A/N Warning, this chapter contains sex.
Chapter 12: Baby Blues
Draco and Astoria were waiting seated in front the desk of the Head Healer for the Magical Maladies Department of St. Mungo's. Draco had applied to do his internship in this department, but had been turned down. He was instead, interning in the Emergency Medical Department. He sat today in his bright white healer robes, waiting to hear the results of Astoria's tests. He sat with his legs crossed, trying to look as proper as possible, but inside he was scared, more so than he had ever been, so he held Astoria's hand tightly and tried not to shake.
The door finally opened and Healer Albert came in. "Miss. Greengrass, how are you today?" He held out his hand to greet Astoria.
She let go of Draco's hand, so she could shake the Healers. "I am doing well, Healer Albert. How are you?"
Astoria always put on a brave face. Never letting anyone know just how scared she was. She would never let anyone see her cry, breakdown, or weak. Only three people in the world had ever seen her breakdown, her mother, her father and her sister. Even Draco, had yet to see her really breakdown, or show fear. He had only seen her cry when she read a sad story, or at one of those Muggle movies she made him take her to.
"Very well, thank you." Healer Albert looked at Draco and curtly nodded, "Malfoy."
Draco held his hand out to shake the Healers hand. "Hello, Sir. How are you?"
Draco continued to hold out his hand until it was awkward, and Healer Albert realized, he either shook Malfoy's hand, or face an embarrassing twenty minutes with the man, while he gave them bad news, unless he could get him to leave.
"It was nice of you to escort Miss. Greengrass in today, but there is no need for you to stay." Albert shook Draco's hand quickly, then set his papers on the desk.
Draco sneered at Albert, "Since she is my girlfriend, not my patient, I think I will stay."
"Are you ok with him staying, Miss. Greengrass?" Healer Albert asked Astoria.
She took Draco's hand back in hers. "Whatever you have to tell me, Healer Albert, I want Draco to hear."
"Very well." Healer Albert cleared his throat, sitting down. "Let me begin by telling you, your test results were once again, better than expected." He allowed a second for the two of them to smile at each other, "However, I do have distressing news."
Astoria tensed. Draco gave her hand a squeeze, then held his breath.
"I am afraid the results show, you have entered stage two." Healer Albert took his glasses off and set them on his desk.
Astoria put her head down and covered her face, but only for a moment. She had been expected to enter stage two at fifteen. Astoria was nineteen now. She had beaten the odds for four years, she could beat them again. Astoria took a deep breath, looking back at the Healer. "So what happens now?"
"You will experience more frequent days where you feel drained, tired or worn out. We will be changing the potions you take, to help more with the symptoms." Healer Albert leaned ever so slightly back in his chair. He wanted a relaxed posture, to help her stay relaxed.
Draco let out the breath he had been holding. "Are they potions I can brew at home?"
"Most certainly not! Many are experimental, as we are dealing with a malady, caused by a curse." Healer Albert looked at Draco as though he found him repulsive.
Draco flinched at the man's tone of voice. "I wish to give Astoria the best care possible, Healer Albert. I don't think you need to take that tone with me."
Many magical people felt as though Draco had not been sufficiently punished for his role during the war. Realizing, Healer Alert was obviously among them, Astoria interjected. "Why don't you tell us more, about what we should expect, Healer Albert."
Healer Albert sat forward, putting his elbows on his desk, then folded his hands. "Like I said more bad days. Instead of the one, every other month or so, you should expect, at least one a month. That could increase over time. But it is impossible for us to know, how fast things will progress. It is my recommendation, instead of every six months, you come in for tests every three, from this point on."
"I do not wish to live at the hospital Healer Albert. Why every three months?" Astoria sounded annoyed.
"Like I said, there is no way to know how quickly things will progress." Healer Albert gave her a sympathetic smile.
Draco looked at Astoria, "Let's start with every three months Astoria, see how things go. Ok?"
Healer Albert glared at Draco, but knew he was only trying to console his girlfriend. "Miss. Greengrass, there are some other things you need to be aware of."
"Such as?" Draco answered for her.
