AN: I promised a sickenly sweet and endearing ending, so here it is. Enjoy and please review!

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Ron laughed from deep inside his belly as he watched Scorpius pace around the room.

"Sit down! Relax!" he said, leaning back in his chair, tucking his hands behind his head. "There's nothing you can do but wait it out."

Scorpius wasn't sure what he wanted to do more; hex Ron or throttle him. But seeing that now was not the time to exact a ten year old revenge, he did neither. He wished he was a smoker. Isn't that what men in his current position normally did?

"Why can't I go in there?" he said, sitting down in his chair.

James shook his head. "Strictly a witch's affair. And trust me, be glad of it." He gave a glance to his right. "You wouldn't want to know the kind of threats I got from Claire after our first. Thank Merlin for silencing spells," he added, tossing his thumb at the door. "I can't image what she'll do to me in one month when we have our second."

Rising to his feet, Scorpius took out his wand for the umpteenth time and twirled it in his fingers. At this point he was so nervous that he probably couldn't even perform a proper elementary levitation charm, but it helped to have something to fiddle with.

Tossing the wand into the air, he tried to catch it, only to watch it fumble out of his hands. Scorpius felt heat raising up under his collar, but thankfully, no one else mentioned it.

"-anyway," Harry said, gesturing wildly to a small, curly-haired girl who wasn't even old enough to tie her own shoes properly. "This troll breaks into the school dungeon-"

"Was it as big as a house?" she said, her brown eyes wide.

"BIGGER!"

"Did he smell?" she asked in a quiet voice, clutching her teddy bear to her chest.

"Like your daddy's old socks!" Harry mock-whispered loud enough for his son to hear.

James let out a "Hey!" of protest, but it was through a distinct chuckle.

Tabatha's toes curled in her little footie pajamas. She stared at her grandfather through the fur on her toy, her breath catching in excitement. "What happened then?" she said. Harry smirked. Definitely a future Gryffindor.

"You great-uncle Ron raised his wand-!" Harry gestured a swish and flick motion wildly with his invisible wand. "And yelled 'WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA'! And BAM!" Harry clapped his hands with force, making a great ruckus that caused the small child to jump in her seat. "The troll's club came out of his hand and landed right on his thick noggin!"

Tabatha let out a shocked gasp, then giggled as Harry demonstrated the troll's reaction, complete with a dull, confused expression and plenty of drool. He collapsed across Ron's lap, who shoved Harry off onto the floor. Both fully-grown men could hardly help hamming up the story for such a willing audience.

Ginny, who had just come in and was leaning on the doorframe, laughed. If only her husband had been this animated when their own kids were young. Albus, out of the corner of his eye, watched as his father wrestled on the floor with his uncle. Retirement, it seemed, had faired wonders.

Lily peered over her mother's shoulder, her red hair up in a bun, excitement brimming over her. By the expression on her face, she felt just as endeared to the scene as any of them. She traced a hand to her belly, feeling the small, barely-there bulge that was slowly ripening. Albus gave her a wink and she blushed. He was the first- and only one- who knew so far. He felt a bloom of appreciation for Lily, who had agreed to be the surrogate mother for him and Cedric. But that little revelation would come in time.

At the sound of Ginny's laugh, Scorpius ran up, stopping just short of barreling into her. "Is she-?"

Ginny, giving a smile that any Slytherin would be proud to master, stepped aside and gave a small bow. "Go see for yourself," she said, waving a hand towards the open door.

Scorpius was barely aware that he had crossed the threshold, sprinting down the halls. From off in the distance, he could hear Tabatha loudly protesting "But I'm not sleepy!"

Her pleas faded in the distance as Scorpius plowed forward, turning this way and that down the sterile, never-varying hallways. His breath caught in his chest as he turned the final corner. His mother-in-law, with her bushy brown hair, was outside of Rosie's room, removing a medi-witch's mask, letting her white-streaked hair fall over her shoulders.

"Scorpius!" Hermione said with a smile, hugging him. "Rose is just waking up and oh! She's just glowing, Scorpius! Congratulations! It was a bumpy delivery but they're just fine!"

Scorpius wasn't hearing a word of it. "Mrs. Weas- Herm- Mum! If I could just-" he said, trying to break free politely, but the strategy just didn't seem to work.

A few more feeble attempts later, Hermione released him. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I'm just so excited!" She kissed him on the cheek. "Is everyone in the waiting room?" It didn't seem possible, but her eyes brightened more as Scorpius nodded his head. "Oh but Ginny's probably already ahead of me! Well what are you waiting for?" she exclaimed, shoving him at the door. "Get in there!"

