Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Survival of the fittest	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 18501 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor profit from it. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
Author's note: All right, I want to apologize for taking so long. Originally I had planned to have this chapter out in January, but with my exams and the way I was tired afterwards, I didn't manage to complete the entire thing until today *clears throat and looks around guilty* I'm really sorry for taking so long, especially after the wonderful reviews you left behind *hangs head down in shame*
I wish I could say when the next chapter was up, but I don't dare to make promises anymore O_O I swear I'll try to have it out as fast as I can.
That said, this is a rather long chapter and at first I was planning on cutting it in two, but I didn't want to make you guys wait even longer (that and I couldn't find a decent place to end it *coughs*). So I hope you guys don't mind that the chapter turned out quite long ^^;
Also a very belated Happy New Year ^^;
... I wonder who takes the time to read this entire thing - if you have, put the word 'orange' in your review or so LOL
Thanks to the following reviewer: Meechypoo64 (I thought it would be a bit ironic if Godric had a personality similar to Snape who is a Slytherin; I have a weird sense of humour at times LOL)
Warnings for this chapter: MPreg, drama, angst, some violence, exchange of Christmas gifts (I apologize in advance for the lameness of some gifts); lemon; a very long chapter
I hope you'll like it!

Chapter 16: Christmas
18th of December
The body next to him in bed shifted slightly and an arm came up to close loosely around his waist; warm, naked skin against his.
He blinked sleepily and turned his head, seeing the vague outline of his lover curled up next to him. He brought his arm higher up underneath the sheets and carefully placed his hand on his lover's stomach.
Harry murmured something inaudibly, but didn't wake up.
Draco stared at the relaxed face of Harry and was again struck with a wave of wariness. It was hard to believe that just a week ago, they had battled a giant bird and had retrieved Gryffindor's painting while meeting Harry's family members. It felt so surreal, as if he had read about it in a book instead of having experienced it himself. Was this how Harry felt every time he had managed to survive danger? This surreal feeling of not being certain whether the adventure had really happened or whether it had been all just a dream?
After they had retrieved Gryffindor – all the while ignoring his dark muttering – they had returned on their tracks, so that they could go back to Hogwarts now that they had succeeded in their retrieval mission.
On their way to the entrance, Harry had suddenly halted and had been staring out of the window. A short glance revealed him staring at a smaller building in the garden behind the Manor; it had looked like a miniature version of the Manor with a black roof and white walls. Black, who had noticed they had stopped following them, had turned back to look at what had caught their attention and had instantly stiffened at the sight, a heavy mood descending upon him. He had reluctantly admitted that that building was the Potters' mausoleum and it held all the graves of the Potters, bar that of James and Lily Potter, because they were buried at Godric's Hollow.
Draco started to caress Harry's cheek lightly, careful not to wake him up. After some resistance, Harry had been allowed to go take a look at the mausoleum. Draco had wondered whether his lover wanted to be alone during his short visit, but a short tugging had convinced him otherwise and the two had gone to the mausoleum alone, the other adults realizing that it would be for the best if they did not follow them.
The two boys had halted in front of a large, black, marble plate that was hanging right in the centre of the door; white letters had been cut out to form the names of all the deceased wizards and witches who had once been part of the Potter family.
When Harry had touched the first name on the top of the memorial plate, a small photo had appeared right next to the name, revealing the face of his grandfather, Charlus Potter. The further down they went, the further back in the past they went. Each name had glowed once they were touched lightly and they all had the photo of the wizard or witch who had carried that name during their lives.
Harry had barely pressed his hand against six names when Draco had taken notice of his trembling hand and his eyes that had started glittering with unshed tears.
Without saying anything, Draco had pulled his lover in his arms and Harry had pressed his face against his shoulder, his own arms coming around the blond's waist, squeezing it tightly. They had stood there for a while; Draco staring at the long list of people who Harry never had had a chance to meet while the dark haired boy had been taking shuddering breaths.
Eventually, Harry had pulled back, having been able to compose himself. Red rimmed eyes had looked up and Draco had bent down to give him a slow kiss. Harry had thrown one last look at the mausoleum before they had made their way back to the rest in silence, their hands intertwined.
Draco sighed and traced his fingers over full lips. Harry had not wanted to talk about their time at the mausoleum and Draco had been concerned with the heavy mood that had settled over his pregnant lover throughout the whole weekend.
He closed his eyes and an amused huff escaped his lips, when he remembered what had happened to drag Harry out of his dark mood.
They had hung Godric's painting in Severus' quarters, next to Salazar's. The Founder had grumbled upon finding himself in the dungeons, but had no choice and had acquiesced with a grumble. Salazar had quickly brought his friend up to date with everything that had happened from the moment Godric had left Hogwarts and for a few days, the man had been rather calm, mulling over the things he had been informed of and discussing the plan with Salazar, ignoring all the other occupants in the room.
However, the Friday after Godric's retrieval and after they had agreed to meet in Severus' quarters to discuss the possible locations of the other Founders, Lupin hadn't been able to join them, due to the fact that the full moon had been the night before. Black hadn't joined them either, because he had been taken care of his lover.
At first it had seemed as if Godric would ignore the missing presence of the two men, but then in the middle of their conversation, he had abruptly asked where they were.
"The Potters were descendants of Godric, so maybe we should start researching who the descendants of the two others are?" Lucius suggested with a frown.
"Where are the other two?" Gryffindor suddenly asked rather brusquely.
Harry stared at him blankly. "Who do you mean?"
Gryffindor scowled. "The other two men who were with you in the manor."
"Ah." Harry's face lit up in understanding and he replied, "They are resting. They had a … rough night."
"Rough night as in what kind of rough?" Auburn coloured eyes narrowed in distrust.
Harry sighed and he sounded slightly irritated. "Does it matter what kind of rough? It's none of your …"
"Lupin has a condition that disables him every month for a few days and the stupid mutt stays with him to make sure he ingests the appropriate potions," Severus sneered and looked annoyed at having the conversation about the Founders interrupted.
Harry scowled at Severus and Draco hastily grabbed his hand, before his lover would unleash his scathing remark; he really didn't want to see another argument unfolding between those two.
"A few days every month?" Gryffindor looked thoughtfully, and then he seemed to realise what Severus had been implying with his condition comment. An ugly sneer appeared on his face. "You mean to tell me that that man is a filthy werewolf? And a Black takes care of that thing? Did that bloodline degenerate that much that …"
"SHUT UP!" Harry's scream startled everyone in the room, including the portraits. He sprung up and pointed his wand at a baffled Gryffindor. "I don't fucking care whether you are one of the Founders, you don't fucking insult my family, got it?"
Apparently not knowing when to keep quiet was one of Gryffindor's bad traits, for he sneered, "Oh please, you have to understand why werewolves are disgusting creatures – they don't even deserve to …"
"Shut. Up." Harry's eyes glowed eerily and suddenly a blue spark shot out of his wand and zoomed towards Gryffindor's painting, the frame actually rattling against the wall when Harry's unknown spell hit him.
Draco gaped when he saw the result of Harry's angry, magical outburst: Gryffindor's mouth had seemingly melted together, preventing the man from uttering any sound. Gryffindor himself looked stumped and his hands rose up to touch the melted skin.
"I didn't mean to do that. I didn't even know I could," Harry said blankly, breaking the heavy silence. Ruby looked up and purred his approval, making Draco snort inwardly – of course the lion would approve of any action if it meant Harry would be defended in some way or another. Never mind that Harry himself hadn't been the focus of the verbal attack now.
"I assume that your desire to silence my dear friend was enough for your magic to react," Slytherin spoke and his eyes glittered amused.
Gryffindor threw him a scathing glare and Slytherin chuckled. "You have but only yourself to blame for this debacle, Godric. You have always been too hot headed for your own good."
