The Harm in Trying

Author's Note: This chapter is short. It and the next one should probably be combined, but I like it better this way.

Part 13

Hermione's daughter was born in December, a week before Yule. Harry and Draco were the only non-family members present at the birth, and were given the arduous task of shooing Weasleys away when there were more than two (besides Hermione and Ron) in the room, sometimes it was like fighting a hydra, they'd get rid of one then two more would appear. Hermione's healer was under the impression that there were too many of them in there even at that limit, but she was rarely in the room anyway.

It was a long labour. If it was a muggle hospital, Harry was certain that Hermione would have been sent home, to make space for someone else. Births were taken far more seriously in the magical world, as there were so few of them. Magical children were always prized as a result. Here Hermione had her own room, with mediwitches in and out all day, making sure that she was entirely comfortable.

Draco sent Harry home in the middle of the waiting period, despite all his protests. Harry was fairly far along in his pregnancy himself, and could really tire himself out. Draco was hyper aware of the fact that the glamour they applied on Harry's stomach and breasts could wear off at any second, and they didn't want any nosy medical staff finding out. They'd deal with the flak when the baby was born, no sooner.

Luckily (though not so much for Hermione), the baby was still a few hours away from being born when Harry returned from his nap. Being there in the hospital made it really sink in for Harry. In just a few more months, Harry would be in Hermione's position, giving birth to his own baby boy (whose name he and Draco were still arguing over). It was frightening that he'd be experiencing something that men weren't supposed to do. But that wasn't new.

"So what do you think?" Harry asked, during a quieter moment when the rest of the Weasleys had gone to the cafeteria for a meal.

"About what?" asked Draco.

"The birth. The fact that that will be us in a few more months," Harry clarified.

"You'll be giving birth at home," Draco pointed out.

"And you're avoiding the question," accused Harry.

"Well it's not that different for me," said Draco. "I always knew that one day I'd be a father."

"It doesn't feel more real now?" questioned Harry.

"Not really," Draco shrugged. "It seems as unreal as ever."

"You're no help," Harry pouted.

Draco seemed to find that amusing and pecked Harry on the cheek. "Well I've already heard every reason why it shouldn't be happening to you, so don't even think of bringing that up again."

"Did I mention that I think I'm going to be a terrible father?" asked Harry, a pained look on his face.

Draco looked at him, and draped an arm around him in a hug. "No. Do you really believe that?"

"I don't know what a good father is. How could I possibly be one?" It was Harry's deepest fear at the moment. Even worse than the thought of his pregnancy going awry.

"No parent ever really knows. You just have to try your best. And I know you're going to be a great father because no one's ever loved their kid the way you do," Draco said earnestly.

Hermione's screams tore their attention from each other, and a few moments later, Janet Rose Granger-Weasley was born. And everyone in the room agreed that she was the most beautiful baby girl they'd ever seen.

x X X x

"Draco, I can't do this!" Harry screamed in frustration from his place on the bed. Sweat was dripping from his forehead, he'd been at it for hours now.

"Of course you can," encouraged Draco, squeezing his shoulder. "The baby's done. Just push when Hermione says so."

"Go Harry!" Hermione cried from beside him.

Harry pushed the button on his game controller and the words "You Win" flashed across the screen.

"And if you think that's hard," Hermione said as she began packing away the console. "Try changing a screaming baby for real."

"No thanks," Harry said, rubbing a hand over his enlarged belly. "Janet's adorable, but I think I'll just wait for mine to come out."

"Well you don't have long to wait now," Hermione said.

"Don't remind me," groaned Harry. "I still remember what your labour was like."

"And you didn't even get to experience it from my angle," Hermione enthused.

"Here she goes again." This time it was Draco's turn to groan. Hermione had described her labour in detail more often than either man had wanted to listen to.

"Now I know from my own experience that there's a lot of difference between what they describe it as in the books, and in real life. For example, they said I'd experience sharp pains in my pelvis, but really I'd call them acute."

"Hermione," Harry groaned again. "Shut up. I don't care about the different between sharp and acute. They both hurt!"

Hermione did shut up quite reluctantly. "I'm only trying to better prepare you for what to expect. At least with the way your vaganus works you wont' have to worry about defecating while you push."

"Did you just use the word vaganus?" Harry made a face, quite horrified.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Draco said, turning away from his husband a little green.

x X X x

"Harry, you know we can't avoid it forever," Draco said to his husband one afternoon. The baby was expected any day now, though his official due date was still a week away. "We need options. It's one thing for the baby to be born nameless. It's quite another for him to remain that way."

Harry bit his lip, figuring it was time to broach a subject he'd been contemplating for months now. "Would you mind if we named him after my father?"

"James?" Draco frowned. "It's so plebeian."

"Not as his first name," Harry added quickly, hoping to placate Draco. "And I wouldn't mind if we picked something that just meant the same thing."

"If you get to pick his second name, I get to pick his first," Draco claimed.

Harry was uneasy. "We'll see about that. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, Blacks are usually named after constellations and stars. How about Orion?" suggested Draco.