Listening to Hermione's footsteps fading down the corridor, Scorpius wasted no time in obeying. He went inside and stopped dead in his tracks.

A medi-witch, a squat little thing, was tending to Rosie, adjusting a small bundle in her arms. "That's right, that's right," the medi-witch squeaked, her voice high and musical. "Make sure that the head is supported. That's right."

Scorpius coughed, drawing their attention.

"Are you the father?" The medi-witch chirped. He gave her a brief nod as she began to adjust the bed sheets. She raised herself to full-height, which was no higher than Scorpius' sternum. "Well then I best be off so you can get better acquainted," she said, tucking Rosie in. "Now if you need me, you know how to summon me. Yes? Good."

She waddled out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Scorpius had been so eager to see Rosie, but now, all he could do was stare. This wasn't real. It just couldn't be real.

"Well, come on, then!" Rosie said, beckoning her husband with her free arm.

He hobbled over in a daze, drawn in by Rosie's eyes. Hermione was right, she was glowing.

As soon as he was in her limited reach, she pulled him down to sit on the bed with her.

She sighed. "I look awful, don't I? I haven't even washed up." Rosie glanced down lovingly at the bundle in her arms. "But I don't mind."

"I think you look beautiful," Scorpius muttered, just barely audible. It was all his voice could muster, but he meant every word of it. Rosie's hair was matted with sweat, her skin flushed, her lips bitten and looking slightly bruised, beads of moisture collecting on her lashes. But he could never remember a time, even on their wedding day, where she had looked more gorgeous, luminous, as she did right then. He told her so, watching her skin flush deeper, casting her eyes down.

But a small smile lit across her face. "Thank you," she said.

Scorpius smiled back, his heart skipping a beat as he eyed the tiny bundle in her arms. "Is- is that-"

"No," Rosie said in a very serious voice. Scorpius looked at her face in worry. "It's a big cheese, disguised as a baby. These past nine months have been nothing but a sham."

Scorpius gave a frustrated sigh. "This child is going nowhere near Al. You'll be a bad enough influence as it is."

Rosie chuckled. "Oh, just try to keep him away. Between Uncle George's prank shop and Al coaching little Prudence every step of the way-"

"Prudence?" he said, befuddled.

"-she'll be the terror of Hogwarts. And yes. Prudence."

Scorpius shook his head. "The last Prudence I knew had teeth like a horse and smelled like Stinksap. Try again."

"Petunia." Scorpius winced. "Ester." He shook his head. "Ida." He stuck out his tongue. "Calliope." He wrinkled his nose. "Sophie."

Scorpius let out a giggle (a manly one, if he was pressed for an excuse). "We're not naming our daughter after an owl!" he said. Scorpius reached out a hand to touch the bundle in Rosie's arms, only to have her pull his daughter back from him. "Hey!"

The baby made a small fuss, but Rosie rocked her back to sleep. "If you're so smart, you try to come up with a name for her!" she said quietly, but with no less intensity.

Scorpius thought for a moment, feeling the butterflies that had been bouncing in his stomach settle. Leave it to Rosie to settle him down, to make him feel comfortable in this strange moment.

The name, as James had promised, was the tricky part. His in-laws all confirmed the fact that it usually was only settled after the baby was born. Not that Scorpius and Rosie Malfoy hadn't tried to break that tradition. He felt he had been very patient with Rosie, letting her rattle off names, changing her mind constantly. Scorpius had been warned that that would happen too. A pregnant Weasley's mind was hardly, if ever, completely settled. It was a fact of life, like missing socks and ill-tempered lawn-gnomes.

But since none of the names that Rosie shot out appealed to him, he quietly vetoed them, one by one. There was one, itching in the back of his mind. It was rather silly, but it felt right.

"I was thinking-" he said, offering his waiting wife a small smile "That I would want to call her Harriett." Rosie quirked an eyebrow. "You know, after your uncle." He felt a small pang in the pit of his stomach. "I mean," he said, looking down at the bundle in Rosie's arms. "He did so much for us. Saved us. I mean-"

"Sh," Rosie cooed. Scorpius looked up, never realizing that he was, in fact, avoiding her gaze. She gave him an encouraging smile, then gazed down at her first and only daughter. "Harriett…" she ventured. She tilted the baby in her arms. "Harriett…"

The baby, the small bundle wrapped in pink, let out an audible fart.

