I had meant to get this out before we left for turkey day, but I forgot. Oops ^_^. Oh well, it's still out on the right day. Luckily, every time I forget, there's always someone that's either commented on the fic or put it on their favorites that day, so as I'm going through the mail, I can suddenly go "oh yeah!"

Part 15/?

Harry glared at the world at breakfast the next morning.

"What's the matter?" Hermione hissed quietly. "Are you feeling all right?"

Ron looked up from his food. "Yeah, mate, you're not sick or anything, are you?"

"No," Harry answered back harshly. "I'm not sick or anything. Of course, my stupid, overprotective husband won't believe that."

"What was he doing?" Ron asked, clueless.

"Absolutely nothing!" Harry growled. "That's the whole problem!" He threw his half-eaten roll down onto the table and stomped out of the room, leaving his uncomprehending friends staring after him.

"He's acting like he needs to get laid," Seamus suggested. He hadn't been close enough to hear what they were talking about, but he could see how the green-eyed boy was acting.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh," she said, trying to hide her grin. That explained it.

Harry waited by the doors leading from the Great Hall to the dungeons. Several Slytherins looked surprised at seeing him there, but he ignored them manfully. There was only one he wanted to talk to. He went over and grabbed Thyme as she walked towards her dorm.

"What's the matter?" Thyme asked worriedly.

"Have you had time to talk to your grandmother yet?" Harry asked.

"I sent an owl last night," she told him. "But there's no telling when I'll get an answer."

"Damn," he muttered before stalking off.

"What's going on?" Draco asked, watching his friend move off. He grinned suddenly. "You know, for not being actually related, at times he can look a lot like his dad."

Thyme laughed. "That's true, he does have the moves down, doesn't he?"

"So what did he want?"

"He wanted to know if I've heard from my grandmother," she told him.

Draco frowned. "Do you think there's a reason he needed her now? Did he look okay? I noticed he left breakfast early and without eating much, but I figured he had forgotten his tea."

"I'm not sure. He looked kind of upset though."

Draco nodded his thanks and took off after his best friend. He needed to get to the bottom of this.

"Harry!" he called after him.

Harry stopped, but didn't turn around, instead waiting for the blonde to catch up with him, before continuing on his way.

"Are you okay? Is there a reason you need to talk to a mediwitch? Is there something wrong?"

"Yes, there's something wrong," Harry hissed, stopping suddenly and turning to stare at his son-in-law. "Your father is a pain in the arse! Well, actually, right now he isn't, and that's the whole problem!" He spun around and stalked off again, leaving Draco standing, looking after him, trying to understand.

Finally, it came to him and he started laughing. Frustration did not look good on his friend.

Thyme started trying to avoid her boyfriend's dorm mate after the third time he asked. She'd finally figured out what the problem was as well, and while she thought it was amusing, she was getting very tired of having to tell him she hadn't heard from her grandmother. Neville would have sympathized with her if he didn't have his own problems.

He and Professor Snape had had a truce going on for almost a year now. Neville wouldn't blow up any cauldrons, if Snape wouldn't hover over him or come up behind him unexpectedly. Moving back into a corner had helped that immeasurably, as did having Thyme as his permanent brewing partner. He'd even gotten competent enough to be accepted into Advanced Potions, something that he had to pass if he wished to apprentice as an Herbologist when he graduated.

However, being in the same room as the Potions Master, and actually working together with him, were two entirely different things. He could feel all of his old insecurities rushing back as he sat across the table from the dark-haired man. Neville was reading through a treatise on the way aura magic worked, written by a person that had never actually used it, but only thought they had seen it done and was theorizing how it had happened. In other words, it was worse than useless.

Still, Professor Snape must have had a reason to give him this to read. Right?

Finally, more than an hour after he started, Neville gave up. "Professor Snape, I'm sorry, but this doesn't tell me anything! This guy doesn't know what he's talking about!"

For the first time since he'd given him that book, Severus Snape looked at the young Gryffindor. Neville was shocked to see almost a hint of approval in the Potions Master's eyes. The rest of his face was still set in a scowl, but it simply wasn't as... scary as it usually was.

