Tenshibabe: Onwards 3_3 ooh Sirius…major thanks to my new beta-reader RosesAreForever23 awesome job :D
Summary: Riddle knows what he wants; he just needs a certain someone to get it…
Pairing(s): HPTMR, RWDM, SSLM, RLSB, VKHG, NLGW
Warnings: This is AU like major Authoresses Universe! Also this has slash, slash, slash, uh and MPreg too~ If u no like y u no leave? The troll wants to know heh-eheh enjoy responsibly
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, it is the brainchild of one J.K. Rowling and subsequently everything belongs to her ;)
A/N:
"Talking"
"Thinking"
His Heir
Chapter 3: His Test
"If we had babies they would look like you,
It'd be so beautiful if that came true…
You don't even know how very special you are…
You leave me breathless, I still can't believe that your mine
So beautiful you're leaving me
Breathless…"
Shayne Ward-Breathless
Ron blinked tiredly as he stepped through the floo into his home. One hand stifled an exhausted yawn whilst his free hand slowly unclasped the dark uniform robes he wore as an Auror. He had only dropped in at work to check up on everything, catch up on the latest cases, and office gossip and, considering that he was still on leave for three months now since Carina was born, he has been pretty out of the loop.
Ron's eyes softened as he thought of his baby girl, 'with the face of an angel and the lungs of a banshee,' he grunted, tossing his uniform on the couch for a house elf to put away. It was a miracle Draco got any sleep, if he slept at all. Ron always felt guilty at the fact that he could sleep through an earthquake and usually left his mate to react to Carina's cries.
Well he made up for it in many ways;foot rubs, back massages, romantic meals, and of course mind blowing…' Ron chuckled to himself, the tips of his ears burning red as his thoughts turned R-rated.
Ron smiled slightly as he moved through the house. He, for once, never thought that this was where his life would end up, but he was happy and his family came around eventually. He doubted that anyone even remembered how it began, this feud between the Weasley's and the Malfoy's, but it was all ancient history now. No one was going to make Draco upset, that he swore.
Passing through the dining room, Ron remembered how his mother crooned over her granddaughter and how she doted on Dray and, despite his aloof attitude, Ron knew that he loved every moment of it. Scratching his head as he peeked into the kitchen, Ron was a bit baffled that he had not seen his veela as of yet. He could sense him in the house, but the blond Slytherin was being slippery today.
Hearing Carina's surprised laughter caught him off guard for a moment, before he turned to the backyard. 'They must be out back,' Ron mused, making his way cautiously through the house. He was pleasantly surprised to see not only Dray and Carina sitting by the table but also Harry and…Tom.
Ron raised a brow skeptically. He wasn't sure when or how- Draco refused to give up too much info- but it seemed to be that Tom and Harry had been either jinxed or joined at the hips considering he had yet to see one without the other in the past three months. Not only that, but the ex-Dark Lord was behaving strangely.
Every time he was around, which was very often since Carina was born, much to Ron's waning displeasure, he would always be constantly hungry, yet once he had food, he would throw it up minutes later. Also, his moods were erratic, but Ron shrugged that off as a quirk that all Dark Lords have- even if everyone around him says he's changed, Ron still had a small measure of doubt.
Ron made his presence known with a teasing kiss to his mate's cheek that caused the blond in question to flush prettily. Ron carefully and adoringly cuddled his daughter, who giggled in her father's embrace, her hair in slight disarray, now almost a platinum blond against her pink cheeks.
The red haired Auror then turned to Harry, who was sitting suspiciously too close to the other brunet. "Hey, how's it going? I stopped by your desk to say hi, but you weren't there- the guys said you took today off…" he started before smirking, "If I'd known you were here, I would have just stayed home," Ron joked, shifting the baby in his hands.
Ron noticed when Harry went to wrap his arm around Riddle's waist. Stranger yet, the brunet in question didn't seem too bothered about the move.
