The Rise of the Drackens

by StarLight Massacre

Harry comes into a very unexpected inheritance. He is a creature both rare and very dangerous, a creature that is black listed by the British Ministry. So now he must avoid detection at all costs, whilst choosing his life partners and dealing with impending pregnancy at just sixteen. With danger coming not just from the Ministry but even other creatures, what was he supposed to do?

135. Baby Scans

Last Time

Blaise brought in a tea tray and Harry saw the mug from the zoo on it, knowing that it contained his honey tea and he smiled. He had the best mates in the world and he loved them.

As he sat and sipped on his tea, his thoughts circling on how much he loved the life he had created for himself, he found that he wasn't quite as tired as he'd been with a full stomach in the restaurant and he started planning for some bedroom activities once he was done with his tea. He wanted to surprise his mates and he wanted all of them to have some fun. They hadn't done anything all together in the bedroom for several months now and he missed it. It was definitely past time to rectify this issue. Tonight, all five of them would be in the one bed…and all over one another, just as he wanted.

Chapter One Hundred-Thirty-Five – Baby Scans

It was a family affair when their zoo photos were developed and ready to collect. Max came home with a massive photo album, a dozen photo frames, and several packets of photos.

Harry squeaked with excitement as Max dumped the armload in front of him and let him sort through it all.

They had invited Alexander and Kimberly around for the photo selection, and Aneirin had popped in on them too, fresh off a business meeting in Madrid.

Harry had just finished regaling them all with stories of the trip when Max had come home.

"Don't look at those until we're all ready!" Max told him, even pointing a finger at him. Harry stuck out his tongue and took a little peek into the envelope. "I mean it, Harry! Nasta is making us tea now and we're going to sit down and go through them all together."

"I'm so excited." He said with a small bounce.

"You should let him at least have a peek, Max." Aneirin said teasingly.

"No! No one gets to peek!" Max called back as he went to the kitchen to check on Nasta and the tea.

Farren got up and ran after his daddy, hoping to beg a snack from him. Harry smiled lovingly as he watched, even as he cuddled Regan on his lap.

Kimberly was gently rocking Taren, but the baby was already asleep. Leolin was in Aneirin's arms, awake, but very calm and contented as he was clutching the potted orchid they'd bought for him at the zoo. He absolutely loved the oddly shaped, pale pink flower and he now took it everywhere with him like a teddy bear.

"Here, have some tea." Nasta said, carrying in a tray for everyone. Harry's zoo mug was in the centre and his smile widened to see it.

"Can we look now?"

"Not yet."

Harry groaned theatrically and threw himself gently back into the seat. Regan giggled as he came with him.

"Will you be careful." Max chastised, bending over the chair to kiss him. "Have some tea and relax a moment until we're all ready."

It didn't take much longer, otherwise, Harry might have exploded, for everyone to gather around and grab their tea. The kids were playing, though some remained with them. Regan didn't want to come off Harry's lap and Leolin was very happy where he was.

"You do the honours, Harry." Max said, handing him a random packet and Harry quickly opened it and took out the stack of photos.

"Oh, they're Blaise's, I can tell." Harry said teasingly, staring at the first picture before passing it to Alexander.

Harry loved this little tradition, where they would look over all of the photos they'd taken of a day out. The last time they'd done this on such a large scale was their holiday to Guadeloupe and that had been when they'd only had Braiden as a baby. He had been pregnant with their quintuplets.

All of their favourite picks of the bunch went into the big album, but the very best of the photos were framed, to be dotted around their home.

"This one has to be my personal favourite." Alexander said, chuckling and showing them a picture of Max holding Taren and pointing out the elephants in the background.

"Who the hell took that?" Max groaned, taking the photo and staring at it.

"I did." Harry said with a grin. "I have a flare for taking amazing photos."

"This one is being framed." Nasta decided, taking the picture and slotting it into one of the frames.

"Why?!" Max demanded.

"I love it." Harry offered as an answer. Max groaned and grumbled illegibly, but he didn't stop Harry from reaching out and taking the newly framed photo. He smiled as he remembered the moment in front of the elephants, and Max excitedly pointing them out to a disinterested Taren.

There were a lot of candid photos like that of all of them, where they had been distracted by the animals or by the kids, and a mate had casually taken a picture. Harry laughed as he was handed a stack of pictures that all featured him in the petting zoo, all taken from different angles because all four mates had been snapping pictures of him and his excitement.

He had his own little personal stash going too. The picture he'd taken of all five of his babies hand-in-hand in a little group was there, as was a picture of Max with Taren in the baby sling, and Max with Farren sat up on his shoulders by the rhinos, and also a picture of Ave batting at the leaves on a bush. The picture of Regan holding a rabbit in the petting zoo had been stolen from him and put into the album, but Harry had duplicated it first so that he could have a personal copy.

It took them a while to get through all the packets of photos, but everyone was having fun, and, in the end, they did manage to get all the frames filled, and the album was filled, with some of them casting duplicate charms on some photos so that Alexander, Kimberly, and Aneirin could take their favourites home too. They would show the album to other family and they could pick out any pictures they wanted as well.

Feeling incredibly happy, and content, Harry drank his fresh tea and watched as his babies played, his mind full of memories of the zoo trip. It had been amazing and he would love to do it again, perhaps when his kids were older and would remember more of it. Though Nasta had promised that they would go to many more places, not just to the zoo, but an aquarium, museums, everywhere, and Harry was looking forward to all of it. Their family deserved to have days out to enjoy their lives and he was coming to realise that so did he.

---

Harry hated waiting for scans. The anxiety and worry of waiting to hear if his baby was healthy or not always gripped him, but this time it was worse, as Draco was so anxious that it was leeching into Harry.

"Draco, love, you need to calm down." Max told him. "You're stressing Harry out."

Draco stopped and looked at him, and whatever he saw made him sit very still.

"I'm sorry, Harry."

Nasta muscled in then, pulling Harry close and giving him a kiss, but Harry could almost feel him glaring at Draco over his head.

Of course Harry felt the pressure with this pregnancy though. It was his fifth pregnancy, his tenth child, and the first one that was Draco's. He wanted, needed, everything to go right, for the baby to be healthy and he felt the stress to carry well. He didn't think he'd forgive himself if anything happened to this baby. He'd actually had a nightmare last night about it and he felt like he was on edge…he was not quite three months pregnant, not even halfway through yet.

"Harry, caru, I need you to breathe normally." Nasta encouraged him. "Breathe, Harry!"

The weight of the top dominancy bond forced Harry to comply and he took a deep inhale, then immediately felt dizzy and sick. Nasta was holding him and Harry clutched at him, the panic easing away from him, and he realised he'd been having an anxiety attack and he'd been taking only rapid, shallow breaths.

"Nasta." Harry murmured, pulling his top dominant closer.

A hand smoothed through his hair and then over his cheek, over and over. Over and over. Harry kept breathing and he sunk into Nasta, letting him comfort and calm him.

"I never meant for…" Draco said, but he was cut off by Nasta.

"We'll speak about this at home, Draco."

Harry was called before he was ready, but he didn't want the scan anymore. He just wanted to go home. It was Blaise who held him tight and close, leading him into the room.

"What has happened, fellas?" Healer Almus asked with concern.

"Harry had an anxiety attack." Blaise said.

"What brought that on, Harry?" The Healer asked, patting the examination bed, but it was Blaise who lifted Harry onto it.

"I just want to go home." Harry said softly.

"Let me just check on you and baby and then you can." Healer Almus told him, but he was already flicking his wand rapidly, tapping parchment and reading results.

"Can I ask what brought this on?" Healer Almus asked.

"We know whose baby this is and it's causing a bit of anxiety. Harry wants to carry well, he wants the baby to be healthy, and he's putting too much stress and pressure on himself." Max reported.

"Right then, let's have a look at baby and see what's what."

Harry eased back and allowed Healer Almus to do what he needed to.

They were using a wand to do his scan, and not a transducer, because of the almost fatal stomach wound he'd taken. It was healed, but they were still being careful.

Healer Almus said nothing and Harry's anxiety rose until his breaths were noticeably laboured.

"Calm yourself, Harry." Healer Almus said soothingly. "Nothing is wrong and baby is healthy."

"Baby's healthy?" Harry asked, seizing that news with both hands.

"As far as I can tell. It seems that you have a low-lying anterior placenta this time around."

"Is that bad?" Harry asked worriedly, not understanding.

"It means that your placenta is attached at the front, not the back as all your others have been, which makes seeing baby a little difficult, but everything else is coming up perfectly normal. The placenta might also cushion baby's movements, so we'll have to be extra careful." Healer Almus said and he let out a sigh. "It's also going to make your section a little more difficult. I'm going to tell you now to have a healer on standby at your house, just in case, but I'm hoping that your placenta moves up as baby grows."

"And is Harry okay?" Max asked.

"He's stressed. I'd like for that to ease off a little. Pamper him a bit more, but hopefully, the news that you're carrying well and the baby is healthy will help in that regard, Harry."

"So, you can't tell what sex baby is?" Harry asked.