Harry cleared his throat and looked uncomfortably. "Well, you shouldn't have insulted my family," he muttered and glared at the Founder. "Remus is one of the nicest people I know and he doesn't deserve to be badmouthed by someone who doesn't even know him."
Severus sighed. "Well, at least it wasn't a student this time. I cannot state whether that is a good or a bad thing," he murmured darkly.
Slytherin snickered. "Don't worry about it, Harry. Hogwarts will return his ability to speak soon."
And indeed, half an hour later, Gryffindor's mouth unsealed itself again with a soft, ripping sound and the man grimaced, rubbing over his mouth.
Harry looked at him apprehensively, but to his and to the others' shock, Gryffindor suddenly gave him an appraising look and said, "At least you are not a weak minded fool who would stab his own family in the back. Good, we need more wizards with your attitude."
Ignoring the flabbergasted look on everyone's face, Gryffindor continued the conversation as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
After that little mishap with Gryffindor, the dark mood clinging to Harry seemed to have been lifted and Gryffindor himself had grown to be a bit more amiable towards them – even towards Black and Lupin.
"Hm, Draco?" Harry's sleepy voice broke through his thoughts and he turned his head to look at Harry, who stared back at him through half lidded eyes. "Is it time to get up?"
Murmuring a quick Tempus spell, the clock revealed it to be four thirty.
"No, we still have a few hours before we have to get up," Draco murmured and placed his wand back on the nightstand.
Harry hid his yawn behind a hand and snuggled closer to the blond, letting his eyes slip close. "Hm, all right then," he muttered. "I'm going back to sleep."
Draco smiled faintly and – tightening his arms around Harry – he closed his eyes as well, following his lover into the dream world.

20th of December
"I still can't believe that bitch had the nerve to say that about you," Draco hissed viciously when they made their way to Curses after they had finished their Potions' class.
Harry tightened his lips and did his best to ignore the stares and whispers that had started again after the article in today's Morning Prophet.
Molly Weasley had once again managed to convince the newspaper to print a story of hers which had had the purpose of discrediting Harry – again.
This time she actually had had the nerve to imply that Harry rescuing Ginny in his second year had been nothing but a ploy to get him in the good graces of the family. In reality, according to her, Harry had Stunned Ginny and brought her to the Chamber of Secrets, where he would later rescue her so that he would get the image of a hero. This explained why Harry had been the only one who knew where to find the Chamber of Secrets and how to open it.
It was a low blow, but because she never really insulted him, only implied bad things about him, Harry doubted the Ministry would act on their promise to keep a leash on the press.
Because that means they would actually have to do something, he thought sourly and went up another staircase.
It shouldn't have surprised him, really, but he had had the hope that the student body would have grown smarter by now and would realise that this was just another try of Molly to bring him down.
How silly of him to have expected actual common sense of the students. He really should stop assuming that people would be smart when it came to newspapers.
"Let's just try to ignore it, okay?" he murmured and stepped aside to let some second years of Hufflepuff pass. "I'm really not in a mood to deal with this now."
Draco threw him a sympathetic look. "All right, but the first idiot who dares to attack you, will have a meeting with my wand."
"I have no doubt about that," Harry snorted, but a small smile grew on his face.
"Did you cast the spells?" Draco murmured in his ear when they entered the classroom after Moondagger had opened the door.
Harry nodded slightly. It had become a routine question for Draco to ask whether Harry had casted the protection charm around his stomach. Every lesson required another protection charm, so depending on the classes, he had to renew the charm three to four times a day.
They took their seats in the middle of the row closest to the door; they had quickly discovered that being surrounded by their fellow Slytherins in the front and the back was safer than sitting in the back of the classroom.
With one glare, Moondagger managed to silence the entire class. He snorted and leant against his desk, twirling his wand between his fingers. "Last week I introduced you lot to curses designed to target the organs and bone structure. This week I will attempt to enrich your knowledge with curses that target the nerve structure in the body." His narrowed eyes flitted from one student to the next. "As always, the curses I will let you attempt, will be fired at the practice dummy." He pointed at the face less, human like doll standing in the back of the classroom. "If I see one curse straying towards one of your fellow students, detention will be the least of your problems."
Threat hanging in the air, he clapped his hands and grabbed the handbook lying on his desk. "Turn to page seventy-eight. We will start with a curse that will twist the nerves in the limbs together."
The lesson continued without mishaps until nearly the end. Moondagger had hit the doll with the Multi spell and had directed four students at once to cast their spells at the dolls. The students had to use a curse which would turn the nerves into liquid; this curse was known for the crackling sound it made when it hit its target and with its loud noise, it practically drowned out other noises in the classroom.
The four students were standing next to each other in the middle of the room and the other students formed a half circle around them; the desks were shoved to the walls to provide a lot of space. To make certain only the four appointed students would practice the curses, Moondagger had ordered the other students to place their wands down on their table.
It happened when the four curses collided with the practice dummies.
Harry watched intently how the curse of a Ravenclaw student hit the dummy and was seemingly absorbed by it. The practice dummy started to tremble and the limbs were waving around madly and the doll sunk to the floor.
So absorbed was he in studying the effects of the curse that he didn't pick up the words of another curse.
He did however hear the sharp gasp coming from Draco and he had just turned his head to ask his boyfriend what was wrong when Draco suddenly jumped in front of him and blocked his sight.
"Draco, what …"
He didn't get the chance to finish his inquiry, because a jagged, black line hit Draco fully in his back and the blond let out an agonized scream, sinking down on his knees.
"Draco!?" Harry followed his lover on the ground, where the blond started to tremble, curled up in a ball, while his hands were scrambling over the floor, trying to grip something. "Draco?"
"Hu-hurts," Draco brought out through his clenched teeth and his eyes rolled back in the sockets, several spasms going through his body.
"Nobody leaves this room!" Moondagger snapped and the other students stumbled backwards, being driven back both by Moondagger's dark glare and Ruby and Mara snarling and circling around the two boys.
"What's happening to him?" Harry asked the ex Auror and the first tendrils of panic started to close around him. What was that curse and what was happening to Draco? Why had someone fired a curse at him?
Moondagger approached them, being wary of the still growling animals and studied Draco's trembling form.
Harry had gripped the flaying arms to avoid Draco from hurting himself more, but he felt helpless.
"Sir, could you help me bring him to the hospital? The nurse will …"
"The nurse won't be able to help him, Potter," Moondagger interrupted him harshly and Harry stared at the man blankly.
"Why not? Do you know the counter curse?"
"Potter, the curse Malfoy was hit with is the Hostile Corpus curse," Moondagger murmured and pity shone through his eyes.
Numb.
That was how Harry felt now. He slid his eyes towards Draco's face that was grimacing in pain and his hands tightened around the violently trembling arms.
Moondagger had made a mistake; there was no way Draco was hit by the Hostile Corpus curse. Because if he was, that meant …
He bit his lower lip hard enough to taste copper, but he couldn't care less about that. Vaguely he heard Moondagger questioning the other students, demanding them to tell him who fired the curse, but he didn't care about that. How could he care about that now, when Draco was … when Draco was …
There were few curses that didn't possess a counter curse. The most famous one was the Killing curse and the Hostile Corpus curse was another one. It essentially meant that the body would start attacking itself violently and the nerve system and organs would be the first to suffer under the never-ending attack. The curse had been developed in such a manner that a counter curse was not possible. Several brilliant Spell masters had, throughout the years, tried to develop a counter curse, but every single one of them had failed.
After the curse was cast, the victim had around two hours to live, though those last two hours would be filled with agonizing pain. Because of that, anyone found guilty of using the curse was either sentenced the Kiss or lifelong imprisonment.
