Hi! Here's the next installment! But first, a few words from me and a moment of silence in honor of Andy as well as the mother of one of my readers…

Crazypagen: I'm so sorry to hear of your mom's passing. As we all hear enough platitudes from our RL family, friends and acquaintances, I will refrain. Your pain is your own and you will find ways to cope with it when you feel ready. I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to speak with me about it.

Lori

******** ******** ******** Chapter 48 ******** ******** ********

The rest of July passed in a blur. Lucius and Narcissa commissioned a copy of Altaira's portrait which would be delivered to Nettlestone sometime in the end of August and Harry spent much of his birthday catching up with his spouse as well as socializing with their children.

The morning after his birthday, Harry woke to find Draco entertaining the three toddlers in the sitting area of their bedroom. The blond was reading to them from an old book and didn't see Harry right away.

The brunette smirked as he snuck up behind Draco and proceeded to lightly kiss his favorite spot on his lover's neck.

"Oh!" Draco jumped slightly at the tickling touch of Harry's lips and then gave a breathy laugh at his reaction. "Good, you're awake! Mother says Ron and Hermione floo-called."

"Oh?" Harry looked up at his children while wrapping his arms around Draco. "What did they want?"

"A family play-date…" Draco grinned as he tilted his head back against Harry's shoulder. "They miss you and the children."

"I'm sure they've missed you too, Dragon." Harry sighed happily.

"Nope." Draco's smirk was smug. "Hermione and I have been writing to each other. They haven't had a chance to miss me."

Harry chuckled for a moment before realizing what that could mean. "So they know about my issues?"

"Well, I didn't go into detail but they know you've been out of sorts." Draco's smile dimmed but he put a comforting hand on Harry's wrist. "I couldn't keep it from them completely. They're your best mates."

"I'll speak to them." Nodding, Harry sighed his acceptance. "You know…We also didn't have the usual birthday bash for myself or the kids. Maybe we should throw something together for this weekend."

"It's already in the works for Saturday." Draco's eyes sparkled in amusement. "Mother sent Dinki out food shopping a little while ago."

"Did I hear my name?" Narcissa asked as she peeked in from the nursery.

"I was just telling Harry about Dinki's trip to the store." Draco grinned as he extracted himself from Harry's embrace to lift his son and placed a quick kiss on her cheek as he passed by to change him.

"Oh, I see." She smiled. "Molly is making a cake but I was wondering if you'd like the elves to prepare treacle tart. I know it's your favorite."

It was times like this that he thought his heart would burst from happiness. He nodded to his mother-in-law silently to keep from expressing his sentimentality.

Suddenly Teddy jumped up and ran from the room breaking Harry's moment of speechlessness.

Worried, Harry followed him to the loo then knocked and called through the door. "Are you alright, Ted?"

"Yes, Uncle Harry." The little voice replied.

Harry waited until his godson opened the door before continuing the conversation. "Do you need to change?"

"Nope." Teddy's hair turned pink as he shook his head "I gots to here in time."

"If you're having problems…with anything…" Harry trailed off as he scratched his neck. "Well, I want you to talk to me, Ted…about anything you need to. I don't care how embarrassed either of us get."

"No. I'm fine – really." Teddy hid his face in his godfather's stomach as he hugged Harry. "I was having so much fun looking at the book and it wasn't till Draco got up that I felt it and had to run."

Harry nodded. "Alright…but you know if you need to talk…"

Teddy smiled up at his godfather with green eyes. "I come to you."

"Good boy. Let's go check on Draco and the twins." Harry scooped Teddy up and draped him over one shoulder while the four year old giggled his little bottom off.

When the pair got back to the master suite Draco looked concerned but he relaxed quickly when Harry smiled and shook his head as he deposited Teddy on the floor next to Lyra and Caelum.

The weekend came quickly and soon enough Harry was welcoming the guests to their party. He smiled at Greg Goyle as the other man escorted his older daughter to the designated children's area while Parvati brought their two month old to sit beside Hermione and Hugo at a nearby table with Charlie and Gus who had little Edgar in a pram beside them.

