Defiant Destiny
Chapter nine
Draco transported himself to Malfoy Manor, energy levels spent and close to death he collapsed on the floor, his breath came in short shallow gasps as he struggled to remain conscious. He knew that he could not linger here long, he could not risk discovery.
This would be the first place that Voldemort would look for him upon finding his cell empty but he could not move, his brain too tired to send signals to his limbs. He could do nothing buy lye there, barely alive, his magic level dangerously low.
Harry meanwhile was pacing his room, it was either extremely late or extremely early, Emerald was asleep on the sofa, Harry had placed a blanket over her so that she would be warm. He was worried about Draco, Dumbledore was doing nothing to help so far going to far to say that he would not be killed because of what Jarrod had told Voldemort.
This however didn't mean that he couldn't worry, he rested a hand on his flat stomach, his gaze then fell on Emerald, asleep in front of the fire. He caressed his stomach lovingly, he was still finding it hard to believe that there was life growing inside of him and that the daughter he was going to have in nine months was going to grow into the child before him now.
It was as he watched her sleep, pure innocence reflected upon her face as she rested although he knew that she did not dream of what little girls should dream about, Harry had a slight feeling that she wasn't what passed for a regular ten year old.
She seemed so mature, so grown up for someone so young, Harry of course knew that whatever he had done as a parent wasn't wrong, she was a brilliant child but with the war and threats about Voldemort she had not been free to be a child any more than he had when he had lived with the Dursley's.
Harry mentally kicked himself, he had unintentionally allowed Emerald to be deprived of a childhood, he himself had been a child of war, orphaned from a young age, she too was a child of war. It shouldn't be this way, why had he not done anything before now, why had he not ended it.
If not for the rest of the wizarding world then he would defeat him for his family, enough was enough, it was time that he did something to end this war. It was just as he reached this decision that Dumbledore returned to his rooms.
"Harry, Alastor has located Draco at Malfoy Manor, he is returning him to the infirmary, I suggest that you get some sleep and you can see him in the morning,"
"No, I have to see him now, besides it is morning." Harry pointed out but the headmaster was having none of it.
"No, you have to rest, you have more to think of more than yourself now Harry, you must stay and watch over Emerald, I suggest moving her to her own room and then go to bed yourself, in your condition …"
"People in my condition don't usually know anything about it until at least a month and a half into their pregnancy; I'm barely three days pregnant." Harry argued, "You can't stop me from going to see him now."
"I am trying to reason with you Harry; you have to get your rest." Dumbledore said but as he turned to leave Harry spoke again.
"I want to kill him, no more waiting; I refuse to let the war drag on any longer." He said defiantly, a determined glint in his eyes.
"Emerald's return to the past has effected a lot of things Harry, the future has altered in more ways then even she can imagine, we are trying to send her back but the spell has not been written as of yet, you cannot face Tom, not while you are pregnant."
"I want you to magically freeze the pregnancy." Harry said.
"But, Harry, I don't think you've thought this through."
"I won't risk losing my daughter but I don't want to send her back to a world where Voldemort still roams free, I want to bring up my family in a world free of war and danger."
"I think we need to discuss this at a later stage." Dumbledore said firmly, "I will hear no more on the matter tonight."
Harry did not look happy but since he could not freeze his own pregnancy there wasn't a lot he could do, realising that he was actually very tired he decided to do as Dumbledore suggested and get some sleep.
The following morning Harry was up early, he was to find Emerald already up and nursing a cup of tea, she immediately conjured up one for Harry who sat down next to her and accepted it.
"Has there been any news?" She asked.
"He was brought into the infirmary early this morning, Dumbledore forbid me from going to see him so I didn't see the point in waking you."
"When can we go and see him then?" She asked.
"Finish your tea and get dressed and we'll go up together."
They finished up and got dressed before Harry took his daughter up to the hospital wing where Draco was propped up in bed eating breakfast. Poppy was fusing over him as usual.
Emerald rushed up to Draco and hugged him, Harry stood back and smiled, waiting for Emerald to stand back, when she did Harry took his turn, hugging his boyfriend and kissing him.
"You had us so worried." Harry said, "What happened, how did you escape?"
"It's a long story, I'll explain later, I promise, any way, how are you?"
"Fine, we were just so worried about you, I was so scared when you didn't come back." Harry said as he perched himself on the edge of the bed.
