Your Song Chapter 3: Second Trimester, a harry potter fanfic

Chapter 3: Second Trimester

November 2013

"Yellow."

"Green."

"I am not indoctrinating our baby into Slytherin house colours before they're even able to see colours well."

"And neither are you making a Hufflepuff. Besides, what's wrong with Slytherin, hmm?" Draco cocked an eyebrow in challenge.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yellow is cheerful."

"Green is fresh. Verdant."

Luna sat in the window seat of the large nursery, petting the cat and watching them both in amusement.

"Luna, help me here. Tell Draco he's being unreasonable."

"Harry, you're both being unreasonable. Why does it have to be one colour, anyway?"

They both stopped and looked at her as she continued. "Remember that room you had me do for Teddy when you made him a room in Grimmauld? The mural? Let me do a mural for the baby. Not Quidditch, like Teddy's was, but maybe a pastoral scene. I can animate some animals, and the grass can be green, the sunshine yellow, the sky blue."

Draco smiled. "I like that." He looked at Harry and got a dopey look on his face that Harry was getting used to seeing when he talked of the baby. "Maybe a wooded scene, with a unicorn, a phoenix—"

"And the Marauders," Harry interrupted, feeling in awe.

"Yeah. That's what I was thinking, too." He turned to Luna. "Do you think you can do that?"

"I can. I can't be around the paints, but I can sketch it out and have Dean come help paint it. Would that be all right?"

"That'd be perfect," Harry said. "Luna, have I told you lately how amazing you are?"

She giggled. "You have, but I don't mind hearing it again. Now, please excuse me while I use the loo.

Draco sat and pulled Harry down onto the floor with him. He laid back and rested his head on Harry's knee. "This will be perfect. It'll work no matter their gender, and it'll be like a little piece of your parents and their friends are here with them."

Harry looked down at his husband, sometimes astounded, even after all these years, at how astute this man could be. "Thank you. It was a lovely idea." Then he grinned. "Do you want her to add a little bat as well? You know, to remind you of Snape?"

Draco slapped his ankle and laughed. "Arse. Maybe."

Harry began to run his fingers through Draco's hair and could practically hear him purr in pleasure. "So no more arguments, we have the room decor decided. Everything else for the nursery should be easy now that we have the theme."

"Well, no more arguments about the room, anyway," Draco said with a chuckle. "We haven't even started talking about names. And since you refuse to find out the gender before they're born, we'll have to come up with two options."

"I want it to be a surprise," Harry whined. "Besides, names shouldn't be hard."

Luna's laughter at that statement could be heard two rooms away.

Early December 2013

"Draco?" Luna's voice came through the floo but had an odd quality to it that Draco wasn't sure he'd ever heard.

"Luna?" He took the stairs down to the fireplace quickly and knelt down, pushing the crup out of the way. "Is everything okay?"

"I don't know. I need your help." She looked upset. "I'm bleeding, Draco. We need to go see Padma. I floo called her office letting them know we're on our way, but we need to go now."

"I should get Harry. He's at work."

"Send him a Patronus to meet us there. Please, will you Apparate me? I don't trust myself right now, and I don't want to take the floo."

"I'll be right there."

Draco sent his peacock Patronus off to Harry, then travelled by floo to Luna's apartment. "Luna?"

"Right here, Draco." She was sitting on a chair in her kitchen area, arms wrapped around her middle.

"Oh, Merlin, are you in pain?"

"No, just scared. If I lose the baby for you—"

"Stop. The books said that sometimes these things happen. If it does, it won't be your fault. But you're jumping ahead; we don't know anything yet." He took her hand. "Do you need me to carry you?"

She looked up at him, her eyes vulnerable. "Would you mind?"

"Of course not." He slid his left arm under her knees, then put his right around her back and lifted. She was light, and he had no trouble carrying her to the front door, where he Apparated from outside straight to Padma's office.

"Draco! Bring her back here. Is she in pain?"

"Thanks, Padma. No, she says there's no pain, but there's bleeding."

"I'm awake, you know. I can answer."

"When did it start?" Padma directed her question to Luna this time as Draco set her down on the examination table.

"When I woke this morning I noticed it, so sometime during the night."

"And how heavy is it?"

"About the same as a light day on my normal cycle, I suppose." Draco shifted at the female discussion but was determined to be there for Luna.

"Ok, Draco, can you step out for a moment while I have Luna change? Luna, do you want him to come back in?"

"I'd like that. Draco, do you mind?"

"Not at all. If Harry gets here—"

"Bring him in, too, please. This is for all of us."

Draco stepped into the hall, finally letting himself panic just a little. He hadn't had the chance previously, as his reflexes had kicked in and he had been concentrating solely on what needed to be done. "Please, please, don't let her lose the baby," he began chanting to himself quietly. "Please."

After about the third round of this, he heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see Harry sprinting toward him. "What's happened?"

"She's bleeding. Padma is helping her change, then we can go in."

Harry stood back against the wall next to Draco and took his hand. "How bad is it?"

"Don't know. She's okay, but we don't know what's going on at all yet."

"Oh, God. Draco, if it's a miscarriage—"

"Then it's a miscarriage. There's no need to cross that bridge until we come to it, Harry. Focus."

Harry looked at him. "How is it that you always stay so calm when I panic?"

Draco snorted. "Probably the same way you stay calm when I panic, I guess? We take turns?"

Harry chuckled quietly, then squeezed his husband's hand. "I already love that baby so much."

"I know," Draco murmured.

They stood in silence for what seemed like ages but was likely only a few minutes.

"Draco? Oh, Harry, you're here, too. Please, come in now." Padma escorted them in, then sat down by Luna's feet.

Luna lay on the table, covered from the waist down in a lightweight blanket and her knees propped as her ankles were on footrests. She reached out to the men, who each stood on one side of her and took a hand.

"So, Luna," Padma began in an overly soothing tone. "I'm going to start with a quick check to make sure there's nothing obviously wrong, then we'll check for the heartbeat, alright?"

Luna nodded and squeezed their hands tightly.

Padma worked in silence for several moments, then gave a little sigh that made Draco's stomach jump. "Nothing wrong that I can tell so far. That's good. The bleeding seems to be slowing, and it appears to be old at this point. That means no new blood recently, which is a very good thing."

She stood and moved to Luna's side and cast the spell the men had seen the previous visit. There was no sound. She moved to Luna's left side and cast again. This time, Draco could hear what they were looking for, that quietly rapid thud, thud, thud, thud. Draco met Luna's eyes, then looked to Harry. There were tears pooling in both, just as he could feel them burning behind his own.

Draco spoke up. "So now what? Does that mean everything is ok?"

"Not yet. I'm going to use the Muggle ultrasound equipment and take a few pictures. I need to make sure there's no visible reason for concern." She stood and moved a large piece of equipment across the room. "Just give me a moment." She dimmed the lights and used something electronic-looking on Luna's stomach.

Draco could see her looking at something on her tablet next to her as she moved the tool back and forth, then began making little clicks. Finally, she smiled. "Draco, Harry, Luna. Would you like to see your baby?"

Draco choked out a cough, then sputtered, "I can see a picture? Really? Already?"

"Mmmhmm." She flipped her tablet around so they could see. "Right here is the head, and those little stubs you see there are the arms and legs."

Draco thought he saw something very telling and got excited, smacking Harry in the arm. "Look, it's a boy!"

Padma laughed. "Still can't tell that, though I could try if you wanted me to. But no, that's the umbilical cord, not a penis. Nice try, though."

Luna giggled and smiled at the screen. "Well, Harry, Draco? What do you think?"

Draco was speechless. He watched the baby move around on the screen, just a black and white blob that had round limbs sticking out the sides. His baby. They were having a baby. Finally, he looked away at his husband, and down to their friend who was doing this extraordinary thing for them. "He or she is beautiful. Thank you, Luna, for this wonderful gift." He blinked his eyes, clearing them, and looked up to Padma. "And thank you for letting us see them. Hermione had copies of the pictures she showed me of Rosie. Could we get copies?"

Padma smiled. "Of course. Now, things look good. I'm going to guess that it wasn't anything to worry about, but I can't promise that. Luna, I'd like you to take it easy for the next few days, just to be safe. No stress, try to rest, eat well, and drink lots of fluids. Do you have someone who could stay with you to make sure you don't overtax yourself?"

Luna started to speak, but Draco interrupted her before Harry could. "Stay with us, please. We have a spare bedroom, and I work from home and will be around all day. Please?"

Luna looked from one to the other. "I suppose, but only for a few days, all right?"

Padma nodded. "That would be ideal. As long as there's no more bleeding, I'd say you could go back to normal in a week."

"Thank you," they all said in tandem, making Padma laugh.

January 2014

"Now Harry dear, Arthur has the cot and changing table all set up for you, isn't that nice? Do you know how to work this packy-play thing that Hermione got you? She swears by it and I have to admit, it's rather convenient when she brings Rosie over to the Burrow."

Harry sat in the middle of the madness and grinned like an idiot. He knew he looked ridiculous, as he was surrounded by piles of baby gear, clothes, nappies, bottles, and everything else imaginable. What did Luna think a newborn baby needed with an enormous stuffed Hippogriff anyway? Casius decided it was his new nemesis, however, and was determined to protect Harry by barking at it.

Harry looked across the room at his mother-in-law appearing very out of place and smothered a laugh. "Narcissa, are you alright? I know this is a bit much, but—"

"Nonsense, Harry, babies require lots of things, as you'll soon learn. Though I still don't understand why you won't allow me to gift you both a house-elf to take care of the baby, I respect your wishes and can only assume that you'll need even more things because of it."

The dog changed his attention to Narcissa who simply snapped her fingers at him, causing him to calm and lie down quietly next to her. Harry stifled a laugh.

"Cissy is correct, Harry," Andromeda spoke up. "Though some of this will likely be too much, each parent is different and what one person fines infinitely useful, someone else will find ridiculous. You never know until it's three in the morning and you need it, however, so unpack each item, put it away, and use it as you can. After the baby is grown a bit, you can donate items if you choose, but for now, keep them all."

Harry nodded, then watched Draco return for another load of boxes and bags to levitate to the nursery, then head back up the stairs. He looked at the older women. "Thank you all for going shopping with us today. I had no idea what all we'd need, and having the grandmothers there means a lot to us both."

Narcissa smiled, and Andromeda and Molly both beamed at being referred to as the grandmothers, though it was Molly who spoke up. "You're doing a wonderful job, here, Harry. Both of you are. The nursery is beautiful, you have everything you could possibly need, and you're taking such wonderful care of Luna. I think you wore her out today, though. She was sound asleep the last time I went up there."

Harry laughed. "Yes, she was looking a bit peaked. We're really glad she's stayed, though. It's been so nice having her and the baby close by. It's really put our mind at ease, and we love having her."

Andromeda laughed. "I'm sure you do, though I've heard she may have interrupted something a few times? Perhaps you two need to remember you'll have a young one around here soon, and can't do certain things in the middle of the kitchen when others are home." She gave him a knowing smile.

Harry felt his face turn red. "I can't believe she told you about that."

Narcissa laughed louder than he thought he'd ever heard her before, which is to say she laughed audibly. "She didn't. Draco did."

"What?" Harry moved to jump up, spilling baby outfits all over the floor. "Draco!"

Molly smothered her laugh. "Oh, Harry. Calm down. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. We've all been there." She shot a glance at Narcissa, who raised a well-polished eyebrow in a manner very reminiscent of her son. "Well, most of us anyway. Why, there was one time that Arthur and I were in—"

"That's okay, Molly. I'm good. You're right. Not embarrassed," he added quickly, then looked at his watch. "Well, would you look at the time. We need to get this mess cleaned up and dinner started." He grinned at Molly. "Draco invited Pansy over for dinner, and she's bringing Grayson and little Gray with her."

Narcissa stood, taking her cue. "Of course, darling. Give Pansy and her family our best wishes. Molly, Andi, would you like to stop for tea before returning home? I know this quaint little shop in Oxford that will suit just nicely."

Harry walked them to the door and said his goodbyes, then decided to go find Draco. Walking up the stairs, he heard murmurs coming from Luna's room. Following the sound, he stopped at the open doorway and looked in.

Luna was laying on the bed on her side, eyes cracked open with a sleepy smile on her face. Draco was stretched out next to her with one of the new children's books in his hand, muttering quietly near her stomach. Harry quietly walked up behind his husband and attempted to make out the words.

"And now the tormenting pot filled to the brim with salt water, and slopped tears all over the floor as it hopped, and brayed, and groaned, and sprouted more warts." Harry glanced at Luna in surprise, seeing that she was watching him watch Draco, and she grinned. The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, he realized, recognizing it from when Teddy was little. Harry sat down and allowed the story to finish.

"Were you reading to her stomach? Seriously?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "If you'd ever read the baby books Padma gave us, Potter, you'd know that the baby can hear us, and reading to them lets them get used to our voice."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Mmmhmm," Luna agreed. "Talking is fine, but reading and singing are really good, too."

"Singing, too?"

Draco smirked. "Yeah, singing."

"Scoot over. Let me try." Harry sat down next to them, and Luna patted his hand on the bed. He thought about it for a moment, then smiled, deciding to go with one of Draco's favourites.

Well I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
Well it goes like this:
The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

He could feel steel grey eyes upon him now and knew that his choice of song was appreciated. He continued on for a verse, then Luna shifted and took his hand, laying it upon her stomach. She motioned for him to keep singing and as he hit the higher notes, he felt it, a firm push against his hand. He stopped in shock, and the motion ceased.

He looked to Draco and took his hand, replacing it under his own and began singing again.

But baby I've been here before
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor
You know, I used to live alone before I knew ya
And I've seen your flag on the marble arch
And love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Again, as he got to the high notes, the tiny kicks came again, making Draco jump. "Do it again, Harry," Draco murmured. Harry repeated the last few lines, this time both of their hands receiving the same treatment.

Luna laughed. "He or she seems to like the falsetto."

Draco leaned over and gave Harry a long kiss. "They're not the only one," he said quietly against his mouth. "That was amazing. Thank you."

"Well, I hate to interrupt this, but the loo is calling again." Luna giggled, pushing them both out of the way and pulling herself out of bed. "All that kicking has now kicked my bladder. Oh, what's for dinner?"