Disclaimer: If Harry Potter belonged to me, Harry and Draco would have
gotten together by now. I make no money off of this (sadly. Bye-bye dream
car.) and I do not own the characters (Except for the children of the
original characters) or places in this story. I do however own the plot and
random characters that may appear (Don't worry, no Mary-Sues!)
Author's Notes: Chapter 2! Haha! The plot is going to begin to thicken! Plus, we get to see what has happened with the others and their families!
Don't read the following if you have not read Order of the Phoenix! Spoiler Alert!
PS: (This is weeks later. Sorry for the heavy delay in writing), I've just finished reading Order of the Phoenix (In less that 24 hours!) and I'm having to work the storyline around that. Like how Sirius managed to come back to life and Percy started talking to his dad again. Shouldn't be too hard. I have a team of 20 muses working on it!
~*~
Harry Potter and the Rise of Darkness Chapter 2: Reunion
"Oh bloody hell!" Draco muttered as his owl fluttered in a panic from his perch and knocked his ink all over some important documents he was going over. "Thiras! Be more careful!" He waved his wand and the ink was sucked out of the paper and poured back into the container out of thin air. Thiras hooted in an apologetic yet frightened manner and fluttered nervously onto Draco's arm. "What's the matter with you Thiras?" Draco asked, puzzled by the owl's behaviour.
"I think he's just perceptive." Said an all-too-familiar voice.
Draco froze. 'No. Not here. Not now. Not after all this time.' His thoughts were jumbled and panicky and he forced himself to keep his expression a blank mast as he looked up into a face that mirrored his own almost frighteningly. "Lucius." Draco was happy he kept the tremor out of his voice. He hadn't seen his father in eight years, and their last meeting was not pleasant.
Unbidden, the memory of that meeting floated in his mind. The group who had inadvertently drunk the pregnancy potion were six months along when Dumbledore extended an invitation for families to come visit and provide moral support for their pregnant loved ones. It was supposed to be a happy occasion. Draco's encounter with Lucius Malfoy had been anything but.
"Why is it I never heard of this from the start?" Lucius snarled leering at Draco.
"Professor Dumbledore sent a letter home, father." Draco replied coldly.
"It was addressed to your mother, not me. However, what's past is past. This situation can still be rectified. I have a contact with a wizarding adoption agency. As soon as your child is born, I will see that it is sent there." Lucius said with a tone of finality.
Draco stared at his father in shock. "No."
Lucius stopped and glared at the blonde boy in disbelief. "No?"
"My daughter will remain with me. I will not have her growing up with some strangers." Draco said, only semi-aware that Harry had moved to stand by his side in support.
"You dare defy me?" Lucius whispered sinisterly.
"Yes, father," Draco drew the word out in a sneer. "I make my own decisions regarding my child. Not you."
"Take back what you say, and you will not face any consequences." Lucius said, still in the same tone. "If you do not, I will disown you." He lowered his voice so only Draco could hear. "And you will lose all protection from Voldemort that I have been able to give you. This child will be a thorn removed from my side. One way or another."
Draco stared at his father, before closing his eyes in pain. "If that is your wish."
Lucius smiled maliciously, believing he had won.
"Then let it be known that I have no father." Draco finished, before turning and heading down the corridor to his room.
Lucius stared after the boy with contempt before turning on his heel and leaving out the door.
That was the last Draco had seen of Lucius.
"What can I do for you." Draco asked, ignoring the fluttering feeling in his stomach.
"I came looking for you. I must say I was surprised to find you working in an office such as this. I assume it was impossible for you to find work somewhere else." Lucius said. "I could have found you a place more fitting."
Draco's face remained a mask. "Actually, I'm here by choice. I worked hard to become head of the department."
Lucius looked puzzled. "But I thought Potter was head of department. That's what it was listed as."
"That's because Harry and I are married. My name is Potter."
"What?! Why was I not told? I would NEVER have given permission for."
"In front of witnesses you disowned me. From that moment on, I was no longer your concern." Draco said coldly, then abruptly he became businesslike. "Unless there is something you wish to discuss with me Lucius, I would appreciate it if you left. I have a lot of work to do."
The cold fury on the older man's face settled into a frightening calm. "Actually, I would like you to come work for me. In the family business." He lightly emphasised "family", indicating that he meant dealing in dark arts as Malfoys had done for generations.
Draco stared at him impassively. "I'm afraid you'll have to find a family member then." He said lightly.
