December 23rd, 2005
Emily's father had finally been told that his daughter was pregnant. Much to her surprise, her father had not been upset. He was relieved by the fact that the child was going to be put up for adoption. So when Emily came home for the winter holidays, he was not stunned by how large her belly had become. He just joked that he would make an extra batch of sugar cookies.
Her family was the type to truly embrace the holiday season. The tree was up in the corner and heavily decorated in tinsel and decorative apples. Sure enough, her father had made one too many cookies and they littered the house on a million different decorative plates. Their traditions were rather specific in their home. December 23rd was the last normal day until the day after Boxing Day. This was a night to unwind and relax before the festivities.
On Christmas Eve they would be lighting a violet scented candle in honor of her mother that would burn for three days straight. She had loved the Christmas season, and violets had always been her favorite flower. Sometimes, Emily dreamt of having a daughter and naming her Violet. But she knew that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon. She would have to wait awhile to have a daughter in the future to name in memory of her mother. The eve also brought the presents and dinner with just her father and grandmother. They always invited her mother's family, but they always declined. They had hated that their daughter had married a wizard. Most of them hadn't even met Emily.
It was Christmas day when they would go across the country to see her father's side of the family. It was always an enjoyable time. Given that she was approaching her eighteenth birthday, Emily had been looking forward to being able to drink her aunt's famous spiked egg nogs. But with the baby, she would be barred from having any such drink. The whole family knew about the pregnancy, but most of them were pretending she wasn't. They weren't going to talk about it or acknowledge it if they could help it, for her own sake.
She was due in six weeks. They had a plan set up with Madame Abbott to excuse her from class for a day. There were potions that were created to help her recover faster from the intensity of labor, she would be able to go back to class the very next day.
But this was a calm night. Or, at least, it was supposed to be. Emily had been sitting on the couch eating her sixth cookie of the day while watching It's a Wonderful Life with her grandmother. Ever since her father had married her mother, her father's family had been enamored with Muggle films. Her grandmother especially loved the Christmas classic, ever since her daughter in law had introduced it to her two decades ago. It was in the middle of happily watching the film that Emily blushed crimson and felt her pants becoming increasingly wet. She assumed she had peed her pants. But her father knew immediately that her water had broke.
"Shit!" Emily cursed as soon as her father voiced his realization.
"Language, Emily," Her grandmother reprimanded her.
"I shouldn't be going into labor this early! I'm allowed to swear for going into early labor!" She screamed. She turned to her dad, the movie long forgotten, "What do I do?"
"Well, we can't go to St. Mungo's, nobody there will be able to see you if they don't know the situation. We have to go the Muggle hospital down the street. It's where your mum had you. They'll take care of you just fine. But we should go now," Her father remained perfectly calm the whole while. He moved to help her onto her feet, "Mum, send an owl to the fathers. Tell them the baby is on the way. Tell them our address so they can come via floo powder. Then tell them which hospital we went to."
"Will do," She said as she struggled out of her chair, straightened up, and headed over toward the open cage where their barn owl rested. Emily and her father got out of the house as fast as she could waddle, getting into the old rust bucket of a car that her mom had left behind. Grandma, meanwhile, scrawled a letter for the fathers to be. She fed the owl a small treat and tied the letter to her leg, "Be a good dear and take that to a Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy."
The bird hooted happily and headed for the window as the grandma opened it. The owl landed on the window sill of the Potter-Malfoy living room in record time, tapping vigorously on the glass. The two men were sitting on the couch in front of the window and jumped when they heard it. Neither of them recognized the bird, but they let her in straight away. They untied the letter from her and she disappeared into the night again. Draco shut the window as Harry rolled out the bit of parchment and read out loud,
"Dear Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy, Emily has gone into labor. Our fireplace is on the floo network, you can follow the address at the bottom of the parchment. From there you should be able to make it to the Muggle hospital in town. She's just left, so you should be able to make it before the baby is born."
Both of them looked at each other in horror. They didn't speak. They knew they were both thinking the same thing: whywasthebabybeingbornsoearlywhatwashappening. But instead of worrying their minds, they both stood and went to the fireplace. There was no point in wasting time with conjecture. The baby was coming and the baby was coming now. They had to be there. They threw in the floo powder and said the address as they stepped into the flame, stepping out into an unfamiliar living room.
