Title: Phoenix Tears

Author: slytherin-nette

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters you recognize from the HP books in this story. All I own is the plot. Everything else belongs to JK Rowling.

Full Summary: To Draco Malfoy, his orders from the remaining Death Eaters were simple. Turn Harry Potter into a woman. Get her pregnant. Resurrect Lord Voldemort's soul into the baby's body. The plan was flawless. He just never planned on falling in love. [DM/femHP]. Post-DH Hogwarts.

Pairings: DM/femHP, Past HP/GW, RW/HG, others.

Warnings: Tormented!Draco and Bitter!Harry. Spoilers from Books. Pregnancy. VERY dark and mature themes.

A/N: As promised, a faster update than usual. Enjoy the chapter! :D


Chapter 29 – An Act of Unselfishness

"Some other strong forms of defensive magic against Dark Arts, used especially by Wizards and Witches in the sixteenth century, are what we refer to know as 'The Ancient Arts', for these have been long practiced since the time of Merlin himself. If you'll all look at your textbooks, it says that—"

Draco's eyebrows fused together as he tried desperately to listen to his Aunt Andromeda's lecture, raising his head every now and then only to write down the notes she was writing on the board. Every so often, she would ask a question about the reading assignment she had given them and Draco would avoid her eyes so she wouldn't call him, though he knew she wouldn't have anyway.

The seat in front of him was vacant – as it had officially been all week since Harry had been absent from classes – and Draco knew people were beginning to suspect things, especially since he could hear a lot of the Slytherins and Ravenclaws whispering amongst each other why Harry Potter wasn't in class. Some of them would even go as far as relate her class absences to all of the news headlines about the Death Eaters forming an uprising, and soon enough people were becoming scared.

It was all the Daily Prophet talked about these days, and Draco suspected that it was that annoying Rita Skeeter behind it all because more and more unconfirmed rumors were beginning to be published in the media. Draco had thought that, out of simple respect for those still rebuilding their lives after the war, the Wizarding Headlines would hold back on all the incriminating stories but apparently, he had been wrong and more and more news began to show up – including those of Harry's absences, the Death Eaters gone missing and Severus Snape's whole involvement in the war.

To fuel Draco's anger even more, there were even reporters who were criticizing Harry for her not having killed all the Death Eaters when she had the chance, and some elucidating the whole grim tale of her having been turned into a female. It was the scoop of the hour these days and even as the Death Eater trials for those who had been caught were ongoing, Harry was always on the front page.

Clearly, it appeared as though the Wizarding World was in shambles again and after only a few months following the war. At that, Draco felt angry – angry at all these people for their ignorance and insensitivity, knowing that it was because of things like this that wars started in the first place. Unsurprisingly though, Draco wasn't all that surprised when he had received a letter from Bellatrix – concealed by a special charm that allowed only him to read its true contents – that he was to defer from sending any form of contact to Malfoy Manor whatsoever and that, so she claimed, the Death Eaters were no longer using that as their meeting place but meeting elsewhere to avoid being caught.

Draco had yet to hear news about his parents, however, and that worried him because if he was right, he suspected that Lucius and Narcissa were being forced to stay at the Manor by Bellatrix to keep their cover and attend to all their Ministry trials. Both his parents were under 'house arrest' anyway, and so were forbidden to actually leave the Manor until their case was given a final decision.

That left Draco in a tight situation – he had no idea what the Death Eaters were planning and he only knew that when the time came, Bellatrix would send an Owl to him on the night of their attack. The night they were all planning to actually transfer the Dark Lord's soul into the child's body.

Not if I can stop them.

Draco hadn't realized he was scowling the entire time all these thoughts were plaguing his mind and when he heard his name being called, forcing him to look up again, he realized that Andromeda was addressing him and that the rest of his classmates were giving him an odd look. Reddening slightly under their gazes, Draco shook his thoughts away and looked at Andromeda again.

"I'm sorry, Professor…?"

The dark-haired woman frowned at him, pausing in the middle of her lecture and giving her nephew a meaningful look. "Please pay attention, Draco…See me after class, I'd like a word with you." She didn't say much after that and annoyed at the sniggers he received, Draco stiffened and looked away, forcing himself to start taking down notes again. Beside him, Blaise looked up and nudged him lightly to get his attention, causing the blonde to glance briefly at him again and raise an eyebrow.

Blaise raised one back, giving the other Slytherin a curious look.

"You all right?"

Draco forced a calm sneer onto his face though his thoughts were actually raging inside.

"I'm fine, Zabini…Mind your own business." He seethed angrily. Blaise looked annoyed at his response and turned away, allowing Draco to tune back into Andromeda's lecture, listening intently.

