Chapter 28

Harry hadn't been at breakfast, so it surprised Draco when the Auror knocked on his door. Staring at him blankly, the blond opened his mouth to speak, but was beaten to the punch.

"I need to talk to you," Harry stated, leaving little room for argument.

"What about?" He asked noting the leather bound book in his grasp.

"The Quidditch locker room."

Draco froze. His gaze shot down to the book reading the title.

"Heather?" He called over his shoulder after a moment.

"Yes, Draco?" She answered from inside.

"Could you take Cassie to the library. She needs to study her curses. She didn't the entire week I was gone and..."

"I know, she needs ta know'em in case they nab'er again," Heather replied coming up behind him. Peering around him she noticed Harry, then the book. "I'll take her, right now. Morning Mr. Potter." Harry nodded hello as she vanished inside. Moments later Draco moved aside as Heather ushered a grouchy Cassie out the door.

"But I don't want to go study curses. I want to play." Cassie grumbled as her godmother gave her a small push out the door.

"You had a small break while you were with Mr. Potter." Draco said calmly trying to keep the fear he suddenly felt from surfacing. "But you need to study, now more than ever. I don't want the Death Eaters hurting you."

"I know..." She mumbled as he reached down and ruffled her hair.

"Humor Daddy, please? You only have to study for a little while then I'll take you out and you can practice flying."

"You promise?" Cassie turned her eyes up at him. Draco smiled.

"I promise."

"Yay!" She giggled and slipped out into the hall. "Morning Mr. Potter." She called seeing him. Harry couldn't answer, he just stared at her dumbfounded as she whirled around and skipped off. Heather gave Draco an encouraging pat on the shoulder as she left. Once they were gone, the Auror was invited in.

They sat in the living room; Harry in one chair, Draco in another with a coffee table between them. An uneasy silence surrounded them as Harry held the potions book tightly. Finally after a bit he opened it. He knew which page it was; he'd spent last night memorizing every word on it. There was no need to read it aloud; he simply slid the book across the table to Draco.

"That is the love potion Professor Lilium used. According to Snape, it is the only one she ever used." Harry's gaze bore into Draco's searching for a hint of recognition. The other man remained still except for a quick glance at the text.

Feeling his stomach knot, Draco wished he could flee. I don't want to tell him, a panicked voice inside cried.

"It's a fertility potion used to increase the chances of conception." Harry paused waiting for him to add something more, but he remained silent. "This is what was slipped into our drinks six years ago. This is the reason for the locker room incident. It causes people to have an uncontrollable desire for sex. But that's not all." He left the sentence open unable to finish the thought. Maybe this was all in his mind, but he needed to find out for sure. Biting the inside of his lip, he silently implored Draco not to close up and cast him into the hallway.

"I know."

"You know?" Harry watched him slowly nod. "How long have you known?"

"Five months after the locker room Lucius found it," he said shifting uncomfortably. "I've known since then."

Heart racing, Harry forced himself to speak.

"Did you know that it is possible with that potion for two males to conceive a child?" His voice was strained as he spoke.

"Yes," Draco replied averting his eyes. They were dancing closer to the truth. He wouldn't lie to Harry, but he was afraid. Once the secret was out, what would they do? Cassie had known one father all her life, but she knew she had two. Would Harry want to become a parent or would he turn his back on daughter.

Harry's hands shook. Clamping them in his lap, he took several deep breaths. Calm yourself, he hasn't said the words yet, it still may not be true. Panic seized him and he almost faltered. But it is, the voice piped up. You wouldn't be here if it wasn't. Mentally screaming at it to shut up, he wouldn't believe it until he heard it for himself.

"Malfoy, I need you to answer my next question truthfully." He said at last. "No lies, no avoiding or half-truths." He steadied himself, praying Draco wouldn't get defensive.

"I won't," he heard him say softly.

Closing his eyes he summed up what courage remained in him. Opening them again he saw Draco waiting patiently across the coffee table. The blond's eyes were plastered on the potions book.

"There is no good way to say this so I'm just going to ask," he began. "Is Cassiopeia my daughter?" There, he'd said it. He waited for the answer.

Biting the inside of his lip, Draco wanted to lie. It would free Harry from any responsibility, but it wasn't the truth. He didn't deserve that. There had been so much of Cassie's life that he'd already missed because of fear. Besides how long would it be before Lucius came for her again? He probably had an idea of who the other father was now. She needed protection, something he couldn't give her by himself. It was time Harry became part of her life for good or ill.

"Yes."

His answer reverberated in Harry's mind. Paling, he threw one last desperate denial of the facts, but he knew he was fooling himself. Everything made sense now. Why Draco had been disowned, why he'd fled, why his father wanted to murder his own grandchild.

