Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.

Chapter 22 Scared

"Are you sure, Draco?" Astoria asked fearfully through the floo while Katherine was having one of her pregnancy tantrums in the bathroom adjoining their room.

Draco tried to smile as she threw her bra out the doorway, and it hit him in the face. "She'll be there."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Katherine yelled from the bathroom. "My tits feel like they're going to explode!"

"I'll just tell her I'm sick." Astoria shook slightly when Katherine screamed at him that he was taking her to the hospital to have her breasts removed. Weasley was supposed to introduce Astoria to his parents today, but he got called out on a mission. Mrs. Weasley still wanted to meet her, and she was terrified of going alone.

"She'll be there," Draco repeated as Katherine knocked over something in the bathroom.

"No I won't! They're too big! They'll be down to my knees by December!"

Draco sighed. She didn't even go up half a cup size. Hopefully her meltdown would be over by lunch time.

Kat was under the impression that Astoria couldn't hear her from the bathroom. When she apparated to Ron's, she wanted to turn heel and leave when the younger girl wouldn't look at her. Oh God…

"Um…" Astoria cleared her throat. "It's perfectly normal…"

"I know..." Kat shuffled her feet awkwardly. "I just get a little emotional sometimes." Astoria was looking at her like she was nuts. She was the one who they had to chase across the map the other week! "Anyway, rule number one with Mrs. Weasley. She tells everyone they're too thin. Don't take it personally. Rule number two, ignore her passive aggressive comments. I don't think she even knows she's making them. Rule number three, act like any advice she gives you is the best advice you ever heard. Even if it isn't. She's stubborn."

Perhaps she should have only said rule number one because Astoria looked ready to faint. She sunk into the couch and closed her eyes. "Tell her I'm sick."

"She's not that bad," Kat lied as best she could. "And if you say you're sick, I can guarantee she's coming over with soup. If she bothers you too much, I'll tell the story of Ron and me kissing at the Yule Ball. Don't worry," she added quickly. "We both agreed that it was the most disgusting thing in the world, even though I threw up on him once."

"I-I…" Astoria did actually look sick now. Still, Kat had to give her credit for heaving herself up and heading for the floo. "We'll leave early. You can say that you feel sick."

Kat had a feeling that Mrs. Weasley would just take her home and try to get Astoria to say longer, but she said nothing. Ron would kill her if she scared Astoria into running off again.

"Kat! I didn't know you were coming!" Mrs. Weasley smiled in a way that didn't reach her eyes. She must want Astoria all to herself.

I didn't know either, Kat thought grumpily as she sat down. The floo trip made her feel a little dizzy. Ron was dog meat the next time she saw him. Sure, he had to save lives and all, but that meant she was stuck babysitting when she just wanted to crawl into bed at complain all day. "Ron sent me. He worries about Astoria."

"Then maybe he shouldn't have a job that takes him away from his family." She turned to Astoria, who was awkwardly waiting to be offered a seat, and smiled sweetly. "Don't you agree, deary?"

So that's why Mrs. Weasley wanted Astoria alone. She wanted to try to make Ron get a desk job. Astoria glanced at Kat, who wasn't sure how to silently tell her what to say. "Erhm, well, I miss Ron, but he loves being an auror."

Mrs. Weasley nodded, but Kat thought she was simply bidding her time. "He'll change his mind once the baby comes. When is he due, sweetheart?"

While Astoria blushed furiously as Mrs. Weasley gestured for her to sit and practically shoved a plate of cookies at her, Kat tried to do some quick math before she answered. Astoria was short and small, and the baby must take after Ron because it made her as big as a house. Ron said they met at the end of February, so…

"November 21st," Astoria mumbled as she nibbled on a cookie.

"And Ron's going to take a leave of absence by late October?" Mrs. Weasley pressed. "You can't allow him to miss it."

"I don't know," Astoria said quietly. Her eyes were cast in her lap, and Kat had a feeling that Mrs. Weasley was unintentionally making her feel unprepared and afraid that Ron would miss the birth.