"—one of the oldest…And perhaps most well-known among the 'Ancient Arts' is the act of 'Adfero Vitarium', the act of giving one's life to bestow the most powerful protection – protection against even death – for a loved one." Andromeda paused in the middle of this and turned to look at them again, her eyes seemingly searching through all their young faces until they rested on Draco's.

"By the act itself, an act of pure, selfless and true love, the wizard or witch willingly sacrifices his or her own life to protect a loved one such that a magical barrier is created, a barrier so powerful that it can withstand even the strongest of the Dark Arts." She paused again and Draco saw that there was a hint of sadness in her eyes as she turned away. "There have been…only a few who have performed this magic, as the spell itself requires an act of selflessness on the part of the witch or wizard that it seems, only a fair few have loved so genuinely enough to actually want to do this."

Andromeda looked sad as she flicked her wand over the projector, flashing a picture on the board that she and the rest of the students watching her knew too well. It was a newspaper clipping dating back seventeen years ago – that of the death of James and Lily Potter – and the night that the savior of the Wizarding world, Harry Potter, had come to be known as the boy-who-lived. His chest heavy, Draco stared at the newspaper clipping silently, confusion and sadness flooding his heart.

The DADA Professor continued. "Perhaps, one of the most popular cases of Adfero Vitarium ever being successfully performed, was in the case of Lily Evans Potter – the night she gave her own life to protect that of her newly born son, the very person who would save us from the Dark Lord." She drew in a deep breath and finally flicked her wand again, shutting the projector off. "And so this was the night Harry Potter was named, the boy-who-lived, the night he survived the killing curse." She finally stopped then and looked at the class again, realizing that all of the students had fallen silent and were now staring grimly at their tables or their hands – anywhere but at each other or her.

Andromeda leaned back against her table, folding her arms across her chest. "The spell itself, Adfero Vitarium, is one of the most powerful forms of magic but only a few have created the barrier successfully—" She paused when one of the Ravenclaw girls at the back of the room, Draco wasn't sure what her name was, raised her hand. Andromeda nodded at her and she voiced her question.

"Why is that, Professor?" She asked softly and Andromeda smiled sadly at her, closing the open textbook on her desk with a snap. Then, she straightened up again and turned back to the board.

"It only works if the love is true, my child…For even if a stranger gives his life for someone, this act would never be fully and completely willing on his part unless he truly loved this person." Her voice grew gentle, lulling all of the listening students into deep thought. "A person can be obligated…compelled even, to give one's life for…let's say a master, a lord or a king…But Adfero Vitarium can never be created unless the person giving up his life actually did it because of true love."

Andromeda smiled at them again, though the smile didn't reach her eyes and finally shook her head to clear the heaviness that had fallen upon the class. "But then, let us move on shall we? I don't want to dim you guys all out so early in the morning." She tried to quip weakly and though this got her a few awkward laughs, she spoke on anyway, speaking up in a lighter, more cheerful voice.

"There are other spells of course, that were part of the 'Ancient Arts' and still exist today. For instance, one of the ways in which the sixteenth century magical folk protected themselves was—" She began to write on the board again and Draco drowned her out, his thoughts still lingering on the last of what Andromeda had just said. Her words had touched him deeply, gave him a newfound respect for Lily Potter that he never expected, but more than that, they also deeply confused him.

It was the same as that book Hannie had told him to read to her before – that of the prince sacrificing himself for the princess and dying so he could protect her. Draco hadn't understood it then and he certainly wasn't better off now as he thought about it again, trying to make sense of things.

He didn't understand how a person, who apparently loved someone so much, chose to die in their place instead when the very act of dying itself separates them from the person they loved most. Wasn't that, in a way, futile in nature because then they would never get to share their love again?

And what of that willingness to give one's own life away Andromeda had spoken of?

How can anyone, no matter how much they loved a person, ever willingly give up his or her life like that when they have spent the entirety of it fleeing before this very death they have to face? It just didn't make sense to him at all and truly, to him, he thought that it would be more an act of love on the part of both parties involved to understand when the other runs away to preserve himself. Everyone was, in nature, looking out for themselves after all and even love should understand this, for it love was truly as selfish as people claimed, then it need not make another person to give so much.

Argh…This is all going to my head. I hate thinking like this. Draco scowled to himself again and he couldn't help breathing out a sigh of relief when he finally heard the bell ring, signaling the end of class. As he collected his things in his bag, however, and he heard Andromeda dismissing the rest of the class, he stayed behind as instructed and walked up to her behind her desk, his chest heavy. She didn't speak to him at first, waiting patiently until all of the other students had vacated the room before she finally addressed him, sitting down onto her desk and gesturing for him to sit across her.

