Better Be Slytherin
LXXII
A Slytherin Heir
two years later
Pansy was sat as a queen in their large kitchen reading the Prophet, a plate of eggs royale going cold in front of her under her nonchalance.
Draco entered the kitchen and narrowed his eyes. "Are you actually reading the news?"
Pansy raised an eyebrow, and said lazily, "Nah. Calestina Warbeck's column. Got to keep up with the competition. And there's something in here about a couple who got married using an unbreakable vow." She laughed out loud. "Such idiots!"
"Wow," said Draco sceptically. "Nutcases."
"And about Potter and Weasley, and Granger and Weasley getting married. They all married their childhood sweethearts," said Pansy somehow disdainfully.
"So did you," said Draco scornfully and scoffed. "Did you read my column?" he added.
"I don't care about sports," said Pansy, and smirked at him. "Sorry."
He made a rude hand gesture at her. "All right, I've got to get to practice."
"Don't forget we're heading over to Daphne and Ben's for the anniversary of the war on Sunday."
"Revelio Infantem" she said, her stomach in knots of anxiety. She knew they'd been sloppy with the contraceptive spell. When it showed positive, her heart started beating profusely. She didn't know how to feel. She was so young, only 26. How would Draco feel? They were both just at the start of their careers.
"I've got something to tell you."
He looked up from the Evening Prophet.
They were sat at the dinner table in their flat, the House Elf had just served pheasant and roast vegetables. When she didn't say anything further, he raised one eyebrow. "Yes?"
She opened her mouth but a rush of emotions came over her. Her hands were sweaty. What if he got angry?
He put the newspaper down. "Bloody hell, what is it?"
"I think..." she said unsurely, "I'm with child."
He was taken aback. "What? What do you mean with child? And what do you mean you think?"
"Well," she said, looking away, "I mean... I know I am. Pregnant, that is."
"Youre pregnant?" he said, his voice raising. "Are you sure?"
"I did the spell."
"The spell can lie can't it?"
Pansy shifted, "Yes, but then I went to a Healer."
He looked even more taken aback at this. "You went a Healer without telling me? Why wouldn't you tell me? We're married."
She swallowed. "I don't know, I was scared."
"Scared? Of what? Well what did they say?"
"They said the Spell was right. I'm pregnant."
Draco just stared at her, not moving for a second. Then his mouth slowly began forming words. "Wow... Really? I mean..." his eyes darting around and his mouth wide open.
"Youre not happy," she claimed. She looked away, suddenly her insides felt heavy.
"I'm just really shocked!" he defended. "Bloody hell. I mean you're just out of university. We live in this small flat."
"It's not that small, we've got four bedrooms and we only use one. And we are married."
"I always pictured us taking over the manor before..."
She cleared her throat. This was so awkward.
He must've felt it too because he suddenly got up and moved around the table, closing the chilly gap between them. "I'm sorry, I'm just quite surprised." He put an arm around her and stroked her cheek with the other. She looked up at him. She didn't know why but she felt tears form in her eyes. She was being silly. He hadn't even been that negative.
"It's all right," she said quietly, and felt very uncharacteristic. Where was the strong girl she'd always been? The pheasant had gone cold now on the table.
"Of course I'm happy," he said now, holding her jaw to meet his eyes. "We're just quite young and I wasn't expecting it."
"Nor was I," she said looking away. His eyes narrowed ponderingly.
"Wait, how did this happen?" he asked dumbly.
She raised her eyebrows. "You really don't know?"
He rolled his eyes, "I mean, I thought you were using that Spell thing."
"I forgot a couple times," she admitted, and went on defensively when she saw his face. "And it's not like you ever did it. Why should I always do it, just because I'm a girl?"
"Fine, I didn't mean it like that. I guess it's my responsibility too."
"Yes it is," she said fiercely. "It's not like I created this baby on my own."
"Ok, I know."
She hated the hostile atmosphere that had spread between them.