Being that the party had been scheduled for the third of August, Harry had suggested that they include Bernadine Goyle and Tavin Longbottom as additional birthday kids. Both families had graciously accepted.

Hannah and Justin Finch-Fletchley were sitting inside with their youngest daughter, Chloe, as well as Christopher and Susan Morgan (formerly Bones). Their children were good friends of Bernadine and it looked likely that Lyra, Caelum and Teddy would become attached to them as much as Tavin and Alison, whom they already loved, like relatives.

Pansy and Marcus hadn't been able to make it due to being out of the country. They'd gone to Canada to visit Marcus' cousin's family and didn't plan on returning until just before the new school year began at Hogwarts.

All of the Weasleys were there and Harry couldn't be happier that he was surrounded by friends. Draco was happy too and Harry could see it in his eyes as he laughed with Greg and Blaise. Theo and Lavender had sent their regrets because they felt that Violet was too little to be exposed to so many other children.

Luna sat beside Padma and Terry Boot with the twins while little Larry played with Teddy, Caelum and the other kids their age. Food was served and many conversations were had.

Hermione and Ron made a point of pulling Harry away for a chat about his moodiness. When they found out about his depression and subsequent trip to the London Townhouse, Harry's best friends made sure to speak comforting words while insisting on more visits and further contact between them.

A little while later, Harry cut the cake since he was the eldest birthday honoree. Suddenly, just as he was about to sit down with his slice of cake in addition to a delicious looking piece of treacle tart, there was a bloodcurdling scream which startled him into dropping it onto the ground. He sighed and vanished the mess just as Christopher Morgan came running out of the house.

"Susan's water just broke!" The man told them frantically. "She's not due for almost two more weeks but her water broke and I don't think there's much time!"

The guests looked around in alarm but Draco, Lucius and Narcissa took it in stride as Harry stood up and gently took hold of Christopher's arm. "You need to calm down, Chris – for Sue's sake. It'll be alright." The other man looked anything but calm so Harry took charge of the situation. He noticed that his mother-in-law had called their elf. "Dinki, please take Chris and Susan to a guest suite. I'll floo-call your healer…"

"We don't have a regular healer. She's been seen by several different ones out of St. Mungo's." Chris chewed on his lower lip.

"I'll call ours then." Harry told him decisively. "Breathe, Chris. Babies being born two weeks early is not an unusual occurrence."

Draco smiled at their newest friend. "The twins were born a month early. They're fine."

"The Greengrass boy isn't fine though." Chris' voice shook.

"Lorien was born six weeks early." Draco stood and led him into the house while continuing. "That complicates things, but this is just two weeks. Susan and the baby will be fine! Hey, I never asked: is it a boy or a girl?"

A smile overtook Christopher's face. "It's a girl. Gosh, I can't wait to meet her!"

"Do you have a name picked out for her, Chris?" Draco asked as they walked down the hallway to the free guest suite.

"Yes, she'll be called 'Audra Rose'." Chris was enthusiastically nodding as he explained. He barely noticed the change of scenery when they entered the sitting area of the room they'd been given. "My mother's name was 'Rose' and Susan said her grandmother was French so she wanted something to honor that and chose 'Audra'."

"That's lovely! Now, why don't you sit with Susan for a moment? Harry will be in with the healer quicker than you think." Draco told him with a serene smile. "I'll ask one of the elves for tea. That always calms me."

Christopher hurried to his wife's bedside and scooped up her hand as he started to whisper to her.

After conjuring a comfy chair for Christopher to sit in, Draco smiled and slipped out of the room just in time to see the Healer walking up the stairs.

"Please don't worry about anything. Your friend will be fine." She told the blond.

"I'm sure she will, Healer. Thank you." Draco opened the door to let her into the suite and introduced her to the couple inside. "Oh, Chris, don't worry about Jackson. We'll take care of him for you."

