Author's note 17-01-17: I really wasn't planning on writing any more birthday fics as I am now focusing on my long fic ("Healing Hands") and my original mm books (DID YOU SEE I WROTE A BOOK?! "Glitter on the Garland" by Helen Juliet – that's me! It's out on Amazon eBooks now!) Ahe, anyway… Therefore, I was just planning on writing the odd Drarry here and there for special occasions and events like Dralentine's .
HOWEVER, when my lovely friend Ekene (aka at gloster) asked for an epilogue to the Seasons Change Stories, I couldn't resist. I've been wanting to write a little more about my Farm!Drarry ever since I finished it, and this gave me the push to work out how.
I will warn you: this is tooth rotting fluff. It is nothing but squish and may make you cry if you're a total sap like me. Unlike the other four stories (A Roll In The Hay, A Splash In The Mud, A Fall In The Snow and A Promise In The Grass) there is no smut at all. But there's a boat load of Daddy!Drarry to make up for that :)
Happy birthday Ekene, thank you for the wonderful prompt, I hope you enjoy this!
xxx
A Family In The End
Draco was already half awake anyway by the time a heavy lump took a running jump and landing on his stomach. So he wasn't completely shocked, but he still let out a startled "OOF!" and curled in on himself. The lump only started giggling. And poking.
"Daddy! Daddy!" came a shrill cry through where he'd shoved his head protectively under the pillow. "Wake up, wake up!"
He moaned, and reached around to tickle the lump. "Daddy's sleeping," he protested weakly. However, the tickling just made the lump wriggle and flail even more, and a sigh came from the right of the bed.
"I think it's a bit late to claim that, Daddy Long Legs," Harry argued. He pulled the pillow away, causing Draco to blink in the morning light, and he smiled down at his husband. "Hello," he said fondly.
Draco gave him a lopsided smile, despite the weight now bouncing on his back. "Hello Papa Smurf," he mumbled.
Harry sat up and reached over for their daughter, snatching her up and clutching her in his arms. "Hello Munchkin," he growled as she squealed and bobbed on his lap, batting at his chest excitedly.
"Papa, Papa!" she babbled. "We have to get up, it's today and she's waiting!"
A warmth blossomed in Draco's chest as he watched them cuddle, memories flooding his mind. He thought about how terrified he had been to adopt their darling Lily Pond. He hadn't felt ready at all. Harry had never pressured him, but after they had got married, he had gently reassured Draco that he would make a wonderful father, and as soon as he felt up to it, there was nothing more in the world he wanted more than to start a family together.
Of course the battle had been lost as soon as Draco's mother had also gotten involved. She had even been the one to find the particular orphanage in Sichuan and make contact, and as soon Draco had seen a photo of his future daughter looking back at him with those huge black eyes, all hesitations had melted away.
He swallowed around the lump threatening to form in his throat from the nostalgic pang, and he hauled himself up to hug Lily and Harry; his little family.
Well, almost all his family. Obviously displeased with being left out, their small Jack Russell dog Ripley also launched up onto the bed, barking as she paraded around over their legs. "Yes, yes, shush you," Draco said fondly, pulling her into the fold so she could be hugged too.
Even then though, their family was not complete. Not as of today, anyway.
"Come on trouble," Harry said, swinging Lily up as he got out of bed. "Let's get you ready."
"And then we can go?" she asked from her perch on his hip.
Harry smiled at her, brushing her black hair back from her face. "And then we can go, poppet."
Draco helped by readying himself quickly in one of the other bathrooms in the house, then organising everything they would need for their journey. Once beds were made and bags packed, he went into one of the spare rooms and fetched out Lily's old carrycot from the back of the cupboard. It was still in a perfectly fine condition, but he took it downstairs with him regardless, and fetched out a packet of antibacterial wipes from the utility room to freshen up the handle and sides.
When he was satisfied it was clean, he left it in the entrance hall then made his way to the dining room where breakfast had already been laid out. He was too restless to sit though, and instead made himself tea which he stood with as he looked out of the window across the grounds of the farm.
His mother joined him not long after, and silently rubbed his back. He thought he wouldn't be apprehensive this time around, but the nerves were still fluttering through his belly like a swarm of butterflies.
"Just think," his mum said softly. "In a few hours, she'll be home."
Home. Draco relaxed a little at the word. He was so lucky to have a home like this, and soon, his new daughter would be here too to complete the picture.
