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Of Lions And Lambs - Part Four	By : Marblez Category: Harry Potter Crossovers > Slash - Male/Male Views: 9326 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Twilight and I will not make any profit from writing this story.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
- 16
Chapter Thirteen

            Letting out a mental sigh Seth meandered his way through the trees, his paws following the familiar route which led him to one of his favourite spots – a fallen tree, covered in a thick layer of moss and just the right size for him to stretch out on.
            Pushing off with his powerful legs he wriggled around for a moment before finally settling down on his belly, his head coming to rest on his front paws as he gazed out at the endless sea of trees stretching out in front of his new position.
            There were times when he loved being a wolf, times when he enjoyed nothing more than pushing himself to the limit of his abilities whilst on four legs instead of two, times when he reveled in the sense of freedom, in the felling of being one with the world around him.
            This was not one of those times.
            It wasn’t that he minded being on guard duty.
            It wasn’t even the fact that they were out on patrol no matter what the weather was like, rain, wind, snow, sun…although that was very rare indeed.
            No, what he minded was the complete lack of privacy, everyone knowing his thoughts and feelings the moment he thought or felt them.
            Moments later his sister’s familiar voice invaded his thoughts;
            “What’s up, little brother?”
            “Nothing.”
            “Uh-Huh.”
            His mind betrayed him, as ever, supplying an image stolen from Paul’s own thoughts, an image of Pansy’s smiling face and combining said image with a burning feeling of jealousy and almost resentment.
            “Hey. None of that. You heard the crazy one.”
            “Don’t call her crazy…”
            “What else should I call her?”
            Seth huffed loudly, rubbing his muzzle against his paws as he tried to ignore his sister’s persistent voice in the back of his mind,
            “She said we’d be happy. All of us. Happy and Mated.”
            “Excuse me if I don’t hold my breath…”
            He felt his sister’s annoyance flare through the mental link.
            “No need to be sarcastic.”
            Seth was about to point out that he learned all about sarcasm from her when he felt something shift behind him, back towards the Cullen’s house.
            He felt his sister stiffen in the back of his mind.
            “What was that?”
            Her voice was deadly serious now, no trace of her previous merriment.
            “I don’t know. I’ll go and have a look.”
            Approaching the Cullen’s house slowly, keeping his body close to the ground in case he discovered a threat, Seth used each of his heightened sense to track that source of the noise.
            “Seth? What is it?”
            Seth paused as he finally realized what the noise was.
            “It’s crying…someone’s crying…”
            “Crying?” Leah sounded understandably confused. “Who?”
            Seth was about to answer that he couldn’t tell yet when a particularly loud wail left him with no doubt in his mind about the owner of what could now only be described as heart-wrenching sobs.
            “It’s Teddy!”
            Hurrying towards the source of the sobbing Seth came to an abrupt halt when the little boy finally came into view, curled up against the base of a tree, his little face pressed into the moss covering the thick trunk.
            “Oh…” Leah murmured worriedly in the back of his mind just as Seth began his transformation back into his human form.
            It would be easier to look after Teddy as a human than a wolf after all.
            Pulling on the tatty pair of shorts he’d hand strapped to his leg the worried teenager cautiously approached the semi-hysterical toddler.
            “Teddy?” he asked, pitching his voice to be low and gentle.
            A pair of red rimmed eyes blinked up at him, filled with a level of pain that no toddler should ever have to experience.
            “S-Seffy?” Teddy mumbled, rubbing at his tear stained cheeks with his dirty hands, leaving streaks of mud in their place.
            “What’s wrong, Teddy-Bear?” Seth asked, crouching down in front of the little boy and opening his arms to him. “You shouldn’t be out here on your own.”
            Teddy’s lower lip trembled in a ridiculously adorable way before he literally threw himself into Seth’s arms with a heart-breaking cry,
            “Daddy no love me no more!”
            Seth frowned, gathering the little boy into his arms and shifting so that he was sat leaning back against the tree, his legs stretched out in front of him as Teddy pressed his damp face against Seth’s chest.
            “What? No, Teddy, of course your daddy loves you,” he responded quickly, one hand resting on the back of Teddy’s head while the other rubbed up and down his trembling back. “Why do you think he doesn’t love you anymore?”
            Teddy mumbled something against his chest, adding some dribble to the tears and snot already coating Seth’s skin.
            Seth couldn’t care less.
            “Teddy?” he pressed gently. “Why do you think Daddy doesn’t love you anymore?”
            “He loves baby!” Teddy spat, his voice surprisingly sharp for an almost three year old.
            “Oh, Teddy,” Seth sighed, wrapping his arms around the little boy so that he could hold him even closer. “Loving your little brother doesn’t mean Daddy stopped loving you.”
            “Does…”
            “Doesn’t…”
            “Does…”
            Teddy hiccupped loudly as he tried to breathe through his tears, shaking his head against the warm chest currently serving as his pillow.
            “Doesn’t…” Seth murmured, returning his hands to their previous positions as he continued. “Mummy’s and Daddy’s have lots of love inside them. Did you know that, Teddy?”
            Seth waited for the little boy to nod in response.
            “Some people say they have the most love of all. Do you know why that is?”
            This time his response was a little shake of Teddy’s head.
            “Because they need extra love inside them so that they can love all their children equally,” Seth continued softly.
            “Eekally?” Teddy asked softly, his little brow furrowed with confusion.
            “The same,” Seth explained, smiling as she felt Teddy’s body relaxing against him, his sobs getting quieter and quieter. “Mummy’s and Daddy’s are given extra love so that no matter how many children they have they can love them all the same.”
