A/N: Hello lovely readers! Long time no see! I'm very sorry that it has taken me so long to post this chapter, life has just been so busy that I haven't had the time to really get into writing. I know it must be super annoying and disjointing to have to read a chapter and then have a few months before you read the next one so I've written a few chapters and now have a small bank of them to post consistently. Hopefully this will give me enough time to finish the story without any more long gaps between posting.

I would suggest maybe rereading the previous chapter to refresh yourselves on what's happening but if you cba with that, I've written a quick refresher below:

- Draco found out that Arianwen was being watched by the Death Eaters in Hogwarts and believed that she was in imminent danger. He warned her to flee Hogwarts and find her baby cousin, bringing him under her personal care.

- Together, they went to the family that Aneirin had given baby Lloyd to (which was the family of his boyfriend, Huw). They found out that Lloyd had been displaying magical ability, despite his young age, and took him back to Arianwen's house in Carmarthen.

- Later that evening, Arianwen and Draco got into a big fight which (predictably) resulted in them having angry sex. As ever, Draco was worried that Arianwen would see through the show he'd been making of hating her and try to save him from a life of servitude, he therefore decided to say some pretty nasty things to put her off.

- As he was leaving, Draco warned Arianwen to find a way to alter Lloyd's DNA so that Dafydd couldn't lay claim to the child (Dafydd wanted to do this to strengthen his claim as Warden of the South and gain the loyalty of the Welsh population, which he then planned to 'sell' to Voldemort in exchange for status and power in the new regime. Draco said that if push came to shove, when being questioned about Lloyd's parentage, Arianwen could say the child was his bastard.

- Despite all the harsh words Draco had said to Arianwen, she told him that she will always love him and wants him to be safe, much to the agony of Draco, who left the house feeling like a terrible human being.

Okay, I hope that helps get you back on track! This chapter picks up directly from where the last one left off, so it's still the same night. Now, please read, enjoy, and review!

Chapter Thirty-Three: Camouflage

"Malfoy!" Aneirin hissed. He had snuck out of Arianwen's house after she went to the nursery to tend to the baby, and had chased after Draco's retreating form. "Malfoy wait!"

Draco turned around grudgingly. "What?" He snapped.

Aneirin raised a brow coolly but didn't otherwise react to Draco's tone. "I need to talk to you about the muggleborns."

"Oh," Draco said, feeling a little more receptive now that he knew he wasn't going to be lectured about his treatment of Arianwen. "What about them?"

The Welshman glanced around, making absolutely certain that no one was there. "I need you to change the destination on the portkeys."

Draco glared hard at him. "Change the destination, are you bloody mad? Have you any idea how dangerous it's been to get you those portkeys?"

A number of months prior, Aneirin had convinced Draco to aid him in attempting to create something of an underground network in which Draco used his status as a Death Eater to get valuable information on the names and suspected whereabouts of muggleborns. Aneirin would then attempt to contact them, either personally or through his boyfriend Huw, and provide them with a portkey to a remote area of Snowdonia in North Wales in order to be later moved to other contacts of Aneirin's, who ran safe camps in France, Germany, and Luxembourg. The trouble was portkeys were rather hard to come by as the Snatchers had put a trace against the incantation used to create them, resulting in the easier capture of witches and wizards attempting to flee. That was another area where Draco had come in handy, for the Death Eaters were often required to use portkeys to visit areas out of reach by apparition, and he therefore had a number of contacts he could utilise. His involvement did not come without risks however, as Draco could only rely on heavy bribes to stop the creators of the portkeys from exposing him.

"Of course I'm aware of the dangers, Draco!" Aneirin said quickly, trying to appease him. "But I can't risk sending people to North Wales, not while Lord Gwydion helps your lot gain power there."

Draco had the good grace to look ashamed. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely, "I had no idea they were planning that attack. Your father-"

"-Is dead." Aneirin finished plainly. "There's no need to dwell on it."

Draco reached out braced Aneirin's shoulder comfortingly. "Leave the portkey issue with me, I'll get it sorted."

"Thanks." Aneirin smiled sadly and then stepped back, watching Draco turn to go.

"Oh, and Aneirin?" Draco called back.