Lucius sneered at him, contempt in his eyes. His gaze flicked around the room and came to rest on a framed moving photograph of Harry, Sam and Alex that had been taken when the children were five years old. He picked it up, a light smirk playing on his lips. "Oh, are these those children you saddled yourselves with in seventh year? Aren't they pretty."
A thrill of fear tingled up Draco's spine making the younger blonde's breath catch in his throat. "You stay the fuck away from them." He spat, snatching the frame out of Lucius's grasp.
"Come now Draco, I was only admiring them. Although the girl does look a bit too much like that mudblood bitch your 'husband' had for a mother." Lucius drawled lightly.
Before he knew it, a fist had connected with his nose. Stunned, Lucius's hand flew to his face while he caught himself to keep from falling. He numbly stared at the blood staining his hand from his likely broken nose. A large fist-shaped purple bruise was blossoming on his cheek. He stared in shock at his son.
Draco was the picture of anger. His hands were balled into fists at his sides and he was taking deep steadying breaths. His usually calm grey-blue eyes were burning a piercing sapphire. His face was tinged red. When he spoke, his voice dripped with malice. "I suggest, Mr Malfoy, that you get the hell out of my office."
There was a tone of finality in his voice, mingled with a promise that if Lucius didn't leave at once, something really bad would happen to him. Lucius didn't stay to find out what.
As the door slammed shut and silence descended upon the office, Thiras the owl fluttered down onto Draco's arm from his perch behind the desk. He hooted apologetically, as if believing the whole thing to be his fault.
Draco stroked the owl's head soothingly, placed him back on his perch and sat down at his desk with his head in his folded arms. And the tears came.
*
Harry opened his eyes in the darkness of his room and blinked. He turned over to face his husband. Draco was lying on his back, hands tucked under his head, staring at the ceiling. Harry glanced over at the illuminated clock that stood on the nightstand on Draco's side of the bed. It was one a.m.
"Dray?" He whispered.
Draco started, and looked over at the dark-haired man, a tired smile on his face. "Hm?"
"What's wrong?" Harry's forehead was furrowed with concern.
Draco shook his head. "Nothing."
Harry gave him his best impression of Hermione's patented 'Don't-Give-Me- That-Bullshit' look. "What's wrong?" He asked again. "And I'll keep nagging until you tell me."
Draco sighed. "Lucius came to visit me this morning. He wants me back to work in the dark arts for him."
Harry's eyes widened. It was enough of a shock that Lucius would talk to Draco at all, but to have the gall to ask him to come back and work in the dark arts was unbelievable. The brunette pulled Draco into a hug and kissed the top of his head. "Are you okay?"
Draco nodded. "He frightened me. But when he made that snide comment about Sam looking like Lily and called her a mudblood bitch, I just lost it. I punched him, and I don't think he'll let me get away with that. He's not used to people turning him down, especially me. I was the little obedient son who did everything for him. He was training me as a Death Eater. Did you know that? I was willing to grovel at Voldemort's feet and murder innocent people just to please my father." His voice became choked and he snuggled closer to Harry. Talking about his father and the things he made him do was painful. For both Draco and his husband.
Harry tightened his arms around the other man and kissed his forehead again. "What's passed is passed Draco. You've changed. He has no power over you and if he tries anything I'll kick his sorry arse from here to Azkaban."
Draco sniffed. "Promise?" He smiled wobbly up at the black-haired man who grinned back.
"Promise."
*
Harry, Draco, Alex and Sam were eating breakfast the following morning when a letter, dropped off by an owl, flew in through the window and landed in the pan of bacon. As this was an everyday occurrence, Harry calmly picked the letter out and charmed it clean of oil before opening it, reading it's contents and paling by several shades.
Draco looked up concerned. "What is it?" The children were looking from one parent to the other curiously.
Harry tossed the letter to his husband. "The Weasleys are having a family reunion. And they've decided to ask us, as well as the rest of the pregnancy potion group." He sat down and picked at his scrambled eggs, appetite gone. It wasn't that he disliked the Weasleys, or the others who'd had children in the seventh year, it was the thought of upwards of thirty people in the Weasley's house. He honestly couldn't see how it was going to work.
"They've all got children now, don't they?" Draco asked, grimacing as he read the letter.
Harry sighed. "Ginny and Justin have a two-year-old, Melinda and a newborn, Raphael, remember we got the letter from Ron a couple weeks ago? George got together with Oliver Wood, I think they went the same route we did. Either way, they've got a four-year-old son called Michael."
