Chapter 32

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A week later, Harry was standing in the Observatory, staring at the night sky, and thinking. It had only been seven days since he'd learned--since they'd all learned--that he was with child. He couldn't believe it! Then it hit him!

From one moment to the next, it was as sudden as a light lighting up the room. All the things that happened to him in the past were not his fault. He and Draco couldn't have children because Draco was the one who was sterile, not him.

There was never anything wrong with him. The Healers had told him, repeatedly.

Never. Just like the Dursley's hating him because he was different. Sure, he was different from them, but, it was their fear of that which caused their hate, and that hate wasn't his fault either.

Tears of happiness and relief slid silently down his cheeks, as he wrapped his arms around his middle in an attempt to hug the tiny life inside him. A baby! He was going to have a baby! His and Severus' baby--a little brother or sister for Sebastian. Finally, his own family! He could hardly believe it. Soon he would have a husband, a bondmate. He'd have a son. And in about a half a year or so, he's have a second child. A playmate for his twin siblings. Oh, and Lucius and Cissa--they were beside themselves with excitement. They were going to be grandparents!

Remus was extremely excited for him, and for Severus. Sirius was in a serious snit, but Remus had assured him he would eventually come around, once it finally sank in there would be another child for him to spoil. Though, he did pull Severus aside and advise him to keep out of Sirius' sight for a while. Sirius had gotten away from Remus once, and after a mad chase through the manor and the grounds, Remus caught him but not before he managed to leave a few hefty bruises on Severus and a case of red and gold hair that took the Potions Master three days to reverse back to black.

The next day after Neville had made his diagnosis, Lucius had summoned Severus, and disappeared into his office with the Potions Master. They didn't reappear for the majority of the day. Narcissa even joined them for a few hours, followed by Remus and a dually warned Sirius. Everyone finally emerged unscathed, but Severus was looking a bit pale, and thoroughly chastised. A sight more than a few of his past students would have savored seeing.

Nothing was said after that of the breach of the courting contract, but the arrangements for the upcoming bonding were conveniently rearranged for a much sooner date. If Severus and the Malfoy's hadn't been so close, and if they hadn't known how deeply Severus loved and cared for him, it could have gone very badly for Severus.

And having friends in high places, helped keep the news of Harry's delicate condition out of the press and the public knowledge. This added to Harry's peace of mind, since Neville had explained it was not uncommon in male pregnancies for labor to begin early, no one would know for sure when the babe was actually conceived. Not that it mattered to Harry. It was no one's business anyway.

Strong arms wrapped around him, as a tall warm body warmed his back. He leaned back against that body and sighed, reveling in the comfort and security it gave him. He felt a kiss on the top of his head.

"You've been standing here for some time. What has your thoughts so filled, you did not sense my presence, Luv?"

"None of it was my fault, Severus. None of it. I finally realized it for myself," He wiped the tears from his face and turned in Severus' arms, "and it feels wonderful! Wonderful to not feel guilty anymore!"

Reaching up, he pulled Severus face down for a kiss. And a kiss it was; full of love, happiness, new freedom, and promises of a bright future, newly realized. One of Severus' arms held him tight, as he kissed Harry thoroughly, and his other hand slid around to cover Harry's abdomen, that was just beginning to swell. Severus' long fingers splayed protectively over the child he loved dearly already--as much as he loved his Sebastian, and his Harry.

Harry moaned, as he wrapped his arms around his promised, and his response to the kiss grew heated. "Mmm, Severus...want you... can we--" He whispered against Severus' lips.

"Hey!! get your hands off my godson! No Touching! You're not bonded yet!!" Sirius' voice broke the silence and the moment.

The dogs bolted from the chairs they'd been sleeping in, running in circles around Sirius, barking madly. Waving his wand threateningly, he ignored the irony of the situation. Severus pulled away, but not before Harry stepped in front of him, trying to shield him with his body, and glared at his godfather.

"Siri, are you mad?!"

"Sirius! Put that wand away this instant!" Remus commanded from the doorway.

"He's groping my godson again! It isn't bad enough, he slept with him before the bonding--and got him pregnant! He's trying to do it again! Let me hex him--please Remi!"

Severus placed his hands on Harry's shoulders and rolled his eyes at his onetime school rival. "In case it has escaped your limited intellect, Black. Since Harry is already with child, I can hardly 'get him pregnant' again."

Sirius growled in anger and raised his wand, only to have it sail from his grasp into his husband's hand behind him. Remus reached out and graped the back of Sirius' robes and have them a shake.

"I told you to put the wand away, Siri. Now you force me to take it from you like I would from a recalcitrant child." Remus chided, frustration evident in his voice. "And, you are upsetting yourself, something the Healer warned against."

"But, Remus!"