"Sorry, I can barely see anything of baby at the moment. Perhaps we'll have more luck at your next scan. As baby grows and your abdomen expands, the placenta can move and I'm hoping it'll move up, out of the way."

Harry was unhappy that he couldn't get any scan photos, but he was just so relieved that the baby was healthy. He allowed Blaise to sort him out and settle him back on his feet, an arm wrapped securely around him.

He found himself back home before he could comprehend it. He didn't remember leaving the hospital room.

"That's not a good expression." Idris said worriedly. "Is everything alright?"

He was sprawled over the carpet, buried under kids who were pulling on him, and Harry had to smile.

"Everything is fine, Idris." Harry told him. "There's something wrong with the placenta, but it won't affect me or the baby until the birth."

"What is the issue? Are you and baby going to be alright?" Idris asked, now very concerned.

"He has a low-lying anterior placenta." Nasta informed, hustling Harry right over to the settee and settling him down.

Max gave him a kiss on his way to the kitchen to get them all tea. Blaise was swarmed by the kids, and Draco had been slowed down by Braiden. He was not going to be able to do anything from now on. He could see that they were worried. They were trying to hide it, but Harry knew them too well and he knew forced casualness when he saw it.

He sighed and placed a hand over his belly. He just wanted Draco's first baby to come without a hitch.

"Mummy, love you."

Harry had to smile as he reached forward to hug Farren, giving him a soft kiss on his chubby cheek.

"I love you too, Farren."

Farren lifted his arms and Harry picked him up and settled him on his lap, snuggling his baby, who giggled and lifted his arms to play with Harry's hair.

"You two look very cosy." Max teased, bringing in a tray of mugs and a plate of biscuits.

Harry was abandoned immediately for the biscuits as Farren slid straight from his lap and went to the table, reaching for the plate and Harry had to smile.

"Here you go, sweetheart." Max said, taking a rusk from the plate and handing it over. "This one is yours, love." Max said to him.

Harry accepted the zoo mug, smiling as he saw it.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" Blaise asked him, finally finding his way over.

"I'm okay. I don't want to stress too much as it'll affect baby, but…I really hope that the placenta moves out of the way. When I'm in my nest, I'm completely feral. I'll do whatever it takes to get my baby out, I won't think about being careful of the placenta and…until baby is out, I won't think to get help for myself."

"We'll look after you." Blaise told him. "It could move out of the way, especially with how big you could get."

Harry smiled and drank some tea. He hoped that was what happened. He hoped that as his belly grew bigger, then the placenta moved up, out of the way, and didn't remain right in the way of where he'd insert his claws for the section.

---

July had come hot and Harry wasn't happy. He was three months pregnant and, though his bump was neat and small, he felt just as uncomfortable. He had just four months left to carry, he was due in November. He really needed to stop having 'winter' babies.

It was the eighteenth of July. Eleonora's third birthday, and all of them were preparing to portkey to America. To Caesar and Amelle's home, to celebrate. They were having Eleonora's party early in the morning, to help with the time difference so that their kids weren't awake past their bedtimes.

It was three in the afternoon, but it would be ten in the morning in America, where Caesar and Amelle lived.

"Are you ready, Harry?" Nasta asked him, coming to slip an arm around him, bending to kiss his head.

Harry hummed. "You've got the gift?"

"Got it, and we're taking the pram for Taren, though I doubt he'll be put down once during this party."

Harry snorted. "No, I suppose he'll monopolise Granddad Myron's shoulders."

"The broader the better."

Harry gave a rather naughty smile, and Nasta smirked, knowing exactly where his thoughts had gone.

"Maybe, if we leave early enough, we can have a little fun together before going to sleep." Nasta whispered to him and Harry's tongue automatically peeked out to wet his lips.

"Oh, I know that face." Max said, staring at them both.

He came over and pulled Harry into a passionate kiss, then did the same to Nasta.

"I refuse to be left out." Blaise said, walking over and physically pulling Max's mouth to his own.

"I love it when you take charge, Blaise." Max growled heatedly.

"We're getting ahead of ourselves. We have a child's party to go to first."

"You started it, Nas." Harry pointed out.

"I will finish all of you too, but first we will go to the party." Nasta insisted.

"You're going to set Harry off and then none of us will be going to the party." Draco said, coming to pointedly poke Harry's tongue back in his mouth. Harry kissed him.

"Daddy, we want to go to the party." Braiden told them, looking up from his toy farm.

"We're going, sweetheart." Draco assured him, and then he turned a snooty glare to the rest of them. "We are not disappointing our children, nor missing Eleonora's birthday."

"I love it when you baby doms go all assertive on me." Max said, growling playfully.

"Want to tag team him when we get home, Blaise?" Draco teased, silver eyes flashing with lust. "We can leave Harry to Nasta, and then, when he's worn Harry out he can join us."

"Hey!" Harry said, laughing, though he knew Draco was right. It would only take one mate, and one orgasm, to completely knock him out. His stamina went right out of the window when he was pregnant and this was his second pregnancy back-to-back.

"Well, that's our evening all planned out." Max said, clapping his hands together, giving them all lecherous looks.

"Your niece's birthday party first, Max, stay on track." Harry said, giggling.

"Oh, fine. Come on then. Let's go and terrorise another country for a few hours."

Harry snorted a laugh, but he had Leolin in a tight hold as he touched the portkey that Caesar had sent them.

"Lollipop." Max said, activating it, once he saw they were all touching it and had everything they needed.

"Merlin, why did Caesar set the password as that?" Draco asked, brushing himself down once they'd landed.

"He thinks it's funny to use phallic euphemisms." Max explained, as if that was perfectly normal.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You are both so childish. Just set the password as dick and be done with it."

Max laughed and threw an arm around him, even as he carried Calix and Farren in the other arm as if they weighed nothing. His Dracken purred in his head at such a casual flex of his mate's strength. His Dracken side loved nothing more than seeing his mates being all strong and physical when he was pregnant. Maybe if he got them to wrestle a little in their bedroom before they had sex later?

"Put that tongue away, I know what's on your mind. You're transparent." Max chuckled.

"Maybe I want my mates to see my need." Harry insisted, before he walked away.

It was the summer. It was damn hot in America, even though it was only ten in the morning. Harry's back was slick already. He wasn't going to enjoy this party purely because he wasn't used to this evil heat.

The back garden was like a heaving oven. Amelle's family were around, Harry had only met a few of them over the years, but it looked like all of Amelle's brothers were here this time. She had three older brothers, Silas, Aiden, and Eden. All but the latter were mated and between them all, they had thirteen children. They were adding another ten to the mix.

The oldest brother, Silas and his mate, Ivey, had adopted the usual Dracken tradition of naming their kids like pets…or toys. They had four daughters; Ivoree, Violettie, and the twins Scarlette and Lavendette. They also had two boys, Tealeigh and Silvas.

Aiden and his mate, Lucy, had done the opposite. They had named their five children Paulie, Daphne, Luke, the twins were Sarah and Sadie, and then their youngest was Lara. Amelle, of course, had Eleonora and Beatrice.

But, the issue of the Walker family, Amelle's family, was her unmated brother, Eden, who thought no one was good enough for him. He was a damn narcissist and strutted around as if he were the most gorgeous man in existence. Harry had hoped he'd never get to meet him after some of Caesar's horror stories, and thus far, he had been lucky and Eden had always been away at mate meetings, though Harry wasn't sure why Eden went to any meetings as no one was ever going to be good enough for him…but this time, it looked like his luck had run out because the almost blinding red hair could be seen all the way down the very large garden like some sort of fire beacon.

"Harry, are you okay?" Amelle asked, breaking away from several people Harry didn't know to hurry over to him. "The portkey wasn't too much in your condition?"

He shook his head. "No. Max gave me an anti-nausea potion for the journey. I'm okay, Amelle."

"Is he pregnant, Amelle?" A woman who could only be her mother asked, hurrying over. "Let us see you to a chair, honey."

Harry let himself be tugged over to a group of very soft, lavish seats that had clearly been set up for pregnant submissives. There were several of these seats in a little group. He and two others were taking them up.

One submissive was clutching two toddlers to her chest, her pregnant belly between them. Harry wouldn't have risked his unborn baby by holding onto his kids in such a way. He trusted his mates to watch the older kids.

He did have Leolin in his arms, but he was napping.

"Is this your only child?" A submissive asked him, sneering.

Harry laughed softly. "No, this is one of nine." He said. "This is baby number ten." He added, laying a hand over his belly.

"A girl?" Amelle asked, grinning.

"Unknown. Baby is healthy, but I've got a low-lying placenta, so we couldn't see anything."

"Oh, I had a low-lying placenta with Lara." Lucy, Aiden's mate, told him, coming over to join them. "It didn't move the entire pregnancy, not until I was six months pregnant, so for the last month I got to see her, finally."

"I'm three months now." Harry told them all. "I'm due in November."

"I've already told Harry that he has to have more little girls." Amelle laughed.

"How many do you have?" Lucy asked him curiously.

