Author's Notes: I'm sorry this took so long! I've been babysitting the
past couple of nights when I would normally be writing, and then I had the
world's worst headache for a day...but the chapter's up now, and
it's...well, weird might not be the right world. Darkness next chapter,
just to warn you.
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Harry reeled back against the bed, tasting blood in his mouth. "I had no choice," he snapped. "And you made it perfectly clear you wanted nothing more to do with me."
"You hid who you are from me, and then you expected me to deal with something that my entire world had been prejudiced against for my entire life!" Draco bellowed. "Did you really expect me to accept it in the space of two minutes that you gave me? Did you accept it that quickly?"
"It's different," Harry said quietly after a moment. "It...I..."
"You have no excuses," Draco muttered disgustedly. "You don't even have an explanation for me."
"I don't need to explain myself to you," Harry retorted. "I don't now, and I didn't then."
"Maybe not, but I deserved to know the truth," Draco flared. "And so does our daughter."
Rachel turned and stared at Harry in shock. Nathalie detached herself from Rachel, and frowned at Harry.
"Papa?" she asked uncertainly. "What's he talking about?"
Harry closed his eyes resignedly. "I can't do this, Draco. Not right now, not with everything that's going on." He heard Nathalie come closer, felt her take his and, and he opened his eyes, bending down to pick her up. "And besides, Draco. I'm not willing to have half of you."
Leaving him to work out what that cryptic remark meant, he carried Nathalie out of the hospital wing. Dumbledore and Remus were waiting for them, but he ignored them, striding past and towards the stairs that led down to the Entrance Hall.
Then he remembered that he was in pyjamas.
"Papa, stop," Nathalie said demandingly. "Papa, you left our cloaks, and Papa, who was that man?"
"Not right now," he snapped. She cringed away from him, as much as she could whilst being carried, and he exhaled slowly, letting her back to the floor. With a whimper, she pushed herself against a nearby wall and stared at him, wide-eyed.
"Nathalie, I'm sorry," he said. She said nothing. "Cherie, I didn't mean it," he tried again.
"Of course you did," came a familiar voice from behind him. "Why would you have said it if you didn't mean it?"
"Salazar, now is *not* the time to act like a, well, a Slytherin," Godric snapped, also behind Harry. Now the two spirits moved to stand next to Nathalie. "Nathalie, sweet, he really didn't mean it," Godric continued. "This is a hard time for your Papa, and that man..."
"He was my father, wasn't he?" Nathalie whispered, looking up at the two spirits. They looked over at Harry, who stood silent, defeated. "Godric? Sal'zar? Wasn't he!?"
"He was - is," Harry said slowly. "Nathalie..." He took a step towards her, and she shrieked in rage. He froze, stunned beyond belief, and felt a tear run down his cheek. "Nathalie..."
"You lied to me," she accused him. "You said my other father was dead!"
Harry frowned. "I never, ever said that, Nathalie," he said sharply. "I never told you that."
"You may as well have done," Salazar offered unsympathetically. "She knows next to nothing about Draco Malfoy - she doesn't even know his name."
"I don't need you accusing me as well!" Harry snapped. "Just stay the hell away from me and Nathalie, Salazar - you're causing enough havoc as it is. Why can't you just go back to your owl land and try to figure out a way from there to stop the Others taking over everything - or is that too good for the world for the founder of Slytherin House to do? Is that too beneficial for the world, too not self-centred for you?"
Salazar stared at him, and then slowly disappeared. Harry felt a hand on his shoulder, and he yelped, moving away and wrapping his arms around himself. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Godric trying to comfort Nathalie, who was crying, but he couldn't do anything about it. He'd snapped.
He heard crying, and didn't even realise that it was his until a pair of comforting arms surrounded him, and someone brushed tears from his face.
"Why does the fate of the whole fucking world always land on my shoulders?" he demanded wildly. "Why?"
"Because you can handle it," soothed Draco. "Because you've always been able to handle it. You're strong, Harry...stronger than any of us could ever imagine." Harry closed his eyes and rested his head on Draco's shoulder, just like he always had when they'd been together.
Then he lifted his head, took a breath, and turned towards his daughter. "Nathalie, cherie," he said softly. "Come over here." Godric nodded down at Nathalie, and she slowly moved towards the two men. "Draco, this is Nathalie. Nathalie...this is your father."