The other man appeared to sigh with relief and thanked him profusely before turning to speak with the healer.

Harry was at the door when Draco turned around. "The Healer's assistant is on her way with the proper supplies. I left Dinki with orders to lead her up when she arrived. Let's go tend to our other guests."

Draco just laced his arm through Harry's as they descended the staircase.

As they reentered the yard, Ron yelled out. "Nothing's ever simple for you, Harry!"

Harry chuckled and cast a Sonorus charm. "Susan is having her baby in our guest room. She's being seen to by a wonderful Healer as well as her husband and the healer's assistant. There's nothing to worry about."

Smiling, Molly walked over and silently set down a plate before kissing Harry's cheek and heading back to help Ginny feed her little boys.

Looking down Harry saw that she'd included both cake and treacle tart for him which let loose a big smile as he happily dug in.

"Let the party continue!" Draco declared shooting up pink and purple sparks with his wand.

At this, the Weasleys set off their signature fireworks while the kids stared in wonder.

Harry gathered up his children and Jackson Morgan to sit around Draco and himself for the show. Jackson didn't seem to understand that his mommy was about to give him a little sister so Harry didn't mention it.

Harry smiled as he waved goodbye to Susan and Chris.

The birth hadn't taken long at all and, just a few hours after Audra had been born, Jackson was taken home by family members. Susan and Chris had stayed for almost a week to recover and get used to the new baby. Now they were on their way home to join their son.

Harry turned to Draco and asked how he was feeling.

"Not bad considering…" Draco chuckled. "Those two wear on me though. Jackson has such energy and Susan is such a natural flirt that I had to fight my jealous streak when she spoke to you. Audra was a sweet little thing though… I like baby girls."

"Well luckily Christopher had eyes only for her and the new baby." Harry said with a grin as he pulled his husband into his arms. "Now then…your parents have taken the kids to the Manor for a few hours and we have no guests to take up our time…Whatever shall we do to keep busy?"

Draco's silver eyes sparkled in the light. "Well, we could study our books for a while…or think of names for the little bundle of joy that will be arriving in just over a month."

Harry shook his head and pulled the neckline of Draco's robes open. "Why do that when we can find something much more fun to do?" He lowered his lips to the juncture between his lover's shoulder and neck.

The light kiss upon the leftover love bite brought a shiver down the blond's spine and he whimpered in want.

Harry smiled as Draco pulled free only to run into their bedroom. By the time they reached the bed, both men were nude and hard as hell. Draco was breathing heavy when Harry caught up to him.

"Let me prep you, love." Harry whispered against his husband's ear.

Draco could only moan his acceptance as he got to all fours to grant Harry access. He felt his lover's fingers enter him and stretch his hole. He moaned and began to rock in place – effectively fucking himself on Harry's fingers. Panting, Draco began to plead with Harry to fuck him properly.

"Of course, lover." The brunette whispered as he took his place at Draco's entrance.

Draco pushed back with his hips until Harry was fully seated inside him. The blond couldn't help himself as he mewled in pleasure and rode Harry for all he was worth.

Harry was too quickly approaching his climax so he gripped Draco's hips to stop him from moving so he could take a breath. Another whimpering moan did Harry in and he let himself go – allowing his hips to piston into Draco. He gasped out a command for Draco to come just in time for both of them to reach their pinnacle at once.

Basking in the luxury of his husband's embrace, Draco quickly drifted of to sleep.

Harry grinned down at the blond and gathered him close. He'd let his dragon nap until the rest of their family returned for the evening. After a moment of watching his lover sleep Harry decided to ask Dinki to bring up the book Neville had given him about exotic flowers of the world. Without relinquishing his hold on Draco, Harry peacefully looked through the pages related to the flower pendant his parents had sent them.

"Do we have to keep the baby's name a secret?" Harry asked. A week had passed since Harry had divulged his idea for the name of their newest daughter and all Draco had allowed him to tell was that the child had a name. "I'm really excited about it and I want to tell everyone!"