"And of course Ron and Hermione's twins are the same age as Sam and Alex." Draco said, brow creased in thought. "And I know they've got a little son who must be . what? Three by now. What's his name again?"
"Jake." Sam supplied, spooning into her cornflakes.
"Yes, Jake." Draco said.
"And we know all about Percy's and Penelope's darling little nine year old Jason." Harry said, making a face. The child was shaping up to be as fixed to rules as his parents. His younger brother, though, was worse than Fred and George put together. "And Fred married Angelina two years ago. Their baby's almost one now."
"Adam is one." Alex said. "We were at his birthday party, remember?"
"Oh yes." Draco said. "And what happened to the oldest brothers?"
"Charlie finally settled down a bit. He's with a guy he met in Romania, and as far as I know, they haven't got any children yet. Don't even think they're married. And Bill's wife is pregnant with their first. Ron wrote us. She's due in January. Five months away." Harry said. "How many is that?"
"Counting all of us, or just the Weasleys?" Draco asked.
"All."
Draco mentally added up. "Nine Weasley kids, plus their parents makes twenty . three . With Molly and Arthur Weasley it's twenty-five. So that's twenty-five Weasleys. Now add us, Sirius and Severus, Neville and Colin, Dean and Seamus, and all their kids and we have .forty-one, no, forty- three. Colin chose to have a baby with Neville, and Dean and Seamus had another one as well."
"Oh God." Said Harry faintly.
"Precisely."
*
They arrived at The Burrow a few hours earlier than the invitation said, knowing that Molly Weasely would need all the help she could get. Harry was very surprised when, upon arrival, they found no one at home and were almost run over by several runaway roast chickens.
Molly Weasely tore out of the house, frying pan held high, apron askew and trailing behind her. "You get back here! Oh, those boys. They haven't changed! Oh hello, Harry dear!" She stopped just long enough to pull Harry, Draco and the children into a big hug and then tore off after the chickens that were now crashing into walls. Grinning, Sam and Alex ran to help. "We'll help, Aunt Molly!"
Harry and Draco smiled, and Harry entwined his hand in Draco's. "To think, they were a potions accident!" He laughed as Alex snuck up on one of the roasts with a fish net.
"Hmm." Draco smiled, nuzzling Harry's hair. The brunette kissed his husband's forehead. "All because Fred and George switched the ingredients. Remember how angry we were at them?"
"Yeah ." began Harry when he was interrupted by calls of "Oi Harry! Draco!". The two whirled round and grinned at the sight of Ron, Hermione, the twins, Emma and Katherine, and the small toddler, Jake.
"Ron! Hermione!" The other two adults chorused as hugs were exchanged. Draco bent to look at Jake. "Hey there, kiddo. You've grown since the last time I saw you."
Jake blinked at him, shoved his fist into his mouth and hid behind his mother's legs. Hermione smiled and tousled his curly red hair.
Emma and Katherine had meanwhile gone and joined Sam and Alex in Operation Roast Rescue. It wasn't long before all eight chickens were safely back in the oven where the belonged.
Molly, looking flustered, gave Harry, Draco and Ron three small bags and directed them to the field near the house where the Weasely children, Harry and Draco often played Quidditch. When they opened the bags, they were almost killed by the full-sized tables, chairs and table umbrellas that burst out and arranged themselves nicely on the grass.
By this time, a lot of the other guests had arrived and everyone busied themselves with getting re-aquatinted.
*
About two hours later, everyone was tucking onto the erstwhile runaway chickens as the tables magically stopped themselves collapsing under the hundreds of bowls, platters, and plates that were feeding the forty-one people.
Conversation was jovial; many were talking about work, and the children, except for the smallest of them, were seated at a separate table where they could engage in conversation that was more to their understanding. The children of the Hogwarts Pregnant Group had formed a very strong bond over the years and enjoyed the opportunity to catch up.
On Harry's right, Percy was talking animatedly with Arthur about something going on at the Ministry that was obviously very exciting. Harry smiled, remembering how, in his fifth year, Percy had become fully estranged from the family after an argument and even sent back his Christmas gift, not even visiting his father when Arthur was attacked by a giant snake and ended up in St Mungo's. After the return of Lord Voldemort had been acknowledged by the Minister for Magic, Percy had apologised, and been welcomed back into the family without hesitation.