"Nine babies, only three of them are girls."

Lucy chuckled. "Oh, I'd say you definitely need a few more little girls! Who is this little guy?"

"This is Leolin. He's a Faerie, so I apologise in advance if he damages any flowers. We've brought his favourite orchid, but he might want to explore your garden."

"A Faerie? From two Drackens?! How did you manage that?" Amelle's mother asked.

"One of my mates, Nasta, has Faerie blood."

"Mummy!"

Harry looked over as a little gaggle of girls came running over, led by Tegan.

"Mummy, this is Nora and Lara." Tegan told him.

"Hello girls, it's nice to meet you." He said, smiling.

They were gone again as soon as they'd come, leaving Harry to chuckle.

No one had a chance to start talking again as Max made his way over, kissed him on the head, and passed him Taren.

"Are you alright, love?" Max asked him, a massive hand cupping his cheek.

"I'm fine. Nora just ran off with Tegan if you wanted to see your niece."

Max gave him a smile, made sure that he was settled, before heading off again. Harry preened as he noticed his mate getting appreciative looks. Everyone wanted his mate, but Max was his…Nasta, Blaise, and Draco were his too. No one else could have them.

"Oh, hello, Taren." Amelle cooed. "May I?"

Harry carefully handed the baby over to her before settling Leolin on his chest more securely.

"He is baby number nine." Harry told the group of others around him. "He's only five months old."

"And you're three months pregnant?" Lucy whistled. "Dang, you guys don't hang around."

Harry laughed. "There are only four months between my oldest son and my set of quintuplets. Braiden was born in August and Farren, Tegan, Regan, Calix, and Leolin were born in December."

"Leolin? This little baby is the same age as the little girl who just walked over?"

Harry nodded, but he also laid a protective hand over Leolin. "Yes. He's a Faerie and they develop differently to Drackens and even humans. His life expectancy is going to be seven hundred, on average, but Faerie babies develop really slowly in their first eighteen to twenty years."

"Wow, I've never had to think about it before, but that does make some sense. Seven hundred years? Truly? I thought Drackens were bad at three hundred."

"Faeries are so secretive." Amelle's mother, Amara, said thoughtfully. "I've never even seen a baby Faerie before."

"No, they're definitely incredibly overprotective of their babies, worse than Drackens, and it's because a Faerie's immune system isn't at full strength until they're eighteen. A mere cold could kill them. Leolin has a bit of extra protection because he's got some of our Dracken genes, but we almost lost him regardless of that. It's why I prefer that he stays with me."

"He is so cute. Wait until he wakes up and shows off his eyes!" Amelle gushed.

Harry gave her a smile and stroked through Leolin's black hair.

The lounger chair dipped and a small body snuggled up to him. Harry turned and brushed Farren's feathery hair from his face.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?"

Farren nodded. "Wanted you, Mumma."

There were soft awws and Harry shifted his arm to throw it around his big boy.

"Is this your oldest son?" Lucy asked.

Harry shook his head. "No. This is Farren, he's actually from the same clutch as Leolin."

You'd never know it to look at them, though. Farren was big for his age, he was tall and robust, and he looked like he was a proper child, like a little boy rather than the baby he truly was. Leolin, in comparison, still looked like an infant. It wasn't either of their faults. Farren was a Dracken, but he was also Max's baby, Myron's grandson, and they both ran impossibly big and Farren was just taking after them both. Leolin was a Faerie. He was on a completely separate scale.

"Oh, seeing them side by side, you can see it."

Harry hummed, cuddling Farren into his side.

"I've learned to stop comparing them. My Dracken was driving me mad that Leolin wasn't meeting the same milestones as the others, but of course he was never going to. I'm much happier now just letting them be and letting them grow and develop at their own pace."

"There's so much going on at two years, as well." Amelle chuckled.

"The amount of potty training we've had to do." Harry groaned. "They all want to copy big brother Braiden. Tegan won't even use a potty, it has to be the toilet."

"Has Regan changed his stance, then?" Amelle asked interestedly.

"He'll use a potty sometimes, but it's safer to keep him in a nappy. Calix too, he loves wearing pants over a nappy, but sometimes he'll get too excited, or too carried away with his toys, and he'll have accidents."

"Nora is like Tegan, she'll only go on the toilet, but Bea is so not interested." Amelle said, waving a hand dismissively.

"They all get there in their own sweet time." Harry laughed.

More guests arrived that Harry didn't know, friends of Amelle's bringing their children, and everyone was distracted by them, as Amelle carefully handed back Taren and went to greet them.

Harry used the distraction to slip away from the stifling submissive nest and he went to where he could see Myron, head and shoulders above everyone else, standing impossibly tall.

"There you are." Myron greeted, wrapping him up in a gentle hug, bending almost double to manage it while Harry's arms were full of babies.

"I was kidnapped and held hostage in a gaggle of submissives. How dare none of you come to rescue me." He said with a smile.

"Were they being mean?" Richard asked him, even as he picked up Farren.

Harry laughed and shook his head. "No. The ones who looked like they might have been mean didn't say anything. It was mostly just talk about the babies and how my pregnancy is progressing."

"Is everything alright on that front?" Myron asked, accepting Taren as he was handed to him, placing the sleeping baby up on his shoulder. It was so cute the way Taren heaved a sigh and then spread out all over that massive shoulder.

"Yeah. The guys are being so overprotective, especially as Healer Almus said that it's likely the placenta will move before I give birth, but I get it. It's a worry for me too because if it doesn't move…" Harry trailed off and licked his lips nervously. If the placenta didn't move then there was a chance he could cause himself serious pain when he gave himself a caesarean and there was a chance that he might cause himself massive blood loss. He knew it was playing on all of their minds.

"We will get you through this, even if we have to move in when you start nesting to help out." Myron assured him. "We will get you through this pregnancy, Harry. We can be the calm heads when your mates panic."

"Nasta never panics." Harry said with a teasing grin.

"He might if he thinks he's going to lose you. So we'll be there to keep them calm and sort out any issues if they arise."

Harry inhaled deeply. "Thank you. That means a lot to me. I don't want…I know submissive Drackens do have a higher mortality rate because of the super pregnancies, but I don't want to die. I don't want to leave my family now that I have one."

"It won't happen." Richard told him.

Harry was pulled into another gentle hug, by Richard this time, and with one of his arms free he could wrap it around and hug back.

"We'll be on hand, we'll have the Dracken healers there ready, if anything does go awry, we'll act immediately to see you and the baby safe."

"Baby has the priority." Harry said.

"There will be enough of us there that we can prioritise you both." Myron cut in firmly, in his no-nonsense tone.

Harry relaxed a little hearing that. It was just so reassuring to hear that other people could, and were willing, to take charge if the worst happened. He felt safe with Myron and Richard, it was that reason that saw him getting so comfortable with them that he could call them both dad without fear.

He stayed with Myron and Richard. Even when Leolin woke up they walked with him as Harry showed him some of the trees and plants in the garden to keep his baby calm in this new environment. He was calmer too. Then, talking to those who he saw as always in control helped a lot in that regard.

"There you are."

Harry rolled his eyes as Blaise hunted him down. He did give his mate a kiss, though Blaise almost got punched for it. Leolin did not appreciate his fathers' kissing his beloved ma, or touching him in any way.

"I love you, Leolin." Blaise told the frustrated Faerie, who gave him a ferocious scowl that only made Blaise coo more. To be fair though, Leolin's frown was very adorable.

Blaise wrapped an arm around him, but made sure to keep his head away so that Leolin didn't notice.

Harry couldn't even lean into Blaise like he wanted, but Leolin couldn't help it and Harry refused to hold it against his Faerie son.

"Harry, sweetheart."

Harry was smiling before he looked up as Kimberly came to embrace him carefully, aware of Leolin on his shoulder. What he loved most about Kimberely, though, was how very kind she could be. She was holding a tiny potted tree, and she waved it at Leolin to distract him as she stole a hug.

"There's my Faerie grandbaby." She said, smiling. "I brought you a peace offering, darling. I was taking shoots off the old tree at the house to make saplings and I just knew Leolin would like one."

"He absolutely would." Harry said, laughing, as Leolin was already laser-focused on the little tree. It was new and of nature, and Leolin reached out and clasped the pot in both hands, cradling the pot to his chest.

Blaise snuggled in close to his side, but Leolin didn't even notice. Blaise grinned and kissed Harry's cheek. The noise got Leolin's attention and he turned, squinting at them both. Harry had to bite his lip to keep from grinning.

"Look at this new little tree that Nana Kimberly got for you." Blaise said, once again distracting Leolin with the tree. It worked only too easily and Harry held Leolin closer, smiling.

His other children were running riot, particularly Calix, who loved exploring new places. Farren had lost his shyness and had been coaxed into playing by Braiden, and Harry loved watching all of them.

Nasta kept bringing him bottles of chilled water in the heat, and Harry really appreciated it as it was very hot, but he was dealing with it. Max was messing around with Caesar, the two of them more childlike than the actual children, but it made Harry's heart flutter to see his mate so happy.