            Teddy sniffled loudly.
            “…really?” he asked softly and if the situation had been different Seth would have been praising his perfect pronunciation.
            “Really,” Seth confirmed, keeping his tone level and serious. “Look at me and Leah. Leah came first, like you did, and my Mummy and Daddy loved her. And then I came along and my Mummy and Daddy loved me.”
            “…like baby JJ?”
            What that nickname had come from he didn’t know but he nodded nonetheless.
            “Yes. But that did mean they stopped loving Leah just because she came first,” Seth continued, glad to see he was getting through to the little boy. “They loved both of us the same.”
            “…’cause they have lots of love?” Teddy asked hesitantly, his voice trembling with hope.
            Seth nodded.
            “Yes.”
            “Daddy…daddy has lots of love?” Teddy asked, even softer this time.
            “Yes.”
            “…daddy loves me and JJ the same?” Teddy’s voice was barely audible but he was barely audible but he heard him all the same.
            “Yes. Definitely.”
            “Oh.”
            Teddy fell silent, leaning against Seth’s chest with a thoughtful expression on his little face.
            “Alpha love me and JJ too?” he finally asked, blinking up at Teddy with hope filled eyes.
            “Yes. Most definitely.”
            “Oh.”
            Silence fell once more and this time it was Seth who eventually broke it.
            “Feeling better now?” he asked.
            Teddy nodded.
            “How about we head back inside before the rain hits then?” Seth suggested, looking up at the dark grey clouds gathering above their head.
            Teddy bit his lip.
            “Daddy be mad…”
            “He’ll be worried,” Seth corrected, climbing to his feet with Teddy still in his arms, placing the toddler on his hip. “Which is another thing mummy’s and daddy’s do a lot but it’s just because of all that love they have. The more someone loves you, the more worried they’re allowed to be.”
            Teddy sighed deeply before nodding, resting his head on Seth’s shoulder.
            Smiling to himself Seth turned to head back towards the house and found himself face to face with his sister, the wolf.
            He didn’t need to head her thoughts to correctly interpret the pride and love shining in her suspiciously damp eyes.
            “I just said what you’d have said if you’d found him first,” Seth informed her.
            Leah, the wolf, snorted.
            Rolling his eyes towards his sister Seth set out for the Cullen’s house, watching where he put his bare feet just in case there was anything sharp around.
            As the house came into view Seth smiled down at Teddy who had been uncharacteristically quiet during the journey back.
            “He loves you. Trust me.”
            Seth could hear the commotion long before he saw it and smiled to himself as he listened to the house being frantically searched.
            Stepping out of the woods onto the driveway he cleared his throat softly, knowing the vampires within would hear him.
            “Teddy!”
            Harry’s scream as he burst out of the front door could be described as nothing short of hysterical.
            “Daddy…” Teddy whimpered, reaching out to Harry. “I…”
            “Don’t you ever do that again!” Harry gasped, literally snatching his son away from Seth and cradling him close. “I was so worried! What if you’d hurt yourself or gotten lost?”
            “I sorry…” Teddy sobbed, his tears starting up again.
            Harry wasn’t far off tears himself as he checked his son over for any injuries.
            “Why did you run off Teddy?” he finally asked softly.
            Teddy looked over at Seth.
            “A little misunderstanding,” the shifter answered, smiling reassuringly as Teddy. “But it’s all sorted now, isn’t it little man?”
            Teddy nodded.
            “Thank you, Seth,” Harry sighed, his body sagging with relief as Teddy snuggled into his chest.
            Seth smiled.
            “No worries,” he responded. “After all what else are honorary uncles for?”
            Of course the heavens chase that precise moment to open, rain bucketing down on them and forcing everyone inside.
            Everyone except Seth, of course, who shifted quickly and hurried back into the woods to continue with his patrol.
            “Well done, little brother.”
            Smiling to himself Seth set about finding a suitable spot to wait out the rain.

~ * ~ * ~

            It seemed to Draco that time seemed to fly by after Jamie had been welcomed into their unconventional family.
            Harry had reacted exactly as Draco had predicted after being presented with the keys to their new house, protesting that he couldn’t accept something so…
            …and then he’d seen the house.
            “I take back everything I said…” he’d back-tracked quickly upon seeing the picture perfect house nestles in the forest like it had been placed there by magic.
            Alice, of course, had offered everyone a smug little smile.
            “It’s perfect…”
            The dark haired wizard had been amazed by the idyllic beauty of the house, from the comfortable living room to the elegant dining room, from the grand master bedroom to Teddy’s brightly coloured room.
            But most importantly had been the nursery.
            “It’s absolutely perfect…”
            After “the incident” Teddy had become Harry’s little shadow, following him everywhere and helping care for his baby brother whenever he could.
            His nickname for the adorable little baby who still succeeded in being adorable even when he was screaming at the top of his little voice had stuck.
            Everyone called him JJ now with only Harry using the nickname he had intended to use when he’d chosen his sons name, Jamie.
            After his father.
            Draco was up and about, back to his usual self just days after beginning to take the collection of potions prescribed by Healer Mogg.
            Because of this miraculous recovery he insisted on sending the kind hearted medi-witch the largest bouquet of flowers anyone had ever seen as a thank you.
            Halloween came and went.
            Alice had attempted to organise a party to “brighten their spirits” but the idea had fallen flat on its face after Harry had reluctantly explained his dislike for that particular muggle holiday.
            “But…how can you not like Halloween? It’s Halloween!”
            “It’s the anniversary of the day my parents were murdered.”