The mood officially broke and the couple began to laugh so hard that the baby began to cry. She hadn't found her voice yet, so it wasn't all that loud. Nonetheless, Rosie tried to calm her through her giggles but was doing a poor job of it. She handed her off to Scorpius, who sobered up quicker than Rosie so as not to upset the infant more.

"Well, that settles that I guess," Rosie sighed. Another small round of laughter bubbled from her throat as she rested her arm across her depleted belly, resting against the headboard behind her. "It hurts to laugh," but she did so anyway.

Scorpius looked down at the bundle, curling one hand from under his daughter to move aside a bit of blanket that was covering her face.

She didn't look at all like Harry. After all, she didn't have any Potter blood in her veins. Her face was longer, her lips fuller (much like her mother) and on her head was a mountain of strawberry-blonde curls.

Then, she opened her eyes.

Scorpius took in a sharp breath as he took in those pale eyes; a beautiful crystal grey color. So light they almost looked silver. When she grew older, she would be able to stop Quidditch games and traffic with those eyes.

Scorpius was going to have to brush up on his jinxes and hexes, just in case any boys had the wrong idea.

"So we're agreed then," Rosie said, breaking the silence.

Scorpius blinked at her, confused, until he back-tracked and remembered the conversation. "You mean it?" he asked, wide-eyed. "You like the name?"

Rosie leaned forward, as did Scorpius. She brushed away the blanket from the baby's face so she could see properly. "I do."

Scorpius felt a bubble of joy rise in his chest. "Mipsy!" he cried.

With a pop, the little house-elf appeared. "Yes, Master Scorpius?"

"I have someone I want you to meet, Mipsy," Scorpius said, absolutely beaming. He bent down as low as he dared, showing Mipsy the bundle. "This is Harriet Abigail Malfoy."

Mipsy reached up on her tip-toes, her large eyes peering into the face of her master's little offspring, who stared back at her. A chubby little hand reached out, and Mipsy offered her finger. Harriett grabbed it was her hot little fist.

"Master! Little Mistress is beautiful, sir! Master's mother would have been proud, she would have been!" Mipsy smiled, her eyes twinkling.

Harriett let go of Mipsy's finger and yawned. Almost immediately, she fell asleep. Being born, Scorpius wagered, was very hard work.

"Mipsy," Scorpius said, catching the small elf's attention. "Could you please go tell the supervising medi-witch that we've decided on a name? And would you please tell them what it is?" Mipsy nodded. "And then please go down to the waiting room and tell our family the same thing?" Mipsy nodded again. "Thank you."

"Will that be all, sir?" Mipsy ventured.

"Yes," Scorpius said.

"Then Mipsy will go do it, sir," she said, positively beaming. "Little Mistress is lovely," she said, turning to Rosie. "Just as Mipsy thought she would be." With a crack, Mipsy disappeared.

Scorpius shifted on the bed, gazing at Harriett in a sort of quiet awe.

He had helped create this little being. A little mass of blankets, strawberry-blonde curls and a mouth like a bow.

She was his. His child. His daughter.

A Malfoy.

Scorpius felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, finding a look of concern written over his wife's face. "What's wrong Scorpius? Oh Merlin! Scorpius! What's wrong?"

He couldn't stop hot tears from falling down his cheeks. All through the pregnancy (though he never bothered Rosie with it since he didn't want her to worry) he had been scared out of his skin over the thought of becoming a father. He never knew love or compassion until he began with Rosie and her family. His life had been nothing but lies and unrealistic expectations. What did he know about raising a child? He was alright with Tabatha, he had to admit, but his own flesh and blood? Would he sell out his children too? The way that Draco had? Would he torture them? Overbear them? Would it even be safe for Scorpius to become a father?

No. As Harry often reminded him the past nine months. Not becoming father. A dad. There's a difference.

He let out a shaky breath. Harriett slept on. "I-I was so worried," he said, taking his time with his words, "after you were marked by Viedemal. You took forever to recover. I-I felt so g-guilty that I brought that on you. You have no idea." His voice was barely a whisper.

"But you defeated her," Rosie said, her voice pushing into a false sense of calm that she did not feel. Scorpius rarely talked about Viedemal, only drawing her name out when he had something heavy on his chest. Like bricks he had once described. "You, Al, Hugo, Dad and Uncle Harry didn't rest until she was completely eradicated. That counts for something, Scorpius. That counts for a lot."

"But it took years," Scorpius added. Harriett slept on.

"So what?" Rosie said, her voice becoming stern. Scorpius looked at her with a grimace, but she didn't care. She was not letting him take the blame for events that he had no control over. No matter how many years, no matter how many rows, she was still never able to convince him that dealing with Viedemal and her effects had been a ridiculously small price to pay in order to have Scorpius. "You came to help me when you could have just walked away. Just as you did when my dad attacked you. Just as I did when Viedemal kept calling you from the school to torture you! Just as Professor Longbottom did when he wanted to train you despite your father's wishes!"

Her hand tightened on his shoulder. "Scor- This may sound hard to believe, but I love you. I wouldn't have entered this marriage and given birth to your child if I didn't think you were worth it."

Scorpius looked from his wife to Harriett, who was still sleeping, although he wasn't really sure how she managed. His heart was pounding in his chest, his Adam's apple pulsing in his throat. He held Harriett tighter to his chest. She let out a huff of breath but slept on. How could he care so deeply about something-someone- who wasn't even a day old? She couldn't walk, talk or feed herself, but Merlin! How important she felt to him.

Rosie didn't speak for a moment, letting her words sink into him. He had been listening; however, not in the way she thought he had.

"I wasn't blaming myself over what happened with Viedemal," he said. He looked at his wife who gave him a reproachful look. "Granted, I do that on occasion," he consented. "But not this time."

Rosie's face relaxed, a small blush spreading over her cheeks. "Oh," she said, sounding chastised.

"But, I had been thinking- I wasn't sure I can do this." He nodded his head at Harriett. "I wasn't sure I was right for this. I never had a good relationship with my father. I barely knew him, really. And how would I know if I was doing right? And I'm still not sure I'm ready for this," he admitted. "How will I know that I won't do what my father did, or what his father did? And how could I bear it if some dark wizard or witch used her to get to us? How-"

Rosie clapped a hand over his mouth. "You're rambling," she stated softly. "Listen to me," she said, keeping her hand on his mouth. "Do you love me?" Scorpius nodded. "Do you love Harriett?" He nodded again. "Do you trust our family?" The nod came a little slower. "Do you trust Professors Longbottom, Dobrinski and Saffrun?" Scorpius thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Then I trust you to do what's right. Not just for Harriett, but for all of us." She removed her hand. "Your father's family liked to stay in power; with whoever could give it to them, and it cost them dearly. It cost them you. They made a series of horrible mistakes, but they've paid for their sins and it's over and done with. " She gave him a penetrating look. "You're not your father, Scor. You're not doing what he would have done."

Harriett woke up, beginning to fuss. Rosie held out her arms and Scorpius handed her back, willingly albeit reluctantly. "Think she's hungry?" Scorpius said, and Rosie nodded, clumsily adjusting her dressing gown and Harriett, trying to find a comfortable position. It took a moment, then Harriett latched on, causing Rosie to jump a little in surprise. "What's it like?" Scorpius asked. "Bad?"

"No," Rosie replied, her voice sounding a bit uncertain. "Just strange."

Harriett suckled, settling against her mother's breast.

Scorpius thought over Rosie's words as he watched, then felt the corner of his mouth tugging upwards. Rosie had just given birth to their first child, given him a stern lecture and plowed forward into mothering.

Whoever called women the weaker sex was sorely mistaken.

At that moment, the room burst open.

"Tell Daddy that I don't have to go to bed!" Little Tabatha cried, shoving her way into the door. The slat of wood was far too heavy for her to open on her own. James gave it a discreet push, so that Tabatha thought she was doing it on her own. Tabatha bounded onto the bed with her teddy bear in her arms as the family followed. "Who's that?" she said loudly, pointing at Harriett as several adults brought their fingers to their lips and hissed out a collective "sh!"

Scorpius laughed, getting up and collecting Tabatha in his arms, placing her on his lap. "That's Harriett, my daughter," he said.

"Oh!" Tabatha said. "Was that what was growing in Auntie Rosie's tummy?"

"Yep," Scorpius said grinning. "And she's just perfect."

"Just like me?" Tabatha said, her eyes bright.

Several of the adults snickered. Tabatha looked around, confused. She was used to being the baby of the family, and hadn't quite realized that this new bundle, while small, was about to take away her spot-light.

Rather than enlighten her, Scorpius pulled her closer, drawing her into a warmly enveloping hug.

"Exactly, Tabatha. Just like you."

-Fin

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Ok, this is necessary.

I'd like to thank all of my reviewers. I really could not have finished this without you. Literally. Your threats were taken seriously.

:-