A frail old woman was sitting on a chair by the fireplace, "It's the hospital just down the street. You can see it from here. You should be able to apparate straight there, just be careful nobody spots you," She offered helpfully.
They both thanked her profusely and said goodbye before rushing outside. They turned and looked down the street. They saw the glow of the hospital and quickly apparated, landing on the road just outside before rushing inside.
They followed the signs up to the third floor and ran to a desk outside the elevator, "Emily Felix, where's Emily Felix?"
"Are you family?" The nurse asked, seeming very uninterested.
"We're the adoptive parents of her child, she's just gone into labor. We need to be there with her," Harry explained rapidly.
The nurse made a noise of contempt and looked down at her computer screen, eyes slightly glazed as she looked at something, "I'm sorry, I don't see any note about anyone besides family being allowed in the delivery room."
Draco leaned close to Harry and muttered under his breath into his husband's ear, "You didn't happen to bring the invisibility cloak did you?"
"No."
"You know, you two whispering with each other doesn't make me any more likely to let you in to see a woman in labor. Do I need to call security?"
"No, ma'am, that won't be necessary. But you have to believe us. We've already signed the papers to adopt her child. She's gone into labor prematurely, we need to be there," Harry explained frantically.
Draco was able to see that this was not going to go well. No matter how much Harry pleaded, and he appeared to be approaching tears, this cranky nurse was not going to let them through. He sympathized with her, he knew she was just doing her job, but he also was not going to let her get in the way of the birth of his child. As subtle as he could, he slipped his wand out from his pocket and silently cast the imperius curse. She seemed to relax in her seat just as Harry was asking again.
She smiled placidly, "Yeah, alright. Room 106, just down that way and on the left."
They raced down the hall. Harry looked over his shoulder at Draco and said, "I sincerely hope nobody saw you do that."
"I don't really care if they did," Draco admitted as they approached the room.
They stepped inside and were immediately faced with a piercing wail. A doctor was at the foot of the bed, blocking the view of Emily's nether regions. The father was at her bedside, and waved Draco and Harry in. They both moved to Emily's other side. She looked up at them and they immediately saw she was in tears. In that moment they both saw her for what she truly was: a scared child. She reached out and took Harry's hand as he was closest to her. Draco in turn held onto Harry's other hand, equally scared.
Draco turned to the father, "Why is this happening so soon? I thought she wasn't due for six more weeks?"
"Premature labor, it can happen sometimes," The dad explained. Pregnancy in the wizarding world was far smoother than muggle ones, so the idea of a premature birth would be totally foreign to most wizards.
"Well, to further complicate things," The doctor added, "We've got a breech birth."
"What's that mean?" Emily asked in a panic.
"Baby's coming out ass first," She said frankly, "This can cause complications, but it should work out fine as long as we can get the head out. Emily, I need you to not push for a moment, okay? I know you're going to feel the urge, but you need to avoid it for a moment as I get the legs out."
Emily squeezed her father and Harry's hand tight and looked up at the ceiling, trying to keep herself from following the natural urge to push.
"Okay, Emily, you can start to push now, but be as gently as you can."
Emily did as she was told, trying to focus on her breath. The doctor seemed frustrated. Draco was watching her expression closely. She was clearly trying to coax the baby out and not as successful as she wanted to be. "Stop, Emily. Hang on," The doctor paused, her hands moving out of Draco's line of sight. "Ah, that's why. Emily, you're having twins."
They all looked utterly stunned. She looked terrified. Draco and Harry exchanged a shared look of excitement and confusion. They had never imagined such a thing was possible.