"Sit, Draco." She told him softly and when Draco sat down uneasily onto one of the classroom chairs in front of her, Andromeda spoke again, folding her hands primly onto the table. She shifted for a couple of minutes and seemed to be trying to think of the best way to start, her eyes clouded with uncertainty. Finally, when Draco looked up at her, she sighed and massaged her head in exhaustion.

"I'm sorry to disturb you from your classes, my nephew…But it seems we have certain matters to talk about." She began slowly and when Draco made no attempt to answer her, she continued. "I am…worried… about you, Draco…I fear that there is something you are not telling me…Something that bothers you and concerns you more than your unplanned accident with Harry." She stopped and eyed him intently, noting the way Draco was clenching his fists and pointedly avoiding her probing gaze.

"Please let me help you, my child—"

"It's nothing, Aunt Andromeda…I told you I'm fine." He gritted his teeth and dug his nails deeper into the skin of his palms, closing his eyes tightly as he felt the painful effects of the Unbreakable Vow restraining the words from his mouth. Andromeda noticed his turmoil in this and she frowned deeper at him, especially bothered now by the way Draco was obviously avoiding her eyes.

"Draco, this is no trivial matter—"

Gray eyes snapped up sharply to glare at her, cutting her off sharply with their intensity.

"I know it isn't, Aunt 'Dromeda!" He snapped, his eyes flashing and his fist slamming itself hard against the table. She didn't flinch but Andromeda's eyes widened at his reaction, listening patiently as Draco spoke again, his voice rising several levels. "You think I haven't been worried about the situation I'm in? I do nothing but think about it every goddamn second of my day, you realize! I know I messed up!" He looked at her expression again and he sneered at her, narrowing his eyes.

"I got a girl pregnant outside marriage, and so I have a child on the way! I know that! And that girl just so happens to fucking be POTTER of all, people! I know, it's wrong and insane and so fucking messed up but it happened! It happened and you don't even realize the worst of it all!" He shouted at her, standing up from his seat in his anger but Andromeda rose up with him, keeping him in place by simply placing her hand over his and speaking softly, trying to quell the teenager down.

"That is why I want you to listen to me, Draco… You may not realize it but Harry is very fragile and conflicted right now and to engage in such behavior would be unwise for you both. You cannot—"

Draco's eyes hardened as he glared right at her, surprising the older pureblood when she saw the unexpected look of determination in his eyes that she had never seen in the Malfoy Heir before. She cut herself off in the middle of her own sentence and stared at him, her eyes widening slowly.

"I love her, Aunt 'Dromeda."

She continued to stare openly at him, not daring to believe it and yet terrified it was true.

"Draco, you are still so very young and attracted to passion—"

"I love her." Draco repeated firmly and in that instant, he had never been more sure of his words before then . "And I know I may have made so many wrong decisions in the past but this is the first time – the only time – that I feel like I'm actually doing something right…" His voice softened and he turned to look at her, allowing her to see the desperation and pleading in his mercury orbs. "Please don't deprive me of that, Aunt 'Dromeda…I have done so many wrongs in my life, this is my only chance to make things right…I don't want to run anymore." Draco closed his eyes, looking away slowly.

Andromeda's own gray eyes had softened too and she looked sad as she listened to him, watching as the young Malfoy Heir opened his eyes again and seemed to stare off into empty space. He stayed like this for a fairly long time and neither of them spoke, minding each other silently, before Draco finally glanced at her again and he stood up from his seat, grabbing his bag from the floor.

She stood up after him and tried to intercept him again.

"Draco, let me help you—"

"I will set things right, Aunt 'Dromeda." His voice was cold as he said this and finally, he turned around and began heading towards the classroom doors, his footsteps echoing in the silence.

"I will fix this."

His words shocked her into confusion but before she could ask what he meant, Draco had already left the room, closing the door so loudly behind him that the sound echoed in the silence.


The blonde had slammed the doors to the classroom shut and had begun stalking down the hallways when they had seen him and a strange smile flitted itself across Theodore Nott's face, matched with his eyes. Stopping abruptly in the middle of the corridor on the way to their next class, Theodore gestured to Pansy Parkinson behind him and without exchanging a word, she smiled as well – a strange, unreadable smile that didn't seem to reach her eyes – before they walked towards Draco.

It didn't appear as though he had seen them yet but when Theodore had managed to get close enough to Draco to address him, his harsh drawl kept Theodore back, causing him to freeze in place.

"Distance, Nott…It may just save your life." The Malfoy Heir hissed softly, causing not only Theodore to take a step back from him this time but Pansy as well and both Slytherins froze in place immediately, watching cautiously as Draco looked up at both of them and gave them both a cold sneer. Surprisingly enough, all traces of the wimpy, sniveling bloke they had encountered at the beginning the year was gone now and they saw traces of the old Draco Malfoy in him again – especially by the way the Malfoy Heir was staring calmly at them and was giving them a mocking, challenging smirk.