Healer Albert took a deep breath, clearly not liking the other healer in the room with him. "Your life expectancy we believe, is shorter now. Perhaps sixty years."
Astoria started to shake a little. This, she wasn't ready for. Astoria had always been told, 'Your life expectancy may be shorter than normal', but she had never been given an age before.
Draco leaned forward, toward the other man, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, Malfoy, we are sure." Healer Albert put his glasses back on. "Certain activities could shorten your life span, even more."
"Certain activities?" Astoria asked with a shaky voice.
Healer Albert gave her a warm smile, as best he could. "Yes. Like strenuous work. Over excitement, such as flying on a broom, or taking up a sport you're not already use to. Anything really, which would be a shock to your body."
"What about..." Draco started to ask, but then seemed to think better of it, looking at the floor instead.
Astoria looked at him, "What about, what?"
"I... I just wonder... if you... you know, about." He didn't quite know how to ask. Was his question only something men cared about? Would it seem selfish? Would she think he only cared about sex?
"Sex." Healer Albert said, as if the word shouldn't have been so scary for Draco to say. "You want to know, if she can still have sex with you, right?" Healer Albert emphasized the word 'you' with as much distain as his could.
Draco's eyes got wide, he looked at Astoria hoping she wasn't mad at him, then looked at Albert. "Um, yes." Draco wanted to disappear.
Astoria, let out a small sigh, and rubbed the back of Draco's hand. "Why were you scared to ask that?" Draco shrugged.
"Yes, Malfoy. She can still have sex with you." Healer Albert gave him a disapproving look. Then turned his attention to Astoria. "We, in fact, recommend you continue doing anything which is not overly strenuous, if it gives you pleasure. So, unless sex with Malfoy consists of whips and chains, or him hexing you, I recommend highly you continue having sex." He glared, again at Draco.
Making fists, Draco moved to stand up. Astoria put her hand on his knee and calmly said, "Draco, my love, calm." She leaned close to him and whispered, "Be the bigger man." Draco sat back down, giving Healer Albert the famous Malfoy sneer, instead of a black eye.
Healer Albert, looked at them with interest, 'Could Malfoy really love this woman? Was a Death Eater capable of it?' He shook off the thought, then continued talking, "However, having a baby, would be strongly discouraged."
Draco suddenly forgot the man's rude remark about hexes and turned pale, "You discourage, having a baby?"
There it was, the thing Astoria had been terrified up until this point, to tell him. She knew Draco wanted a baby. A son. It had been one of his favorite topics for the last four months. How he would be a better father to the unborn, Scorpius, than Lucius had been to him. He loved to fantasize, about teaching his son to fly, to be a seeker like he had been. Draco would go on and on, about how he would let his son choose whatever path he wanted and not choose it for him.
"I am sorry, Malfoy. We strongly discourage having a baby." Healer Albert looked back at Astoria, "It would put far too much strain on your system, lowering your life expectancy even more, to perhaps forty."
Astoria didn't look at Healer Albert, she was more concerned with the blond man sitting beside her, who looked like he had stopped breathing, and was about to pass out. Draco hadn't even blinked, since he had heard the words, 'strongly discourage'. Astoria pulled her hand from his. Draco didn't move. She said his name. He didn't move. Astoria started to cry.
Healer Albert, stood up, "Why don't I give you two, a few minutes. Healer Malfoy, I will tell your supervisor, I have sent you home for the remainder of the day."
Draco barely nodded to Healer Albert. After ten minutes sitting in Healer Albert's office in silence, Astoria got up and started to leave. Draco notice her movement, wiping away the tears he hadn't noticed were on his face, until that moment, "Where are you going, Astoria?"
"Home Draco, there is no need to sit here any longer." She opened the door, walking out.
Draco quickly caught up with her, taking her hand in his. Astoria didn't resist. She was happy he had snapped out of his small breakdown. However, she knew they still needed to talk about what no baby meant for them.