"Actually," Kat nearly yelled, making Astoria wince. Hopefully, Ron wouldn't mind if she bought him a few things if it meant keeping his girlfriend from cracking under Molly Weasley pressure. "Ron gave me some money. He wanted you to help Astoria pick out some clothes for little…"

"Reid," Astoria said softly. Ron must be trying to save up for the baby because she saw right through Kat's lie and turned a shade redder. Luckily for Kat, Mrs. Weasley immediately started cooing at the name, causing her to jump. "But I don't think…"

"We'll have to find something for him to come home from St. Mungo's in!" Mrs. Weasley gushed while Kat was feeling pretty clever. At this rate, she'd be Reid's godmother in no time.

"Ron wouldn't be comfortable with this," Astoria whispered as Mrs. Weasley was talking to the salesman at the baby store in Ottery St. Catchpole. "He got really embarrassed when my dad bought us a changing table and a bassinet. We can't afford anything right now."

"That's what he gets for making me come out when I don't feel well," Kat hissed as Mrs. Weasley started heading their way. "Just give the outfits to me after he grows out of them. I'm going to need a shit ton."

"They really should sell mittens," Mrs. Weasley complained. The store must not have any in stock because of the heat. "Not everyone comes right before the birth."

Out of the corner of her eye, Kat saw Marietta Edgecombe staring at her through the store's window. Like any other sane person would do, she gave her the middle finger until she jumped and ran off.

"I want him to wear white, but Ron wants him to wear red," Astoria said quietly as Mrs. Weasley held up a soft green outfit in one hand and a dark blue one in the other.

"The blue is best," she insisted. "Babies are too messy for white. We can't have people thinking he's a girl wearing red."

"Merlin forbid," Kat mumbled as Astoria hesitantly nodded. She'd just have to get a blue onesie, a white, and a red one. She'd tell Ron and Astoria to fight to the death over it in November. "But there's a white onesie over there with a blue elephant on it."

While Astoria and Mrs. Weasley went over to look at it, Kat turned to the window to see a few reporters trying to casually walk by and take a picture at the same time. Good thing Draco was at work today because apparently gossip in Ottery St. Catchpole spread faster than it would at Hogwarts. Well, she could only pretend to be on an all donut diet for so long…

Kat tried to ignore the uneasy feeling she had and even bought two tiny Santa outfits for her babies. But then Mrs. Weasley wanted to go out for lunch, and Kat was so hungry that her brain was too sluggish to think about the reporters hiding outside. That changed the second she stepped out the door.

"Katherine! Katherine!"

"When's the baby due?"

"Is it true you only married Malfoy because he got you up the duff?"

"Is he the father?"

"Is it true that you're having an affair with Lucius Malfoy?"

That last one must've been a hallucination because it the last thing Kat remembered before falling to the ground like a ton of bricks.

"What the bloody hell happened?" Draco barked at Astoria after receiving a Patronus from Mrs. Weasley. The poor girl's lip quivered, and he didn't have time to so much as pretend to feel bad about it when a few reporters flooded into St. Mungo's waiting room.

"Mr. Malfoy! Did Katherine lose her baby?"

"Is it true that she isn't pregnant at all and has a large ovarian tumor?"

"Mr. Malfoy, is Katherine divorcing you because of the abuse?"

It was their fault. Draco knew it. He growled and almost charged at them, but Mother squeezed is arm so tightly that he almost cried out. Father straightened his tie and cleared his throat. "Remus Lupin will be answering all questions, thank you."

After a few tries, he managed to drag Draco down the white hallways that the reporters were forbidden access to. He looked over his shoulder to see a white feather fall to the floor. At least Katherine wasn't around to make fun of him.

"What are you giving to her?" Draco snapped as soon as he set foot in Katherine's room. Her green eyes widened at the sight of him, but the rest of her face was hidden by the pewter goblet she was drinking out of.

As bubbly as ever, Katherine's stupid healer spun around and gave him a big smile. "We just had some low iron levels! You should have told me you were having twins! I would have—"

"You should have known!" Father hissed as Mother swept into the room after dealing with the reporters. "You're fired!"

"She is not!" Katherine said stubbornly. She smiled at Draco like she wasn't sitting in a hospital room, hooked up to a magical device that monitored her and the babies' heart rate. "You have some feathers in your hair."