"Yeah?"

"If something happens to me- if I die," he shifted uncomfortably, "will you tell Arianwen that I love her and that I'm sorry?"

"I will," Aneirin said softly. He held out his hand to Draco, who shook it, then turned and walked away for good.

Arianwen watched the baby as he slept; it had taken her a while to get him to drift off as each time she cradled him he tried to latch onto her nipple, even though it was covered in the fabric of her robes. She had given him one of the bottles of milk that Mrs Pryce had given her before they took him away, but that meant that only one bottle remained and she would have to come up with some other method of feeding him. A small knock at the door interrupted her worries in that moment however, and Arianwen looked over her shoulder to see Aneirin entering tentatively.

He walked carefully over to the baby's cot and peered inside. "I sent Huw home," he said after a while.

Arianwen glanced up, confused. "You didn't have to do that! I don't mind him staying here with you, you should be with the people you love."

"I am," he smiled, "and I had a feeling you'd still be up."

She nodded, a bright smile taking over her face at his comment, though it soon faded when she looked back at little Lloyd in his crib. "Draco said I should change his genetics so that I can convince people he's mine but I don't know if it's a good idea."

"Why not? It seems logical enough – people don't like believing things without proof and seeing that so many people close to you haven't seen you with this child, well, I can't see them just accepting that you had a secret baby behind their backs."

"But don't you think it's wrong? To just erase his birth mother's DNA from him?!" Arianwen exclaimed.

"His mother was a neglectful alcoholic who saw her child as a constant reminder of her traumatic experience with your uncle. Surely it would be more wrong to let the child grow up knowing that he was a product of rape and the driver of his own mother's death?"

Tears filled in Arianwen's eyes, she reached down and stroked Lloyd's soft black hair lovingly. "You're right," she said eventually.

"Draco is right," Aneirin corrected pointedly.

Arianwen's lips thinned at the comment. "I thought there was a chance-" she started, "-a chance there might be some good left in him, but there's nothing, he really is one of them." She stared angrily at the window beside her, looking as though she was willing the glass to shatter under her gaze.

Aneirin merely mumbled in response. "Right," he said stirringly after a moment, trying to sound chipper, "how are we going to work out this genetics palaver then?"

"I think I know someone who can help." Arianwen's eyes didn't move from the baby's peaceful face. "Her name is Nimue, the Lady of the Lake."

Whilst Arianwen had caught Aneirin up on her encounters with Nimue, arriving at the Great Tower of Pembroke Castle in the middle of the night was probably not the best way to introduce a man to a man-hater, never mind then convincing her to help them. "Get your wand out but be discrete," Arianwen instructed as she used the rusty old key to unlock the tower door. She'd swaddled the baby into a wrap that stretched around her back and allowed her free use of her arms, and he'd very happily settled into a slumber against her chest.

The door creaked open and Arianwen had not put one foot inside before Nimue had launched herself upon them. "Who is this man you have brought me?" She demanded.

"This is Marquess Aneirin Elisedd, he has come as my companion. You will not harm him if you want to get out of this tower!"

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that," Nimue hissed, circling Aneirin with manic glee.

"You will not harm him!" Arianwen repeated loudly, drawing Nimue's attention back to her. It was at this moment that the witch noticed the small bundle huddled into Arianwen's chest.

"A babe?" She asked, her tone now curious rather than aggressive. Slowly, Arianwen unravelled the baby and allowed Nimue to survey him, noticing how her features had softened as he let out a few little contended grunts.

"Yes," Arianwen breathed, allowing Nimue to caress his cheek with the back of her finger. She imaged the witch was probably thinking of her own children, of her three baby boys while she still had them and everything was as simple and pure as a mother's bond with her children should be. She knew she shouldn't but Arianwen couldn't help but feel a great sense of guilt as she watched the elder woman interact with her tiny cousin, who had just awoken and had begun to open his eyes laboriously.

"He has your eyes," Nimue noted. "He is your kin?"

"My cousin," Arianwen nodded.

"And that's what we're here to change," Aneirin added firmly.

Nimue's electric blue eyes hardened instantly at the sound of Aneirin's voice, she mistrusted men, and was right to do so based on how they'd treated her in the past. "Now why would you want to do that?"

