Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.

Chapter 2 Family Time

The moment after he grabbed the floo powder to go home, Potter jumped into the St. Mungo's floo station with him. She grinned when he realized too little too late.

"Oh thank goodness!" Mother smothered him with a hug as he fell out of the fireplace at home. She had yet to notice Potter. "You know I don't like it when you leave without telling me."

"I'm twenty five," Draco said flatly. He felt Potter's pitying eyes on him. Mother thought he was going to off himself.

"Yes but…" Mother froze when she saw Potter. Then, she turned white as a sheet when her eyes fell on Potter's stomach, which was the size of a quaffle. "She-she chose you."

"She told me her husband's name was Drake." Potter frowned. "I didn't think much of it…"

Mother put on her best fake smile. "Well… Let's have tea, shall we? I have so much to ask you Miss Potter."

"Katherine," Potter said shyly.

Mother beamed. Great.

Mother was excited and gushed out question after question. Father stared at Potter as if he had never seen a pregnant woman before. Draco felt numb, which was the closest to positive he could get.

"How far along are you?" Mother asked excitedly. "Draco and Astoria started trying right away. When Draco was nineteen."

"Eighteen weeks." Perhaps it was the mention of Astoria, but Potter looked incredibly sad. "I'm hoping he'll be a teensy bit early. A Christmas baby."

"Oh! Astoria loved Christmas." Suddenly, after avoiding the topic for months, Mother couldn't stop talking about Astoria. Draco couldn't take anymore.

"Excuse me." Draco stopped leaving when Potter grabbed his wrist. "What?"

She flinched at his tone. "I wanted to spend the day with you."

"Why?" he snapped.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy!" Stupid Mother.

Potter shrugged and let go, running her hand over her belly. "I… miss her too."

Draco gritted his teeth. He wanted nothing to do with Potter. He didn't even know if he wanted anything to do with the baby. But it, no he, was the last living piece of Astoria. "I'm going to bed."

Malfoy,

Teddy keeps asking about you. And I bought some things for the baby. Please come over?

Katherine

P.S. I'm writing to your mother too. So she knows you're invited. It's either spending the day with her nagging you or spending the day with me and Teddy.

Draco moaned and glanced at the photograph of Astoria he kept by his bed. "What did you do to me?"

She grinned saucily and winked. The Draco in the picture, the happy Draco, kissed her cheek and laughed.

The boy's face lit up when he stepped through the floo. Potter wasn't in the living room, and Draco didn't know whether to be relieved or not at this development. He handed Draco a blue teddy bear.

"I picked it," he informed him proudly. "Kat says she doesn't know much about toys, so I can pick everything."

Draco took the bear and stared at it, not knowing what to say. Then, he looked past Edward to see blocks, more stuffed animals, and a playpen filled with more baby toys.

"Kat's making lunch," Edward went on. "She says you have to eat it or she's telling your mum." Then, he lowered his voice, "Kat's a snitch."

"I know," Draco said dryly.

"Dad says it's something called hormones." Edward rolled his eyes. "She just doesn't like it when I don't wear a helmet when I fly, but she doesn't need to cry about it."

"I heard that!" Potter called from what he assumed to be the kitchen. "Come eat!"

She made plain grilled chicken sandwiches with lettuce and tomato. Everything Draco ate tasted like dirt, but for once, he forced himself to eat. He felt bad for being so rude to Potter yesterday. Mother harping on him for hours would do that to him.

"Make sure you eat at least two," Potter told them as she started scarfing down her lunch. "Or I'll eat them all."

Edward frowned. "Why'd you make so many then?"

Potter tried to hide her smile by gulping down her pumpkin juice. "Godmothers have to fatten up their godsons."

"Are you still going to be godmother to the baby?" Edward asked, unknowingly increasing the tension in the room by tenfold.

"Ted." Potter shook her head. She always seemed to be shaking her head around Draco.

Draco put down his half eaten sandwich. Astoria must have told her that. He couldn't exactly say no, could he? He hadn't spoken to any of his friends in nearly a year, not even at Astoria's funeral. Potter would probably be the closest thing the baby had to a mother.

"You're shaking," Potter said quietly, bringing him back to reality. Her green eyes were filled with concern. "Do you have a healer you want me to call?"

"No," he said thickly. "I…"

"I'll walk you to the floo." Potter sounded guilty, and Draco felt a swirl of emotions that he couldn't pinpoint. His son would never know his mother. She didn't even get to carry him. He would only know Potter… "I'm sorry…"

Draco refused to budge. Staring at the wall here versus staring at the wall in his room. What's the difference? Well, there was one big difference. The mother of the dragon, Father often called her. "I'm not dealing with my mother today."

Potter's guilt increased, causing Draco to feel a sick satisfaction. "Want to watch a movie, Ted?"

Edward grinned. "The Incredibles!"

"Again?" Potter whined, but she was starting to smile. "Set everything up, Ted. I'm too old and fat to be bothered." Edward rolled his eyes but complied.

Draco didn't mind the Muggle box because he didn't have to think when he stared at it. Edward was asleep by the third movie.