To Harry's left, Molly Weasley was going on about Bill's appearance yet again. Bill was dressed in black jeans, a black t-shirt with blue acid-like writing on it. Over this was a dark blue dragonhide sleeveless jacket, and his feet were covered by his dragonhide lace-up boots. He wore his now- bottom-length red hair in a ponytail down his back and in addition to his fang earring, he now had a silver nose piercing and a stud through his left eyebrow.
"Honestly, Bill, you look like a right Muggle!"
The other Weasleys, Harry and Bill's wife, Patricia, rolled their eyes.
"And I do wish you give your hair a trim ."
"Mum, I do trim it! Just not by much." Bill argued.
"I like it." Patricia said, smiling, her hand on her just-showing belly.
Fred and George were at the kid's table showing them some of their merchandise. Jason, Percy's eldest son was looking on in righteous disapproval, while his younger brother Brandon was eagerly sampling everything and turning into everything from canaries to a pencil box. The other children were just laughing, too wary of their uncles to try anything.
A hush descended on the crowd as Ron and Charlie both stood and tapped their glasses with their spoons, signalling that they wanted to make an announcement. Everyone stared at them expectantly. Ron gestured to Hermione to stand, whilst Charlie pulled his boyfriend David to his feet.
"Well.we couldn't decide who got to go first . " Ron began, grinning.
"So we thought we'd share your attention." Charlie finished.
"Hermione."
"And David."
"Are pregnant!" They finished together in their clearly rehearsed speech.
A cheer rose up from the entire family. Fred and George pounced on their brothers and pulled them into one-armed hugs. "Why you old dogs!" George said, knuckling Charlie's head.
"Have a cigar!" Fred said, offering two to the other redheads.
Ron eyed them warily. "You first."
The twins grinned, and pulled some cigars out of their pockets, lit them and began to smoke them, coughing slightly, neither of them being smokers. Shrugging, Ron and Charlie followed suit and promptly turned into oversized parrots.
Once the brothers had shed their feathers, Harry pulled Charlie aside. "Just wondering . how did you do it?"
Charlie looked puzzled. "Do what?"
"David's pregnancy. I was wondering whether you used the pregnancy potion like we did, or one of those other methods we've heard about."
Draco came over looking interested.
"Why?" Asked Charlie, "Are you considering another?"
"We're thinking about it." Draco said with a soft smile as he rested his head on his husband's shoulder.
"Well, David and I used a charm that transforms the internal male reproductive system into a female's. He keeps all of his . parts . and can still conceive and carry a child in the normal way."
Harry nodded, looking thoughtful. "We'd heard about that." Then he grinned. "Are you nervous?"
Charlie laughed. "As all hell!" He lowered his voice. "I'm not sure I'd be a good dad . I don't have a clue what to do!"
"Neither did we!" Draco said. "At least you've got a whole family of people who've gone through male pregnancy."
"When's the baby due?" Harry asked as Ron and Hermione came over.
"December." Charlie said, hugging Hermione. Draco and Harry followed suit, then shook Ron's hand. Ron grinned widely. "That's the month after us. One up on you bro." Charlie impishly stuck his tongue out at him.
It was well past midnight when everyone went to bed. The children had already been asleep for hours, the bustle of the day having been too much for them. Family-sized tents had been set up around the Weasley house to fit those who simply couldn't fit inside. Harry and Draco's was a two bedroom one, with bunk beds in one for the children and a queen-sized bed for the adults in another.
Harry and Draco lay comfortably side-by-side in silence, facing each other and marking each facial feature as they always did at night. It was a while before Draco spoke. "You're thinking about the charm Charlie and David used, aren't you?"
"Harry smiled softly. "A bit."
"Think it'd be good for Sam and Alex to have a brother or sister?"
"Might be. It'd give them more responsibility. That's a good thing."
"Harry?" Draco began.
"Hm?"
"Could I carry it?"
Harry grinned widely and pulled Draco into a warm embrace, kissing him softly. "Of course, love."
~*~
Ah hah! At last I have finished this chapter after making all the fans wait for three months (Look on the bright side: at least I didn't use JK Rowling's method of making everyone wait THREE YEARS!
So Draco's gonna have a baby, you got to find out what almost everyone's been doing since the end of Pregnancy Potion (The occupations and lives of others will be revealed in good time).
