Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 31 It's Time!

"Wake up!" December 2nd, midnight. Kat was officially full-term when the contraction woke her up. Draco shot up and turned the light on with his wand. "This is it!"

"You sure?" he asked. No she wasn't sure! Kat cried out when another contraction hit, and Draco tried to scramble up but only wound up falling off the bed. If he fainted again, she was going to flip. This was getting ridiculous. "I'm getting our stuff!" he called out from the floor. "St-st-stay there! We'll floo to the hospital!"

"In a few hours." Kat rubbed circles over her belly until it stopped feeling so hard. Draco stared at her like she was out of her mind. "I don't want to be there for days. We'll go… I'll know. I'll just know."

"So… what?" The color was slowly draining from his face, so Kat patted the bed to try to get him to at least sit down. As if she would explode, he slowly eased back into bed.

"We wait." Easier said than done. They were in for a long night.

Six o'clock, seven o'clock… It wasn't until eight that Kat was willing to admit this was another false alarm. Draco was nice about it, and tiredly made her tea when she started crying, but that didn't make her feel much better. She was having several painful contractions an hour for six hours, and then, nothing.

"Kat!" Teddy hopped through the floo with Remus to stop by before school. "What's the matter?"

"I just had a tummy ache." Kat pulled him into a hug and kissed the top of his head. He usually didn't stop by before school, but he probably was worried about what it would be like when the babies got here. Kat tried to act like she didn't notice.

"We're going to be late for school," Remus said softly as Draco came in with her tea. "They'll be here when you get back."

Teddy frowned, not entirely believing Remus. "Kat, when are you and Drake going to come home?"

Draco opened his mouth, probably to say something stupid like the truth. Kat didn't want Teddy to be worried about this all day. "How about we sleep over tonight? We'll have to come back here tomorrow though."

"Katherine," Draco interrupted, but Kat ignored him.

"We can make hot chocolate, and Draco will help you with your homework!" Kat went on, feeling a little less guilty when Teddy brightened. "Whaddya say, Remus?"

"That you'll have to put up with Sirius if you get another "tummy ache."" Remus ruffled her hair and put a hand behind Teddy's back. "C'mon. You're already late."

"See ya, Kat!"

Draco glared at her once they left. "You should have told him that we live here now."

Kat shrugged and sipped her tea. "I don't want him to think we love the babies more than him. We're only children. We don't understand."

"He's not…" Draco chewed on his lip when she stared him down, daring him to continue. He'd be dog meat. Then, she'd give him to Sirius. Narcissa said Teddy saw her as his mum. "Fuck, Katherine. Alright, he's ours too, but the babies are going to need us. He can come over during the day, but I don't think we're going to be in shape for sleep overs for a while. Including tonight."

Kat waved him off. "He's in bed by eight. Hanging out with Teddy isn't going to kill us."

Draco didn't say anything as she got up to rearrange the babies' room for the thousandth time. She was already feeling terrible. Teddy felt like he was being replaced, and she had no idea how to set it right.

"Kat?" Teddy asked when he got home from school. They were doing his homework, making Kat realize what a terrible speller she was. Maybe she should start writing letters again... "Can you comed to my Christmas party at school?"

Shit… The babies were finally starting to drop, so Kat knew they were coming sooner rather than later. She hurriedly colored his Social Studies map as Teddy waited for her to answer. "Well… When is it Teddy Bear? Your dads might want to go."

"Mums always go," Teddy mumbled as he colored the alphabet. "December 22nd. I'm bringing candy canes."

So when she'd either be in the hospital, leaky and gross at home, or ready to pop. Kat felt horrible as she looked around to make sure Draco was still in the kitchen. "I'll try… If I'm not in the hospital, I'll make sure I can."

"Really?" Teddy lit up, making Kat suddenly feel overwhelmed. She was already having separation anxiety, and the babies weren't even here yet. She'd stay for half an hour. That was forever for a five year old.

"Really." Kat swore when he got up to tell Remus, who was making dinner. Draco didn't sound too happy with her promise.