"I need another nurse in here!" The doctor shouted. Clearly the additional twin was causing problems. The first nurse knelt at the foot of the bed and held the first baby's body, her head still stuck inside the mother. If she was without oxygen much longer she was going to be in danger. The second nurse came in and was able to use the forceps to widen the opening as the doctor slowly and carefully pushed the second baby away from the birth canal. The head of the second baby had been making it impossible for the first baby to come out. With the forceps in and with the second baby nudged back, the first baby was finally delivered. She instantly started screaming, giving them all a great sense of relief. The first nurse had a blanket wrapped around the child quickly, rubbing it's skin and patting its back before lying it down on a small table and using a strange looking bulb to clear its nostrils and mouth. The baby's mighty roar proved that she was likely alright, but they still had to take precautions. The nurse left with the baby. Draco and Harry tensed, concern rising as the second baby was quickly delivered.
"That's two girls for the price of one," The doctor said as she handed off the much smaller baby to the second nurse. This baby was silent until her mouth and nose were cleared and she let out a pitiful mewling cry. She was so unbelievably small. They whisked her off even faster than they had the first one.
"What's happening to them?" Emily cried as she lay there, still waiting for the placenta that would follow. Her grip had slackened, but she looked even more terrified.
"They're both small and premature. They have to be weighed and checked. If they don't weigh enough or can't totally breathe for themselves, they'll have to stay here," The doctor explained to all of them.
"When can we see them?" Draco asked anxiously.
"When we say so," The doctor said curtly, "You can go and wait in the lobby until then. The labor is just about done here once the placenta is delivered."
Harry and Draco turned to Emily, but she couldn't look at them.
"You said you didn't want updates, is that still true?" Harry asked gently.
She nodded slowly. She was barely able to speak. Her father squeezed her hand in his, trying to reassure her that everything was going to be okay.
"We'll make sure they know how brave their mother is," Draco said solemnly, "Thank you for all that you have done for us, Emily."
She nodded as she kept crying. She still couldn't look their way. They glanced at the father. He smiled sadly at them and mouthed, "Go,"
Without another word, Harry let go of her hand and the two men left quietly.
...
They were stuck in the waiting room for hours. As they waited around, they were able to process all that had happened. Draco was the first to approach the subject matter, about half an hour into their wait, "What if one of them doesn't make it?"
Harry rested a hand on Draco's knee as they sat on the couch, "I have to believe they will both make it. Even if they don't, they do both deserve names."
"We only had half of a name picked out, how are we supposed to come up with two full names?" Draco asked sadly. They had decided Harry would get to name their daughter. Obviously, he preferred the name Lily. But only one of them could be a Lily.
"Well, why don't you name the other?" Harry asked.
"I don't know of any good constellations to name her after. I might not like my family a whole lot, but I have always liked that tradition."
"I'm sure you can think of something appropriate. How about you pick out a good constellation for a middle name for Lily and I pick out a good middle name for the second?"
Draco hummed and leaned back against the uncomfortable couch. His practically photographic memory of the stars helped. Most of the constellations had masculine or very weird names. He supposed they could name her Sirius, but that seemed very odd. Andromeda was also an option, but he wanted Teddy to have the chance to use that name if he so desired later in life.
A good one finally struck him, "How about Lyra?"
"Oh, I like that."
"Can you think of a good middle name for that? Someone else you want to honor?"
"Minerva," Harry said immediately.
Draco rolled his eyes, "Doesn't that seem like too many '-a' sounds?"
"Lyra Minerva Potter-Malfoy sounds good to me."
"Well," Draco hummed, "You might have a point there. That does sound nice."
"What should Lily's middle name be then? What's another constellation?"
Draco smiled to himself, "Well, the brightest star in the Lyra constellation is Vega."
"Lily Vega Potter-Malfoy?"
"Lily Vega Potter-Malfoy."
Harry smiled and nodded, "Beautiful names. I like it. See, was that so hard?"
Draco's happy expression slowly shifted as he remembered that there was the possibility that they might be burying one of them by the end of the night. What if they were just too underweight? What if there was no saving them? Only time would tell, and time was being quite impatient with them in making them wait hours on end. It was around one in the morning when a nurse finally told them they could follow her. They had to stop themselves from tripping on the nurse's heels as they followed close behind.
"Now," the nurse warned, "They both need more monitoring and we can't risk an infection, so you can't go in and hold them yet. We're about to move the smaller one into the NICU. The bigger one should be fine, but this is just a precaution." She brought them up to a window in the wall that looked into a room filled with small plastic bassinets, "You'll have to stay out here for now. Your twins are right here," She pointed to two nearby cribs marked by a pink tag to indicate their gender.