Taren refused to be removed from Granddad Myron's shoulder, so at least Harry knew where his newborn was at all times and Leolin stayed in Harry's arms, now fascinated by his little tree.

Harry was sitting back in the 'submissive' nest, only this time by choice. His back had started aching, so he didn't want to push himself. He was by a table, and he'd put Leolin's orchid on it and Leolin's gold eyes would flick from the tree in his hands to the orchid on the table.

"Hello, Harry, isn't it?"

Harry took a deep breath and then forced a smile, turning to look up at Eden.

"That's right." Harry said, hoping that Eden didn't do or say anything that a 'usual' unmated dominant would. Knowing what he did of Eden, though, Harry wasn't hopeful in the least, especially as it seemed that Eden had purposefully sought him out when he was, mostly, alone.

"You are exceptionally fertile, aren't you?"

Harry thought that this was a very strange thing to remark upon.

"Well, I do have nine babies and a tenth on the way." He said, but this was obvious. His babies were running all over the place and his belly might not be overly obvious, but you could still tell he was pregnant by looking at him.

"You don't look old enough to have had so many babies. What are you, early twenties?"

"Nineteen, for another week and a half, at least."

Harry didn't like the way this conversation was going and he looked behind Eden for one of his mates. He caught eyes with Draco and tilted his head slightly, indicating that he wanted his mate near him. Draco put down his glass and immediately moved. Harry took a breath and relaxed slightly.

"You are one of the rare submissives." Eden told him, giving him an appreciative once over. "I'd like a lot of children."

"You should look for someone who you can spend your life with. Having a lot of children means nothing when you and your mate can't even be civil." Harry replied. "That's not a good environment for the babies."

"Of course, a natural submissive would be intent on the health of the babies." Eden said, sounding pleased. "If only I had gotten the chance to speak to you at your meetings."

Harry didn't even remember seeing Eden at any of his meetings, though from the sound of it, he had been there. Harry didn't think it wise to say that he didn't remember him, though.

"My babies come before everything and everyone." Harry said firmly, his arms holding Leolin closer, more protectively. He really didn't like the look in Eden's eyes.

"Harry, there you are."

Draco kissed the top of his head and then sat in front of him, putting himself between Harry and Eden.

"Are you and Leolin alright? Do you need a drink?"

"I'm alright." Harry said, pressing into Draco to keep his mate there. To tell Draco silently that something was wrong and he wanted him to stay.

"Let me know if you need anything." Draco said, but he shifted to throw his leg over the lounger chair Harry was sitting on, before snuggling right up against Harry's back, shielding him and Leolin. "What have you got there, Leolin, this tree is new." Draco said.

Leolin tipped his head back. "Da."

Draco smiled at the golden-eyed baby and gave his cheek a small touch before Leolin went right back to the tree.

"Kimberly bought it for him." Harry said, very happy to freeze out Eden, who looked incredibly annoyed by that. Harry didn't give a damn. "She was taking cuttings from her tree in the garden and thought of Leolin."

"Harry, water." Nasta said, coming over with a fresh bottle.

"I thought you said you didn't need a drink." Draco laughed.

"I don't, but Nasta has been keeping me well supplied." Harry said, reaching out to hold onto Nasta's wrist, giving it a squeeze.

Nasta narrowed hazel-gold eyes on him, then looked up to Eden.

"Eden, how are you?" Nasta asked, even as he handed Harry the bottle and gave Leolin's head a touch.

"It's hot." Eden said, even though he was only wearing a tank top and shorts. Harry noticed that Nasta was taller than Eden by some measure and Eden didn't like it.

Nasta nodded. "I'll be taking my family home soon. The kids are getting hot and overwrought and I don't like Harry being out in this heat either."

"I've been keeping to the shade." Harry said, smiling. "I like it here."

He was on a sun lounger, under a sun parasol, but it was still too hot. There wasn't even a hint of a breeze and the air felt unbreathable. He couldn't wait to go home.

"How's Blaise holding up? The heat usually plays havoc with his head." Draco asked worriedly.

"He's already gone home." Nasta told them. "He had a headache and he needed to get out of the sun. He took Eva and Ave with him."

"Maybe we should go sooner rather than later." Harry said. "I don't want him to be on his own, especially not with the girls."

"We'll just see Nora blow out her candles and then we will." Nasta said.

Harry peeked up, but Eden had left and he blew out a relieved breath.

"What did he say?" Draco asked him.

"Nothing, really, but he was making me uncomfortable. His questions were just weird." Harry confessed. "I didn't feel comfortable being alone with him and I just had the urge to get my mates around me."

Nasta inhaled deeply and Harry could see him making a conscious effort to calm himself down. Draco was doing the same. Therapy was certainly helping them all and they had all learned ways to control their anger.

"Was it sexual?" Draco asked him.

Harry shook his head. "No. Not overtly, he was just making weird comments on my fertility and how young I was to have so many babies and how he'd like to have that. It made me really uncomfortable."

"You did good to get us around you subtly." Nasta told him, bending to kiss his forehead. "No one has the right to make you feel uncomfortable, Harry. You can always call us over if you need us."

Harry smiled and nuzzled into Leolin, who actually took his gaze from his plants to dig his fingernails into Harry's cheek…one of his signs that he liked Harry nuzzling into him.

Aware of the time slipping past them, and the kids starting to flag, Amelle called everyone to some semblance of order and dug her oldest daughter from the gaggle of kids.

Nora had come on in strides now that she was three and every time they saw her she was bigger, or speaking better, or had learned something new. Harry couldn't wait until August, when Braiden would turn three. Merlin, that was less than four weeks away now. Then the quintuplets would be three in December, but before then, they would have a new baby in the house.

Harry's hand cupped his belly and rubbed a little. Eden was right about one thing. He truly was exceptionally fertile. He seemed to catch really easily, but what had bulked his baby numbers up was actually the quintuplets. Having half of his total baby number in one pregnancy would do that. He was so glad that this pregnancy was just the one baby.

---

It was always peaceful when all of the babies went down for their naps. Harry was sitting with a cup of tea, with the radio set to the Wizarding Wireless Network, listening to the news. Taren was within reach, in the bassinet by Harry's side, and he had a collection of colour-coded baby monitors on the coffee table in front of him.

It would be his birthday in eight days and he knew his mates were planning something as he'd caught them whispering between themselves. He was going to be turning twenty, he would no longer be a teenager.

The floo sounded from the next room and Harry frowned. No one should be coming through. A little nervous, Harry went to see who it was, his hands slightly curled, prepared to unleash his claws if needed and a distress call in the back of his throat to alert his mates, two of whom were just upstairs in bed. He had his little newborn in the family room, but he had eight babies sleeping upstairs. He wouldn't be able to pick between them if any danger had entered his home.

It was Ezrah who was standing in the living room, however, and Harry let out a pent-up sigh and then smiled.

"Ezrah, how are you?"

"I am well." Ezrah said with a smile of his own, but he seemed pale and subdued. Something wasn't quite right.

"Come on through. Taren and me are in the other room, the other kids are having a nap."

"Where are your beloveds?"

Harry snorted at the way Ezrah had phrased that.

"Well, Max and Blaise took themselves to bed for a bit of fun. Nasta is at work and Draco is with his parents. He has a job interview in half an hour and he's getting some last-minute pointers from his father."

Ezrah grimaced before he could stop it and Harry frowned.

"Are you okay, Ezrah? Come, sit down."

Harry took Ezrah back into the family room and he peeked in on Taren before sitting down and pouring Ezrah a cup of tea from the teapot on the table.

Ezrah took a sip, but he grimaced again.

"I think I'm okay. I've just got a pain in my stomach and back."

"Are you still not comfortable with healers?" Harry asked gently.

Ezrah shook his head.

Harry sighed, because he understood Ezrah's fear. The Faerie city had a lot to answer for where some of its citizens were concerned, and Ezrah's story was one of the saddest that Harry had ever heard. Even the healers had abused him and now Ezrah was too afraid to go to see one even though he was clearly in pain.

"Where is Lathen?"

"He has gone to visit his family. I have been…unbearable, for the last few days. I'm not sure why I have been lashing out like this." Ezrah said, his gold eyes filling up with tears.

Harry turned and embraced Ezrah, letting him cuddle in.

"Believe me, I know about being hurt and abused." He said softly. "I know that sometimes, when we get away from those who are hurting us, and we feel safe, we can start pushing at the comfort, just to make sure it's real. Lathen loves you, Ezrah. He is your bonded partner, you're not going to chase him away. He probably feels like you need a bit of space or peace."

"I told him that is what I wanted, but now that he's gone, I want him back." Ezrah said sadly.

Harry held Ezrah tighter. "He'll be back, but you're more than welcome here, Ezrah. If you wanted to stay until Lathen comes back home, you can."

"I said that I wanted to be on my own, but actually experiencing it, I've found that I don't actually like it and now I am feeling such pain and I just want Lathen."