Harry hummed, acknowledging Ron's question, "Yea, I took Tom to see Pomfrey," Harry paused, knowing the question before it left the redheads lips, "Sev and Lucy are on their fourth honeymoon, though this time the location is undisclosed so it's kinda hard to get a hold of them," Harry stated, smiling.
Harry's smile broke out into a full out laugh as Tom commented about Lucius maiming him if he ever heard his name being butchered like that. Draco laughed as did Ron, albeit a bit hesitant at first.
A slight breeze brought the scent of what Tom believed to be Ron's cologne to his side of the table. The atmosphere turned tense once again as Tom suddenly got up and dashed from his seat, his face looking slightly green.
Draco furrowed his brows in concern, looking to Harry suddenly, "It's been, like, three months already. Is he still supposed to be doing that?" he asked, concern and worry taking over his features.
Harry sighed, a troubled look on his face as well, "Same thing I asked Poppy; she said it's different for everyone…said to give it a few more weeks, and that I should fire-call her if it lasts that long," the green eyed wizard stated as he ran a hand through his unruly locks.
An upset gasp from Carina had the two turning to see Ron with a slight frown on his face.
"He's been sick for weeks now Harry- just what kind of illness, are we talking about here?" The redhead stated, not turning away from his best friend, who was suddenly looking uncomfortable.
There was a tense silence, as guarded green eyes met determined blue; the situation had the ability to spiral out of control at any moment.
"Uhm, uh… I-I'll take Carina, and check on Tom," Draco inserted, sending Harry a pointed look as he left.
"Well?" Ron insisted.
Harry paused, before looking at his friend and best mate, who because of his distance from Tom and, well, general naivety, was currently the last in their group of friends to know. 'Merlin, even Hermione knows and she's all the way in Russia…' Harry mused.
He sighed at the expectant look Ron had upon his face. "Well, uh…he's erhm…p-pre…" Harry stuttered, "I-we slept together and now Toms knocked up…with my kid," Harry said bluntly.
Harry endured through the expected silence, looking at Ron with big green eyes full of hope that his best friend would understand and not freak out.
After a moment, Ron realized that this must have been how Harry felt when he woke up after three months of coma, which caused him to grin at the irony. Ron covered his face with his hands, muffled laughter coming from the tall Auror.
Harry looked on in shock and confusion, all the things he thought Ron was to be feeling, but baffled that he wasn't expressing it the way he expected. "R-Ron, alright there, mate?"
The laughter died down to suppressed gasps and Harry thought he might've broken his best friend, 'oh crap Dray is gonna kill me…'He looked on worriedly as thoughts of the veela in the next room exacting revenge nearly made him miss the red head's next words.
"Blimey… I should've figured he was well…y'know, but the thought never occurred to me. All the signs yet I, of all people, should have noticed. I mean, he practically lives here! Stupid, I know…" Ron paused, removing his hands from his face so he could look at the still confused Harry.
"Hey mate, don't look so shocked, it would be a real arse move if I found any fault with what you and Tom have. Yea sure, my situation was slightly different, but I am not afraid to say that I love Dray and I know you must have strong feelings for Tom, whether creature based or not…what I am trying to say is, congratulations?" Ron finished, a small smile on his face.
Harry blinked, unsure when Ron had grown up, but he supposed becoming a father had something to do with it.
"T-thanks Ron, I'm glad you're my best mate, and I guess being bonded to a Slytherin has its benefits too. You're much more uh…grounded, calm…at ease?" at Ron's skeptical look, Harry blushed, muttering, "You know what I mean," quickly as Ron laughed heartily.
Harry looked to the double French doors where Tom stood; anyone looking would think he was barely leaning against the door frame, but Harry knew differently. Harry assessed Tom, his longer dark hair tied back with a silver ribbon at his nape, which matched his silvery, grey loose fitting dress shirt that he wore because he was self-conscious about his small baby bump. His stomach, he protected with his left hand whilst his right hand grasped to the door frame tightly.