"Don't you remember how I was when we graduated?" Draco asked quietly. "I was sick right after the locker room. Don't you remember Weasley teasing me about putting on a few pounds?" Harry nodded slowly as the weight of the words finally took hold. "That potion alters the male so that he can carry a child. Whom ever receives the sperm becomes pregnant. I was the recipient Potter and with a ninety-five percent chance of pregnancy there was little I could do to avoid it. Why do you think no one saw me at all after we graduated? I was pregnant."

"She's mine." The words sounded like they came from someone else. Harry sat numbly staring at Draco. "She's mine. She's my daughter."

"Yes, Cassiopeia is our daughter." Draco said, wishing he'd say something else. The scared look on his face made him wish he'd lied.

"I don't understand. Why didn't you tell me?" Harry asked, color returning to his cheeks. "Why the Hell didn't you tell me! I had the right to know about this Malfoy!"

Leaping to his feet, he began to pace furiously. Back and forth, his footfalls accentuating each muttered curse. Draco waited, trying to collect his thoughts. He needed to remain calm, getting angry wouldn't help.

"Potter, I'm sorry. I didn't tell you because her life was in danger." He said after a few moments.

"Danger! What sort of danger could an infant be in?" He yelled spinning around to face him, his green eyes burning with anger and hurt.

"In case you've forgotten, my so called father is trying to KILL her." Draco snapped trying to stay his temper. It was hard to do when he was getting the evil eye from the Gryffindor though.

"You could have come to me for help!"

"Think Potter! What would you have done at the time? Honestly?" He spat back. "You're on Voldemort's hit list, do you think we'd have been left alone long enough to take care of an infant?"

"No," he huffed folding his arms across his chest.

"That's why I didn't tell you. It was bad enough Lucius wanted her dead, adding Voldemort to the mess would have made it worse. We couldn't live in Britain anymore. That was why I took her and left. She deserved a chance to grow up safely. She's a part of me, an important part and I don't want to lose that." Draco spoke slowly hoping he'd understand. Harry glared at him for a moment before sitting back down. Taking this as a good sign, the blond quickly continued.

"When I found out I was pregnant I was scared. I didn't want this thing inside me and Lucius decided that it was best for all if it didn't live. Having an abortion was too risky because of how far along I was and that I was male. So he hunted around for midwives who would be willing to dispose of the infant once it was born. I couldn't let it die. The child deserved a chance to live. Heather was the only midwife whose answer satisfied me."

"I was wondering how she fit into this." Harry admitted, his tone more civil than before. "She didn't seem like someone you'd become friends with under normal circumstances." Draco sighed.

"I went into labor the day I visited her. She delivered Cassie without any complications and helped me name her. I hadn't thought about names or gender before that. All I'd cared about was my own needs. Originally I'd planned to have the child and leave it at an orphanage. After twenty-four hours I knew I couldn't. I wanted the chance to be a father, but was unprepared for what I had to do. Once I'd decided that, fleeing was the only option left open and Heather wouldn't let me leave without her. She was coming with us whether I wanted her to or not. Said I was still a child myself and she was right."

"I never knew," Harry whispered. "Merlin, I didn't even have a clue."

"You weren't meant too. I didn't expect to return to Britain. If I ever did though, I wasn't going to tell you unless you asked. I wouldn't want to disturb any family that you'd have." Draco explained feeling the need to reach out and assure the other man that everything was all right. He didn't though; he didn't know how he would react. The Auror had already had one big shock today.

"I doubt I'll ever have a family," Harry admitted, resting against the back of the chair. "I'm pretty much doomed to walk the world alone. I haven't had a date, let alone sex in six years." Draco chuckled gently.

"I've been celibate that long too. It was a bit difficult to find someone when you're having to clean up baby spit or pull frogs out of a toddler's diapers."

"I can imagine." He replied, smiling for the first time in days. But it quickly faded. "There is something else."

"Yes?" Draco asked reaching to close the book.

"The only way for Hathor's Kiss to work is if the participants are in love with one another. And since we did produce a child..."

"Was I in love with you?" The other man concluded. Harry nodded.

"And if you were then..." He picked up.

"Am I now?"

Again Harry nodded.

There was only one way for Draco to answer. It wasn't the wisest idea, but he was tired of hiding behind his doubts. Standing he closed the distance between them in two strides. He loomed over Harry as he had once loomed over him and smiled. From the confused look the black haired man gave him, he didn't know what to expect. Taking hold of the collar of his robe, Draco leaned down and kissed him on the lips.

"I hope this gives you the answer you were seeking." Draco whispered as he released him. Harry gazed up at him with an odd expression on his face. Abruptly it changed and Draco found himself the recipient of a second kiss.

"Yes," he breathed.