He and Harry had moved out for a few years after he completed university. But after they had both taken on more and more responsibility for the running of the Malfoy farm, it had made sense to move back into the grounds, and the family home was so large they were able to have a whole wing to themselves to keep some privacy from Draco's parents. When baby Lily had arrived however, Draco had to say he had never been happier with that decision, having been extremely grateful for the extra help his mum and dad had been able to offer.
One day, he knew they planned to retire and move to somewhere small to enjoy their later years, and then the farm would belong entirely to the new generation of Malfoy-Potters. But until then, Draco was happy to have them all under the same roof.
His mum moved away as his mood naturally lifted, thinking of the bright future ahead rather than the anxiety of this first meeting. It was foolish, but a small part of him still fretted that he wouldn't be a good enough dad. However, as Harry and Lily came marching in to join them for some breakfast, he knew that simply wasn't true.
He sat and cut Lily's toast into small bites. She was big enough now to feed herself, sitting in a proper chair, but he fussed over her all the same. He loved his little girl, and he'd come to realise that that was most important part of parenting. The rest would work itself out.
She was nattering away about a drawing she had done the day before, that she had now placed in front of her on the table. "So who's that?" He pointed at the tallest of the messy scribbles. Lily was very proud as she pointed too.
"Daddy," she said firmly. She chomped on a bite of toast and jam, and Harry came to stand beside Draco. He rubbed the back of his head, carding his fingers through the short hairs at the top of his neck. Draco leaned into the caress.
"And who's that?" Harry tapped another of the squiggles, before picking up his mug of coffee.
Lily bounced and waved her chubby finger about. "Papa," she said around the half chewed toast. "And Lily and Ripley!"
Draco pointed at two of the other blobs. One of them had four stick-like legs on the bottom, and a fifth one that looked like a tail. Its real-life inspiration had plonked her bum at Draco's feet, and her tail was thumping against his ankle as she watched them, ever hopeful of scraps. "These two?" he asked, getting an enthusiastic nod back. "So who's this?"
He rested his finger on the smallest figure, and Lily turned to him, her hands cupped in front of her face as she hunched her shoulders and blinked rapidly. "Baby," she whispered reverently.
"Baby," Draco repeated back, stroking her hair.
They had a name picked out, him and Harry. But they hadn't confirmed it with anyone else out loud. Like with Lily, they wanted to meet their little girl and make sure it fitted before deciding for sure.
The final job before they set out was to double check the folder full of documents they had been building up for the past several months. Seeing as they were adopting from the same orphanage, and that the Malfoys had become a patron of the orphanage after taking Lily home, things had been a little easier this time around. But there had still been a lot of red tape to wade through, and a lot of people to appease before they had made it to this day.
Everything seemed to be in order though, and soon Draco's mum was helping them get Lily into her booster seat in the back of the car, securing her old carrycot in the space next to her, ready for the last member of their family.
"For Baby?" she asked, leaning over to touch it.
"That's right," Draco said, clicking her belt into place. "So you'll need to look after her on the way home. Can you do that?"
Lily turned to him, her eyes growing impossibly wide. "Yes," she said quietly, and nodded. "Ima big sister now."
That lump threatened to creep back up Draco's throat, so he tried to cough it back. "Almost Lily Pond. You're going to be the best big sis, aren't you?"
She nodded solemnly. "I promise."
He stepped back to see Harry and his mum hugging goodbye. As much he would have liked his parents to come, he and Harry had decided this was something just for their little family. It was precious. Grandma and Grandpa would be the first to meet their new arrival as soon as they got back.
Draco went over to get his hug too, and he laughed as his mum wiped her eyes and sniffed. "I'm not crying," she grumbled.
"Of course not," he acquiesced. He gave her another squeeze, then went to take his place in the passenger seat.
Harry always preferred to drive if possible. It wasn't that Draco didn't know how – he often took himself to meetings and site visits and the like in his own car. But he knew Harry, from almost the very moment they had met, had a deep-rooted need to take care of the people he loved. And if that meant Draco let him drive him and Lily place to place, that was absolutely fine by him.
He gave his husband's knee a squeeze, and looked into his bright green eyes behind his glasses. "Are you ready Papa?" he asked
Harry swallowed and nodded. "Yes Daddy."
"Lily ready!" their daughter cried from the back seat, throwing her hands up in the air, and both her dads laughed.
"Right," said Harry. "Let's do this then."