Undaunted and yet, cautious enough to heed the other Slytherin's warning and keep in place, Theodore smirked back easily at him, raising both of his hands up to show Draco he didn't have his wand. Beside him, Pansy had paled and appeared to be doing the same, watching Draco carefully.

The Head Boy raised an eyebrow at them, clearly expecting them to move out of his way.

"Out of my way."

Theodore's smirk widened and he dropped his hands, giving the other boy a quelling look.

"Come now, Malfoy…Don't be like that." He drawled and when Draco stiffened at this and seemed to narrow his eyes in suspicion, he spoke again, gesturing to Pansy behind him. "Pansy and I just want to talk…Civilly, as it may be, and without the unnecessary hostility." His voice sounded pleasant enough and yet, Draco's eyes were still narrowed suspiciously at him – as though he was half-expecting Theodore to pull his wand out and force the other boy into a magical duel any moment.

"Why?"

Draco's hand was ghosting over the pocket of his robes now, undoubtedly where his wand was, but the Head Boy's eyebrows fused in confusion when Pansy chuckled at him, giving him a coy smile.

"You're cute when you're suspicious, you know." She pointed out but if anything, that made Draco's suspicion rise more, especially when all Theodore did was to give Pansy a halfhearted glare.

"Don't rekindle old flames, Pans…You're mine now, leave him alone." He teased but Pansy giggled at his comment, her smile slightly flirtatious as she looked at Draco again and feigned a sigh. "That doesn't mean I can't lament over them, my darling…Draco and I do have a history, you know." She drawled back and soon enough, they were chuckling at this – much to Draco's added confusion.

His wand was out now and he was holding it blatantly in his right hand but he looked more anxious than angry and he shook his head, scoffing before he tried to walk away from them again.

"Sod off, Parkinson—"

"Malfoy, wait."

Draco froze at the evident strangeness of Theodore's voice and he sneered as he turned around slowly to face him, watching as the other Slytherin quieted and began to walk towards him. Her gaze flicking every now and then to the two boys, Pansy's eyes seemed to roam around the deserted corridors around them as though she was making sure that no one was there to hear them.

This did nothing to resolve Draco's suspicions.

"What do you want, Nott?" He asked carefully, raising an eyebrow again as Theodore smiled back slowly at him, shrugging and shoving his hands nonchalantly into the pockets of his school robes.

"I merely wished to say something to you, Draco."

The other blonde's gray eyes narrowed at this and his sneer only hardened again in derision.

"I see…So what ingeniously crafted, wickedly witty insult have you scrapped together for me this time then, Nott? Is it so rare for you to rub enough brain cells together to produce a single thought that you couldn't wait until a proper time to accost me in the hallway just to share it?" Draco mocked sarcastically at him and in spite of himself, Theodore's temper got the better of him and his jaw clenched, his hands tightening themselves into fists as he struggled to keep from snapping back.

"Careful, Malfoy." Theodore's eyes glinted as he met Draco's smirk with a glare, wishing more than anything that he could punch the blonde's lights out. "I just want to talk…No hostility, no insults. Just a talk between two civilized purebloods." He raised an eyebrow, waiting for Draco's response.

"Will you listen?"

The hostility in Draco's eyes never wavered, however, but he nodded anyway, watching with narrowed eyes as Theodore met Pansy's eyes for a brief moment before they both nodded, looking back at him. Then, to his disbelief, Theodore nodded respectfully at him, giving him a friendly smirk.

"On behalf of the Slytherins, I would like to personally apologize." He paused and waited for Draco to get over the shock of his words before he continued, giving the other boy a small grin. "We… saw your little scene with Weasley the other day…You know, the one where you sent a Cruciatus right at that bastard's face?" When Draco gave him a strange look, he sniggered and shrugged to himself.

"The arse had it coming, really. Always strutting about the place like he's the bloody hero of the Wizarding World and not just some delusional blood traitor. He deserved no less." He added but before Draco could answer, Pansy spoke up too and she directed their attention to her amused smile.

"That mudblood-lover deserves to be kicked out and expelled from this school…It's only a shame your Cruciatus Curse didn't hit him. It probably would have done him some good." She said snidely and of that – and the familiar way in which Pansy was wrinkling her nose in disdain, Draco couldn't prevent the smirk on his face – nor could he keep himself from agreeing with their sentiments.

"Perhaps." Draco offered simply but he refused to say anything else and his suspicious stance didn't relax at their words. He continued to observe them carefully, noting the way Pansy was batting her eyelashes at him again the way she used to and how Theodore seemed to be holding off his usual insults and instead, was regarding him and speaking with him as though they were just old friends.