"Because—" Not wanting to explain himself, he rounded on the healer. "Is she okay? Or do you need six weeks to figure that out too?"

Embers's smile finally dropped, causing Katherine to look at him like he was some sort of monster. She fainted! She fainted, and she was acting like it was no big deal! "Y-yes. Iron deficiency is common with multiples. So now we know what to look out for."

"Anything else?" Draco snapped while Katherine started to glare at him. "Because so far a Muggle has proved to be a better healer than you. Are you going to tell us we're having Squibs next month?"

"Draco," Katherine snapped. "I wanted to know if we were having another girl or a boy, but you've officially fucked up the memory! Go comb the feathers out of your hair!"

"Perhaps I'll give everyone some privacy," Embers said quickly as she tried to flee and wound up slamming foreheads with Black. Edward ran past them and jumped into Katherine's bed while Black apologized profusely.

"Kat! Daddy said you needs to eat more spinach!" Edward yelled, happily teasing her while Draco had to force himself not to comment on his continuous jumping. Katherine laughed and only put her hand over her stomach to try to prevent him from jumping on her.

"What happened, Kitty Kat?" Black asked after he let Embers finally escape. "Your mum fainted once with you too. A few times actually. Your dad nearly shit himself the first time."

Katherine hugged Edward and put her face in his bright green hair. "Teddy's right, Padfoot! More spinach for me at dinner tonight!"

"You aren't leaving the hospital tonight!" Draco shouted, mostly because he was feeling ignored. He got called out of work and had no idea what was happening! She was acting like her health and their children's health was nothing to worry about! He only felt bad when Edward's currently bright green eyes clouded with fear.

"I was actually being discharged when you came in, bird brain," Katherine huffed. Mother gave her a dirty look, but she was obviously planning on ignoring all Malfoys today. "C'mon. I want to go home before our friends want to visit. I'm not ready to deal with Ron and Hermione in the same room again."

"Fine." She was so lucky that Edward was in the room because Draco wanted to fight with her and make her be checked over by every woman's health healer in the hospital. Instead, he would have to settle for the inquiries he knew his parents were going to be making. If Katherine didn't want another healer, he was going to have to ask for a second opinion for every decision they made from now on.

Kat knew she was being mean to Draco at the hospital, but she didn't want him to know that she was scared too. Her back was already starting to hurt, and she was so tired all the time. She still had days where she threw up three or four times. What if her body couldn't handle two babies, let alone one? Kat almost apologized after Draco spent the night taking care of her while she was sick for literally hours, but then she opened her eyes the next morning to see him putting a strand of hair into a tiny plastic bag.

"What the fuck?" she mumbled before reaching for her glasses to see that her shitty eyes didn't deceive her. Draco smiled sheepishly. "Is the Prophet correct? Are you Polyjuicing as me because you want to be a woman? If it's true, we might have a problem."

"No." Draco shoved the bag in his pocket and was fully prepared to drop the subject. "So I noticed that you split your pants when you fainted. We're long overdue for a shopping trip it seems."

Kat blushed to the roots of her hair and sat up to see that her white tank top was no longer able to entirely cover her stomach. Her wedding ring was a little tight too. She was going to get so—Hey! "Why the hell are you sampling my hair, Malfoy?"

He raised his eyebrows at the use of his surname but tried to change the subject again. "Pansy suggested—"

"Fuck Pansy. Why are you taking my hair?" Kat repeated. "Are you building a nest?"

"No." Draco rolled his eyes but still didn't want to say anything. He was already giving her a splitting headache. "Well… For the past week… We got you another healer. I took your urine out of the toilet when you were in the shower the other day. He said he would take a hair sample instead of a blood sample."

Kat stared as he called for Kreacher to make her oatmeal for breakfast. "Oh," she said sarcastically. "At least you aren't doing anything weird."

"Your urine sample was fine." Draco laughed awkwardly while Kat continued to stare. "Although he wants you to drink more water. He said the low iron could lead to anxiety, which is why you've been so irritable lately."

"I haven't been irritable lately!" Kat screamed so loudly that Remus called from the hallway to ask if she was alright. "Yeah!" she hollered back. "I'm just getting ready to divorce my husband!"

