"Honk-honk-hooonnnk."

Draco huffed and chased after the kit who'd escaped from the nest. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another slipping away with joyful honking. He cursed and longed for the days when they were still helpless and stayed put.

Harried, Draco seized his son by the scruff of his neck and carried him back to the laundry basket. A chorus of honking greeted his return and Draco wanted to cover his ears. It was like living in a park filled with geese. Potter had mentioned, when the sweet cheeping gave way to this cacophony, that the kits would stop honking around eight weeks of age, when they'd be considered fully grown.

Three more weeks, Draco thought, wincing at a particularly off-key honk. It seemed like a very long ways away.

"Honk-honk-honk-honnnnk."

Draco rubbed his face against his paw, and then went after his daughter. He'd had four girls, one boy, and one giant headache since they'd become mobile. He knew why some animals ate their young.

"Hooeeeenk!" Draco's mouth closed over the back of his daughter's neck and he carted her to the nest. His nipples ached, indicating it was lunchtime. Though they ate dry ferret kibble, they weren't fully weaned. He had to feed them all at once now, so he'd be free to rescue his kits when they left the laundry basket to play. They managed to find trouble even in a ferret-proofed bedroom.

Draco circled around the squirming, honking bunch, getting their attention, then laid down on his side. The kits attacked the rows of exposed nipples with ravenous hunger. Draco winced as their sharp, little teeth nicked him. You'd think I was starving them to death.

Draco swept his gaze over the suckling kits and pleasant warmth washed through him. He licked the nearest one. Every time he fed them, he was reminded that he'd made them. His milk nourished five living beings that came from inside his belly, created from nothing but a really good, pervy shag. My beautiful babies.

Potter thought they were beautiful, too, which proved he wasn't blind despite his glasses. But he'd grown annoying, with all his love and adoration of the kits, petting them, playing with them, giving them Draco's kisses – not that Draco wanted kisses anymore. Kissing reminded Draco that Potter loved him and that made his stomach nervous. He didn't know what to do about the declaration, so he threw his whole self into being the best mother ever and sometimes sneaked into Potter's bed and cuddled with him as he slept.

Idiot Potter, with his stupid hair and stupid smile and stupid love—

SMASH

On the other side of the bed, the window exploded inward and shards of glass rained down. Draco screeched in surprise and panic and jumped to his paws. The kits dangled partially under him, protected by his body. Glass thumped against his back and head, cutting him in spots, his fur protecting him otherwise.

"EEEEEYYAAAAA." A predator's call reverberated against the walls and struck Draco with pure terror. His gaze shot upwards and his heart leapt to his throat. A huge golden eagle soared through the broken window and circled the bedroom.

Draco shook his body hard, dislodging the kits painfully from his nipples, and dove for the edge of the basket. He snagged the hem of a robe and pulled hard and fast.

"Honk!" the kits squawked, as Draco yanked the robe over them. The mound they made wiggled and writhed. "Honk!"

"EEEEEYAAA."

Draco leapt on top of his kits, shielding them, and hissed at the eagle, his teeth bared and hackles raised. His body shook with fear and fury, with his kits endangered.

Thick brown and golden feathers coated the eagle. Yellow-bronze eyes glinted in the sunlight streaming through the broken window. The eagle swooped down, hooked claws extended. Draco didn't want it near his kits and launched himself at the eagle with a screech. "EEEEEEEEE!"

Sharp talons scraped his sides and crushed his body as he was caught. He bit down on the eagle's leg, his teeth piercing rough flesh. The eagle squeezed him tighter and flapped towards the window.

Draco stopped fighting abruptly. Wheezing, he mentally urged on the eagle. Yes. Take me. Leave my babies alone.

"Honk-honk!" he could hear their cries, and blew them silent kisses goodbye. A golden feather drifted towards the ground.

The bedroom door slammed open. "Reverto transformatio!" Granger cried.

A bluish light engulfed Draco and the eagle, and his chest seized. The eagle stiffened and dropped like a rock. Draco hit the ground, the eagle landing hard atop him. Cracking and popping echoed in his ears, his body twisting painfully under the eagle. His tearing eyes closed tightly and he gasped for breath.

The pain faded, but the heavy pressure stayed, and Draco opened his eyes to find Potter looming centimetres from his nose. "Malfoy?" Potter whispered.

Draco blinked once, slowly, becoming aware that he felt a lot colder than he'd been before. His gaze roved over Potter's shocked features, hovering on his lips.

Granger's "Oh!" and Weasley's bark of surprise caused Potter to rear back. Draco lifted his hand, turning it over in front of his eyes. Four fingers and an opposable thumb. Fingernails. Human flesh.

Human…

"Honk!"

Draco sat up swiftly, conking his forehead against Potter's face. His head swam dizzily, but another cry from his kits yanked at his very being, and he pushed weakly at Potter, struggling to free his legs from underneath Potter's straddle. He made a panicked sound in the back of his throat.

Immediately, Potter drew his wand from the belt of his robe, his eyes flashing in anger. Bits of feathers stuck in his hair. "Malfoy—"

"Kek-kek-kek-kek-kets. Kets. Kits." Draco's mouth had trouble wrapping around the word, as he pawed awkwardly at Potter's chest. "Kits. Kits."

"Honk-honk!"

Draco got his legs out from beneath Potter, his cotton pyjama bottoms sliding partially down his hips. The wand that had been in the waistband fell to the carpet. Draco's hand landed on top of it, then moved away, as he half-crawled, half-stumbled from Potter. His limbs didn't seem to work correctly, and he smacked into the bedposts rounding the bed. He got carpet-burn on his bare elbows and forearms. He ignored Granger and Weasley standing by the open door and scrambled over to the laundry basket.

He caught one of the kits as she popped out. She was tiny in his palms; hints of brown and white coloring from her parentage were starting to show in her fur. With a choked noise, he cradled her against his bare chest. "Honk!" she declared, and promptly latched onto his nipple.

Draco knew right away there was no milk for her. Even if there were, it would be human, not ferret, and not what she needed. "Change me back," he said, his voice becoming shrill. "Change me back. Change me back!"

"No."

Draco's head whipped around and he flinched at the look on Potter's face. Utter loathing twisted Potter's features, directed solely at him.

Potter flicked his wand and the window repaired itself. Without another word, he elbowed Weasley and Granger aside and stalked out the door, Draco's wand and a bronze eagle statuette gripped in his hand.

A knifing pain suddenly pierced Draco's heart.

"Stupefy."

There was a flash of red spell-light, and before he could protest, everything went dark.

tbc...