Chapter 11

Draco carried Ivy in to the suite of the inn they were staying at under the Eiffel Tower. It was a magical inn, muggles couldn't see it. Setting her back on her feet, they surveyed the room, finding a king sized bed with white lace curtains draped around it. He turned to her and pulled her to him. Wrapping his arms around her, he began to undo the tiny buttons on the back of the dress, cursing Malkin for putting so many. Finally, he was able to push the silk down her body to reveal her beauty to him. Slowly, they took each other to new heights again and again. Breathless, they held on to each other, waiting for their breathing to slow. Falling asleep with a smile, they both knew that their lives couldn't be fuller.

Lucius collected them a few days later, taking them to their new home. Another week and they were on their way back to Hogwarts for another year. Arriving at the platform, they said goodbye to Narcissa and Lucius and got onto the train. Draco never letting go of Ivy's hand, he found an empty compartment, knowing that they would be joined by Harry and crew soon. Sighing, Ivy leaned her head on Draco's shoulder as they waited for the train to leave. It wasn't long before their friends joined them in the compartment and they began talking.

Once at Hogwarts, they walked through the entrance into the Great Hall to be greeted with a different seating arrangement. The long house tables were gone to be replaced with smaller round tables that sat 6 or 8. "Please, sit anywhere you like, we are trying something different this year. Leave the front tables for the first years." Dumbledore spoke from the teacher's table.

They moved into the room and settled down at a table to be joined by Ginny. They watched the sorting ceremony and then listened as Dumbledore explained the new seating in the Great Hall and made a few announcements. He dismissed them to their dorms for the night and McGonagall made her way to Draco and Ivy.

"Follow me and I will take you to your dorm." She said, leaving the Great Hall.

They followed silently, climbing the stairs to the seventh floor. Coming to a stop in front of a painting of a couple dancing, she cleared her throat. "Fiddlefaddle." She said.

The painting opened to reveal a common room. "This is your common room. The room modifies itself to the amount of couples living here. Right now, there will only be the one bedroom for you. As you heard the password, you may now enter the room whenever you wish. This is your home while here at Hogwarts." She stated and then left the room.

Ivy and Draco looked around the common room and then began searching for their bedroom. Finding it, they settled in for the night. Classes began and everyone became interested in how it was that Ivy could see now. She was bombarded with questions in between classes until she finally snapped and yelled at a second year who had asked her the same question she had answered a hundred times already. "What the bloody hell does it matter how I got my sight back? It is back, end of story." She yelled and silence followed.

Draco led her away and into an empty classroom to help her calm down. "I'm just tired of it, Draco. They won't leave me alone." She said, exasperated.

"I know. Hopefully it will die down soon and everyone will leave us alone." He said, gathering her in his arms. They stood that way until the bell rang, signaling time for class.

Christmas break came sooner than they realized. Everyone was going home for the break, including Draco and Ivy. They went to their home and would spend Christmas day with Draco's parents and Severus. On Christmas Eve, as they got ready for bed, they both felt the magic crackling around them. Making love had becoming a normal thing for them and they didn't think twice about it. Turning to each other, they began the journey to new heights. This night, they reached that height together and magic exploded around them, causing the earth to shift, rain to fall from a cloudless sky, the wind to howl, and fire to roll through the sky (not burning anything).

Dumbledore, seeing the signs, knew exactly what had happened. It seemed that the second part of the bond had been fulfilled, although they wouldn't know for several weeks. Severus saw the signs as well, knowing what they meant. Anyone else seeing them would just think it was a freak of nature.

Returning to school, classes began again in earnest. The fifth years were preparing to take their OWL exams, while the seventh years were preparing for NEWTs and graduation. Around mid-February, Ivy had woken up four days in a row to rush to the loo and throw up. She was constantly tired, and just hadn't been feeling well. Making their way to breakfast, Draco pleaded with her to go see Madam Pomfrey. She refused, saying that she was fine. He opened the door to the Great Hall and a waft of air brought with it the smell of food. Ivy covered her mouth and took off running for the loo again. Sighing, Draco rushed behind her. Hermione was coming down the hallway and was almost knocked over by Ivy. Concerned, she followed and found her in the loo, throwing up yet again. She helped Ivy clean herself up and told her to go see Madam Pomfrey. Ivy shook her head.

"I'm afraid that I must insist, Mrs. Malfoy. According to Mr. Malfoy that makes the second time this morning and about the fourth morning in a row. As your guardian still, I insist that you be checked out." Professor McGonagall stated and then ushered Ivy out of the restroom to head towards the hospital. Draco fell into step beside then, saying a thanks to Hermione as he passed her.

In the hospital, Madam Pomfrey had Ivy lie down on a bed. Draco stood beside her, holding her hand. The healer then waved her wand over Ivy to diagnose the problem. When she reached Ivy's abdomen, her wand glowed. "Ah! I see." She said.

"So, what's wrong with her?" Draco asked impatiently.

"It seems that there is a little Malfoy on the way." She replied.