I promise I'll try to have the next chapter out quicker. I don't know if I'll be able to because I write preliminary exams in a month and six weeks after that it's finals. But I'll definitely try!
See you in the next chapter and REVIEW!!!
~*~
Author's Notes: Chapter 2! Haha! The plot is going to begin to thicken! Plus, we get to see what has happened with the others and their families!
Don't read the following if you have not read Order of the Phoenix! Spoiler Alert!
PS: (This is weeks later. Sorry for the heavy delay in writing), I've just finished reading Order of the Phoenix (In less that 24 hours!) and I'm having to work the storyline around that. Like how Sirius managed to come back to life and Percy started talking to his dad again. Shouldn't be too hard. I have a team of 20 muses working on it!
~*~
Harry Potter and the Rise of Darkness Chapter 2: Reunion
"Oh bloody hell!" Draco muttered as his owl fluttered in a panic from his perch and knocked his ink all over some important documents he was going over. "Thiras! Be more careful!" He waved his wand and the ink was sucked out of the paper and poured back into the container out of thin air. Thiras hooted in an apologetic yet frightened manner and fluttered nervously onto Draco's arm. "What's the matter with you Thiras?" Draco asked, puzzled by the owl's behaviour.
"I think he's just perceptive." Said an all-too-familiar voice.
Draco froze. 'No. Not here. Not now. Not after all this time.' His thoughts were jumbled and panicky and he forced himself to keep his expression a blank mast as he looked up into a face that mirrored his own almost frighteningly. "Lucius." Draco was happy he kept the tremor out of his voice. He hadn't seen his father in eight years, and their last meeting was not pleasant.
Unbidden, the memory of that meeting floated in his mind. The group who had inadvertently drunk the pregnancy potion were six months along when Dumbledore extended an invitation for families to come visit and provide moral support for their pregnant loved ones. It was supposed to be a happy occasion. Draco's encounter with Lucius Malfoy had been anything but.
"Why is it I never heard of this from the start?" Lucius snarled leering at Draco.
"Professor Dumbledore sent a letter home, father." Draco replied coldly.
"It was addressed to your mother, not me. However, what's past is past. This situation can still be rectified. I have a contact with a wizarding adoption agency. As soon as your child is born, I will see that it is sent there." Lucius said with a tone of finality.
Draco stared at his father in shock. "No."
Lucius stopped and glared at the blonde boy in disbelief. "No?"
"My daughter will remain with me. I will not have her growing up with some strangers." Draco said, only semi-aware that Harry had moved to stand by his side in support.
"You dare defy me?" Lucius whispered sinisterly.
"Yes, father," Draco drew the word out in a sneer. "I make my own decisions regarding my child. Not you."
"Take back what you say, and you will not face any consequences." Lucius said, still in the same tone. "If you do not, I will disown you." He lowered his voice so only Draco could hear. "And you will lose all protection from Voldemort that I have been able to give you. This child will be a thorn removed from my side. One way or another."
Draco stared at his father, before closing his eyes in pain. "If that is your wish."
Lucius smiled maliciously, believing he had won.
"Then let it be known that I have no father." Draco finished, before turning and heading down the corridor to his room.
Lucius stared after the boy with contempt before turning on his heel and leaving out the door.
That was the last Draco had seen of Lucius.
"What can I do for you." Draco asked, ignoring the fluttering feeling in his stomach.
"I came looking for you. I must say I was surprised to find you working in an office such as this. I assume it was impossible for you to find work somewhere else." Lucius said. "I could have found you a place more fitting."
Draco's face remained a mask. "Actually, I'm here by choice. I worked hard to become head of the department."
Lucius looked puzzled. "But I thought Potter was head of department. That's what it was listed as."
"That's because Harry and I are married. My name is Potter."
"What?! Why was I not told? I would NEVER have given permission for."
"In front of witnesses you disowned me. From that moment on, I was no longer your concern." Draco said coldly, then abruptly he became businesslike. "Unless there is something you wish to discuss with me Lucius, I would appreciate it if you left. I have a lot of work to do."
The cold fury on the older man's face settled into a frightening calm. "Actually, I would like you to come work for me. In the family business." He lightly emphasised "family", indicating that he meant dealing in dark arts as Malfoys had done for generations.
Draco stared at him impassively. "I'm afraid you'll have to find a family member then." He said lightly.
