Summary: Harry Potter, fire-fighter on a daily job finds himself in an unforeseen predicament. Amidst a burning home, a woman with golden eyes begs him to take her daughter. So he does, and alongside his husband he discovers a shocking twist. They discover the truth behind Heera's eyes.

Biological parents : Killian and Aasia Bates

Adoptive parents: Harry and Draco.

Child: Heera Potter-Malfoy

Setting : Scotland.

Hello everyone, before we begin the story I want to tell you something. This is my first fanfiction. I have been thinking of this idea for awhile now! About a child that they adopt and the trials and tribulations that Harry and Draco might have. Especially when... this is no ordinary child! For now, this story is a prologue of sorts. An introduction into her life later on. I would love to have someone as my beta, it would be wonderful. If you are interested , let me know.

Post reviews! :)

Oh and...this story is set in almost an alternate universe. I will explain everything in due time.

Before he moved to Scotland, Harry was warned by his peers to never underestimate the Scottish winter. But naturally, Harry under-estimated every aspect of the Scottish winter. He furrowed his eyebrows thoughtfully, as the cold bit his arms. The bleak grey shade that covered the sky seemed to reflect Draco's eyes when he was angry. He was slapped back to reality, by one of his colleagues as they piled into the truck. With practiced ease, he threw on and zipped up his protective suit . Each fire-fighter in the truck with a sympathetic nervous system built into overdrive; adrenaline coursing into their veins like fire and hearts thumping wildly. Harry could feel his body temperature rising rapidly, and muscles twitching due to the effects of adrenaline. His supervisor, a bloke called Rolf alerted the crew on the procedures and the status of their case. This was then followed by confirmation from the lady on the radio from head quarters. Harry's green eyes scanned the surroundings where the truck stopped, immediately his muscles sprung into action - gathering the hose and appropriate equipment. Rolf grabbed another hose, gesturing wildly with his right arm to his co-workers to check the building for survivors. Once there was no confirmation of any survivors, each fire-fighter fought to their best abilities to douse the raging fire.

Harry nose cringed towards the sudden smell that took over his senses. It was a scent that was unfamiliar to him, yet it certainly brought back memories. It smelt like a herb from the forest that surrounded the property, some sort of distinguished plant that reeked. He quickly noted the lack of response from his peers. Harry listened past the roar of the flames, and then he heard it. A softest sound of breathing, and whispering from a female. Harry immediately pushed past the door ignoring protests from his co-workers, as each wooden beam threatened to fall. By this time, the flames licked alongside his chest and alongside his face. The heat meant nothing to him, but the sound of a child's breathing ceasing to continue filled his senses. He pushed past the door, yelling for attention.

At first glance through the orange inferno, a human eye would have easily missed the slight movement in the corner of the room. Tendrils of smoke soon transitioned into clouds of smoke that covered his path. Harry pushed on, breathing heavily into his protective mask. The ground reverberated as the wooden beams threatened to fall.

But then he saw her, a woman cloaked over a man with a child tucked under her arm. Her long black hair acted as a river amongst flames, protecting her loved one and child. Her loved one lay motionless, his silver hair illuminated by the eerie light from the fire. She was on the verge of unconsciousness. Harry ran towards the woman, establishing the health-status of her child before whispering reassurances. The woman's eyelids blinked open slowly, her golden eyes peering with an odd sense of recognition. The exotic colour of her eyes and the beauty of her expression left Harry speechless. Her smile was sweet, and her life clenched to one last breath. It was such a painful and heart-wrenching moment that left Harry stunned.

"Please take my Heera. ", Her back arched off the ground as a cough resonated through her smoke-filled lungs. " Please love my child, Harry."

Harry backed away as her last breath shuddered. Despite the surrounding chaos, there was a sense of peace that rested over the deceased couple.

He shuddered despite the heat.

She knew his name.

As he left the building, the lady's expression kept replaying in his mind several times. The sound of her last breath grew louder, and most of all the expression of love towards Heera. Harry felt the soft beating of Heera through his protective suit. He clutched her tightly, and proceeded towards health authorities. Dean Thomas, his friend and a child protection officer was on-call that night. He assured Harry he would able to see Heera once she was checked, not bothering to hide his surprise at Harry's resistance. Once protocol was followed, and Heera was transported inside the ambulance - Harry sighed in relief. Rolf, his boss talked to him about obeying protocol. Harry almost reminded him that he left behind a living child. However, he couldn't blame the lack of heightened senses from his human counterparts.