            Alice had frozen in place, her body thrown into a sudden vision which had left her apologising softly, offering the new parent a sad smile before agreeing that a party was not appropriate at all.
            “Would you like me to arrange for some flowers that you can take with you when you go visit their graves?” she’d offered.
            “How did you know…?” Harry had trailed off, shaking his head with a small smile as Alice had tapped the side of her head. “That would be wonderful, Alice.”
            Everything had been peaceful for nearly a month before trouble reared its ugly head once more, this time in the arrival of twin packages from Italy.
            “Aro has sent us each a wedding gift,” Bella had murmured, reading the carefully penned note which had arrived with her package. “I look forward to seeing the new Mrs Cullen in person.”
            Draco hummed in agreement as he read his own note.
            “I look forward to meeting the new Mr Malfoy-Whitlock at the earliest possible opportunity,” he read from the card before dropping it onto the sofa beside him, his fingers working to unwrap the package. “Cufflinks.”
            “Let me see?” Carlisle requested, holding out his hand for the ornate box the cufflinks were set in. He studied them for a moment before looking at Bella’s gift. “I always wondered where the crown jewels disappeared to after John of England pawned them in the thirteenth century.”
            Draco blinked, accepting his gift back from the soft spoken vampire.
            “I suppose it doesn’t surprise me that the Volturi have their share.”
            Bella’s gift was a necklace but she seemed more interested in the note than the massive diamond and stunning gold chain.
            “He wants to see us…” she eventually murmured, her eyes flicking up to meet Draco’s. “He wants to see that we have been changed as was promised.”
            Draco frowned.
            “That’s fantastic…” he mumbled sarcastically, closing the lid of his gift box loudly. “One slight problem, of course…I haven’t been changed and I won’t be able to be changed until after the baby’s been born.”
            “I could…go on my own…” Bella suggested softly.
            “No,” Edward interrupted sharply. “You’re not going on your own.”
            “I think that should be you’re not going at all…”
            Draco’s voice was ignored as Bella turned to face her husband.
            “They won’t hurt me,” she pointed out, her fingers absentmindedly stroking the chain of the necklace. “They have no reason to. I’m a vampire. Case closed.”
            “No. Absolutely no.”
            “Edward, its only way to protect her.”
            Her.
            Renesmee.
            The innocent little girl currently helping Teddy build an impressive looking castle made out of brightly coloured building blocks in front of the fireplace.
            “I’m with Edward on this one, actually,” Draco found himself announcing suddenly, smoothing his shirt over his rapidly growing stomach. “They want proof? Send them a photograph not…not a lamb for the slaughter!”
            “A photograph wouldn’t be enough,” Bella countered firmly with shake of her head. “I have to do this. I’m going to do this.”
            And with that said the emotional vampire turned and left the room.
            “This is not going to end well…” Draco sighed, shaking his head as he turned his gaze away from the now empty doorway, his hand reaching out hold onto his husbands arm. “Aro is a collector. You’ve said this more than once, Carlisle. He likes to collect special vampires and the last time I checked Bella was pretty special. If she goes to the Volturi they will not let her leave.”
            Bella spent the next few days researching her possible flight options.
            Draco spent the next few days trying to talk her out of it.
            “You do realise that the more you tell her not to do it the more determined she’s going to be, right?” Harry murmured after witnessing yet another heated discussion between the two of them. “It’s what I used to be like, remember?”
            Draco snorted.
            “Used to be?”
            Harry chose to ignore his friend’s mock disbelief, focusing his attention on his baby boy who was happily guzzling down his milk.
            He was breastfeeding.
            It had really freaked everyone out the first time he’d tried to discretely feed his baby boy, holding the bundle of joy to his chest as he calmly explained to his stunned audience that his body had been changed by the pregnancy.
            “My magic made sure that I would be able to give my baby everything he needs,” he’d explained. “And no, it’s not permanent. Thankfully.”
            Draco was still debating on whether he would decide to breast feed.
            He’d been reading up on the subject ever since Harry had begun breastfeeding himself, studying the facts down to the smallest detail as he tried to decide which option would be best for him and his baby.
            It wasn’t an easy decision for him to make and he had a feeling it was going to take him the remainder of his pregnancy to come to a decision.
            “Harry!” Jacob called out cheerfully as he entered the room, Teddy squealing with joy from where he was perched on his shoulders. “A letter just came for you.”
            Bracing an arm across Teddy’s legs to keep the little boy firmly in place on his shoulders the shape-shifter leaned down to hand the rectangle of light brown parchment to his mate, his fingers showing the tell-tale scratches and bite marks that often came with using unknown owls to deliver letters.
            Harry had numerous scars covering his fingers for this very reason.
            “How’s my little man?” Jacob asked as Harry took the letter, pausing to stroke the soft hair on the top of his sons head before standing upright once more. “Is what Teddy said true? Did I miss his first proper smile this morning?”
            “I’m afraid to say you did,” Harry apologised, smiling thankfully as Draco who took the letter from him, breaking the seal and pulling out the letter for him. “It happened while you were out on patrol this morning.”
            “I’d better be there when he says his first word,” Jacob grumbled good-naturedly. “Or takes his first steps. It’s not fair that you got to see his first smile.”
            “It’s not me you’ve got to be jealous of,” Harry corrected him with a smile, nodding towards Teddy who giggle proudly, wiggling his bum against Jacob’s shoulders. “That little monster was watching over him whilst I made breakfast. A few silly faces later and he’s telling me how pretty Jamie’s smile is.”
            “Is that right?” Jacob asked slowly, looking up at the little face hovering above his own. “You didn’t tell me it was you who saw the smile first, little man.”