Nathalie sucked on the little finger of her right hand. "I know," she said calmly, her words a little muffled. "I'm not stupid, Papa." She frowned up at Draco. "So what should I call you?" she wanted to know. Harry and Draco glanced at each other.
"Whatever you want," Draco said finally. Harry raised an eyebrow, but for once Nathalie didn't take advantage of such an open-ended statement.
"Daddy," she decided quickly. "Daddy, can you fly?"
"Not as well as I can," Harry inserted quickly. "Nathalie, go and make sure Zia Rachel is alright, would you?" Nathalie nodded and moved off a pace. Then she turned back, gave Harry a hug, then gave Draco a hug. The expression of shock on Draco's face would have been funny if Nathalie hadn't been completely sincere. A moment later, she ran back into the hospital wing, and the two men separated.
"We still have to talk," Draco warned Harry, who rolled his eyes.
"What do I look like, stupid?" he wanted to know. Draco opened his mouth. "No, don't even think about answering that."
Someone behind them coughed, and they whirled. Remus and Dumbledore were gazing at them, with identical mixed expressions of humour and bemusement.
"You do realise that you just had an argument with two people we couldn't see?" Remus queried. Harry silently nodded.
"Your clothes are in the hospital wing," Dumbledore told Harry lightly. "I've arranged rooms for Nathalie and yourself - although yours may not be necessary." He nodded at all of then, then disappeared down a corridor. Harry's cheeks were burning; he looked anywhere but at Draco, and his eyes landed on the spirits of Godric and James, both of whom were smirking at him. He suppressed a retort, and instead murmured something under his breath.
Draco glanced at the two ghosts who had suddenly appeared, and then looked again.
"Bloody hell," he muttered, sounding a little faint. Remus followed his gaze, and almost choked.
"Draco, I'd like you to meet my father," Harry said airily, fully aware of the dumbfounded expression on his ex-lover's face. "Oh, and this is Godric Gryffindor," he added carelessly. "I'd better go and find my clothes." He sauntered into the hospital wing.
"Five, four, three, two, one," he murmured.
"POTTER!" Harry grinned to himself. *Right on time.*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
To be continued.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Harry reeled back against the bed, tasting blood in his mouth. "I had no choice," he snapped. "And you made it perfectly clear you wanted nothing more to do with me."
"You hid who you are from me, and then you expected me to deal with something that my entire world had been prejudiced against for my entire life!" Draco bellowed. "Did you really expect me to accept it in the space of two minutes that you gave me? Did you accept it that quickly?"
"It's different," Harry said quietly after a moment. "It...I..."
"You have no excuses," Draco muttered disgustedly. "You don't even have an explanation for me."
"I don't need to explain myself to you," Harry retorted. "I don't now, and I didn't then."
"Maybe not, but I deserved to know the truth," Draco flared. "And so does our daughter."
Rachel turned and stared at Harry in shock. Nathalie detached herself from Rachel, and frowned at Harry.
"Papa?" she asked uncertainly. "What's he talking about?"
Harry closed his eyes resignedly. "I can't do this, Draco. Not right now, not with everything that's going on." He heard Nathalie come closer, felt her take his and, and he opened his eyes, bending down to pick her up. "And besides, Draco. I'm not willing to have half of you."
Leaving him to work out what that cryptic remark meant, he carried Nathalie out of the hospital wing. Dumbledore and Remus were waiting for them, but he ignored them, striding past and towards the stairs that led down to the Entrance Hall.
Then he remembered that he was in pyjamas.
"Papa, stop," Nathalie said demandingly. "Papa, you left our cloaks, and Papa, who was that man?"
"Not right now," he snapped. She cringed away from him, as much as she could whilst being carried, and he exhaled slowly, letting her back to the floor. With a whimper, she pushed herself against a nearby wall and stared at him, wide-eyed.
"Nathalie, I'm sorry," he said. She said nothing. "Cherie, I didn't mean it," he tried again.
"Of course you did," came a familiar voice from behind him. "Why would you have said it if you didn't mean it?"