"Very good, Longbottom," Severus completely shocked the boy with those words. Never would he have *ever* thought to get a compliment from the man. "Aura magic, like all wandless magic, is based upon your *will*. You will never be able to break the compulsion upon one of us if you do not have the will to stand up for yourself." He handed over another book. "This one will, perhaps, explain a bit more."

They both got back to their research.

Thyme could feel eyes on her as mail call started the next morning. This time she had a letter and quickly read it. She looked up, caught the eyes that hadn't left her, and nodded slightly. She then flicked her eyes towards her Head of House and tilted her head ever so slightly towards the door. His nod was so slight it almost couldn't be seen, and no one who wasn't watching intently could tell he had moved.

Harry was the first to leave his table, but that wasn't a surprise; he hadn't stayed through all of breakfast for more than a week. Professor Snape was only moments behind. Thyme waited another minute or two, finishing up the small breakfast she was eating.

"Well?" Harry jumped on her as soon as she showed up.

"She said she'll meet with you and then decide. She doesn't know who you are, just that you're a male here at Hogwarts." Thyme told them. "She wants to meet at her house, since all of her things are there right now, although she says that if she does take you on, she has no problem setting up a room somewhere nearby, so you won't have to travel. The problem is that she has gossipy neighbors. If a boy shows up at her house, it's going to be all over the place in minutes."

"What if a girl shows up?" Harry asked thoughtfully.

"You can't transform, Polyjuice, whatever!" Thyme said indignantly. "You know that's too dangerous!"

"I wasn't talking about transforming," Harry laughed. "Can I go today or tomorrow?"

"Today, at two," Thyme agreed.

At five minutes to two, an older blonde man and a young black haired girl were in front of Madam Faire's house.

The door opened. Harry's first thought was that Thyme's description of a martinet was a good one. The woman standing there looked even stricter and more severe than Professor McGonagall at her worst. "Well?" she snapped.

"Thyme sent us," Harry answered, watching her carefully.

Her expression got even darker, but she stood aside and let them in. Once inside, she led the way to a comfortable parlor and sat down, waving them to nearby seats. "You may remove the glamours, if you please," she said frostily. She didn't seem at all surprised to see Lucius Malfoy's face emerge as the obscuring charm was dispelled. She turned to look at Harry. "I was under the impression Thyme's friend was a boy." She didn't give him time to answer, but ran a glance over his simple blue sundress and sandals. "Before you even ask, I will tell you right now that I do *not* do abortions. If that is all?"

The reaction she received was obviously not what she was expecting. Practically before she could blink, Lucius was standing in front of his mate with his wand out and pointing at her. "I would suggest *Madam* that you never do even consider that idea!" he scowled.

Madam Faire, who would willingly beard a hydra in its den for one of her patients, found herself just a trifle afraid of the powerful wizard in front of her. Not that she would show that. She'd been threatened by too many husbands who thought she should be doing more for their wives; too many women, or men, in the middle of labor, willing to take it out on *anyone* they thought had even the slightest part of their getting in that position in the first place.

"If that's not why you're here, then what do you want?" she asked, her voice not wavering.

Harry moved forward and placed his hand over Lucius' wand, forcing it down. "I'm here because I'm pregnant, and I need a doctor we can trust. One that's discreet and good at her job."

"Because you're the Minister of Magic's mistress?" she asked, her tone gentling ever so slightly.

"No, because *he* is the husband... of Harry Potter-Snape," Harry replied, raising his hand to rub the make-up off his distinctive scar.

Part 16/?

"Well now," the mediwitch blinked. That does put a different spin on things, doesn't it?"

The coldness had fled from her face and she suddenly looked like a consummate grandmother, friendly, happy and one who would always lend an ear or comforting bosom. "Sit down dears, and let's talk. And you young man, those had better not be real," she nodded towards Harry's breasts. "You are not to be doing any transforming in your state."

"I know," Harry groaned, sitting down and pulling his mate with him. "I've been told, numerous times, and no, I haven't and they aren't."

"I would hope that granddaughter of mine would be one of those warning you," Madam Faire said.

"Don't worry, she was," Harry smiled.