"Sirius, when we were courting, we did more, much more, and never followed the code as we should have. All I knew then was that I loved you and that come some point in time, they would NEVER separate us. Severus and Harry love each other just as strongly. And if you weren't so pigheaded, you would see that! Why do you think Lucius and Narcissa, who were well within their rights, did not require the usual recompense or exact retribution and chastisement as prescribed under the contract?

Hmmm?!"

Severus went a bit pale at that and shifted nervously behind Harry, prompting the younger man to reach up and pull Severus' arms around him. He still hadn't been able to convince Severus to tell him what transpired that day in Lucius' office.

"It's time to make peace, Siri. Tell them."

Sirius pouted for just a moment, "Remus...." he whined.

"Tell them."

"I don't understand how you think that's going to help." He argued, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Just think, Sirius. The both of you will get to share everything--the whole experience."

Harry's eyes narrowed as he looked from one godfather to the other. "Siri?"

Severus snorted with amusement. "Oh joy! The Mutt's going to have puppies!"

"Wha--? Severus!" Harry turned and gave the taller man a pointed look, causing the man's jaw to close with a snap. He then turned back to face his godfathers.

"Siri? Are you--?"

Remus nodded eagerly, a broad grin on his face. He gave the back of his husband's robes another tug, and Sirius nodded reluctantly, as he grinned sheepishly.

"And it does look like twins," Sirius said, a wide smile now on his face, true happiness reflected there.

"Puppies." Severus mumbled, earning him a sharp elbow in the ribs. "Oomph!"

"Behave Severus." Harry warned.

"I still don't like him touching you like that. He has to wait until you are bonded!" Sirius announced with determination. He wasn't ready to concede the argument.

"What if I don't want him to?" Harry asked, challenge in his voice.

"He has to. It's in the contract."

"Well, I want him now, and what I want cancels that part of the contract at this point!"

The raised voices started the dogs barking and running in circles again. Remus sighed in exasperation and exchanged a frustrated glance with Severus, who just shrugged, a smirk on his face. He was clearly enjoying this.

Harry glared. "Siri, I love you, but if you insist on being this stubborn and difficult about this, I swear I'm going to--to--" He growled in frustration, since hexing his pregnant godfather was out of the question, "I won't have anything to do with you until after the Bonding Ceremony!"

Sirius gasped. "Harry! You can't mean that!"

Harry folded his arms over his chest and gave his godfather a look of pure defiance. "You're lucky I can't just hex you. It would be so much easier!"

Sirius felt a hand on his shoulder and his husband's breath against his ear. "Um, Siri, Luv, I'd listen. He's behaving quite reminiscently of a pregnant Lily right now."

Sirius' eyes went wide, and he looked at his godson--really looked. Oh Shite! A deep sigh escaped him, as his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I think I need a nosh and a kip, Remi." He replied, as he turned and headed for the door and the stairs. "All of this arguing has knackered me."

Remus shrugged and gave Harry and Severus a look of apology before following his husband downstairs, the dogs on his heels. Sirius could be difficult on his best days, but now dealing with the added stress of hormonal upheaval, only made him worse. But, he'd come around eventually, and Remus would be there to buffer things until then; as he always did.

Once they'd gone, Harry cast Locking and Privacy Charms on the closed door. Facing Severus again, he pushed to older man to one of the nearby couches, giving him a shove, and sending him sprawling onto it. Straddling Severus' lap, he wrapped his arms around his neck, and rested his forehead against Severus'.

"Finally! I know he loves me--and I love him back. But, he gets so over-protective sometimes, and at times about things that he shouldn't!"

"He's just trying to make up for not being there for most of your younger years and preventing those Muggles from raising you."

He sighed again. "I know." His expression slowly turned mischevious, as he grinned, then whispered against Severus' lips. "Now, where were we, before we were interrupted?"

~*~*~*~

They appeared downstairs later, entering the diningroom for dinner, neither looking particularly disheveled, but there was a glint in Harry's eyes and a flush to his cheeks, and Severus had a satisfied look about him. Remus looked up from where he'd just sat down next to Lucius, and shook his head, a smirk on his own lips.

Severus pulled out Harry's chair for him, then leaned down to kiss his son, before taking his own seat. Narcissa swept in, her robes flowing gracefully around her, and took her seat on the other side of her husband. The elves appeared and began serving the meal.

"As I was telling Lucius, Sirius had decided to have a lie-down and won't be joining us for dinner this evening." Remus commented, as he laid his napkin on his lap and lifted his soup spoon to dip into the soup plate of Potato and Leek soup that had appeared in front of him.

"Well, I'd expect him to tire easily, in his condition. His time 'away' did take a toll on his body, after all, rendering it that of an older wizard. Sadly, Wizarding Healing can only do so much to reverse the damage." Narcissa replied. "Though, with Severus' excellent potions, he would have had better treatment than some."

She smiled in Severus' direction. He acknowledged the compliment with a tiny smile and a nod.

"Azkaban takes a terrible toll on it's inmates, especially those who had to deal with the Dementors. He was lucky being an Animagus, or things would have been much worse."

