Chapter 5: Saturday 5th June 2005
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Saturday 5th June 2005
"Happy birthday to you," Harry sang, Isadora sat on his lap. It was finally the morning of Draco's birthday and a small shiny box sat on the kitchen table between the pair of them. His official party wasn't due to start for several more hours but Draco liked to spread his gifts over the whole of the day and Harry enjoyed indulging him. His husband loved nothing more than presents and a bit of a fuss. "You're getting ancient, that's true! But we love you immensely! Happy birthday to you!"
"It'll be you next," Draco warned, laughing. Harry thought he was looking a little better and there hadn't been any more attacks of nausea."Two more months and then you'll be following me over into your dotage. I'm an old man, Potter! Twenty five and already father. I can hardly believe it." Draco reached over, and picked up the first of many presents that Harry had brought for him. "Time vanishes far too quickly." Draco ripped off the wrapping paper. "A Hori Hori knife!" Draco said, with a sharp gasp of pleasure. He turned the keen-edged Japanese trowel over in his hand. "Exactly what I wanted. It seems my incessant hinting has paid off, Harry! Thank you, love. I can't wait to get it dirtied up in our garden."
"So how does being twenty-five feel?" Harry asked, settling Isa into her high-chair. "Uh oh, Isa-baby," Harry murmured, grabbing hold of his daughter's hand. Their little girl was very keen on the glossy paper covering their table and she kept reaching for it, her attention entirely taken by the shiny distraction. "That's paper Isa. It isn't for eating, chick. Little witches need to eat proper breakfast." Harry said, picking up her bowl of mashed banana from the table.
He expertly scooped up a small spoonful and slid it between her lips. Their baby didn't need much help any more and Harry knew that it wouldn't be long until she was taking her first wobbly mouthfuls. Isadora was getting bigger and more independent with every single day that passed.
"Not so different to twenty-four," Draco replied, placing the sharp garden instrument high on a shelf and magicking the wrapping paper across the table and into the bin. Isadora wasn't happy to see it disappear. She frowned, babbling her annoyance to her two daddies.
"They'll be other things for you to enjoy today, ma petite cherie," Draco said kindly, handing Harry her warm bottle of milk. That cheered her up and Isa guzzled it enthusiastically, even though she'd already eaten most of her banana. Draco looked happily up at his husband. "And then, when September arrives, it'll be this little one's birthday too." Draco tickled just under Isa's ear. "You'll be one, my utter darling. We'll have to give her a big party, Harry. A garden party at the Manor like I used to have when I was little."
Harry smiled, amused by Draco's suggestion.
"In September? That'd be far too cold. I'm shivering just thinking about it." Harry helped Isa to better angle her bottle and she soon suckled all the milk down into her tummy. Her appetite was growing all the time. Harry looked over at his husband, raising a teasing eyebrow. "And I've never quite trusted those peacocks your family have strutting around the place." He scraped around the edge of the bowl with his spoon and posted the last of the banana into Isa's mouth.
"How did nearly a whole year pass?" Draco wondered aloud as he collected together the breakfast pots. He balanced them in the sink and set a housekeeping spell to wash and dry them. "Merlin. It doesn't seem like any time at all since she was born."
"Still the best day of my life," Harry reminisced. Their daughter had been overdue by several days and their Magi-midwife had been making noises about inductions and caesareans, neither of which Draco had wanted.
In the end, Isadora's birthday had begun with a huffy, miserable Draco sending Harry off to work only to call him back three hours had passed.
Draco had been spending his days gardening at the Manor, attempting to trim back their elderly Wiggentree and had been stood up on his tiptoes, trying to cut off a stubborn branch when his waters had suddenly broken. Draco had soaked his clothes though, terrified the poor Elf that had been sent by Narcissa to spy on him out of her wits and had begun experiencing full contractions only ten minutes later.
Isadora had been born in the St. Mungos Magi- Midwifery Ward that very same afternoon. Their baby had been sticky with venix, and squalling loudly at the affront of being evicted from her very snug and conformable home, but neither of those things had mattered a sickle.