"Okay," he called back lightly.

"You are so dead!" Kat yelled as she jumped out of bed. She paused and closed her eyes to ignore the spinning room. "So fucking dea…"

"Katherine!"

When Kat woke up, she felt terrible and found herself listening to her healer arguing with what had to be the one the Malfoys picked out. Draco kissed her cheek and put her glasses on. She had a terrible taste in her mouth but couldn't quiet put her finger on what it was.

"Dad!" Embers said to the other healer. If Kat had more energy, she would have smacked her forehead. Leave it to the Malfoys to pull something like this. The healer's father must have been the only one willing to take her patient behind her back. "This is my patient—"

"Not anymore, Natalie," the other healer, the other Healer Embers, said coldly. "You should have scheduled a follow up. And not for two weeks from the incident," he added when his daughter opened her mouth. "I'm putting her on bed rest."

"She doesn't need to go on bed rest!"

"What's wrong with my babies?" Kat yelled over both of them. She winced and rubbed at the cramping in her lower abdomen. Right now, she wanted to fire them both, but everything was happening too fast for her to process. Her eyes filled with tears when she realized she just wanted her mum.

"Nothing," Embers said quickly while her father said, "You were severely dehydrated."

"Not severely!" Embers said loudly.

Her father shook her head. "It's causing her to have contractions, Natalie. What do you call it?"

"Give the potion another hour," Draco whispered as they kept arguing. He sighed when Kat rubbed at her eyes. "I'm sorry. The waiting room is filling. Do you want me to get Edward?"

I want you to get my mum! Kat wanted to cry out. Instead, she only shook her head and took the glass of water he offered. She was being stupid. "Just stay here. No one else can come in, okay?"

He must have seen how terrified she was because instead of freaking out himself, Draco only nodded and conjured a stool to sit on. The potion kicked in fully before the healers stopped arguing, and Kat almost fired them both, the father for being too extreme and the daughter for trying to downplay that she was having contractions fourteen weeks into the pregnancy. Together, unfortunately, they made a good healer, one that she and the Malfoys could agree on, and it was decided that she should be on bedrest for two weeks. They said the best thing to do is see where she was from there.

And so they moved back to Number 13, although Kat had a feeling that Draco was so eager to do it because he knew Sirius would be more comfortable breathing down her neck than his mother. Draco must know her better than she knew herself because when she left the hospital, she was fully prepared to stay in bed without protest the whole time. Two days later, she was ready to go mad.

"Hey, Kitty Kat!" Whenever she was getting ready to make a run for it, Sirius would suddenly appear with food and a pitcher to refill her water. There was a glint in his eyes that told her he knew exactly what she was up to. "Remus will be making steak and potatoes when he gets back from the bookshop, but I figured I'd bring you a sandwich before I pick up Teddy from Quidditch camp."

Kat perked up. That meant the house was going to be empty for nearly an hour! "Really?"

"Yup." He smirked. "I'm just waiting for Narcissa to come over. Can't leave you alone when you're sick, now can we?"

"Sirius, if you love me, you'll take me with you." Kat made her best puppy eyed why don't you love me look, but her godfather only grinned. "Padfoot!" she whined. "I feel great! Please!"

Sirius didn't falter, not even for a second, and ruffled her hair. "You'll thank me when you're holding the sprogs."

Kat sighed and started picking at her sandwich. "Padfoot? Did my mum ever take care of me when I was sick? I mean, did she ever get the chance to?"

Like whenever she mentioned her parents, a bittersweet sadness filled Sirius eyes. "Of course, Kitty Kat. You were a snot factory."

"Thanks, Sirius," Kat mumbled before shoving a piece of crust in her mouth.

"Kat…" Sirius thinned his lips but eventually smiled. "She used to sing to you. You'd always stopped crying when she sang. Granted I think it was because you were shocked at how horrible she was at it but… James wanted to take you to St. Mungo's every time you coughed, but Lily knew you just wanted to cuddle all day and drink warm soup from your bottle."

"Did…" Kat bit her lip, suddenly wanting to be alone. What if she couldn't be a good mum because she never had one? "Can you bring me home some grapes? Red ones."