Lucius sneered at him, contempt in his eyes. His gaze flicked around the room and came to rest on a framed moving photograph of Harry, Sam and Alex that had been taken when the children were five years old. He picked it up, a light smirk playing on his lips. "Oh, are these those children you saddled yourselves with in seventh year? Aren't they pretty."
A thrill of fear tingled up Draco's spine making the younger blonde's breath catch in his throat. "You stay the fuck away from them." He spat, snatching the frame out of Lucius's grasp.
"Come now Draco, I was only admiring them. Although the girl does look a bit too much like that mudblood bitch your 'husband' had for a mother." Lucius drawled lightly.
Before he knew it, a fist had connected with his nose. Stunned, Lucius's hand flew to his face while he caught himself to keep from falling. He numbly stared at the blood staining his hand from his likely broken nose. A large fist-shaped purple bruise was blossoming on his cheek. He stared in shock at his son.
Draco was the picture of anger. His hands were balled into fists at his sides and he was taking deep steadying breaths. His usually calm grey-blue eyes were burning a piercing sapphire. His face was tinged red. When he spoke, his voice dripped with malice. "I suggest, Mr Malfoy, that you get the hell out of my office."
There was a tone of finality in his voice, mingled with a promise that if Lucius didn't leave at once, something really bad would happen to him. Lucius didn't stay to find out what.
As the door slammed shut and silence descended upon the office, Thiras the owl fluttered down onto Draco's arm from his perch behind the desk. He hooted apologetically, as if believing the whole thing to be his fault.
Draco stroked the owl's head soothingly, placed him back on his perch and sat down at his desk with his head in his folded arms. And the tears came.
*
Harry opened his eyes in the darkness of his room and blinked. He turned over to face his husband. Draco was lying on his back, hands tucked under his head, staring at the ceiling. Harry glanced over at the illuminated clock that stood on the nightstand on Draco's side of the bed. It was one a.m.
"Dray?" He whispered.
Draco started, and looked over at the dark-haired man, a tired smile on his face. "Hm?"
"What's wrong?" Harry's forehead was furrowed with concern.
Draco shook his head. "Nothing."
Harry gave him his best impression of Hermione's patented 'Don't-Give-Me- That-Bullshit' look. "What's wrong?" He asked again. "And I'll keep nagging until you tell me."
Draco sighed. "Lucius came to visit me this morning. He wants me back to work in the dark arts for him."
Harry's eyes widened. It was enough of a shock that Lucius would talk to Draco at all, but to have the gall to ask him to come back and work in the dark arts was unbelievable. The brunette pulled Draco into a hug and kissed the top of his head. "Are you okay?"
Draco nodded. "He frightened me. But when he made that snide comment about Sam looking like Lily and called her a mudblood bitch, I just lost it. I punched him, and I don't think he'll let me get away with that. He's not used to people turning him down, especially me. I was the little obedient son who did everything for him. He was training me as a Death Eater. Did you know that? I was willing to grovel at Voldemort's feet and murder innocent people just to please my father." His voice became choked and he snuggled closer to Harry. Talking about his father and the things he made him do was painful. For both Draco and his husband.
Harry tightened his arms around the other man and kissed his forehead again. "What's passed is passed Draco. You've changed. He has no power over you and if he tries anything I'll kick his sorry arse from here to Azkaban."
Draco sniffed. "Promise?" He smiled wobbly up at the black-haired man who grinned back.
"Promise."
*
Harry, Draco, Alex and Sam were eating breakfast the following morning when a letter, dropped off by an owl, flew in through the window and landed in the pan of bacon. As this was an everyday occurrence, Harry calmly picked the letter out and charmed it clean of oil before opening it, reading it's contents and paling by several shades.
Draco looked up concerned. "What is it?" The children were looking from one parent to the other curiously.
Harry tossed the letter to his husband. "The Weasleys are having a family reunion. And they've decided to ask us, as well as the rest of the pregnancy potion group." He sat down and picked at his scrambled eggs, appetite gone. It wasn't that he disliked the Weasleys, or the others who'd had children in the seventh year, it was the thought of upwards of thirty people in the Weasley's house. He honestly couldn't see how it was going to work.
"They've all got children now, don't they?" Draco asked, grimacing as he read the letter.
Harry sighed. "Ginny and Justin have a two-year-old, Melinda and a newborn, Raphael, remember we got the letter from Ron a couple weeks ago? George got together with Oliver Wood, I think they went the same route we did. Either way, they've got a four-year-old son called Michael."