"As you can see I can take care of myself,"
"Yeah and nearly die in the process; don't ever scare me like that again."
"I promise."
Harry went to see the headmaster later that day, Albus had been expecting him, the teen sat down and refused the headmasters of a lemon drop.
"I've been thinking about what I said last night." Harry said, "I can't freeze my pregnancy, I can't do that to Emerald and I can't do that to Draco."
"Very wise choice, but I sense that that isn't the end of it."
"No, I still have a strong belief that I have to defeat Voldemort; I can't allow the war to continue on as long as Emerald said that does."
"Well, I have to say that I agree but I think you should wait out your pregnancy first and then we'll start discussing your options.
3 months later
Harry's pregnancy was going smoothly; Hermione had discovered her pregnancy and was overjoyed about it, Ron had not been informed of his close shave with death, the dead had been buried and Voldemort had not made another move to continue the war.
Draco had recovered fully and was helping Harry decorate the nursery, since they knew it was going to be a girl they had chosen pale pink, white and pale purple to paint the room.
Their relationship was going smoothly, they had not argued once due to some miracle, Harry however was becoming moodier with his hormones with each passing day. Emerald was becoming a little nervous, Dumbledore was working on a spell to send her home but she was nervous to what she would be going back to.
With Harry planning to take on Voldemort sooner rather than later she had no idea what she would be going back to, with Voldemort gone she didn't know what her life would be like.
After all the war had brought their family together, the closeness that they shared in the future was all due to the fact that Voldemort was alive and causing trouble, she was scared that maybe she wouldn't have that any more but she had no one to talk to.
With Jarrod gone as well the entire course of historic events would have changed, she would be an entirely different person than the one she was but she would remember, that was how it worked, she would remember everything.
8 months into Harry's pregnancy
Dumbledore had finally finished the spell and a very pregnant Harry was preparing to say goodbye to his daughter, Draco next to him, tears in his eyes. Ron and Hermione were also present; they couldn't believe that she was going.
Harry really didn't want to send her back; he wanted to know when her birthday was as she hadn't said anything about when she was due to be born.
Voldemort had been strangely quiet over the past few months, it was as if he knew and was planning something evil. Harry didn't want to think about it, he had had little time for thought of his enemy. Harry's main concern was giving birth to a healthy baby girl in what he hoped was a months time.
"You know if you don't like your name we could always change it." Harry said jokingly as Emerald hugged him.
"I think I've changed enough." She replied as Harry gave her a kiss on her forehead, "I'm scared dad." She admitted.
"I wish I could go with you." Draco said, "Just to make sure you get home safely."
"Best not, you should stay here." Emerald said as she hugged her other father, it was a little easier to hug Draco as he wasn't overly pregnant like Harry.
"Does that mean that you're going to be born sometime soon, I mean my back is killing me?" Harry said as a chair was conjured for him by Draco and he sat down.
"Sorry, you know, about me."
"Ah, it's fine." Harry told her, Draco moved to stand behind his boyfriend, their hands intertwined as Emerald moved to Ron and Hermione.
"Goodbye Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione." She said hugging each in turn, "I'm going to miss you guys."
No one questioned her words, not really wanting to know why she had said she would miss them, as if they wouldn't be there when she got back.
Then Emerald went over to the headmaster and hugged him, "Love you Granddad." She said, "Don't work my dad to hard okay."
"I promise." He returned and then he moved Emerald into position so that he could send her back.
Harry had begun to cry, Draco wrapped an arm around him in a comforting manor, he watched as Dumbledore set up a perimeter circle so that only Emerald would be transported forward in time and not everyone else in the room.
"Are you ready?"
"No, not really," She said her own eyes tearing up as well.
"Well I think it's about time to go." The headmaster said, "Get ready."
Draco and Harry didn't want to watch but they couldn't take their eyes off of the scene before them. Dumbledore began muttering words that sounded like a mixture of Latin and French, it was certainly nothing that anyone present could understand.
A bright swirl of coloured light surrounded Emerald and by the time that they had faded she was gone, Harry stood up to embrace Draco but immediately sat back down again.
"Harry are you alright?" Draco asked at once, concern obvious in his tone.
"Nothing, I'm just feeling a little light headed, that's all."
"Come on, to the hospital wing." He instructed pulling Harry to his feet and helping him to the infirmary.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to review.