Chapter 17: Secret's out of the bag
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Draco's day started unlike any of the past days. And somehow, he just knew, it was going to be the worst day of his life. And his guts had not wronged him yet. It was his gut feeling that told him it was going to be the worst day of his life the day he got his mark and was told of his tasks, and he was right, unfortunately.
As soon as he woke up and felt a body-curling pain in his belly and a sharp pain on his lower back that seemingly would not go away even if he took a rest or took a fuckton of potions, he just knew.
Draco took a deep breath and inhaled as slowly as he could, focusing on his breath instead of the pain that was currently destroying his body. But, fuck, he groaned when he felt another wave of pain. Shit.
Draco was quick to put his hands on his pregnant belly, where James looked very active, kicking and stretching, and caressed it. "Oh honey, listen to me, baby." Another sharp pain. Draco gritted his teeth until it passed, cursed, and breathed out loud. "Jamie, my sweet little baby, I know you wanted to protect Papa, and I know you mean well. But please just stay there until I get us help. Jamie, my sweet angel, please listen to Papa, it's for our safety. This isn't the right time yet, my baby. Please."
The pain had settled for a moment, and Draco fell back on his bed, thinking it was a false labor. Fuck, he hoped so. He really hoped so, because he had no chance of surviving today.
He hoped Harry was not correct.
With a wince, Draco remembered Harry's words last night. His boyfriend was in his favorite position. Between Draco's legs, his hands caressed Draco's belly as he placed several soft kisses on the expanse of his stretched belly.
"You look so big now," Harry said with a smile. Draco knew since he couldn't even see Harry when he was giving him a blowjob, and he really missed the sight of Harry's head bobbing up and down on his cock.
He knew, yet he still smacked his boyfriend's head for saying the obvious. "So, you think I'm fat," Draco said with a frown.
Harry smiled. "Well..."
Draco smacked him again. Harry let out an amused laugh and quickly crawled beside Draco to embrace him in a tight hug, still careful not to squeeze their baby. "I'm sorry, you know I'm only joking. How could I ever say that to you? You're so sexy," Harry said, leaving a wet kiss on his cheek that had Draco playfully rolling his eyes, still pouting at his boyfriend. "You're so adorable."
Draco pushed Harry hard, which made the raven-haired boy huff when he almost fell down. Draco bit his lower lip to stop his laugh, a playful frown still set on his lips. "Leave me alone!"
"And where will I stay?" Harry pointedly looked at the darkness around them.
"I don't know, in the dark corner. Anyway, you're only visiting my dreams, so go back to your own sleep, Potter."
"Back to Potter again, are we? Jamie, can you please tell your Papa that Daddy was just teasing him, and that he is very sexy and he will always be beautiful for me?"
At that moment, their baby kicked. Draco smiled before narrowing his eyes at Harry. "See, Jamie said you're lying."
"No, that's not what he said, Draco. He said," Harry's voice then turned into a high pitched squeaking voice. "Papa, can you please forgive my handsome daddy? He didn't mean it."
"Handsome daddy? Why, Jamie, I didn't know your daddy is Theo."
Harry's smile quickly fell. Draco teasingly smiled and looked at him with a challenge.
"Fine, I'll just go to Ginny's dreams."
Draco growled and pouted more, and he finally hugged Harry back. "Try, Harry Potter. Just try."
Harry chuckled, softly kissing Draco's temple. "Why are we like this? Draco, we're going to have a child, yet we're still teasing each other like this. Especially you, you are so adorable," Harry dropped a deep kiss on his lips. "If you're not pregnant, I already have you flipping and fucking your brains out until you can't remember who Nott is."
"We? You started it," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "Why don't I start drinking Dreamless Potion again? See if you can still call me fat."
"I didn't call you fat. I said you're big, like you're about to pop tomorrow."
Draco suddenly squealed. Harry jumped from his position and made a face. "What the fuck, Draco? What was that?"
"Don't say it!"
Draco covered Harry's mouth but the latter gently removed his hands from his lips to ask, "Say what?"
"You know. The thing you just said."
"That you're about to pop-"
Draco covered Harry's mouth again. "I said, don't say it!"
"Why not?" Harry asked, his voice muffled by Draco's hands.