"And of course Ron and Hermione's twins are the same age as Sam and Alex." Draco said, brow creased in thought. "And I know they've got a little son who must be . what? Three by now. What's his name again?"
"Jake." Sam supplied, spooning into her cornflakes.
"Yes, Jake." Draco said.
"And we know all about Percy's and Penelope's darling little nine year old Jason." Harry said, making a face. The child was shaping up to be as fixed to rules as his parents. His younger brother, though, was worse than Fred and George put together. "And Fred married Angelina two years ago. Their baby's almost one now."
"Adam is one." Alex said. "We were at his birthday party, remember?"
"Oh yes." Draco said. "And what happened to the oldest brothers?"
"Charlie finally settled down a bit. He's with a guy he met in Romania, and as far as I know, they haven't got any children yet. Don't even think they're married. And Bill's wife is pregnant with their first. Ron wrote us. She's due in January. Five months away." Harry said. "How many is that?"
"Counting all of us, or just the Weasleys?" Draco asked.
"All."
Draco mentally added up. "Nine Weasley kids, plus their parents makes twenty . three . With Molly and Arthur Weasley it's twenty-five. So that's twenty-five Weasleys. Now add us, Sirius and Severus, Neville and Colin, Dean and Seamus, and all their kids and we have .forty-one, no, forty- three. Colin chose to have a baby with Neville, and Dean and Seamus had another one as well."
"Oh God." Said Harry faintly.
"Precisely."
*
They arrived at The Burrow a few hours earlier than the invitation said, knowing that Molly Weasely would need all the help she could get. Harry was very surprised when, upon arrival, they found no one at home and were almost run over by several runaway roast chickens.
Molly Weasely tore out of the house, frying pan held high, apron askew and trailing behind her. "You get back here! Oh, those boys. They haven't changed! Oh hello, Harry dear!" She stopped just long enough to pull Harry, Draco and the children into a big hug and then tore off after the chickens that were now crashing into walls. Grinning, Sam and Alex ran to help. "We'll help, Aunt Molly!"
Harry and Draco smiled, and Harry entwined his hand in Draco's. "To think, they were a potions accident!" He laughed as Alex snuck up on one of the roasts with a fish net.
"Hmm." Draco smiled, nuzzling Harry's hair. The brunette kissed his husband's forehead. "All because Fred and George switched the ingredients. Remember how angry we were at them?"
"Yeah ." began Harry when he was interrupted by calls of "Oi Harry! Draco!". The two whirled round and grinned at the sight of Ron, Hermione, the twins, Emma and Katherine, and the small toddler, Jake.
"Ron! Hermione!" The other two adults chorused as hugs were exchanged. Draco bent to look at Jake. "Hey there, kiddo. You've grown since the last time I saw you."
Jake blinked at him, shoved his fist into his mouth and hid behind his mother's legs. Hermione smiled and tousled his curly red hair.
Emma and Katherine had meanwhile gone and joined Sam and Alex in Operation Roast Rescue. It wasn't long before all eight chickens were safely back in the oven where the belonged.
Molly, looking flustered, gave Harry, Draco and Ron three small bags and directed them to the field near the house where the Weasely children, Harry and Draco often played Quidditch. When they opened the bags, they were almost killed by the full-sized tables, chairs and table umbrellas that burst out and arranged themselves nicely on the grass.
By this time, a lot of the other guests had arrived and everyone busied themselves with getting re-aquatinted.
*
About two hours later, everyone was tucking onto the erstwhile runaway chickens as the tables magically stopped themselves collapsing under the hundreds of bowls, platters, and plates that were feeding the forty-one people.
Conversation was jovial; many were talking about work, and the children, except for the smallest of them, were seated at a separate table where they could engage in conversation that was more to their understanding. The children of the Hogwarts Pregnant Group had formed a very strong bond over the years and enjoyed the opportunity to catch up.
On Harry's right, Percy was talking animatedly with Arthur about something going on at the Ministry that was obviously very exciting. Harry smiled, remembering how, in his fifth year, Percy had become fully estranged from the family after an argument and even sent back his Christmas gift, not even visiting his father when Arthur was attacked by a giant snake and ended up in St Mungo's. After the return of Lord Voldemort had been acknowledged by the Minister for Magic, Percy had apologised, and been welcomed back into the family without hesitation.