It was almost an hour's drive to Bath, but they had the radio on and Lily sang along to her favourite pop songs, getting all the words wrong, but enjoying herself immensely. Harry was stubbornly trying to get her off Taylor Swift and onto Queen, but Draco quietly argued that anything was better than better than Wheels On The Bus for the hundredth time.
Their appointment was at midday, and they arrived at the council building car park with half an hour to spare. They took their time getting Lily in her pushchair, and once she was settled, Draco took responsibility for the empty carrycot. It had a brand new blanket folded up in the well of the seat, waiting for its new owner, and Draco kept reaching down to touch it as they made themselves comfortable in a Starbucks to preoccupy themselves for the next twenty minutes.
Draco almost got a coffee like Harry instead of his usual tea, feeling the need for an extra kick. Instead he opted to join Lily in a hot chocolate; he was jittery enough without any added caffeine. Harry and her played a game on his phone, whilst Draco stared out the window at the people of Bath walking past. He was lost in thought, but he knew that Harry kept his hand on his knee the entire time they were sat down.
Eventually, it was time for them to pack up and head inside the council building. This was where their little girl's long, long journey would almost be at its end, and they would finally get to meet her for the first time. Draco and Harry walked into the social services department with each of Lily's hands in one of their own, her pushchair and old carrycot held under their spare arms.
The receptionist glanced up as they entered, then did a double take. She was an older women with so many lines around her mouth Draco thought she must have spent a lifetime pinching her lips. "Hello?" she said narrowing her eyes, and, predictably, pursing her mouth. "Can I help you?"
Draco's stomach flipped. It was all fine, they had all their paperwork, everything had been agreed. This was just a formality.
"Hello," said Harry cheerily. He propped the pushchair up and picked up Lily to rest on his hip so she could see over the desk. "Misters Potter-Malfoy. We have an appointment scheduled at twelve with Mrs Gloster."
"Can I ask what it's regarding?"
Draco definitely knew he didn't misread the accusing tone in her voice, but Harry continued on in the same upbeat manner. "Of course. It's regarding our adoption, the appointment has been booked for some months."
The receptionist frowned, and clicked several times with her mouse, her eyes on her screen which they could not see. "I have a couple's appointment scheduled…?" she said coolly, letting the implication land as she trailed the sentence off.
Draco's insides plummeted. He stepped forward to inform her that they damn well were the couple. But as he moved, Harry calmly slipped his arm around his waist, and Lily leaned over to cuddle his neck from where she was still perched on her Papa's hip. "Yep," said Harry. He smiled broadly, not flinching away from her stony glare. "That's us. We've been speaking with Mrs Gloster for quite a while now. Perhaps you could let her know we're here?"
The clock ticked obtrusively on the bare, beige wall as Draco watched him, very nicely, stare the receptionist down. He nuzzled his nose into his daughter's soft hair, and forced himself to start counting, slowly. He didn't need to get angry, Harry was looking after them, and this silly bint and her prejudices didn't matter. This was a special day – he could count on his hand the number of days he'd had as special as this. He wasn't going to let her spoil anything.
Last time they had been met by a man in his mid-thirties who had struggled not to weep as Draco and Harry had unabashedly sobbed at being presented with a tiny little Lily Pond. Instead of allowing this moment to be sullied, Draco replayed that moment in his mind, kissed his daughter's cheek, and squeezed his husband's side.
As if summoned to rescue them, a door down the corridor opened suddenly, its occupant hurrying out as she rifled through a stack of manila files in her arms. As she looked up however, she spied the scene at the reception. She stopped in her tracks, and her face broke into a happy, relieved smile.
"Harry, Draco," Mrs Gloster exclaimed. She had dark skin and a kind face, and her tension visibly ebbed away as her shoulders sagged at seeing them. "Right on time. Please, come this way." She waved them towards her, at the expense of almost letting the top few folders slide to the floor, but like the pro she was, she saved them just in time.
Harry, as always, was calm and collected, and immediately switched his attention to their care worker, his smile finally reaching his eyes. "Ekene," he said, gratitude seeping through the single word. He picked up the pushchair and moved away slowly so Lily could disentangle from Draco and come with him. "So wonderful to see you again. How are you?"
Draco watched them go, then slid his gaze back to the receptionist. She had an ugly frown creasing her brow, and there seemed to be something twitching in her temple. "It's alright," he said, curling his lips in a half smile and raising a single eyebrow. "We all make mistakes."
