Author's Note: The majority of reviewers voted for keeping Christmas small and going to neither the Weasleys or to Draco's family. But I'm still thinking I might invite Draco's grandparents, Aunt Dromeda, and Cousin Teddy over. As for the birthday, everyone seemed to agree that they should have a family dinner and an outing. Are there any suggestions for types of outings out there? I could do the typical park or heated community pool, or maybe something more winter themed….
Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy to have Second Child
By Rita Skeeter
This reporter recently had the pleasure to sit down with Draco Malfoy to discuss his failing marriage, second pregnancy, and upcoming divorce. That's right, dear readers, Draco Malfoy is indeed five months pregnant with Harry Potter's second child. This came as quite a shock, because it is common knowledge that Potter began divorce proceedings just two months ago. We now know that while Potter was dreaming of a life without his husband, Malfoy was already three months gone.
"My soon to be ex-husband is an imbecile," Malfoy says.
When asked why the couple chose to go through a divorce in the middle of a pregnancy, Malfoy gave the above quote. Potter, it seems, must be an imbecile to ask for a divorce from a man who was at the time three months pregnant with his second child. When asked for details, Malfoy informs me that he was very sick for the first few months. Potter didn't want to deal with it and instead of seeking medical treatment for Malfoy, asked for a divorce.
Malfoy was recently diagnosed with hypoglycemia, a potentially deadly disease that can be easily treated. He reports acting spacey and suffering from memory loss. He told this reporter that he wasn't able to think clearly or function properly, so it didn't occur to him to visit his healer. When one spouse is ill, it falls to the other to take care of them and see to it that they receive proper medical care, but that is not what Potter did. Instead Potter ignored Malfoy, leaving his husband and unborn child to suffer.
It wasn't until Potter asked Malfoy for a divorce and dropped his husband off with Malfoy's mother that Malfoy was taken to see a healer. Apparently the vows, "In sickness and in health," mean nothing when you are the Savior of the Wizarding World. For Potter's next marriage, this reporter recommends changing that particular vow to, "In sick, shall we divorce and I'll leave you to your mummy to nurse back to health," for it was indeed Lady Malfoy who was left with the task of helping the pregnant wizard to recover.
Once Malfoy was on the mend, Potter changed his tune and asked Malfoy to take him back. But Potter had already shown his true nature and Malfoy was not pleased. "What if I become sick again? Will he turn around and ask for a divorce again? I can't handle the emotional rollercoaster with him," Malfoy says. And at five months pregnant, who can blame him?
Malfoy's concern over what will happen to him when he gets sick again is understandable for a pregnant wizard diagnosed with a serious condition. Pregnancy is a messy dangerous process at the best of times, but with a condition like hypoglycemia in the works, it is bound to be troubled. The thought of leaving the safety of a loving caring mother to return to a selfish and inattentive husband must be frightening to a wizard in his position.
A hard pregnancy and a lifelong case of hypoglycemia are likely not the only medical concerns troubling Malfoy, whose father, Lucius Malfoy, has just been released from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Lucius spent over a year in hospital after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone disease. He suffered through a long and painful treatment process and is now in remission. Given his improved health status, he was transferred to the Ministry for Magic's Holding Facility, where he awaits his day in court. Lucius is the last of the Death Eaters to be tried and there is a movement from his family to release him to their custody, due to his fragile health. See page 33 for further details on the movement and how you can help.
Motor Neurone disease has been known to run in the Malfoy family for centuries. In all likelihood the young Malfoy will one day be diagnosed with it. When he is, what will Potter do? Likely more of the same as what he has been doing these past few months: push Malfoy off on his mother to care for and act like it is not his problem. With a husband like that, it is no wonder Malfoy is now pushing for a divorce.
The article continued on, but Harry stopped reading there; he'd read it half a hundred times and practically had it memorized. It was a five page spread complete with several pictures of a pregnant Draco Malfoy. They were the first pictures given to the papers and the first interview with a reporter since the Malfoy/Potter wedding. As such, the Daily Prophet and Rita Skeeter scooped all other news sources, including the Quibbler, which has long enjoyed a special privilege when it came to reporting on the Chosen One. The press was having a field day with it.