"I never understood Weasleys anyway…They think so highly of themselves and yet, their family is still so pathetic. Living in that dump and practically pinching every penny just to send all of their kids to school." Theodore laughed at his own words and shook his head, sneering with disdain. Pansy was laughing as well but he continued, meeting Draco's eyes as he shook his head. "In fact, I never understood Gryffindors, period. They're a disgusting lot, all of them…And I think it's rubbish how the Headmistress is forcing us to intermingle with all the other houses." He added with a scowl.

Draco had grown bored of his words at this point and he merely raised an eyebrow at him again, clearly unimpressed and uninterested with what the other boy was saying. "Yes, well… Much as how I find your sentiments…interesting…as it would seem, I do not care to hear them. Now, if you and Parkinson are quite done wasting my time, I have Head Boy duties to attend to." He tried to walk past them again but Pansy intercepted his path and she pouted at him, answering in her high-pitched voice.

"Aww…Draco, don't be that way." She whined and irritated, Draco was just about to shove her away when Theodore finally sighed and pulled Pansy away from him, giving Draco a rueful glance.

"Look, Malfoy…I realize there's no easy way to do this so I'll just come right out and say it." He began, causing Draco to sneer pointedly at him in response and cross his arms over his chest.

"Ah, the snake finally sheds off its skin."

Theodore glared at him, looking frustrated. "Pansy and I just came here to…apologize." He paused to take a cautious look at Draco again. "We'd like to apologize to you about everything that's happened and all those nasty things we said…We were just…drawn in with everything that's changed. The war, our parents being arrested and persecuted, all those raids in our houses." He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up in his agitation. "We didn't realize you and your family were only doing what we Slytherins do best…Looking after ourselves…And we shouldn't have judged you for that." He stopped after saying this and met Draco's hard glare again before speaking up in a soft whisper.

"Any one of us here in Slytherin would have done the same thing."

As he anticipated, his words hit right home and Draco seemed to stiffen for a moment, a single eyebrow arching up slightly as he considered the meaning behind Theodore's spoken words. There was truth behind the sentiment, that much was certain and the blonde appeared to be amused by it as he looked at them, watching their facial expressions carefully before he dared to answer.

"So what do you two want?" He asked bluntly.

Theodore smirked at him again, matching the bluntness of his question with a frank response.

"A truce, Malfoy. We'd just like to start the year again. Erase everything that's happened."

The corners of Draco's lips began to curl upwards into a snarl of disdain and he leered at them.

"And pray tell, why would I do that?"

Theodore and Pansy looked at each other carefully before the former answered him. "Because you're one of us, Malfoy…A Slytherin, through and through. And we want you back in our circle, back in our ranks." He told him and yet, there was an underlying intent in his words Draco could not sense.

"We want our leader back." Pansy added and she smiled sweetly at him, oblivious to his scorn for her. "And only our leader would dare to try and set the scumbags of the earths like the Weasleys and their muggle-loving friends in their place the way you did the other day…We apologize, Draco." She smiled at him in what she thought was a demure manner but it just made Draco sneer at her.

"And what of you, Nott?" Draco turned to him, his eyes still narrowed but both Theodore and Pansy could see that he was beginning to relent. "You've hated me since your father was arrested and taken into trial…And now you want to be friends? Why the change of heart?" He mocked in disbelief.

Theodore visibly stiffened but he chose his answer carefully, his jaw clenched. "My father has been temporarily placed under house arrest until further deliberation, Malfoy…The Ministry has been accusing him of communicating with Lestrange and the other usurpers but he swears he's innocent… He's just looking for a way to blame it all on Lestrange instead so he could be acquitted somehow."

Draco merely raised an eyebrow at this but Pansy interrupted before he could say anything, drawing his attention to her dark scowl. "I think we'll all be relieved once this stupid uprising is settled. Lestrange has always been crazy and now she'll only implicate the rest of us further if she isn't put out of her misery soon. If she causes any more of a stir, the Ministry will never leave our families alone."

The Malfoy Heir scoffed but reached up to massage his temples at that, shaking his head.

"Well that, I can agree with." He drawled and soon enough, after casting both other Slytherins another careful, scrutinizing look, he shrugged at them, making to turn away. "I have no intention of becoming the 'best of friends' with either of you and to be quite honest, I don't know what you're trying to pull here. But at the very least, you have my civility. Now if you'll get out of my way—"

Theodore interrupted him again. "Will you at least consider being amongst us again, Draco?"

Draco arched an eyebrow and glanced over his shoulder at him, coolly staring him down.

"I'll consider it."

They watched him go intently, waiting until Draco smirked at them before walking away, never noticing the two pairs of gleaming eyes that pierced his retreating back like two very sharp knives.