"I'll give you some time with them." The nurse said before walking away.
Draco put a hand over his mouth and blinked back tears as he looked down at their squirming newborns. Harry wrapped an arm around Draco's waist. Draco automatically put an arm around his husband's shoulders. The girl on the left was the first born and was noticeably bigger than her sister. She had a scruff of dark hair on her head. The girl on the right was barely moving and seemed to be struggling more. A shock of light, reddish hair was on hers.
"Well," Harry murmured, "That's our Lily."
"And that's our Lyra," Draco sighed looking to the larger, healthier daughter.
"We have twin daughters."
"We're parents."
Two Weeks Later
Harry carefully picked Lyra up out of her crib and held her to his shoulder. She gurgled irritably.
"Shh, it's okay sweetheart, daddy's got you," He assured her as she squirmed in his arms.
The nurse that was monitoring him nodded with a big grin, "Just like that. See? I told you you were doing just fine."
Harry smiled bashfully, "Think so?"
"Know so. I've seen a lot of bad dads in my time, but you're not one of them," The woman laughed happily. "Ready to take her home?"
"What?" Harry asked, dumbstruck.
"Well, she's able to latch to a bottle now and she's breathing just fine. She's up to a healthy weight. The doctor's given her the okay to go home."
Harry was not sure how this was going to work. He sighed and said, "Lily can't go home yet though, can she?"
The nurse shook her head sadly, "She just hasn't mastered breathing without a tube yet. She'll get there soon, I know she will, but she isn't ready to leave yet."
"What am I supposed to do? Take Lyra home and be alone with her while my husband stays here and watches over Lily?" It was hardly an ideal situation. The nurse just shrugged and held out her hands, clearly showing she had no other option to offer. Harry sighed again and carefully put Lyra down in her hospital issued crib. "I need to talk to him before we make any decision."
"There's not much of a decision to make. Choosing to keep a healthy child here any longer not only means a higher medical bill for you, but it means one less bed for a baby like Lily who needs it more," The nurse explained.
Harry sighed and walked out of the room. He headed farther down the hall and turned into the NICU ward. He was not pleased with how things were turning out. He didn't want to have to be separated from Draco. They had developed a routine of watching their daughters every day, taking turns and rotating every so often. Most nights they fell asleep on lounge chairs they pushed together. But now they would actually have to be completely taken away from each other, one watching each daughter and unable to leave their side.
Harry stepped into the ward and immediately spotted his ghost of a husband. He had become paler over the last couple of days and had hardly been eating. Lily hadn't improved much since her birth. Draco spent most of his days sitting in a large chair beside her strange plastic enclosure, watching her closely. A small bag rested on the floor beside him. Tucked into the chair beside him was the Tales of the Beedle and the Bard. He had taken to reading to her from time to time. He looked up as Harry walked over, but he didn't speak.
Harry knelt in front of him and took his husband's hand. They were quiet for a long moment. Harry was trying to figure out how to break the news. But Draco was able to figure it out for him, "They're sending Lyra home, aren't they?"
Harry could only nod. Draco shook his head and looked through the clear plastic at their fragile daughter. She had grown since her birth, but was still not big enough to leave. She especially couldn't leave when she still needed tubes to survive.
"They said it might be another two or three weeks before Lily is ready," Draco muttered under his breath. "How are we supposed to handle that?"
"I'll take care of Lyra. Molly and Narcissa can help if I need it. I'll be fine. She's fussy, but she's manageable. You stay here with Lily. Keep an eye on her and keep me updated. Lyra and I will come and visit when we can until she's able to come home with you," Harry explained, trying to be the voice of reason.
Draco knew there was no other choice. They could try rotating, but that seemed too complicated with newborns. He quietly agreed to the terms. Harry disappeared briefly and put Lyra into a rather large, heavily padded car seat. It was simply a method to carry her home. He was going to have to take the knight bus home, however, so perhaps it was good to have. He carried her back to Draco. For the first time in awhile, Draco smiled as he knelt in front of Lyra all strapped in and cozy in her slightly too big onesie.