"There is a very dangerous man after him, my uncle, in fact," Arianwen started, trying not to sound too rehearsed, they'd prepared the speech on the way to the Tower. "My uncle raped my poor maid and this child, Lloyd, he was born as consequence. My father gave her money and told her to flee when he found out, and so she and the baby went to Scotland, but just as you noted, Lloyd's eyes are just like mine – and unfortunately, just like Uncle Dafydd's. Every time she looked at him she was reminded of my uncle; every time he cried, she was reminded of her own sorrow; and so she turned to alcohol to numb the pain."

"Lloyd was not kept well by the end," Aneirin added, "I went to the maid's cottage myself, the poor child was being neglected. In one of her drunken stupors, Miss Jones must have let slip her story, for it wasn't long before Lord Gwydion discovered where to find her."

"He killed her," Arianwen stated bluntly, "and although dear Aneirin here managed to get to Lloyd in time and take him to a safe place, my uncle is still after the baby."

Nimue's eyes were narrowed as she scrutinised them closely, trying to decide if they were telling the truth. "Why does Lord Gwydion seek the child so fiercely?" She asked, unconvinced.

"I don't know exactly," Arianwen admitted. "I've heard that Uncle thinks Lloyd has some special ability, or at least can be trained in such a manner anyway. You see if Uncle can prove he has an heir, his claim as the head of my house will strengthen considerably, some of the less loyal War Councillors may pledge allegiance to him and in doing so, pledge allegiance to the one they call 'The Dark Lord'. If such an event happens, it will surely mark a lifetime of servitude and slavery for our people."

"So you see, we must act to hide this child's identity in some way." Aneirin finished.

Arianwen held her breath, watching Nimue for any signs of hostility towards their plan. To her relief, Nimue didn't display any such signs, she merely questioned, "and what identity do you wish the child to take?"

"I want him to take my own. I want him to be my son." Arianwen's soft green eyes met Nimue's hard blue ones intensely, she willed the witch to see her determination, to understand her urgency.

Nimue broke their gaze and looked again at the baby in Arianwen's arms, her eyes searching his every appearance. "You wish to erase the mother entirely?" The blonde sighed, she knew it would be a contentious issue; Nimue, despite all her flaws, had been an incredibly devoted mother. To erase any trace of Lloyd's mother would undoubtedly be seen by Nimue to be a great crime.

"I wish to erase them both. It is for his own safety." Arianwen implored. "If he carries only my genes then no one can doubt his heritage."

There was a long pause where neither Aneirin nor Arianwen even dared breathe. Arianwen looked at him helplessly and Aneirin looked meaningfully down at the baby, then back to Arianwen, his dark eyes attempting to convey a message. Arianwen understood. "I will love him as deeply and as faithfully as you loved your own children, Nimue." She didn't look away from the child but Arianwen could have sworn that she saw the old woman's lip tremble slightly; she decided to press on. "I will cherish him until my last day on this earth, he will want for nothing in my care, and he-he" she gulped, "-he will never need to know the terrible truth of how he was brought into this world."

Unbelievably, a few tears fell from Nimue's eyes and onto Lloyd's milky skin. Arianwen had never seen such emotion from her, not even when she had told the story of the murder of her own children had she cried. "I will help you. If only so that this boy need never know he is the product of rape, I will help you." Nimue stated, a trace of disgust causing her voice to waiver just slightly. "Sit down," she commanded, "and hold out your wrist."