"This is not happening. You're not … you can't …" Harry tried to bring out, but something seemed to block his throat, preventing him from getting his words out. From the corners of his eyes he saw a bright blue spark and suddenly the both of them were cut off from the rest of the group by a bright blue shield that sparked dangerously. Not particularly interested in the origin of the shield nor the shouting of the students and Moondagger, Harry tangled their fingers together and squeezed tightly into Draco's hands. "You can't leave me, you hear me? I need you; we need you," he choked out and on an impulse, he brought their linked hands to his stomach. "You said we would get through this together! You can't …"
"So- sorry, it-it hu-urts," Draco whimpered and another violent spasm ranked through his body.
This could not be happening; they had fucking survived Voldemort! Draco could not be dying, because a student fired a curse! He couldn't …
"Put your hands on his forehead and stomach." Mara suddenly slipped through a small hole in the shield. The shield made a hissing sound, before it closed again behind her.
"What?" Harry jerked his head to the right to stare at her.
"Put your hands on his forehead and stomach, now!" she growled impatiently and Harry hastily complied.
"Close your eyes and concentrate on your magic," she instructed him and bewildered, he did what she said. "Concentrate on the burning feeling in your back and direct your magic to it."
"What am I …"
Before Harry could finish his question, a sudden tug at his stomach made him nearly fall over and he felt something pulsing in his lower back. Before panic could rear its ugly head again, a sudden, ferocious roar filled his ears and arms, as hot as fire, seemed to embrace him fleetingly, before they left him and hovered over his hands.
"Whatever you do, do not open your eyes."
Breathing quickening, he felt two hot hands closing around his own, fusing with his skin and even without opening his eyes, he knew they were glowing fiercely. Underneath his hands, he felt another spasm running through Draco's body and he swallowed.
Knowing he could trust Mara, even without having any idea what was going on, he let himself be swept away by his magic and let it do whatever it wanted to do, trusting it would know what it should do.
He didn't know how long he sat there, kneeling; his sense of time was thrown off from the moment he found himself in the midst of his magic whirling around him. He didn't know what the students were doing, what Moondagger was doing and whether the culprit was caught, but what he did know, was that when he finally opened his eyes, he stared right into wide grey eyes.
Draco laid in front of him, one hand splayed across his chest while the other one gripped Harry's leg.
His magic retreated and he briefly closed his eyes when cool fingers flitted across his face, his magic darting around his head, before it sunk back into its core, filling him with wonder and a sense of contentment.
"Harry?" Draco asked him with a hoarse voice.
Harry smiled and bent down to press their lips together. "You're back," he whispered against dry lips. His hand on Draco's forehead shifted upwards to stroke through the sweaty, blond hair. "Sleep now. You need it."
Despite the wariness in his eyes, Draco threw him a trusting look and closed his eyes with a soft sigh.
The hand in blond hair stilled and Harry sat up. His lips tightened and his eyes narrowed.
They had gone too far now. He had been lenient so far, as the curses and spells hadn't been that serious, but this time they had gone too far. And he would make them pay.
Mara and Ruby, who were slowly lowering the shield, purred when they felt the rage coming off their master's body and their eyes glowed ominously.
It seemed their master had finally had enough.

Gaining awareness was a slow process. He wanted to sleep some more; had the faint hope that more sleep would make him stop feeling like he was dropped from his broom at a great height, but he knew that he should wake up. He couldn't keep sleeping, even though the thought was tempting.
Slowly grey eyes opened and they were looking at a light blue ceiling. The walls were painted in a darker shade of blue and that coupled with the closed door and the more luxurious sheets made him realize he was most likely laying in a private room in the Infirmary.
He turned his head and saw Harry standing in front of the only window. A faint frown marred his forehead, but his eyes shone with a strange calm. One hand laid on the windowsill while the other one was slowly caressing his stomach.
Their soft breathing was the only sound that filled the room and Draco felt as if he was hypnotized, his gaze focused on the hand moving across a flat stomach.
He must have made some sound, because Harry turned around and his eyes lightened up. Quickly he crossed the room and sat down on the bed, his dark hair looking even more ruffled than normal.
Before Draco could even attempt to ask his first question, Harry had bent down and fastened their lips together. Hands held his face tenderly, which was a sharp contrast to how harshly Harry was kissing him. Gasping sounds were muffled thanks to their lips and Draco returned the kiss with equal force; his arms coming up to close around Harry's neck.
When they finally separated, their lips were slightly swollen and very red; their breath released in soft pants.
"Don't ever do that to me again, you hear me," Harry murmured and a thumb caressed his cheekbone.
Draco shifted a bit and winced when he felt his muscles protest. "What exactly happened?"
His memory was fuzzy. He could remember hearing the first syllable of a curse, saw the wand aimed at Harry and remembered covering Harry with his body before the curse was fully launched. After that, all he could recall was a lot of pain. Agonizing pain and the sensation of his nerves getting fried and his organs squeezed.
Evidently somebody had managed to cure him and bring him to the Infirmary, but what exactly had occurred during the time he had been semi-conscious?
Harry sighed and straightened his back, though he kept one hand on Draco's cheek. "You were hit by the Hostile Corpus curse," he replied after a short moment of hesitation.
Draco blinked and wondered whether he had heard Harry correctly. "Are you sure? Because that curse has no …"
"No counter curse, yeah, I know," Harry answered and his eyes darkened momentarily. "But Moondagger recognized it from your symptoms and your fingers were starting to turn blue after just two minutes."
"Then why …"
The dark haired boy frowned and retracted his hand. "I somehow managed to heal you." The next exhale made his hair flutter. "Mara instructed me the entire time and somehow my magic managed to cure you. Afterwards we brought you to the Infirmary and the nurse did a check-up. Aside from sore muscles, there is nothing wrong with you. She does want to keep you here for a few days in case something happens."
"You think it's the bond that managed to help you heal me?" Draco asked softly and entangled their hands together.
Harry nodded. "Sirius and Remus came by earlier and when I described what had happened, they told me they had read a passage in the book that the bond enables someone to heal his partner. Apparently Henry and Lucian had something similar happening to them."
"The bond is getting more and more complex to understand, instead of easier," Draco muttered and frowned.
How much more would they discover about the bond? What other things was it capable of? If it was able to heal a non-curable curse, did it have any limits?
"You shouldn't have done it, though."
Harry's statement brought him back out of his musings and he looked at him confused. "I shouldn't have done what?"
"Jumping in front of me. You could have died, bastard," Harry said through clenched teeth and a spark of anger lightened up in his eyes.
Draco couldn't resist rolling his eyes. "Yes, of course, I should have just let the curse hit you and then both you and our baby would have died. Are you stupid? Why on earth would I just let a curse hit you?"
Harry seemed to struggle with something and for a moment it was quiet. Conflicting emotions were crossing his face rapidly and Draco stayed silent, giving the other one time to collect his thoughts.
"It's … I don't – I don't need protection all the time, just because I'm pregnant," Harry finally answered and he sounded troubled. "I'm capable of protecting myself and I don't want you to throw yourself in front of danger. Do you have any idea how it felt like, knowing you were dying and I couldn't do anything?" His eyes glittered with unshed tears.
"Yes, I know, because I felt the same thing when I saw you being attacked by Dumbledore and by Pomfrey," Draco replied forcefully and struggled to sit up. "Harry, even if you weren't carrying my baby, I still would have protected you. I love you and I'd do anything to keep you safe."
"You could have pushed me aside, instead of jumping in front of me!" Harry accused him and angrily wiped his hand across his eyes. "You're always scolding me for jumping head first into danger, but what do you think you just did? You threw yourself in front of a curse that could have bloody killed you! Damn it, Draco! I need you and …The baby needs both of us; not one parent dead, because …"
"I know," Draco whispered and closed his arms around Harry, pulling him closer. Harry leant his forehead against his shoulder and arms came around his waist and tightened.