Both Draco and he had sobbed when she had been placed in Draco's waiting arms and Harry had found himself entirely unable to stop staring at her. Even now the memory was powerful, vivid and still made his whole body tingle with emotion.
"Mine too," Draco agreed. He leant over and kissed Isa's curly head. "Well, most of it was rather undignified and most definitely painful but, once she finally decided to make her appearance, she was everything that I never knew I'd always wanted."
Harry played with the rim of his coffee mug. It was his favourite one, decorated with a picture of Draco on the beach at Brighton, his blond hair still short when the photograph had been taken. The Draco on the mug winked over and over at his Harry, capricious and lovely.
Perhaps this was going to be the moment that Draco told him about his pregnancy and admitted that he'd been stringing Harry along for days, pretending to be unaware when he was anything but.
Draco didn't say a word about being pregnant though. All he did was unclip Isadora from her high-chair and pop her onto his hip, rubbing her back to make her burp up her trapped air. "That's much better," Draco soothed before he turned his gaze onto Harry. "Our little puffskein here needs a nappy change," Draco said, wrinkling his nose and making for the door. "I'm going to get her bathed and changed, love. I'll not be long."
It didn't matter that Draco was still oblivious.
By the end of today, Draco's twenty-fifth birthday, Harry was going to make his husband aware of their new baby.
As soon as he was sure that the blond wizard was upstairs Harry dashed over to his Auror kitbag. He collected the three extra birthday presents that he'd brought on Diagon during his dinner hour the day before. With a sweep of his wand they were returned to life size and Harry speedily hid them at the back of the settee where Draco was sure not to see them.
If these special presents didn't help Draco to see the truth of the new little person growing within his belly then Harry wasn't sure what exactly would. Probably only a trip to the bloody Medi-Witch's office and a positive pee stick in his hand. Harry only hoped that Draco would be as happy about their baby as he already was, and that he wasn't ignoring the symptoms because he didn't really want to believe in them.
Harry wondered if his husband might even be amused at how naive he'd been. Harry smiled at the idea. Their friends liked to tease Harry about his occasional obliviousness but this was cluelessness on an entirely different tier. Harry planned to tease Draco about his missed pregnancy for the rest of their lives.
~*~*~
The hours of Draco's birthday spun by as rapidly as any other weekend day and it seemed that no time at all had passed before Harry was casting a Tempus spell and realising in a panic that the whole morning had passed. It was very nearly midday.
Draco was busily sautéing potatoes, chopping green beans and checking that the cooking spells that he'd set were working their magic in their kitchen. He had kicked Harry out, claiming that he was a giant oaf who made it his life mission to stand wherever was most in Draco's way.
Harry didn't mind Draco's frazzled temper though. He was enjoying playing with Isadora and making sure that she didn't get herself too untidy before the arrival of their guests.
Their best-friends were bringing their children over to help celebrate Draco's birthday and they were expecting Andromeda, Teddy and Narcissa as well. It was unusual for the Potter-Malfoy family to have so many people over at once and so Harry had needed to magically extend their dining room to ridiculous proportions.
Harry had swapped up Isa's top for the first of Draco's special birthday presents. It was a cottony soft jumper that he'd spied in Gladrags Wizardwear and Harry was pleased to see that it fitted her petite form perfectly. There was a design of Quidditch rings around the hem as well as an embroidered message that declared 'this big sister is a keeper.' It was precious and entirely the sort of item that Draco would decry as mawkish and Muggle-esque but Harry couldn't imagine how its message would fail to register with his husband. He really hoped that Isadora's jumper would finally do the trick.
Isa knew that today was a special day and her mood was delightful. She looked up, giving Harry a gummy smile and he pushed her little model of the Hogwarts Express towards her.
The small witch wasn't all that interested in her toy steam train, however. She wanted her other daddy and was hurriedly crawling to the door, her powerful little arms and legs moving in tandem to get her to Draco as soon as she could.