Sirius nodded and kissed the top of her head before leaving. "You'll be a great mum, Kat. A crazy one, but still a great one."

Kat frowned. Sirius used to chaperone her chess games with Ron, and he was saying that she was going to be a crazy mum. "Coming from you, Padfoot, that means a lot."

Draco knew that Katherine was going stir crazy from being in bed all day, but he was busy at work, and he wanted to make sure he could take at least a month off when the babies came. He didn't think she would do her best to terrify him during her final days of bedrest.

He walked into their bedroom after a long day hoping to sink into bed Friday night. The smell hit him first. Edward was right.

"We're babysitting tonight!" Katherine said cheerfully as she tossed a nappy into the rubbish bin. "Have you ever held a baby before?"

Fred Jr. giggled and kicked his feet as Katherine tried to put a new nappy on him. She made a horrific looking face that made him pause and used the opportunity to redress him. He cooed as Katherine scooped him up and used his chubby hand to wave at Draco.

Draco involuntarily took a step back as those big brown eyes stared at him. "Katherine, you need to rest, and perhaps Astoria would prefer to watch him."

"Nope! Ron's out again, so she's with her Dad and Daphne." She narrowed her eyes. "I'll get out of bed and chase you with him."

"I…" It was rather tempting to run. Baby Fred gave him a drool filled smile. "I think Lupin should take him. Is he sleeping through the night yet?"

Katherine snorted. "Angelina and George haven't slept through the night since April. That's why we're babysitting. Hold him. He bites, but he doesn't have any teeth yet."

Draco only walked over to the bed when Katherine started to get out of it. She didn't even ask before shoving the baby into his lap. He could actually feel himself starting to sweat when the transfer made the baby start to cry. Katherine made another odd face at him, but it didn't work this time, and he only started to cry harder.

"Freddie!" she whined, although she was still smiling. With a swish of her wand, she summoned a bottle that took a minute to zoom upstairs. "Uncle Draco is just like Daddy, only less handsome."

"Thanks, Katherine." To Draco's horror, she handed him the bottle and leaned back into her pillows to watch him fumble with it. Baby Fred refused to take it and turned his head away when after he put the nipple of the bottle to his lips. "I don't think he likes me."

Katherine yawned and shook her head. "No, he's just fussy." She paused and made her voice a higher pitch. "Sorry, Freddie. No Mummy for fourteen hours!"

"What?" They weren't arriving until ten in the morning! She must be joking.

But she wasn't. As much as Katherine denied it, he could tell that Fred hated him. It wasn't until nearly four in the morning that he stopped crying when Draco held him. Katherine was so tired that she must not be able to hear him over her own snoring, so Draco had no choice but to try to calm him down.

"Six more hours," Draco informed him. Fred made a face that almost looked like a smile, which after hours of being screamed at, made Draco feel relieved. Unfortunately, it wasn't a smile at all. The stench hit him first. Draco only dared to look down when his legs felt wet. "Oh God! Katherine—"

If the smell wasn't going to get her up, nothing was. Because of his pride, he didn't want to call Kreacher. He wanted to prove to himself that he could be a father, but being soiled on was where he drew the line. Draco tried to stand, but that only made the feces run down his legs. If he wasn't mistaken, Fred made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

"You like me about as much as your namesake, don't you?" Draco muttered as he tried to inch over to the bathroom without getting anything on the floor. "I'd tell your Mum, but I think she'd reward you for this."

Lupin found them in the kitchen a few hours later. Fred was sound asleep, but Draco could only stare at the clock. He felt terrible about it, but he couldn't wait for the baby to leave. Two hours to go.

"He's a tough one," Lupin commented as he started making coffee. "He doesn't like Sirius either."

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel better," Draco drawled. He winced when Fred opened his eyes at the sound of his voice and started to whine. "The good news is I learned to change a nappy. The bad news is…"

"You hated every minute of it?" Lupin filled in for him. Draco didn't say anything. He couldn't even last one night. In less than six months, he'll have to take care of two of them. "It's a lot. And Fred doesn't know you, and you don't know him. So it's okay to be afraid. I actually almost left Tonks before Teddy was born. A few times actually."