            Teddy giggled even louder.
            Jacob responded by pulling the little boy down off his shoulders in the blink of an eye, dropping him down onto the sofa and tickling his sides until Teddy was shrieking with uncontrollable laughter and begging him to stop.
            “Who’s the letter from?” Draco asked, smiling as Jasper re-entered the room having gone to make each of them a cup of tea. “Perfect timing love.”
            Jasper, smiling slightly at the spectacle currently taking place on the other sofa, perched on the arm of the sofa beside his husband and passed him his tea.
            “I’ll put yours here for the moment, Harry,” he informed the dark haired wizard as he set the second cup down on the coffee table.
            “It’s from Hermione,” Harry answered Draco’s question, offering the vampire a nod to thanks. “She wants to know if I’m planning on visiting my parent’s graves this year or whether or not I’d like her to lay some flowers on my behalf.”
            Jacob, abandoning his torment of the toddler, moved to kneel in front of his husband, one hand resting on the wizards knee whilst the other came to rest directly on top of the hand supporting little JJ, their fingers intertwining.
            “When do you usually visit them?” he asked softly.
            “Since the war I’ve tried to visit them on both their birthdays, on my birthday and on the anniversary of their death which is this coming Tuesday,” Harry answered, dropping the letter into his lap as the baby finally pulled away from his nipple with a contented little sigh. “All done, little one?”
            JJ squirmed uncomfortably in response.
            “Ok, I know, time to burp,” Harry murmured, repositioning the baby over his shoulder and beginning to bounce him gently, his hand patting his back carefully.
            Ever since his first feed JJ had demanded to be burped straight away but luckily most of the time that was all it was, a burp.
            Harry had, of course, been caught out a couple of times when there was a little more than just a burp and had been forced to change his top pretty quickly.
            Luckily he’d got over his squeamishness many years ago.
            Babies could be really quite disgusting.
            “Do you want to go?” Jacob asked, stroking his son’s hair as the little boy let out an adorable little burp before finally calming against Harry’s shoulder.
            “I’d like to,” Harry admitted. “I’d like to introduce you to them and more importantly introduce their grandson to them.”
            “Then we’ll go,” Jacob announced firmly. “How should we travel?”
            “Floo is perfectly safe for babies so long as the adult carrying them isn’t an incurable klutz or short of a few brain cells,” Draco interrupted, offering his finger to the little boy currently blinking across at him from his daddy’s shoulder.
            “We’ll take the Floo,” Harry confirmed.
            “I’d carry JJ if I were you, Jacob,” Draco suggested, smirking at his friend before literally stealing the baby out of his hands and giving him a cuddle. “Did Harry ever tell you what happened the first time he used the Floo network?”
            “No…?”
            “I mispronounced my destination,” Harry admitted swiftly before Draco could spin an overly dramatic version of the story. “Ended up going to the wrong place and coming through a fireplace that was far too small to be used for Floo travel.”
            “I’ll carry the baby,” Jacob agreed after a short pause.
            “Hey! No ganging up on me!” Harry protested, pointing his finger towards Draco as he continued, “It’s bad enough dealing with him!”
            Draco merely laughed in response.
            “You look good holding a baby,” Jasper murmured in his husband’s ear, leaning down to press a kiss to his neck and rub noses with the baby in question.
            “I keep imagining what it’ll feel like when I’m holding my own,” Draco admitted softly, gazing down at the little boy struggling against the pull of sleep. “I never thought I’d feel like this…”
            Jasper smiled.
            “I can’t wait to see you holding our child…”
            “I don’t suppose anyone fancies doing anything for Halloween?” Alice asked softly, clutching what looked like a designer’s scrapbook in her hands, fabric samples hanging out from every available page.
            “Alice…”
            “It’s Nessie’s first Halloween,” she pointed out quickly, scurrying forwards to show Bella one of the many pages. “I thought we could take her Trick or Treating.”
            “Have you seen us taking her Trick or Treating?” Bella asked softly, studying whatever was being shown to her with a frown.
            “I’ve seen both,” Alice announced. “Nothing bad happens. I promise.”
            “I don’t know…”
            “Don’t you want her to have as normal a childhood as possible?” Alice asked softly, blinking her big eyes up at the other girl.
            Bella sighed.
            “Plus at the rate she’s growing she’ll be too grown up for Trick or Treating by this time next year!” Alice pointed out enthusiastically.
            “…fine. But first sign of danger and we’re coming straight home.”
            Alice squealed.
            “Um…question. What’s Trick or Treating?” Draco asked softly, frowning across at the excited vampire.
            All eyes turned to him.
            “You’ve never heard of Trick or Treating?” Bella asked with a frown. “Didn’t you see all the kids dressed up for Halloween last year?”
            “I believe I was going through my reclusive hermit stage this time last year so no, I didn’t see anyone dressed up last year…” Draco asked softly, smiling sadly as his husband murmured a soft apology to him. “Not your fault. And anyway, dressed up as what? And why?”
            “It’s a Muggle thing,” Harry answered, stealing his sleeping son back much to Draco’s annoyance. “On All Hallows Eve children dress up as witches and ghouls and monsters and go around other people’s houses begging for sweets.”
            “Candy.”
            Harry fixed his Mate with a firm stare.
            “I am English. I speak English. And in England we call them sweets,” he spoke softly but firmly. “Not Candy.”
            Draco snorted.
            Oh, the amount of times he’d had that conversation with people since moving to America…
            “Um…why?” he asked, turning back to the matter at hand.
            “No idea,” Harry answered with a shrug. “I never got to go but my cousin, Dudley, went out every year. Although he stole more sweets off the others kids than he earned for himself.”
            “Oh.”
            “I hadn’t heard of it either until this one came up with the idea,” Charlie admired, poking his little mate in the arm. “Although I do have a brief recollection of it being mentioned once in Muggle Studies.”
            “I slept most of my way through Muggle Studies,” Draco admitted with a grin.
            “I know,” Harry responded. “I was there remember?”
            “None of you have been Trick or Treating?” Bella asked with a frown. “But everyone goes Trick or Treating at least once…”
            “Not Wizards,” Draco answered. “Especially not Pureblood Wizards.”
            “Well, that’s decided then.”
            Alice’s firm announcement filled Draco with dread, knowing from previous experience just what she was capable of organising.
            And he was right to be afraid.
            Harry, Jacob, Terry and baby JJ disappeared to England, some would say fled, just as Alice started handing out the costumes she’d ordered or made herself.
            “We are going Trick of Treating tonight,” she announced happily, passing a dress into Bella’s hands before turning to Draco and pressing…something into his hands. “All of us. Apart from Carlisle and Esme. They need to man the fort for the few brave souls who’ll ring our doorbell tonight.”
            “Alice? What exactly is this?” Draco frowned down at the garment he was now holding. “Because it looks like a set of Wizarding robes.”
            “They’re not Wizarding robes,” Alice reassured him, handing Rosalie a stunning black wedding dress. “They’re Count Dracula robes.”
            “…Count Dracula…” Draco repeated slowly, his frown deepening. “As in the fictional vampire based on the very real vampire from a book written by a squib using knowledge gained from his brothers magical studies?”
            “Yes.”
            “Wait, Count Dracula was real?” Bella asked, taken by surprise. “Seriously?”
            “Seriously,” Charlie confirmed from where he stood with his arms laden with various costumes. “His real name was Count Vladimir. He…wasn’t very nice.”
            “Did he really have fangs?” Bella asked.
            “No,” Draco shook his head, still glaring at his costume. “That particular detail was added by the squib who wrote the book. Do I really have to wear this?”
            “Yes.”
            “I can’t believe you want me to dress up as a vampire…”
            “Well it would have been silly for one of us to do it,” Alice responded, rolling her eyes towards him as thought imply that her answer should have been obvious to him before handing Emmett what could only be described as an animal pelt.
            “This is such a bad idea,” Draco muttered in his husband’s war as he examined the different pieces of his costume. “Seriously? Fangs?”
            Jasper smiled down at his husband.
            “I think you’ll look…” the Southern vampire trailed off as Alice arrived with his own costume, pressing it into his hands with a smile of her own. “…Alice?”
            “What?” Alice protested, pouting as all three of them looked down at the Civil war uniform, distressed and discoloured. “You’re the only one of us who can pull off the undead soldier costume.”
            “…undead?”
            “Zombie!” she laughed happily, handing him a little bag of various face paints and brushes. “I’ll help you with the makeup once you’re in your costume.”
            “Alice…” Jasper began to protest.
            “Hey. If I have to go as Count Dracula then you definitely have to go as the creepy Zombie Soldier,” Draco interrupted him. “No way am I going to be the only one suffering through this evening…”
            It took two days for the stains from the fake blood to fade.
            However, looking back at the strange evening of knocking on peoples doors and asking for sugary sweets, he had to admit that he had managed to enjoy himself although that was mostly due to Renesmee’s infectious delight.
            Once Halloween was over and done with life returned to normal.
            Most of their time was spent trying to find answers regarding the existence of Renesmee and ‘bump’ but unfortunately it seemed that for every piece of information they managed to find brought about more questions than answers.
            “I could speak to Hermione, get her to do a bit of research using the library at Grimmauld Place,” Harry offered from where he was sat playing with little JJ who was happily lying on his daddy’s thighs the evening after the dark haired wizard returned from England. “She loves any excuse to spend more time in a library.”
            “Would you?” Bella asked hopefully.
            “Of course,” Harry answered as he stood up slowly, transferring his little boy into the arms of Esme, his honorary grandmother. “Hopefully the books in the Wizarding World will shed some more like on the issue.”
            “She can take a look at our library too, if she wants,” Draco offered from where he and Jasper were playing ‘Hogwash’ with Teddy using a small selection of his favourite stuffed animals. “I know for a fact that the library at the Manor contains some very rare and often times very…questionable books which might hold some answers if she’s feeling brave enough to look.”
            “I’ll let her know,” Harry announced before heading into the other room to fire-call his friend in private.
            Bella turned to Draco with a confused frown.
            “Why would she need to be brave to look through your family’s library?”
            “Because some books in the Wizarding World are almost alive, like the paintings you saw at Hogwarts,” Draco explained. “It happens when the Author allows a bit of themselves…or rather a bit of their magic to bleed into their work. Sometimes this is a good thing. Mostly, however, it’s not and the books in question are usually destroyed for being too dangerous.”
            “But you have some?”
            “Yes,” Draco confirmed. “If a book has been deemed too dangerous to exist then it’s worth a lot of money. In my family that used to mean something and so my ancestors built up quite a collection of what they deemed valuable books.”
            “Oh.”
            This new line of research soon proved to be worthwhile when Hermione sent a letter less than a week later containing details which finally confirmed some of the facts Carlisle had been able to find during his own initial research.
            “Hermione found something about the Tinucas in a book regarding the practise of magic across the globe,” he read from the parchment. “This confirms that their legends are almost certainly based on fact.”
            “Legends?” Bella asked hopefully.
            “Legends about immortal children born of a human mother and, I quote, a father of darkness, born of the night and existing for all eternity,” Carlisle concluded.
            “So what does this mean?” Draco asked.
            “We need to confirm these legends at their source,” Edward announced.
            Draco sighed, rolling his eyes towards the vampire,
            “I say again so what does this mean?”
            “We need to go to Brazil to find people descended from the Tinucas and learn first-hand what they know about the immortal children,” Carlisle explained.
            “When do we need to leave?” Edward asked immediately.
            “The sooner we leave, the better,” Carlisle answered.
            “Could we wait until after the holidays?” Bella asked softly, drawing all attention to her. “After everything I’ve put Charlie through I just want to give him a relatively normal Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.”
            So it was agreed that Bella would be allowed to give her father the picture perfect holiday he so deserved, everyone pitching in to help the newborn vampire with all the necessary arrangements.
            Draco hadn’t eaten so much since the welcoming feast during his last year and so for the days running up to his scheduled appointment he was able to convince that the bulge rapidly appearing underneath his t-shirt was more of a food baby than an actual baby.
            Unfortunately a week after Thanksgiving this excuse was no longer valid.
            Sighing as he caught sight of his reflection in one of the many mirrors dotted around the large house Draco finally admitted defeat.
            There was no way that his current shape could have been caused by the food.
            It was as though his stomach had expanded overnight.
            His shirt, which had once been a little bit loose on him, was now stretched over the prominent bulge hidden beneath the light grey fabric and he refused to even acknowledge the trousers he had been forced to put on that morning when nothing else would fit without causing him considerable amounts of pain.
            Jogging bottoms.
            It was humiliating.
            “I don’t have to be telepathic to know what you’re thinking,” Harry chuckled as he approached with an armful of wriggling baby.
            “They’re hideous…” Draco grumbled.
            “But comfortable,” Harry pointed out. “And what other option is there? It’s not like there’s a range of ‘paternity’ clothes to choose from.”
            “I wish there were,” Draco sighed dramatically, tugging at the elasticated waist with a grimace. “How did you stand wearing these for so long?”
            “Unlike you I’d actually worn jogging bottoms before so I was already used to wearing them,” Harry answered logically, passing a wriggling JJ over to the blond who was rapidly becoming the little boy’s favourite uncle. “I did get a few pairs of trousers from Diagon Alley and had Hermione do an expanding charm on the waist. You can borrow them if you want?”
            “Thank you for the generous offer, Harry, but I’m sure it hasn’t escaped your notice that I am in fact significantly taller than you are,” Draco pointed out, smirking as his friend scowled up at him.
            “I wouldn’t call it significantly taller…”
            “You do, however, have a point about the expanding charm and I cannot believe I didn’t think about it sooner,” Draco admitted. “I’ll have a word with Healer Mogg before I start casting any spells however.”
            Harry smiled.
            “You must be due your next check-up soon,” he pointed out as the pair of them began walking through the house towards the front room where everyone usually gathered. “You’re what, five months pregnant now?”
            “She’s coming this afternoon, actually,” Draco answered with a smile. “I’m hoping we can find out the sex of the baby today.”
            “You’ve decided to find out then?”
            Draco nodded.
            “Jasper wanted to wait,” he answered, removing the tiny little hand which had managed to get a hold of his hair. “But I pointed out that it would be easier to prepare for the baby if we know what we’re having. Colour schemes and things.”
            “That is such a you argument to make,” Harry chuckled.
            “It’s true!” Draco laughed. “How can you buy clothes for a baby when you don’t know what colour to get?”
            “You could go for gender neutral colours,” Harry pointed out logically as they settled down onto a sofa each. “You know, like yellow or cream or even white.”
            “You want me to dress my child up like a Hufflepuff the moment it’s born?” Draco scoffed, tossing his head arrogantly.
            Harry smiled, shaking his head in frustration whilst also being secretly pleased to see a little bit of the old Draco reappearing once more.
            “What would you do if you’re child ever ended up in Hufflepuff?”
            Draco shuddered.
            “Don’t joke like that…”
            “Stranger things have happened,” Harry pointed out with a laugh.
            “No Malfoy has ever been in Hufflepuff,” Draco spoke firmly, offering the baby in his arms a finger to hold. “Or Gryffindor before you suggest that.”
            Harry chuckled.
            “What about Ravenclaw?”
            Draco paused.
            “I have nothing against a thirst for knowledge,” he finally admitted, his gaze fixed on the baby in his arms. “I would, of course, prefer the family tradition to continue but I wouldn’t be adverse to Ravenclaw.”
            “…who are you and what happened to the real Draco Malfoy?” Harry demanded with another laugh.
            He just ducked in time to miss the cushion Draco launched at his head.
            “You’re daddy’s an idiot, you know that?” Draco asked the baby now snuggling happily into his chest, Draco’s finger clutched tightly in his little hand.
            JJ sighed loudly, wriggling his little body once to get more comfortable, the timing more than perfect as though he was saying, ‘yes, but what can I do about it?’
            “Hey! Don’t turn my own son against me!” Harry protected loudly, his smile giving away the fact that he wasn’t really angry.
            Draco smirked.
            “As if I would ever do such a thing…”
            “Morning,” Bella greeted them as she stepped into the room, followed by her daughter. “Harry, is Jake ready to go?”
            “Go?” Draco asked. “Go where?”
            His question was ignored as Harry nodded.
            “He’s ready to go when you are. Unfortunately he was delayed by a certain toddler of mine having one heck of a temper tantrum,” the dark haired wizard explained. “He said he’d be here as soon as possible.”
            Bella smiled.
            “Cool. Thanks, Harry.”
            “Oh, don’t mind me just sitting here completely in the dark,” Draco muttered, running his fingers through the impossibly soft hair covering JJ’s little head.
            Harry rolled his eyes.
            “Jacob has agreed to be part of Renesmee’s guard during her first hunt,” he explained simply, nodding towards the little girl in question.
            Draco turned his gaze to the little girl holding her mother’s hand.
            “Today’s your first hunt?” he asked in the dramatic fashion he used when talking with the children, leaning towards the little girl eagerly.
            Renesmee smiled, nodding.
            “Well aren’t you growing up fast!” he chuckled brightly, earning an even bigger smile from the covens littlest vampire. “Well…listen to your mother and father but don’t forget the most important thing…have fun.”
            Renesmee’s smile was practically blinding by the time she and her mother left the room, Bella asking the two wizards to let Jacob know they were waiting for him outside when he arrived.
            It was only a few minutes later that Jacob himself arrived, carrying Teddy over his shoulder like a giggling sack of potatoes.
            “I thought that we agreed he had to put his shoes on or did I miss the whole point of the temper tantrum this morning?” Harry asked lightly as his godson was dropped down onto his lap, his bare little toes wiggling as he giggled.
            Jacob rubbed the back of his neck somewhat sheepishly.
            “We compromised,” he finally admitted somewhat apologetically. “No shoes today in exchange for no fuss when it’s time to go to bed this evening.”
            Harry shook his head at the pair of them, tickling Teddy mercilessly for a long moment before letting the little boy escape from his grasp.
            “JJ!” Teddy giggled happily, rushing across the room to see his baby brother.
Unfortunately in his excitement the little boy forgot that he needed to be gentle when dealing with his baby brother and rushed across the room, bouncing carelessly up onto the sofa cushions and accidently managing to smack the top of JJ’s head with the back of his little hand.
            JJ let out a loud wail of protest.
            Teddy gasped, his panicked eyes darting across to meet Harrys.
            “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!” he cried out, tears welling in his eyes as the baby began to cry in earnest, resisting Draco’s gentle attempts to calm him.
            Harry made it across the room in record time.
“I didn’t mean to…” Teddy hiccupped tearfully. “I didn’t…”
            “I know, sweetheart,” Draco murmured, pulling the little boy into a hug as Harry set about soothing his son. “You just have to remember to be extra careful.”
            Teddy nodded sadly.
            “Teddy,” Harry beckoned to the emotional little boy once he had resumed his earlier seat, his youngest son snuggled against his chest as he slowly calmed down. “Come here, sweetheart.”
            “I’m sorry, daddy…” Teddy mumbled, stumbling across the room so that he could snuggle, ever so gently, against Harry’s side. “I didn’t mean to make JJ cry…”
            “I know, sweetheart,” Harry echoed Draco’s earlier words, putting his arm around the little boy and rubbing his back gently. “And look, JJ’s alright now. No harm done. Just be a little bit gentler next time.”
            Teddy nodded seriously.
            “Bella and the others are waiting for you outside, love,” Harry told his mate, nodding towards the front door as he supported both of his sons with a gentle hand on each of his son’s backs, supporting them as they interacted with each other.
            “You sure you don’t mind me going, love?” Jacob asked softly.
            Harry smiled and shook his head.
            “Of course I don’t mind,” Harry scoffed lightly. “Go on. Have fun.”
            Jacob grinned.
Leaning down to press a gentle kiss to the top of little JJ’s head before turning to give Teddy a kiss on his smooth forehead, earning a little giggle from the toddler.
            “Do I get one of those as well?”
            Draco chuckled deeply as he watched Harry turn his face up expectantly, pouting unhappily when he Mate proceeded to press a kiss to his forehead before hurrying out of the room with a mischievous laugh.
            “Serves me right for mot being a bit more specific, I guess,” the dark haired teen grumbled before settling back into his seat.
            “Let me show you how it’s done,” Draco murmured, smiling across at his husband who smiled back at him. “Jasper? Kiss me?”
            Smirking across at his husband the vampire slowly rose from his own seat and made his way across the room, placing his hands on the back of the sofa on either side of Draco’s head so that he could support himself as he leaned down…
            …and pressed a light kiss to the centre of Draco’s forehead.
            Harry let out a loud bark of laughter.
            Draco on the other hand pouted up at his husband, still leaning over him with their faces mere inches apart.
            “Not funny.”
            Still smirking Jasper leaned down to give his husband the proper kiss he’d desired, moulding their lips together gently as Draco’s hands moved up, first to rest on his shoulders before moving up to play with his husbands soft hair.
            A throat clearing loudly eventually forced them apart some moments later and, without moving more than an inch away from each other, they turned to face the person who had interrupted them.
            Healer Mogg smiled across at them.
            “Good Morning,” she greeted brightly, smiling down at them as she stepped forwards and placed her bag down on the end of the sofa. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better than the last time we met, Draco.”
            Draco smiled before leaning forwards to kiss his husband once more, taking his time despite their audience and only letting go once he was good and ready.
            “So, have the two of you made a decision about whether or not you want to know the sex of your baby?” Healer Mogg continued calmly as Jasper finally stepped away, acting as if nothing unusual had happened.
            The couple shared a look across the room, Draco raising his eyebrow questioningly, wanting to confirm that his husbands earlier agreement in regards to his decision still stood.
            “Yes,” Jasper answered softy. “We’d like to find out today, please.”
            “Wonderful,” she murmured happily, drawing her wand and focusing her attention on her patient. “If you would like to lean back for me, Draco, and get yourself comfortable then we can get started.”