Harry hid a smile. Ezrah was coming into himself. He was overcoming the abuse he'd suffered at the hands of the Faerie city and the other Faeries. He loved Lathen, and having their own home, but now that he was free from the oppression, he was stretching himself and experimenting with things, trying to find what he liked.

"Do you want me to come with you to see a healer?" Harry offered. "You can even come and see my personal healer, I trust him and I'd make sure that no one would hurt you."

"I…I do not think I could, Harry." Ezrah said sadly, avoiding eye contact.

"You're in pain, Ezrah. That needs to be addressed. I know that Lathen is indulgent of you, but surely he has told you that this needs to be sorted."

Ezrah refused to look at him and Harry sighed.

"Lathen doesn't know, does he?"

"No. I knew that he would worry and try to make me see a healer. I'm scared, Harry. It wasn't this bad yesterday, the pain is getting worse."

"I will go with you, Ezrah. Max and Blaise are just upstairs, they can look after the kids. I'm your friend, I want to help you."

"I don't know what it could be." Ezrah said looking upset and stressed.

"You won't know for sure until you see a healer. It might be nothing, something that is easily sorted with a few potions."

Harry watched as Ezrah tried to gather some courage. He looked dejected and Harry thought that perhaps Ezrah hadn't been feeling himself for a while.

"How long have you felt…off?"

"A few moons." Ezrah admitted, knowing exactly what Harry was asking.

"Have you gained a bit of weight?" Harry asked, not unkindly, looking at Ezrah critically. He'd noticed before that Ezrah had put on weight, he'd just thought it was being away from the Faerie city and all that aggression, but looking at Ezrah now...he had filled out properly, but it wasn't overly noticeable. Not if you hadn't met Ezrah before and seen how painfully thin he'd been.

"Yes, but Lathen assured me that it was just due to the lack of stress and he thinks it looks good on me."

"It does." Harry assured him before Ezrah could feel self-conscious. "But…Ezrah, did you start throwing up for no reason and then stop a few weeks later?"

"Yes, but I am sure it was just a small bug. My immune system wasn't at its peak because of the stress of living in the city. I made absolutely sure to stay away from your home during that time. I would never have risked your babes."

Harry sighed. "Ezrah. I think you're pregnant."

"That…that can't possibly be it, Harry! Of course I cannot have babes of my own. Lathen and I have been trying for more than half a century." Ezrah told him.

"Ezrah, seriously, I think the pain you're feeling is actually labour. We have to get you to a healer, right now."

"No. Harry, you can't possibly think that. I've been with Lathen for more years than you or your beloveds have been alive and I've never caught. I am not fertile."

"You are. I think it was the stress of being in the city that was causing problems on that front, but you've been in your own home for a while now, away from the city and those awful Faeries. Ezrah, you need to call Lathen and we need to get you to the hospital."

"I'm scared!" Ezrah said, his eyes too wide and his face crumpled like a child.

"I'll stay with you. Let me just go and get Max out of bed."

Harry hurried to the stairs and went to his bedroom. Max was awake, just lying there, stroking a hand through Blaise's hair. Blaise was fast asleep. They were both naked.

"Oh, did you decide to join us after all?" Max asked, grinning. "You missed all the fun, but I'm sure I can…what's wrong?" Max asked, seriously, slipping his shoulder from underneath Blaise and then sitting up.

"It's Ezrah. I think he's pregnant and he didn't know and I think he's actually in labour. I'm going to take him to the hospital, but Taren is still downstairs and someone needs to go and tell Lathen."

"Right, slow down. Let me get dressed."

Max got out of bed, gloriously naked, and Harry took a moment to ogle him as he dressed himself.

"What makes you think that Ezrah is pregnant, Harry?"

"He's gained a bit of weight and he was telling me that a few months ago he was just sick out of the blue for a few weeks and that it just disappeared, and he came to see me because he's scared. He's in a lot of pain, around his stomach and lower back. I think he's in labour, Max."

"Alright, let's go and see him."

Harry hurried back downstairs and Ezrah was still sitting on the settee, looking shellshocked, his arms wrapped around himself.

"Hey, Ezrah." Max greeted. "Can I run a few tests on you? I'm a trained first aid medic."

Ezrah nodded softly.

Max flicked out his wand and carefully cast a few spells. Those blue eyes widened and shot a glance to Harry…he knew then that he had been right.

"Okay, Ezrah. You do need to go to the hospital. Where is Lathen?"

"He is with his parents."

"Do you have a floo address that I can use?"

Ezrah rattled off the address and Harry pulled him up.

"It's okay, Ezrah. We'll go to Healer Cole and he'll look after you. I will stay beside you and Max is going to call Lathen and he'll be there as quickly as he can."

"We argued, Harry." Ezrah said, the first tear falling.

"I argue with my mates all the time, they still come when I need them."

"I have never argued with him before." Ezrah told him pointedly.

"He wouldn't hold it against you. He loves that you're coming into yourself and getting more independent. A part of that is standing up for yourself and what you want via little arguments. I guarantee he'll come tearing through the hospital to find you when Max tells him."

"How can I possibly be pregnant?" Ezrah demanded, crying now. "I am a monster in the eyes of my kin."

"You're not. You will not call yourself a monster, Ezrah. You've been doing so well, you deserve happiness and love and babies."

"Am I truly carrying a babe? I didn't even know, what sort of mother am I?"

"You are and we need to get you to the hospital, especially if your labour started yesterday."

"I…I have been feeling the urge to bear down." Ezrah admitted. "I did not recognise it for what it was."

"Right, hospital, go now. Harry, I'll wake up Blaise, call Lathen, and then join you." Max said.

"Come on, Ezrah. Let's meet your sweet little babe."

Ezrah swallowed, but he took Harry's hands and let himself be pulled up.

"Be careful." Max told him, his hand brushing over Harry's own belly.

Harry nodded, but he helped Ezrah walk when it looked very painful for the Faerie to do so, to the floo.

They left for the hospital, leaving Max behind to sort everything out.

"Right, Healer Cole should be around here, somewhere." Harry said, helping Ezrah shuffle along, trying to ignore his small groans of pain.

"Harry!"

He turned and sighed in relief as Healer Almus hurried over to them, alerted by the floo warning.

"Healer Almus, this is my friend Ezrah. He didn't realise he was pregnant and he's in labour. Is Healer Cole here?"

"Yeah, right this way, boys." Healer Almus said, taking control and wrapping his own arm around Ezrah and taking his weight.

They inched down the corridor and then Healer Almus turned into a room with an open door.

"Okay, Ezrah, make yourself comfortable on the bed and I'll go and get Healer Cole and we'll see what's happening with your baby."

"Harry, I'm scared." Ezrah said, clinging to him as Harry settled him up on the bed.

"It's okay, Ezrah. I'm here for you." Harry assured him.

"The urge to bear down is unbearable." He cried.

"Fight the urge for now, wait for the healers." Harry encouraged, a little out of his depth. He had never been on the receiving end of this sort of comfort. A Dracken was in their nest alone, and they birthed alone, but he was willing to try for Ezrah, and he would do anything he needed to to help Ezrah.

"What if Lathen doesn't come?"

"He will. I promise that he will."

Ezrah groaned again, very subdued in his pain. Harry found it very sad that Ezrah felt he couldn't deal with his own pain how he saw best, but instead, tried to take up as little space as possible, and make as little noise as possible.

"Hello, Ezrah. I am Healer Cole."

The elderly healer came bustling in and noticed immediately the Faerie gold eyes of his patient. Healer Almus was right behind him, ready and willing to help.

"Harry." Ezrah called out, sinking down into himself.

"I'm here." Harry assured him. "Let's get your baby out, shall we?"

Ezrah swallowed. "I would like to meet my babe."

"Then you need to let the healers do their jobs so that they can look after you."

Ezrah nodded, but he looked so terrified that Harry climbed onto the bed and offered himself up to his friend, who clutched at him like Regan did his teddy when he was scared. It broke Harry's heart to see Ezrah so afraid of two people that Harry trusted implicitly. He had trusted these two men with Calix, with Leolin who had almost died. Harry swallowed as that brought up memories he would much rather forget.

"Please, don't leave." Ezrah begged.

"Harry can stay." Healer Almus assured, trying to look as unthreatening as possible.

Ezrah grimaced with pain and Harry petted him gently, trying to soothe him.

"Right Ezrah, we really need to get you situated and see what's happening, okay?" Healer Almus said. "You look like you're in a lot of pain and if you are in labour, then we need to check on the baby."

"I'm scared. I'm scared." Ezrah cried. "I want Lathen."

"He's on his way." Harry said, having no idea if it was true or not. He didn't even know if Max had contacted him yet, but he knew that Lathen would be here the moment that Max told him that Ezrah needed him. "Ezrah, you have to let the healers see you. Please, trust me to protect you."

Ezrah swallowed so heavily that Harry heard it.

"Just lay back and let us look after you." Harry said soothingly, easing Ezrah back into the pillows.

It was Healer Cole who took over, having such vital, decades' worth of experience in dealing with those who had creature blood, particularly Faeries.

"Healer Cole is the one who saved Leolin." Harry told Ezrah, still holding him and letting Ezrah grip at him.

