As the Petals Fall

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter…Sorry, I get a little emotional every time I have to say this.

Note: Thanks so much for all of the reviews!!! I have some answers for your questions. I know I added a lot of things from the muggle world into this story. They are wizards, but I just wanted to add some normal muggle things, mostly because Harry and Hermione grew up with muggles. But this is in the Wizarding world. I'll make sure to make that clear in this chapter. Something else I wanted to mention is that this story disregards everything that happened in Deathly Hallows. 3 Much love. Amelia

Bringing Up Baby: A movie with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. It's plot doesn't have much to do with this chapter…but the title does.

Chapter 4: Bringing up Baby

Two weeks later, Harry sat in his therapist's office. His entire body shuddered, his hands shaking almost violently. It wasn't cold in the office. In fact, it was very comfortable and Harry was sitting in a very soft armchair, across from the woman he was about to bare his soul to. In all truth, he was afraid. He was afraid that this woman would judge him, and make him talk about things that he didn't want to. He was sure of the latter. It was intimidating having to tell some stranger so much of oneself. And that, my friends, is why his body couldn't control the shaking.

"Harry, please, you're making me nervous just looking at you," the woman said with a soft smile on her face. Her voice was very calm and comforting and Harry could already feel himself calming down at the sound of it. "Now, I'm Catherine LaRue," she said, offering her small hand for him to shake. Mrs. LaRue was a plump little French woman. She was very motherly looking, with her curly blond hair and sapphire eyes. But the most comforting thing about her was the smile that always remained on her face. "I know you're going through a rough time and would rather I leave you alone. But it might help for you to talk about it. Sometimes it's easier talking to someone new than a friend."

Harry shook her hand, hating how she seemed to read his mind. She understood everything he was feeling at the moment. "I just…would rather not talk about it…"

Catherine nodded her head. "I understand. Let's just start with a few questions and we'll see how it turns out, okay?" Harry nodded nervously, breathing deeply. "Now, how did your relationship with Mr. Ryans begin?"

Harry took another deep breath before beginning. "Well, I met him after finishing school. Hermione and I had opened the bookstore. We get a lot of different people in there and one day, he happened to be one of them. He was looking for a book on quidditch of course. Malakai was never much of a reader. But when he came up to the counter to pay, he was very charming and asked me out to dinner. The Daily Prophet thought it fitting that their savior would date someone as famous as Malakai Ryans and we quickly became one of those famous couples. I guess I got a little caught up in it all." He was amazed at how easy all of this was to say to Catherine. "At first he was really good to me. He took me out to dinner frequently, we actually made love, and it seemed like everything was going great."

Catherine took a few notes down as he spoke, but kept the smile on her face, telling Harry that she was listening intently and wanted to hear what he had to say. "Then when did the abuse begin?"

"About five months into our relationship…He went back to drinking alcohol. In the past, he'd been to rehab and everything. But as soon as he started touching the stuff again, he became angry. I remember the first time he ever hit me. I was so surprised that I barely knew what to do. And after that, it just didn't stop. And he was always so jealous. If I was friends with another man…he would immediately accuse me of cheating on him. At first it wasn't so bad though, maybe a few slaps. It wasn't until a few months later that it started impacting our sexual life. He came in one night, drunk of course, and started…touching me. I told him I was tired and he would just hit me.

"In the morning, he was always gone. I would change the sheets and try to wash all the blood and semen off of it. Sometimes the stains would remain and I would just throw the sheets out, because I didn't want to be reminded of it. Soon it became normal for this to happen. He would come back drunk almost every night."

Catherine looked more concerned now. She was starting to understand the full extent of what this man had done to the once confident Harry Potter. "And how did the children impact this?" she asked curiously.

"Well, when I found out I was pregnant, I was so scared. I didn't want to have a child with this man, but as always I had no choice in the matter. But there was no way I could go through an abortion or anything like that. I considered suicide, but that notion only lasted a little while. I figured that was worse than abortion. So I went through the pregnancy. For the most part he left me alone while I was pregnant. And when they were born, it was almost like everything was okay again.