"You be good to your daddy okay?" He said before kissing her head. He stood and held Harry in his arms for a moment, his chin resting on his shoulder. "Keep me updated on Lyra and I'll keep you updated on Lily."
"Agreed," Harry murmured before pulling back and kissing his husband sweetly. There was a bitter sweetness to it. They both hated that they couldn't be bringing both babies home with them. With one last parting kiss with his husband, Harry picked up Lyra's carrier and headed out of the hospital.
Three Days Later
The fireplace suddenly burst into green flames. Lyra had already been in the midst of crying, but cried louder in fright at the sudden noise of the crackling flames. Molly stepped out of the fireplace just in time to see Harry taking off his glasses and shaking his head. Lyra was sitting in her carrier, crying pathetically.
Molly smiled sympathetically. Harry hadn't even bothered looking up as she entered the room. He just watched as she walked over to the baby and scooped her up. She put the baby up against her shoulder and patted at her back a bit aggressively.
Harry frowned, "Don't hurt her."
"Harry, I've had seven children. I think I know what I'm doing," Molly said, not unkindly, with a little twinkle in her eye. Sure enough, Lyra spit up a bit of formula onto Mrs. Weasley's sweater and instantly stopped her crying.
"There, that's better isn't it?" Molly giggled at the little girl before putting her back down in the carrier. She cleaned the mess off with a quick spell and turned to Harry, "Usually within a couple hours of being fed they need to burp. They're not used to these feelings, so they cry. Same thing for gas, although there's nothing you can really do to help that along. How often have you been feeding her?"
"Just like they told me, about ten times a day."
"Good man," She praised, "And how's her poops?"
"What?" Harry asked incredulously.
"These things matter, Harry. You're going to have to start paying attention to even the gross parts of parenting," She reminded him.
"I don't know, sometimes it's almost green and it reeks to high heaven. Is that bad?"
"No, that's pretty normal for a formula fed baby," She said. "And how's she sleeping?"
"She always seems to be sleeping, but it's never for very long. I'm up at least three times in the night."
"Good, that's to be expected. I'm guessing you're about to fall over on your feet right about now then?" Molly guessed with a knowing smile.
Harry slowly nodded. He had been vaguely aware of how fatigued his body was, but as soon as she had mentioned it his body seemed to crumple in on itself. He could barely keep himself standing. Molly patted his shoulder sympathetically, "Go on upstairs and get some sleep, I'll watch her awhile."
"Thank you," Harry professed before dragging himself up the stairs. He didn't bother to change out of his clothes or even pull back the covers. He just fell face first into bed and was immediately asleep.
Molly glanced around the living room and noticed what a mess the place was. A small pile of dirty diapers was piling in a corner that Harry had clearly made into a makeshift changing station. Blankets, clothes, and stuffed animals were strewn everywhere else. She shook her head and looked down at Lyra who was now quietly staring into space, seemingly oblivious to the world.
"You've really done a number on your dad haven't you?" She asked the baby with a little laugh. Lyra looked up in her general direction. "Well, we'll just sort things out for him while he's asleep, shall we?" She slipped her wand out of her the pocket of her long flowing skirt and waved it with ease. The diapers disappeared, the laundry folded itself, and the toys tucked themselves away in a small box against the wall.
"Much better," Molly said with great satisfaction. She summoned one of the bigger blankets her way and spread it across the floor. She carefully took Lyra out of her carrier, which apparently was where Harry put her when he didn't know what to do with her, and put her down on the blanket on her stomach. Lyra immediately seemed displeased by this sudden change. She grunted irritably.
"Yes, I know, it's hard to hold your head up isn't it?" Mrs. Weasley sympathized. "But you've got to get some practice at it, don't you?"
Lyra seemed to think otherwise. After a minute of trying to hold herself up, the baby started to cry angrily. Molly just chuckled to herself and scooped the baby up in her arms. She summoned a binky and gave it to the crying child, who took it greedily.
