Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the related characters, plots, places, or creatures.
Warnings: Slash HP/DM mpreg
Authors Note: I wrote this almost four years ago. Well, I wrote most of it. I had originally planned to make it multichaptered with very very short chapters. However when I pulled it back out a few months ago I decided that would be a bad idea and I should just merge them together and I think it worked much better. So I finished it and sent it off to Cyhyr who did a wonderful job with it, despite being busy this summer. One warning I will give you is that I changed Harry's "name" to Lightning from Emerald at one point, but if I missed any in the editing process please let me know at once. Thank you.
Epilouge
Hidden in this world is a mountain range. The peaks are tall and jagged, snow covered year round, and completely barren of life. There is one mountain that is hundreds of feet above the rest. The top of the mountain has been carved into a castle. It is not that the castle has been built on top of the mountain, but that the mountaintop has been carved into a castle. In the tallest tower of this castle sat a boy. The air was thin and filled with wisps of cloud. The boy was lying on his back wearing nothing but a ragged old shirt that came down to his knees. His blond hair was unkempt and knotted; his silver eyes were unseeing.
The wind whistled around the tower Dragon? It screamed, Dragon?
The boy sat up and stared out of a floor-to-ceiling window that had long ago lost its glass.
"What?"
He is coming.
"Who?"
Lightning.
"Why?"
To see you.
"Tell him not to come. Tell him not to bother."
Too late. You are too late. He is here.
The wind died and the boy was left in silence. He continued to stare out the hole as his shadow fell in front of him. There was a light behind him, but he didn't bother to turn around.
"Dragon?"
"Why are you here?"
"It's over."
"So?"
"So here I am."
"For how long?"
The boy approached from behind.
"Forever, my love. Forever and ever."
And the boys sat, looking out the hole and viewed the earth below and the wind whistled and the sun set and the world reached and end and a beginning at the same time.
They were sitting at a table, Lightning on one side, Dragon on the other. Dragon's hair had been combed out and he'd put on a pair of jeans. The long ragged shirt, however, had not been replaced.
"How did it end? And how did you leave?"
Lightning smiled, "I killed him. With an old Druid ritual. It called retribution on him and every death he had caused was acted upon him at the same time. It was truly a ritual built to destroy the spirit, but since he killed some the muggle way, it destroyed his body as well."
Dragon nodded, "And they just let you leave?"
Lightning shook his head. "It was during the planned celebration a week later. They hadn't given me a moment's peace. All I wanted was to come here to you and I couldn't get away so when they told me to go make a speech, I went up to the podium, basically told them to go to hell and to never try to find me. Then I apparated here."
Dragon stared at him for a moment and thought about what had just been said. "My family?"
Lightning chose his words carefully. Just the fact that Dragon had called them his family was a bad sign. "Your father died in battle. I killed him myself. You mother was captured. She was due to stand trial when I left, but even the jury was already sure of her guilt and were ready to sentence her to the Kiss."
Dragon nodded, "Good. Then there are no loose ends."
Lightning grinned and got up from his chair to walk around the table and knelt down next to Dragon, "Not one."
Lightning sat with his arms wrapped around Dragon's waist. He plucked at the shirt that his Dragon was wearing. Dragon had refused to take it off. Even when they made love. Lightning had shot some cleaning and mending spells at it to make it presentable, but Dragon wouldn't take it off.
Lightning stroked Dragon's hair and stared into his sleeping face. Dragon had offered no explanations as to why he wouldn't take it off. Lightning felt a breeze blow by and reached out to it.
"Why? Why won't he take it off?"
You gave it to him. The night you left him here. While you were gone it was his only comfort. He is still afraid you are going to leave him again. Only when that fear is completely gone will he take it off.
There was a silence for a long time after that until Dragon began to stir.
Dragon lifted his head off of Lightning's chest and smiled at him. Lightning kissed him gently. "Come, let's go to bed," Lightning said standing up and bringing Dragon with him.
"Why here?" Lightning asked. They stood on the balcony outside their room. Lightning was leaning against the door and Dragon was sitting on the railing staring at the mountain range that was both below and around them.
"It's an old family manor," Dragon said quietly.
"Isn't that kind of dangerous? What if they look in your families records and find us?" Lightning asked worried.
"My family owning this place is almost completely unknown. It's from when an ancestor of mine was banished to the most remote place on earth. They built this castle here for him and gave him possession of some of the surrounding land. The record only has one copy and it's well hidden. Even Granger would have problems finding it," Dragon explained.