"Because you're going to attract it, and I'm not ready yet. My baby and I aren't ready yet. My baby is going to stay inside my belly for a little while, right, my lovely darling?" Draco smiled when he was rewarded with a light kick.
"But it's inevitable, Draco. Jamie can't keep on staying inside you, you know."
"I know, but I'm not ready to give birth tomorrow, so don't say it," Draco finally removed his hands from Harry and frowned. "I still haven't talked to Severus still, my mother and Theo wouldn't let me. They're just everywhere."
Harry sighed. "I still don't think you should be talking to and asking for Snape's help, especially if I'm concerned. The bastard wouldn't think twice before he told fucking Voldy about your condition, just to get back at me."
"But he's my godfather. You don't know how well he treated me, Harry. You don't know him the way I do."
"Fortunately. He might have treated you differently, but I'm pretty sure the moment he knew I was the father of your baby, that would outweigh every single memory you have with him. I mean, his hate for my dad outweighed the fact that I was a kid who didn't even know him! No, he had to bully me and Neville. I'm telling you, that man hates me, he's bitter because my dad got my mum in the end."
"Harry," Draco cupped Harry's cheeks. "I know. I understand. I'm not defending Uncle Sev- I mean, Severus from you, your feelings against him. All I'm saying is that he might be the only one who could help me. I already told you about that odd conversation we had, about me helping him-"
Draco shook his head. "He looked like he wanted to say something more. But mother and father saw us, but the way he asked me if I was okay," Draco smiled. "I'm sure he knows that I am pregnant, he sounded really concerned. I'm sure he's the spy Theo was talking about. And if he is, then he has contact with the Light which means Granger probably did solve it and Severus was tasked with saving me."
"I don't know, that's too good to be true, and it's uncharacteristically Snape to agree knowing I'm involved with you," Harry sighed. "I'm sorry, I know you trust him, but I couldn't. Not after what he did to Dumbledore. Professor trusted him, yet he still... killed him."
"Maybe it was a ploy to gain the Dark Lord's trust in him," When Harry remained frowning, obviously not wanting to let go of his mutual hatred against Severus, Draco shifted the topic. "Anyway, you're right. I do trust him, and I know he's my only chance to get away from this wretched place, so I'll talk to him. But before that, don't say anything about me popping my baby out early."
"Fine, I won't. You're going to give birth right after you get help, even if it's Snape."
"That's better."
Draco had planned to talk to Severus today, but the increasing pain in his body forbade him from doing so, much less standing. But he had to.
With a groan, he slowly stood up, glamoured his belly, and started his day, all the while with a hand supporting his belly. Fortunately, Theo was busy running his own businesses. Finally.
-
The whole day passed by in a blur. Draco didn't know how the hell he was able to stand and walk around or mask the grimaces and winces feeling contractions racking his body—its intensity increasing and its duration getting longer with every hour that passed by.
More times he had to excuse himself to go to the toilet just to condition himself, forcing himself to ride the waves of the pain even if all he wanted to do was lay on the bed, curl in himself, and cry, and to answer the call of nature.
"What's happening with you?" Theo asked, oddly concerned, after his fifth visit to the toilet.
Draco shook his head. "I don't know. I'm okay now, though."
"Are you sure?"
Draco smiled a little. This is the Theo he needed from the start. It was all too late, though.
And at night, Draco was sure he was as pale as a ghost. He even had to claw his own palms just to shift the unbearable pain to his hands instead. He felt light-headed, like any minute he was going to fall down and fall into the abyss of unconsciousness.
So in a bout of pain, with bile rising in his throat, Draco began looking for Severus. It's going to happen today. He couldn't take it anymore. If he had to beg Severus to save him, so be it. If Harry turned out to be right that Severus' loyalty leaned more towards the Dark Lord and that his memories with Draco were nothing compared to his hatred for Harry, then so be it, he just needed help.
From anyone. It's too much pain.
But a tight clasp on his shoulder stopped him. "Darling, the Dark Lord is calling for us," his mother tilted her head, seeing him very shaken. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be there."
Draco cursed under his breath when he saw all the Death Eaters littering in their ballroom with the Dark Lord, now healthy and powerful, standing in the middle of the room. He stood away from his friends and parents, with Severus across from him, and that's when he knew—the man knew.
