Title: Boy-Who-Lived: Father-To-Be

Author: SweetMercy

Rating: M

Warnings: mpreg, slash, has naughty swear words!

Pairings: RL/HP but has references to others

Chapter 15: It's all in a Name

"Look at my babies," Harry smiled with pride as he pointed over to where the three sleeping babies lay, wrapped up warmly in their different coloured blankets.

Despite the fact that Harry had been on a rollercoaster journey of emotions and had had to deal with a hell of a lot of physical and emotional pain in the last 5 hours, Harry considered today to be the best day of his life. Sure he had cursed and screamed and cursed a bit more, and sure he had wished he had never gotten pregnant in the first place, but if he had to go through it again then he would do it in a heartbeat. Nothing could ever make him forget the joy he had felt when he had first laid eyes on the precious little boy that was his son.

Hermione and Ron went over to the babies but a teary-eyed Mrs Weasley came right at Harry and pulled him into a hug.

"We have been so worried out there," she said, pulling away and dabbing her eyes with a pink handkerchief. "We didn't know what was going on."

"Oh, they're so beautiful," whispered Hermione in wonder and Harry smiled again. They really were three of the most beautiful babies Harry had ever seen and he wasn't just saying that because they were his. They had such soft, light hair and small, baby mouths; they were just so cute – there was no other word for it.

"Such precious beings," said Dumbledore fondly.

"Aren't they?" agreed Remus with a smile.

"What have you called them?" asked Ron staring sweetly down at the sleeping bundles.

"I haven't decided yet," he told them, remembering to say 'I' and not 'we'. Harry and Remus had decided that they should only let their close friends know about their relationship and so far Ron and Hermione (and Draco unfortunately) were the only one's who knew. They trusted that Dumbledore would understand and wouldn't give out too harsh a punishment when he discovered their secret. However, they were going to wait until they knew who the father was until they told them, which shouldn't be too soon now. Harry was silently dreading Sirius' reaction to the news, but he pushed it to the back of his mind, refusing to let it trouble him on such a joyful day.

"Are you ok?" Sirius asked kindly, sitting down besides Harry on the bed. "Giving birth to triplets can't exactly be a walk in the park."

"I'm just glad it's over," said Harry and he lay back in bed. "There were a few moments back then when I really thought I wouldn't be able to go through with it. My body actually gave up half way through the third one; I was so scared."

"That's what happened?" asked Hermione, looking up from the artificial cots the babies had been placed in. "We heard one of them had stopped breathing. I'm so glad you're all alright."

They all stayed for a little while longer until the Healer finally came in and shooed them out, insisting that Harry needed a good nights sleep. With a promise that they would all come and visit tomorrow, they said goodbye and were on their way.

Harry snuggled into Remus's robes and sighed. It had been such a long, trying day and Harry couldn't quite believe what had happened. He had three babies; he had two daughters and a son. It was hard to believe that just 7 years ago he had had nothing and now, to him, it seemed like he had the world.

"What are we going to call them?" he asked Remus, turning his head so he could see Remus' face.

"We'll talk about that in the morning," said Remus kindly, placing a kiss to the top of Harry's head. "You need to get some serious sleep."

"But I wanna name them," he yawned, but his eyes were closing none the less. He turned over and pulled his covers up to his shoulder and fell into a dreamless, well-needed sleep.

"We need to name them," said Harry, turning his head to see Remus the moment he opened his eyes.

"Good morning to you too," he smiled. He was holding a blue blanket in his arms which no doubt contained a baby boy wrapped up comfortably. He bent down and kissed Harry gently on the lips. "You want to hold your son?"

Harry nodded and held out his arms to receive the blue bundle. He had to admit that he was slightly nervous. The previous night he had refused to hold any of them; he had felt so weak that he was frightened of dropping them. He carefully enclosed his arm around the baby's side and, with the other hand, supported his head just like he had been taught to do. He looked down into the small, baby face and smiled.

"He's so light and delicate," he whispered, his eyes sweeping over the tiny mouth, nose, and eyes fondly. But before he could say anything else, the door opened and in came Healer Neeson, her lime-green robes back in place.

"Ah," she smiled when she saw that Harry was awake. "And how are we this morning?"

