and Harry had agreed when they started to see each other regularly that they would be completely honest and open with each other. Draco knew better than to agree to such a thing, but he did not want to hurt Harry more and have Harry doubting his affection.
Harry had pulled his arm over his eyes as if to block out the confession completely. He did not know what to think. He was just starting to get over the loss of his wife and he was starting to readjust to life and here was the biggest change to happen to him in his entire life. He had been stripped of his parents at the age of one, he had been mistreated as a child and teenager, he had defeated a Dark Lord and here he was pregnant.
“Albus and Scorpius put a love potion in your soup that first day,” Draco said, “and I didn’t stop them,” he whispered.
Harry groaned in response. He did not know what to think. This was his son’s fault and here Draco was trying to take complete blame. He felt the bed shift and his hand was pulled away from his face.
“Harry, look at me,” Draco said coarsely. Harry turned his eyes to look at the other man. Draco was biting on his lower lip. “I’m sorry; I did not know this was going to happen. Scorpius promised me that the potion was brewed perfectly, and I wanted to see you happy again. Fuck, Harry I wanted you so badly.” He stood up and started to pace the room. It was not fair to Harry if he got mad.
“I wanted you so badly,” he repeated, “but you were closed off. You couldn’t see what was in front of you. I’ve loved you for years, Harry, and it took me forever to admit it. Sure, this is bad, but I won’t admit I don’t want this. I have never wanted anything more in my life.”
Harry sighed and walked over to his lover. He wrapped his arms around Draco’s waist, resting his chin on the other man’s shoulder and squeezed him tightly. “What are we going to do about the boys?” he asked.
Draco let out a breath of relief. Harry did not hate him and they would deal with this together. They sat back down on the bed and started to discuss their plan of action.
“I think the first thing we should do is discover which potion they used,” Draco said. Harry was not interested in knowing which potion they had used. It was done and knowing would not change what had happened.
“We should just get them to confess slipping me a potion,” Harry said, “and maybe have some fun along the way.” Harry grinned at the other man. He wanted to show his son that it was not right to play with potions, especially with Love Potions as he knew from the past they could be just as dangerous as poisons.
“I think maybe if we played up your pregnancy symptoms making them seem worst then they are should work at getting the boys to confess,” Draco said. He was glad that Harry was not angry even though he was slightly surprised that nothing worse had happened. Draco knew that it was probably the best way to getting to the boys, instead of just reprimanding them and taking their allowances away. They would never mess with potions again.
Slowly over the next few weeks, Draco became a regular feature at the High Table and within Harry’s lessons aiding with the demonstrating of complex spells. At first Albus and Scorpius were thrilled. Their fathers were getting closer and they would be bothers in everything but blood. As the weeks went out, the boys noticed how Draco was attending to Harry and they started to worry. It started off innocently from Draco offering to demonstrate a less complex spell, to opening doors and pulling out chairs for Harry, to cutting up his food for him because Harry was too weak.
Albus started to get very worried. He was wondering what was wrong with his father, and he knew it had something to do with the potion. Albus decided to start looking through the book to see if they brewed an alternate potion and find out its effects on the body. When Albus went to remove the book from the library, he found it missing. Scorpius was not worried; he claimed that it was probably just a 7th year, writing a potion paper.
Draco continued to cater to Harry, and Albus started to feel the guilt eating away at him. He developed difficulties sleeping and he was unable to think of anything other than the fact that his father was dying and he might be able to prevent it. After five weeks of seeing his father become so sick that Draco was practically teaching his class, Albus decided that it was time to come clean.
“You can’t, Albus. They’ll skin you alive,” Scorpius said, holding Albus’s wrist. “My father was a Death Eater, he knows some terrible magic. If he finds out you killed the man he loves, Merlin help you.”
“Scorpius, he’s my father! I can’t watch him waste to nothing. Maybe if we said we screwed up the potion they can help him!” Albus said frantically. Scorpius stood there, unsure of the consequences. He knew he told his father that it was Albus’s idea but the fact that he brewed the potion and promised it was fine, made the plan more his fault than Albus’s.
“Fine.” Scorpius stormed out of the common room. Albus almost had to run to keep up with the other boy rushing toward Harry’s private quarters. They knocked on the door and waited. Harry usually was quick to answer the door despite being sick. This time Draco answered to the door.
Albus went pale. “Where is my father?” Albus stomped into the room and rushed into his father’s bedroom. He threw open his door and discovered his father lying in a bed that seemed abnormally large for him.
“Dad!” Albus threw himself onto the bed. He snuggled into his dad’s neck. “I’m so sorry I killed you!” Albus started to sob. Harry started to shake with silent laughter, which only caused Albus to sob harder.
“We screwed up the potion, Dad,” Scorpius said. “We both added baby's-breath to the potion. I’m so sorry, Dad. Mr. Potter, I’m willing to take complete responsibility for the potion and I will do anything to help you recover.” Scorpius turned to face Harry and his friend. Harry’s face had turned red with suppressed laughter. “I’ve come too late!” Scorpius exclaimed falling to the floor.
Suddenly Draco burst out laughing. “No, you little git, Harry isn’t dying,” He wheezed out between laughs. Scorpius and Albus looked back and forth between the two men laughing.
“What!?” Albus exclaimed. He was furious and could not understand why they would play this evil joke on him. “Dad, I thought you were dying; I thought I had killed you. It was my fault the potion screwed up, I added the baby's-breath again after Scorpius had finished.”
Harry snorted, which just made the two men laugh harder.
“This isn’t funny, Dad!” Albus whined.