"Don't ever do that again," Harry whispered against his shoulder and Draco merely embraced him tighter.
He couldn't promise something like that; doing that would be the same as stating he didn't care what happened to Harry.
Looking back at it now, he admitted quietly to himself that he probably should have just pulled Harry out of the way and let the curse hit the wall, but at that moment all he could remember thinking was that he had to protect Harry, that he couldn't let him be harmed.
For a while, they just sat together, embracing each other. Draco's hand rose up to run through unruly, black hair and in turn Harry softly rubbed his neck.
"Did they manage to find the one who fired the curse?" Draco eventually asked and absentmindedly wondered how late it was.
Harry nodded and shifted closer to him. "Yes, it was someone from Ravenclaw. He apparently has a crush on Ginny and had decided that I should pay for bringing her into danger," he answered and sounded bitter.
"So he decided to use a deadly curse, just because of a crush?" Draco asked incredulously and his hand stilled. Weren't Ravenclaws supposed to be smart?
"Hm; there is probably more to it, but that's all that he was willing to say to McGonagall," Harry said and sighed.
"What is McGonagall going to do with him?"
"She called the Aurors and let him be taken away. His trial will probably happen somewhere after Christmas. For now he'll be staying in Azkaban."
"How did they find out who did it? I can hardly imagine that guy would be willing to admit it."
Harry let out a strange huff, as if he was half amused. "Clearly you underestimate our pets. I don't know how they did it and frankly I don't particularly care either. They singled the guy out and grabbed him by his robes when he tried to run. He admitted to using the curse after … the use of Veritaserum that Snape brought."
Draco raised an eyebrow at the small pause. "Did something else happen?"
"Why would something else have happened?"
"You paused right before saying he was given Veritaserum," Draco pointed out. "Was he given something else?"
"Not really," Harry admitted hesitatingly.
Draco pushed him back a little to study his face. Green eyes flitted to his own, before they looked away while a red sheen coloured cheekbones. Shoulders rose up as if Harry wanted to make himself smaller.
"What did you do?" The blond asked softly and pulled Harry's chin up so that he could look him in his eyes.
Harry fidgeted and avoided his eyes.
"Harry?"
"Master punished the attacker," Ruby suddenly spoke up.
Startled, Draco turned his head and saw Ruby standing up, approaching the bed. Mara was still laying down on the floor, though her eyes were alert and trained on them. Garin was curled up on her back and seemed to be dozing off.
"Ruby," Harry spoke tersely and glared at the large lion.
Fiery red eyes stared at him calmly. "Master was right in punishing the attacker. Master had to defend his mate."
Harry clenched his jaw and looked away, though his face revealed his embarrassment.
"What did you do, Harry?" Draco softly repeated his question.
"I may have used some spells that convinced him to confess," Harry grudgingly admitted and he seemed ashamed of himself.
Draco blinked and then smiled, giving Harry's hand a squeeze. "Thank you," he simply said.
Harry's face coloured more, but he gave a small smile back.

23rd of December
The story of Draco being attacked and the perpetrator sent to Azkaban went through the entire school in no time at all and the rest of the week, students kept a wary eye on Harry and Draco (who was released from the Infirmary on Thursday). There were no more attacks, but it was obvious that the student body didn't know what to think of the couple now.
Harry wasn't too bothered with the wary stares of the other students; as long as nobody attacked him or Draco, he didn't care what they thought about him.
On Friday, most students were huddling together at the station, waiting for the train to take them to London, so they could start their holiday.
After exchanging letters, it was decided that Harry, Sirius, Remus and Snape would spend the holidays at Malfoy Manor. Sirius had protested at first, claiming he didn't wanted to intrude, but Narcissa had been firm in her decision and had even resorted to threatening Sirius with colouring his hair permanently green if they didn't spend the holidays at the manor.
Remus had interfered and after a long discussion, both parties had agreed that Sirius, Remus and Harry would spend Friday and Saturday at Grimmauld Place, so that the Weasley brothers could visit Harry and exchange gifts. Even though the twins, Bill and Charlie had accepted Draco, they still didn't feel comfortable around Lucius and Narcissa and in order to avoid an awkward atmosphere, the decision was made to keep both families separate for now (Harry was hoping that both families would manage to reconcile in the near future, because he didn't want to choose between them).
When they arrived at the station after an uneventful train trip, Draco and Harry embraced each other, sharing a sweet kiss.
"I'll see you Sunday," Draco smiled and pressed another kiss on Harry's lips.
Harry smiled back. "Yes, I'll see you Sunday."
"Don't forget to take a picture when you tell them the news," Draco murmured in his ear and his eyes twinkled mischievously.
Harry rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "Behave," he muttered, though a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Draco winked and then left to join his parents.
"Ready to go?" Sirius asked once he and Remus had collected their bags.
Harry nodded and after putting the coordinates of Grimmauld Place in the device Narcissa had lent him, they all appeared in front of Grimmauld Place.
"Thank Merlin it'll be only for two days," Sirius muttered darkly and they entered the house after it appeared in front of them.
Harry and Remus shared a look, but didn't speak up.

A couple of hours later, Dobby and another Hogwarts house elf were preparing dinner. When Dobby had somehow discovered that "the great Harry Potter" would have dinner with guests, he had eagerly offered his help, not wanting Master Harry Potter to stress himself by preparing the food.
Harry had protested, said that he, Remus and Sirius would be able to prepare dinner on their own (well, Sirius was a doubtful case), but Dobby would have none of it and insisted on helping them.
Sirius had shrugged and had told the house elf to do what he wanted, as long as he didn't mind the sour house elf Kreacher.
Charlie (who had taken two days off to visit Harry), Bill and his wife Fleur (who was happy to see Harry again) and the twins arrived in the afternoon; all of them sporting a big grin.
"Dad is held up at work, but he said he'll visit tomorrow," Charlie explained, when Remus inquired after Arthur.
"Glad to see you can function – "
"Well without Blondie attached to your hip," George finished his brother's sentence and both flashed a grin.
Harry snorted and rolled his eyes. "We're not that bad, guys," he protested and got his hair ruffled in response.
"You're so cute – "
"When you're in denial," Fred snickered and greeted Sirius and Remus.
"I am 'appy to see you again, 'Arry," Fleur smiled and kissed him on both cheeks, bringing with her the scent of roses.
Harry smiled back. "Glad to see you as well, Fleur." He nodded to the man joining her. "Bill."
Bill shook his hand and grinned. "Glad to see you're well, Harry."
Several plates with snacks beautifully arranged on it popped up on the table in the middle of the room and eight glasses appeared next to it. A bottle of Elven wine and apple juice was put next to them. Plates with raw meat on them were placed on the floor for Ruby, Garin and Sapphire and Harry was pretty certain that Hedwig got her own festive meal.
Glasses filled with wine were passed around and Remus handed Harry a glass with sparkling apple juice.
The difference in drinks didn't go unnoticed by the Weasleys.
"Can our little Harry – "
"Not hold his drink?" George teased and both boys grinned widely.
Sirius raised an eyebrow and looked at his godson imploringly.
Harry shifted his feet a bit and took a deep breath. Tightening his fingers around his glass, he looked them all in their eyes and answered, "It's a rather long story, but eh, I'm expecting a baby. I'm three months pregnant."
For a minute shocked faces stared back at him, before Fleur left her place next to her husband and came forwards to hug him. "Congratulations, 'Arry! I am so 'appy for you!" Her light blue eyes sparkled in delight and she pressed a firm kiss on his forehead.
"Damn, this means that there will be – " George started with wide eyes.