Ezrah said nothing, he just trembled as Healer Cole flicked his wand.

"This baby is ready to come out, Ezrah. You need to change into a gown and let us help you get this baby out."

"No. I can't do that. I can't be nude in front of anyone." Ezrah cried.

"Ezrah." Healer Cole said sternly. "This baby needs to come out. You have to think of your baby now."

Ezrah started crying and Harry shushed him and petted him.

"What if it was just me while you changed?" Harry offered. "Ezrah, I know you're scared, but Lathen would understand and you need to do this for your baby. They could die if they're trapped inside of you for too long."

Ezrah cried harder and, with a dripping nose, he started slowly taking off his clothes as Healer Almus and Healer Cole slipped out into the corridor.

Harry grabbed the papery gown that had been left on a chair and he helped Ezrah to put it on.

"They have to see my private area, don't they?" Ezrah asked him softly, like a child.

Harry nodded. "There's no dignity in childbirth, Ezrah. They have to see everything to get the baby out."

"Drackens don't do as such, do they? Drackens birth in private."

Harry gave him a wry smile. "I gave birth to Taren on Nasta's birthday. Everyone was at our house to celebrate his birthday, and I burst in, completely naked and filthy, still covered in blood, to present my mate with his son. Everyone saw me, every member of the family. Everyone's parents, Max's sisters, his grandparents even saw me in all my bloodstained, grimy glory." He said, smiling. "Believe me, sometimes Drackens can lose all of their dignity in birth too."

"I haven't been nude in front of anyone since I bonded to Lathen." Ezrah said, tears falling. Harry wiped them away gently.

"He will understand. You are going to birth his babe. Your babe. They need you to be strong and let the healers work because they have to come out, Ezrah. The urge to bear down must be unbearable by now."

"It is." Ezrah told him.

Harry settled him back into the bed, laying the blanket over him, but it was a false dignity, as soon as the healers came back in, they would need to examine him. They both knew it. Ezrah had gone pale, but Harry sat beside him and offered his hands, even as he called out to get the healers back in the room.

"We're going to have to check if the baby is crowning, Ezrah." Healer Cole told him. "We will be gentle with you, if it's too much, just tell us to stop, but we have to get this baby out."

"Our priority here is your health and that of the baby." Healer Almus added. "We can see that you're scared, but if you didn't know you were pregnant then that could have affected the baby and the sooner we get them out, the sooner we can check to see if the baby is okay."

"I've had alcohol!" Ezrah burst out suddenly. "Oh no. I didn't know I was pregnant and Lathen…he wanted me to try some with dinner."

"A bit of alcohol isn't going to harm the baby. Of course, we would prefer you not to drink at all, but a few units once isn't enough to harm the baby."

"I'm a terrible mother already." Ezrah cried.

"Stop it." Harry said sternly. "Enough, Ezrah. Look at me. Look at me."

Harry waited until tearful gold eyes looked at him from a face crumpled in distress and fear.

"Your baby needs to come out. Enough now, Ezrah. Let the healers see to you. You didn't know that you were pregnant, you can't be blamed for what you didn't know about, but you need to move ahead and be a good mother to your babe now. So lie back and let the healers see."

Ezrah trembled and tried to recoil from him, but Harry went with him, lying next to him and keeping hold of Ezrah's hands as Healer Cole lifted the blanket and then the paper gown, pushing open Ezrah's trembling legs. Damn, this must be bringing back terrible memories for Ezrah, Harry had heard a bit of the story, but not all of it, but he knew that Ezrah had been abused by healers in the Faerie City. It had been hinted at that it had been sexual abuse, but Ezrah hadn't expressly said it.

Harry let Ezrah clutch at his one hand, and he lifted the other to stroke through Ezrah's hair…it was wet with sweat and sticking to his forehead. He was well into labour if Harry had to guess.

Ezrah stiffened, a whimper in his throat as Healer Cole did something below. Ezrah hadn't liked it, he had gone bone pale and his eyes had bugged out. He looked unable to speak, so he couldn't tell them to stop. Harry shushed him and stroked him gently. He hoped that Lathen hurried the hell up. Surely Max had contacted him by now? Or maybe Ezrah had been right all along and Lathen wouldn't come. Ezrah knew Lathen better than all of them, surely it wasn't all unfounded fear that had him insisting that Lathen wouldn't come.

"The baby is already crowning in your first birth canal, Ezrah, you need to bear down with the next contraction." Healer Cole told him.

Harry assumed that, to know that the baby was crowning, that Healer Cole had inserted a finger. It was no wonder that Ezrah was shutting down.

Harry squeezed his hand and gently tapped Ezrah's cheek until gold eyes peered at him, still too wide and filled with tears.

"You need to bear down, Ezrah." He repeated. "With the next contraction. The baby is ready to come out."

Ezrah nodded jerkily, a faint tremble was moving his entire body.

"Lathen isn't coming, is he?" Ezrah asked softly, sounding almost resigned. "He doesn't like me arguing with him, or sending him away, and now he will leave me…Harry, what if he takes the baby? If he takes them to the city I will never get them back."

"I'll kill him for you." Harry said seriously.

Both healers gave him beady-eyed looks, taking his threat seriously and not as a joke as they knew he was a Dracken, but Harry kept his gaze on Ezrah, ignoring them both.

"No, you can't!"

"I will if he doesn't step up as your bonded and as a father to your babe. Now, damn it, push, Ezrah!"

Ezrah took a few breaths, then, as the contraction rolled over him, he finally started pushing.

Harry almost breathed out in relief, but he didn't. Instead, he remained encouraging and gentle, petting at Ezrah and pushing his hair from his face.

"That's it. You're doing so well." Healer Cole praised, adding his voice to Harry's.

Ezrah was responding to the praise better than he had their stern words. Harry regretted being so harsh with him, but he'd needed Ezrah to start pushing. It was easier to praise him now that he was making progress.

A soft groan, which was the loudest that Ezrah would emit, and Healer Cole turned to Healer Almus, who wiped the other man's gloved hand free of blood.

"That's wonderful, Ezrah. Breathe for a moment. The baby has entered your secondary birth canal. It will only take a few more pushes now."

Ezrah was panting, gasping for breath. He was pale, wide-eyed, and sweaty. He looked wild and ill. Harry gently stroked his damp hair from his face, stroking his cheeks, trying to give him comfort in what seemed to be an excruciating birth. Harry was glad that he was feral when he birthed as he never remembered the pain of ripping himself open. Only the soreness that came once he was back into his own mind and out of his nest, but that was easily dealt with by Max and his potions and bath salts.

The door behind them was almost torn off its hinges as Lathen came tearing into the room. His face was flushed with panic, his eyes were also much too wide. His sword was in his hand and he looked a moment away from using it.

"Lathen! Put that sword away right now!" Harry demanded. "These healers are trying to birth your babe! Come here."

"Lathen! You came. You actually came." Ezrah cried out, tears streaming down his face. He let out another soft groan of pain and it was that which got Lathen moving again. He dropped the sword to the floor and rushed around the healers, around the bed, to comfort and reassure Ezrah.

"Of course I would come, my beloved." Lathen insisted. "I went to Harry's home the moment Max told me. I assumed you would be there. Max followed to tell me that you were here. I am sorry that I wasn't with you. That I never noticed you were pregnant or in pain."

"I didn't know!" Ezrah cried pitifully. "I was snappish with you and told you to leave. I am sorry."

"I never took it to heart, Ezrah." Lathen said softly. "I love you. I will always love you."

Ezrah started crying in earnest then, keeping hold of Harry's one hand, but turning to hold onto Lathen with the other arm.

"Come now, Ezrah, you've been doing so well." Healer Cole told him. "I need you to start pushing again."

Ezrah's breathing hitched, but Lathen nuzzled into his cheek, kissing him, before nuzzling into his neck, and Ezrah relaxed, gripping at Harry's hand tightly, he started pushing again.

"Wonderful, Ezrah. You're almost there. Push."

Ezrah pushed again, groaning softly, but Harry noticed that he was digging his nails so hard into Lathen that there was blood welling. He wasn't holding Harry's hand overly tight, nor squeezing hard enough to hurt him. Even in such pain, Ezrah was still afraid of doing something to end their friendship that he wouldn't do his all to get through the pain of childbirth.

Harry clutched at his hand tighter, squeezing it, getting Ezrah to clutch back tighter.

"You can do it." Harry said, encouraging Ezrah. "Your sweet babe is almost here. A few more pushes, Ezrah. You can do it."

Ezrah groaned in his throat, bearing down, his arms shaking as he clutched at Harry and Lathen. He fell back and panted hard. Lathen nuzzled into him again, kissing him and whispering soft words that Harry tried to ignore given how intimate they were.

"That's it, Ezrah." Healer Cole said, a hint of anticipation in his voice. "Almost there, keep pushing, Ezrah. Keep bearing down with this contraction, keep going."

Ezrah let out the loudest groan that Harry had heard him emit and, with his body writhing and quivering, Healer Cole caught the tiny, blooded newborn and handed them off to Healer Almus before turning back to Ezrah.