Once they were back inside their flat, Astoria went over to one of the large leather couches in the 'sitting' room, as Draco called it. The rest of the world would call this a Livingroom. But Draco, didn't come from the rest of the world. No Malfoy had ever lived outside the Manor. He was the first. As Astoria looked around, she fondly remembered when she moved in, how he had apologized for how small the place was. His flat was the entire fourteenth floor of the building they lived in. At 325 square meters, (or 3500 square feet) the flat was hardly small, to the 'rest of the world.'
When you entered, you were in an entry room. Draco stopped there to take off his healer robes and hang them on a hook. He placed his briefcase on the small marble table he kept just inside the door. Normally, they apparated right into the 'sitting' room. But today Astoria had wanted to go up the lift and enter like 'normal people', she had said.
Now, she sat on the couch looking around the room, wondering how much longer she would be living here. There was the kitchen off to the right with a small dining room attached, where Draco and she would eat most of their meals. If you went down the hallway, the first door to the left was the formal dining room, which she had decorated when she first moved in. Blaise and Draco had done nothing with the room but put a table in it. The only door to the right, was their master suite. Inside the room to the right, was her closet, which was large enough you could live in it alone. His closet was smaller, off to the left, but still impressively large enough. He disappeared inside it each morning, always emerging with shirt, tie, or cuff links, she had yet to see. The bathroom was the size of the dorm room, she lived in with three other girls at Hogwarts.
As you went down the hallway and turned left, you would find the three other bedrooms, on the right. Each with its own bathroom and walk in closet. Draco used the one farthest from their room as his office. Blaise had lived in the other two rooms. Right now, they were set up as guest rooms. Although, the only person who spent the night was Blaise, from time to time.
Draco had bought the place out right, when he moved out of his parents' house. The Malfoys had been slapped with hefty fines after the war, instead of time in Azkaban. Lucius was a careful businessman though and he had been able to move things around enough, so the family business absorbed most of those fines, not touching Draco's inheritance, or taking much from the family vault. His father had not wanted to give him the first third of his inheritance, which had been rightfully his once he reached the age of seventeen. Narcissa had finally persuaded Lucius to give into to their son, so he could break with Malfoy tradition and move out. Draco would get the second third of his inheritance once he married and the last, when he had a male heir. This was the way most Pure-Blood families did things for the sons. Of course, the sons also got larger inheritances than the daughters, as they were expected to provide for a family; daughters were expected to marry well.
Astoria got the first half of her inheritance once she turned seventeen, as well. She would get the rest once she was wed. Between the two of them, Draco didn't need to work, but wanted to. Since the war, really, since Blaise had sobered him up, slapped him around, forced him to stand up, face reality, Draco had wanted to be independent from his father. He wanted to be, a better man. His own man. Something he had remembered Theo telling him at the end of their fifth year, 'We are not our fathers. Be your own man, Draco.' Words back then, Draco thought he understood only to find out, Theo and he had very different ideas on what being your own man meant. Today, they were much more aligned with each other.
As Draco sat down beside Astoria on the couch, putting his feet up, she couldn't help but take in all the things in this flat, that weren't really hers. Sure, she had purchased much of the items which decorated the room, but it had been done with Draco's money. None of it was really, hers. She had moved in only after two months of dating, mostly to get away from the judgmental comments of her father. She had quickly grown tired of him calling Draco, a 'filthy ex-death eater', who only cared about blood purity. When she moved in, the flat looked like Draco and Blaise had tried to recreate the Slytherin common room. She had gotten rid of all the green and silver and replace it with more neutral tones. She liked to brighten with lighter colors. She had convinced Draco, the lighter colors helped keep you in a happier mood. Who knows, maybe on some level she was right. Truth was, she just really liked light colors.
She looked at him, smiled, then laid her head on his chest, wondering what she would take with her when she moved out. She was almost certain, no baby meant no Draco, in her future. They had talked about marriage, in fact the way they carried on about their future, one would think a ring had already been given, and arrangements were being made. However, Draco had not yet proposed, and no plans were underway. He had told her once before, he wanted to wait until his career was set, giving him more time to convince her father he was a good man. Now, all those talks of the future really seemed pointless. Astoria was certain, Draco would eventually fall out of love with her.
