Disclaimer: Same as before… I own the plot but not the characters or world. (With the exception of Bella… She is mine.)
Chapter Four: New Arrival With a Twist
Pansy stepped from the fireplace, carrying a small blonde girl in her arms. She looked as though she had been crying, and there were tearstains on the girl's cheeks as well, though she was smiling and deeply asleep.
Bella's small suitcase floated out of the fireplace behind them, and her eyes fluttered open. Her smile widened when she saw Draco.
"Daddy!" she squeaked, "Daddy! Its so nice to finally meet you!"
Draco and Harry were both obviously surprised. They hadn't been expecting her to be so eloquent. They had been expecting a toddler, but the girl they met now was much smarter, and could have easily been eight or nine if you didn't take into account her small body.
Draco smiled and scooped her up into a hug.
"Bella, its so nice to meet you as well! I'm sorry we didn't meet sooner!"
" It's okay daddy. I met you before, when you were dreaming."
Draco looked impressed. As did Harry and Pansy. Did they just find a crystal child?
"So it was you I dreamed of before I even knew?" Draco asked his daughter, glowing with pride.
"Yes daddy, fifteen days after I was made. When I was still inside mommy." Pansy gasped and Draco's jaw dropped. Was that really when it happened?
"Bella Donna Malfoy! Why have you not told me this before?" Pansy asked clearly surprised and wounded.
"But I did mommy. The same night I told daddy. It's the reason you knew you would have me." Bella responded confused.
Pansy's eyes widened, "Bella sweetie, you are very special. Even more special than I thought you were before. If this is the truth, then you are a crystal child…" Pansy smiled, and tears of joy threatened to spill out.
"Yes mommy… but you already knew that too."
Harry was smiling, seeing his new family together for the first time.
"Hello Bella, I've seen you as well. Can you explain that?"
"Yes Harry. I visited you the night before your wedding with daddy. That's when mommy told me about you. I'd seen you in my head before. I saw you save our world, and saw daddy save you. But I didn't know you would be my step daddy." Bella smiled, and her eyes twinkled with admiration.
"But… I saw you playing with someone I know… who was it and where?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer.
"You know who it was! It was Teddy! And we will be playing in the study soon enough." Bella replied not believing he didn't know his own godson.
Harry smiled and hugged her. "Welcome to your new home Bella. You can always tell us anything. And you can call me daddy too if you want." Harry looked into her eyes, and saw his joy reflected back. She smiled too, "okay, daddy too."
They all laughed together, and then Bella whispered to Harry, just loud enough for him to hear, "You should tell mommy soon… she's going to start crying again."
Harry smiled at her, letting her know he thought it was a good idea too, and stood up again.
"Pansy, there is something we have to talk to you about…" Harry started, and Draco stepped to his side holding Bella in his arms. Pansy looked scared and anxious, and Bella spoke before she could,
"It's okay mommy. You'll like this idea." Then pansy looked confused,
"Okay, lets talk then." she replied, and Draco led her over to the sofa and sat Bella down next to her. He and Harry sat opposite them.
"Bella's right you know… you will like this idea." Draco told her. She just looked worried and nervous, but nodded anyway.
"We have some… restrictions." Draco started, and Bella smiled, knowing perfectly well what they were going to say.
"Oh, yes I understand… how far will I have to go?" pansy asked, looking incredibly depressed.
"Nowhere." Harry replied, smiling.
"What do you mean?" pansy asked, looking confused again.
"Well, you see, our restrictions are not what you think. We have a lot of rules. And you must follow them, Okay?" Harry asked.
"Yes, I will try my best. What are your rules?" Pansy replied still looking confused but the depressed look returning.
Harry smiled widely, and began. "Firstly, you must be present for every holiday and birthday in Bella's life…" pansy was smiling again,
"Second, we want you to be her sitter when we need to be elsewhere." Draco added. Pansy was going to cry, she was so happy she didn't have to say goodbye. But there was more.
"And more, you have to be there for her when she needs you. You have to love her unconditionally, and help her with the things we cant help her with. And then we have the optional choices…" Pansy was crying now, absolutely touched.
"What are the optional ones then?" she asked when she could speak again.
"Well, we do have a mansion… with a lot of extra rooms." Harry started, looking to see pansy's reaction at the next part.
"We would like you to live here with us. Of course you can bring Blaise too if you want… and you can choose which room you would like…" Harry trailed off when he saw pansy smile. She jumped up, and wrapped him in a hug.
"Yes, I'd love to live here with you all!" she choked out, Hermione style.
Draco smiled at her and then at Bella, who was giggling quietly.
"That brings us the other optional one…" Draco continued.
"We want you to be in our family. We want you to come on family vacations, and have all the perks of being in our family. We don't want you to have to loose anything, to have a life." He stopped. Pansy was looking down at the floor, possibly in shock.
"You care for me that much?" she asked looking at them both, with tears in her eyes. "You consider me a part of your family to that extent?" she smiled hopefully.
"Yes pansy. And if polygamy was viewed more kindly, we'd probably ask you to marry us." Harry laughed, and she blushed.
"Ha! It's viewed very kindly now. Where have you two been? In the muggle world?" she laughed, and smiled, looking away again.
"Ever since that group marriage last year, no one has even insulted the notion." She added looking strangely sad and confused.
(("She loves you guys… she wants what you said to be true.")) Bella spoke in Harry and Draco's minds at the same time. And they looked at each other, then her.
("Bella?") Harry tried… and she smiled. (("Who else?"))
("How do you know I wasn't serious?") Harry asked her, confused as to how she could talk to him but not hear his thoughts.
(("I don't… I was just letting you know what she's feeling.")) Bella responded.
("Thank you Bella…") Harry had projected the conversation to Draco, so it was him who thanked her.
Pansy was still staring at the floor, so Draco continued the conversation with Harry.
("Harry… were you serious?") Draco asked with a little worry in his voice.
("Serious as a heart attack… Though I didn't think you would like the idea, so I made it a joke…") Harry replied.
("I love the idea actually… should we… you know ask her?") Draco responded.
("Yes! Of course we should! We both love her, so why not?") Harry questioned.
("Together then…") Draco smiled, and as one they both went down on one knee.
"Pansy Parkinson, mother of my child, my first love," Draco began, and Harry added; " Most passionate and self sacrificing slytherin I know, most loving mother of your child," then together they finished, "Will you do us the honour of becoming our wife?" Together they took her hands in theirs, and looked at her gleeful and shocked expression, awaiting an answer.
"Yes!" she choked out, and Bella giggled and smiled.
Harry and Draco put their left hands together palms facing each other, and a ring appeared between them. It was a small delicate platinum ring, with two snakes wrapped around a red ruby, accented with green eyes. It had taken shape from both of their desires, and it was perfect. Then together, they slid the ring onto pansy's finger.
She leaned down and kissed Draco first then Harry.
"Yay! I get to be a flower girl!" Bella jumped up and they all hugged.
A/N: I know! Most of you were rooting for Pansy's exile! But I believe in consensual polygamy, so I write about it! Woot! This is the twist I spoke of to some of you! Good reviewers in general get replies.