Ezrah was panting, gasping for breath. Harry pet at him gently, trying to keep him calm. The baby hadn't cried yet.

The cord was clamped and then cut and Healer Almus took the baby to a table across the room, his wand casting spells. The baby still hadn't cried.

Harry tried not to worry as he held onto Ezrah, joining Lathen in comforting him as Healer Cole fixed him up below. Harry hadn't even known that Faes had two birth canals. Or maybe it was only male Faes? It seemed too frivolous to ask Dain and Kailen such things when they were a hair's breadth from being assassinated in their beds. He wondered if Nasta knew. He'd ask when his mate got home from work.

Harry frowned and subtly checked his watch. Nasta would actually be home already. He'd been at the hospital for a few hours. He hadn't noticed the time passing.

"Is the babe well?" Ezrah asked, finally coming out of his pained haze to remember that he'd had a baby.

No one answered and Ezrah surged upward, fighting against Harry and Lathen's holds.

"My babe!" He said louder, not quite a shout, but the intent was there.

"The baby is fine, Ezrah." Healer Almus insisted, turning with a tiny baby wrapped in a cotton blanket.

"Oh." Ezrah gasped softly, taking the wrapped bundle from the healer.

"Baby has suffered no ill effects from you not knowing about them." Healer Almus assured the two Faeries.

"I will check him over myself, just in case there is any species issue." Healer Cole said. "You are going to heal fine, Ezrah. You did so well and nothing has haemorrhaged, the bleeding has slowed. I want you to remain here overnight, just because you didn't know about the baby. I want to be sure that you're both perfectly fine before leaving. Your bonded is welcome to stay with you."

Ezrah relaxed with the last words and he cradled the baby tightly to his chest and he sent a loving smile to Lathen, who bent and kissed him.

"Well done, Ezrah." Harry said with a smile, finally sliding off the bed.

Ezrah noticed and snatched his hand, locking it around his wrist.

"Harry. I…I cannot thank you enough. I didn't know I was pregnant, or that my babe was coming. I would have ignored my pain if not for you. Thank you for making me come to the hospital. For making me have the babe."

"You'll be wonderful, Ezrah. My kids love you and Lathen. This little one came about rather quick, it'll take some adjusting, but if you're staying here overnight, perhaps Lathen can go and sort everything you need for a babe?"

Ezrah's eyes widened and he turned back to Lathen.

"We have nothing for our darling babe!" He said in horror.

"I will call my mother, and yours, and we will get everything ready for when you both come home." Lathen insisted. "It will be perfect, my beloved. I will ensure it."

Ezrah nodded, but he couldn't keep his eyes away from the precious bundle in his arms.

Healer Cole had changed his gloves and he had come back, holding his arms out for the newborn. Ezrah hesitated.

"I just want to make sure that the babe is as healthy as possible." Healer Cole insisted. "I will give the babe right back."

Ezrah swallowed, but tentatively passed his newborn over. Harry knew that the act of passing a baby over was very significant in Faerie culture…it signified that the parent was giving away their child and they could actually lose custody over it. Most Faeries would place their baby down into a cradle before inviting someone to hold the baby, even to family, just so they were not accused of handing over their baby.

The Faerie council had tried to use that as an excuse to take Leolin away from them before, when Harry had willingly handed Leolin over to Narilla. Harry hoped that Narilla was still safe in the city. They'd had no word for weeks now about the state of the city…or its inhabitants. He was very worried about Dain and Kailen, and Eitri and Warren too. No news was certainly bad news in this case as it could potentially mean that none of them were still alive.

Harry pushed all of that away and he smiled at his two Faerie friends who were alive. Ezrah had made it out of that hellish city and he had just birthed his own baby. A bright spot in an otherwise dark outlook where the Faeries were concerned.

"Well, baby was carried full term, Ezrah." Healer Cole said, shaking his head as he re-wrapped the baby and then handed them back.

Ezrah took the babe and then cradled them to his chest.

"Are there any ill effects from us not knowing?" Lathen asked carefully, purposefully using 'us' to subtly assure Ezrah that he wasn't to blame for not knowing, but still wanting to be sure that their babe was healthy.

"None." Healer Cole said, shaking his head, as if he couldn't quite believe it either. "I wouldn't recommend doing it again, of course, but this little one is perfectly healthy. Now that you have had the one, I would much rather if you came to see me for any siblings you might give the babe in the future. You know what signs to look out for now, Ezrah."

Ezrah nodded, his eyes still absorbing the face of the baby in his arms.

"I did not recognise them for what they were until Harry made the connection." Ezrah said softly. "Harry, thank you."

Ezrah actually looked up from the baby and Harry smiled widely at him, taking the hand offered to him and squeezing it in comfort.

"Any time, Ezrah. We're friends. I'd do anything for my friends and family, you know that."

"Lathen and I have a lot to discuss." Ezrah said. "We did not want to get ahead of ourselves, so we haven't even talked about what we might name a babe. I will come to see you once we have decided, to introduce our babe properly, Harry."

"Take your time, Ezrah, enjoy the baby and these next few weeks, because honestly, the newborn stage doesn't last long at all. I remember all of my babies as newborns and now they're walking and talking and causing absolute havoc. I know you've had a little Faerie, but even still, it'll go much quicker than you want it to. Enjoy them."

Ezrah smiled softly as he looked back down into the face of the baby. "I will enjoy every moment of this, a miracle I never thought I would ever experience for myself."

Harry's heart clenched tight at the emotion in Ezrah's voice. Even Lathen tucked an arm around his bonded and pressed his chin to Ezrah's head. They were the picture of family bliss and all Harry wanted in that moment was his own family…his mates and babies.

"I'm going to leave you both in peace with your babe." Harry told them softly, giving Ezrah's hand a last squeeze. "I'm so happy for you both and I'm so proud of you, Ezrah."

Ezrah beamed like the sun at the praise and Harry smiled, holding back the laugh he wanted to emit. It wasn't Ezrah's fault that he was so reactive to praise.

"Thank you for everything, Harry." Ezrah said.

"Thank you." Lathen told him, the full weight of his gratitude shining in those gold eyes.

Harry nodded and he tore himself away from them and their happy little bubble. He needed to get home. He wanted his own mates.

The hospital wasn't overly busy and Harry made sure to keep to the walls, just in case someone rushed past. He didn't want to be knocked into and risk his own baby. His hand pressed to his abdomen and he locked his arm around himself. It was on his mind to call for one of his mates…not a distress call, but just a call to come and get him so that they could shield him.

He shook his head. That was his Dracken playing up again. He was perfectly fine and he proved it by reaching the floo bank safely and without being knocked into. He took a pinch of floo powder between his finger and thumb, threw it into the burning fire, turning the flames emerald green, before he stepped in and said his address.

He was unsurprised to find all four of his mates waiting on him. He smiled at them, even as he was surrounded in quick order and all but smothered.

"I love you all." He said.

"What happened, Harry?" Max asked, likely reading more into his declaration than Harry had meant. "Is Ezrah okay?"

Harry nodded. "He's completely fine and he'll heal. The baby is so cute!"

"He was actually pregnant?" Blaise asked. "He didn't even have a bump. I thought Max was pulling my leg when he said what was going on."

"No, he was very pregnant."

"Well, give us the details. Boy or girl? What are they calling the baby?" Max asked, herding him to the settee.

Harry laughed. "You'll all have to wait for that. Ezrah wants to announce the baby properly. He and Lathen haven't even discussed baby names between them. They didn't want to curse themselves apparently by talking about baby names when Ezrah felt he'd never have a baby. They are woefully unprepared and they don't even have a cradle."

"We could let them have one of ours. We have five of them knocking around from the quintuplets." Max mused. "You're only carrying one baby, and Taren will be out of the bassinet before this one even comes around. We can gift them with a new mattress even…"

"I got the feeling that Lathen wanted to do it all by himself." Harry said, but he smiled at Max's generosity. His mates were amazing. "I will make the offer, though."

"Just rest a moment. Have you been on your feet all this time?" Draco asked worriedly.

Harry shook his head. "No. Ezrah was terrified to let the healers near him. I was lying in bed with him in the end, letting him hold onto me as he tried to birth a baby he didn't even know about."

"Oh, should we be worried about you and Ezrah being in bed together?" Max asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Harry laughed, and elbowed his mate. "Oh, you should be very worried. Ezrah was holding me pretty tight, I didn't think he wanted to let me go."

"Who would?" Max purred, pulling Harry to cuddle up to him.

Harry grinned and snuggled in.

"You're in a very strange mood, Max." Draco pointed out.

"He got some afternoon action, that's why." Harry said, slapping Max's thigh and then standing. "Now, I need the bathroom and I want tea too."

"Are you hungry, lover?" Max asked, smiling.

"You bet. A couple hours in the hospital will do that to a pregnant guy."

"Tea first?" Nasta asked, looking tired, but he was already standing and moving.

Harry wrapped around him before he could head to the kitchen. He tipped his head back and puckered his mouth and Nasta smiled softly, bending to give him a gentle kiss.