She was not about to wait around for him to break her heart. "Draco." Astoria said, finally ready to talk.
He kissed the top of her head, "Yes." Draco sounded sullen.
"I can start moving out in the morning, if you want. While you're at work." Astoria didn't dare look at him. Instead, she tried to bury her face in his chest.
Draco tensed, "Why on earth would you move out?"
"Perhaps, because this is your flat, not mine." Astoria could feel her heart pounding.
Draco pushed back tears, "No, it's our flat."
Astoria sat silent for a moment. She had known he would put up a fight. "This isn't what you signed up for." Astoria still didn't move, even though Draco tried to get her to look at him.
Draco pushed Astoria off his chest, to force her to look at him. "You're not a class I'm taking Astoria. You're the woman I love."
"But now I am a woman, who can't give you a baby." She tried to pull away, but Draco held her by her shoulders.
"So, then we don't have a baby." Draco tried desperately to sound like he wasn't disappointed.
Astoria started to cry, for the second time today, she had tears running down her face, "But you want a baby Draco. It's all you've talked about for months. You even have his name picked out."
Draco pulled Astoria into his arms, "I want you, Astoria. A baby would have been a nice addition, that's all."
"What about all that talk, about showing the world you're not Lucius Malfoy?" Astoria pulled away from him.
"Am I not already doing that? I moved out of the Manor. I am becoming a Healer. I thought I already was showing the world." Draco suddenly realized, his cheeks were wet from the tears he could no longer hold back and wiped at them.
"'I will be a better man, a better father.' Those are the words I have been hearing for a year, Draco. Can you sit there and honestly tell me; you don't want a baby?" Astoria stood up, walked around the couch, if she was going to hold her ground as the independently strong woman she was, she needed distance between them.
Draco stood silently for a moment. "No." He took a deep breath, "I can't tell you; I don't want a baby. But if I have learned anything, it's I can't always have what I want."
Astoria put her hands on the back of the couch, leaning forward, "You can still have this, just with someone else."
"I don't want someone else, Astoria. I love you!" Draco started to walk around the couch towards her.
Astoria moved backward to keep the distance. "What if I don't want to be with you, anymore?"
Draco stopped moving, "What? Oh god, don't say that. Please Astoria, don't say that.", his chest hurt from his heart threating to explode.
"I can't give you a baby Draco, and I will not wait around for you to fall out love with me because of it." Astoria started to walk past him toward the hallway.
Draco grabbed her arm, "I will never stop loving you, Astoria. You're everything to me."
Astoria took a deep breath, wiping at her own tears, "I can't be everything Draco, since I will never give you an heir." Astoria pulled his hand off her arm, then she walked down the hall.
"I don't need an heir, Astoria." Draco followed her still crying.
Astoria stopped at the bedroom door. "What happens to the Malfoy name then?"
"Then it dies, maybe it's time it died." Draco tried to dry his eyes again, but the tears were relentless.
Astoria shook her head, "You don't mean that. You may not be entirely happy with your family, but I know how much family means to you. I am a Pure-Blood too Draco." She went into the bedroom starting to cry again.
Draco stopped at the door. "Then we can use a surrogate or adopt."
Astoria turned and looked at him. "Would your father really accept a baby, whom wasn't Malfoy blood? One I didn't bare?"
He walked quickly to her, taking her hands in his. "I don't care."
"I do." Astoria whispered, "He would disown you. He would make sure our child ended up with nothing. You know that as well I do. Your family's legacy will be lost."
Draco looked at their hands. She was right, a baby which was not from his loin, would be unacceptable. One not born by Astoria would be looked down upon. "Then we don't have a baby, Astoria. When my father is dead, I will change my will, and leave everything to Teddy. Nothing will be lost."
Astoria thought about that, was he really willing to give everything to his cousin? "Harry won't even let you see Teddy."
"That doesn't make him any less my blood." Draco took a shaky breath.
"Would you really do that, give everything to him?" Astoria wanted so bad to believe he meant it.