Lightning shuddered at that. "No," he said vehemently. "No, she will not find it at all. No one will find us. We will spend the rest of our lives in peace, alone together. No matter what. I promise you this."
Dragon turned away from the rail and walked over to Lightning. "I'll hold you to that," he said, his eyes smiling and serious at the same time.
"Good," Lightning said, pulling Dragon into a hug. "There is nothing I want more."
Lightning was rudely awakened by the sound of retching coming from the bathroom connected to the master bedroom. Concerned, he rolled out of bed and padded across the cold stone floor. He round Dragon bent over the toilet dry heaving.
Lightning knelt down next to him and pulled Dragon's silky tresses away from his face as Dragon let out another heave. Lightning rubbed circles on Dragon's back with his other hand.
"How long have you been in here?" Lightning asked when Dragon was able to control himself a little.
"Not long, maybe five minutes." Dragon said shuddering. "This is the third time this week Lightning. I'm getting scared. Other than this and a few weird cravings I feel fine. I don't know what's wrong with-" anything more that might have been said disappeared in a new bout of retching.
Lightning waited until he was finally done and then helped Dragon clean up and wash his mouth out. When they were back in bed and Dragon was mostly asleep Lightning kissed his forehead and whispered to him. "I'll find out what's wrong. Don't worry love. I'll find out what's wrong and cure you. I promise."
"Dragon my dear, I lied."
Dragon's head shot up from the book he was reading on the floor of the library to see his lover with an ecstatic look on his face.
"What do you mean?" Dragon asked, worried.
I found out why you've been getting sick in the morning and I lied about us being together alone for the rest of our lives," Lightning said coming to sit by him.
"You're leaving aren't you?" Dragon asked, deeply upset now.
"No, I'll never leave you, but someone is coming here." Lightning explained gently.
Dragon sighed, "Who and when?" he asked dejectedly.
"I don't know what the name will be yet, but they'll be coming in less than nine months."
Dragon frowned, "Lightning you're not making any sense. Now stop grinning and just tell me!"
Lightning's grin only grew, "You're pregnant love."
Dragon stared at him, "I'm – I'm what?"
"You're pregnant! We're going to have a baby! Or aren't you happy?" Now it was Lightning's turn to grow worried.
Dragon smiled, "Of coarse I'm happy, just surprised."
Lightning's grin returned, "I'm sorry about frightening you, but I couldn't resist. You know I'll never leave you again don't you?"
"If I didn't before I do now." Dragon said standing up and bringing Lightning with him as they traversed the familiar path to their room.
That night, when they made love, Dragon took his shirt off.
Dragon paced his study. Lightning had been off all week. There was no better word for it. Even putting his hand on Dragon's stomach, an act that calmed him usually, was unsuccessful. Lightning had insisted on being alone. He went on long walks alone, ate little and slept none. Dragon hadn't seen Lightning even once yesterday and he was worried.
Suddenly the door swung open and Lightning came in. There was a silence as Dragon stopped pacing and they just stared at each other.
Lightning broke the silence, "I'm sorry, don't be mad. Please!"
Dragon studied him. "I'm not mad, I'm upset and I'm worried. I want to be able to talk to you without you shutting me out. I want to know what's wrong. I want to help you."
Lighting drew Dragon into a hug, rubbing his hands against Dragon's swollen belly. There was silence for a minute and then Lightning said, "Yesterday was the one year anniversary."
Dragon stared at him. "I didn't realize you'd been here with me for that long."
Lightning nodded, "It's not like I miss what I left behind, don't worry, but just the fact that I killed someone is unnerving."
Dragon kissed Lightning gently, "Next time, talk to me, okay?"
Lightning smiled and agreed, pulling Dragon into a deep kiss.
Nine months had come and gone and it was time for Lightning and Dragon to leave their sanctuary. They carefully disguised themselves and adopted the names Chris and Todd Parker and together they traveled to St. Mungo's.
Dragon was instantly admitted and Lightning waited nervously as a c-section was preformed. Being back in a place that he'd never wanted to return to, even in disguise, was nerve racking. Thus it was only a minor weight off his back to learn that his lover and newborn daughter were fine.
Less than eight hours later, Dragon and Lightning were safely back in their castle and settling their new daughter Sylvia into her nursery.
"She's beautiful," Lightning whispered.