Harry was ambivalent, amazed by her determination. He was entirely unsure whether to stop her or to let her go and see how quickly she managed to get to her destination.
Every so often she had taken to shouting 'dada' in her biggest voice as she crawled, so that Harry had no doubt as to whom she really wanted. He secretly thought that their girl was bound to be sorted Gryffindor. Isadora was without doubt the most resolute little creature that had ever lived.
"You naughty niffler" Harry called, chasing after her to give her a tickle. "I'm going to catch you, Isa-baby." Harry dived out into the hall, pausing to watch Isa pull herself up on the edges of their broomstick cupboard. The small witch shuffled along on her fat little toes, balancing with just a fingertip.
Harry's heart jumped into his throat when he realised that a momentous event was occurring. Their little daughter was about to take her very first step.
"Draco," Harry shouted, loud enough to rouse his husband over the sound of their dinner cooking. "Come quick love! You've got to see this!"
Draco poked his head out of the doorway at exactly the right moment. Isadora stuck out a foot and took a single, quivering and very wobbly step. She gasped in happiness and promptly fell over, rather surprised by all the whooping and cheering of her two daddies beside her. Draco swiped her straight up off the floor and gave her a kiss.
Tears began to race unbidden down the blond wizard's face, so Harry guided Draco across to their living room settee, Isadora still in his arms. "Don't cry, lovely," Harry said, sitting down beside him. Draco's emotions were often very tempestuous when he was pregnant and Harry had known him to weep over spilled potion ingredients or an owled card received from one of their friends.
Isadora looked up from her seat on Draco's knee, trying to work out what she had done wrong. Her greeny-grey eyes were wide and she patted his chest, trying to offer her comfort too.
Draco wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and he sniffed before he spoke. "She's growing up," he said, taking a shallow breath. This time next year she'll be running about. Isa isn't our baby any more."
"But of course she is!" Harry smiled. He wrapped his arms around his family and kissed each of Draco's cheeks in turn, kissing away the tears. "You do say some daft things Malfoy." He leant over and kissed Isa's head too, addressing her but really speaking to his beloved. "You might be our big girl but you'll always be our baby."
Draco seemed mollified by Harry's words. He wiped away a final tear from the corner of his eye and brought Isadora's little body to lay close to his chest. "Our very clever baby. Taking your first step on my birthday ma petite cherie? That was clever. Was that your birthday present to me? I can't wait to tell your grandmother. She'll be-"
"Godric," Harry interrupted, a sudden bright idea flashing through his brain. He knew exactly what present to give Draco next. "You don't have to tell Cissa at all, love! Not when you could show her." Harry picked Isadora out of Draco's hands. "You nip back into the kitchen and stasis the dinner. I've got another birthday present to give you when you get back."
Draco looked a little wary, but he did what he was told and Harry Accio'ed Draco's birthday present from its hiding place behind the settee. This was a far more elaborate and much bigger gift than Isa's little jumper and had necessitated a trip to Gringotts for Harry to withdraw a small bag of galleons. It had been worth it though and Harry felt a flurry of nargles in his belly as he waited for Draco's return.
Isadora was excited by the wash of her daddy's magic on her skin and the sight of the satiny silver paper and the little girl clapped, burbling and shouting as Draco returned through the door.
"Harry birthday, Draco," Harry said, nodding to the present that sat on top of the side table. "This is a special one, love. It's for all of us really."
Draco grinned, unwrapping the gift without any further ado. He tore off a strip of the exquisite handcrafted paper and handed it to Harry. Isadora was far more interested in the sound of Harry crumpling the paper than she was in the goblin-wrought silver Pensieve that was hidden inside. Draco looked absolutely overwhelmed by the gift. He opened his mouth but closed it again, merely shaking his head.
"Do you like it?" Harry asked. "I saw it and I couldn't not buy it, love. I want to fill it with all our wonderful moments," he said, the words spilling out of his mouth in a hurried rush.