"He was always careful about not mistreating me in front of the kids. That was one good quality about him. He was always good to them. Maybe it wasn't because he loved them, because he definitely doesn't, but they were the one reason I stayed with him. It was his one way to keeping me with him."

Catherine gave him a look that told him there had to be something else. "Why would you let this continue? I couldn't just be your children, Harry. They would have been okay if you decided to take them and leave."

Harry gulped. "Well, I thought Malakai might attack them if he got drunk and came after us. And…" He took a deep breath. "I guess I felt trapped, like there was nothing I could do about it anyway. I felt so helpless no matter what I did. He was good at making me feel degraded and small. You know…he used to just toss me around like a doll…doll…And that's what he called me all the time. 'Doll' or 'Doll-face'…I hated it. But he made me feel like I couldn't escape him, like nobody else would ever want me. I thought I would be alone if I left him."

"Are you afraid of being alone?"

"Terrified."

When he arrived at Azkaban, it was Kingsley and Tonks who met him inside. Tonks immediately wrapped her arms around the thin man. "After all you've been through…" she said, sounding almost at tears. This surprised Harry. He was used to seeing her tough and ready for anything. But now it seemed the mere sight of him could bring her to tears. Kingsley patted his shoulder. Both the aurors comforted him greatly.

Since the defeat of You-Know-Who, aurors had become more like police men. They made sure all was well in the wizarding world, now that they were no long worried about the Dark Lord.

Luckily for Harry, Azkaban had also reduced the numbers of dementors floating about. They were guarding only the worst of criminals. This meant he probably wouldn't be passing out today, something that brightened the idea of being in the prison just a tad.

Still, the halls of Azkaban were dark and gloomy as they led Harry along with Tonks and Kingsley towards their destination. The aurors stopped and brought him into a room. Inside there was a simple looking table. It looked simple enough anyway. But Harry could feel intense magic coursing through the room, protecting him. There was no way Malakai would be able to hurt him in here.

"Harry, are you sure you want to see him?" Tonks asked. Her hair was bright green today. "You don't have to, I mean, besides the trial."

Harry nodded. "I have to do this. I'll have to face him eventually. Might as well start now…"

As he said this, Malakai was being dragged into the room. The man struggled with all of his might, almost knocking over the aurors. They chained him to the chair across from where Harry was sitting. "How could you do this to me, you little bitch?!" he yelled. "You deserved everything I gave you for looking at that Draco Malfoy!"

"I bet he has an excuse for the rape too," Kingsley chided to Tonks.

"Rape? He's lucky I ever even looked at him. Ugly, scarred little body…Nobody will want you now! You're just a used toy. I was the only one who would even look at you!"

Tonks and Kingsley could practically see Harry crumple into little pieces as the man degraded him. "That's enough," Kingsley yelled. "Mr. Ryans, you don't seem to understand the position you're in. If you're found guilty, you'll spend the rest of your days here. I'll make sure of it."

Malakai quieted down. "That's more like it. Anything you want to say, Harry?" Tonks asked.

"Um…I…I hope that sometimes you think about how it used to be when we were happy," he said. "We could have stayed like that if you didn't start drinking. Now…you'll lose everything, starting with me and my children."

Malakai struggled against the chains that held him. "You little bitch! I own you, Harry Potter! When I get out of here, you'll be sorry!" Harry cowered back. All of the confidence he had before completely disappeared. Tonks stupefied the criminal, and he was dragged out of the room.

Harry kept his tears in, smiling weakly.

Since leaving the hospital, Harry no longer felt comfortable in his own house. He quickly moved himself and his children out of there and into Hermione and Ron's guestroom. They were quick to offer him somewhere to stay. Hermione felt she needed to keep an eye on the petite man. After what happened with Malakai, she wanted to do everything she could to protect him. But just as always, Harry kept everything to himself, just like when they battled You-Know-Who.