"Salazar, now is *not* the time to act like a, well, a Slytherin," Godric snapped, also behind Harry. Now the two spirits moved to stand next to Nathalie. "Nathalie, sweet, he really didn't mean it," Godric continued. "This is a hard time for your Papa, and that man..."
"He was my father, wasn't he?" Nathalie whispered, looking up at the two spirits. They looked over at Harry, who stood silent, defeated. "Godric? Sal'zar? Wasn't he!?"
"He was - is," Harry said slowly. "Nathalie..." He took a step towards her, and she shrieked in rage. He froze, stunned beyond belief, and felt a tear run down his cheek. "Nathalie..."
"You lied to me," she accused him. "You said my other father was dead!"
Harry frowned. "I never, ever said that, Nathalie," he said sharply. "I never told you that."
"You may as well have done," Salazar offered unsympathetically. "She knows next to nothing about Draco Malfoy - she doesn't even know his name."
"I don't need you accusing me as well!" Harry snapped. "Just stay the hell away from me and Nathalie, Salazar - you're causing enough havoc as it is. Why can't you just go back to your owl land and try to figure out a way from there to stop the Others taking over everything - or is that too good for the world for the founder of Slytherin House to do? Is that too beneficial for the world, too not self-centred for you?"
Salazar stared at him, and then slowly disappeared. Harry felt a hand on his shoulder, and he yelped, moving away and wrapping his arms around himself. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Godric trying to comfort Nathalie, who was crying, but he couldn't do anything about it. He'd snapped.
He heard crying, and didn't even realise that it was his until a pair of comforting arms surrounded him, and someone brushed tears from his face.
"Why does the fate of the whole fucking world always land on my shoulders?" he demanded wildly. "Why?"
"Because you can handle it," soothed Draco. "Because you've always been able to handle it. You're strong, Harry...stronger than any of us could ever imagine." Harry closed his eyes and rested his head on Draco's shoulder, just like he always had when they'd been together.
Then he lifted his head, took a breath, and turned towards his daughter. "Nathalie, cherie," he said softly. "Come over here." Godric nodded down at Nathalie, and she slowly moved towards the two men. "Draco, this is Nathalie. Nathalie...this is your father."
Nathalie sucked on the little finger of her right hand. "I know," she said calmly, her words a little muffled. "I'm not stupid, Papa." She frowned up at Draco. "So what should I call you?" she wanted to know. Harry and Draco glanced at each other.
"Whatever you want," Draco said finally. Harry raised an eyebrow, but for once Nathalie didn't take advantage of such an open-ended statement.
"Daddy," she decided quickly. "Daddy, can you fly?"
"Not as well as I can," Harry inserted quickly. "Nathalie, go and make sure Zia Rachel is alright, would you?" Nathalie nodded and moved off a pace. Then she turned back, gave Harry a hug, then gave Draco a hug. The expression of shock on Draco's face would have been funny if Nathalie hadn't been completely sincere. A moment later, she ran back into the hospital wing, and the two men separated.
"We still have to talk," Draco warned Harry, who rolled his eyes.
"What do I look like, stupid?" he wanted to know. Draco opened his mouth. "No, don't even think about answering that."
Someone behind them coughed, and they whirled. Remus and Dumbledore were gazing at them, with identical mixed expressions of humour and bemusement.
"You do realise that you just had an argument with two people we couldn't see?" Remus queried. Harry silently nodded.
"Your clothes are in the hospital wing," Dumbledore told Harry lightly. "I've arranged rooms for Nathalie and yourself - although yours may not be necessary." He nodded at all of then, then disappeared down a corridor. Harry's cheeks were burning; he looked anywhere but at Draco, and his eyes landed on the spirits of Godric and James, both of whom were smirking at him. He suppressed a retort, and instead murmured something under his breath.
Draco glanced at the two ghosts who had suddenly appeared, and then looked again.
"Bloody hell," he muttered, sounding a little faint. Remus followed his gaze, and almost choked.
"Draco, I'd like you to meet my father," Harry said airily, fully aware of the dumbfounded expression on his ex-lover's face. "Oh, and this is Godric Gryffindor," he added carelessly. "I'd better go and find my clothes." He sauntered into the hospital wing.
"Five, four, three, two, one," he murmured.
"POTTER!" Harry grinned to himself. *Right on time.*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
To be continued.