"Yes, I'm glad you broke your promise. She's just perfect." Dragon answered staring at her lovingly.
"Just like you," Lightning said.
Dragon grinned, "You're sweet."
Lightning smiled, "And I have the rest of our lives together to be so."
Two years later Chris and Todd appeared at St. Mungo's for the birth of their daughter Fae. Their son Aaron was born three years later. After that, Chris and Todd never visited St. Mungo's again.
Sylvia sat in one of the big chairs in the library. She was eight and was struggling through the act of reading her first chapter book on her own.
Fae, now six, walked in eating an apple.
"Whatcha doin'?" Fae asked, peering at the book in her sister's lap.
Syliva heaved a great sigh. "Reading. It's a complicated book, not one you'd understand. Don't worry though. In a few years, if you're lucky, you might be able to do it too."
Fae pondered this a moment before asking another question. "Sylvie?"
"What?"
"Are we the only people in the world?"
"Of course not silly! There are more people in the world than you could possible imagine."
"Then why don't we ever see them?"
To this, Sylvia had no answer.
"Hey! What are my favorite girls doing huh?" Lightning asked as he walked in.
Fae giggled and ran up to him. Swooping down he picked her up.
"Uh, you're getting heavy!" Lightning exclaimed.
"Nu-uh!" Fae exclaimed shaking her head.
Lightning, with Fae in his lap, took a seat in a chair facing Sylvia.
"So, what are you doing?" Lightning asked again.
"Fae is asking stupid questions," Sylvia told him.
"They're not stupid!" Fae exclaimed, throwing her apple at her sister.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down. Sylvia, don't call your sister's questions stupid. No questions are stupid. Fae, don't throw things at your sister. Now, what are your questions Fae?"
"Are we the only people in the world?" Fae asked again, not trusting her sister's answer.
"Of course not sweetie. There are billions of people in this world, not just us. Oh no."
"Then why don't we ever see them?" Fae asked, determined to get an answer this time.
Lightning thought for a moment, trying to word his answer carefully.
"Our family lives in a part of the world where no one else does because the people in the world haven't been very nice to us. Especially to your Papa. People really hated him."
"Why?" Fae asked. She couldn't imagine anyone hating her sweet Papa.
"Because his father was a bad man and everyone expected Papa to be just like his dad. Just like everyone expected me to be just like my dad."
"Well that's silly!" Sylvia exclaimed.
"Yes it is. It's very silly, but people thought that nonetheless. People also wouldn't like that your Papa and I love each other. In school, for a long time, we hated each other, but we over came that and found love. Our friends and family wouldn't have understood that though. So I sent your Papa away. Then I took care of some business and then came to join him here."
"You mean that no one knows that we are here and that you love each other?"
"Correct. No one knows."
"Fae was asking questions again." Dragon said to Lightning as they sat in their living room after they'd put the children to bed.
Lightning ran a hand through his hair. "What did she want to know?"
"It started as her wondering where our food came from. I told her that when we needed something that the house elves go to the nearest wizarding village to get supplies. Then she wanted to know why we didn't go ourselves. I told her we didn't want to be found. I don't think she ever realized that we are actually hiding before. She wasn't too happy."
"I can imagine," Dragon said.
"You know I'm starting to wonder if it would be better just to tell them everything. I never wanted to tell any of them till they were older, but maybe it's for the best. They've already gotten us to tell them about the existence of magic and that there are non magic people in the world. I'm also convinced that Fae thinks we're cowards for running away. It would stop the questions. Sylvia's just as curious, she just doesn't ask all the questions that Fae does. Anyway Sylvia's ten now, and Fae is eight. They're old enough to understand. We can wait a few years before we tell Aaron, but we would probably tell the girls."
Dragon sighed, "I wanted to protect them from this. I didn't want them to ever know about Him."
Lightning wrapped his arms tightly around his lover. "I know, I feel the same, but it's probably for the best."
Dragon nodded. "Tomorrow then?"
"Tomorrow."
Lightning was tucking Fae in when Sylvia asked the inevitable question.
"What story are you going to read us tonight Dad?"
"Actually," Lightning said, sitting down in his reading chair, "I'm going to tell you a story with Papa's help. It's about the two of us when we were younger, before we came here."
Fae and Sylvia exchanged excited looks. For a long time they had wondered about their fathers' pasts and now it seemed that they'd finally get to find out.