"Can you get me a glass of water?" Potter asked. Edward was snuggled up to her side, so she didn't want to move to wake him up. "I feel like I'm about to start foaming at the mouth."

"Eloquently put as always." Draco stiffly rose from the sofa to make the short walk to the kitchen. The house was small, almost unbearably so.

"Thanks." Potter held up the glass as if to say, Cheers. She drank half of it before trying to place the cup on the coffee table without waking Edward. With a sneer, Draco took the glass and placed it on the table for her, knowing full well that he would have to get it again. "I'm sorry. About before. Teddy has a hard time wrapping his head around this. He doesn't understand, and I don't expect to be godmother or anything. He's your son."

Her eyes watered, but she wouldn't let any tears fall. Draco wondered what Astoria had told her. His wife had a sick way of trying to get him to move on. "I was just thinking. That he'd never know Astoria. That you'd be his mother, not her."

Potter finally wiped her eyes. "He'll know her. I have a few pictures if you ever want to see them… Did you mean it?"

"What?" he asked stiffly, even though he knew what she was asking.

"That I'd be his mother?" Then, she turned pink and stammered, "I-I mean like his mother. I'm kind of like Teddy's mum with Tonks…"

"I can't raise him by myself." Draco clenched his fists and closed his eyes. Right now, he couldn't raise a bloody goldfish by himself. This was too much. It hadn't even been three months since… Astoria should be here. Astoria should be here. Astoria—

"Kat!" Black hopped out of the floo. "You should be resting!"

Potter raised her eyebrows. "What does it look like I'm doing, Padfoot?"

"Did you eat dinner yet?" Black demanded. He narrowed his eyes at Draco, like he was somehow starving Potter.

"We were just talking about what to order," Potter lied smoothly. "Sirius, stop acting like I'm made of glass!"

"Sirius, just pick up Teddy and let's go," Lupin said tiredly as he emerged from the fireplace. He stopped at the sight of Draco, telling him that Mother wasn't kidding when she said he was skin and bones. If the werewolf Lupin thought you were scary skinny, there was definitely a problem.

"Spaghetti and meatballs?" Potter asked, roping him into yet another meal. "The place down the street makes meatballs the size of Teddy's head."

Knowing full well that she'd "snitch," Draco reluctantly agreed.

They ate in silence. He pushed his food around while Potter ate with gusto. He tried to remember the last meal he ate with Astoria without her being sick. She used to love to eat.

"You aren't going to eat?" Potter asked.

"You can have it," he drawled. The portions at wherever she ordered from were outrageous. Even she was having difficulty finishing.

Potter rolled her eyes and heaved herself out of her seat. "I think I have some wine somewhere around here…" She bit her lip when he didn't reply. "Do you want anything?"

"I'm not hungry," he muttered. He hadn't been hungry since Astoria couldn't get out of bed anymore. Once and a while, he forced himself to eat out of obligation, usually when Mother was staring him down.

Potter pitied him. With a big fat, sarcastic smile, Draco dug into his food. She didn't sit back down until he actually swallowed. "Want to feel the baby?"

"No."

Now Potter was picking at her food. "You're going to be alright."

"Thanks." Astoria had said that to him. As she was dying. He had to get out of here.

Malfoy,

I've been invited to your mother's birthday dinner, and I bet you forgot. Meet me in Diagon Alley by the Leaky Cauldron entrance to pick out her present. I'll be there at noon.

Katherine

P.S. I'm having your baby. Can't I call you by your first name?

Draco groaned. Mother would not be understanding of him forgetting her birthday. Well, inside she probably would, but she liked trying to make everything right by acting like nothing was wrong. He was going to have to get her something or hear about it for weeks.

And so, with every swear and grumble he could muster, Draco dragged himself out of bed. It was going to be a long day.

"So…" Potter wore sunglasses and a big, floppy hat, as if that would hide her identity. "I actually don't know anything about your mum. Luckily, I'm giving her a grandchild, so I got my gift covered."

"Planning on giving birth on the dining room table?" Draco drawled.

Potter wrinkled her nose as they started to walk. "No. I've still got three and a half months. I got her a world's greatest grandma mug."

"She'll hate it." Only three and a half months. Shutting oneself off from the rest of the world for weeks on end really made time flash by. Draco wanted to go home. "I'm just getting her diamond earrings."

"She'll hate it," Potter mimicked. "Get her something with the baby's birthstone. Garnet. I'm due to explode in mid-January."

"I can add, thank you," Draco snapped.

"Of course if the baby comes in December. That's…" Potter frowned as she tried to remember. "The blue ones…"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Then I'll get her the same damn thing in zircon, tanzanite, and turquoise for Christmas."

"What if the baby comes on Boxing Day?" Potter grinned smugly.

Since she wasn't falling for his rudeness, Draco was about to send her off crying with something incredibly cruel, like that she was going to be an insufferable mother that the child wouldn't be able to stand. About to. Lucky for him, Daphne appeared out of nowhere and punched him square in the jaw.

Thank you for the reviews Ern Estine 13624, Padfootette, and myafroatemydog!