He moved back to his side of the table, and cut up a piece of cold pheasant that he put in his mouth while looking away thinking.
She just looked at him with a lump in her throat. Her insides were aching now. This was not how it was meant to go down.
She picked at her broccoli aimlessly with her fork.
A quarter of an hour later the house elf had cleared the table and she went into the bathroom just get away from Draco. She locked the door with her wand and sat down on the toilet lid for a long while. Fast tears ran down her face. Then she flushed and put on the tap. She let the water run and just wiped her tears and looked at herself in the mirror. The door was unlocked by a spell behind her, her heart started beating quicker and she made a quick last attempt at disguising how she felt, when he came in. He walked up behind her, put his arms around her waist, snaked his hands under her clothes and kissed her neck from behind.
This only made the tears start all over again.
"I'm sorry, Pansy," he whispered, "I love you and I want to have a baby with you."
She wiped her tears quickly and took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.
"I'm really sorry that I made you upset."
"Well what do you expect.."
"I know, that was a bad reaction."
"Yes it was."
"Can we just start over?" he said, and turned her around so that she faced him. "You're carrying my baby. That's mental."
She gave a small smile, but didn't feel like speaking.
"Do you know if it's a boy or girl?"
"No, they didn't say anything. I haven't even processed it to think that far."
"I can't believe this," he said. "A baby..." he sounded like he'd never heard of such a creature before.
"I wasn't sure what to think at first. I mean I'm only twenty seven. What if I want to go travelling or just go down to the pub with the girls..."
"Well how do think I feel?" he said with a small laugh. "I've never had to take care of anyone but myself."
She was feeling much better now, a warm relief had spread through her. He looked at her deeply.
"I didn't mean to blame you for the contraceptive spell thing. I just imagined I'd be making more money by the time I had children."
"It's not like we're poor."
"I know. And I thought about it, if you want to keep working we can get another House-Elf to care for the baby. Or my mother."
She unwillingly late out a small laugh.
"What?" he said, smiling slightly.
"I don't know," she said and put her arms around him. "It's sweet that you thought about that."
He leaned in to kiss her. "I'll always love you," he said after.
That, if anything, set her mind at ease.
During Pansy's pregnancy, Draco treated her with such care, caressing her hair and putting his head against her tummy to try and listen to whatever was in there. He loved her more than ever now that she was carrying something that was half him and half her.
"We've never spoken about children before. But now it feels like the most natural thing."
"Would you want a boy or girl?" said Pansy.
"A boy," he said too quickly for her liking.
"What if it's a girl then?"
He hastily looked at her, as if forgetting himself. "Of course I'll be happy. But you asked what I would prefer. I've always seen myself having a son first. An heir."
She rolled her eyes. "You sound like your father."
"Whats wrong with that?" he said, immediately on the defence.
"Nothing," she lied, looking away.
Over the next few months Draco developed a habit of always reffering to the bump as his son. When she almost walked into something and tripped, he exclaimed, "Be careful with my son." She sat down on the sofa next to him and he touched her belly absent mindedly, returning to his newspaper.
"How are you so sure I'm having a boy anyway?" she said, her tone extremely annoyed.
Draco laughed behind the Prophet. "Because that's what Malfoys do. Produce heirs."
Pansy rolled her eyes. "Ok, Lucius."
Draco put the newpspaper down and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Don't be silly, I'm only messing. It doesn't matter to me, I would love to have a daughter with you..."
They told their friends and family at their housewarming for their new larger apartment which was in Diagon Alley just like the old two bedroom flat.
"Married for two years and you're still kissing like teenagers whenever you see each other," said Daphne.
"Cheers to that," said Pansy, and pretended to sip her champagne. Draco had taken out a very vintage wine from the Malfoy manor wine cellar.
"A toast for our life together, and our future," he said loudly.
When everyone had clinked their glasses, Pansy said abruptly, smiling: "We're having a baby."