Harry had to force herself up into a sitting position on her hospital bed when Madam Pomfrey re-entered the hospital wing that afternoon, followed by Hermione, Ron, Professor Andromeda, and finally, Draco. Her two best friends had moved to the side of her bed by the window, plopping themselves down carefully onto the chairs placed there while Draco stayed at the far end of the room – perhaps because Madam Pomfrey and Andromeda had ushered him there – and remained silent.

She realized she hadn't seen the blonde Slytherin since they had found out about her condition a couple of days ago and she noticed Draco did not look well. In fact, he looked like he had lost a couple of night's sleep and his hair was not as neatly gelled back as usual. His uniform, however, was still impeccably neat with not a single garment out of place and despite herself, Harry's lips quirked upwards into a small smile, however weak and forced it was, but sadly, it didn't last long.

Soon enough, she found herself staring into Madam Pomfrey's gentle but urging gaze and she sighed and cringed slowly, straightening herself up on the bed and giving her a meek smile. Andromeda had stepped towards her and began to stroke her hair in comfort, causing the Gryffindor to nod gratefully at her before she finally met Madam Pomfrey's gaze again, nodding in confirmation.

"What is your decision, child?" The MediWitch's voice was both stern and gentle as she addressed Harry and the Gryffindor was grateful for this, for it would avoid any feelings of pity. Taking a deep, inhale of breath, she lifted her eyes slowly and finally, met Draco's gaze across the room.

She was surprised to see that the Slytherin wasn't staring back at her, however, but was trying desperately to hide his face as he stared at the floor, his entire form stiff with anticipation. It was a strange sight to behold actually, for if there had ever been something she had admired about her former Slytherin adversary – even before they became friends – it had been how Draco always managed to keep his chin up high and with pride above all else, even when he had lost everything.

Now, however, as she stared at him and watched as he seemed to be staring so hard at something on his shoes that his eyebrows were fused together so closely, she felt horrible for treating him the way she did these past few days. After all, this had all been as much her fault as it was his and if anything, she should be the one apologizing to him for her insensitive behavior and actions.

"Draco."

Harry heard herself calling his name but her voice sounded raspy and unfamiliar to her. She sighed, waiting patiently until Draco looked up and met her gaze. She flinched when she saw the fear in those mercury gray orbs, intermingled with regret, bitterness and desperation. Overwhelmed, she tore her gaze away, burying her face into her hands for a few minutes before she spoke quietly.

"Do you want this child?"

Blinking and startled by her sudden question, Draco ignored the presence of all of the other people in the room and stared back at her, meeting her probing green eyes with a pleading look.

"You know I do—"

"How much?" Harry asked again sharply, clearly demanding a satisfactory answer but Draco just looked at her as though she had insulted him, his eyes beginning to darken with his confusion.

"With all my being, Harry! What are you – why are you even asking me this? Are you mocking me?" His voice cracked and before he knew it, his emotions were beginning to show again but Harry pressed on further and she shook her head to interrupt him, her eyes glassy but filled with decision.

"Why?"

Draco's eyes narrowed and he glared at her, his hands trembling as he clenched them into fists. "Because…I…I don't know, why! It's a child, Harry! Why are you even asking me this? I don't understand—" He raged at her but she shook her head again, cutting through his violent protests.

"Why, Draco?"

His eyes widened at he looked at her, at a complete loss for what she wanted him to say.

"B—because…It's…mine."

He swallowed the lump in his throat and sighed, well-aware of the disgusted glare Ron was giving him across the room but finding absolutely no reason to care. At this point, even Hermione appeared to be looking at Harry in confusion but then, the black-haired Gryffindor surprised them all when she finally nodded at Draco's words, accepting them easily and turning back to Madam Pomfrey.

"Then I've made my decision." She told the older woman softly. Before she continued, Hermione suddenly stopped her by placing a hand on hers, squeezing her fingers to get her attention.

"Harry, wait."

Harry immediately stopped in the middle of what she had to say and stared at her, surprised by the urgency in Hermione's voice and that her best friend was, at last, finally talking to her again. The Head Girl sighed and paused when everyone in the room turned to look at her, waiting for her to speak. "Before you make your decision, I just…I just want to say something." She bit her lip and took a deep breath again, steadying herself and straightening in her seat before she eventually continued.

"I'm…I'm…" Her brown eyes began to tear up before she could stop herself and she began to cry softly, the rest of her words muffled slightly by the sobs that escaped her. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry for all those horrible things I said back then…I…I didn't mean any of it." Hermione whispered, trying to gain a semblance of control over her emotions. "I…I shouldn't have judged you so quickly like that…You were right, you do have the choice about this…And I will respect your decision either way."