Draco took a deep calming breath, but he could not remove the grin on his face. “I haven’t laughed like that in years.” He offered his hand to help his son of the floor. “Harry’s pregnant.” Scorpius fell back to the floor. Draco decide it was probably best that his son remained there and went to retrieve the book Love Potions to Solve Every Problem. “If you turn to page seventy-two, you’ll discover the potion you brewed.”
Scorpius sat for a long time on the floor reading the potion ingredients, brewing instructions and effects of the potion, while the others sat in silence watching him. When he had read it twice, he stood and handed the book to Albus. Albus proceeded to do the same himself. Harry and Draco were willing to wait until they talked first.
“You’re pregnant, Dad?” Albus finally asked. “How come you didn’t tell me? You let me spend five weeks worrying about you. I thought I killed you.” Albus whispered, hurt. He had never been betrayed like that by his father.
“You deserved it. You knew the moment you walked in on me and Draco that there was something wrong with the potion,” Harry said sternly. He was always afraid to discipline his children and left that up to Ginny because he wanted them to adore him. “You could have come to me with the truth right away.”
Albus looked away. He could not betray his friend Scorpius, though he wanted to tell his father right from the start. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry, I’ll never do anything like this again.”
“I should hope not,” Draco said, “you will not be convincing my lover to sleep with another man.” Albus looked at Draco. He’d never been scared of Mr Malfoy but he found himself retreating closer to his father. His father wrapped an arm around his shoulder, offering him the protection he needed.
“So I guess congratulations are in order then,” Scorpius said hopefully. He extended his hand to his father and they hugged. Draco whispered to his son that he loved him. Then Scorpius turned to Harry and offered his hand. “I guess if you’re going to give me the little brother or sister I always wanted, I’d better learn to call you Harry.” Then other man smiled in return and shook the young boy’s hand. He knew everything was going to work out fine for his new family.
It seemed like nothing could go wrong for the expecting couple and the months passed quickly. Their children were happy with the circumstances. The students where always asking what they were going to name the child and if they knew if it was a boy or a girl but Harry remained tight lipped. He knew he could not keep it a secret forever, but it was nice while it lasted.
The day Harry knew was coming, came a lot later than expected. It seemed that a reporter had followed him during his latest trip to Hogsmeade to buy new clothes and noticed his eight month pregnant stomach. It seemed like the Daily Prophet and other publications only wanted to write about the Boy Who Lived To Get Pregnant. Harry was shocked at how little the rumours and speculations bothered him. He could not remember a time he was happier, and he enjoyed reading the newest scandals that the reporters decided to print.
The only blip in Harry’s entire pregnancy was the issue of deciding the name of the baby. Draco would not stand for hyphenating the name of their child. He felt that she would already have too many problems being the daughter of the famous Harry Potter and infamous Draco Malfoy.
The worst fight took place when Draco declared that he wanted to name the baby Corona, after the constellation, but Harry would not hear of it. Pregnancy seemed to be the best thing for Harry’s self-confidence. He was not bothered by the problems that had plagued him before.
“She’s a beer!” Harry exclaimed hysterically. “You’re condemning our child to a life time of name calling!” Draco sighed. It seemed like this was all they talked about recently. It was a major decision that the men had to make together, but they could not seem to agree.
“I’ll let you name her whatever you want, as long as she’s a Malfoy,” Draco said finally.
Harry thought about it constantly. He thought of names that would sound perfect together for a Potter and for a Malfoy. In the end he knew his decision. He loved Draco and would do anything to please him.
It was what Harry was thinking about one afternoon in June beside the Black Lake, when he felt a pain like he’d never experienced before. He stood up quickly and cast the Patronus Charm to retrieve Draco from the Ministry and walked slowly to the Hospital wing. Draco and Harry decided that Harry should remain at Hogwarts during his pregnancy as it was the safest place for him and to be near the children.
As Harry walked toward the Hospital wing, he asked students to find his children and send them to the Hospital wing. It was pre-planned with school Matron that she would Floo-call the Healer when the time arrived. Harry walked slowly to his private room and started to undress. He was not scared, but he was anxious to see his little girl. He remembered the anticipation he felt when Ginny was pregnant with the other children, but it was not the same. He was ready to have the baby in his arms and hold her tight.
“Harry! Are you okay?” Draco asked, rushing to his side. “I’m sorry it took me so long, I had to run to Gringotts.” Before Harry could ask him what he needed from Gringotts a sharp pain seized him. The Healer entered the room.
“If you could just please leave the room, Mr. Malfoy. It will only be a moment,” said the Healer. Draco left the room and was immediately bombarded with questions by the children. He knew at that moment that they were a family, and while they would have plenty of ups and downs, he would always be welcomed here.
“You may all come in now,” the Healer announced. The children scrambled to come in before Draco. He gladly let his family go first. Harry was lying on the bed with the baby in his hands.
“Here, I brought her something,” Draco said, extending out a yellow quilt with the Malfoy crest. “It’s a Malfoy baby blanket. We all have one, even if she might be an honorary Malfoy.” Draco added sadly.
Harry took the blanket and wrapped it around his little baby. “Since we’re all here, I’d like to introduce you to Ara Narcissa Malfoy.” He smiled at Draco and Draco looked back at him with tears in his eyes. The children moved away as Draco came close. He fell to his knees beside the bed and kissed Harry. Then he kissed Ara’s forehead. He could hear Lily squealing in the background.
“My little Lioness,” Draco whispered so only Harry could hear. He removed the cap from Ara’s head. “Her hair is RED!” he yelled then fainted. Scorpius ran to his father’s side but Harry could not help but laugh. A Malfoy with red hair--he would never hear then end of it. Harry nuzzled Ara and knew he would not change anything for all the Galleons in the world.
The end