The girls squealed and Perpetua exclaimed.
"Whoa really?" said Gregory, stunned.
"Oh, I cannot believe it!" said Narcissa happily, and clutched her face.
"Oh my god! What!" said Daphne, sharing the joy of her best friend.
Pansy and Draco were both subsequently embraced by everyone one by one.
"Is it a boy or girl? Are you having morning sickness? Is Malfoy being supportive? When's your due date?"
"Have you booked your birthing suite at Mungos? Who do you want present in the room?"
"Well, I was thinking Draco and my mother—"
Malfoy interjected, "No way!" his friends all laughed.
Pansy sent him a stern look.
"Well, I'll be in the room," he changed his statement quickly, and sniggered "But not down there."
"What's wrong with being down there?" she raised her voice dangerously.
He glanced at his friends, why would she do this now.
"They only thing I want to see down there is myself if you know what I mean."
All the boys laughed.
"Oh, Draco," said Narcissa disapprovingly.
Tracey knew he'd get a telling off as soon as everyone left.
Indeed, the first thing Pansy uttered when she closed the door behind the last guests, "You're such a dick!"
He laughed loudly, "Pansy, come on, I was joking!"
"It wasn't funny!"
"Everyone else seemed to think so," he smirked.
"Well, who do you have to share a bed with – everyone else or me?"
He made a tutting sound, and would've rolled his eyes if she didn't frighten him so much when pregnant. She could explode at any moment.
"It's a joke, Pansy," he said now more seriously. "Of course I'm going to be there when you give birth to my son!"
Instantly he knew what he'd said wrong. Her mouth and eyes flew open and she exclaimed: "Not son! CHILD!"
"I'm sorry," he said automatically. "The point is, I will be there!"
"You better," she said angrily.
"I will! Stop being so sensitive."
She gasped dramatically. "I'm not being sensitive! I'm carrying your child and you're being a dick!"
"'Carrying my child' isn't an excuse for always being right, Pansy!"
"Yes it is!"
He snorted. "Go to bed."
She turned to him with narrowed eyes, and he braced himself for what was coming. "I hope I have a girl."
He had to bite his bottom lip not to laugh, and nodded.
"Just to shut you up," she went on.
He held up his hands in defence. He knew she hated it when he found her comical.
Even if she ever fell out of love with Draco, how could anyone ever replace him? They'd known each other since they were children for Merlin's sake. The friendship they had shared for years, the first love... The partnering in the Inquisitorial Squad, in prefecting, in being the leaders of Slytherin, losing their virginities to one another... He'd never kissed another girl as far as she knew. She'd kissed a couple others, but they'd never felt like Draco. He was Draco, he was so much, not just her boyfriend, not just her friend, she couldn't imagine her world without him. She hardly even remembered who she was before him. They had now loved each other for 10 years.
He took her hand into his, entwining their fingers, moved it up to his mouth and kissed her on the wedding ring. Then he held her all night, and he needn't tell her anything romantic or emotional. She knew.
She was sitting at the footstool by their large bed, wearing a pink summer-dress, looking through her jewellry case. Her baby-bump was humongous, and looked almost comical on her petite-frame.
"Are you nearly ready to leave?" Draco asked, tying his tie in front of the mirror in their bedroom looking slightly confused.
"No, I most certainly am not!" she said.
He held back a sigh. "What's wrong now then?"
"I'm hideous. Nothing fits me!"
"Don't be silly, Pansy," he said impatiently.
"Perhaps you should care a bit more! This is all your fault!"
"How's it my fault?!" he said indignantly.
"You've made me fat," she pouted.
He rolld his eyes. "You're pregnant, you daft cow, not fat."
Pansy started crying, and all he could hear through the tears was "cow".
He laughed, despite himself, hurrying forward to hug her. "Come on, tubs, or I'll have to tell everyody we're late because my fat wife couldn't fit into any of her clothes."
Pansy wailed. Apparently, further joking had been the wrong thing to do.