Harry's eyes softened at this and she reached out, silencing the rest of Hermione's stammers by caressing the other girl's cheek. She shook her head once, indicating to the other girl to stop before she managed a small but genuine smile, squeezing Hermione's hand gently in understanding. Overcome with her emotions, however, Hermione launched herself at Harry anyway and the black-haired girl couldn't help a choked-up laugh as she hugged the brunette back, stroking her hair.

"My stand is with you, Harry…Always has been, you know that." Hermione mumbled tearfully into her shoulder and still chuckling softly, Harry nodded, giving the other girl a kiss on her head.

"I know, 'Mione—"

"I'm on your side…No matter what you decide." She told her and again, Harry nodded, feeling completely spent but strangely enough, more resolute in her decision now more than before. When Hermione let her go and Ron did nothing but shoot her a silent glare in turn, Harry finally sighed again and turned back to look at Madam Pomfrey, her voice trembling slightly as she confirmed her choice.

"As the mother…I…do not want this child, Madam Pomfrey—"

Across the room, she saw Draco suddenly looking as though someone had stabbed him in the chest and Andromeda closing her eyes in defeat but before she lost her nerve or before any of their reactions caused her to change her mind; she kept talking, her voice cutting crisply through the air.

"—but I will give him to his father."

Two loud gasps, one in shock and one in relief, were heard around the room – most probably from Andromeda and Hermione – but Harry barely heard them, and her attention was focused on nothing else but staring at the tears of relief and gratitude that was shimmering in Draco's eyes. The Slytherin was looking intently at her and though there was no hint of a smile or any readable expression on his face, the emotions in his eyes were evident and they made those mercury orbs glow like the purest of silver. Harry's gaze never left his face as she continued with what she had to say.

"I do not want this child—" She repeated, suddenly tearing her gaze away from Draco after that when she saw the anger flaring in his eyes but still, she continued to speak lest someone dared to interrupt her. "—but I will have him…" She lifted her eyes and set them solely on Andromeda's gentle gaze. "…and rather than give the baby up for adoption, I will give him to his rightful father instead."

Madam Pomfrey had looked as though she was about to protest at this but Harry never gave her the chance, speaking even louder to cut her off. "Draco is therefore the only one who will be given legal and full parental rights to this child. And from here on out, I relinquish any of mine." She sounded weary and utterly drained of energy when she had finished, but when she finally dared to look up at Draco again to see his reaction, she felt worse – for he looked as though she had hurt him.

Deeply. Very deeply.

A lump was lodged in his throat and she knew he was struggling desperately to maintain his composure but every inch of him spoke of his pain from her obvious rejection of their child – that and anger, utmost anger that she could see gathering in his eyes that she was forced to look away quickly.

Again, she turned to Madam Pomfrey and she nodded, reaching over to her bedside table to give the MediWitch back the medical notes about the baby. "The baby's birth certificate will show absolutely no records of me as his mother and following that, I will have no written record or proof whatsoever that will declare me as his other parent. Tell him that his mother died in childbirth or something and that her records were lost, I don't care…But like I said, I refuse to be his mother." She knew that her words were rubbing salt onto Draco's wounds but she forced herself not to look at him.

"That is my final decision…Will that be alright, Madam Pomfrey? Professor?" She turned to look at the two older women again and unable to do anything else, both just nodded back quietly at her in acceptance before Madam Pomfrey slowly began to make her back out the room towards her desk.

"Very well, Harry…I will draft up the records as you say. What do we tell the…the Weasleys?"

From the corner of the room, Ron finally broke out of his stupor and opened his mouth to say something but Harry beat him to it and shook her head fiercely, giving the redhead an angry glare.

"They are not to hear of this situation…They don't need to know." She told them angrily but then Andromeda addressed her again, her voice softer and more soothing than Madam Pomfrey's.

"And what of the Malfoys, Harry…?" She and Harry both looked up to meet Draco's expression again but like a wall, Draco just stared back blankly at them, a harsh, angry sneer formed on his face.

"Do we tell them of this incident—"

Harry sighed. "They will eventually find out anyway of the baby's existence but I would prefer that you do not reveal me as the mother…" She answered and hesitantly, she glanced at Draco again and spoke to him in a soft, imploring voice. "You may tell them whatever you wish, Draco…That is your decision to make, not mine. All I ask is that you tell no one else." She winced when Draco answered her with another sarcastic sneer, his eyes narrowed darkly as though she was riling him.

"Oh I am sure my parents will take the news lighter than you imagine, Potter." He drawled at her and without knowing why, Harry flinched when she heard the venomous way he had uttered her last name – almost like a curse or a dirty word that didn't even deserve to be spoken with normalcy.