Draco stared as he took a coffee cup from Lupin. Surely he was making that up for his benefit. "Yeah, right."

Lupin smiled sadly and closed his eyes for a moment at the memories. "Kat is his godmother because she made me go back. She said her dad and Sirius would do anything to be in my place… The point is, Draco, that everyone doubts themselves, even if only a little. Sirius claims that Kat is afraid too."

"She would have told me." The coffee was too hot, but Draco was too tired to care and drained half the cup anyway. Lupin raised an eyebrow at his words. "Alright fine. She wouldn't have. But at least she knows the basics. And doesn't flinch when she's spit up on."

Lupin laughed and picked up Fred, who was looking a little teary eyed. "She threw up the first time she tried to change Teddy. He peed in her face… Don't tell him though. I think he takes pride in being cleaner than Fred."

"Right." As much as he hated himself for it, Draco let Lupin take the baby. He only dared be near him again when George and Angelina finally came to pick him up.

"There's my boy!" George had an enthusiasm that only someone who hadn't been up for over twenty four hours straight could muster. Draco was too tired to hate him for it as he watched him scoop his son up. "Do you shit on him like we talked about?"

Never mind then.

"George!" Angelina chided halfheartedly. She kissed her son's head before looking around. "Where's Kat? I wanted to thank her for offering to babysit."

She did what?! Again, Draco was too tired to do more than stare dumbly at her. It took him a moment to realize she was waiting for an answer. "Snoring upstairs. I'm guessing she didn't tell you she's on bedrest."

Angelina looked surprised, but George only laughed as he tossed Fred in the air. "Ron told me this morning. Do you know how great it is to sleep without a screaming hourly alarm?"

I'll know once you leave, Draco thought darkly. He knew it was wrong, but the next time Edward called Fred smelly, he would wholeheartedly agree.

After Fred finally left, Draco was too tired to do much but sleep and drowsily lay in bed with Katherine all day. She seemed a little put out that she didn't get to see George and Angelina, but he could tell that she was mostly bored out of her mind. He tried to cheer her up as best he could over the weekend, but there was only so much they could do. Edward seemed to be the only one who could make her happy with stories of the day's flying lessons, and the girl in his class who tried to kiss him. Luckily, she only had five days left on bedrest. Draco made the mistake of hoping that it went by as smoothly as possible.

"What the bloody hell is that?" Draco asked Monday evening after work. Katherine was reading a magazine and barely batted an eye at the fat kneazle who was growling at him from their bed. With every step he took closer, its growl deepened.

"Oh that's Orange." Katherine flipped the page and ran a hand over her belly. "I want to get them a trainset. I always wanted one when I was a kid."

"Orange?" Draco repeated. Its yellow eyes narrowed as he tried to take another step closer to his wife.

Katherine hummed in affirmation and finally closed the toy magazine. "Because his fur is orange, and he's shaped like one. Teddy wants a crup, so Remus and Sirius took him to the shelter in Diagon Alley. So I had Teddy take my phone and send me a video of all the animals to Hermione's phone. When I saw Orange I just had to have him! Can you believe they were going to put him down?"

"Yes! Yes I can!" Draco said loudly as the cat growled at him again. "Send it back."

Katherine's eyes widened with horror, and she looked at him like he was the anti-Christ. "This is Orange's fifth home! We can't just throw him away!" She leaned over and opened the drawer to her nightstand. "Hold on. He didn't like Sirius either until…"

"What?" Draco asked right when she sprayed liquid catnip in his face. He coughed and spluttered, but to his amazement, the wretched beast started purring. "Katherine—ack— this-this thing—"

"Orange," she corrected before leaning over to kiss the monster.

"Orange," he said through clenched teeth, "cannot be near out children. I'm sorry. But he has to go."

"But…" Great. Of course she had to start crying. "If we send him back, they'll kill him! I love him!"

"Katherine," Draco seethed. "You've had it for less than a day!"

"And you've known him less than ten minutes!" She hugged him tightly, and Draco held his breath, waiting for the demon in disguise to start clawing at her. If it so much as glared at her, he was going to mount it on the wall. "Just spend the rest of the night with him, and you'll see he's family."