But now he was safe inside her house and she was glad for it too. Ron was glad as well, but for other reasons he was not all that happy. Since Harry moved in with the kids, Draco had been making quite a few appearances at their house. Though Ron appreciated what he had done for Harry the past few weeks, it wasn't enough to dispel the hatred the redhead had for him. He couldn't understand why Hermione would carry on, letting him into the house.

Those thoughts were quieted when Draco brought the videos from Harry's house. "Harry's still with Tonks and Kingsley. I though it'd be better to watch it without him," Hermione said. She definitely didn't want Harry to have to relive what happened to him through the video, but she and Draco had to be sure…

Hermione could only watch it to the first laceration. Seeing what Malakai had done to Harry was mortifying in all senses of the word. He slashed randomly at Harry with a knife. Draco was surprised the man had survived such horror. It had only been playing for about twenty seconds when Ron turned it off. "I think we have all the evidence we need. You just hand it in to the Ministry," Ron said, not wanting to watch more of it. "And you can leave. We won't be needing you."

At this, Draco glared. "Actually, I was going to wait for Harry. I'd like to talk to him," he replied with a cold tone to his voice as the two stared each other down. Hermione grabbed at Ron's sleeve, giving him a warning glance.

"Just because you helped Harry this one time doesn't mean we'll forgive you for what you've done," Ron said, ignoring his wife's protests. "You expect to waltz on in, like everything's fine."

"Ronald Weasley, you stop it right now," Hermione warned him.

"No, it's alright, Granger. Not your fault your husband's a dolt," Draco replied, his gray eyes boring into Ron's. "I know I made mistakes, but Harry doesn't seem to mind having me around. And if he's okay with it, then it is no business of yours to still be angry."

"This is my house, and if I say you're out then you're out!" Ron bellowed.

Just as this was being said, Harry stepped into the room, looking weary and weepy. His green eyes looked between the two, as they silenced at his presence. "Harry…" Ron started, scratching the back of his head.

But instead of saying anything, Harry stormed off. In a few seconds all three of the remaining heard the guestroom door slam. "Now look at what you two have done! As if he hasn't been through enough already! Ronald, you hold your tongue! And Draco, maybe my husband is a dolt, but you're on thin ice as it is. I've accepted your presence here, but that's until you screw up," she scolded them. "I suggest you apologize to Harry." With that being said, Hermione stormed out of the room.

Draco and Ron looked at each other, immediately feeling very ashamed of themselves. After all, they were both just trying to look out for Harry's best interests. There was no reason to be squabbling. "Er…Sorry, mate. I guess I just keep thinking about what a right mess Harry was when you left him."

"Understood. I suppose I'm sorry for calling you a dolt. I understand I have to earn my forgiveness. But know this, Weasley. There isn't a day that I don't regret everything I did to hurt him," he said to the red-head. "If you'll excuse me…" He walked towards the guestroom, hearing Harry's sobs through the door. He knocked on said door. "Harry?"

"Go away! I don't want to talk to you right now," he replied.

"Harry, please let me in. You're acting silly."

"Silly?! Oh, you think this is silly, do you? Forgive me for not seeing the silliness of my actions!" he cried.

"I know you're tired, Baby. I just want to talk and apologize."

Harry unlocked the door, opening it so Draco could only see one bloodshot, green eye. Tears continued to make their way down his face. "I am not your baby," he growled before slamming the door again, locking it up tight.

"I'm not leaving until you talk to me, Harry."

Suddenly, he felt both of his sleeves being pulled. "Draco, did you make Daddy cry?" James asked, pulling at the left sleeve as his brother pulled at the right.

Draco nodded. "I let my temper get the best of me. It was an accident, but yes, I made him cry. Now all I want is to make him stop crying," he explained to the twins, crouching down so he was at their level.

"We can take care of him, Draco," Sirius said. "And then he won't be crying anymore."

Draco thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Alright, but I'm counting on you two so don't let me down," he said, patting them both on the head. "Harry, I'm leaving, but I hope you'll talk to me soon. I really am sorry."