It wasn't quite the 'fuck off' he wanted to tell her, but Harry was being classy, and he wanted, as always, to emulate Harry and all the goodness he encapsulated. So he managed a small nod, then followed after his husband and daughter down the corridor.
Mrs Gloster and Harry were deep in conversation, with little Lily bouncing on his hip as they walked, his thumb rubbing reassuring circles on her arm. Draco hung back, allowing himself to just watch them, a powerful surge of warmth erasing any brief irritation he had felt. Their family was about to become a foursome, and his heart swelled with pride.
He'd done this. He'd grown, with Harry's never flinching support, to become the kind of man that could stand up to the rest of the world and say: 'This is my family, these are my children. If you don't like it, you'll have to fight me first to get to them.' Harry would inevitably be there before him, always the first line of defence, but in his heart Draco knew he didn't feel it any less keenly. He was about to become a father for the second time, and anyone who though the four of them didn't belong together didn't, in his humble opinion, know the first thing about love.
He knew this to be especially true as he stepped through the threshold into the quite meeting room. It was unoccupied other than a young woman with brown hair sitting in one of the conference chairs, and the baby she currently had cradled in her arms.
Draco had thought he would have been much more composed this time. But without thinking, he lowered the carrycot to the floor, and covered his mouth as he tried, quietly, not to burst into tears.
He failed.
There she was. She fidgeted and wailed, but the young woman shushed her gently, stroking her cheek and kissing the top of her head. "It's okay, baby girl," she murmured. She moved carefully towards where Harry had stopped dead, Lily straining eagerly forward to see her new sister. "Your daddies are here."
Your daddies.
Yes they bloody were.
Draco let out a sob. He figured there was no point hiding it at this point. Then he surged forward to meet Harry by his side, his hand on his back as he watched the young woman approach with their daughter. "Hey sweetheart," he breathed, hastily rubbing his tears away as she drew near. "Hello my darling."
Harry surprised him by stepping slightly away. Draco frowned at him, not sure what he was doing, until he snuggled into Lily's side, his gaze not leaving Draco's for a moment. "It's your turn Daddy," he said, meaningfully looking at Lily. "You get first cuddle."
Cold panic shot over Draco's skin as he turned back to the young social worker now standing with Mrs Gloster, the baby still held securely in her arms.
Harry had taken Lily first when they had met her. He had mumbled in her ear, and been her Papa from the very first second they had met. But now…now it was Draco's turn, and struggled not to let the tears fall again.
But he took a deep, shaky breath, and reached his arms outwards. "Can I?" he stammered.
Mrs Gloster laid a hand on her colleague's shoulder, and tutted at him. "Of course you can," she said gently. "She's all yours." The other woman extended her arms, Draco tentatively reached out to meet her, taking the warm little bundle and cradling her to his chest.
"She's perfect," he said thickly. He tucked a fold of blanket back as she blinked up at him. Her hands were pawing restlessly, so he offered out his finger, and felt a surge of delight when she clamped her tiny hand around it. He looked up and saw Harry and Lily watching him, so walked over to show off their new little girl. "Look Lily."
"Is that my sister?" she asked Harry quietly.
Harry kissed her cheek, then reached over to stroke the baby's hair. "It is, would you like to say hello?"
Lily frowned. "But," she said, scrunching up her nose. "Does she have a name yet?"
Draco raised his eyebrows at Harry. "Well, what do you think?" he asked. Harry smiled down at the baby as her head wobbled back and forth, taking in all the people standing above her.
"I think it's perfect," Harry said with a nod, then rose his gaze to meet Draco's. "Just perfect."
Draco's heart swelled, and he leaned in so Lily could cuddle her sister. "Her name is Narcissa," he said. A rogue tear slipped down his face, but he didn't care. "Just like Grandma."
Lily gently patted the baby's chest, and Narcissa responded by clumsily reaching out with her own, smaller hand. Lily let her take it, and considered where they were now joined. "Nar-cis-sa," she said slowly, fumbling over the sounds.
Harry beamed at Draco. "So now there will be two of them. Except, maybe baby can be Cissy?"
"Or," said Draco, he mouth quirking with a smile. "Gnarly? Gnarly Tree, and Lily Pond. What do you think?"
Lily giggled and Cissy gurgled, and Draco leaned in as Harry wrapped his arm around his waist. They looked down at their daughters, and Draco wasn't sure he could manage all the love in his heart.
But he was certainly going to try.
The End