Draco sighed. The second she was off bedrest and went out, Orange was going to have an unfortunate accident if he couldn't find a home for it. "Fine. One night."

She immediately stopped crying and smiled brightly. "Really? You won't regret it! He's already killed the rat Sirius has been trying to catch. And he likes mash potatoes."

"I already regret it," Draco muttered. He tried not to look at it as he ate a late supper, but it started growling at him until he handed over half a meatball. Katherine thought it was the most adorable thing in the world. Draco was already planning on poisoning any leftover meatballs Lupin put in the fridge.

Later that night, Draco was in a deep sleep and thought he was waking up to Katherine snoring. When he realized it was a slightly familiar growl, he tensed and snapped his eyes open only to see the monster sitting on his chest and staring down at him with its glowing yellow eyes. With a scream, Draco fell off the bed and started flailing. Katherine turned on the light to see the beast tearing him to shreds.

"Orange!" she squeaked. Immediately, the monster ceased his attack and started purring as it hopped on the bed to greet her. "Draco! Are you alright?"

"Never better," Draco hissed from the ground. Every inch of him stung. Slowly, he sat up and winced. "I am taking off work tomorrow. If I can't find a place for that monster, I'm skinning it alive!"

Katherine's eyes filled with tears but thankfully she didn't say anything. In the bathroom, he would see it was because he had a deep cut right above his eye. He hoped to Merlin that he couldn't find a home for that creature.

Unsurprisingly, he couldn't. He was all too happy to take it back to the pound, but when their list of friends who could possibly take Orange started to dwindle, Katherine started throwing up. She locked herself in the bathroom and refused to talk to him, so all he got out of her were gags and toilet flushes. Draco rolled his eyes and picked up the kneazle carrier. There was one last person that he didn't try.

"Severus, you have to," Draco pressed. His shop was supposed to close in ten minutes, and Draco had a plan. A brutish Gryffindor plan, but a plan nonetheless. "I don't know why, but she loves this thing."

"It's fat, angry, and doesn't like you," Severus couldn't stop himself from saying. "Of course Potter loves it. It's just like her in her delicate condition."

Misery loves company, so they're a good fit, Draco thought dryly. At least he knew to keep his mouth shut. Silently, he put the carrier on the ground and let the monster out. "I will literally pay you to keep it."

Severus watched the kneazle waddle about his shop. It disappeared behind an aisle, and they heard a growl, followed by the squeak of a dying mouse. "No."

"Snape!" Black threw open the door. At the sound of his voice, Orange abandoned his prey and started charging at him. Draco had to say the mouse blood on his chin was a nice touch. Black backed away and slammed the door shut just in time.

Severus raised his eyebrows but didn't give in. "While making my shop Black proof is good incentive, Draco, I am not keeping it. So you can tell Black to stop pretending that he needs my services."

"He actually does." Draco felt his cheeks burn but went on to reveal watch he had done. He almost felt dirty, pulling a Gryffindor prank like this. Unfortunately, his marriage depended on it. "I put something on the toilet paper in his private bathroom. So either you have to look at the rash on Black's arse hole to give him the proper antidote or you keep the kneazle so I tell you want to sell him."

Severus narrowed his eyes. Orange sat in front of the door, waiting for Black. It licked the blood off its chin. "You are disgusting…" He paused and walked over to the kneazle. It glanced at him and rubbed its head against his leg before waddling off to kill another mouse. "You're paying to feed it, and you are paying to house it."

Draco frowned but felt lucky for getting off this easily. He knew Katherine wouldn't keep it if it was a danger to the twins, but he didn't know if he'd survive with the beast until December. "Deal."

Kat honestly thought if she cried enough, that Draco would let her keep Orange. He only needed training! And he was nice to Teddy so in her eyes, that meant he was good with kids. She couldn't believe he gave her baby to a monster like Snape.

"What's it going to take for you to forgive me?" he wondered tiredly as she ignored him over dinner.

Kat glanced at Draco's pillow, which still had a few of Orange's hairs on it. "I think I'm going to divorce you."