"Let's go outside!" Teddy yelled after dinner. The snow was piling up, and Kat was just summoning her coat when Draco glared at her. Hopefully sucking the fun out of everything wasn't genetic. Judging by his parents, it might be.

"Katherine can't get sick right now, Edward." At least he was trying to be gentle, but Teddy's face still fell. "She's going to have the babies soon."

There was a crash, and Remus rolled his eyes from his chair by the fire. Sirius, who was trying to build Hogwarts out of blocks, panicked and fell face first into the half built castle. "How soon?"

Like a child, Kat threw her coat at her stupid husband. "So Draco will go with you."

Luckily, Teddy found that just as exciting. Probably more so since Draco could actually run and horse around. Not that he wanted to. He gave her one last glare and mouthed, I hate you, before putting on her maternity coat and heading outside.

"I hate that that coat is big on him," Kat said once she started watching them from the window. Draco looked absolutely miserable when Teddy started laughing and throwing snowballs at him. She knocked on the window and waved just to taunt him. "How's Teddy?"

Remus chucked and with a swish of his wand, Teddy's toys started putting themselves away. "Excited to be getting a new puppy. I think it'll help him."

Help him because she was going to be too busy. Kat sighed and tore herself away from the window. "I feel so bad."

"That doesn't mean you have to try more than you can handle," Remus said gently. "Don't worry about making it to the Christmas party, Kat. Especially if you're at home with your newborns. Teddy's just nervous. He'll be fine, once he gets used to things."

I have to do mum things for him for Tonks. Kat felt too bad to say it out loud. Instead, she shrugged and started heading upstairs. "I'm going to take a bath."

"I have a fever," Draco announced bitterly that night. Kat stared as he started getting his clothes together. "So I'm going to the Manor to try to sleep it off. I don't want you getting sick right now."

He-he couldn't leave! Kat got out of bed, but Draco only took a step back. "But-but what if something happens tonight?"

"You should have thought of that before you had Edward pelt me with snow," he drawled, adding to the Malfoy grace by finishing his sentence with a sneeze. "Sleep in his bed tonight."

Kat immediately soured. She couldn't fit in Teddy's bed anymore. "My back hurts."

"I don't want you getting sick," Draco repeated impatiently. "Have Black firecall me if something happens."

"I hope it comes out both ends tonight," Kat grumbled as Draco rolled his eyes and left. He was such a baby.

"So let me get this straight," Hermione said once she came over. "You're mad at him for not wanting to get you sick after you made him stay outside in the cold for hours."

Kat knew she shouldn't have invited her. "Yes. I need to get these babies out of me."

"They still have a lot of potential weight to gain," Hermione lectured as she pulled back the covers. "You still have about seventeen days, Kat."

Kat glared at the elbow she saw sticking out of her. They seemed big enough to her. "I have two chins, Hermione."
"You do not." There was a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

"I will in seventeen bloody days," Kat grumbled. "I gained forty five pounds! That's about as much as Teddy weighs! I gained a Teddy!"

"I can tell." Hermione giggled as Kat turned away from her and called her a particularly foul name. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding! You look great, Kat. Have you found a new healer, yet?"

No… Kat knew she should have found one because she was scheduled to have weekly appointments now, but the thought made her cry so much that Draco canceled any appointment he tried to make. "No. You should've became a healer, Hermione."

"I'll start studying." And knowing Hermione, she wasn't kidding. She would probably be ready to deliver her babies by the weekend.

Hermione woke up in the middle of the night to find Kat not squishing her like she usually did. With a yawn, she rubbed at her eyes and waited for her friend to get back from the bathroom. Fifteen minutes went by before she started looking for her.

And… She was nowhere in Grimmauld. Great. Draco was going to kill her.

Thank Merlin the lights were on when she flooed to Spinner's End. Hermione yawned and started heading for the nursery. "Warn me next time, Kat. You're lucky I didn't panic."

She found her best friend sitting in the nursery at three in the morning, surrounded by baby clothes and trying to hold back tears. "Nothing's right. I have to take everything back!"