Draco looked at her, "Yes. I'll do it right now, if you want." He let go of her hands and moved toward the bedroom door, "I'll go owl, Harry now, and ask him to meet us at the lawyer's office, so he can sign the papers. We just have to keep it from my father, so he can't find a way to block it." Draco left the room, headed down the hallway toward his office.
Astoria quickly followed him to the hall, "Wait."
Draco turned around, "What, not good enough?" He didn't mean to sound so upset, but he was losing her, and it scared the hell out him.
Astoria scoffed at him, "No, not good enough. You're going to give everything away because of baby you can't have with a woman, you're not even engaged to. You're being rash."
"Then marry me!"
Astoria had never seen Draco look more determined than he did right then. "What?"
"Marry me." Draco walked down the hall toward her. "I love you Astoria. I will do anything for you. I would give away everything I have right now and live only on my pay from the hospital. Hell, I would live like a Weasley, as long as I have you. You're my world. I am nothing without you." Draco took her hands in his. "I will get a ring. I will get on one knee. I will ask your father for permission. I promise, I will ask again the right way, but I am asking you now, will you marry me?"
Astoria didn't know what to say. When they left the hospital, she was absolutely sure she would be moving out. Now, Draco was asking her to marry him. Tears started falling even harder than they had been. She looked up at him, "Yes. Yes, I will marry you!"
Draco took her face in his hands, he laughed the way one does, when they are relieved by good news. He took her lips with his and kissed her softly. Draco looked at her and smiled. "I love you, Astoria."
"I love you, Draco. I am sorry, I ever thought about leaving. I was so sure; you wouldn't want me anymore." She put her head on his chest, letting him envelope her in his arms.
"I will never stop wanting you, Astoria." Draco picked her up and carried her back to the bedroom. He laid her down on the satin comforter which was perfectly made on the distressed mahogany four poster bed they shared. Astoria pushed herself up on the bed, until her head was on the pillows, watching as Draco removed his tie. "I want you." Draco told her, as he kicked off his shoes, then crawled on the bed so he was lying next to her.
"Oh, do you?" Astoria playfully asked him. She got up, straddling him, as she lifted her soft pink shirt up over her head. Draco grabbed her hands, stopping her so her shirt was still covering her nose and eyes. He held her hands, not tightly, but enough so she knew he wanted her to wait. She held her arms in the air, as he reached behind her unhooking her bra. Draco pushed the bra up so that her perky breasts were showing and licked each nipple. Astoria shuddered with pleasure. Draco kissed her neck, sucking softly every few inches, letting her move her arms, so she could finish taking off her shirt. He rolled them over, so she was lying on her back again, then he sucked on each nipple, nipping ever so lightly with his teeth. Draco loved how excited she got just from the attention he gave her breasts. She moaned with pleasure, saying his name over and over.
Astoria put her head on Draco's chest and cuddled up next to him after they made love. He put his arm around her, holding her close. "I love you Draco."
He kissed her, "I love you." He closed his eyes, then opened them quickly, "Oh, damn!"
"What?" Astoria sat up quickly. "What's wrong."
Draco started laughing, "I forgot my whips and chains."
"Oh, you." Astoria started tickling him, "I thought something was wrong."
Draco laughed, struggling to stop her assault. "Something, will be wrong for that man, if he ever insults me like that again."
As they lay there holding each other, talking about their new future together, Draco decided, maybe not having a baby was not the end of the world. After all, he did have a little cousin and it was high time he got to know him, and Daphne and Theo would most likely have two or three kids. He would be content to be the best uncle there ever was and spoil those kids, as well as Teddy, as much as he could.
xXXx
Theo was trying desperately, to concentrate on the physical reports on the desk in front of him. But all he could think about was in two days, Flint would be back, and Daphne had not yet told him if she was staying with him or going back to Marcus. Ever since their first date, they had seen each other every day. Spending all their free time together. He had offered to turn his drawing room into a studio for her, but she had insisted it was too soon for that grand of a gesture. So, when he insisted on the small art table he bought her, and put in his study, she had accepted it happily. For the last ten days, this was where she worked, in his study, while he 'worked' on the reports, letters, meetings, shipments, and whatever else it was he needed to handle for the Nott Family Factories.