Harry got up quickly, moving to his side in worry, asking if he was okay. Tom shook his head, dismissing the inquiry, instead turning his gaze to Ron, who was still sitting at the table.
"You told him," Tom stated, to which Harry nodded. It was not a question, Ron was being pretty obvious even though Tom had yet to speak to the Gryffindor, and it was shamelessly obvious by the way Ron was staring at him, in slight awe.
Tom repressed a shudder, and wondered briefly if that was what everyone's reaction would be like. His left hand tightened, creasing his shirt; Harry frowned in worry, clearly seeing that something was troubling the other male.
"He's okay with us, with the baby and he sends his congratulations," Harry stated, clearly seeing Tom's distress, despite his attempts at hiding it.
Tom bit his bottom lip, a nervous habit that he somehow started up again, before hesitantly looking over at Ron once more. "D-Draco requests your help in settling down Carina…" Ron perked up at that, nodding as he moved to past the couple at the door.
"Don't worry, we're pretty much family now, if we weren't already…don't stress over the little things. Harry will take care of you, you can definitely trust him," Ron stated in passing, patting the ex-dark wizard on the shoulder.
Tom nodded, a small smile playing upon his lips.
Dear Harry,
How have you been doing, cub? The family misses you, and everyone can't wait to see you. We know that you have been very busy the past few months and with Ron and Draco's blessing, I'm glad to hear that their doing well. Padfoot and I send our congratulations and as soon as we get everything settled down over here, we'll be sure to pay them a visit.
Speaking of settling down, there have been some recent developments on our end…it's just… it is something Siri would prefer to tell you in person. Don't worry about us; we are doing fine, better now… Recent communications with Severus leads us to believe that you may have some important news of your own… I guess it may be serious too?
Will dinner this Sunday be okay for you? Dinners at 6pm, as always, but feel free to stop by earlier, you know how the kids love to spend time with Uncle Harry.
Lots of love,
Moony
Harry sipped his tea and as he re-read the letter once more, the guilt hitting him again. How did he forget to tell his Godfathers about Tom and the baby? Well, it's not like he wasn't extremely busy, what with work, taking care of Tom, and deciding important things like where they would raise their child, but it totally slipped his mind.
Tom refused to stay in Riddle Manor any longer- according to him, it was terribly depressing there- and he spent most of his day at Draco's place or Malfoy Manor. That was also getting out of hand, and Tom started believing that he was imposing too much on his friends, which was not helping his stress levels.
Harry sighed; Godric's Hollow, where Harry lived, was too much of a sore spot for both of them. Harry didn't think he could raise a family there and Tom refused to even step into the place. Lucius and Draco agreed to help them search for a good home and as it was right now, Harry was sipping tea in the Malfoy's manor small dining room and reading his mail.
Lucius and Severus sat across from Harry, with Tom squeezed in the middle. Harry hid his smile as he looked over his cup to see the three Slytherin's 'comment' on the picture of the baby that Tom got in the mail from Pomfrey.
"He is very adorable Tom, he would be the perfect little Slytherin," Lucius observed, as the small mass that barely resembled a child.
Tom nodded enthusiastically, being extremely clingy to Severus and leaning into Lucius' soothing hands that carded through his hair.
Harry watched in awe and a sappy expression took over his face; it was a good thing he carried around his camera everywhere nowadays, 'for moments like this,' Harry mused as he snapped a photo, earning him an annoyed glare from Severus; everyone else was pretty much used to it by now.
"Harry, why must you insist on using that…contraption…I don't do photo's." Severus bit out, his words sharp even as his face and voice spoke differently.
Harry laughed as he pocketed the camera, "Sorry Sev, it just always slips my mind," he stated jovially, earning a laugh from the other two Slytherin's.
Severus rolled his eyes, "Of course it does…every time."