"I kissed my mother with more passion this morning." Draco grumbled.

"You purebloods do like to keep it in the family." Harry teased.

Blaise choked on a laugh and Draco went pink, glaring. "Harry! That is disgusting and not what I meant."

"That's what I heard, lover." Harry said, laughing.

"That's your fault, Max. He was sweet and innocent before you sunk your claws into him."

"You know me." Max said, shrugging, but his grin was downright evil. "If I see sweet and innocent, I have to suck it right out."

"Oh, and you do suck very nicely." Harry laughed.

"I can attest to that." Blaise said with his own smirk.

Harry laughed louder, but stopped when Nasta pulled him closer and then kissed him…properly this time.

"That's more like it, Nas." Max cheered.

Harry broke away from Nasta, panting. "You're all ridiculous. I really need that wee now."

Harry left his mates to go to the bathroom. When he came back out, there was a tray of tea on the table and his zoo mug was waiting for him.

"Dinner is on, lover. We didn't want to eat without you." Max told him.

"Were the kids okay? I don't like leaving them for so long."

"They're fine. They woke up from their naps, terrorised us for a few hours, I fed them, Draco and Blaise bathed them, and then Nasta got them all into bed on time."

"Taren?" Harry asked, blowing on his tea and then taking a sip.

"Will be waking up in the next hour for a feed, but he's already got a fresh nappy on, so he's good until that feed." Max said.

"Leolin?"

"He needed his doll and your shirt, but he finally went to sleep with them both."

"Not even his orchid worked?" Harry asked, looking up.

"No, he didn't want nature, he wanted you."

"Did he feed properly?" Harry asked.

"No." Nasta said with a sigh. "He'll be awake again before we go to bed."

"I'll feed him." Harry said. "Hopefully, that will settle him enough to eat properly and then sleep through the night."

"I still can't believe that Ezrah didn't know he was pregnant." Blaise said. "Would you ever not know if you were pregnant?"

"I'm a Dracken, Blaise." Harry pointed out. "There's no way on this planet would I not know I was pregnant. Not only from the breeding cycle and the heat periods, but my Dracken always knows when I'm pregnant too. I start feeling off, my Dracken starts acting up, my scent changes. There's no way I can be compared to Ezrah because we're both different species. Worse than that, he's been so abused, so conditioned, that he honestly, truly thought that he could never get pregnant. He called himself a monster. We need to do something really nice for them, get them a really nice present." Harry decided.

"We'll get them something." Nasta promised, cuddling up to him.

Harry shifted himself, then rested himself on Nasta, who smiled and wrapped his arms around him. They hadn't seen each other since early that morning and then Nasta had had to go to work, and when he'd come home, Harry had been at the hospital with Ezrah. Harry didn't like going all day without seeing his mates…or his babies for that matter.

Harry took some time to just relax, reconnecting with Nasta as he drank his tea. Nasta told him all about his day at work, and then, over dinner, Harry told them everything that had happened since Ezrah had popped in on them.

Taren was the one to wake for his bottle first, and Max fed him as he was in one of his moods where only Daddy Max would do. If anyone else tried to pick him up they would have to keep a hold on a screaming, writhing baby having a meltdown.

"You would think he was your son." Blaise snorted, watching as Max cradled the baby with one arm while Taren played with the fingers on Max's other hand.

"He is my son." Max replied distractedly.

"You know what I meant." Blaise said with an eye roll.

Harry snorted a laugh.

"I love this little one." Max said, looking up at Blaise. "He is mine. I'm sure Harry messed up and he's not Nasta's."

"His eyes are getting darker." Nasta replied calmly.

"They could be going dark blue." Max insisted.

"He's Nasta's." Harry said with a chuckle. "I didn't make a mistake. Not with my babies."

Max scoffed playfully. "I don't believe it."

Harry gave him a playful growl and Max's blue eyes lit up as he looked away from Taren, to him, and then growled back.

"I think taking them to a zoo made their animal instincts worse." Blaise told Nasta, who snorted a laugh.

"Ma. Ma!"

"Oh, he is not happy." Max commented as Draco carried Leolin into the room.

"Leolin." Harry called out.

Leolin stopped struggling, stopped crying, and he started twisting to look at him.

Draco hurried to hand him their Faerie baby and Harry accepted him into his arms with a soft kiss. He ignored that Leolin tried to claw his way under his skin. Thankfully, his fingernails had been trimmed recently and he didn't draw blood.

"I love you, Leolin." Harry said. "I was just with Uncle Ezrah at the hospital. He's just had a baby like you!"

Leolin settled on his chest, his nails dug into the skin of Harry's neck, but he was listening as Harry spoke.

"You could have a Faerie friend." Harry said excitedly. "I'd like that for you, given that your expected life expectancy will be over seven hundred years. I don't want you to be so alone, my love."

"Ma." Leolin replied softly.

"I know." Harry said, as if Leolin had spoken to him. Harry did this with all of his children, particularly his newborns as the older ones could actually talk back now. "I was gone for too long, huh? But you still had all of your daddies."

"Da." Leolin repeated.

"Do you want to try eating for mama?" Harry asked. "I have your bottle of milk here, all warm and ready."

"Bop."

Every head snapped to Leolin and Harry swallowed his excitement.

"That's right, I have your bottle. Is this what you want?" Harry asked, holding the bottle in Leolin's eyeline.

"Bop." Leolin repeated, reaching out a hand to touch the bottle.

Harry tipped Leolin down into his arm and offered him the bottle, letting Leolin stare up at him as he fed.

"What are the chances that he said a brand new word on the same day that Ezrah births a new Faerie baby to be a rival for your attention?" Max chuckled.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Ezrah's baby is not going to want to be separated from him for years to come. I don't think Ezrah or Lathen will want to be separated from their baby given how they were born. But I want it noted down that Leolin said a new word, so if he does go to family they know that bop means he's hungry and wants his bottle."

Harry looked up at Max, who nodded and went to speak, but Leolin made a sharp noise of anger. Harry quickly looked back down at him, letting gold eyes look into his own. He smiled softly and gave all his attention to Leolin.

"I'll go and put it in his feeding diary." Max said, laughter in his voice.

"Thank you, love." Harry said, though he kept his eyes on Leolin's gold.

Leolin fed hungrily, his little hands fisted into Harry's shirt. His gold eyes started fluttering when he had eaten just over half of his bottle and Harry started humming softly to him, patting his bottom rhythmically.

Snuggled into him, his belly full and surrounded by the scent and smell of him, Leolin drifted to sleep on his bottle. Harry kept him there and settled for a few minutes, before he pulled the bottle out carefully. Leolin stayed asleep, so Harry gently manoeuvred him to be more comfortable in his arms before sitting and just holding him.

Seeing a newborn, literally being there as a new baby was born into the world, it was awe-inspiring and Harry was glad that he was already pregnant because his Dracken was driving him mad with thoughts of new babies. If he hadn't been pregnant and he'd witnessed a new baby being born, he was sure his Dracken would do everything it could to ensure that he would have a new baby too.

"Do you want me to take him up, Caru?" Nasta asked softly, standing and stretching.

"Dinner is almost ready." Max added when Harry hesitated.

Harry sighed, and nodded, standing up carefully and then letting Nasta take their little Faerie baby. Harry stretched himself, his spine cracking satisfyingly.

"I heard that." Draco said worriedly.

Harry chuckled. "It felt good."

He went to look into the bassinet at Taren, tucking his blanket around him and making sure the turtle teddy they'd gotten him from the zoo wasn't too close to his face.

"Right, my darlings, dinner is served." Max told them.

Harry grabbed the collection of baby monitors and migrated to the kitchen. He set the monitors on the counter and then sat in his place at the table.

Dinner time was their time as mates, to unwind and chat with one another. The kids were all asleep, they were all in bed except for Taren, who would be coming up to their bedroom with them, but everything was nice and peaceful as they ate and spoke intermittently between mouthfuls.

Harry was happy that Ezrah had finally gotten his own baby, though. Perhaps not as happy that Ezrah hadn't known and had been sprung into parenthood instantly, and almost as soon as he'd given birth too, with no time at all to get used to the idea first, but Harry knew that he and Lathen would be just fine. They would be wonderful, attentive parents…perhaps a touch overprotective, but what parent wasn't? Harry knew he was protective of his babies and if there was a threat to them, then he would go completely feral and he would very easily kill someone, or several someones, to keep his babies safe. Lathen had almost beheaded the healers helping Ezrah just because he thought they were hurting his bonded, Harry was sure he would do no less for his own baby.

One thing was for certain, though, Harry really couldn't wait to see the baby properly. For Ezrah to be home with them, and to be introduced properly. His hand went to his own belly. It would likely take a few days for them to settle with the new baby. Harry usually took a few days with his new baby too, once he was out of his nest. His babies were usually into their second week of life before anyone outside of the immediate family got to see them, so he wouldn't blame Ezrah and Lathen for taking some extra time to bond with the baby that, just that morning, they hadn't even known they were having.