Harry shuddered, as he listened to Severus. The older man would know, since he'd spent a very brief time there years before. Sensing Sebastian about to ask questions, he quickly changed the subject.

"So, Remi. Have you found out yet, if it's a boy or a girl?"

"Siri didn't want to know, so he can be surprised. But I asked the Healer later. A girl. It's a girl." He said with a huge grin.

"Congratulations! That's wonderful!" Narcissa beamed. "I so wished I'd had a daughter to pamper and spoil. And now I have Zoe' and Sasha. So I have one of each to spoil! You will enjoy her so much!"

Lucius chuckled. "Considering once Draco turned a year old, I had to make you stop dressing him in those infant robes that made him look like a little girl--he would be none too pleased if he ever found out!" He turned to face everyone else. "Until that point, when we went out and people who didn't know us personally, commented on our beautiful daughter--Narcissa didn't correct them--and she refused to allow me to!"

A pink tinge appeared high on his wife's cheeks, as everyone chuckled at the mental image Lucius painted. "But he did look precious..."

Harry found though he was uncomfortable thinking about Draco, he no longer felt the bone-chilling fear and dread he'd associated with the man for so long. He could even join the others in their mirth.

"Yes, he was a very beautiful baby, with that platinum hair--long platinum hair--and those huge blue-gray eyes. The mistake was easy to make." Severus added. "How old was he when Lucius finally convinced you to cut his hair to the traditional length for a small boy?"

"Two-and-a-half years old."

"And she still has the braid--all eight inches of it." Lucius added.

She swatted his arm, playfully. "His baby hair was so beautiful! Fine and silky. And I really couldn't leave it for the barber--that would have been foolish, after all!"

"Indeed." Severus placed another spoonful of vegetables on Sebastian's plate. "The number of potions and spells it could be used in--many of them dangerous or Dark--is alarming."

"Is'at why you Banish the hair after cutting mine, Papa?" Sebastian asked, barely swallowing a bite before speaking.

"Make certain you're mouth is empty before speaking, My Son." Severus chided. "Yes, it is to protect you."

Sebastian beamed happily, clearly pleased his Papa loved him so much. "So when Hawwry cuts his hair, you will Banish that too?"

"If I ever decide to cut my hair again, yes, Sebastian, one of us will Banish the clippings." Harry leaned over and placed a kiss on the boy's head.

Sebastian gave him a huge smile and went back to his meal, taking a large bit of buttered cauliflower, knowing Papa would be pleased.

"So, how are the arrangements for the bonding coming along, Cissa?" Remus asked.

"All is on schedule, with only two weeks left before the ceremony and ritual. Deliveries are all on time--"

"Under threat of pending Crucio, I'm sure."

"Lucius!" Narcissa swatted him again. "Well, the threat of losing our future business, and that of our friends and acquaintances, has the same effect."

Remus laughed. "I'm sure it does! Is there anything you need Sirius and I to do to help?"

"Severus?" Narcissa looked at him.

He looked over to Harry. "Is there anything you'd like from the Potter Vaults, for the ritual, Harry?"

"I don't know. I-I've never been there. Draco--"

"No worries, Harry. Sirius and I have a pretty good memory of what's in there, though it's been a while."

"And, once we became your legal parents, I ordered Gringott's to do a formal inventory of all your vault, to ensure all was as it should be." Lucius leaned on the edge of the table. "Might I suggest retrieving the Potter Family Crest ring. It is your right to wear it after all, Harry."

"A splendid idea!" Remus exclaimed.

"I-I don't know..." Harry began.

"Nonsense, Harry. It was your right to begin wearing the ring as soon as you attained majority, seeing as you are the only living male Potter." Severus began. "It wasn't--appropriate--for Draco to deny you that right. We shall now remedy the situation."

He turned to gaze at Remus. "If you would be so kind as to retrieve the ring and have it ready for the ceremony, it would be greatly appreciated."

"It would be my pleasure, Severus."

"Have you retrieved the Prince Bonding Bracelets, Severus?"

"I will have them in time for the ceremony."

"Will I have one too?"

"No, my son, but I have had a small ring commissioned for you, since you will also become Harry's blood son after the bonding and have all the protections that go with it."

Sebastian grew quiet for a moment. Harry leaned down and hugged him. "Don't worry, I'm not replacing your Da. Just think of it as gaining a second Da. It's the same as Lucius and Narcissa becoming my parents--taking care of me for my own natural parents, since they can't any longer."

Sebastian relaxed, the explanation easing his mind. "O'kay!"

Harry looked up to see Severus looking at him with approval in his eyes. Sebastian made short work of his roast chicken, just in time for his pudding to take it's place. He proceeded to dig in, the issue already forgotten.

The remainder of the meal passed with quiet conversations about the weather, the latest news in the Prophet, and possible babies' names.

Tbc...