His eyes were searching him, looking at his still glamoured belly, and worriedly looking at him—or at least Draco assumed he was. Draco started to pray to every god to have some miracles for tonight if their baby came out today. He could feel it. The pain is intensifying, and it took a lot of power to stand upright.
He hoped Severus had some plans under his sleeve, if he was indeed on his side. He hoped the Light surprised them all today, led by his boyfriend, hopefully.
He hoped his baby would survive. Just his baby, he didn't want to think of his own safety anymore, anything for his baby. If this is his last day, Draco would gratefully welcome death just to see his baby alive and away from danger.
And then the Dark Lord started talking once everyone had filled the room. Draco tuned him out to focus on the pain, but he could hear that it had something to do with Harry's baby, and wasn't that just amazing?!
A few minutes more, and just when Draco thought he could survive this night, take a nap, beg Harry to fucking wake up, and please just save him, he felt something wet.
And before he could stop himself, he gasped. It must have been so loud because the Dark Lord's voice abruptly stopped. And then silence.
Draco quickly looked down to take a look at what caused the wetness, but his breath quickened when he saw his large belly instead of the floor. Fucking hell.
And there was just... stillness. If not for his belly moving, Draco would think somebody had cast a time stopper.
And there was this defeaning silence that made Draco focus on the wild heartbeat in his chest. And until the day he dies, he's going to be remembering this exact feeling of hopelessness mixed with fear for his baby's life, desperation to save their baby, and acceptance that he's dying tonight. He just knew for sure he was going to die tonight. There's no way he can survive this situation, he's like a bird in the nests of snakes, with the world's deadliest cobra right in front of him.
A minute of silence passed, and Draco welcomed death. He looked up, stared defiantly at Voldemort's red eyes, and fixed his posture. If he's going to die, he wouldn't cower at him.
Voldemort's eyes narrowed, and then the calmest and deadliest smile Draco knew curled in his lips.
"Well, what do you know, seems like one of my followers decided to give me a... gift," Voldemort took a step forward, and Draco took a step backward, which made the man stop. Voldemort took a deep breath, and from the corner of his eyes, Draco saw his thin fingers tightening around his wand, so Draco's hand tightened around his as well.
"I'm not going to say I'm not disappointed at this turn of events, young Draco Malfoy," Draco stopped himself from shivering at the sound of his name coming out of the monster's mouth, but it sounded vile. "There are so many questions in my mind—how did you meet Harry Potter, for one? When? Where? I was informed he particularly hated you, but, young love, what do I know about it?"
He then talked with his snake, and it sounded so ugly, so raspy, and a lot like a monster, unlike Harry's, which sounded smooth like silk. When Nagini's hisses ended, Voldemort began laughing. "You're right, you're right," he nodded, mostly to his snake, but his red eyes weren't leaving Draco's.
"More than my disappointment, I am happy for this gift. You saved us wasted time and money, you made it easier for us. For me, your Lord. And I am nothing but a merciless Lord, so I'll let this... slip-up, pass. I'll take this as your way of going the extra mile, an extra task, if you may."
Draco wanted to deny that it wasn't Harry who was the father, it was someone else. But before he could open his mouth, he saw Voldemort raising his wand, and it took years of practice with his father, uncle Severus, friends, and himself, to have his wand raised as well to cast a protego on himself and his baby, the hex hairbreadth away from him.
The hex bounced off his shield and instead shot a low-ranking death eater to his chest, and they all saw how he just dropped dead.
Fuck. The hex was fatal.
Draco glared at the Dark Lord.
Voldemort smirked. "Well, I expected nothing from Harry Potter's partner and his baby." Voldemort's expression shifted, and Draco saw its fury directed at his solid, impenetrable shield, made with his and his baby's raw power.
Everyone around him had moved away from him, not wanting to be the victim of the Dark Lord's fatal shots that should've been for Draco, so both of them were left to face off against one another.
Like a duel.
His pain was still prominent, but it was nothing compared to the adrenaline coursing through his body. He knew he had to survive this, even if he only had a small sliver of a chance of surviving. He knew he had to fight, at least.
Draco forced his body into an attack stance.