"Rested," said Harry. He looked up at her. "Thank you so much for everything you've done for me," he said. "I really do appreciate it."

"There's no need to thank me," she smiled, "But you're welcome all the same." She watched father and son for a moment longer before moving over to them and placing the tray she had in her hands on the side.

"Do you want to try feeding him?" she asked, picking up one of the bottles Harry hadn't noticed she had brought in with her. Harry nodded.

"Just hold his head like I taught you…there you go."

To Harry's surprise (and pure relief) the baby took to the bottle straight away without any fuss. He could feel a slight tug on his hand as the baby drank more and more. It was amazing how strong they were, yet at the same time how delicate. Once the baby had had enough, Harry went back to cradling him in his arms.

"Now," said Healer Neeson, straightening up and looking at Remus. "I need to have a word with Harry so…"

"It's alright," said Harry. "Remus can stay."

"Nope, it's fine," smiled Remus, getting up and stretching. "I really need to go and get something to eat anyway."

"You haven't eaten?" asked Harry.

"I didn't want to leave you," he said almost shyly and Harry blushed slightly. He kissed Harry briefly on the lips and left the room.

"Ok," she smiled, once the door was closed. "I wanted to talk to you about the Paternity tests. Now, I really think it's best for everyone if we just get it…"

"Over and done with," finished Harry. "Yeah, I agree."

"So I'm going to need a DNA sample from the people you want testing," she told him. "And since you are in no condition to be going around collecting people's DNA, I was wondering if there was anyone who could do it for you?"

"Hermione Granger," said Harry, saying the first name that came into his head. "She knows who they are and shouldn't have any problem with it."

"Great," she smiled. "Well, once we have all that, I'll need to take a sample from the triplets. If we get this done today then the results should be ready by tomorrow afternoon."

"What about Liam?" suggested Remus, his feet resting on Harry's bed, the eldest baby girl in his arms feeding from her bottle.

"Liam Lupin?" Harry sniggered. He was sat in bed feeding the youngest of the three, the baby girl who had almost died. He seemed somewhat attached to her more than the others but the Healers had assured Remus that it was completely normal so soon after the birth, especially if one of them almost been lost.

"Lupin?" asked Remus, looking up from 'baby girl 1', which they were calling her right now. "Why 'Lupin'?"

"Why not 'Lupin'?" Harry asked.

"You do know that there is a three in four chance that I might not be the father, right?" he said.

"Well, yeah," said Harry, looking fondly down at 'baby girl 2' in his arms. "But if they're, say, Malfoys or Deans, I'm not going to give them their surname, am I?"

"Dean? You slept with Dean Thomas?" asked Remus exasperatedly. It was hard for him to be angry when they were surrounded by three wonderful babies.

"Water under the bridge," muttered Harry. "The point is, whoever their biological father is won't matter that much will it? You'll be their proper father. You'll be there for them and everything."

"Well, still," said Remus looking rather touched by what Harry had said, "Why my surname? Why not yours?"

"Because I carried them for 9 months," said Harry as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Exactly," said Remus in the same tone of voice Harry had used. "You did all the hard work so therefore they should take your name."

"No," said Harry, shaking his head. "Babies always take the other parents name. The mother has them and they take the father's name."

"Well they shouldn't," said Remus. "It's unfair to the poor person who carried them. They were physically a part of you for 9 months and should continue to be so by name."

"No," said Harry again. "I had the privilege of carrying them and giving birth to them. It's only fair that you get to give them your name."

"You call screaming your head off for 4 hours a privilege?" asked Remus with a grin. Harry ignored him.

"They should be baby Lupin's," he said stubbornly.

"Potter's," said Remus, grinning.

"Lupin."

"Potter."

"Lupin."

"Potter, and you're not going to change my mind," he added before Harry could continue the argument.

"Ok," Harry sighed. "Ok. How about they take both our surnames? Potter-Lupin…Lupin-Potter…Potter-Lupin…Lupin-Potter…Potter-Lupin…Lupin-Po…"

"Potter-Lupin," said Remus, cutting off Harry.

"Really?" asked Harry, eyebrows raised. "I like Lupin-Potter."

"Lupin-Potter then," said Remus with a roll of the eyes.