"I'm sorry about earlier, however I've had several people show up asking for that since I retired, and when a young girl showed up instead of the boy I was expecting, I jumped to conclusions. Especially considering who your husband is."

This time, she was speared by glares from both of the men seated on the couch. "Excuse me?" Harry growled.

"Perhaps that didn't come out as I wished," Madam Faire admitted.

"I would suggest you consider your words more carefully in the future," Lucius scowled.

"Alright," the mediwitch agreed, changing the subject. "Now, how far along are you?"

Harry tilted his head as he thought. "Probably about five weeks."

She frowned. "Probably? When did you have the spell done?"

"We didn't," Lucius answered. "We weren't planning on having children until after his graduation."

"I *think* I got pregnant the very first time, on the Honeymoon bed, but it's been checked. There were no spells on there that would make a male pregnant, just to make them more fertile." Harry explained.

"A spontaneous pregnancy," Madam Faire said thoughtfully. "That usually occurs only when there's a prophecy involved, or a mage."

Harry started to tense up, only to relax as she continued. A prophecy would be all he needed. "Two mages, actually."

Her eyes brightened. "That's actually a very good thing. I admit I haven't examined you yet, but I can see from here that you are smaller than you should be for your age. Your being a mage will take a great deal of the pressure off your body."

"How so?" Lucius asked.

"What most soon-to-be parents don't seem to understand is that a newly conceived wizard or witch needs magic to thrive, as much if not more than they need the nutrients from the carrier's body. When they are still in the fetal stage, that magic must come from the 'mother'. It's one reason many pregnant women and men have problems with their magic getting out of control. The child drains a parent's magic, though never truly more than the mother can bear. There have been studies that seem to show a child is more apt to become a squib if they do not get enough magic while still in the womb. For a male, it's even worse. Not only is magic needed for the child, it's also needed to sustain the changes to the man's body caused by his pregnancy. That's why so many males are put on strict bed rest as their pregnancy continues. They simply do not have the energy to sustain their wombs, feed their child, and live normal lives. However, as a mage, the one thing you will not have to worry about is running out of magic. It should help you to sustain your body without undue stress as well."

"How can you be sure?" Lucius asked.

"I'll know once I've examined him," she responded. "But for a quick check... Have you started with morning sickness yet?"

"About a week ago," Harry replied.

"And how bad is it?" she prodded.

He shrugged. "As long as I remember to take Cattie's tea, it's pretty much under control. I'm still sick every morning, but I can usually last through the rest of the day without any more problems."

"If you don't take the tea, how long does your nausea last?"

He thought for a moment. "Usually until a little after lunch."

"And, how tired are you?" she continued.

"Well, I need an afternoon nap, definitely. Morning naps are kind of good, too."

"But do you have any trouble getting up?"

He shook his head. "Not really, no."

"At this stage, a normal wizard's pregnancy will have him nauseated for the entire day as his body tries to adjust, and the early loss of magic will take his energy levels so far down he doesn't want to get out of bed at all."

He thought that over and nodded his understanding.

"I think it's time we checked you over," she finally said, standing up. "If you'll follow me?" She led the way into a guest bedroom that had been made over to look like a doctor's office. "How did you get here, anyway?" she asked.

"Portkey and muggle taxi," Lucius answered, carefully attending to everything she did.

"Good," she answered. "That's by far the best way to get around for now. I would not suggest Flooing, no matter how under control you think your nausea is, and Apparating is *completely* out of the question."

Harry shuddered at even the thought of Flooing, getting spun around through the network, flashing by the different sites. His face went a little green at just the thought and he grabbed his flask. Madam Faire waited until he had finished taking a drink before asking if she could see what it was. Her eyebrow rose as she tested it.

"Well, now, you really are very lucky. This tea is a house-elf secret. As far as I've been able to tell, no male knows how to make it, and the females will only give it to someone they really like. I've only run across a dozen or so that have had it. It is one of the best anti-nausea medicines out there and the only one with no known side effects. Don't let that father of yours know, though; it's a closely held secret, and if he tries to find out how it's made, your house-elf won't give you any more."

Harry nodded and took back the flask, holding it protectively. He knew how miserable he'd be without it, and had no intention of losing it like that.

