That you to all my reviewers for getting my ass back in gear and finally updating this story! Sorry it's taken so long, but I wanted to get a chapter for each and update them all at the same time. I couldn't belive it when i checked my e-mails and had 37 review alerts! Thats just mad! You people need hobbies... A bit of nasty language from Luci in this one, but other than that it's all good. xx W xx
Chapter Four - Beneath The Surface
Sirius walked out on the living room, closing the door softly behind him. Draco walked toward the door, but Sirius stood in his way. "Leave him be, kid, he's sleeping and he's going to need all the rest he can get." Sirius said softly and Draco backed down, taking a step back.
"So what is it? What has that monster done to him?" Molly asked, curling into Arthur as though she were afraid of the answer. They were all prepared for the worst, but not one of them was prepared for what Sirius had to say.
"He's fine as far as I can tell, but there is one thing that I would prefer to discuss with Draco before I say anything more... If my fears are correct then we could have some big problems on our hands and Lucius refuses to talk to me, so, for the time being, I am going to have to find out all I can through Draco." He paused for a moment. "You think that we could have a moment? In the kitchen maybe?"
"Of course, of course." Molly said, ushering them into the kitchen. "Draco, dear, you know where everything is, make yourselves something to eat and a cup of tea or something." She said before she left the room, closing the door behind herself. Sirius quickly put up silencing charms and other such things around the room.
"So what is it then?" Draco said, sitting at the table and lacing his fingers together in a buisness like manner. "What's the matter with my father that couldn't be discussed in front of them? Is he going to die?" He said, trying to keep the panic from his voice as he said the last part.
"No, no, he isn't dying." Sirius said, taking a seat opposite Draco. "The simple fact of the matter is that your father could be pregnant, though if he is then he is in the very early stages, no more than maybe a day, but i'm sure that he is."
Draco nodded. "Makes sense. He had me because mum couldn't have kids. So what is so imporatant about that? Why did you have to talk to me before you could talk to them? He's pregnant, so what? I've been pregnant before..." He paused at the memory of hold good it had felt to have a life inside hima nd how much it stung to have to get rid of that child... under his fathers orders. "It's not a big deal."
"It is a big deal Draco. Think about it. Whose child do you think it might be? Considering his recent company, it is questionable..." Sirius said. He remembered back to a meeting of the order last year and everything seemed to click. "Do you remember that meeting at the order, whan Severus reported that Voldemort was planning to produce an heir? What if this child is it?"
Draco's face fell. He had never thought of it like that. He took a couple of deep breaths to clear his head. "Well... what do you want me to do about it? And don't you dare tell me to ask him to kill the baby... I won't... He won't. Termination is not an option." Drco said firmly. He may hate his father for the death of his own child, but he would never wish that on Lucius.
"No... I wouldn't ask you to do that, ever. I know what you went through... All I ask is that you talk to him, and confirm that the child is Voldemort's, and ask him what he wants to do about this. This is something he has to decide on his own, and if he wants that baby then I will always be here to help, that I will promise you." Sirius said sweetly, getting out of the chair.
"I'll talk to him in the morning." Draco said softly. He glanced up at Sirius. "Why are you being so good to us? I thought that you hated Malfoy's. You always have done, and I was sure that you always would. And yet you looked after me when I lost my baby, and now you're offering to help my dad. Why?"
Sirius smiled and ruffled Draco's hair. "I might hate you lot, but you're still family. Blood is thicker than water and all that crap. For another thing I am very close to the Weasley family, and any friend of a Weasley is a friend of mine." And with that, Sirius left the room, briefly saying goodnight to the Weasley's before leaving.
Draco walked out after him, too stunned to say anything. "Goodnight." He whispered softly and walked into the livingroom, curling up on the floor beside his father, eventually falling into a dreamless sleep. Molly stood in the doorway for a moment, wondering if she should wake him and put him to be, but thought better of it and left him to sleep, covering him with a light blanket.
The following morning, Lucius woke and looked around. It took him a moment to remember where he was. He sat up and looked down at him son, sleeping peacfully on the floor beside him. He smiled lightly and rubbed his eyes. He felt tired, and sick, and generally out of sorts. He wondered why he was even still here, whay hadn't they carted him off to Azkaban already? He shugged it off, feeling sick again, and sat up completely.
His stomach grumbled and he ran a hand down over it, and paused. He looked down at him stomach and let out a gasp, his hand moving quickly to cover his mouth. "Holy shit... what did that mother fucker do to me?"
His stomach was considerably larger than it had been the night before. It was more rounded and even the sight of it made him feel weird, but it was small enough that it could be covered, and that was what he was going to do. Cover it up. Keep it a secret. Once he was in Azkaban it would shrival up and die any way.
"Wake up Draco..." He whispered, stroking his index down over the bridge of Draco's nose, over and over, until Draco's eyes fluttered open. Draco yawned and sat up, rubbing his eyes and laying his head on the edge of the sofa. Lucius stroked his sons fluffy blonde hair off of his face. "Good morning sweetheart. Why were you on the floor?"
"I didn't want you waking up on your own." Draco said softly, bringing a smile instantly to Lucius' face, despite the churning of his stomach. "I wanted to make sure that you were going to stick around this time..." Draco said, climbing up onto the sofa and curling into his father's chest.
Lucius held Draco close, hoping that Draco wouldn't notice his stomach. He stroked Draco's hair soothingly. "I'm not going anywhere. Now that I have finally found you again, I am not going to risk loosing you, not for the world." He said. "Was I really such a bad father that you would think I would get up early and run out on you?" Lucius asked sadly.
"Well, when you were at home, you used to go off before I was awake and I would only see you for a short while in the evenings before bed, unless I had done something bad. I don't want it to be like that any more. I just want a normal family, and a normal dad. A dad that tells me he loves me all the time for no reason at all and says goodbye every time he goes out just incase it's the last time he says it."
"Yeah... I'd like that." Lucius said, and he had never been more sincere about anything in his life. He pued Draco away from him. "Dray, darlin', where's the bathroom."
Draco smiled. "It's just through there, the first door on the left." Draco said, pointing into the hall. Lucius got up... very quickly... and ran to the bathroom. Worried, draco followed him and heard him being sick. "I know you're not one for lovey dovey stuff, but I didn't think it would make you ill." Draco said as Lucius emerged from the bathroom. Draco regarded his pale face. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah... just... a bit ill, nothing to worry about. Must have been when I hit my head yesterday." Lucius lied. He wasn't going to tell Draco. He had decided that from the very moment Draco had walked back into his life. There were too many bad memories conected with pregnancy in his family, and he wasn't about to drag them all up.
"You want me to get Sirius?" Draco asked softly as Lucius stumbled back into the living room and sat down on the sofa.
"No, I don't need a Black to help me. But I could use one of Severus' miracle potions around now." Lucius said with a smile. "And a cup of tea would be nice as well."