Harry placed Isadora safely on the carpet and wrapped his arms around Draco's shoulders. He could tell that Draco was a little shocked by the gift but he couldn't blame him. Harry was a little surprised at himself.
Of course, Draco and he had always carefully conserved all of their memories but their only place to view them had been at the Manor. The Potter-Malfoys had always used the Pensive that had been in Draco's family for a dozen generations. It would have come into their possession one day but hopefully that wouldn't be for many years. Their children would be well beyond Hogwarts by that point.
"I know it's a lot, love," Harry said, "but the idea tumbled into my head and I couldn't resist it! I wasn't trying to replace your family one, love… I just wanted us to be able to watch memories whenever we fancied. Like Isa's first step there." Harry let his hand slide down to cup the small swell of Draco's belly. "And if I'm not mistaken, we'll have some more wonderful memories to add to it over the next year, Draco. I think there's a little something that we ought to talk about-"
Harry might have told Draco all then- the words were on the very tip of his tongue- but Isadora decided that was the moment where she really needed to try to eat a piece of the silver paper that had been torn off and littered their floor.
Draco had a sixth sense for their little daughter's tricks and within a half a second he'd swooped out of Harry's hands and picked Isa up from the floor. He gently removed the curl of paper from her hand and vanished it away with wandless magic.
"That's not good for your tummy," Draco admonished with a kiss to her forehead. He popped her onto his hips and turned soft grey eyes back onto Harry. "Look what your other daddy has brought us, baby girl. A Pensive! When you're just a tiny bit bigger I'll show you how to use it. You can see yourself when you first arrived in the world." Draco's voice broke a little at the end of his sentence and he coughed before he spoke again. He was obviously quite overcome with emotion. "It's just the most wonderful thing, Harry. It must have cost you half your vault."
"It was worth it," Harry said. He was just about to speak again when Draco laughed, holding Isa up and examining her jumper. He squinted at the words written on her jumper, his brow knotted in confusion. Then he laughed once more.
"This big sister is a keeper?" Draco asked, bringing her little body back to nestle against this chest and rocking her to and fro in the safety of her arms. "Gracious Harry, I do so love you but I suspect that you had no idea what was written on that jumper when you picked it up in the shop?" He smiled broadly and rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Typical Potter. Jumping straight in without thinking. Maybe you need those gorgeous eyes of yours tested again. You saw Quidditch rings and just went and brought it, didn't you?"
Harry's body felt similar to the time that he'd been caught out by a miscast Petrificus Totalus during the course of a raid. He wanted to cry out to Draco and tell him about their baby and make him see what he refused to.
The words were on the edge of Harry's tongue but, for the life of him, couldn't seem to get them out of his throat. That was it. He wasn't going to try any longer. Draco would neither be shown or told, and even the most conspicuous of hints weren't penetrating that thick aristocratic skull of his.
The blond wizard was, of course, none the wiser about Harry's gigantic internal meltdown. Draco was too busy dancing about with Isadora, whispering into her ear about her daft, wonderful daddy Harry, informing her how short-sighted he was and telling her that Nana Cissa would be here soon.
Harry was finding the whole situation incredibly frustrating. Even when the evidence was directly in front of his face Draco refused to look.
By the time that Harry had finally recovered his tongue it was too late to say anything anyway. Their fireplace floo had begun to chime. It was Ron, Hermione and Rose, brushing ash off their shoulders and clutching presents for Draco. Before many minutes had elapsed their house was filled to the brim with all the people in their lives that mattered the most to Harry and Draco.
The moment had passed and their short conversation about Isa's jumper had been forgotten by Draco.
Narcissa held out her arms the moment that she stepped through the fireplace, her face shining with joy as soon as she saw her grandchild. Isa wriggled happily, treating everyone to a loud 'nana-na na' that made the whole party laugh.
"I'm afraid that I can't offer any of you something even half-decent to drink," Draco explained, greeting Narcissa with a hug and a kiss. "I checked the wine rack earlier and found, to my utmost surprise that Potter here had removed every single bottle that was even remotely quaffable. We're on all Butterbeers and juice this afternoon."