"Harry! No!" Draco scolded him. "I want it this way. I like that we're the only two who know the baby's name!"

"But Molly is dying to know!" The brunette groaned. "And your mum keeps nagging too."

"Harry, stop." Draco rolled his eyes. "My mother and Molly Weasley will just have to wait."

Harry sighed. "Can I at least tell Rax and Altaira?"

The blond considered this. "Alright… I suppose that's acceptable…but only if they promise not to tell a single living soul."

Harry's smile brightened the room and he hurried to the library to see if Altaira's portrait had been delivered yet. He fought to hide a pout when he saw the empty wall.

"Looking for someone?" A smirking Rax asked his grandson-in-law.

"Altaira's portrait should be ready." Harry grumbled as he plopped down into his favorite armchair. "Why is it taking so long to reach us?"

"Lucius said 'the end of the month', Harry." Rax reminded him. "That time has not yet arrived. When my copy was being created my son told me it would be a fortnight but that's when we learned that it actually took a full month."

With a sigh Harry conceded the point. Then he looked up at Rax with mischief in his eyes. "My Dragon has finally allowed me to divulge the name of our daughter…but only to you and Altaira and only if you promise not to tell a single living soul. I'll tell you both when her portrait has been hung."

Rax looked happily flabbergasted. "I thought he'd never budge! He wanted it to be a surprise!"

"I talked him into it – but just for you and Aunt Altaira." Harry grinned at the portrait. "Hopefully the artist will finish sooner than later."

"Harry?" Draco called peeking into the room. "Theo and Lavender want to have us over tonight. I hope you don't mind but I said yes already."

"That's fine." Harry grinned and waved him over. "We haven't seen them since Violet was born."

"Blaise and Luna were invited too but Lawrence has a fever so they're staying home." Draco explained as he walked across the room to stand beside his husband before turning to smile at the portrait. "Hello, Grandfather."

"It's lovely to see you, Draco." Rax smiled. "Altaira is very happy to be welcomed into your home."

"We are happy to have you both." Draco's smile wobbled as he suddenly fought tears. "The two of you were always…and you were always…I've really missed you, Grandfather."

"Hey! None of that…" Harry spoke softly as he hugged the blond from behind and lightly kissed his neck. "I know they weren't around the Manor much but he's here now and Altaira will be here soon… and you'll be able to talk to them whenever you want about whatever you want."

The flush on Draco's cheeks drove away his tears as he narrowed his gaze aiming a glare at his beloved but amazingly bold husband. With more than a little effort, he forced the giggle he felt building up to become a vaguely amused chuckle. "Not in front of my grandfather, Harry!"

Rax's eyes twinkled in an eerie similarity to the former Headmaster of Hogwarts. "As if I hadn't ever seen it happen before…"

Draco's blush intensified but he fought the urge to hide his face in embarrassment.

"As if I hadn't ever committed a similar act upon your grandmother…" Rax winked at Harry over his grandson's head.

"No! Eww!" Draco interrupted the portrait with a grimace. "Too much information there, Grandfather! Much too much!"

Harry laughed long and hard at that before calming enough to remind his lover of their plans. "Alright. Enough. Time to get ready for our visit."

Draco pouted at Rax. "I'm not sure you deserve to know the baby's name if you're going to tease me this way."

Harry swallowed his amusement. He'd lose out too if Draco reneged on his permission.

"Dragon! Please don't…" Harry whispered.

"I think it bears more consideration. That's all." Draco huffed petulantly and swiped at the drops of sweat that seemed to pour down the side of his face out of nowhere. August seemed abnormally hot this year.

Seeing the sweat, Harry quickly cast cooling charms around them.

"Draco, I'm sorry." Rax frowned solemnly. "I didn't mean to make light of your feelings. If you'd like…well, I haven't any problem with waiting until my great granddaughter is born to hear her name."