Since the trip to Greg's night club, they even spent every night together, mostly here at the manor. Theo loved just getting to be near her, to sleep with her in his arms and wake up with her still beside him, the smell of her hair on his pillows. Theo never pushed Daphne to let him make love to her, no matter how badly he wanted to. That would come on her terms, when she was ready.
Today, he sat rereading the same four lines, on the same report he had been looking at for half an hour. He just couldn't stop staring at Daphne, while she worked on one of the items for her upcoming fashion show in two days. The closer the show got, the more excited she became, but also the more and more nervous. Theo looked over at the two tickets she had given him so he could attend. He planned to go but had no interest in taking a date. Daphne was the only woman he wanted to be with. He had offered to take Draco's mother as his 'date', since she had expressed an interest in getting back into society. When he had owled her, inviting her, she had written back accepting without hesitation, calling him such a 'good boy', for offering to take his mate's old mother, to something so classy. Draco's father could have easily gotten tickets to the event, but had no interest after all that had happened, in 'rubbing elbows' with Muggles.
Theo had turned on his television, to watch a baseball game, but even though the St. Louis Cardinals were beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5 to 2, he couldn't keep his interest on the game. He looked over at Daphne, while she pushed her hair behind her ear, leaning back from the mannequin and checking her work. The words, 'I love you', right there on the tip of his tongue. They had been for days, he wanted to tell her, the timing just didn't feel right.
Theo put the cap on his fountain pen and tossed it on the desk. Instead of 'I love you', he settled for, "The past two weeks have been the best of my life."
Daphne looked over at Theo and smiled. "It has been great." She looked back her work.
Theo stood and walked around the desk, he leaned against it, hooking his right thumb in his pocket. "I don't want it to end, Daphne."
"Why would it end, Theo?" She scrunched her nose, while pinning a piece of lace on the dress.
Theo stood up, his heart racing, "Does that mean, you choose me?"
Daphne just realized what he was talking about. She set her pin cushion down and walked over to him. Daphne reached up and straightened the collar on the red and black flannel shirt he was wearing. "Was there ever any doubt, Theo?"
Theo picked Daphne up, spinning her around. He pulled her closed to him, kissing her hungrily. As he sat her back down, looking in her eyes, he decided it was time, "Daphne, I L..." She put her finger over his lips, stopping him.
"Not yet Theo. Please. I just need a few more days. I need to talk to my father and to Marcus first." Daphne kissed him softly. "Marcus will be back tomorrow, and Daddy gets back from Rome in three days."
Theo held her tighter around her waist at hearing Flint's name. "What do you need to talk to Flint about?"
"He is technically my boyfriend as far as society thinks. Theo. I need to tell him it's over." She ran her fingers through his hair.
Theo closed his eyes, "Ok, and your father?" He hated that their lives were dictated by what society thought or knew. But it was part of being an Earl.
She lowered her hand to his chest. "He still wants me to marry Marcus. I need to tell him, I want you. He is not going to be happy about it."
Theo brought his hand up, holding her hand against his chest. "Please don't be mad at me, but you're twenty-one now Daph, almost twenty-two. Your dad really shouldn't have a say."
"You know how important Daddy is to me. I will get him to see things my way, it will just take time." She gave him a warm smile, then lead him over to the couch and sat down.
Theo put his arm around her. "Ok, I will do my part, whatever you need. As long as I am the one with you while we wait."
Daphne kissed Theo deeply again just as the crowd on the television screen started cheering loudly, startling her. They both looked at the television as the Dodgers hit a walk off grand slam. Theo ran his hand through his hair, "Well, damn. My team lost." He raised his eyebrows at her, "At least, I won." then he recaptured her lips.
A/N So I know this is not a Draco/Astoria story, but I really wanted to add more of them to the story. Since in my story Daphne and Astoria get along and I am making Draco and Theo best friends, it only makes sense to me that the two couples will be close.