Hearing Draco's footsteps leave the hallway, Harry opened the door and let the twins in. He had wiped his tears already, not wanting his children to see them rolling down his cheeks like Draco had. All three of them sat on the bed, one boy in each of Harry's arms as they rested against the pillows. "Daddy, why are you so sad?" Sirius asked him,

Harry held both of them close. He'd been waiting for them to ask these questions, like where their Papa had gone. And he'd thought for long hours on how to explain to them. "Boys, your Papa did that horrible thing to me. I never want you two to have to find me like that again. I'm sorry you had to see it at all. So Papa is going to be in Azkaban for a long time and we're never going to see him again."

"Papa did that to you?" James asked. Both boys remembered how close to death their daddy had been when they found him that morning. It was something that would be stained into their memories for the rest of their lives. Luckily, they had thought to call Hermione. "Why did he do that?"

"Well, he had a little too much alcohol to drink. Sometimes drinking alcohol makes people do bad things that they might not have done had they not drunken it. I want to make sure to be here for both of you for a long, long time. So we're not going to see him again."

"Then, will we get a new Papa?" Sirius questioned. The children hadn't much attachment to Malakai, so it wasn't hard for them to move on. As long as they had their daddy, they knew that everything was going to be okay.

"Yeah! Draco can be our new Papa! Then Kendrick will be our brother!" James decided.

Harry blushed. "We'll see. Let's not rush anything…"

All three of them were sleeping peacefully in the bed that night when Harry woke to Ron's panicking. "Hermione's going into labor!"

"Harry smiled. "Don't panic. Let's get to St. Mungo's then." He remembered when Angela was first born. Of course, he'd been in the house with Malakai. Ron had called him urgently. It was a tad bit awkward considering Ron really didn't have much experience with the phone. The only reason they had it was because Hermione and Harry could talk on it together. But Ron and Hermione both made it through the delivery in one piece and Angela was brought into the world.

James, Sirius and Angela all slept in the chairs of St. Mungo's waiting room as Harry watched over them. Harry had insisted on watching them at the house, but Ron wanted everyone in one place. He does some silly things when he's worried, Harry thought to himself with a grin on his face. It was evident that the panic was for Hermione. Harry was so fond of both of them, but he couldn't help but feel jealous. They found love so early. It definitely hadn't been easy for them, considering what an idiot Ron could be at times. But they made it through. Harry wanted that…but he knew he didn't deserve it. He was damaged goods now. He had his children though, and they were enough to make him happy with his life.

It was a long enough wait before Ron came into the room. "It's a boy," he said with a goofy, lop-sided grin on his face. Harry jumped up to hug him.

"Congrats, mate," he said, patting his best friend on the back. "Let's go see the little Weasley then."

Devin Arthur Weasley was seven pounds and ten ounces. There was a tuft of what would eventually be red hair on his head. The twins looked at him, amazed at how tiny he was as Hermione held him in her arms. Ron stood right next to her, leaning over to get a good look at the baby. As Harry watched the scene, a warmth settled over him. Hermione and Ron looked like the happiest two people in the whole world. "Hello, little brother," Angela said, a smile beaming from her face.

"Daddy, can you have a baby? We want a little brother or sister," James told him.

Harry blushed again. "Maybe in the future…not quite now."

"Why not? Draco can be the other daddy this time. Then he'll be our Papa too. And then we'll be a family," Sirius said.

"Boys, we already have a family. We have Auntie Hermione and Uncle Ron and your cousin Angela…" Harry said. Hermione and Ron were laughing so hard now that their faces were almost red.

"But we want a Papa. And Kendrick wants a Daddy. He told us so. And he likes you. And we like Draco," James explained.

"It doesn't quite work like that. I'll explain later," Harry said.

As though coming to his rescue, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came bounding through the door to get their first glimpse of their newest grandchild. "Oh, he's so lovely!" Molly cooed at the child. "Hermione, he's got your perfect little nose." Hermione blushed now, looking down at her child.

She looked at Ron and handed the baby to him. "Oh, Mione…He's perfect," he said, holding the child delicately. Harry found it so amazing…After all they had been through in the past with Voldemort and Hogwarts…Everyone was grown up…even Ron.