Of course Skeeter put all the worst things first, with everything positive Draco had to say about Harry relegated to the end of the article. There was an entire page of Draco talking about how happy they had been when they first got together. They were busy with a newborn, but completely infatuated with one another. Draco even admitted to being head-over-heels in love with Harry. Draco then went on to blame himself for the failed marriage, saying that he spent too much time worrying about his father and not enough making Harry happy. Harry, on the other hand, didn't think that was the case at all, because he knew how sick Lucius was and how much Lucius meant to Draco. If anything, Harry didn't think he'd been supportive enough about the situation and regretted every negative comment he ever made about his father-in-law.
Harry dropped the paper to his coffee table with a huff. "Do you really think that's it Hermione?" he asked his best friend.
Harry had called Hermione, because she was the hardest on him and the most pro-Draco of his friends. He needed the opinion of someone who understood where Draco was coming from, not Ron or George, who would just tell him that Draco was a wanker and want to leave it at that. Pretty much all of Harry's male friends had owled him letters of support, some saying they didn't know what he saw in Draco in the first place. Given that he now realized he was wrong, he was beginning to think all men were stupid. At least Hermione and Luna hadn't taken his side when he was in the wrong.
The article had turned up in the Sunday morning paper, so Harry had firecalled his friend and asked her to come over immediately. She'd been at her parents' house this time, Harry knew, but thankfully the Grangers had long since been connected to the floo network. She rushed over, arriving even before Harry could get back from dropping Eiona off with Dromeda. He couldn't handle the child when his mind was so preoccupied.
"Do I think what's it, Harry?" Hermione asked concerned. Harry had shown her the paper, only to snatch it back to read for himself a fifty-first time. She had read it without him, but she didn't know to which part he was referring.
"The Motor Neurone disease. Do you think that's why Draco's so mad at me for not taking care of him when he was sick?"
"Possibly. Lucius would be dead right now if Cissy hadn't stepped in and found that potions master."
Harry moaned, sunk his face into his hands, and asked, "Hermione, what am I going to do?"
"If you really want Draco back, you need to take the initiative yourself. Draco refused to tell you what to do, but he still made it clear what he wanted done: you said it yourself, he wants you to fight for him."
"Yeah," Harry agreed rubbing the back of his neck. He knew he first needed to show Draco that he was accepting of Draco's friends and beliefs. Meanwhile he needed to stick to Draco's side like glue and wait for Draco to be sick again. Next time, he'd dote on Draco properly himself and not leave any part of it up to Cissy or the house elves. Furthermore, he needed to find some way to stop that bloody divorce. He told Hermione as much.
"You never should've initiated it in the first place!" Hermione replied.
"Shafiq swears he's doing all he can to stop it, but Draco's attorney is cutthroat. I'm going to have to hire someone else to help me. Even then he suggests I come up with a medical condition of my own to stall. He gave me the name of an oncologist who's willing to lie for me, but I can't do that, Hermione. It's wrong."
"What you have already done is wrong!"
"Are you actually encouraging me to lie Hermione?"
"No, of course not, but there has to be another way."
"If there is, Shafiq swore he'd find it."
"Good."
"What about Lucius and this house arrest thing? There's an entire three page spread complete with more quotes from Draco. They are saying that if Lucius is given house arrest, it will set the stage for Fawley's movement to free the vast majority of Death Eaters."
"I didn't get a chance to read that part. Can I see it?" Hermione asked and Harry handed over the paper.
Hermione was quiet as she read and then stayed quiet while she thought. Eventually she made up her mind on the matter. "You will have to support Draco on this, Harry. There's no other way."
"Support Draco on releasing one of Voldemort's inner circle? One of the few wizards to act as his second in command? Who funded the whole movement and gave his house up to the evil git?"
"Yes, you have to if you want Draco back."
"But Hermione, he's guilty. He deserves to spend time in Azkaban and to pay for his crimes."