Harry shrugged sheepishly. "There's been a lot of birthdays in the DMLE the last few weeks," he fibbed. "You know how it is. I kept taking bottles to work and forgetting to replace them."
~*~*~
Even with magic, plating up dinner for the twelve of them had turned out not to be the easiest of tasks.
Harry had set heating charms on all of the dishes and he and Draco were working together, making sure that all the adults had an equal amount of vegetables, meat and gravy on their plates. Serving dinner for Isadora, Maeve and Rose had been Draco's first job and their plates were currently sat cooling on the side, their small portions of soft vegetables much more manageable.
"Merlin's arse," Draco hissed, catching the edge of his thumb on the roast potato pan. "I wouldn't be a Muggle for all the galleons in my sodding vault. How they manage without magic I have no bloody clue."
Even Harry, veteran of a dozen Dursley dinner parties before he'd ever known he had magic could sympathise with Draco's astonishment. His husband was getting a little overwhelmed with the array of dishes that had prepared, so Harry nodded over to the children's plates.
"Can you mash up the babie's food for them?" Harry asked Draco. "Leave the bits a little bigger for Rose, though. You know how she can fuss sometimes."
Harry set an enchantment on their carving knife and it began to slice thin slices of beef from the joint. It smelt delicious and Harry felt his tummy rumble. It'd been hours since breakfast and neither man had eaten much with all the excitement.
"Typical little Granger-Weasley then," Draco joked, squashing the carrots and parsnips into a mash. He spooned on some soft potato and added a spot of gravy too. "I wonder if she's got used to the idea of being a big sister yet? Five galleons she tells Mother and Teddy over dinner."
"You're on," Harry agreed. He set a levitation spell onto the plated dinners and with a twist of his wand had all the plates gliding carefully through into the dining room. Draco followed, the children's plates held in his hand.
It didn't take long before the two wizards had set everyone's plate down in their allotted place at the table. Harry had transfigured a deckchair into a second high-chair for Maeve and placed it next to Isadora's usual one.
They'd have to buy a new high-chair for the new baby, of course and then fit it with the regular baby-proofing charms. The thought made Harry's chest puff out with happiness. He imagined the four of them sat together at teatime, Draco and he sharing gossip about their day while Isadora played with the new baby, the brilliant big sister that Harry knew she would be.
Draco called through to their guests and they walked though into the dining room, full of compliments about the feast that Draco had worked so hard to make. "All the dinners are the same," Harry informed their family and friends. "So please enjoy. You're all so welcome."
Draco looked over at Teddy Lupin as they began to eat. "But don't worry Teds, I skipped the green beans on yours. I know that you're not much of a fan. I'll admit, I didn't put any on my dinner either," Draco said to his cousin. "I have to confess that I used a Bubble Head charm while I was cooking them. There was something about the smell of them that didn't sit too well on my stomach."
"Is that this Muggle 'flu that you've been complaining about for the best part of a month?" Narcissa asked, placing Isadora in her high-chair. She cast a food-repelling charm over the small witch's clothes before she gave Draco a very incredulous glance. "I can scarcely believe that you've not taken yourself to St. Mungo's before now, Draco dearest. It seems there is hardly any foodstuffs left in London that don't turn your stomach these last few weeks, darling."
Even with Harry's extension spell it was rather a tight squeeze around the table. Pansy sat on her daughter's left side, rapturous with praise at Draco's cooking. "She's normally such a faffy eater," Pansy admitted, mashing a little of her own potato to give Maeve a second course, "yet it seems that you've got the magic touch."
Isadora was making short work of her dinner too and Harry felt a sense of peace at the sight. Draco had sworn from the moment that he'd know he was pregnant that he'd make as much of Isadora's food as he possibly could. Narcissa had wanted them to take in one of the Malfoy Elves but Draco had refused their help as well.