"A deal. An offer," The Dark Lord was suddenly saying. "Yes! Yes, young Draco Malfoy, I want to offer you a deal," Voldemort took another step, but this time Draco didn't take a step back, confident in his shield. "I promise you, Slytherin's honor. One Slytherin from another, you and your baby will survive this, you'll only have to do one thing. Give me your baby."
It sounded like a pleasant deal. Someone who's in the same situation as him, hopeless and close to death, should take. His baby's going to survive, that's the only thing important. But he's a Slytherin, and he knew how a Slytherin thinks. Either Voldemort's going to kill him as soon as he lowers his shield down or kill Draco after a few months and raise their baby as his soldier, a child of darkness. And that's worse than dying from this. Harry didn't go around fighting since he was 11 and fell into a coma, only to have his own child fight against him. That's the worst.
"An unbreakable vow, I can do that."
"And then what? You're going to kill me after and raise my baby as your soldier, to fight against the Light? Not on your inexistent nose."
Voldemort gritted his teeth. "I don't like this change in personality," Voldemort began pacing in front of him, fingers twiddling with his wand, shaking his head in disappointment. "You weren't like this when I first saw you, young Draco. You were... innocent," Voldemort threw another curse, which was again deflected by Draco's shield. Another death eater dropped. "Cowering at my feet," Another curse, another death eater. "Eager to please your Lord. Eager to submit," Curse. "You were a good follower, Draco," Curse. "A good leader of the dark," Curse. "You had a bright future as my follower," Curse.
A minute passed with Voldemort, throwing curse after curse as he gave his monologue. Each curse intensifies and becomes more fatal than the last one.
Draco's shield remained steadfast. Voldemort had probably realized that he couldn't do anything to destroy Draco's shield and that his followers were dropping dead one by one, because he stopped.
"One last offer, Draco Malfoy. A reward, I'll give you anything, how many do you want? Give me your baby, I'll spare your life."
Is this what he told Harry's mother as well?
"No. Never, Tom Marvolo Riddle."
And just like Harry said, Voldemort started going ballistic at the reminder of his old name, his blood status. He was throwing curses and hexes at Draco, but he stood rigid, his hand cradling his baby. He could feel it, his baby would be out today. Truly a Potter.
"GIVE ME HARRY POTTER'S BABY! Or I'll kill you two. I won't be merciful the next time I ask."
Voldemort calmed down when Draco's glare didn't diminish.
Silence.
And Voldemort began laughing, loud, cruel, and pure insanity. But he didn't sound pleased anymore, instead, he sounded crazed, hysterical, and enraged. And everyone could feel it.
"You really are a Slytherin. All this time leading my followers to look for Harry Potter's bitch, when you know yourself, you are Potter's bitch."
Another hex, but Draco this time was quick to deflect it. But he didn't expect a sudden hex from his side that made him tumble to the floor. With a strong grip on his baby, he looked to the side, his teeth gritted.
It was Theo.
Voldemort glared at Theo and threw a hex that had him tumbling down as well. "Do not steal my thunder, Nott. You think you are better than me?"
"I'm sorry, my Lord."
Voldemort quickly went back to destroying Draco's shield. And Draco underestimated the effect Theo's hex had on him, but he found it hard to get back to his feet and strengthen the shield.
And a minute later, he heard and saw the crack. A tear fell. And then he was sobbing. It was only a matter of time before the Dark Lord destroyed the shield and killed him, and still, there's no sign of any help from anyone.
He must be wrong. Severus probably wasn't on his side. The Light wouldn't be coming to save him. Harry would not. He's all alone.
So he did the only thing he could do at this moment. Beg. Plead for his baby's life. His baby, whom he hadn't seen yet and probably would have no chance of seeing, but he'd do anything for them until he took his last breath. Just to make sure he wouldn't fall into the wrong hands.
"Please no, not my baby. I'm begging you. Kill me, but spare my baby, please," Draco sobbed as he protected his baby.
Voldemort laughed. "I already gave you the chance to accept my offer, but you were tough. I told you I wouldn't be merciful the next time."
But Draco didn't want his deals. He didn't want Voldemort anywhere near his baby. He wanted his baby to be raised by the people who would care for him and who would love him more than Draco and Harry could.
"Let him live, I beg of you, my Lord. Let him live. Take my life."