Sunday, 12 Grimmauld Place
Tom fiddled with the sleeves on his new robes; the others were getting a bit snug. He felt like he was growing at an alarming rate and any moment now, everyone would notice that he was getting fat. Which led to the question of why he put himself through this; because it was he who took the potion, he that wanted a child… he that wanted to be loved.
He felt like crying and thought about blaming it on hormones and the like, but secretly knew he was getting soft. The hate filled glares that were sent his way from Harry's godfather made Tom feel like he didn't belong. He knew that this was what everyone in the Wizarding World must think when they see him…see him with Harry.
Replaying Sirius's furious words in his head broke the loose tie he had on his emotions. As large tears began to roll, down flushed cheeks, he barely noticed when Harry sat beside him on the couch.
"Shh, it's going to be alright…it was just bad timing, he doesn't hate you, he's just going through a lot at the moment," Harry soothed, as he scooped up his Slytherin, placing him in his lap to fully embrace the brunet. A technique that was found to be extremely effective in calming the ex-Dark Lord when he became overly emotional.
Tom wrapped his arms around Harry's neck as he buried his face into Harry's neck.
"He sssaid, I wass a monster a-after he called me…me a- Harry, he hatess me," Tom cried, lapsing into Parseltongue in his distress.
Harry placed a kiss to the top of the dark head, rubbing his lover's shivering back, "I understand that he was angry, I even understand the emotional rollercoaster he must be going through but, as I told Moony, that was no way to greet you, even in such a situation," Harry soothed, as Tom's sobs were reduced to hiccups that made Harry's heart even heavier.
Earlier…Sunday Evening
That evening, he and Tom showed up for dinner. They were greeted by Remus and Sirius' eldest child Lydia, a small girl with long dark wavy hair, pale skin and golden hued eyes that shone at the sight of Harry and tackle-hugged the green eyed male. She waved a shy greeting to Tom, before running off to let Remus know that Uncle Harry was here.
Harry smiled, "She's grown. Siri had her when I was in fifth year, plus he was still in hiding then, so things were kinda hard; she was like that glue that kept everyone together, during that time…" he started, turning to Tom, who looked very anxious and scared but held it together impressively.
"…Look, I know Sirius can get a little overbearing at times, it's just in his nature, he's very protective of me…what I am trying to say is that he may say some things that might come across as unsavory but once you get to know him, you'll see that he's just a big puppy, alright?" Harry reassured, smiling when Tom nodded, even going in for a small kiss.
"I-I'll try not to be so nervous then, nothing to worry about," Tom finished, leaning into Harry's side when he took his hand.
They entered as one into the house, and made their way to the kitchen, which brought back fond memories for Harry.
"Ah, Harry, there you are- a bit late though; Orion and Cordelia were just put down for their nap," Remus greeted, giving Harry a crushing wolf hug, which had both men laughing and roaring like wolves. They broke apart and it was then that Remus noticed the other male behind Harry.
The werewolf raised a brow, a hand running through his already tousled blond hair. "So uhm, I know you had something to tell us Harry, does it have anything to do with the Dark Lord, erhm you know…" Remus stuttered, faltering at the look that Harry sent his way, "I don't know what to call him, sorry."
"Remus, this is Tom Riddle, m-my boyfriend," Harry stuttered, whilst Tom and Remus looked on in both surprise and confusion respectively.
There was a crash from just outside the room, as Sirius stood in the entry way, the shock on his face quickly morphing to rage as he spotted Tom. The silence was deafening for a few moments before the ball dropped.
"H-how…What…the hell Harry?! He killed Jamie and Lily, he bloody well murdered your parents and ruined your childhood, took away thirteen f-ing years of my life a-and now you're telling me…us that you're sleeping with him?!" Sirius raged, the broken dish forgotten.
Tom tensed, he knew he was guilty; it was by his wand that those deeds were done. He most certainly did not deserve Harry's trust, or love… he was a...a…
"He's a monster, and there's no way my godson is going to be swayed by that- that slu-"
"ENOUGH!" Harry thundered, stopping Sirius before he said something he wouldn't be able to take back. Unfortunately, the damage was already done, the closing of the door behind him had Harry and Remus wincing.