Dragon walked in and sat on the floor at Lightning's feet. "Ready?" Emerald asked him.
"As I'll ever be," Dragon replied.
"Ok, I'll start," Lightning said and Fae and Sylvia trained their eyes on him.
"When I was born, an evil dark wizard was trying to take over the country. My parents were light wizards who were trying to stop him. There was a prophecy that foretold the birth of a child who would destroy him. The dark wizard believed that child was me. When I was one-years-old, he found my family and killed my mom and dad. He tried to kill me. For a reason unknown, he couldn't kill me. The spell rebounded off of me and back to him and he was vanquished for a time. By trying to kill me the dark wizard made it so that, according to the prophecy, I would, one day, have to kill him. I was then raised by my aunt and uncle, who are muggles and they hate magic. They were not very kind to me.
"I eventually went to a wizarding school when I was eleven. I discovered that I was famous in the wizarding world for defeating the dark wizard. I made friends and enemies while I was at school. Your Papa and I were enemies. We hated each other and spent most of our years trying to get the other expelled or injured. All of our friends hated each other too. Miraculously, your Papa and I were able to overcome our differences in private and we found love. We tried to tell our friends, but they reacted horribly. We were forced to erase their memories of the incident using magic. This was near the end of school and that dark wizard had come back. He'd actually come back a while ago and I'd been fighting him. I knew that soon would come the time that I would either kill him or be killed by him. I sent your Papa away to here because he was in a lot of danger. I then hunted down and killed the dark wizard. It was necessary, but I still have nightmares about it most nights." Lightning paused and stood up. "It's late now, and I think you two should go to sleep. Papa will tell you his bit tomorrow night."
"Okay Daddy," Fae said. "G'night Daddy, G'night Papa."
Dragon went and gave them both a kiss goodnight.
"Goodnight," Slyvia said.
Dragon and Lightning left and went to bed themselves. After all, the worst was yet to come.
All the next day Fae and Sylvia waited impatiently for bed. They couldn't wait to hear their papa's story. When bedtime finally came they raced to put on their nightgowns and get into bed.
Lightning chuckled and wrapped an arm around Dragon's waist. "I think they've been waiting for this all day."
"Well I'm glad someone's been looking forward to it because I certainly haven't. Lightning, what if they hate me?"
Lightning stopped their trek towards the girl's room and pulled Dragon into a hug. "They're not going to hate you Dragon. I don't think they could if they wanted to."
The two continued their trek and when they reached their destination, found two girls in bed eagerly awaiting their story. This time Dragon took the chair and Lightning took the floor at his feet, trying to give him silent support.
"Okay, here goes nothing," Dragon said and, with a deep breath, he began.
"I was born into a very wealthy family. We had more money than you can imagine and a lot of power. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, my family was filled with horrible people. We were dark, so to say, and my mother and father were proud followers of the dark wizard that killed your Daddy's parents. I was raised to hate your Daddy, the light side, and anything to do with either. My father was a horrible man. He would kill and torture people just for fun, and he expected me to be just like him. I tried to please him, but I just didn't have the same evilness in me. Still, I did some very bad things."
"You didn't kill anybody did you?" Fae asked, her eyes filled with fear.
Dragon couldn't look at her. Instead he directed his answer toward the ceiling. "Yes I did." There was silence for a minute before Dragon continued. "After I did, all the light wizards were out for my blood. I had killed one of them you see, and they weren't just going to let me get away with it. That's why your Daddy brought me here. I had killed a light wizard so they were after me, and shortly after that I betrayed the dark side, so they were after me. So I had to come here and hide from the world. After your Daddy killed the dark wizard, he came here to me and we've lived here ever since."
Dragon couldn't bring himself to look at his daughter's faces. He knew he wouldn't be able to see the expressions of horror on their faces without breaking down. After all, his two beautiful little girls now saw him for what he truly was, a murderer.
Thus he was shocked when he felt two small arms encircle his waist.
"Don't cry Papa. It's okay. It's all okay now. We love you Papa."
Dragon looked down to find Fae hugging him and Sylvia waiting for a chance to join them. They didn't hate him. Thank Merlin, they didn't hate him! Brushing away a tear he laughed happily and reached down to pull his two little girls into a hug.
After the initial story telling, things went smoother. Over the coarse of the next year Lightning and Dragon slowly told Fae and Sylvia all about their past, and everything they needed to know about the wizarding world. Although Lightning and Dragon had sworn never to reenter that world, they wouldn't keep their children away from it.