She ran a quick diagnostic over the form on the bed, only to frown in confusion.

"What's the matter?" Lucius, who had persisted in watching her intently, asked.

"I'm picking up extra life signs from around his stomach, but they're not human..." she explained.

"Oops," Harry said lightly. /Flick// he hissed. /You need to move, go sit with Lucius for a bit./

Unwillingly, the multicolored belt around the young man's waist uncurled into a flying snake. She hovered in the air, glaring at the shocked mediwitch for a long, long moment before heading over to settle around Lucius' shoulders. She had not wanted to move. The last time she had allowed herself to be separated from her bonded, someone had hurt him! Not physically, perhaps, but that was only because the other older lady had fought the compulsion so well. Flick was convinced that if she had been there, Harry would never have put that potion to his lips. No one could say differently, so in Flick's mind, it was, after all, true. Since then, she had made sure to never be farther away then the length of the room, and not even that far if there was someone besides those her bond-mate trusted absolutely in the same room with them. She'd felt nothing worrisome from this old lady, one reason they hadn't left immediately upon meeting, but that didn't mean she was happy having the woman so close to her bonded without her right there with them.

Madam Faire kept one eye on the minidrag as she went back to work. This time her diagnostic went much better. She started dictating measurements and observations to a Dicta-quill as she worked. The rest of the visit went as would be normal for a doctor's visit. Harry was given a list of vitamins and minerals he needed to boost and was told to have his father make him a potion for it. He was also ordered to eat more, whether he felt like it or not.

Finally it was decided that future visits would be held in the secret Chamber underneath Hogwarts school. Madam Faire was given a portkey that would allow her into the rooms, but now no one could get out of the Chamber and into the school without a snake or knowing Parseltongue, so she wouldn't be able to wander around the school. They decided it would be easier if she could come to him instead of him having to leave the safety of Hogwarts every two weeks.

As they were leaving, Harry asked the most important question of the day. "Can we still have sex?" Some of his frustration must have shown because the mediwitch laughed.

"Of course you can," she agreed immediately. "As long as you feel like it, it will be fine. Trust me, your body will let you know when it doesn't want to. Until then, enjoy yourself."

Harry grinned back at her and grabbed his husband's hand as he set off the portkey that would take them back to the Chamber.

Part 17/?

Harry was completely ready to drag his recently recalcitrant husband into the bedroom upon their return to the school. However, irritatingly, he found himself surrounded by his friends and family the moment they arrived. He glared around indiscriminately, but without real heat. He might be annoyed at their timing, but they did it because they cared. How could he be unhappy with them for that?

"Harry?" Neville's voice showed the shock that was obvious on his face.

Harry wondered what that was about. Hermione cleared it up for him.

"That's right, you and Thyme never saw him as Jade, did you?" she said gently.

"Jade?" Neville squeaked.

"That's what I call myself when I'm out as a girl," Harry explained, without explaining anything at all.

"You're the one that was seen with Minister Malfoy!" Thyme realized.

"I'd better have been," Harry answered with a hint of a grin.

"Look, you can talk about Jade later," Draco broke in. "Right now, there are more important things. How did it go?"

"Pretty good," Harry admitted. "I am a little small, but it should be okay. I need some more vitamins and such, and she wants me to eat more. It seems the fact that I'm a mage will make it much easier on my body than it normally would be. We're going to set up one of the workrooms in the Chamber for her to use as an office, and she'll come every two weeks or so for a check-up."

Lucius sat with his arm around Harry and watched as his friends asked questions. One thing he noticed was that Harry kept trying to end the conversation, and yet every time he did, one of the others would ask a question. He also noticed the barely hidden glee on several faces, including his son's, as the conversation dragged on.

"Don't you all have things you should be doing?" he finally asked. Regardless of the fact that they were Harry's friends, not one of them would willingly go against him. He showed them the way out, holding Draco back. Harry had already headed toward the bedroom, so he had no problem asking. "Would you care to explain to me what that was all about?"

"All what?" Draco's look was pure innocence, but his father knew him too well.