"I had no understanding or idea about food when I was growing up," Draco had confessed, mortified. "I think I was six before I even realised that there were kitchens in the Manor." Harry knew that all of Draco's hard work had been worth it. Their little daughter was thriving and he had no doubt that their new baby would too. Draco was in his element with his daughter, the very epitome of a natural father.
Everyone chatted easily as they ate and Ron told everyone the latest DMLE gossip about the Confrerie de la Magie Verte.
"Robards was right, as always," Ron explained to the table. "He's a clever bloody git. Nothing gets past him. That Potions Professor only had to spend one night in Azkaban before he was ready to spill the cauldron on every sod in his gang… Not that we really needed the confessions. The bloody prat had a list of the smuggled ingredients as long as your wand locked in his Beauxbatons Potions Lab." He paused, taking a swallow of his Butterbeer. "It's only a pity that we've had to hand the case over to the Departement Magique pour la Justice. Don't know about Harry here but I'd have liked to have see the case through to the end."
Draco told their friends and family about the Pensieve that Harry had brought for their family, about Isa taking her first steps and about the status of the various plants blooming in his garden. Hermione excitedly showed the whole of the table the tiny scan picture that had been taken at St. Mungos Magi- Midwifery Ward. It looked as if Harry had already lost the bet. Rose had told everybody about her baby sister even before the birthday dinner had begun.
Before long the food that Draco had spent hours lovingly preparing had been eaten. Everybody was full of compliments for the chef and Draco accepted them all gracefully. Isadora was happily bashing her hands on her high-chair top, smiling at all the people she loved and blowing them kisses.
The whole dinner had felt warm and sincere and everything that Harry had wanted for his husband's special birthday. He rounded the table and unclipped Isadora from her high-chair and broke the food-repelling charm with a swish of his wand. Harry sat Isa on his knee, transfiguring a pepper pot into a toy frog to entertain her and to give Draco a bit of a break.
"I hope everyone has left a bit of extra room," Narcissa announced after Draco had returned from tidying away their used plates, "because I've brought a three-layer chocolate and marzipan cake along with me from the Manor. It was Draco's most favourite cake when he was little."
With a click of her elegant fingers, a gigantic dessert materialised in the middle of their table and even Harry felt a little awed at the sight. It was coated in a thick layer of opulent chocolate sauce and, as he looked on, his mother-in-law Engorgio'd a set of plates that she'd taken from the depths of her handbag.
"Remember last birthday?" Draco asked Harry, sharing a secret smile with his husband and giving his knee a gentle squeeze. "Mother had the Elves make me chocolate and marzipan then? But I was so pregnant with Isadora? And the marzipan just tasted abominable." He sat back in his chair and filled his fork with a generous taste of the sweet treat. "I'm only glad that I get to enjoy my birthday cake this year! I'm going to have seconds, Potter… Maybe even a third slice. Make up for last year."
With no further ado, Draco took a big mouthful. He grimaced and his skin blanched of every bit of its colour right before Harry's eyes. He forced himself to swallow and took a huge swig of water before coughing and spluttering into a tissue. "It's disgusting," he hissed in a whisper. "Mother's bloody Elves! It's just like that sodding Cheesecake… Everything tastes nearly as bad as before? When I was pregnant with Isa and I couldn't- I couldn't… Oh… Merlin, Morgana and all the deities!" Draco's grey eyes grew comically round and his jaw dropped, a dozen subtle and not-so-subtle hints and signs coalescing in his mind. "This big sister is a keeper?' Circe, Potter! I'm bloody pregnant! I'm pregnant and you jolly well knew."
"Finally, there it is!" Harry laughed. Isadora could tell there was something exciting afoot and she bounced excited, waving her toy frog in Draco's direction and shouting 'dada dada' at the top of her voice. "I did know love," Harry confessed. "For a week. I've tried to tell you a couple of times but you seemed a bit determined not to listen. For such a consummate Slytherin you've been admirably clueless about everything. I know it's a surprise but I think it's brilliant news, Draco."