The tone of Abraxas' voice pulled on Draco's heartstring. Sighing, Draco touched his frame. "No…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken so much offense. You were just teasing. Our mates have done it…Father's done it…Andy did it…It's only fair that you do it also."

Harry tilted his husband's face up to look into the silver-grey eyes. "I apologize as well, love. I was wrong to laugh at your reaction."

"Well, you I can't withhold the baby's name from – you came up with it after all." Draco's glare held a slightly defiant tone. "But I can withhold other things…"

Harry's eyebrow rose. "Dragon…" This was new. Draco had never even threatened to withhold sex before.

The blond sighed and shook his head as he took a step back. "As if I can resist you…not to mention we'll probably be restricted again soon so I'd rather not add to it."

Harry didn't like that his husband was being so erratic. "Draco, are you alright? Are your mood swings returning?"

Draco's eyes widened in fear and he burrowed his face into Harry's chest. "I-I didn't even notice but now…" His breathing and heartbeat sped up slightly which Harry caught instantly.

"Let's just calm you down and then we'll go to Theo and Lavender's house." Harry held his husband close while stroking his hair and back. "We'll talk to the healer in the morning. Everything will be fine. Dinki!"

The elf popped into existence directly next to her masters. "How can Dinki be helping Masters?"

"Please bring a glass of cool water for each of us. Draco isn't feeling well." Harry didn't even look her way as he spoke.

Sensing her masters' distress, Dinki quickly snapped her fingers and instantly held a tray with two glasses and a pitcher of cool water. She set it down on the nearest flat surface and filled both glasses halfway.

Harry took a sip of his only after coaxing his distraught husband to agree to match him sip for sip. Being pregnant, Draco couldn't let himself become dehydrated and Harry knew the small challenge would only encourage the blond to do what needed to be done. Every sip that passed Harry's lips was followed by Draco and every sip the blond took was accompanied by Harry's calming habit of running his fingers through Draco's hair. Finally Draco's breathing slowed enough that Harry stopped drinking the water. "Do you still want to go to Theo's?"

"Yes." Draco said softly as he rubbed his head. "I have you. I'll be with friends. I'll be fine…once this headache goes away."

Harry didn't like the sound of that so he took another sip of water and watched Draco take a deep breath before matching his husband.

"Are you going to tell Mother and Father?" Draco asked blinking his eyes slowly.

"No need." Lucius spoke from the doorway.

Narcissa peeked around her husband. "Dragon? Are you sure you're alright? We can call the healer now if you need her."

"Dinki was speaking with Mistress Cissa about the dinner menu when Master Harry called." Dinki bit her lip and tugged one of her ears. "Dinki is being sorry to tell things that weren't meant to be told!"

"It's not your fault, Dinki." Harry smiled at her. "You were called and you came. In short - you did as you were supposed to. Thank you."

Dinki sniffled at the sentiment and popped away to resume her duties.

Draco sat in Harry's arms as he let his parents fuss for a little while. "I promise to take it easy at Theo's. Harry will be there…I'll be fine."

"Alright Dearest, but if you feel the slightest bit off I want you both to come home." Narcissa looked directly at Harry.

The brunette smiled at her. "I completely agree, Narcissa."

Lucius was solemn as he shared a look with his son-in-law. "Call if you need us. Don't hesitate to go to St. Mungo's if he needs care of that magnitude. That seemed like a panic attack and my son is not prone to those."

Harry just nodded and helped Draco stand.

Feeling like a potion that was expected to explode, Draco sighed. "I'm alright. Really – I am. Please stop watching me so closely!"

Lucius and Narcissa glanced at each other before nodding to the younger pair. "We'll leave you to it, then." The older man commented as they left.

As they were getting ready, Harry helped him remove his clothes and made sure the bath was more on the cool side even though Draco usually liked it warmer than that.