Draco knew his pleas were futile, but he wanted to lengthen their talks instead, still hoping for some miracle. He shouted when he felt another painful contraction shaking his body. If he didn't die at Voldemort's hands, he's surely going to die birthing their baby, but at least this is for the best. Maybe then the Light would appear, snatch his baby away to safety.
Draco would take that. Just his baby. Even if it was all too late for him.
Voldemort laughed once again. And Draco there and then realized why the Dark Lord was infinite times scarier than Bellatrix, he just hadn't seen it. "This sounds very familiar. I wonder why, though," Another laugh. "That's right. I heard this once. A mother begging to spare his child, and where was she now?"
Draco felt for Lily. It must have been hard for her to know she was going to die and that she couldn't protect her baby anymore because that's exactly what Draco felt. He already accepted that he was going to die tonight, but he still felt fear about what was going to happen to his baby when he died. But everything went alright with Lily in the end, Harry survived, and Draco hoped that was going to happen to their baby as well. Survive the killing curse. Follow his dad's footsteps. Be the boy-who-lived.
"Dead with her husband, and her kid needing that baby to live."
"W-what?"
All this time, it was their baby that Harry needed to wake up. And it's so cruel that Harry was in his room, sitting cluelessly, probably waiting for him to fall asleep and be in his dream, not knowing Draco and their baby are on the brink of their deaths, and last night was probably the last night they're going to talk again.
"Oh, you don't know? Well, wasn't this much sweeter when I killed you and that baby inside you? I told you, young Draco Malfoy, you should've accepted my offer. Now regret it with your mother-in-law knowing you killed Harry Potter! Don't worry, Harry Potter will follow you, and you two can happily live there in the afterlife."
Draco needed to fight back. Draco needed to be stronger. He needed to wake Harry up.
With a hiss, he slowly stood up and began enhancing the shield, his baby's raw power helping him. Up to this point, Jamie's been protecting him.
"You're just like your mother-in-law. Silly little girl, she thought she was going to survive me as well. Fools! Bella! Nott!"
And then suddenly, the hexes were everywhere, attacking him, and Nagini's fangs were inches away from him. He didn't know why the Dark Lord wouldn't just finish him with a killing curse. Maybe because he wanted to play with him first, knowing the Light wouldn't save him, and because he had a lot of time in the world.
He stayed calm and focused on his breathing, ignoring Voldemort and Bellatrix's insane laughs. The hexes were increasing and spreading out from everywhere. Some of the hexes went through his weakening shield and put lashes on his skin. He felt warm blood trickling down his skin and lashes of pain, but his hands remained cradling his stomach, protecting his baby, as his lips muttered whispers of protego, hoping to buy him time. He closed his eyes, he didn't want to see who were the people attacking him, he didn't want to spend his last moments seeing his parents and friends betraying him, and he didn't want to shift the focus on them. He's brought this on himself.
Draco breathed out when the loud crack of the first layers of his shield reverberated. More tears fell down. He was backed against the wall now, ready to welcome the inevitable pain of the Killing Curse.
"Draco!" Somehow, he heard his godfather's voice among the throngs of Voldemort and his followers.
And when he opened his eyes, he saw a ball surging towards him. He grasped it by his hand, and he felt the familiar feeling of being portkeyed away.
"NO!" Voldemort shouted.
The last thing he saw was Severus' relieved smile and his parents disappearing to safety.
Draco only breathed a relieved sigh when he got his footing and saw Ginny and Chang in the hallways. Fucking hell. Could this day get any worse?
"Help me!"
"Malfoy!"
They both ran towards him and helped him up.
"Save my baby," he pleaded to Ginny, who nodded at him.
And then every Light member was in the hallway.
"Wait, now I know their similarity-"
"Shut up!" He shouted at Weasley. "My baby's coming out!"
Now that the signs of danger were gone, he could feel the pain again.
"Fuck!"
He screamed when his death mark started hissing and torturing him. He's angry. He could feel it.
Notes:
I need the plot armour of shields lol.
I'm itching to write a sad ending instead but I don't want to kill Draco, he's my baby. And I did tag this as happy ending and I'm a sucker for happy ending.
But maybe I will write an alternative ending and it will be sad.