"So, Miss Lyra, they tell me that you were an interesting case. Oh, yes, they tell me you had a sister with you the whole time your mother had you in her belly, but nobody knew until you were born. That's quite a remarkable thing, isn't it? Well let me tell you something, and you listen well," Molly said in earnest, though the baby was only staring blankly up at her. "You were born with a best friend. She's going to be with you through thick and thin, even if she gets on your nerves from time to time. The two of you are going to mean the world to each other. Now, if you're really lucky, you will always have each other. But don't take for granted what time you have with her, okay? I took it for granted that I would have my brothers with me for the rest of my life. I took it for granted that my twin sons would always have each other. Don't you go taking your sister for granted, do you understand?" Lyra, naturally, did not speak or make any indication that she understood her grandmother. But she didn't need to. Molly vowed to remind Lyra again and again how lucky she was to have her sister.
She was secretly quite worried that Lily was not going to make it. She had not seen the baby herself yet, but she knew from what Harry had told her that she wasn't doing well. If she didn't gain weight or if she got an infection, she would be a goner.
The Same Day
Draco shut the book and wedged it between the cushion of the chair in which he sat. He had been reading to her for a couple hours. She was asleep again. He was not sure if it was because his reading had soothed her or if it had just been coincidental. He was exhausted; he wouldn't have minded a nap himself. It seemed like he didn't sleep at all anymore. He barely ate. He was becoming skin and bones. On occasion, his body gave up and he would pass out in the chair beside her incubator.
He had sent word to his mother about the condition of her granddaughter and she had stopped by to see her yesterday. She had seemed worried about the baby, but more worried about Draco. She noted the bags under his eyes and the way he seemed distant from the world. She had insisted on giving him a bit of calming draught, but it did no good. No magical remedy could cure him of his constant worry and concern.
He leaned across his chair and grabbed a glove from a box nearby, pulling it onto his hand. He put his hand through the opening in the incubator and gently brushed a covered finger against her small cheek. He hated having so many barriers between him and his daughter. He had been racking his brains for the past two weeks trying to come up with a magical solution for her premature state. But there wasn't any he could think of that had been tested on premature infants. There were medical treatments for fully grown babies in the wizarding world, but there was never such a thing as a prematurely born wizard child. The research was practically non existent, and he wasn't willing to risk potentially endangering his daughter's life further with an untested theory.
She stretched and made a soft noise in her sleep. Tears welled in his eyes. He wanted to take her home so badly. He wanted to rip the tubes out of her face, scoop her up in his arms, and carry her all the way home. She needed to be with her sister. He needed to be with Harry. They were not meant to be a divided family like this.
He shook his head to himself and pulled his hand away from her. He didn't want to wake her, especially if she might be dreaming. He stripped the latex glove off his hand and threw it in the nearest bin. He leaned back in his chair and let his glazed eyes shift away from the plastic chamber to the room around him. He had a tendency to forget his surroundings when he was monitoring their daughter. Which is how he only just then realized that his father was standing at the other end of the ward, watching him. They made eye contact. Draco's eyes widened slightly in alarm. It had over a year since he had spoken to him or seen him. He had told his father to stay away until he could learn to accept the fact that Draco was married to Harry Potter and friends with the Weasleys. So why was he standing there? Draco doubted that his father could have gotten over himself that quickly.
Lucius was far enough away that if he spoke Draco would scarcely be able to hear him. There was a moment's hesitation when they made eye contact. But after this moment passed, Lucius strode forward. For once in his life he was not wearing anything that could come off as menacing. He was in apparently plain Muggle clothes, though the black dress pants and black button down were still unnecessarily formal for a hospital setting. Draco was surprised to notice that his father's walking stick was absent from his person.
Lucius finally made it close enough to Draco. He looked down at his son and opened his mouth as if to speak, but seemed unable to find the words. He glanced over at the incubator to his incredibly small granddaughter. He looked back to Draco and seemed to finally find his nerve, "Your mother told me what happened. I — I am so sorry for the shame and pain that I caused you on your wedding day. You and Harry didn't deserve it. I misjudged you. I've been used to judging you based on my own morals and on family tradition. But you're far more than that. You're better than that, better than me. I have been a negligent father to you. You sit here day after day with your daughter, hoping she makes it through this. Despite my failures with you, you have grown to be far braver and stronger than I ever assumed you to be. I may have been imperfect, and at times, perhaps, cruel, but I want to undo some of that damage and start afresh. If you'll allow me, I would like to help in whatever way I can with Lily. Even if that just means watching her while you catch up on sleep."