"Soon a mini-Malfoy walking around?" Fred finished the question and he gaped at Harry. "Can't decide whether that will be – "
"A good or a bad thing," George continued and then laughed. "Still, congratulations, Harry!"
Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose and smiled shyly. "Thanks, guys."
At least telling them hadn't been as nerve wracking as it had been with Sirius or Draco's parents.
The rest of the evening flew by with laughter and a lot of talking, though all had unanimously agreed to avoid the topic of Ron, Ginny and Mrs Weasley.
The following day, Arthur joined them, looking tired but happy and as soon as he heard the news of Harry's pregnancy, he congratulated him wholeheartedly.
They shared presents that evening and for the first time in a long while, Harry was fully relaxed, enjoying the amiable atmosphere that hung in Grimmauld Place's living room.
He had missed talking with the Weasleys and resolved to meet up more often. He may have lost Ron and Ginny, but he hadn't lost all Weasleys and that thought warmed his heart.

25th of December
"Have you thought about where you'll give birth?" Narcissa suddenly asked and immediately a hushed silence fell over the others.
After the Weasleys had left that morning, Harry, Sirius and Remus had packed their bags again and had Floo'd to Malfoy Manor (Lucius had opened the Floo for the amount of time they had needed to pass through).
Currently they were seated in the spacious living room, enjoying their orange flavoured tea and caramel flavoured biscuits, while the house elves were preparing the Christmas dinner.
Draco and Harry were sitting next to each other with Sirius and Remus on Harry's side. Narcissa occupied an armchair while Snape and Lucius were seated on a couch, placed across Narcissa's armchair.
Harry blinked and lowered his cup of tea. "Eh, no, not really."
"We still have a couple of months to think about that," Draco added after taking a sip of his tea.
Narcissa waved her hand. "Something as important as that should not be put off for long," she informed her son and threw him a piercing look.
Draco sighed softly. "I assume you have thought about suitable locations?"
"Of course I have," she smiled and nipped from her tea. "I am certain, Dragon, that your father has told you about the importance of the manor, correct?"
Harry furrowed his eyebrows and felt quite lost. What had a manor to do with the place where he would have his baby? Remus seemed puzzled as well, though Sirius was frowning thoughtfully.
"Of course." Draco nodded and absentmindedly wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders. "A manor represents a fortress and is the best defence a family has. The magic of the people inhabiting it makes the wards of it stronger and in return for the magic freely given by the inhabitants, the manor protects the family."
She nodded approvingly. "Exactly. This is why I advise the two of you to spend the Easter holidays at the manor you were given when you came of age, Draco. That particular manor hasn't had any inhabitants for a long time and it is best that the wards get used to your presence before the baby arrives."
"You want Harry to give birth in that manor," Sirius suddenly stated and raised an eyebrow.
"Yes; they will be living there after they graduate from Hogwarts and you know as well as I do, Sirius, that it is tradition to give birth in your home. A baby is vulnerable and with them occupying the manor during the Easter holidays, the wards will recognize them immediately when Harry is in labour and will provide the best protection," Narcissa stated confidently.
"But what if Harry goes into labour when he's still in Hogwarts? Babies don't always arrive on time," Remus pointed out.
"I'm still here, guys," Harry murmured, feeling a bit annoyed that they were talking about him as if he wasn't there.
Draco snorted and gave his shoulder a quick squeeze.
"Then we'll use the device to bring him to the manor," she answered idly. "I am not going to let my grandchild be born in a castle full of hostile magical signatures."
Remus opened his mouth, but Snape cut him off abruptly. "Wolf, don't bother. Once she gets an idea stuck in her head, you won't convince her otherwise. Just accept the fact that Potter and Draco will spend the Easter holidays at the manor and that the baby will be born in that same manor."
"So, I don't have any say in this?" Harry didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed.
"None at all," Lucius smiled and shook his head. "Narcissa knows what she is talking about, Harry and it is true that it is better for the baby to be born in the place where you'll live for the rest of your life instead of a castle meant to provide education."
"Of course I know what I am talking about," Narcissa huffed and threw her ex-husband a scowl.
Before either one of them could speak up, a house elf popped up in the room and announced in a high, shrill voice, "Dinner is ready. Mistress and Masters are to present themselves at the dinner table."
They all followed the house elf to the large dinner table and were presented with various dishes steaming with delicious food. It didn't take long for them to sit down and enjoy the delicious food.
After the last plates – which had contained dessert – were transferred to the kitchen and they were all given warm chocolate milk to enjoy, the group went back to the living room where presents were waiting for them underneath the glittering Christmas tree.
Mara and Ruby immediately curled up in front of the large fire, their soft purring accompanying the crackle of the fire while Sapphire kneaded a pillow in the right shape to sleep on. Rowen was already tucked away in the Owelry together with Hedwig and Garin was curled up on a fluffy rug in a corner of the room where it was slightly cooler.
After checking the label on each present, the boxes were quickly divided so that everyone had a pile of gifts in front of them.
Lucius opened his first. From Narcissa, he received a new set of robes and a holster for his wand. Sirius, Remus and Harry had managed to procure the complete set of "Pureblood Families: a Complete History from the Greek Time until Present" which existed out of six large tomes.
Snape had given him a new journal and a note hidden between the pages made Lucius silently huff in amusement, though Snape refused to meet his knowing look. From his son he received two thick tomes which had blank covers. The covers seemed made from soft leather and Lucius' eyebrows rose up in surprise when he opened the first one and glanced at the title.
He looked at his son and Draco merely shrugged and returned a blank gaze, making Harry silently wonder what exactly was written in those books. Not wanting to pry, he didn't ask.
Snape was the next one to open his presents, though he only started unwrapping them after he got nudged in his ribs by the older blond (for which Lucius received a dark glare). He rolled his eyes when he saw that Narcissa had gifted him special lotions that promised to get rid of potion stains both on skin and clothing.
"I can brew these potions whenever I want," Snape pointed out calmly and put the box next to him.
"But now I have given you incentive to actually use them. After all, it's rude to not make use of a gift," Narcissa smiled sweetly and ignored the glowering look she got as reward for her remark.
Lucius and Draco had given him five books about potions that had been written by Potion Masters during the fifteenth and sixteenth century. Remus and Sirius had pitched in to give him a silver cauldron and a silver ladle. Snape merely nodded his thanks, but Remus smiled in response.
As he had not had any clue what to give Snape, Harry had resorted to keeping it safe and had bought vials of various heights and forms for potions to be stored in. Snape studied the glass and copper vials and nodded slowly at Harry, who hid his smile.
Narcissa laughed delighted when she received fancy dress robes from Snape, Lucius, Sirius and Remus. She winked and said teasingly, "What, did you men not know what to buy me?"
"Dress robes are the safest gifts for a society woman like you, 'Cissa," Sirius chuckled, though he seemed surprised at the coincidence.
She shook her head amused and carefully placed the robes next to her so that they wouldn't get wrinkled. Her eyes glittered when she unwrapped the silver necklace her son had given her. A single amethyst stone, shaped as a rose, dangled from the necklace.
"Thank you, Draco," she smiled and kissed his cheek.
When she opened Harry's present, her breath escaped her in a soft gasp and her eyes widened.
"Harry …" she trailed off, staring at him perplexed.
In her hands, she held a box which contained a thin silver ring which was adorned by a single garnet stone. Carefully engraved in the stone was the Potter's emblem. Being of Pureblood descent, Narcissa immediately realized the meaning of this particular ring.
"I, eh, I found a journal of one of my great aunts and she mentioned that she had given that ring to her mother-in-law," Harry muttered and could feel his cheeks heating up. "She said it was used as a symbol to represent the union of two families. And I thought I would … give it to you."
Narcissa carefully slid the ring around her finger and then rose up from her chair to embrace Harry, who started but quickly hugged her back.