Forcing herself to ignore the stinging in her chest, she nodded curtly at his cold response before turning to her two best friends beside her to gauge their reactions. While Hermione was looking at her with more relief than shock, Ron seemed more intent on glaring at Draco until the blonde dropped dead. His gaze was unusually cold, colder than Harry had ever seen him, and he was watching Draco very carefully until his eyes had narrowed into tiny slits that he barely saw anything.

"Ron, don't."


"So indulge my curiosity for the time being then, Malfoy." Ron spat out Draco's last name with same amount of anger and disdain Draco had spat out Harry's just a couple of minutes before. "Just… what would you do with this child, then…? I gather you're not exactly the…parental type." He mocked and, sensing the exasperation of the others in the room, he instantly regretted his hostility.

The regret was gone from his face soon enough though when Draco answered him with the exact same amount of spite, hatred and contempt that Ron had hurled at him – with the exception of the blonde speaking in a more subdued, seemingly calmer voice that unnerved Ron even more.

"Well you're hardly in a position to look down on me about parenting, Weasley…Seeing as your parents have bred more children than they could afford." The malice was there again and Hermione had to place a hand firmly over Ron's to keep the Gryffindor from lunging at the sneering blonde.

Madam Pomfrey had already left the room to address Harry's concerns while Andromeda had gone off after her, both women exhausted from the weight of the emotions in the room. This left only the three Gryffindors – Harry, Ron and Hermione – with Draco and if Ron so wanted, he could lunge himself at Draco right then and there and pound on that pale smirking face until he was satisfied.

But that wouldn't accomplish anything.

Instead, he addressed the infuriating blonde again, looking back up carefully and giving Draco a pointed glare. "Why would you want a child? Answer my question! What do you intend to do with it?" He demanded angrily but again, Draco just scoffed at him, shaking his head in obvious disgust.

"I thought I already answered this." His face filled with scorn, he looked at Harry again and shook his head, giving her a look that implied his anger. When Ron turned to follow his gaze, he was surprised to see that his best friend looked guiltily back at Draco, a defeated expression on her face.

Draco drew Ron's attention back to him when he spoke again and the blonde was already straightening up from where he had been leaning against the wall. "I want this child because it is mine, Weasley…And as to the question of what I intend to do with it, I…Well…" He paused and took a moment to gather his thoughts, surprising Ron when he heard genuine softness in Draco's voice.

"He is my son…And since Potter here refuses any parental connection to him, I will raise him myself…" Draco paused again and swallowed, his face visibly paling with something Ron did not understand. "He will be the direct heir to my family name and a proper aristocrat of Malfoy upbringing." He inclined his head once, the blonde refusing to look at Harry anymore than he had to.

"I will love him as much as a father could possibly love his son…And I will be proud of him." He ended his answer in a soft whisper but Ron just scoffed at him, oblivious to the way Harry had turned away from their conversation with a sad look and Hermione's shoulders slumped in resignation.

Ron remained completely unaware of this and so he taunted Draco again, meeting the blonde's eyes daringly with a cold, hateful snarl. "Raise him yourself? Malfoy upbringing? So…I take it that in short, you intend that he'll grow up to be another Death Eater just like you then, huh?" He spat.

To his immense glee, Draco's cheeks began to flush a dark, very angry red.

"Oh stop it, Ron!" Hermione had just about stood up to yank Ron back away before he riled Draco up any further but the redhead was relentless now and he continued, speaking up even louder.

"Because the way I see things, Malfoy, is that there seems to be something in this entire thing you're getting that you're not telling us. Something big, as it seems and I just don't trust you—" Ron was finally forced to stop when it was Harry's tired voice that interrupted him this time, followed by the dark-haired Gryffindor's restraining hand on his shoulder as he tried to push him backwards.

"Ron, please stop—"

"The child is mine, Weasley." Draco didn't bother waiting for Harry to finish her sentence before he left her there, along with the other two Gryffindors, and began to walk towards the door. He didn't say anything again until he reached it, however, and when he did, he took one last glance over his shoulder again to stare at her – his eyes filled with such contempt that she could only look away.

"And apparently, mine alone."

He slammed the door as loud as he could, causing the smallest of the three Gryffindors gathered by the bed to close her eyes and sink down onto the pillows to hide the tears in her eyes.


A/N: A few clarifications before any of you get confused: the child conceived is NOT evil and is NOT the reincarnation of Lord Voldemort. If you all go back to the first chapter of this story, you'd remember that the plan was to have the child bornfirst, THEN summon the soul of the Dark Lord into the newly born body. As such, the child conceived is still a young, innocent, handsome little Malfoy. :D

Next Chapter: Draco talks to the Slytherins again, some painful tension between Harry and Draco, Harry spends more time at the hospital and finally, Draco gets another nightmare

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