By now, the rest of the table had fallen into silence, all of their friends and family eavesdropping shamelessly on their conversation. Narcissa stood up, taking Isadora from Harry's hands. Their little girl had got fidgety, unsure of why all the adults around her had gone so quiet.
"Thank Merlin for small mercies," Narcissa said, learning down to brush a kiss on the top of her son's blond head. "I've been waiting days for you to firecall to tell me you were in the family way again. It's been patently obvious since you nearly passed out at the smell of poor Elsie's prawn sandwiches. The poor dear was absolutely inconsolable."
"And I tried to tell you nearly a fortnight ago, darling," Pansy laughed, laying a calming hand on her best-friend's arm, drawing Draco's anxiety stricken eyes away from Harry's for a moment. "You've been far more emotional than usual," she continued, her soft voice soothing Draco and pulling him out of his panic. "Crying over photos. Even crying at the sight of our children playing together. I have to confess I thought the signs rather unmistakable. Truth be told, I was as close as a fairy's wing to telling you at the barbecue, love… I jolly well might have done if Potter here hadn't disturbed us."
"Godric's sodding beard," Draco sighed. He shifted his arm from beneath Pansy's and rubbed at his face, the shock, excitement and anxiety all battling for prominence. He shook his head, giving the whole table a rueful, exhausted glance. "You're all such a bunch of utter gits for not telling me. I can scarcely believe this, yet it's been right in front of me the whole bloody time." He looked down and hesitantly cupped the small swell of his belly. "Literally in front of me! I can barely accept that I haven't noticed-"
Harry stood then, pushing his chair back. He couldn't abide even another second passing without taking his wonderful, confused, pregnant husband in his arms. He pulled Draco to his feet and embraced him, not caring that everybody was staring at them.
"Everything is the same as before… The same food aversions, the same aches and pains." Harry moved his hand down to rest on the small of Draco's back. "Falling asleep at the drop of a wand… And always diving off to the loo. I only realised last week," Harry admitted. "When I found you napping in the settee."
"Gods," Draco managed, the word barely more than a whisper. "We're really having another baby. Isa isn't a year old yet. Merlin. It's not going to be easy… And she'll be at her busiest, running about and I'll get really big and-" Tears filled his eyes and Harry felt his husband's whole body tremble. "Will we really manage? I know it's what we wanted but it's happened so quickly-"
"Yes!" Harry replied, leaning over to kiss both of Draco's heated cheeks. "Of course we'll manage. I'll try and cut down on my hours at work and be here more. Isadora is the brightest star in both of our skies, love. It's like I've said before: love expands and I already love our new baby so much." Harry held Draco's body close to his. "And this new baby? They're a part of you, Draco." He laid his other hand over his beloved's middle. "How could I not?"
Draco turned his husband towards the family and friends that surrounded them, everyone of their eyes trained onto the wizard couple. "And we're not on our own. They'll have the best grandma-"
"And aunties, uncles and cousins!" Pansy cut in. "You're not on your own, Draco! You're loved far more than you realise."
"Congratulations!" Teddy shouted from Andi's side, his hair changing to a bright, joyful orange. "Why is everyone crying?! Isn't this the most brilliant news? This just means that I get another nephew to spoil!"
Draco burst into floods of tears, burying his head in Harry's neck and the room just erupted with elation, everybody hugging, shaking hands and kissing.
Maeve and Isadora both began to sob, dismayed and upset at the noise and sudden hurly burly. Narcissa picked her up though, murmuring quiet words of comfort into the tiny shell of Isa's ear. Harry knew how much family meant to her and he knew there wasn't another grandmother in existence who would love his children as much as her.
"Tell me if you're not happy," Harry whispered, holding onto his husband with all his might. "I know this is a shock, love. I didn't want you to find out like this and I- Well, I know I should have told you straight away… I'm sorry Draco. I was going to tell you on the day, but then that smuggling case blew up in our faces. You deserved to know first and I'm sorry. I didn't give you enough choice."