Finally after the long lecture from his team-leader, he was able to go home. His cottage lay welcoming and illuminated due to Draco's presence. Somewhere deep within his mind, a whisper of reassurance comes to remind him that his mate was waiting. But, this was soon overshadowed as the memory replayed again. As he is about to unlock the door to his cottage, Harry hears the elegant footsteps from his husband of three years. Harry smiles throughout half-opened eyes at his mate, nuzzling Draco's pale neck with familiarity. His senses were instantly filled with vanilla, cinnamon and pine. Draco returned the touch on his arm, noting the tense and shut-off expression from Harry. He was left staring at the door with a thoughtful expression.

That night, Harry tossed and turned. The woman's face appearing in his face, her eyes searching for a consolation. A recognition of him. Draco sighs, kicking open the covers before switching on the beside lamp.

" Well , go ahead. Tell me what's bothering you."

Harry bowed his head with his black locks, clasping his hands together tightly. He played with his wedding ring distractedly. Draco noted the change of behaviour with a grimace. He pale long fingers gently unclasped Harry's hand, and held it tightly.

" You had this same expression back then. I still remember that dark look, and I promised myself I would never let you go through that again. " Draco's eyes flickered to Harry's weak squeeze to his hand . " No more secrets remember?"

Harry cringed, finally returning the intimate hand gesture. He drew circular patterns along Draco's palm, admiring the contrast between his tanned skin and Draco's pale skin. All these years of knowing and loving Draco, and yet some thoughts were still hard to express. The events that occurred that night only reminded him of the conversations that surfaced few months ago.

After a few months of tumultuous thoughts, Harry spoke quietly.

" Draco I want to adopt a child."

Draco froze, " I thought we talked about this. What brought this on?"

" I have been thinking about this for awhile." Harry protested, while he attempted to ignore the subtle movement of Draco away from him." Today at work, there was a woman..."

Harry broke his hands away from his duvet, attempting to tame his unruly locks. So he told Draco his story; the looks, the recognition and the raging inferno from the house. Most of all, he told Draco of the tug he felt towards the child. The dark brown curls and large eyes that hid behind perfectly contoured lids.

"-This is a big decision Harry. I thought you were happy, just the two of us. A child? Don't you think that's a huge responsibility. "

" Yes , yes I know. I am Happy, but Draco it feels like it's meant to be. She is meant to be with us."

Draco shook his head tiredly, " Harry, tomorrow you night save another orphaned child. And then the next day, it might happen again. I understand you want a child, don't get me wrong. Me too. But Harry, I'm working long hours….you work long night shifts. It just won't work."

This time Harry froze, torn between defending his thoughts and kissing away the frown that etched across Draco's lips. Draco's grey eyes darkened a shade, a huge indicator of emotional thoughts. His lean figure was frozen, and expression ablaze with thoughts.

Harry attempted to respond, before shutting his lips rapidly.

"Just let me think about it. The timing of events, the fact that she knew you beforehand. Something, something isn't right. Just let me think."

And the conversation was over.

Draco headed towards his class distractedly. Underneath fluttering eyelashes, students admired the professor's tall-lithe figure from afar . His steady presence permeated strength, authority and monetary benefits. There was an almost audible sigh that chorused through his students. His black Versace coat bellowing in the wind following in his female's student's daze. Draco slipped into the lonely part of the staffroom, dialling the number on his phone. The odd dial tones, followed by a British-accented female with a calming voice indicated a message tone. After a few minutes, Draco tried again.

" Draco, I'm so sorry. I was busy talking to some clients. You wouldn't believe how many bankrupt clients I had today. It's ridiculous!"

" Yes, yes I'm sure." Draco pulled his phone away from his ears at Hermione's loud exasperated tone. " I need to talk to you."

There was a soft exchange of voices on the other side of the phone, " Just clearing the room. Okay Draco, go."

Draco exchanged the past events to Harry's child hood friend with ease. No words left the witch's mouth throughout his hurried speech. His intelligent mind crossed with her logical approach to problems would surely solve the problem.

" Well Draco, I can't help you."

The blonde male sneered through thin lips," I'm not asking your help Hermione. I am asking advice, since you know the idiot since he was in school better than I have."

Harry's childhood friend sighed, her breath exhaled as a crackling noise on the line.

"Honestly Draco, why not ? What is stopping you from adopting this child?"