Draco could tell that he was being sincere. Draco stood and faced his father. Lucius seemed worried, wondering what his son would do. But to his surprise and delight, Draco reached forward and embraced his father. He easily and gladly forgave his father's transgressions and accepted his offer to help. It was all Draco had ever wanted from his father, his acceptance and a sincere apology for all the pain he had caused. Finally, his father was able to recognize that his son was not a disgrace to the family name.
Lucius held tight to his son, grateful for his son's remarkable ability to forgive. He hasn't the slightest clue where he had gotten it from, but he suspected it was from Harry. "I love you," Lucius reminded Draco, "I know it doesn't always show very well, but it's true."
"I know, but it's okay. I love you too."
Two Weeks Later
The nurse removed the tube in the baby's nose. Lily squirmed and whined as she did. Once it was out, she breathed just fine, staring at her audience with a curious expression. Draco and Lucius were hovering anxiously. They waited several minutes as the nurse monitored her breathing closely. Finally she smiled and said, "Well, it looks like Miss Lily is able to breathe just fine on her own now."
Lily started to cry pathetically as soon as the nurse had finished talking. This made the nurse laugh, "That's what we like to hear! Someone must be getting hungry. Does dad want to sit and feed her?" She asked Draco with a smile as she started mixing up a bottle from the supplies in the room.
"Is it safe? She won't get an infection?"
"If she is breathing on her own like this I'm less worried. Besides, she needs to bond."
Draco didn't need to be told twice. He sat back down in the chair beside the open incubator. He hadn't held his daughter yet. He and the staff had been too concerned about a potential infection jeopardizing his daughter's health. The nurse set the bottle aside and scooped Lily, tube free, out of the incubator. She smiled warmly at the squirmy baby and told Draco to hold out his arms. She carefully handed off the baby. She had grown since her birth, resembling a typical newborn rather than a tiny doll. The nurse quietly wedged a pillow under Draco's left arm and handed him the bottle.
He felt like he couldn't breathe, but as if he didn't need air to begin with. He looked down at his daughter and she looked up at him. Her pale gray eyes stared back at him. She was whimpering sadly. He carefully guided the bottle toward her, and she latched on fast. The nurses has been bottle feeding her for a week or so since her feeding tubes had been removed. Her small hand grabbed onto the bottle. For whatever reason, she didn't stop looking up at her father while she ate. He didn't mind one bit. He wanted to remember this moment as clearly as possible. For as long as he lived, he doubted he would ever see such a beautiful sight. His little girl that he had been so fearful of losing for the past month was safe in his arms, happily eating and breathing just fine on her own. He had known romantic love with Harry, and friendly love with Ron and Neville. But this was something else entirely. He felt more protective in that moment than he ever had in his entire life. He could never allow harm to come to her. He wanted nothing more than to make her happy. He knew he would never truly let her go. Lily was always going to be his little girl.
When the bottle was emptied, the nurse quietly disposed of it and took Lily again. Draco didn't want to let her go. He would be content to just hold her and stare at her all day long. But he gave her back to the nurse anyway, knowing he had to. She walked Lily over to a scale and carefully placed her on it. Lily was surprisingly calm and didn't fuss about.
The nurse smiled to herself and picked Lily up again, "Well Mr. Malfoy, it looks like your daughter is finally up to the right weight. I'm going to call the doctor and ask for the official stamp of approval, but it looks like you get to go home with her today."
She set the baby down in the open incubator again and left the NICU.
Draco turned to his father, who had been quietly standing back the whole time. He was in shock. Just yesterday he hadn't been able to hold his child and now today she was going to be going home.
"Perhaps you should tell your husband you're coming home. It wouldn't do to surprise him too much," Lucius suggested with a small smile. He was getting a kick out of the expression of sheer delight on his son's face.
"I don't think we'll be able to get an owl in a muggle hospital anytime soon. Do you think I can send a patronus without anyone noticing?"