Ivy and Draco both looked shocked. Looking at each other, they remembered back to Christmas Eve and knew that she had conceived that night.

"Seems to be about 6 weeks along, and everything looks good so far. I will give you some potions to take daily to help with the nausea and the tiredness. I will also keep check on you each month for a while." Madam Pomfrey said, leaving the room to gather the potions that they would need.

Professor McGonagall turned to leave the hospital wing to meet with the headmaster and Professor Snape. "Professor, I would like to tell my parents, if that's okay with you." Draco said to her.

"Certainly Mr. Malfoy, we can arrange for them to come here tonight." She told him.

She left and Draco turned back to Ivy, smiling down at his wife. Reaching a trembling hand towards her stomach, he placed his hand on it and tried to imagine his child growing inside of her. He marveled at how life was turning out so well for him. Ivy placed her hand over his on her stomach and smiled up at him. They were going to have a child, she couldn't have been happier.

Making their way to class after taking her first potion, Ivy was bombarded with questioning looks from Harry and Hermione. She waved off their questions for the moment, hoping they would wait until after class. The class being potions didn't allow for much talking. After class, Harry and Hermione ambushed Ivy and Draco in the hallway. "So, what's wrong? Hermione told me you went to see Madam Pomfrey." Harry said.

"Well, Harry, it seems that a little Malfoy is on the way. In about 7 and a half months." Draco told him with a smile.

Hermione squealed with delight, hugging Ivy and then turning to hug Draco. Harry looked stunned, even though they all knew that it was inevitable because of the bond, he still didn't expect it.

That evening after dinner, Draco and Ivy went up to Dumbledore's office to meet with his parents. Lucius and Narcissa were ecstatic that they would have a grandchild soon, and that their son wouldn't die a horrible death for not fulfilling the bond.

Ivy began feeling better since taking the potions and soon, she was showing a little baby bump, too soon in her opinion. She had read in a book that most women didn't start showing until month 5 or 6 and she was only barely into month 3. At her appointment with Madam Pomfrey, she brought up her concerns. "Aren't I a little early to be having a bump already?" she asked.

"Well, I suppose so, let do a quick check and see what's going on in there." The healer said and made Ivy lie down on the bed. Draco always came to the appointments with her and held her hand. He didn't realize that she had these concerns; he just loved seeing the growing bump. He watched as Madam Pomfrey waved her wand over his growing child and furrowed her brow. Well, that doesn't look good. She clucked her tongue and moved away to make a call on the floo network. Returning, she was followed by another healer, a man apparently from St. Mungo's. He moved to Ivy and waved his wand over her belly, pursing his lips in the process. "Oh, dear. Such a young mother to have… well, what can be done…." He stammered, looking over at Madam Pomfrey. She nodded and rushed off to find Dumbledore. He needed to know this.

When she returned, the headmaster placed a hand on Ivy and Draco linked hands. He watched as the healer began another scan. After much silence and many long minutes, Draco had had enough. "What the bloody hell is wrong? Will you just tell us already?" he spoke through clinched teeth.

"It seems that Mrs. Malfoy is pregnant with more than one child." Dumbledore said softly. "According to the scans, there seem to be 4 babies in there." Looking up, he saw the confused look on Draco's face. "Ivy is very young, as you know. Her body is really just beginning to develop. The healer is afraid that her body is not going to adjust well to carrying 4 babies."

"Four? Are you sure? Four?" Draco asked.

"Very sure, Mr. Malfoy. There are four babies. We will need to keep a very close eye on your wife for the next few months, to make sure that her body is adjusting." The healer said. He then released Ivy to return to class and spoke with Madam Pomfrey about the way to proceed.

Draco and Ivy walked dazed back to the Great Hall for lunch. They sat down and were quickly joined by Harry and Hermione. Looking at them, Harry spoke, "Is everything okay?"

"Four. Four… how in the world can there be four?" was all Draco was able to say.

"I'm sorry. Four what?" Hermione asked.

"Four babies. There are four babies in my belly." Ivy spoke. Hermione and Harry gaped at the couple, not sure how to respond to that. "The healers are worried that I might not be able to carry them."

"I'm sure you will do just fine, Ivy. You are a strong woman and witch, you can do anything." Hermione said reassuringly. Harry nodded in agreement.

"Wait until your mother hears this, Draco. She will be over the moon." Ivy said, linking her hand with his.

Draco nodded, still dazed at the news. "I suppose we should call them later."

Dumbledore stopped at their table. "I placed a call to your parents, asking them to meet here after dinner tonight." He continued on to the teachers table at the head of the hall.

After dinner, Draco and Ivy made their way up to Dumbledore's office again to meet with his parents. Severus and Minerva were there as well. When the headmaster announced that there were to be four new Malfoys on the way, silence reigned and then a thump heard as Narcissa fainted. Lucius knelt over her, waving a hand in her face. He was shocked as well by the news. Not only was he going to be a grandfather, but he was going to have four grandchildren if Ivy is able to carry them to term. Looking up at Dumbledore, he asked, "So what are the odds?"