"Voldemort already punished Lucius for his crimes or are you forgetting that the Malfoys had fallen out of favor."
"No, I haven't forgotten."
"And there's the fact that Lucius almost died a matter of months ago. He was diagnosed with a fatal illness and barely pulled through. Yes, he's in remission now, but there is no telling how long it will last for. If we send him off to Azkaban, the conditions there will likely exasperate his condition. In all probability, he'll end up back in St. Mungo's and the tax payers will be footing the bill. At least if we send him home, he'll be Cissy's problem and the Malfoy estate will be footing the bill for the home care."
"You sound like one of Fawley's supporters, always putting concerns about tax bills first."
"Well it makes sense. Our society is faced with numerous practical concerns right now. We can't afford to finish the needed repairs, reform wizarding society, and keep twenty-five percent of our population behind bars. At least if we send them home, they can work and earn taxable wages. That way they are putting into the system rather than taking out."
"Don't tell me you support Fawley now. What about Kingsley?"
"Kingsley has done a lot for us, it's true. He led us through the war and saw us successfully to the other side. He led the movement to lock up the remaining Death Eaters, getting horrid people off the streets. He got the Ministry and Hogwarts functioning again in record time. But we need to enter a new era of peace, not preserve this one of turmoil. Fawley is right that if we do nothing different, we will be faced with another wizarding war on our hands. We need to be pouring our tax resources into programs that will unify purebloods and muggleborns, such as public primary schools for magical children. Think about it, if the children go to school together from the time that they are in Kindergarten, then it will be harder for them to hate one another. Plus, it will lessen the gap between magical and muggle born."
"You sound just like Draco."
"Well he turned me onto Fawley's politics, it's true, but it makes sense. Don't you see Harry?"
"Yes, I see, but I have trouble turning my back on my friend. Kingsley has done so much for me. He's the one who had the charges against Draco dropped in the first place."
"It's not about preserving friendships Harry, it's about what's best for our nation. Ask yourself what sort of world you want to build for your children: one like the one we were brought up into, or a more peaceful one. A world where it doesn't matter who our parents are, but rather who we are."
"You know I want peace, everyone does, but can Fawley really bring us peace?"
"I've done a lot of research on this Harry and Fawley has some good ideas. He has good people working for him who will be able to see those ideas through. I was going to wait to tell you this, but they've offered me a job with the division for magical creature and beings rights. They want to put together a liaison office in charge of making sure each is treated fairly. At the head of each will be a counsel with both humans and creatures, so that the governed can have a say in how they are governed. It sounds very promising."
"You know that will mean freedom is not forced onto the house elves, don't you?"
"For now, yes, but they just need time to get used to the idea. There are so many areas I could make a difference in if I took the post."
"You seem set on it."
"Well I'll have to talk to Ron, but yes, I think I am."
They spoke more of Hermione's plans and what she would be doing for the Fawley campaign. Basically Fawley wanted to put his money where his mouth was and produce workable game plans for each issue he wanted to tackle in his time as minister. That meant Hermione would work together with a group of creature and being advocates to create the framework for the new department of the Ministry they would create, should Fawley's ticket be successful.
Then they spoke of what they were going to say to Kingsley and how Hermione and possibly Harry would break it to him that they were bailing on his campaign and withdrawing their support. Harry still didn't know if he was going through with it. He needed time to think about if he could live with letting Lucius out of jail in exchange for saving his marriage. Even if the wizard was bound to the house with an unbreakable vow, there was still trouble he could get into and harm he could cause. If that happened, the blame would rest squarely on Harry's shoulders.
In the meantime, Harry had the first three steps in his game plan for getting Draco back to concentrate on: stopping the divorce, sticking like glue to Draco's side, and getting to know Draco's friends. Thus he set about to track down each one of Draco's friends and find some redeeming quality in them.
Author's Note: I plan on combining everything on Harry's list into one chapter and not drawing it out. So for those of you anxious to see Harry and Draco back together, it won't be that long now.
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