Arianwen did as she was told, her eyes widening just slightly when Nimue conjured a knife and a small bowl. If the elder woman noticed her apprehension, she ignored it; she knelt down beside the pair and began to chant a long verse in what Arianwen could only describe as a very ancient form of the Welsh language. As she spoke, she began to drag a thin strip of pure white light from her index finger of her left hand, and weave it around Arianwen and Lloyd with her right. The baby watched it in awe as it spun around his head and tried to reach up and touch it with his tiny hands. Arianwen suddenly felt a sharp pain in her wrist, and realised that Nimue had just sliced the skin with the cool blade of the knife she had conjured, letting the blood drip into the bowl beneath. She then turned her knife on Lloyd, whose innocent face scrunched up in displeasure, as though he was about to cry, though the wails never actually came. He had become quickly distracted by the new strip of crimson liquid that was whirling around them and intertwining with the white light, unaware that it was their own blood that encircled them. Arianwen gasped as she saw the baby in her arms change right before her eyes: his thick black hair seemed to suck back into his skull before re-emerging as soft white-blonde strands instead, his nose became slightly thinner and more pointed, and Arianwen was sure that his cheekbones had become higher – though it was hard to tell with such chubby cheeks. The only feature that remained unchanged was his sage-green eyes that matched perfectly with Arianwen's. Finally, Nimue's chant came to an end and the strips of red and white light fell to the ground and evaporated into thin air. "It is done." Nimue announced.

Arianwen couldn't help but smile at the baby in her arms, whose eyes were fixed on her own, as if seeing her for the first time. "I suggest you rename the child." Arianwen jumped slightly, so engrossed had she been in gazing at the boy who was now her own.

"Rename him? Why?" Arianwen asked, startled.

"Lord Gwydion knows of the child, and I assume knows the name given to him by his mother-his birth mother," she corrected quickly. "If you're going to convincingly deny the paternity of the child, you should probably give him a name that Lord Gwydion doesn't already know."

Arianwen nodded, it did make sense but she felt enormous guilt in renaming him, for doing so would be to take away the very last trace of his real mother. You are his mother now, she told herself. She looked up at Aneirin, who was leaning against a wall, his arms folded across his chest and his brow creased inwards seriously.

"I'll call him Llewyn, after your father," Arianwen said, smiling sadly at Aneirin.

He looked completely astonished, his face had paled somewhat and his mouth fell agape. "After my father?" He asked after he'd regained himself. "Not your own?"

"He already has my father's name, he's a Gwydion." Arianwen smiled, she looked from the baby to Aneirin. "Llewyn Gwydion. I like it."

Touched by the gesture, Aneirin simply nodded and turned away, wiping his eyes as he went. He had truly come to value Arianwen over the past year; he had seen the power of her determination when she opposed her uncle at the elections for Warden of the South, the kindness of her heart when she welcomed him into her home despite the betrayal of his father, and now her most forgiving nature in paying tribute to his father despite his betrayal. When he had composed himself, he turned back and told Arianwen that he would wait for her outside, allowing her to speak with Nimue if she wished to do so.

"I feel different," Arianwen said after a time.

"How so?" Nimue enquired.

"I don't know," she tried to find the right words, "it's as though there's a physical bond connecting us so that when I look at him my heart sort of swells." She blushed. "It sounds stupid."

The corners of Nimue's mouth turned upward slightly. "A mother's love," she advised wisely. "It will undoubtedly be stronger than most due to your condition when the spell was cast."

Arianwen blinked, completely confused. "My condition?"

"Yes," Nimue bowed her head, "an expecting mother will always have a stronger bond with a child; and those hormones, whilst naturally occurring within you already, have been intensified by my enchantment, which plants such feelings inside you just as your genes are planted inside the child."

Arianwen blinked again, her expression perhaps even more blank than it had been prior to Nimue's explanation. "I don't understand."

"You have the DNA of another inside you already, my child."

Arianwen's mouth dropped wide open, was Nimue saying what she thought she was saying? "I'm-I'm pregnant?" She gasped.

"Indeed," Nimue agreed, now sounding somewhat bored, "and you have shared the same DNA with young Llewyn." She grinned wickedly, "You might wish to tell the father that he is going to have two children to provide for."

She didn't believe it, she couldn't believe it. She was pregnant. How could she be pregnant? She hadn't slept with anyone in-

Draco.

Suddenly the previous night's events came flooding back to her. She had slept with Draco! And not only did she now have a baby in her arms that shared both hers and Draco's DNA, she also had a baby growing inside her that was his too.

She wasn't sure what the worse news was: that she now had to figure out how to look after a child on her own, whilst pregnant with another one; or that the father of said children loathed her entirely, whilst her devoted boyfriend had no knowledge of her infidelities whatsoever and she was going to have to break it to him.

The second one, she decided, definitely the second one.