" Obviously our jobs-"

" Don't you say your job. We both know that both of you can compromise. You can do a part-time just for a few years. And Harry? Well, he can organise less night shifts. So, what is it really?"

' Ah shit', Draco pondered. 'She's good.'

" I'm..afraid. What will we say to the child when the full moon comes? I can't hide my true identity."

For the first time in many years of aristocratic training from his estranged parents, Draco slumped his shoulders. He could almost feel the harsh slap across his shoulders from his ever-loving father. He could almost hear the berating tone from Lucius Malfoy, " A Malfoy must never slump. A Malfoy is never weak. We are pure-bred wolves. Do you understand boy?"

The problem with his life, was solely on the lack of relationship between his parents and him. It was a fearful thought, to be parenting a child with zero parenting skills himself. His whole life, he lived on the expectations of his parents. The only son to one of the most prized and renowned pure-bred wolf families in England.

" Wait till the child is old enough to understand. Continue taking your wolfsbane potion Malfoy, everything will fit into place eventually. She won't hate you , a child surrounded by love and understanding would never hate her parents. When I found out about Ron, I was shocked too. But, I loved him enough to have a child with him."

She ignored the haughty snort from her friend on the other end of the line. Slowly, she twirled the phone cord between her fingers, admiring the simplistic ring on her finger. Hermione tucked a stray strand of a curl behind her ear, before finally ending the conversation with reassurance to Draco.

"Some things are just meant to be, don't resist it."

The next three mornings, Harry awoke to an empty kitchen. He trudged past the bathroom mirror with disdain, refusing to acknowledge his sickly appearance . Harry fiddled with the draw strings of his shorts, mussing his hair and lazily pressed the kettle on. A mundane routine, disturbed by the past events. He missed his alpha mate terribly. Draco wasn't at home when he came back. All these years of knowing each other, of feeling each other had etched itself into Harry. Without Draco, there was no Harry. He recalled first meeting his beautiful Draco, and the words filled with animosity exchanged. They were from separate schools and families and yet fate had brought them together.

He yawned through muddled thoughts, finally picking up a stray note on the kitchen table.

...

To the loving idiot I married,

During the past few days, I have come to a decision. I want a child too. We can work something out. I'll be home by ten am. Take a sick-day off work.

I want to see her, the one that stole your heart. Well, the other side of your heart that does not belong to me.

D.M

...

Harry grinned, his emerald eyes shining through circled spectacles.

He had a call to make.

That day, at 12 pm Draco first saw Heera. Her four year old self was cuddled into the blankets. She was resting in the hospital for a few days, since child adoption agencies required time to place her into an allocated spot. Draco was stunned, he ignored the restless pacing of his mate. His hand reached out to clutch the child's soft hands. It barely fit his palm. He lost his usual smirk, to an expression filled with awe. A small head filled with black curls, and beautiful skin the colour of darkened caramel. She sifted slightly, revealing the pink mark across the top of her arm.

Slowly she blinked tiredly,her large brown eyes the size of saucers meeting Draco's for the first time. Both male occupants heard her heartbeat transition into a ticking heart-bomb. She smiled, and immediately both parent's hitched a breath. His heart was enraptured towards this young child. The tug Draco felt towards this small child was immense, he wanted to circle his arms protectively around his daughter. He wanted to shield her from the insecurities and questions that would surface throughout her life. She smelt like curiosity, safety and peach blossoms. Heera's dark curly hair shone around her face like a halo. An odd combination that fitted her incredulous expression. She reached out her nimble fingers to Draco's shining fair blonde hair, reveling in its glory's as if it was her beacon of light. There was a pang of sadness, followed by a lack of understanding of the location of her parents. A hole that was created in her heart, no longer existed. Somehow, somewhere deep inside her- she felt this situation was coming. Because they were here to save her, to take care and love her.

Harry held Draco's free hand, while mesmerized as this touching scene folded out before him. He tilted his head to admire Draco's placid expression and aristocratic features; from his silver eyes to his high-cheeked bones that demanded attention. Damn, he filled in those pants well.

" Are you perving on me while I hold a child's hand?"

Harry flinched with a slight blush, scratching his neck sheepishly.

" No..."

Draco stole a look at his sheepish husband, leaning his nose downwards at Harry's neck. Their eyes met instantly, oozing with unconditional understanding.

" So Harry, who do we see to adopt her?"