"Thank you, Harry. I am really honoured to wear this ring," she whispered and soft, cool lips touched his forehead before she returned back to her seat.
Draco caught his eyes and gave him a soft smile, making his cheeks redden even more.
Luckily for him, Sirius and Remus decided to divert the attention to them unwrapping their presents so that Harry had time to calm down.
Narcissa had given them an invitation to enjoy a dinner for two at a high class restaurant, which she assured them was not led by people discriminating against magical creatures. Sirius received a book about the most difficult spells in the Transfiguration field and Remus one about Defence against the Dark Arts.
When they both opened a small box which was given to them by Draco, their eyebrows rose up and they stared at him; in Remus' case, he was speechless while Sirius looked more calculating.
"What did Draco give you?" Harry asked curiously and leant slightly forwards.
Remus picked up the object and held it in the air. It was a small, crystal ball that rested on a marble stand. A strange mist was drifting inside the ball and it was coloured a milky white.
"What is that?" Harry asked perplexed. He didn't think Draco had given them a crystal ball meant for divination. If he had, he would need to have a serious conversation with Draco about gifts that pertained to their interests. Divination wasn't one of their interests.
"It's tied to the baby's magical signature," Remus spoke slowly while his eyes studied the ball critically.
"And what does it do?"
"It lets us know when the baby will need us in case both of you are unavailable to care for the baby," Sirius replied in a flat voice. "When we're not needed, the mist will be white. If however the baby feels distressed and needs help and you're not near, the mist will turn various shades of red, depending on the urgency."
"Interesting choice of gift, darling," Narcissa remarked and her eyes glittered oddly.
Draco shrugged half-heartedly. "I trust them more with the welfare of our baby than Blaise and Daphne. They are good friends, but when it comes to the baby …" he trailed off uncertainly and his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
Remus smiled and carefully placed the ball back in the box. "Sirius and I really appreciate your gift, Draco. Thank you."
Sirius didn't say anything, but nodded once with pursed lips.
Remus chuckled and shook his head when they opened the box Harry had given them.
"Can't have your duelling skills becoming rusty," Harry grinned.
In the box were two books about the best way to duel and spells especially designed to duel. It also included various small boxes which, when unfolded, would provide targets to practice on and mattresses to fall on.
"Your turn to open the presents, Harry," Sirius grinned and gestured towards the pile waiting in front of Harry's feet.
The first one on the pile was a small, rectangular box wrapped in bright red paper. Harry picked it up and was surprised at the light weight.
"Wait, that one needs to be enlarged," Sirius muttered suddenly and leant forwards to tap his wand on the package.
Immediately the box was enlarged until it was laying on both Harry's and Draco's legs.
"What on earth did you buy?" Harry asked puzzled and narrowed his eyes when he saw Sirius' large grin. A tad apprehensively, he ripped the paper and gaped when a picture of the Thunderbolt 6000 – the newest released broom, said to be three times as fast as the Firebolt – greeted him. "Sirius, you didn't!"
"But I did," Sirius laughed.
"This must have cost a lot! You didn't have to buy one – my Firebolt works just fine," Harry retorted and bit his lip. If his Firebolt (which was tucked away in his trunk) had been broken, he could have understood – sort of – why Sirius had bought him a new broom, even when he could have afford to buy one on his own.
"Harry, for the love of Merlin, don't act so stubborn and just accept the broom, all right?" Sirius huffed and raked a hand through his hair. "With someone cursing your Firebolt, I'm not comfortable with you using that one. I should have done this sooner, but during that time I didn't know I had to do that. Before I wrapped the broom, I put some extra protection on it – if someone tries to curse this broom, the curse will rebound and the effect will be twice as powerful."
"Of course you'll have to wait with flying properly on it until the baby is born," Remus added and didn't look as if he wanted to scold his lover for spending such an excessive amount on one broom, which led Harry to assume that the older man probably agreed with Sirius' reasoning.
Harry sighed resigned and put the broom on the floor. "Fine, but you're not allowed to buy another broom for me," he replied firmly.
Sirius rolled his eyes and muttered something underneath his breath.
Remus' gift turned out to be a golden Snitch.
Harry stared at him surprised.
"In case you still want to play some Quidditch after you graduate," Remus explained bashfully and shrugged.
"Thanks," Harry smiled and placed the box on the broom.
The next package, gifted by Lucius, contained both a book about curses and a white cradle with a silver bow.
"Narcissa has already been looking at furniture for the baby's room, but I managed to get this one before she did," Lucius chuckled and ignored his ex-wife's slight pout.
"Thank you; it's beautiful," Harry murmured and could easily imagine his baby sleeping peacefully in the beautiful cradle. With a smile, he put it next to him, stacking the book on top of the large box.
Narcissa's gift turned out to be some regular sweaters and trousers, maternity sweaters for men and rompers in various colours like soft purple, light blue, white, dark green. Some of the rompers had pictures on it like a laughing sun or dancing flowers.
"You can never be too early with getting some decent clothes for both you and the baby," Narcissa gave as explanation for the diversity in clothes. "The rompers adjust to the baby until he or she is one years old and then you'll have to buy new clothes."
Harry laughed delighted and Draco chuckled. "Thank you, Narcissa."
The next gift was from Draco and it contained a leather holster for his wand which had protection spells woven into the leather and a charm in the shape of a tiger, which could be added to the thin bracelet he had received last Christmas.
"The tiger is a symbol of protection and I added a few more protection spells to it," Draco said and helped Harry connect the charm to his bracelet. "I figured you could use the extra protection."
Harry rolled his eyes, but smiled and gave the blond a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."
There was one thin gift left and Harry stared at it puzzled, wondering from who it came. He picked it up and the way it easily bent and folded beneath his grip made him realize the package contained some kind of clothing.
Thoroughly confused, he slowly opened it and blinked when he saw the content. It was a dark green romper, but instead of it being a regular one with a picture on the front, this one would make the baby resemble a mini dragon. It even had a mini tail attached to the back with dark green spikes stitched on it. Two brown horns at the top were filled with wool so that they would point upwards when the hood of the romper was pulled over the baby's head. Two large green eyes were stitched on the edge of the hood and around the neckline small, sharp, white teeth, resembling those of a dragon, were stitched.
Two small mittens that ended in claws filled with wool were attached to the arms of the romper.
"This is cute," Harry chuckled and held up the romper in the air, showing it off to everybody. "And it shows who the father is."
Draco smirked and took the romper in his own hands, turning it around to look at the tail. "Did you buy this, mother?" he asked curiously, absentmindedly touching the spikes on the tail.
Narcissa narrowed her eyes. "No, I didn't. Lucius?"
"No need to look at me." Lucius shook his head.
Remus and Sirius also denied buying it.
"Then who did …" Narcissa suddenly pursed her lips and scowled at Snape, who raised his eyebrow. "Really, Severus?"
Snape looked calmly back. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Are you already trying to win over my grandchild by buying it cute clothes?" she accused him, though her eyes glittered with amusement.
"Why on earth would I buy something cute for the brat?" Snape sneered and crossed his arms.
"Because you secretly have a soft spot for the baby already?" she teased him and laughed.
He scowled. "I do not have a soft spot for that brat."
"Whatever you say, Severus, whatever you say," she replied lightly.
When she looked away and Snape caught Harry's eyes, Harry gave him a small smile. The older man looked away almost immediately, but Harry thought he could see his face soften a bit.
Draco was the last one to open his presents. His mother had given him several sets of robes made of high quality fabric, sweaters and trousers. From his father he received a thick file and he nodded gratefully to his father, making Harry wonder once more what was exactly written in the file.
Snape had given him a Potions book aimed at students studying the art on a higher level. Remus gave him a book about the best Quidditch tactics (some of them not quite legal) which made Draco laugh.