"None of that matters now," Draco replied while Harry helped him back down into his seat. He was still a little shaky and overwhelmed and the last thing Harry wanted was for him to faint.
Harry sat down beside and they knotted their fingers together on top of the bump. It seemed a little more pronounced today, as if their new little one had wanted to make themselves known for Draco's birthday. "This really is happening," Draco grinned, his cheeks flushing pink. "I'm having another baby. Having your baby, Potter. This is the best birthday gift that I could have asked for."
"I love you," Harry said, leaning in to press a small sweet kiss on Draco's lips. I love you with every part of my being. You, Isadora and our new little one. This life I share with you? It's everything that I've ever needed."
~*~*~
Harry pulled the living room door closed behind him.
After a messy and very sweet slice of chocolate and marzipan cake, entirely too much playing and teasing from Uncle Teddy and far too much stimulation, Isa had been very hard to settle down to sleep.
It had taken all of Harry's ingenuity, his warmest cuddles and all the traditional lullabies that Draco had taught him from his own childhood. Eventually their little pixie had settled down, her tiny eyelashes fluttering closed on her cheek. "She's finally asleep now though," Harry said. "So we've got a few minutes by ourselves at last."
Harry had made his escape, setting her monitoring, cooling and safety spells as he'd light-footed it down the stairs, his hours of Auror training enabling him to make a swift, silent escape. He slid into place beside Draco on the settee and placed a loving arm around his husband's shoulders.
Everything about their room felt safe and familiar: the dusk rolling in from the garden and the delicate wandlight illuminating their dozens of photographs. There was only one thing that was different. Draco's hand now lay across his small rounded tummy. He hadn't been able to stop touching it since dinner, his lovely face amazed and almost Stupefied. In retrospect it seemed that the Muggle 'flu had rather more permanent lifelong effects than Draco had thought possible.
"Good birthday?" Harry asked, letting his hand drift over to join his beloved's own. "You liked all of your presents? You're a tough wizard to buy for, Draco love. Nothing ever seems quite right."
"I think I'll remember this one," Draco replied with a yawn. "A trowel and a Pensieve… Isadora's first step. Oh, and a new baby. I'm not sure how this one could be bettered Potter."
"I actually do have one last present," Harry said then. "I wanted to give you this when we were alone." He slipped his hand across from Draco's shoulder and Accio'ed his husband's last gift from behind the settee.
It landed in Draco's lap with a rustle, all sparkly purple tissue paper and ribbon. Draco shot Harry a perplexed look before he tore off the paper. Inside was a photograph album, bound in simulated dragon hide. "That'll keep these pictures safe. Even if there was a fire these pictures wouldn't be damaged." Draco smiled fondly at the sentiment and together they began to leaf through the pages.
Harry had mounted pictures from some of their earliest dates in the album. There were snaps of Quidditch games, of Ministry Balls and of breezy, sunny days on the beach. There were images of Draco's university graduation and of Harry's promotion to Deputy Lead Auror. Harry had pasted pictures from their engagement party and from their wedding, both of them glorious with matching suits and grins that lit up the room.
On the final pages were Isadora's different scan pictures, growing from a tiny beating dot to a fully-formed baby over the course of several months. There were pictures of pregnant Draco too, the wizard looking very expectant and weary, crouching on the grass beside the Alihotsy shrub in the Grimmauld back garden.
The very last photo was of a newborn Isadora. She was very pink, very tearful and to Harry's eyes, utterly perfect.
"This was how I was going to tell you," Harry explained, showing Draco the dozens of blank pages that followed Isa's picture. His fingers brushed over the thick, empty parchment "Our lives together have been a blessing that I'd never imagined or expected. All of these pages are going to get filled with happy memories." Harry pressed a tender, loving kiss onto Draco's hair. "We've made another baby, Draco. Thank you. I love you. Both of you."
"That we did," Draco whispered, his tired eyes beginning to flicker closed. "Another little baby, made from our love and just a tiny bit of magic."
~*~*~THE END~*~*~
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