Dean Thomas blinked at his two childhood friends.

"...And you are sure about this."

Harry nodded his head enthusiastically, " Yes. We'll fight for her, unless her relatives want her."

Dean leaned forwards whilst shaking his head, eyes raking through the documents. There was little movement from the three tall male occupants. Draco's musky cologne sifted through the air, circling around Harry's tense shoulders.

" Actually, I think you might want to see this. " Dean handed over a document to Harry and Malfoy.

The lights in Dean's usually homely office, dimmed. Both men on the other side craned their necks to see the paper that was neatly folded. Their eyes raked over the paper several times, before sharing the same levels of astonishment at Dean. Draco's eyes darkened, as his hands proceeded to take the paperwork.

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF KILLIAN AND Dr. AASIA BATES

Given this day, on November xxxx

I , Killian and Aaisa Bates hereby sign this will. This will entitles their 10 hectare property ( 18 Wright Avenue, Old Eastern suburb) to their child, Heera Bates. She is entitled all access to her property and bank safe located in Barclays banks, at age 18. Company rights to " Baits", will be handled by all advisors and shareholders. Heera Bates will not have access to this inheritances of estates and money will be allocated into a bank account that will be created when Heera has turned 18.

Lastly, if anything were to happen to Killian and Aaisa, Heera Bates is to be adopted by Harry James Potter and Draco Malfoy. They will have access to all her property until she reaches off age.

There was a tense silence that filled the room. The humming of a printer nearby and the ticking of the clock resonated throughout the office. Each occupant in the room seemed lost in their own mirage, expression filled with confusion and turmoil. Their breaths were loud, and words lost in thin air.

Finally, Dean broke the silence. His deep voice thickened with an American accent, resonating through Draco's reverie.

" This letter was written before Heera's birth."

" Almost five years ago…" Harry blinked rapidly, re-reading the last paragraph several times. He ran his shaking hands through his unruly locks, a habit he picked up as a child. " Draco and I weren't even together back then."

" Is it possible the document is forged? Counterfeit?" , Draco interjected calmly.

His stormy expression indicated another level of anxiety, as Dean's words was registered. This person, this couple had known that Draco and Harry were bonded. Draco only met Harry a few years ago, let alone got married a short time later. It was impossible, he had never heard of the Bates couple while he lived in England.

Dean shook his head, raking through each individual document several times. Usually, he kept things neat. Each folder , each document was placed into a color co-ordinated allocated spot. But at this moment, his years of being a document-perfectionist ( as his partner, Ginny called it) did not matter.

" No, these documents have been thoroughly checked by child services and individual law firms associated with adoption agencies. " Dean replied. " Plus, the Bates family has had a renowned reputation as being saints. Donating to charities, hospitals and schools".

Draco bit back a sigh. He held his head in his hands for several moments.
" What about the lawyer? The lawyer who signed this."

Dean nodded in Draco's direction, " I talked to him. He witnessed this document being signed, and it was with the witness of the police."

For a minute, Harry analyzed his husband's confused features. His high cheek bones, reprimanding attention alongside his glorious silver eyes. He grabbed Draco's hand tightly. He envisioned a life with his family, Heera's widened eyes and Draco's infectious smile. The times that would be remembered and shared. The moments surrounding their daughter would never be forgotten; her first recital, school day and painting. He would explain his predicament to her when she was off age, her hereditary issues. He would tell her how Draco and Harry first met. When she is old enough, Harry would explain his family being related to an ancient line of werewolves. He would later explain how Draco's pure-bred parents had refused to allow his son to mate with a human-part wolf. But love prevailed, and they got married. Most of all, he would encourage her to be true to herself. To create a path, to create a future that fitted herself.

Yes, the will didn't make sense . Nothing ever made sense. Since he was born, Harry was thrown into unexpected turns and spirals. But Draco was there, and so was his extended family and friends. He would get through this, for the sake of his future child and family.

Instantly, Harry realised that his sentiments was reflected in Draco's expression.

"We would still like to go through with it."

And Draco squeezed back. The decision was hastily made, and the consequences would be faced later.

Author's note:

Sorry, the events were so fast!

Obviously, the legalities with regards to the adoption process are not as accurate as it should be. It usually takes months with court rulings etc. The next chapter will be about how Heera fits into their lives. The compromises they have to make to accommodate to a child. And also, introducing other characters! :D

Excuse any grammatical errors! I'll keep re-reading it.

Please review!