Harry had had a hard time finding something suitable for Draco and had eventually settled on combining Draco's two major interests: Healing and Potions. It had taken some time, but he had eventually tracked down a shop that sold books which showed through examples how Healing spells could be combined with potions.
Draco thanked him by pressing a soft kiss on his lips.
There was one gift left and Draco opened it with an apprehensive face when the tag on it mentioned it was from Sirius.
Not able to contain his curiosity this time, wanting to know what his godfather had bought for Draco, Harry shifted a bit closer to the blond, so that he could look at the content of the gift.
It turned out to be a small, copper locket with the Black crest proudly displayed on it. Harry didn't really understand what it meant, but he did feel Draco stiffening and staring at Sirius wide-eyed.
Sirius refused to look at him and studied the bright wrapping paper strewn around the floor. "Take good care of it – it's a rather old artefact and I'd rather not have my mother coming back from beyond the grave to haunt us because you managed to break it," he said gruffly.
"I swear I'll take good care of it," Draco replied solemnly and carefully closed the box in which the locked was displayed.
"Draco?" Harry inquired softly and Draco shook his head softly.
"Just a Pureblood tradition," he replied distracted and glanced back at the closed box.

A few hours later, it was decided they would all retire to bed. His mother informed everyone where they could sleep and that was when Black started to protest the arrangements.
"But they are still too …"
"Sirius, Harry is pregnant; it's in the child's best interest if the parents spend the night near each other," Mother replied and she sounded slightly exasperated.
"But they …"
"Sirius, you know that the baby needs both of their magic," Lupin interrupted him and threw him a stern look. "Now stop complaining. Let's go to bed – I'm tired and I want to sleep."
Black continued to mutter underneath his breath, but didn't protest when Harry and Draco bid them good night and left to retire to Draco's bedroom.
Draco's bedroom was in a separate wing, so when they arrived at the top of the stairs, they went left instead of right, which would have led them to the guests' wing and his parents' wing.
While they crossed two corridors before going up another staircase, Draco contemplated the gift he had received from Black. Honestly, he hadn't expected to get anything from the man, even with the objects he had chosen for Black and Lupin.
Harry had thrown him various confused looks after he had unwrapped Black's gift, but he hadn't been able to answer those looks. He still couldn't believe Black had given him this particular artefact.
The copper locket belonged to the Black family and the owner of it would pass the locket on to whomever he or she deemed fit as a partner for their child. It was a symbol of acceptance.
Draco didn't quite dare to hope, but he couldn't quell the longing for Black's acceptance of him. Ultimately it didn't really matter whether Black accepted him or not, because Harry had made it quite clear he chose for him and Lupin had expressed his acceptance, but as he was Harry's legal guardian (and thanks to old Pureblood traditions) Draco wanted Black to give him his acceptance.
Was this locket the first step to Black accepting him? Or was he getting ahead of himself?
"Draco?"
Draco blinked and was surprised to discover they had already arrived in front of his closed bedroom door.
"Ah yes," he muttered and opened the door, gesturing for Harry to enter first.
While Harry was slowly walking around the large bedroom, admiring it, Draco hastily put his gifts away and grabbed a small box he had hidden in one of the pockets of his bathrobe. He had ordered it weeks ago, just a while after they had told Black about the baby. He hadn't been certain at first when to give it, but eventually he had decided that today would be a good day to give it to his lover.
He only hoped Harry wouldn't think the gift was weird or inappropriate.
"You have a very nice bedroom," Harry complimented him when he turned around.
The dark haired boy was sitting on the edge of the large bed; his fingers playing absently with the soft sheets. His presents had been placed on Draco's desk with the crib on the floor.
"Thanks," Draco murmured and stepped closer to Harry. When he was right in front of his boyfriend, he kneeled down until he was sitting on the floor, looking up at confused green eyes.
"There is one more gift I want to give you," he murmured.
Harry blinked. "Oh?"
"It's not really for Christmas," Draco said and after slightly hesitating, he continued, "It's a gift, because we're together for one year now and I wanted to get you something to show how much you mean to me."
"Damn, Draco, I didn't buy anything for this occasion; I'm so sorry!" Harry exclaimed horrified. "I swear I've not forgotten that we're together for a year, but I didn't think we …"
"Harry, it's fine! Don't worry about it," Draco reassured him. "I just wanted to give you something."
Harry still looked troubled, so Draco quickly withdrew the box from behind his back and showed it to the boy.
"Did you know there are symbols someone can use to show how many years they are together?" he started conversationally. "Being together for one year is often shown by the gemstone olivine." With that said, he opened the box and showed Harry the small olivine stone on the thin, golden ring.
Rendered speechless, Harry plucked the ring out of the box with trembling fingers and held it in front of his eyes.
"I know that the ring could be misunderstood by the public if they see you wearing it, so that's why I enchanted it to stay only visible for our eyes," Draco continued hesitatingly. "Of course, if you don't mind everybody seeing it, then I can remove the charm, but I thought you wouldn't want unneeded attention, so …"
"It's beautiful," Harry interrupted him suddenly and looked at him with glittering eyes. "Thank you," he whispered and let Draco slid the ring around his right middle finger. "Now I feel so guilty for not buying you anything."
"Don't," the blond assured him and rose up to sit next to him on the bed, admiring the way the candle light caressed the gemstone and made it shine. "I'm already happy that you accepted it."
"You can be incredibly sappy at times, you know," Harry teased him, though even in the candlelight, Draco could see his flushed cheeks betraying his embarrassment.
Draco huffed. "See if I do something nice for you again," he muttered.
Harry chuckled and kissed his cheek quickly. "Is there a set time we have to get up tomorrow?" he whispered and his hand shifted over Draco's leg to his hip, slipping underneath his shirt.
Raising an eyebrow and eyeing the sneaky hand amused, Draco shook his head. "No, as long as we are up before eleven o'clock, mother and father don't particularly care if we sleep a bit longer than usual."
"Good," Harry murmured and then stood up, pulling his sweater over his head. "How sleepy are you?"
A smirk appeared on Draco's face. "On a scale from zero to ten? Zero."
Harry laughed. "Well then, mind joining me in bed?"
"Don't mind if I do," Draco muttered and pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it down on the floor. The house elves would take care of the clothes in the morning.
They hastily stripped until they only had their boxers on and climbed in bed, sliding underneath the cool sheets.
With a quick muttered spell, Draco locked the door and just in case put a Silence Bubble around the room as well. Normally none of the other occupants in the manor should be able to hear them, giving the location of the wings, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
"You've got to love magic," Harry whispered in his ear and swung his leg over Draco's hips.
Draco placed his wand on the nightstand and turned to face his lover, pulling his body tighter by gripping his hip.
Their lips found each other and they rubbed against each other, before Draco felt a tongue softly pushing against his closed mouth. He opened his mouth slightly and the tip of their tongues touched, before they curled around each other, each swallowing the other one's moan.
Feather like touches were placed on his arms and chest, before they turned firmer and gripped him tightly when Harry pulled back with a gasp. Draco's head fell back and his eyes closed involuntarily when teeth closed softly around a patch of his skin in his neck. The teeth bit down a bit harder, before a tongue swept over the swollen area in apology.
His own hands slowly caressed toned skin, briefly stopping at the stomach to touch it tenderly, before they swept across Harry's lower stomach, making his lover hiss in response.
Draco grinned and briefly dipped his fingers between Harry's stomach and boxers, before he removed them and instead swept his thumb over a raised nipple, making the body next to him squirm lightly.
A groan left their throats when they pressed their hips together completely and they fumbled around until they managed to get rid of their boxers, leaving them completely naked underneath the warmed up sheets.