To Harry's left, Molly Weasley was going on about Bill's appearance yet again. Bill was dressed in black jeans, a black t-shirt with blue acid-like writing on it. Over this was a dark blue dragonhide sleeveless jacket, and his feet were covered by his dragonhide lace-up boots. He wore his now- bottom-length red hair in a ponytail down his back and in addition to his fang earring, he now had a silver nose piercing and a stud through his left eyebrow.
"Honestly, Bill, you look like a right Muggle!"
The other Weasleys, Harry and Bill's wife, Patricia, rolled their eyes.
"And I do wish you give your hair a trim ."
"Mum, I do trim it! Just not by much." Bill argued.
"I like it." Patricia said, smiling, her hand on her just-showing belly.
Fred and George were at the kid's table showing them some of their merchandise. Jason, Percy's eldest son was looking on in righteous disapproval, while his younger brother Brandon was eagerly sampling everything and turning into everything from canaries to a pencil box. The other children were just laughing, too wary of their uncles to try anything.
A hush descended on the crowd as Ron and Charlie both stood and tapped their glasses with their spoons, signalling that they wanted to make an announcement. Everyone stared at them expectantly. Ron gestured to Hermione to stand, whilst Charlie pulled his boyfriend David to his feet.
"Well.we couldn't decide who got to go first . " Ron began, grinning.
"So we thought we'd share your attention." Charlie finished.
"Hermione."
"And David."
"Are pregnant!" They finished together in their clearly rehearsed speech.
A cheer rose up from the entire family. Fred and George pounced on their brothers and pulled them into one-armed hugs. "Why you old dogs!" George said, knuckling Charlie's head.
"Have a cigar!" Fred said, offering two to the other redheads.
Ron eyed them warily. "You first."
The twins grinned, and pulled some cigars out of their pockets, lit them and began to smoke them, coughing slightly, neither of them being smokers. Shrugging, Ron and Charlie followed suit and promptly turned into oversized parrots.
Once the brothers had shed their feathers, Harry pulled Charlie aside. "Just wondering . how did you do it?"
Charlie looked puzzled. "Do what?"
"David's pregnancy. I was wondering whether you used the pregnancy potion like we did, or one of those other methods we've heard about."
Draco came over looking interested.
"Why?" Asked Charlie, "Are you considering another?"
"We're thinking about it." Draco said with a soft smile as he rested his head on his husband's shoulder.
"Well, David and I used a charm that transforms the internal male reproductive system into a female's. He keeps all of his . parts . and can still conceive and carry a child in the normal way."
Harry nodded, looking thoughtful. "We'd heard about that." Then he grinned. "Are you nervous?"
Charlie laughed. "As all hell!" He lowered his voice. "I'm not sure I'd be a good dad . I don't have a clue what to do!"
"Neither did we!" Draco said. "At least you've got a whole family of people who've gone through male pregnancy."
"When's the baby due?" Harry asked as Ron and Hermione came over.
"December." Charlie said, hugging Hermione. Draco and Harry followed suit, then shook Ron's hand. Ron grinned widely. "That's the month after us. One up on you bro." Charlie impishly stuck his tongue out at him.
It was well past midnight when everyone went to bed. The children had already been asleep for hours, the bustle of the day having been too much for them. Family-sized tents had been set up around the Weasley house to fit those who simply couldn't fit inside. Harry and Draco's was a two bedroom one, with bunk beds in one for the children and a queen-sized bed for the adults in another.
Harry and Draco lay comfortably side-by-side in silence, facing each other and marking each facial feature as they always did at night. It was a while before Draco spoke. "You're thinking about the charm Charlie and David used, aren't you?"
"Harry smiled softly. "A bit."
"Think it'd be good for Sam and Alex to have a brother or sister?"
"Might be. It'd give them more responsibility. That's a good thing."
"Harry?" Draco began.
"Hm?"
"Could I carry it?"
Harry grinned widely and pulled Draco into a warm embrace, kissing him softly. "Of course, love."
~*~
Ah hah! At last I have finished this chapter after making all the fans wait for three months (Look on the bright side: at least I didn't use JK Rowling's method of making everyone wait THREE YEARS!
So Draco's gonna have a baby, you got to find out what almost everyone's been doing since the end of Pregnancy Potion (The occupations and lives of others will be revealed in good time).
I promise I'll try to have the next chapter out quicker. I don't know if I'll be able to because I write preliminary exams in a month and six weeks after that it's finals. But I'll definitely try!
See you in the next chapter and REVIEW!!!
~*~