            Everyone watched in silence as Draco settled back into a comfortable position before nodding up at his Healer, pouting when she reached down to pull his shirt up and out of the way so that everyone could see the obvious bulge of his stomach, the skin beginning to look stretched and uncomfortable.
            Her hands moved gently across the bump as she began her examination, nodding to herself as she obviously found everything to be in order.
            Drawing her wand Healer Mogg performed a couple of routine diagnostic spells, first on the foetus and then on Draco.
            “Your baby is developing nicely but you’ll see that in a moment,” she murmured reassuringly before tutting loudly. “You on the other hand need to get some more iron in your system. Have you been taking the potions I left for you?”
            “Yes,” Draco answered. “Everyday.”
            Healer Mogg hummed.
            “I’ll have to prescribe you a slightly different one I’m afraid,” she murmured, jotting down her findings. “Everything else looks fine for the moment, however, so let’s take a look at this little one.”
            “Ok…”
            Draco found himself holding his breath as Healer Mogg performed the necessary spell, the familiar blue mist rushing out of the tip of her wand and floating down to cover his stomach like a second skin.
            He watched, his hand clutching at his husbands, as the mist slowly rose from his stomach and began to form an image of the precious life he carried.
            Two little arms…
            Two equally little legs…
            Two tiny hands…
            Two tiny feet…
            The cutest button nose he’d ever seen…
            And most importantly…
            “Congratulations,” Healer Mogg sighed happily as she noticed the same thing he had. “Looks to me like you’re having a little boy.”
            “A boy…” Draco murmured, his eyes feeling suspiciously dry as he finally let out the breath he’d been holding. “A boy…Jasper…we’re having a son…”
            Jaspers amber eyes were overflowing with emption;
            Pride.
            Hope.
            Joy.
            Love.
            “Congratulations!” Harry called out from where he was sat with both his sons curled up against his chest, Teddy playing gently with JJ’s tiny little fingers.
            Esme echoed his congratulations with a loud squeal of her own.
            “Have you decided on a name?” she asked the couple who were still gazing wide eyed at the image of their child.
            Draco nodded, slowly coming back to himself.
            “Scorpius,” he murmured. “Scorpius Harmon Malfoy-Whitlock.”
            “…Scorpius?” Harry couldn’t help but chuckle.
            “Yes, Harry. Scorpius. After the constellation,” Draco explained, shooting him a quick glare. “Family tradition on my mother’s side.”
            “And Harmon?” Harry continued. “That doesn’t sound like any constellation I’ve ever hear of so I’m going to assume that was your input, Jasper.”
            “You assume correctly,” the southern vampire responded. “It’s a good strong name. It means soldier and was popular around the time of my…life.”
            “Scorpius Harmon Malfoy-Whitlock,” Esme murmured happily, gazing adoringly at the image of the unborn child. “What a beautiful name.”
            “What would have been your choice had it been a girl?” Carlisle asked softly, giving his little wife a gentle squeeze. “Just out of curiosity…”
            “Cassiopeia Emmeline,” Draco answered, his hands stroking across the swell of his belly while his eyes remained firmly fixed on image of his son.
            Harry chuckled.
            “What is it with you purebloods and complained names?” he asked teasingly. “Think how long it’ll take them to spell their name right!”
            “You’re one to talk,” Draco snorted, looking away from the image of his child. “Or need I remind you that your godson’s full name is Theodore Remus Lupin?”
            Harry smiled.
            “Fair point.”
            Draco turned his attention back to his Healer.
            “So everything’s ok?”
            “Other than what we found out earlier about your slight iron deficiency everything is progressing perfectly normally,” she answered him reassuringly.
            “Oh, thank Merlin…”
            After transferring a copy of the image onto a piece of parchment for them to keep Healer Mogg ended the spell and began packing up her things.
            “A boy…” Draco murmured once more, stroking his stretched skin before fixing his shirt and sitting up properly. “Oh, Jasper…I’m so happy…”
            Of course this was the exact moment that everything decided to go wrong.
            “Renesmee!”
            Alice’s panicked cry came from the kitchen moments before she and her mate, Charlie Weasley, hurried into the front room.
            “Alice? What…?”
            “She’s been seen,” Alice gasped, her whole body trembling. “Renesmee…she’s been seen…they’re coming…”
            “Alice?” Carlisle asked. “Who was she seen by? Who’s coming?”
            Alice turned her fearful gaze on the Cullen patriarch.
            “Irina…” she answered. “Irina saw her and…and she’s going to…going to…”
            “Going to what, dearest?” Esme asked softly, moving to pull her trembling daughter into her arms.
            “She’s going to the Volturi,” Alice sobbed out. “She thinks we’re created an immortal child…she…they…”
            “An immortal child…” Esme gasped.
            “But she’s not,” Draco pointed weakly. “She’s still growing…”
            “That won’t matter to Aro,” Carlisle sighed deeply. “He’s been waiting for an excuse…any excuse…”
            “To do what?” Harry asked.
            “To challenge me,” Carlisle sighed, running his hand through his hair. “To add to his collection of gifted vampires.”
            Draco’s gaze snapped to his husband, one of the aforementioned gifted vampires that Aro had previously expressed in interest in collecting.
            “All he needs is an excuse…”
            “And now he has one,” Harry concluded, wrapping his arms around his children and holding them close to his chest.
            “They’re coming…” Alice whimpered once more.
            “When?” Carlisle asked.
            “Soon.”

A/N – Sorry for the wait as per usual. Had bits of this down ages ago but I’ve been struggling to link it all together. Hope it turned out ok.
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Of Lions And Lambs - Part Four