The drama continued at Malfoy manor, where the Parkinsons also had gathered.
"He should be named Hyperion," said Perpetua wildly.
"No, Scorpius!" said Narcissa huffily.
"Septimus is an old Malfoy name," said Lucius calmly.
"It's also an old Weasley name!" snapped mr Parkinson.
"Hyperion!" said Perpetua.
"Scorpius! Draco, surely-" said Narcissa before being interrupted.
"What about Perseus," said Graham.
"Why do we have to name him after a constellation anyway? I'm named after a flower."
Draco snorted. "We're not naming our son after a flower."
He and Lucius both laughed. Pansy, red in the face, snapped, "It might not be a boy, Draco!"
"What about Larissa for a girl?" said Narcissa. "It's a constellation."
"Too much like Narcissa," muttered Perpetua.
"How about Pollux?" said Lucius. "A classic Malfoy name. And Lysadora for a girl. A classic Black name."
"Clearly noone in this room cares about the Parkinson family," huffed Perpetua.
Draco passed by Neville Longbottom's flower shop in Diagon Alley on the way home from practice. He smugly expected Pansy to go down on him after such a sweet gesture on his behalf.
Instead, her reaction were less than satisfactory.
"You bought me tulips? What are you, some kind of animal? Hello!"
He sighed. Nothing he did was ever good enough. This is the sort of crap that builds resentment and eventually ruins a relationship, he thought.
"I thought you'd appreciate it."
She snorted scornfully. "Appreciate tulips? They're disgusting."
Pansy had a bad pregnancy. At all possible times she would complain about her large feet and her big belly and fat she felt. She used it as an excuse to treat Draco like a House-Elf, and he kept rolling his eyes at her, sending her into even bigger moodswings and fits of crying. He was annoyed they hadn't had sex in months.
"I can't even see it, how am I suppose to keep it maintained?" she snapped at him whenever he hinted at it. "Also, I dont want you to poke the baby!"
He rolled his eyes once more, "I'm not going to poke the baby, the Healer said it was perfectly safe."
He longed back to easier days when Pansy was always up for it, and frankly he couldn't wait January to come when the baby was due.
"All you want from me is sex!" she yelled at him whenever she had the chance. It made him snort laugh. Considering he'd bought them two flats and put a baby inside her, for him it was obviously not true, and he found her claims ridiculous.
"If thats all you want me for," she shrieked, now tearing up, "Y-you can just go down Knockturn Alley and find yourslef someone off the street corner! And I can just go live with my parents!"
He laughed out loud now. "Don't humour me, you would never go live with your parents. You can't stand being under the same roof as your mother for more than two hours!"
"Don't go insulting my mother!"
And so it went on.
"Can't you at least- You know-" he motioned towards his midriff.
"Are you joking? I'm carrying your baby! Do you even get how much work that is? You can suck yourself off, Draco, I'm not doing it."
"What's so hard about carrying a baby really? All you do is lie on the sofa all day and order the Eouse-Elves around. I work all day playing Quidditch to pay for your luxuries!"
"My luxuies?!" she screamed and he felt bad for the neighbours. "What luxuries? Food and a place to sleep? You haven't bought me new robes or shoes in ages! You never take me out to a nice restaurant either! Also, 'work' actually is just you sitting around watching sports, anyone could do it!"
"I also play Quidditch all day," he growled.
"Which is your favourite thing to do so don't bother telling me it's 'work'!"
Draco sighed loudly. He often had to remind himself these days why he loved her.
Pansy was full on crying now. "You are so insensitive and immature, I don't have a clue why I thought having a baby with you was a good idea in the first place."
Draco looked away and counted to ten. Then he swallowed his pride and anger, exhaled and turned back to her. "Forgive me, my darling, I was being selfish."
Pansy sulked for a while longer until finally they cuddled on the sofa.
Relationships, or at least this one, Draco had learnt, was about compromise.