Dinner at their friends' home was a lovely affair. Teddy and the twins stayed with Draco's parents and Lavender's parents had the care of their two children so that the couples could have a relaxing night. After dinner, Harry had a cup of herbal tea with Lavender while Draco and Theo enjoyed the iced version. They were home by midnight and Draco's distress had not returned so Harry set a spell to monitor Draco's breathing before checking the cooling charms and joining the blond in bed.

The next morning Draco's healer came and performed a few diagnostic spells.

Harry's eyes widened at her diagnosis. "Heat exhaustion?"

Draco was taking a nap so Harry had led the Healer out onto the balcony to talk.

"Indeed, Mr. Malfoy-Potter…and what you did in response was absolutely perfect." The Healer told him. "Cooling charms, calming him with sips of cool water and then a cool bath – Well, that's just the thing for heat stroke."

"I-I didn't know that. I thought it was a panic attack or something of that nature. When I get worked up, cool water always calms me and he'd been crying so I just… I didn't want him getting dehydrated in this heat." Harry stumbled through his explanation.

"Your instinct was right on the galleon. Mr. Malfoy-Potter…Harry, your husband is in fine health this morning because you did what you did." She patted his arm. "Did he have anything warm or hot since the incident?"

"Our friends offered us hot tea after dinner but Draco had iced tea with his friend while I took the hot tea." Harry told her.

The Healer nodded. "Again – that's the perfect response. Draco will be sensitive to high temperatures for almost a week. Keep him rested and cool and call if you need me but I'm certain he's in good hands."

Harry watched her turn to leave when he remembered something. "What about the mood swings?"

"Confusion is a common occurrence with this condition. During a pregnancy, that might translate into mood swings because his emotions were the things getting him confused." The Healer smiled softly at him. "Call if you need me."

Harry let her leave this time and he let out a shuddering breath. "Heat Stroke…and somehow I knew what to do…"

He called for a glass of ice water and sipped to calm himself.

Narcissa joined him a moment later. "The Healer told us – I hope you don't mind."

Harry shook his head. "We would've told you anyway. He's your son as much as he's my husband."

"It doesn't matter how you knew what to do, Harry. All that matters is that you did what he needed you to do and he's alright." Narcissa kissed his cheek and went back into the nursery.

Harry finished his water and went back in to check on his beloved. He lay down next to the blond and placed his head on Draco's chest. He could hear his heartbeat and it made him smile.

Harry made sure to keep the whole family well supplied with cool water and other fluids. There hadn't been any relapse of heatstroke since that one day and he didn't want anything else like that to happen again.

A few weeks later Harry and Draco watched the workers set up Altaira's frame next to Rax's. The spells were quickly set so she could come and go at her leisure. It wasn't long before she appeared before them and Rax hugged her tightly as they informed her of the baby's name. She was smiling widely when they left the room and they were happy too as they settled down for the night.

Well, the end is drawing near, my friends. My emotions are all over the place as this story has been the most prominent one in my life for quite a while. I'll wait on the heavy stuff until the very last chapter but for now I want you all to know that your reviews and comments mean a lot to me. They are encouragement and acknowledgement that I have contributed – in some small way – to lives other than my own.

Lori

PS - The most common signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
•Confusion
•Dark-colored urine (a sign of dehydration )
•Dizziness
• Fainting
• Fatigue
• Headache
•Muscle or abdominal cramps
•Nausea, vomiting , or diarrhea
•Pale skin
•Profuse sweating
•Rapid heartbeat

Treatment for Heat Exhaustion

If you, or anyone else, has symptoms of heat exhaustion, it's essential to immediately get out of the heat and rest, preferably in an air-conditioned room. If you can't get inside, try to find the nearest cool and shady place.

Other recommended strategies include:
•Drink plenty of fluid (avoid caffeine and alcohol).
•Remove any tight or unnecessary clothing.
•Take a cool shower, bath, or sponge bath.
•Apply other cooling measures such as fans or ice towels.

If such measures fail to provide relief within 15 minutes, seek emergency medical help, because untreated heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke.