"I want the drugs!" Draco ordered.
"Sir, you'll have to leave now," the nurse told Ron. Hermione gently guided him into the waiting room and sat him down in a chair.
"What if the doctor hurts him?" Ron worried.
"Relax, he knows exactly what he's doing."
"But what if he doesn't? What if he's one of those fakes, who doesn't have a real license? "
"He's perfectly competent, Ron. Here, drink some coffee."
Ron put the cup back down on the table. He stood and began pacing.
"I can't believe I'm really here."
"Neither can anyone else," Harry said dryly.
"I'm going to be a dad!"
"Yes, we know."
"Are Draco's parents coming?" Hermione asked.
"No. His father has a "business" meeting, and his mother won't come without his father."
"Oh."
They were silent for the next 2 hours.
"Congratulations, it's a boy!" the doctor stuck his head out the door, still in his operation scrubs.
"Oh my god!" Hermione squealed. Ron hugged both his friends and ran in to see his baby. Draco was sleeping off the surgery, and the nurse handed him the baby with a shhhing gesture. The baby was tiny, and red and covered with some really gross looking stuff, but he had Draco's gray eyes.
"He's beautiful" Harry whispered.
'Wanna hold him?"
"I-I don't know how."
"You have to support his head, like this-"Ron demonstrated. "Watch out, they're heavier than they seem".
"Oh look, "Draco mumbled. "It's Potter and Granger. Yay."
"Go on, Shoo" said the doctor, "The child needs to be bathed, and the mother needs his rest."
**
Two years later. Malfoy Manor.
Marius toddled toward him and stopped. He stuck up his arms and gave Ron a winning smile.
"Daddy. Up." He demanded.
"What do you say?" Ron asked. The little boy's brow furrowed for a second.
"Daddy, Up, Now?" He said.
Ron sighed and scooped him up.
"I was trying to get him to say "Please" he said to Draco.
"Malfoys don't say please."
"Peas!" the child giggled.
"He's completely hopeless,"Draco said.
"I don't want him growing up to be rude"
"Maybe you should spend more time with him then,"Draco said testily. Ron shifted the baby's weight on his hip. They had this fight almost every time he came to visit Marius.
"I would if I could. I love him, you know that. But it's not like I live next door, and I have school. "
"Uh-I have school too."
"Yeah, but you have custody of him, and I don't. When you come home on weekends and holidays, you get to see him. "
"He lives with me because my family has better resources and more room."
"And explain to me why that's my fault?"
"It's not!"Draco groaned. "I know it's not, I just get so frustrated, he keeps asking for you, and I have to keep telling him that you can't come over."
"It doesn't have to be this way," Ron said quietly. Draco nodded and turned away.
"You want something to eat?"
"Sure, I guess."
Draco was avoiding the issue, the way he always did. He refused to discuss the possibility of them getting married, or moving in together. The house elf arrived with a plate of sandwiches and three glasses of milk. Ron would never get over how quickly the servants responded to Draco. He'd barely pulled the bell.
"So, um-how's your Mum?" Draco asked. He was helping Marius drink milk out of a plastic cup, mainly trying to keep him from spilling or throwing it.
"She's fine. She won a prize from Witch Weekly for her Patriotic Sponge Cake."
"Ooh,"Draco's eyes lit up. "How much?"
"A year's free subscription, and a T-shirt that says "I Take The Cake".
"Well, that's good for her. I like her. "
"And you? What's going on with your family?"
"My father still tries to pretend Marius doesn't exist. He won't speak to him, or hold him, and if he's the only one in the room when the kid starts crying, he'll walk all the way across the house to find someone else to take care of it. And he refers to my son as "It".
"What a bastard."
"Don't talk that way about my father, "Draco snapped. "That's just the way Father is."
Draco studied the floor and jiggled the baby on his lap. Ron noticed how tired he looked, maybe exhausted was a better word.
"You look like you need some sleep," he said. "I'll hold him, you go take a nap."
He played and talked with the boy for an hour or two before Marius' eyes began to close. He carried Marius upstairs, changed him into his pajamas and put him to bed. As he was walking back down the hall, he heard a muffled sound from Draco's bedroom. Ron paused at the door. Soft gasps and hitching breaths were coming from the other side. He'd heard that sound before, and Ron knew it meant that Draco was crying.
"Sir, you'll have to leave now," the nurse told Ron. Hermione gently guided him into the waiting room and sat him down in a chair.
"What if the doctor hurts him?" Ron worried.
"Relax, he knows exactly what he's doing."
"But what if he doesn't? What if he's one of those fakes, who doesn't have a real license? "
"He's perfectly competent, Ron. Here, drink some coffee."
Ron put the cup back down on the table. He stood and began pacing.
"I can't believe I'm really here."
"Neither can anyone else," Harry said dryly.
"I'm going to be a dad!"
"Yes, we know."
"Are Draco's parents coming?" Hermione asked.
"No. His father has a "business" meeting, and his mother won't come without his father."
"Oh."
They were silent for the next 2 hours.
"Congratulations, it's a boy!" the doctor stuck his head out the door, still in his operation scrubs.
"Oh my god!" Hermione squealed. Ron hugged both his friends and ran in to see his baby. Draco was sleeping off the surgery, and the nurse handed him the baby with a shhhing gesture. The baby was tiny, and red and covered with some really gross looking stuff, but he had Draco's gray eyes.
"He's beautiful" Harry whispered.
'Wanna hold him?"
"I-I don't know how."
"You have to support his head, like this-"Ron demonstrated. "Watch out, they're heavier than they seem".
"Oh look, "Draco mumbled. "It's Potter and Granger. Yay."
"Go on, Shoo" said the doctor, "The child needs to be bathed, and the mother needs his rest."
**
Two years later. Malfoy Manor.
Marius toddled toward him and stopped. He stuck up his arms and gave Ron a winning smile.
"Daddy. Up." He demanded.
"What do you say?" Ron asked. The little boy's brow furrowed for a second.
"Daddy, Up, Now?" He said.
Ron sighed and scooped him up.
"I was trying to get him to say "Please" he said to Draco.
"Malfoys don't say please."
"Peas!" the child giggled.
"He's completely hopeless,"Draco said.
"I don't want him growing up to be rude"
"Maybe you should spend more time with him then,"Draco said testily. Ron shifted the baby's weight on his hip. They had this fight almost every time he came to visit Marius.
"I would if I could. I love him, you know that. But it's not like I live next door, and I have school. "
"Uh-I have school too."
"Yeah, but you have custody of him, and I don't. When you come home on weekends and holidays, you get to see him. "
"He lives with me because my family has better resources and more room."
"And explain to me why that's my fault?"
"It's not!"Draco groaned. "I know it's not, I just get so frustrated, he keeps asking for you, and I have to keep telling him that you can't come over."
"It doesn't have to be this way," Ron said quietly. Draco nodded and turned away.
"You want something to eat?"
"Sure, I guess."
Draco was avoiding the issue, the way he always did. He refused to discuss the possibility of them getting married, or moving in together. The house elf arrived with a plate of sandwiches and three glasses of milk. Ron would never get over how quickly the servants responded to Draco. He'd barely pulled the bell.
"So, um-how's your Mum?" Draco asked. He was helping Marius drink milk out of a plastic cup, mainly trying to keep him from spilling or throwing it.
"She's fine. She won a prize from Witch Weekly for her Patriotic Sponge Cake."
"Ooh,"Draco's eyes lit up. "How much?"
"A year's free subscription, and a T-shirt that says "I Take The Cake".
"Well, that's good for her. I like her. "
"And you? What's going on with your family?"
"My father still tries to pretend Marius doesn't exist. He won't speak to him, or hold him, and if he's the only one in the room when the kid starts crying, he'll walk all the way across the house to find someone else to take care of it. And he refers to my son as "It".
"What a bastard."
"Don't talk that way about my father, "Draco snapped. "That's just the way Father is."
Draco studied the floor and jiggled the baby on his lap. Ron noticed how tired he looked, maybe exhausted was a better word.
"You look like you need some sleep," he said. "I'll hold him, you go take a nap."
He played and talked with the boy for an hour or two before Marius' eyes began to close. He carried Marius upstairs, changed him into his pajamas and put him to bed. As he was walking back down the hall, he heard a muffled sound from Draco's bedroom. Ron paused at the door. Soft gasps and hitching breaths were coming from the other side. He'd heard that sound before, and Ron knew it meant that Draco was crying.