"Perhaps step out back behind the hospital. A bit safer that way. I would hate for the whole world to be exposed because you were too excited about bringing your daughter home."
"Right. Okay. I'll do that. I'll be right back. Keep an eye on her will you?" He asked his father briefly before bolting off to tell his husband the good news.
Lucius sat down in front of the incubator. He wanted to pick her up, but knew that he shouldn't if he didn't have explicit permission from the hospital staff to do so. Instead, he leaned forward so that he was near enough for Lily to see him. He knew very well that newborns were nearsighted, and he wanted to be certain that Lily could see him. Her eyes turned to him and looked at him expectantly.
"Hi there, Lily," He murmured gently. He had talked to her a few times before, but it was still a rare occurrence. He was finally getting used to the idea that he was a grandfather. "It looks like you're going to go home today to meet your sister and daddy. But grandpa won't be able to see you for awhile. You see, grandpa wasn't always … a good man. What I mean to say is that your other father doesn't exactly like me, and I wouldn't expect him to after the things I've said and done to him and his loved ones. A lot of those people will soon be your loved ones. Which is why I'm trying to be better, you see? So, grandpa is trying to be better. But grandpa also knows that forgiveness can take time. Grandma Cissy will come to see you, but Grandpa Lucius may not be as welcome. Which I understand. I just don't want you to think your grandpa doesn't love you. Your grandpa loves you very much, Lily. You know, your Grandpa Arthur will love you just as much when he meets you, but Grandpa Lucius is the only one that will gladly curse people on your behalf. If there's one thing I know it's that family matters above all else, so you can bet I would do anything for you two."
He heard his son's footsteps approaching down the hall. He had always had a hurried gait that was easy for Lucius to identify. Lucius took the last moment to whisper to his granddaughter, "I love you. Tell your sister that I love her too."
He returned to his seat and a heartbeat later his son had reentered the NICU and was striding over to them, "She okay?"
"Oh yes, just absently staring out at the world as babies are oft to do," Lucius said.
"I let Harry know, hopefully he will be a bit prepared by the time we make it home."
Lucius got up on his feet, "Yes, I'm sure he'll be ready for the two of you." Just as he was about to continue speaking the nurse suddenly reappeared to inform them the doctor gave her okay for Lily to go home. "Perfect timing," The eldest Malfoy commented, "I was just on my way out."
"You're leaving?" Draco asked in surprise.
"Yes, I think it's best if I don't return with you and Lily. I don't want to cause a ruckus with my arrival. Harry is probably still furious at me for the wedding, it's best if I stay away for awhile. Your mother is more than willing to come by if you need a babysitter or help with anything. But, like I said, it's probably best if I leave your family alone."
"I don't want you out of my life anymore," Draco insisted, "I didn't just want you to show up to meet your grandchildren and then kick you out again."
"You misunderstand," His father corrected, "My concern is not with you. I know you don't want me gone again. It's your husband I'm worried about."
"I'm not even sure how Harry feels about you right now. I can talk to him. I'm sure he wouldn't be opposed to you seeing the girls."
"Well, nonetheless, that is a conversation that needs to be had before I go barging in the front door. You keep me posted on whether or not he is okay with me being in his home or visiting his children. In the meantime, I'll head back to the manor." He paused and looked at his son. He smiled to himself. He was either beginning to shrink in his approaching old age or his son was taller than he had last remembered. They stood eye level with each other for the first time. Lucius, who had never been fond of hugs, found himself more willing around his son. He took his son in his arms again and held him fast. Something about holding him close like this reminded him of when Draco was a boy. When Draco still idolized him and didn't know any better, didn't understand the truth. He let go of him and bid him a farewell before departing.
Draco was left with a strange empty feeling in his chest that he couldn't explain. He had never been particularly attached to his father. He had certainly been desperate for his attention, but he had never felt close with him. This was a new feeling, and he was grateful for it.
He turned to his daughter and felt the emptiness fill itself. He grinned and carefully picked her up from her incubator, cradling her in his arms, "Are you ready to go home sweetheart?" She looked up at her father and giggled. He took it as a wonderful sign of good times to come.