The entire floor was covered. Hermione sleepily wondered where she could get a halfway decent cup of coffee. This was going to take a while. "What are you talking about, Kat? Everything's the right size."

Kat held up a pink dress and started crying. "I don't wa-wa-want her to think she has to dress like this! But-but I don't want him to think he has to share everything with her because they're twins!"

Hermione stared for a second before sitting across from her. "I'm sorry to break this to you, Kat. But I don't think she knows what a dress is… What started all this? Was it a dream?"

Kat sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. Hermione tried not to shudder in revulsion. "I had to wash all their clothes. I put them in the dresser without cleaning it!"

So she was nesting. Hermione tried her best to keep a straight face and say as gently as she could, "It's new, Kat."

"So it hasn't been washed!" Kat rubbed at her eyes, so she didn't see Hermione's silent laughter. If only she could scare her into reading a book instead of trying to sterilize wood. "So I had to take everything out and-and look at this!"

"As long as they're comfortable, the clothes are fine," Hermione soothed. "And they'll let you know if they're uncomfortable. C'mon. I'll make you some soup."

Kat shook her head. "I don't have enough toys. We need to go back to the store!"

You have three nurseries worth of toys for babies who are going to do nothing but poop for the next few weeks, Hermione thought. Those babies were going to be spoiled rotten. Buy their way onto the Quidditch team rotten.

"Nothing's open for about six hours." Hermione smiled when Kat started crying harder. She could always read a parenting book while she was waiting. "Do you need help getting up?"

"I need to clean!" Kat cried before conjuring a basket and throwing all the clothes in it. Hermione never thought she'd hear those words come out of her mouth. Well... At least there was a coffee pot in the kitchen.

Draco went home around noon to find that his nostrils were burned by the smell of cleaning potions. Hermione shrugged at the sight of him and continued hand washing the living room windows that Katherine made him charm clean the other day. Speak of the devil. His lovely wife waddled in from the kitchen and handed him a mop.

"You can finish the kitchen," she said breathlessly. "Our room is a pigsty."

No it wasn't… Hermione looked at him with wide eyes and shook her head. Okay then. "Katherine?" She looked at him blankly. "Wouldn't you rather be resting? Lupin said you had a contraction at breakfast."

She looked absolutely exhausted but shook her head. "There's so much to do! They could be here at any minute!"

"They'll be here any minute if you don't sit down." Draco rolled his eyes when she ignored him and took the vacuum out of the closet. She was going to regret it.

Although Draco insisted it was from the stress of cleaning for hours, Kat knew that the babies were coming because she finally cleaned the house. She was ready, so her body was ready too. She took a deep breath and rubbed her belly when the contraction was finally over. This was it. She was sure of it.

Although he was an odd green color, Draco managed to bring her some ice water without spilling it. "I wanted to ask you something."

Kat smiled in thanks and took a sip of the freezing water. That last one was really painful. "Hm?"

"My mum wants to be there," he said stiffly, looking absolutely terrified when she winced in pain again. Maybe it was time to go to the hospital… Again. "When they're born. Like in the room as you're having them."

Kat snorted and wiped her sweaty bangs out of her eyes. "With her camera?" Silence. Oh no… That was a joke! "You can't be serious! Why would she want a picture of that?"

Draco looked like he wasn't sure either, but once again, he was afraid to tell his mother no. "Please, Katherine. It's important to her."

Kat wasn't sure if she wanted her in the room period, but her head was killing her, and she didn't want to think right now. "… I reserve the right to kick her out at any time."

"Really? I-I mean okay!" Draco smiled but only stared at her in horror when she moaned in pain. Maybe she would need Narcissa there. So far, her husband had proved to be worse than useless.

"Take me to the hospital, you git!"

"Kat? How come you can't get the babies out of your tummy?" Teddy asked as Draco signed the release forms at the hospital. She was there for three hours before her contractions stopped again. Now, she was a whopping three centimeters dilated. Kat wanted to cry.

"They aren't ready yet," Remus told him gently. "They're just giving Kat a run for her money."

Teddy wrinkled his nose at the phrase before going back to coloring on the original release form, which Kat got angry with and scribbled all over. "Aunt Daphne says Kat doesn't have any babies in her tummy. She says she's just fat."

Since when did Daphne earn aunt status? Fuck her. Kat glared at Sirius when he laughed. "She's just jealous because I get to eat ice cream with you whenever I want."

Teddy still looked a little confused. "How do they get out?"

Kat grinned and patiently waited for Remus and Sirius to answer. Remus pretended to have a coughing fit while Sirius merely squirmed in his seat. She decided to make it worse for them by saying, "Same way they got in."

"Katherine Lily!" Remus yelled while Sirius jumped out of his seat and said in a high pitch voice, "How about we go get that ice cream?"

Unfortunately for them, Teddy was smarter than they gave him credit for and whined, "I wanna know!"

This was too easy.

Lucius was still stuck in the hospital. The healers claimed it was because they wanted to make sure his muscles weren't took weak for him to get around the Manor, but he was sure Narcissa was behind it, since somehow, the healers couldn't find the paperwork whenever he tried to release himself. He growled to himself when she went shopping with Draco. No wonder Katherine said she didn't want a baby shower. She could barely buy anything herself with Cissa's weekly shopping trips.

When Black slunk in, he was bored out of his mind and doing crossword puzzles. He glared at the other man before going back to the puzzle. "No one you like is here. Edward won't go near me ever since your goddaughter told him my hair is made from the pelts of baby Labrador retrievers."

Black laughed quietly. "Because he didn't believe me when I said it was made from frozen cheese."

So this was where Katherine got her amazing personality from. Lucius curled his lip in disgust. "Good to know."

Ever the charmer, Black glared at him and snapped, "So Kat says you're moving in when the baby comes."

Lucius rolled his eyes. Weeks crammed in a house with Katherine. Hopefully he didn't walk in on her breastfeeding. "Unfortunately."

"Unfortunately," Black mimicked in a whiny voice. Then, like the savage that he was, he stomped over to Lucius and jabbed a finger at his chest. "She invited you for your son! So don't you dare make her think she's a bad mum! She's going to be scared enough with the baby without you looking down on her with your pointy ass nose."

"Babies," Lucius corrected, thinking Black was being stupid. He frowned when Black tensed. "Don't tell me you didn't know."

"Is that why Remus bought a second crib?" So Black really was that thick.

"Yes," Lucius said slowly. "A boy and a girl. Why is this such a shock, Black? She's huge."

It was hard to tell if Black was offended or embarrassed. He stuttered a few times before defending himself. "Excuse me for not questioning my pregnant goddaughter's weight!"

Lupin knew. And Edward knew before anyone else. So Black was the only one. Lucius snorted. "I don't even blame her. You're too stupid for your own good."

Black was no longer listening and only planning revenge. "That little…"

"There's nothing little about her, Black," Lucius drawled.

"Shut up!" Black started pacing, probably to get some blood flow to his tiny brain so he could come up with a plan. Surprisingly, smoke wasn't coming out of his ears by the time he finally had something in mind. "C'mon. We're meeting Kat for lunch."

"Yeah right." Boring crossword puzzles were much better than a meal with Black. And a lot safer too.

But Black grew up with a family of Slytherins. He knew how to get his way. "I won't tell Narcissa that we went," he said slyly. "I'll tell her that I argued with you while you lazed about in your hospital bed. Then she'll let you go out to the hospital cafeteria for dinner."

Damn it. Lucius would have just left the hospital, but he knew Narcissa would just make him come right back. The hour a day she let him leave without a team of healers was the best part of his day. Today, he could have two of them. If he was lucky, Black would make Katherine cry and run off, so he could eat alone while the mutt chased him off. "Fine."

"What's he doing here?" Katherine asked bluntly and with obvious distaste. She only spoke after inhaling her chicken salad. Lucius barely took a bite of his own food, and she was wiping the bread on her empty bowl to get the leftover dressing.

"There's something I have to tell you," Black said seriously. Here we go… Lucius nearly jumped out of his seat when the blood traitor grabbed his hand. "I'm leaving Remus. For Lucius."

Katherine laughed and started buttering what was left of her bread. "Yeah right. He worships Narcissa."

Black looked down at his plate. "We're both tired of being treated like children." He only squeezed his hand when Lucius tried to rip it out of his grasp. "We both still love… Listen Kat, this isn't easy."

Again, Katherine laughed. "Isn't easy to keep a straight face while saying something so ridiculous." Black didn't say anything, causing Katherine to frown. Almost immediately she smirked. "Kiss him then."

To his absolute horror, Black was actually starting to lean into do it. Lucius shoved him so roughly he fell nearly fell out of his seat. "Not in public, darling."

It was a joke. He was so sarcastic and miserable that Katherine must've taken it for bitterness. Her eyes bulged out of her head, and she reached into her pocket, presumably for her wand. "I'm telling Remus, you prat!"

She took a black object out of her pocket that made Black turn a few shades lighter. He reached for the device, but Katherine leaned out of his way, opened it, and pressed a few buttons. "Remus! Sirius is cheating on you—"

Black had finally succeeded in snatching away the device. "It was a prank, Moony! A silly prank." He laughed nervously while Lucius was wondering if this was the best time to go to the bathroom and never come back. "The neighbor and I are just friends! It's not my fault he's insanely gorgeous. I-I mean Lucius will tell you!"

Black thrust the device in his face. Lucius stared, having no idea what was going on. Lupin was obviously somehow speaking on the other end, so their relationship must be at stake. "I have no idea what he's talking about."

That's what Black gets for trying to kiss him. He hurried off with the device, babbling a mile a minute. Katherine snickered and grabbed another roll. "Tosser."

"At least we can agree on one thing." Lucius picked at his sandwich. "And here he was worried about how I would treat you while stuck in your closet of a house."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Like Narcissa would let you say anything while she's trying to get us to move into the Manor."

Perhaps Katherine was smarter than he thought…

By the end of the week, nothing could cheer Katherine up. She was absolutely miserable and wouldn't get out of bed. Draco tried to keep her comfortable, but he knew she just wanted to hold her babies. The slightest thing, like pine needles falling out of their Christmas tree, made her burst into tears.

"I made you your favorite," Draco said quietly. Well, her current favorite. Macaroni and cheese with sliced apples baked into it. He did his best to ignore the smell.

Katherine's eyes watered. Okay, maybe it wasn't her favorite anymore. "I can't eat that. It's bad for them."

You ate a block of cheese for breakfast, Draco thought but knew better than to say it out loud. "Yes. But you ate a big salad for lunch and fruit all day—"

"So it's okay to poison them?" she barked. Draco would later deny that he took a step back in fear. "Throw that shit out!"

"Okay…" Draco took a deep breath. Two more weeks, and the healers would induce. Two more weeks with the pregnant demon. "What do you want for dinner then?"

Katherine frowned and considered for a moment. "Chicken nuggets."

Draco bit his tongue and hurried out without another word.

"Thank you for being so nice to me," the pregnant demon mumbled as she snuggled up to him later that night. Draco was sure it was a trap. She kissed him slowly and almost made him yelp when she reached down his pants. "What?"

"N-nothing. I…" Oh no… By the look in her eyes, he could tell any excuse he could make was going to be a terrible one. He was going to have to choose between making her cry or making her flip out on him. "I…"

"Do you find me attractive?" she asked before he could think of anything.

"Of course I do," he said quickly, a little too quickly, judging by the narrowing of her eyes. "I love you."

"So you find me attractive because you love me, not because you think I'm physically attractive?" she spat.

"You-you're… What?" During the past few days, Draco felt like he was paying for every bad thing he ever did. She was absolutely furious with him, and he was starting to get confused.

Looks like he lucked out and managed to make her cry and flip out on him. "Fuck you! Get out!"

Draco blinked. What just happened? "But—"

"I SAID GET OUT!"

Draco admitted only to himself that he was happy to be sleeping on the couch tonight.

The next morning, Draco woke up to the smell of breakfast. Eggs, toast, and bacon. So she was making his favorite. He couldn't help but wonder if it was another trap or if she felt bad. As quietly as he could, he snuck off to the bathroom to take a shower.

"I'm sorry," she said when he sat down. She put a plate in front of him that was filled with twice the food he could manage. Draco was afraid of what would happen when he couldn't finish it all. "I've just been feeling really gross lately, and I wanted you to make me feel better."

Why couldn't you just say that? Draco yelled in his head while he plastered a fake smile on his face. "You're beautiful."

Something flashed in her eyes, telling him to be very, very careful. "Too late."

"So…" Draco laughed nervously. "You said you wanted to buy some books for them?"

Katherine's eyes watered. Great. "We don't do anything just for us anymore."

"What did you want to do?" Draco asked carefully. Probably murder him.

There was a pause, and Draco prayed she would say something he wouldn't say no to. "Let's go dancing."

Draco decided it was in his best interest not to mention that she hated dancing. Just smile and nod. That was the only advice Father had for him. At least it made her happy…

Kat felt terrible. Everything ached, and every time she went into labor, she was only met with heartbreaking disappointment. At least Draco was putting up with her.

"How'd you get so sweet?" She wasn't much of a dancer when she didn't have two full term babies to lug around. They were most swaying to the music, and Kat rested her chin on his shoulder as he waddled about the dancefloor with her. "You used to be such an asshole."

"Thanks." He tried to lead him towards their table but gave up after she "accidently" stepped on his feet twice. "You should eat something."

"After this song," she halfheartedly promised. "I think the dancing rocked them to sleep. They always kick when I'm trying to sleep. Think if I slept in a hammock I'd be able to get out?"

"No," he said, brutally honest as usual. "No offense, Katherine, but I'm surprised you still fit in the bathtub."

"That better be a joke," Kat grumbled. He smiled softly, so she assumed (hoped) that it was. "How was the couch last night?"

"It's weird sleeping without someone snoring in my ear and getting up for snacks every few hours." Draco smirked when she glowered. "It was too quiet."

"I missed your cold feet," Kat admitted with a yawn. "We never got to go on another honeymoon. Or that family vacation."

"What a shame," Draco drawled before leaning in to kiss her jawline. "I was so looking forward to Black in a bathing suit."

Katherine smirked. "I was going to put cooking oil in your parent's sunscreen."

"They burn easily." That only made her smile widen. He'd have to tell them to use magic instead of a salve. "By summer, we'll have six month olds."

Katherine frowned, making Draco tense and prepare himself for a mood swing storm. He should have known better than to say anything in public. Smile and nod. That's what Father said. "I… I'm worried that you'll only see me as a mum."

What? There was no way he could smile and nod to that. "Why?"

Katherine shrugged, but stopped her halfhearted dancing. "Well, I got in a tiny fight with Ginny a few weeks ago." Great. "She was mad that I've been so busy, and she said that I'm not just a mum."

"She doesn't have any children while a lot of her friends are suddenly having children, and she's the youngest," Draco said simply, trying his best to keep his voice neutral. "She just doesn't understand."

"I haven't really included her in anything," Katherine admitted. "I thought she would get bored, but I guess she has a point. But…"

"You're my wife," Draco said firmly while adding in his head my hormone crazed, evil wife. "Pansy and Theo have been in their own little world for months. Call me crazy but I think a new baby takes up a lot of time."

"And there won't be time for us, let alone Ginny." Katherine shuffled her feet, and Draco had to force himself not to react when he saw she was wearing two different shoes. "I'm nervous about… Everything. Just everything."

"We're screwed." Draco smiled to show he was joking, but from the sour look on her face, she didn't appreciate it. "We'll find time… eventually."

Katherine looked at an imaginary watch as if "eventually" was in a few hours. "What if we don't want to? What if we have baby jail Stockholm Syndrome like stupid Pansy and that guy she's married to?"

Draco rolled his eyes at "that guy she's married to." It was true that the most he got out of Pansy and Theo lately were pictures of Herb, letters about Herb, and parenting advice, but he didn't mind, especially since they almost lost him. "We'll have a date night once a week after they're born."

And of course, Katherine looked aghast at the thought. "So soon?"

No matter what he said, he knew she wouldn't like it if he was even remotely specific. "Once you heal," he said vaguely, and with more confidence than he felt, he added, "You're amazing you know that, right? We'll be fine."

"I know," she said haughtily as she started heading for their table. "I think you're bringing me down, actually."

"Actually," he drawled, "you're the worst sort of person."

"I love you too."

He was allowed back in the bed tonight. Katherine looked at herself in the mirror and frowned. Hopefully they wouldn't get a repeat of last night.

"Are you still scared?" she asked as she waddled over to bed. What kind of a question was that? "About not being a cold asshole like your dad?"

"Why do I talk to you?" Draco mumbled as she laid next to him and lifted up her shirt. "If this is a sex thing, don't blame me because I have no idea what you're doing."

"No." She snorted as she propped herself up with pillows. "Talk to them."

"Er…" Draco felt his throat run dry, already feeling awkward at the thought. "Why?"

"So…" Katherine paused. Maybe she was trying to torture him and needed to make up an excuse. "So you'll have more of a bond with them or something like that."

"Perhaps you should read the books Hermione buys for you instead of skimming them in between commercials." Draco shrunk back when she glared at them. Nearly thirty eight weeks in, and he still hadn't learned to keep his mouth shut.

Thankfully, she decided to let that one go. She pointed to the right side of her belly. "This is our daughter." Then the left. "And this is our son. Talk to them."

Draco waited for her to start laughing at him, but she only smiled softly when they shifted under her skin. "Erhm… hello?"

Silence. He didn't know what else to say! They couldn't understand him, even if their hearing wasn't muffled. This had to be a joke. Black was going to bust out of the closet at any moment to take a picture of his mortified face.

Katherine sighed. At least, he hoped it was a sigh and not a laugh. "Tell them anything. Like that you love them."

But they weren't here! He couldn't see them, so he felt like he was just talking to her stomach, which was weird. "Um, I…" Draco blushed when she grabbed his hand and used it to push at her stomach so they would start moving. To his amazement, he could see a fully formed foot, toes and all, poke out of her side. He pulled his hand away as if burned. "Katherine…"

"Gross, right?" She grinned when he looked away. "Don't be scared, Draco. You've got like thirteen years before they'll say, "Fuck off, Dad.""

"If they're truly your children, it'll be more like five or six," Draco muttered. "… Do you-do you think they'll hate me I if I can't say it?"

Katherine titled her head to the side and thankfully didn't have a hormonal meltdown. "Well, do you hate your dad for it?"

Draco shook his head. He could never hate his father, but… He wanted something more for his children.

Eventually, Katherine turned the light off, perhaps to hide her disappointment, and snuggled up to him. He pretended to be asleep until she started snoring and stared at the ceiling until the kicks that he kept him up for the past few weeks started gently pushing against his side.

"I love you." He said it so quietly that he barely heard it himself. He doubted they did over Katherine's bear like snores, but it was a start. Hopefully he would be able to say it when they finally arrived.

Lily was going to be a grandmother. It didn't hit Severus until a frazzled Katherine came into his shop one morning, begging for drugs.

"There has to be a potion to make my water break," she begged. Black was hovering in the background. At least the fat kneazle kept him at bay. It purred as it rubbed itself against Katherine's legs. "I don't care how nasty it is. I can't take it anymore!"

"You aren't even thirty eight weeks," Severus taunted. Lily wasn't around to comfort her like she should be. "You do know that pregnancies are supposed to last forty weeks, don't you, Potter?"

"I can't sleep." Her eyes filled with crocodile tears. "I thought they were dropping, but now they've crammed themselves back next to my lungs! I can't breathe. And Sirius follows me around like flies on shit!"

"Oi!" Black yelled but immediately quieted down when the kneazle growled at him.

"Give me something!" Katherine hissed. "I'm thirty eight weeks tomorrow! Please!"

You can do this. That's what Lily would have told her. Severus set his jaw. "No."

"Look," she snarled, showing her true colors. "I'm not asking you to reach up and do it yourself! Just give me a potion to break my water!"

She was absolutely vulgar. Severus sneered, tempted to taunt her with the imaginary potions. "There is no such thing. And the potion to start labor has to be given in a hospital because it stresses out the fetus. Talk to your healer, Potter."

That shut her up, reminding Severus that her healer was dead. He should call her irresponsible for not finding a new one, make her cry, and start a fight with Black. Lily would have known how to make her feel better.

"I have something," Severus lied. "But it's so weak that it doesn't usually work."

Katherine immediately brightened. Lily's eyes looked so relieved. "Really? I'll buy it! I know it'll work!"

"Fine." Severus headed in the back and filled a vile with water from the kitchen. He added a pinch of sugar for good measure and shook it up. "Your daughter," he said to Lily with a sigh, "is a bloody idiot."

"That'll be forty galleons," Severus drawled as Katherine was practically bouncing with excitement. "Drink it before bed, mix it with juice."

"Thanks Snape!" Katherine said cheerfully. "Make sure you stop by the hospital tomorrow!"

I will for Draco, Severus thought as she left with Black to buy more toys for her little monsters. In two weeks when you actually give birth. He'd have to bring a photograph to Lily's grave.

December 9th. It was dinner time, and Katherine had been having contractions since the sun came up. Not long after Severus's placebo. Draco was sure this was it, but she insisted she wasn't ready to go the hospital yet. Everyone picked at their food while Katherine would drop her fork every couple of minutes and then exhaled. Draco wanted to throw up.

Lupin tried to keep them distracted by taunting Black, who was staring at the clock on the wall with a sour look on his face. "What a shame, Padfoot. One more day and you would've won the bet."

"Bet?" Katherine asked before wincing. Draco felt himself break out in a cold sweat when she started panting.

"Six more hours." Black leaned over the table. "Hold them in for six more hours, Kitty Kat."

"Sirius thought that you would have the babies the tenth or later." Lupin grinned, looking rather smug. "So he bet that you would. If you don't, we get a small dog I want instead of the beast he wants."

"A Rottweiler is hardly a beast, Moony," Black said stiffly. "You want a damn mouse for a dog."

There was a pause, and Draco hoped she would finally agree to go to the hospital just to tease her godfather. "Sorry, Padfoot." Katherine smiled weakly. "My water just broke."

Although they had been waiting for this moment for over a week, Draco suddenly felt extremely underprepared. Edward peeked under the table and confirmed, "Kat peed her pants!"

"You ready?" Katherine asked before gripping her stomach and crying out in pain. Black yelped as if he were in pain too. Draco was too terrified to tell her no. He was going to be a dad.

Luckily, Mother swooped in and gently helped her out of her seat. Black once again asked her if she could wait until midnight. When Katherine gave him her middle finger, Edward started yelling that she was in trouble. Draco felt the room start to spin until Father pinched his ear.

He smiled softly. "She'll kill you."

"You're damn right I will." She tiredly looked at the stairs. "Will you help me—?"

Katherine's face fell like she was confused. When her eyes rolled in the back of her head, and she fell to the ground, Draco felt like the world stopped. He couldn't hear Edward screaming, and barely noticed Black rush over to her as she started convulsing. The next thing he knew they were at the hospital, and the healers were asking him if they could perform an emergency C-section.

Thank you for the reviews saku hyuuga, Ern Estine 13624, and gr8rockstarrox!

Next up the babies!

Oh and gr8rockstarrox I added a few scenes for you! I'm thinking two chapters until Snape baby sits!