"But then again," said Harry looking thoughtful, "I think I like Potter-Lupin better."

Remus laughed. "Ok," he said. "So what about first names?"

"Well, one thing's for certain," said Harry with a smile and he looked over at the baby boy sleeping in his cot. "I am not calling this baby 'James Harry Potter'. It's weird."

"Your Grandfather was named 'Harry James Potter' you know?"

"Well, this is where the tradition ends," said Harry.

"Alright," Remus chuckled. "Any ideas?"

"I've always liked Joshua," said Harry fondly.

"Yeah, that is nice," agreed Remus with a smile.

"Joshua Remus Potter-Lupin," said Harry. "Josh Lupin for short."

"Harry," Remus whined. "You're doing it again."

"What?" he asked innocently. "I'm just naming our ickle babies."

"Joshua Remus? Josh Lupin?"

"Yeah," smiled Harry. "It's cute."

"But why 'Remus'?"

"Why not?"

"Because….just because," laughed Remus.

"But I like it," Harry pouted, puppy-dog eyes firmly in place. "Joshua Remus Potter-Lupin. Joshua Lupin."

"Joshua Potter," Remus corrected him.

"Lupin," said Harry.

"Potter."

"Lupin"

"Potter."

"How about," said Harry, "We put it on the birth certificate as 'Potter-Lupin' and let the baby decide when he's older?"

"Deal," smiled Remus, but then he looked thoughtful. "I have an idea," he said slowly, looking over at Harry. "How about they all have the surname 'Potter', no, wait," he said as Harry tried in interrupt him. "They all have 'Potter' as their surnames but have their middle names…"

"Taken from your family," finished Harry, catching on. "Are you sure you don't want little baby Lupins?"

"Positive," smiled Remus.

"And you don't want your family name to carry on?" asked Harry.

"I have nephews and nieces to do that for me," smiled Remus, waving a hand.

"Really? I didn't know you were an Uncle."

"Yeah," he said. "I have two older brothers. I don't see them much but I do know they have loads of children so that's the family name sorted. You on the other hand," he smiled, "Are the only remaining Potter and need to carry on your family name."

"So no more Potter-Lupin's then?" asked Harry.

"Correct," he smiled.

Harry looked over at the baby wrapped up in the blue blanket. "Joshua Remus Potter," he smiled. "I like that."

"Me to," smiled Remus.

"You wanna call it 'Remus' or do you want to change it?"

"I'm fine with 'Remus'," he smiled.

"So," said Harry, looking at the baby in Remus's arms. "What are we calling baby girl 1?"

"Mary? Susan? Helen?" suggested Remus.

"I was thinking more along the lines of Lea? Caitlin? Serena? Marissa? Courtney?"

"Not Courtney," said Remus. "I like the name but it always reminds me of sunny, American beaches."

"You do know that 'Courtney' is an English name right?" laughed Harry. "How about Marissa then?"

"I used to go to Hogwarts with this girl called Marissa," said Remus, wrinkling his nose as if he was remembering something horrible. "Nasty girl she was. Slytherin."

"Well then," said Harry, thinking through the names he had just suggested. "How about Lea? No, Leanna. How about Leanna?"

"I like that," said Remus. "It's nice and unusual."

"It means 'graceful willow'," said Harry knowledgably.

"How do you know that?" asked Remus.

"I read it in a baby name book a couple of weeks ago," he told him.

"Oh," said Remus slowly with a smile. "So you were planning all along to name one of the girls 'Leanna' were you?"

"No," smiled Harry unconvincingly.

"Sure," said Remus sarcastically, but he was smiling all the same. "So, what about baby girl 2?"

"Hang on," said Harry. "Number 1 needs a middle name."

"Marie," said Remus, still smiling. "It was my Grandmother's name."

"Leanna Marie. It's pretty."

"So what about this little one here?" asked Remus, looking at the baby that was now sleeping in Harry's arms.

"Rachel?" he suggested. "Bethany? Nicolette? Aracia? Skylar? Destiny? Kei…"

"What was that name you just said?" asked Remus.

"Destiny," said Harry.

"No, the one before that."

"Skylar?"

"Yes," Remus smiled fondly. "Skylar Nicole Potter."