One intense glare from his father's silver-blue eyes was all that was necessary to get him to spill his guts. "Well, you couldn't expect us not to play with Harry, could you? It's been kind of obvious for the past couple of days that you've been holding out on him. He's fun when he's frustrated." He laughed as he eeled out from under his father's hand and darted out the door.

Lucius looked after him with a calculating glint in his eye. So, their love life was the stuff of rumor was it? And Harry was fun when he was frustrated? Perhaps he ought to try and prove that theory.

Lucius walked into the bedroom and had to hold back a chuckle. Obviously, Harry was tired of the waiting. His young husband was naked and spread out over the sheets like an offering, one Lucius had every intention of accepting. Eventually.

Harry looked up with an inviting smile and Lucius smiled back. "Draco told me some interesting things," he purred as he stalked closer to the bed. "According to him, there are *rumors* going on about our sex life. I believe you were complaining about it?"

Harry's eyes had taken on a slightly dazed expression as that voice rolled over him, mesmerizing him in concert with his husband's gliding movements. He barely acknowledged Lucius' words. "Uh-huh," he muttered, uncomprehendingly.

Lucius decided to try something he'd wanted to do for weeks. The state of mind Harry was in, he might not even notice it happening. A whispered spell caused silken strips to wrap around the bedposts, then snare the nearest appendage. He watched carefully, ready to dematerialize them immediately at the slightest hint of fear.

There wasn't any. Harry looked at first surprised, and then a trifle interested. He tugged gently on the straps, testing them, then turned back to look at his husband. Another whispered command pulled the strips enough to spread him out on a bed suddenly stripped of all but the bottom sheet.

Lucius moved closer, allowing one hand to rest on a bound foot just below the strap. "My son also told me, that a frustrated Harry, is a fun Harry."

Harry's eyes flew wide. *That* he comprehended. "What do you mean?"

Lucius walked forward, ghosting his fingertips over the nearest leg. "You'll find out. Right now though, I need to check and make sure the bonds are holding you correctly."

Harry watched, starting to get worried. He expected Lucius to go up to check his wrist, or down to check his ankle. Instead, the older man headed towards his middle. To be more exact, his sides, the most ticklish part of his sides.

Lucius watched in amusement as Harry twisted and turned underneath his moving fingers. The amusement faded into lust as he watched his husband's body move uncontrollably, held onto the bed only by the silk.

He finally backed away when Harry started having trouble catching his breath from laughing so hard. He stood within sight of his husband and started to undress. He loved the hunger obvious in his mate from the first glimpse of his pale skin.

"I think those hold you quite well, don't you?" he purred. "They'll hold you so that I can decide where to touch you, when to touch you, *if* I touch you. I could decide against it, after all." He was down to just his pants as he prowled around the bed.

"You wouldn't!" Harry complained.

"Probably true," Lucius agreed. "I do enjoy touching you, after all." He ran his hands over the skin nearest to him, making sure to keep away from the ticklish spots.

He slipped out of his pants and settled onto the bed. With determined care, he started investigating all the tempting skin spread out before him. He spent long, long minutes exploring every inch of Harry's stomach, seemingly determined to note any changes in the well-loved body. Harry groaned and moaned throughout. After a couple of minutes he was begging.

"Please, Lucius! Please, touch me!"

"I am touching you," Lucius growled, pressing his tongue into Harry's bellybutton and then sucking the skin around it. He finally had enough of that and moved upwards. "Are these still too tender to touch?" he asked, carefully looking over Harry's nipples. They did seem a little darker, and maybe the slightest bit puffy.

Harry stuttered out a 'yes'. At that answer, Lucius carefully licked around them and blew over them without ever touching them with anything harder than his breath. He made sure he was laying over Harry just close enough that the boy could feel the warmth from his body, almost touching, until Harry was *sure* that if he could just arch a little bit higher he could feel pressure where he most needed it. However, he was just far enough away that it could never happen. Draco was right; a frustrated Harry was a fun Harry, but he was sure he could make his young husband *much* more frustrated than this.

Much later, after proving to both of them that he could, indeed, make Harry more frustrated, the older mage only had enough energy to free Harry from his bonds, magically clean them and pull a sheet over them both, before he collapsed, an arm and leg wrapped possessively around his mate. 'Mine'.