Even after they'd heard them all, the two girls would ask for favorite stories to be told at night before bed.
"Tell us about Fluffy, Daddy!"
"No! I want to hear about Daddy fighting the troll!"
"How about Daddy and Papa meeting?"
"Yeah, good idea; let's hear that one!"
So the girls were excited and very ready to receive their school letters.
On Sylvia's birthday and owl came tapping. Lightning and Dragon at first feared it would be from Hogwarts, but it soon turned out to be from a small boarding school in the United States. Two years later Fae received a letter from the same school. By now Aaron had been told the harsh truth as well. He didn't take it quite as well as the girls had, but he only needed a few days to get used to the idea and understand why his Papa had to do what he did. Those few days had been painful for Dragon who thought he'd lost his only son, but after the two worked it out they became closer than ever before.
Lightning was in the dining room eating breakfast and enjoying a cup of tea. Dragon was still in bed. Lightning looked up when he heard a tapping on the window. An owl was sitting on the sill with a letter rolled around its leg. Nervously Lightning got up to let it in. He offered it a piece of bacon and removed the letter. The owl graciously accepted the treat and then departed once it was relieved of its burden.
Lightning opened the letter to find an invitation to Sylvia's graduation. Lightning sighed. He and Dragon had known this was coming, but they hadn't discussed it in the hope that if they ignored it, it would just go away. Unfortunately things don't work like that.
Dragon stumbled in the kitchen, hair still ruffled from sleep. He froze when he saw the letter sitting on the table.
"What is it?"
"It's an invitation to Sylvia's graduation."
The both regarded the letter for a moment. Neither of them had set foot out of their castle since Aaron was born. They had no desire to enter the wizarding world again, but they couldn't miss their daughter's graduation.
"You know we'll have to go right?" Lightning said quietly.
"Sylvia would understand if we didn't though," Dragon said almost pleadingly.
"She would," Lightning agreed. "All three of them are very understanding. We don't go shopping with them. Usually we just have the house elves pick up their items. We've never met any of their friends. Never met their teachers. Never even seen their school. And now I can't bring myself to make them understand why we've missed the most important day of their lives. I will understand if you don't want to go, Dragon, but I'm going to go and see our little girl get her diploma," and with that, Lightning left the room.
Lightning sat in his Chris Parker disguise surrounded by the parents of his daughter's classmates. He was alone. Dragon had refused to come. Regardless he clapped when his daughter received her diploma. Afterwards he congratulated his baby girl. They were both then surprised when, out of nowhere, Dragon appeared looking like Todd Parker.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier. I did manage to get here just in time to see you get your diploma though. Congratulations Sylvia."
"I'm just so glad you're here Papa. Thank you so much!" Sylvia said, and hugged her father.
"Actually," she continued, "There is someone I'd like you both to meet." She waved at someone behind he parents heads. A few minutes later a young man managed to make his way through the crowd of graduates and their families to stand beside her.
"Daddy, Papa, this is Ted. He's my fiancé," Sylvia explained.
A huge grin lit up Lightning's face. With a shout he wrapped his arms around his oldest daughter and spun her around. "Congratulations baby! When were you going to tell us?"
"Whenever I could convince you to come meet him. I wanted you and Papa to meet him at the same time. We'd like to get a house together and maybe get married around Christmas."
Dragon stared at Ted for a little while, sizing him up. Finally he nodded. "Very well. I actually have several properties that I inherited scattered around the world, including several here in the States. If you'd like to take a look at them, I'll let you have one of them. That way you don't have to buy something."
Sylvia gaped at her Papa. "You'd really do that Papa?"
Dragon smiled. "Of course baby. I'd do anything for you. We can go look at them next week, how does that sound?"
"Oh thank you Papa, thank you! That sounds wonderful!" Sylvia said before giving her father a big hug.
By the time Aaron graduated, Dragon and Lightning had become a little more comfortable with leaving their home. They had by then organized and attended Sylvia's wedding, and had come for the birth of their first grandchild. Then there was Fae's graduation and they had helped her get situated in a home with her long-term girlfriend. While the couple never spent long periods of time away from their home, they did regularly visit their two daughters and expected to do the same once Aaron chose a home and settled down as well.
The two never truly returned to the wizarding world, and they never visited England or made contact with any of their old acquaintances, but they no longer feared to leave their home. They had finally achieved happiness.