It wasn't until a week later that Harry had seen Draco. He'd messaged by owl, asking if they could have lunch. And Draco accepted, of course. So once all the excitement of the newborn baby died down, Harry and Draco met at a small café in Kensington. "I was so glad to hear from you, Harry," Draco said, as they both ate their scones and sipped their tea. "I didn't want to pressure you…I'm really sorry, Harry."

Harry shook his head this time. "No, it's okay. You just caught me at a very bad time. You know I went to see Malakai…it was just upsetting, and I ended up taking it out on you. I know you're trying to help me…and even if I'm not sure why you're trying so hard, I appreciate it. Really, I do," he said. Draco hated seeing how broken this man looked just by mentioning the name of his abuser. "It's really horrible, being afraid all the time. Even though I know he's in Azkaban…there's still that fear inside me that he'll get out and hurt the twins or Ron and Hermione…or you even."

"Harry, I'm going to protect you and the twins. I promise I won't let anything happen to any of you," Draco told him, his gray eyes staring straight into Harry's emerald ones. "I know you can't trust me as much as I would like you to. But someday I just hope that you can forgive me."

"I…I always tell myself that I shouldn't see you. After what you did, I thought I'd never recover. And I don't want that to happen to me again. I have children to look after now and…yet…I can't help but trust you. Even just being with you here makes me feel safer…" Before Harry could continue, Draco's lips were on his. He didn't care that people were staring at them. It wasn't long until Harry stopped caring as well, melting into their kiss.

Suddenly he pulled away, his green eyes tearing. "I can't. I'm sorry. It's just…I…I need to go." He stood up quickly. Draco grabbed his wrist and saw Harry flinching at his strength. The smaller man seemed to cower away from the mere contact of Draco's hand.

The blond reluctantly loosened his grip. "I'm not Malakai, Harry. I don't want to see you hurt again," he said.

The green eyes look up at him again. This time they held sadness, pain and a twinge of regret. "I know. I just…everything reminds me of it…I'm not what I used to be, Draco. People touching me scares me and…every time we kiss it frightens me…because I lose control of myself around you even though you've hurt me before…" He looked away. "I have to go…"

Draco let him pull away and leave. There was nothing he could do to make the frail man stay against his will. It would take much time to make Harry really trust him again. He wanted Harry to feel comfortable one day, so he could have a normal relationship, regardless of whether it ended up being with a certain blond or not. If Harry could be happy, Draco would be pleased enough. The Boy Who Lived already had enough tragedy in his life.

"So Harry, how have you been the past week?" Catherine asked him, sitting in the chair she always did.

"Well, much has happened. I'm happier right now, because my best friends just had their second child and my sons are both safe and sound. But sometimes I think back on all that has happened, and I can't help but weep, even though I'm perfectly happy."

"I wouldn't call it perfectly happy, Harry. You still tremble every time someone utters the name Malakai. He still has control over you as long as you're afraid of him. As soon as you let go of that fear, you'll be free. Much has happened throughout your life. The world owes much to you. Let your friends take care of you and know that they protect you. There's no reason for you to be afraid anymore." She was quite started when the young man crumpled into tears. "Why Harry…whatever is the matter? Are you still that afraid?" she asked him. She knew it was going to take time for him to feel better about himself…but she never saw someone so disturbed as this.

"I just feel so disgusting all the time. Don't you realize? I'm damaged goods. I have a scarred ugly body that I'm ashamed of. I'm horribly thin and weak and I can barely take care of myself anymore. I'm so used to taking care of my children and myself…I just can't help but feel so weak all the time…and ugly…monstrous really."

"My boy, what that man has done to you is sickening and wrong and you have every right to feel scared. But you are a very attractive young man who has a future ahead of him. You don't always have to take care of yourself, Harry. Let the ones who care for you protect you."

And though Harry did think of Hermione and Ron…the face that lingered in his mind's eyes was that of Draco Malfoy.