"I'm just going out on a limb here and guessing that something drastic has happened recently…because only a seriously good explanation is getting you out of this mess, family or not," Harry grit out, his voice dangerous and his eyes a glowing green fire.
Sirius panted, his nearly spent rage instead melting into a series of choked sobs, intermixed with short burst of dry laughter that had Harry wondering if Sirius had finally lost it. Remus moved to gather his mate into his arms, motioning for Harry to take a seat, which he did.
"I-I guess I should start by apologizing. This has been an extremely stressful time for Siri, the news caught him by surprise," Harry narrowed his eyes, Remus started again before he could be interrupted, "…Two months ago, we were glad to learn we were expecting another cub- Siri thought he couldn't have any more kids after the twins so we were surprised- and were ready to tell the family the good news…"
Sirius quieted down, his expression blank, shoulders slumped as he leaned against Remus in what Harry assumed was resignation…of what he wasn't sure yet. Remus continued hesitantly.
"Unfortunately there were complications, we aren't entirely too sure of the cause, his immune system was too weak? Was it too soon since the twins? Or if he isn't able to carry anymore…But, well, as you can tell, Siri isn't pregnant anymore," Remus trailed off, rubbing his mate's side as he grasped tightly onto Remus' free hand.
Harry deflated, his mind instantly thought of Tom, 'what if his body rejects our baby?' He was drawn out of his thoughts by Sirius calling his name.
"Merlin Siri…I'm sorry for your loss. The thought of losing my child chills me to the bone, and I can't possibly imagine how you are feeling…" Harry paused, "Tom is…h-he's changed, and I love him, it might be hard to believe looking at our past but we've come a long way in the past two and half years, we've started over…" Harry stated, looking at Sirius and Remus with a stern expression.
Sirius sniffed, eyes red and a bit puffy a bashful demeanor taking over as he leaned against Remus. "It doesn't get easier talking about it, or hearing it for that matter Remy. I-I understand Harry, I just haven't been myself lately…e-everything is just too much…he was right here, right here and then he was gone, and I don't ever want you to go through what I have…it hurts too much," Sirius finished solemnly; his words fading as he tiredly clung to Remus.
"Why don't you go check up on Tom…Explain things to him. I'm really sorry that things got so out of hand, I-I'll just get him to bed alright," Harry nodded at his godfathers words, before leaving to check on Tom.
Tom pressed a small kiss against Harry's jaw, when he finished the explanation of Sirius's outburst. He shuddered, closing his eyes at the thought of miscarriage. 'I would die, there's no way I could live afterwards,' Tom whimpered at the thought and his sympathy, what little of it he still, had went out to the blue eyed brunet upstairs.
Harry continued to rub circles into Tom's back, his thoughts constantly on Sirius.
"I'd say that you two look cozy so there's no doubt in my mind that you two love each other," Remus murmured as he entered the den, a subdued Lydia in his arms.
"Is she okay?" Harry asked, noting the demur attitude from the usually cheerful child.
Remus sat in the arm chair across from the couple, careful not to jostle the six year old too much. "Yea, she gets that way whenever she sees her Papa crying- they have a connection these two," he said smiling warmly at his daughter, before looking between Harry and Tom.
"So when you mentioned 'your child' back in the kitchen, I am correct to guess that there's more going on here than what meets the eye," Remus stated, Harry's eyes widened and Tom tensed. "When were you going to let us know you two were expecting?" Remus questioned.
Tenshibabe: believe it or not this was supposed to be a happy chapter, the story changed itself halfway, and unfortunately Sirius got the short end of the stick… however I love Sirius, so things will most definitely get better for him, lots of info next chapter as well.
R&R everyone, I love reading your comments, and I am still looking for a name for our little Heir ^_^