"Then I guess you won't know until Friday." He smirked when he saw her watching him curiously out of the corner of her eye. Friday was when she was supposed to be cleared off of bedrest. "I know," he said proudly.

"What?" Kat asked. Her eyes popped out of her head when he held up a white rabbit from the baby store in Diagon Alley. They were popular for witches who did gender reveal parties.

He chuckled and held it just out of her arms reach. "I stopped by during lunch, but you were taking a nap. So what do you think, Katherine? Did the bunny turn purple when I put your hand to it, or pink?"

Kat clawed for it, but he leaned away so she couldn't reach. "It's a boy!"

"Are you sure?" he asked teasingly. "All you have to say is that I was right to get rid of that beast."

"You slimy git!" Kat cried. "I love him!" He only smiled and leaned further away. Since he was playing dirty, she hid her hand behind her back and crossed her fingers. "But fine. He could have hurt the babies."

Laughing triumphantly, Draco finally handed over the rabbit. Kat snatched it out of his hands and squealed with delight when it turned purple. It's a boy! "Scorpius Hyperion is glad to hear you have his best interests at heart."

"James Sirius." Kat hugged the rabbit and pouted. "Although I'm willing to compromise with Remus James. RJ."

"Compromise?" Draco snorted. "RJ sounds revoltingly Muggle."

"N-no it doesn't!" Kat turned away from him and tucked the rabbit under her chin. She was too angry about Orange to argue about names with him. For now anyway.

"Today's the big day!" Draco found Katherine looking through a photo album an hour before her healer's appointment. She was staring at a picture of her father pushing her mother on a swing. She was giggling in her mother's lap and couldn't have been more than a year old. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing." Katherine snapped the album shut but kept staring at the cover. "Did you see the family picture Teddy drew today? Orange was in it."

If he had to hear about the ball of pure evil one more time... Draco gritted his teeth. "Mother bought you a dress. If you don't like it… Well, the only advice I can give you is never get pregnant again."

Katherine almost smiled and ran a hand over the cover of the album. "What was she like? When you were little?"

Draco frowned. "What are you talking about, Katherine? She's my mum. When I was thirteen I thought she was incredibly annoying, but I think that was just me."

"I… I think I called Aunt Petunia Mum once. When I was about three and had forgotten my mum." She clutched the album as if she thought it could slip from her fingers. "I think that's when she started to hate me."

"Katherine…" Draco sat on the edge of the bed, but she refused to meet his eye. "I'm sure you know by now that she's incredibly stupid."

"What if…" She still refused to look at him and hunched her shoulders to try to shrink into herself. "What if I can't be a good mum because I can't remember having one?"

At first, Draco didn't know what to say. She was great with children. Horrible with everyone else, but she was a natural when it came to children. "Katherine, you know that Edward's face lights up whenever he sees you. You'll be a great mum."

Katherine shook her head and brought her knees to her chin. "The healer told me to drink more water, and it went right over my head. And that night, I kept throwing up, but I was too tired to think about drinking anything before bed. If you hadn't woken me up… I didn't think of them, and mums are supposed to think of their kids. I've been trying to get out of bed for a week and a half when I almost lost them."

"I should have stayed home with you, and I should have made sure you stayed hydrated," Draco said softly. She peeked at him through the mess of her hair. "And I should have been happy to watch Fred, but I couldn't wait for him to go home. The second you gave him to me, I wanted him to leave."

She covered her face with her hands, and Draco thanked Merlin that she was shaking with silent laughter instead of crying. "So they already have a sucky mum and a sucky dad."

"Apparently." Draco smiled when she finally looked at him, but she didn't smile back. "I think you love them too much to be a bad mum."

"Yeah, I guess." She obviously didn't believe him, but he didn't know what else to say. When his parents came over for her appointment, she acted like nothing was wrong, although she kept her distance from Mother. He had a feeling that she was going to have to work this out on her own. Or at least he hoped she could. He was worried that the only person who could make her feel better has been dead for over twenty years.

I think we can all agree that Orange is the best character in the entire fic. ;)

Thanks for the reviews gr8rockstarrox and justaislinn!

Oh and I posted the first part of The Weasleys and the Greengrasses a little while ago, so check that out if you're interested!