"No!" The word came out too quickly to not arouse suspicion.

"And why is that?" Draco asked with the lift of an eyebrow.

"Er..." Harry fumbled for a logical explanation. If only he'd paid more attention in astronomy. He couldn't just say to Draco that it was because he's written a rather provocative story where the main character was named Orion.

"I thought you might agree with it," Draco commented. "After all, Orion was Sirius Black's father's name."

Harry frowned. He'd accidentally named the main character of his story after Sirius' father. "So you want me to name my child after a man who threw his son out of his family because he happened to not mind muggles? I don't have to remind you which side of the war I was on, do I?"

"I suppose that's one reason," Draco conceded, then he looked at Harry teasingly. "But it wouldn't have anything to do with that story you're writing, would it?"

Harry blushed.

"Don't be mad at me," Draco implored. "But I couldn't help but read a page when I found you asleep the other day."

Harry couldn't be upset with his husband, after all, if he was going to publish his tale, Draco would have to read it before it went anywhere near an editor. It would be obvious to anyone that it was based on their relationship. Even though Harry and Draco's was progressing quite differently from Orion and John's now. "I'm not mad," said Harry. "I just hope that whatever you read wasn't really bad when taken out of context."

"It wasn't," Draco assured him. "I was actually surprised by how good it was."

Harry frowned. "Because you expected it to be awful?" He said it in the tone that Draco secretly referred to as his wife voice.

"No," Draco corrected. "Because everyone's first drafts are supposed to be terrible. It's like you're copying the story out from someone else. It's so effortless."

"I wish it really was that easy," Harry said.

"I know it isn't," Draco said, placing a kiss on his husband's cheek. "And we are not naming our child Orion. I'd have to worry about him all the time."

"And we are not naming him some poncy name like Cygnus."

"Don't worry, there are already too many of those in the Black Family Tree," Draco informed him.

"Aren't there any normal names in the sky?" groaned Harry.

"Like Hercules?" frowned Draco.

"Yeah right." Harry thought for a moment. "What about Leo?"

"That's just begging for him to be a Gryffindor. Malfoys are always Slytherins."

Harry frowned, but didn't deny that his child probably would be a Slytherin if blood had anything to do with it. "I don't think we're ever going to agree on a name."

"It wouldn't be so hard if you'd just let me name him." Draco put in.

"And he'd probably end up named Castor Oil Malfoy," Harry scoffed.

"Well, how about this," Draco compromised. "I'll pick a constellation, you pick one, and whichever one suits him better will be his name."

"Okay," Harry agreed. He thought he'd keep Leo in mind, just in case the boy followed in Potter, rather than Malfoy footsteps.

x X X x

"Oh Merlin," Harry groaned, squeezing Draco's hand for support. "Why isn't there a spell for this?" After two false alarms, Harry was finally going to give birth.

"There is," Draco retorted, realising that what he was about to say could cost the use of his hand and yet unable to stop himself. "You didn't want to take the risk."

"Kill me now," griped Harry, actually releasing his husband's hand and throwing it over his face as though to defend himself from the pain.

Finally, Hermione arrived, wand ready to cast the spell that would numb the pain, but still allow Harry push. "It won't be long now," she said, checking his file. There was no need for her to observe Harry's vagina physically. The spells would tell her how long everything would take.

"Cast the damn spell, Hermione," Harry swore, piercing her with an angry glare.

"Alright," she said, mostly unaffected by the glare. She swished her wand and Harry relaxed.

"Why on earth did it take you so long to get here?" asked Harry. "I could have been feeling like this for hours now."

Hermione frowned. "You could have let Healer Stoli do it." She glanced to where the man in question was observing from a corner.

Harry's face mimicked hers. "I don't trust that man." Harry knew it was irrational as Healer Stoli had treated him well so far, but if anyone was entitled to irrational thoughts, it was a pregnant man. "Besides he's never done it before." Healer Stoli was fairly new to the Malfoy family's service, and wasn't too old. They'd picked him despite his lack of childbirth experience.

"Okay," Hermione said, casting a few last diagnostic spells and consulting Harry's file for good measure. She counted down for Harry. "Now push."

Harry pushed.

Not long after that Harry was smiling down at a little blond haired and green-eyed child. He was glad that his son had his mother's eyes. "Leo Jacoby," Harry said. Jacoby was the only variant of James that Draco would agree on.

Draco frowned and looked down at his son, looking for any sign that would convince Harry that the boy deserved another name. He sighed when he found nothing to contradict his name. "I can't believe I actually agree with you."

"If he'd had my hair, we could have called him Scorpius Severus," Harry stated, hoping that would placate Draco.

"Mmm," Draco agreed, already dismissing his cares about the boy's name. "I love you," he said to Harry, then turned to his son. "I love you." He rubbed his nose gently against Leo's in an Eskimo kiss.

Harry kissed Draco on the lips, and thought that just maybe they could have a happily ever after after all.

x X X x

A/N: One more chapter to go.