"We aren't sure yet. Not knowing how much her internal body has developed, we can't make any assumptions at this point. Healer Davis is concerned and wants to look in on Ivy a few times a week." The headmaster replied. He had a suspicion of why there were four children on the way. It had a lot to do with the happenings when the bond was sealed and the children conceived. Nothing like that had ever happened before to his knowledge.

Draco led Ivy back to their room and held her gently, afraid to hurt her. She laughed and pulled him closer, "I'm not going to break, Draco. I'm only pregnant."

"I know, it's just that we were only planning on one, and now there are four. How are we going to handle this?" he asked, placing a soft kiss to her temple.

"Just like we handle everything else, together we can do anything." She replied and kissed him. They fell asleep in each other's arms.

Everything seemed to be going fine with the pregnancy, and even though she was getting much bigger than she should, her studies were going great. When she was around 6 months in to the pregnancy, she awoke one more to pain in her abdomen. Waking Draco, she told him that she needed to get to the hospital. This pain was not normal, and somehow she knew something was wrong. Madam Pomfrey came to her side right away and then rushed off to call Healer Davis. He arrived and began a scan on Ivy's burgeoning belly. "Hmm… that's odd. There's no way they are ready, it's only been 6 months." He muttered.

"What do you mean?" Ivy asked.

"It seems that these babies are wanting out, whether it's time or not." He told her as her face scrunched up in pain. Another wave of pain was crossing her back and belly. Ivy gripped Draco's hand tightly. "We need to move you to St. Mungo's. There's no way to stop it now. The labor is progressing too quickly. Poppy, notify the headmaster." He said, stepping over to the fireplace. Draco picked Ivy up and followed him.

They arrived at the hospital and the healer ushered them into a room, yelling for his team to meet him there pronto. Ivy was now racked with pain that wasn't subsiding at all. It felt like the babies were trying to claw their way out. Draco gently laid her on the bed and grasped her hand again, worried. Seeing her in pain was causing him pain.

Ivy bit her lip to keep from screaming, the pain was unbearable, but she wouldn't allow herself to scream. Healer Davis was yelling enough for the both of them. His team wasn't getting there fast enough, so he had amplified his voice and was still yelling to get them to move quicker. At this point, she couldn't take the pain any longer, she let out a gasp. Healer Davis turned out just in time to see a baby's head appear. Continuing to yell at his team, he reached over and supported the head. The first of his team finally came through the door, pushing a cart. The girl's eyes widened as she took in the scene in front of her. "Get over here with that. I need a blanket, yesterday. Where's everyone else?" He yelled at her.

She rushed over and handed him a blanket. "They were right behind me, sir." She said softly.

With another gasp, Ivy pushed down and the rest of the baby appeared in the healer's hands. Wrapping the blanket around the child, he handed the bundle over to the helper. Another gasp and push and another head appeared. It wasn't long before all four babies were born and Ivy had passed out from the pain. Draco looked on at his babies, noticing that Ivy's hand had gone slack in his.

The healer rushed over to check Ivy and make sure she was okay. He quickly determined that she was not, she was bleeding internally. Waving his wand over her belly, he quickly repaired what damage he could, but realized that he couldn't repair everything. He stopped the bleeding, ordered a helper to get some blood replenishing potion, and tried another diagnosis. Shaking his head, "There nothing more I can do. She won't be able to have any more children. The damage is too severe. We will have to remove the womb."

Draco looked up at him and nodded. Ivy had given him more than he could ever imagine. He looked down at his wife and kissed her forehead. "Do what you have to." He said.

The healer nodded and began to perform the spell. After several moments, Ivy awoke, "Our babies, where are they?" she asked. Draco smiled and motioned the helpers over with the four bundles.

Two boys and two girls were nestled in blankets, crying and healthy. Ivy smiled and reached for them. They were placed on her chest one at a time for her to look at them, then they were moved to a bassinet near the bed she was in. "We have to think of names." She whispered to Draco. He nodded and smiled, already ahead of her.

Dumbledore stepped into the room before he could speak. "Ah, I see I have missed the event." He smiled and moved over to see the children. "Just as I thought, the four elements."

Draco looked at him, "The four elements? What do you mean?"

"Well, if you remember the night they were conceived, the earth shifted, the rain poured down from a cloudless sky, the wind howled, and the fire rolled through the sky. The four elements. When we were told that there would be four children, I had my suspicions, but now seeing them, I know that I'm right. They represent the four elements; fire, earth, wind and water. See their hair color, that indicates which one will have control over the element. Red for fire, brown for earth, white for wind and blonde for water." He explained.

Draco nodded, still not believing it. "Well, a few names came to me the other night in a dream. We will see what Ivy thinks about them." Turning to her, he spoke again, "Vesta for the fire girl, Adamina for the earth girl."

"Zephyr for the air boy, and Nerio for the water boy." Ivy said, knowing then that they had had the same dream. Draco nodded at her, smiling. These names were meant to be.

Dumbledore nodded and smiled, knowing that great things would come from these little ones lying in the bassinet.