As the morning wore on, their visitors from yesterday dropped by just as promised. Mrs Weasley brought with her a large bunch of flowers – Harry wasn't sure what they were but they seemed to shimmer in the light – and Hermione and Ron brought the traditional balloons to decorate the hospital room with and add some colour.

"You wouldn't believe how hard it is to fine a balloon saying 'Congratulations! It's Triplets," Ron told him. "In the end we bought one that said 'Twins' and charmed it."

"And half of Gryffindor have taken the privilege of decorating your new room with balloons and banners and so on," said Hermione. "But don't worry; Professor Mcgonagall and I checked everything for jinxes, curses, and hexes so it's all safe."

"Everybody's asking about you," said Ron, pulling up a chair. "They all seem to know what happened in Potions and everything. I mean, what kind of teacher takes 20 points away for being in labour?"

"But we haven't told anyone you had triplets yet," said Hermione. "The balloons and banners in your room are all magic so they can change them once they find out."

"There's also some sort of betting thing going around the school," laughed Ron. "Most people seem to think you've had a girl. Some people are betting twins, and there are a few who are betting it's triplets but no one has got the sexes right…well, apart from me."

"Ronald! You are a prefect. You're not supposed to be betting, especially on Harry and especially when you already know what he's had!"

"Oh, come on Hermione," he said as Harry and the others laughed; Mrs Weasley wasn't in the room. "It's a sure win. When I see a chance to make 20 Galleons I'm not going to pass it up am I?"

They all stayed for most of the afternoon and joined in a sort of mini-feast when the Healer brought Harry his lunch. Dumbledore, Hermione had informed him quietly, seemed to be suspicious of the fact that Harry had asked (well, screamed) for Remus the previous day and, although the man hadn't said anything, Hermione was convinced that he at least suspected something and would probably want to talk to him about it back at Hogwarts. Harry also got a weird feeling that Sirius was a little suspicious of Remus as well. Sirius hadn't said anything but he kept looking over at Remus questioningly, who was carefully avoiding his eyes as if fearful that his own eyes would give him away. Remus had later confided in Harry that he thought Sirius was on to them. Thankfully, they hadn't asked if Harry had named them yet as they seemed far too interested in the health and well being of Harry and the three new additions to the world. Harry and Remus wanted their friends (apart from Ron and Hermione who already knew) all to know that they were together before they informed them of the babies' full names as that would be a dead give away.

After passing round the babies one last time, it was time for them to go. They all said good bye and reluctantly left the room, one after the other. Hermione, however, stayed behind.

"Healer Neeson contacted me and told me to ask the others for a DNA sample," she said to Harry. "I've managed to get them all for you. Well, apart from Remus but you can do that in a minute."

"There was no trouble was there?" asked Remus, obviously thinking of Malfoy.

"Not so much," she told them. "Malfoy brought out the threats again but that was it really. He seems quite nervous actually."

"Well, let's just pray they aren't his," Harry muttered and he looked over at the sleeping babies.

He had high hopes that they weren't Malfoy's. For one, he had expected them to have pointed faces if they were his and, thankfully, none of them did. Remus, however, had pointed out that that didn't really mean anything since they could have just inherited Harry's features and might develop Malfoy's later in life – a thought that didn't please Harry at all. But he was almost certain that they weren't Dean's and Remus was with him on this one. If they were his then they would have had darker skin. Harry was aware that didn't always happen but what were the chances of three babies not inheriting the darker skin from their father?

By the time Harry was brought back to his surroundings, he heard the flush of a toilet and Remus entered the room carrying a small bottle which he handed to Hermione with a slight blush. She took it with the same blush reflected on her face. Harry chuckled to himself.

"Thank you Professor," she said. She labelled the bottle 'Remus Lupin' and placed it in a plastic bag along with three others.

"Right, I'm going to go and give this to the Healer." She stood up and made her way to the door with a cheery 'goodbye'.

"Well," said Harry, stifling a yawn. "All we have to do now is wait."

That was another little chapter that I had to put in and if I had put it in with the next chapter then it would have been too long. But still, they had to be named so it wasn't a random chapter after all. lol.

Thank you all for your support - for the fic and my little rant in the last chapter. It means a lot.

In the next chapter: Harry has a decision to make but before he can do anything about it, things kick off.

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