Harry let out a soft gasp and squeaked when Draco touched him lightly on the back of his knee and squirmed away. "Ticklish," he muttered and the blond smirked.
"Don't even think about it," Harry said in a threatening tone when he noticed the mischievous glint in the grey eyes of his lover.
Draco raised his hands. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Hm." Harry raised an eyebrow, a sceptical look on his face, but he shuffled closer again, until their bodies were pressed together, entangling their legs.
Draco trailed a line of kisses from Harry's collarbone, over his neck, chin, cheeks until he reached his mouth and pushed their lips together. A soft moan was his response and hands slid into his hair, mussing it up in the progress. Those hands tightened slightly when he rolled them over until he was laying on top of Harry, between his spread legs.
His breath hitched when Harry rolled his hips upwards and he bucked back, creating friction.
"Do you have lube here?" Harry whispered and he sounded slightly husky.
"Hm, I put it in the nightstand when I arrived home," Draco replied and pulled back, so that he could shuffle to his nightstand. He opened the second drawer and riffled through it, pushing back some quills and ink pots. He found the tube near the back of the drawer and withdrew his hand, taking it with him.
Quickly he moved back to his place between Harry's legs and slowly pushed them up.
Pressing his lips against Harry’s to distract him, he put a dollop of lube on his fingers and carefully pressed one finger against Harry’s entrance, feeling him tense up a bit when he slipped his finger inside. His other hand closed around Harry’s hard cock when he added a second finger and he started stretching him slowly, keeping track of the way Harry reacted to the touches to know when he could add another finger.
Soft whimpers were slipping out half closed lips and they turned into a loud moan when Draco entered him with three fingers and managed to locate his sweet spot.
“Ah, Draco!”
Hands clenched around his shoulders and Draco felt inner muscles clenching around his fingers when he hit that spot a few more times.
When he next looked at Harry’s face, he noticed the flushed cheeks, the darkened emerald green eyes and reddened, swollen lips, making him swallow.
“I’m ready,” Harry breathed out and Draco had barely retracted his fingers, before he was suddenly flipped over so that he was the one laying down on the bed.
“Harry?” he asked confused and wanted to sit up again, but two hands on his shoulders prevented him from rising up.
Harry shook his head and grinned. Steadying himself on his hands, he swung his leg over Draco’s hip, so that he ended up straddling the blond.
“What are you …” Draco’s inquiry was cut off abruptly when he felt Harry grabbing hold of his hard cock and he made a choking sound when Harry sank down on his cock, enveloping it in a searing warmth and his hands shot out to grab Harry’s hips.
“Thought it was time for some change,” Harry muttered and breathed heavily through his nose; his hands clenched and unclenched in the sheets. His eyes fluttered close and he shifted a bit, trying to get used again to the feeling of Draco inside of him.
Draco forced himself to keep still so that he didn’t end up hurting Harry and quirked an eyebrow. “Well, I can’t say I mind the view,” he smirked and caressed Harry’s side with one hand. His eyes glided over the heaving chest, the red coloured nipples and he bit back a moan when Harry shifted again, managing to sink down completely on him.
A short while later, Harry apparently decided he was comfortable enough and he started moving up and down; slowly at first, before he gradually sped up, the muscles in his legs tensing every time he rose up.
Draco sat up a bit, raising his legs so that Harry could find balance against his knees and pulled Harry down by his neck, so that he could kiss him properly. A whimper was torn from Harry’s throat when Draco bucked his hips on his next thrust downwards and the blond knew he had found Harry’s prostate when the dark haired boy groaned loudly and muttered a quiet “Fuck.”
Draco grinned and took advantage of Harry’s gasp to slip his tongue inside of his mouth, curling it around the tongue he found there.
The room was filled with broken moans, sighs, groans and the sound of their skin slapping against each other and Draco felt his climax building up slowly.
Wanting to come together, he forced himself to hold back and while still embracing Harry’s shoulders with one arm, he slipped his free hand between their bodies and firmly grabbed Harry’s leaking cock, hearing a soft whine escape from his lover. He started stroking him, his thumb rubbing over a vein and it didn’t take long for Harry to tense his muscles around him.
“DRACO!” Harry shouted when he reached his peak and Draco joined him seconds later, not minding that his stomach became slightly coated with Harry’s release.
Harry slumped forwards and Draco caught him, giving him a kiss on his temple.
“I’ve missed this,” Harry breathed out and his left hand started to play with Draco’s slightly sweaty, mussed up hair.
Draco tightened his grip around Harry; he had missed this as well. Sure, he and Harry usually spent at least two to three nights together in Hogwarts, but most of the time they were too tired to do anything. This was one of the few times when they were both relaxed and they revelled in being able to enjoy each other without having to worry about unfinished homework, threats of other students and a clock that seemed to enjoy making time they spent together fly by quickly.
Harry stirred after a while and when he looked Draco straight in his eyes, Draco bent his head and caught Harry’s lips in a soft kiss. He felt himself hardening again, and never having slipped out of his lover, he rolled them around so that he was on top this time.
Feeling Harry’s legs coming up around his hips, he pulled back a bit until only his tip was still inside and then pushed back in slowly, being content to just set a slow pace.
With the next thrust, his mouth slipped away from Harry’s and he sucked at a spot near Harry’s right shoulder; his mouth was filled with the faint taste of Harry’s sweat.
Nails raked across his back lightly, leaving a faint stinging sensation behind, when Draco shifted his hips and apparently pressed against Harry’s prostate with his next thrust.
“Hm, right there,” Harry moaned and Draco complied, doing his best to constantly hit that particular spot with each thrust.
Hands busied themselves with caressing stomachs that clenched and unclenched and thumbs flicked teasingly over hardened nipples. Tongues slid over heated and sweaty skin and teeth placed teasing bites.
This time when they climaxed, Harry’s whimper was swallowed by Draco’s mouth and Draco’s moan was quietened by Harry’s lips.
They rested for a while, laying down next to each other, waiting for their heart to calm down a bit.
The sheets made a rustling sound when Harry sat up and Draco could clearly see his legs and arms tremble a bit when he leant down on hands and knees.
One heated glance thrown his way and Draco was sitting on his knees behind Harry. Harry made a pleased sound and lowered his head when Draco grabbed his hips and slid inside him again. Draco bit his lip and closed his eyes when he felt himself being surrounded by the familiar heath and he leant forwards, one of his hands leaving Harry’s hips to grab Harry’s hand and he entangled their fingers while he started to move.
They rocked together: when Draco pushed forwards, Harry pushed backwards and they quickly set a satisfying rhythm for the both of them.
Their senses already overloaded thanks to the previous times, it didn’t take long for them to reach completion and they shuddered and trembled, before sinking down on the bed.
They did it a few more times, until they were too exhausted to move. They fell asleep, embracing each other after giving each other one last kiss and whispering their love to the other one.

The two weeks that encompassed the winter holiday was spent at Malfoy Manor, filled with laughter and chatter. Narcissa was clearly enjoying having her son and son-in-law near her for the holidays and she had fun showing samples of how the nursery room would look like if they allowed her to decorate it. Both boys didn't really have a preference when it came to the nursery room and as long as it wasn't painted pink or another very bright colour, they gave her permission to decorate it how she wanted.
Snape stayed for the entire holiday and surprisingly he and Sirius managed to act relatively civil towards each other – as civil as those two would ever be. Occasionally one of them was a victim of a prank planned by the other one, but overall, their banter wasn't that vicious compared to how it once had been.
9th of January
Of course, like it was some unwritten rule, when one had fun, time flew by too quickly and before Harry realized it, it was Sunday evening and they would be leaving for Hogwarts the next morning.
It was a shame, he mused when he stepped out of the big shower, that he had to leave so soon again. He really had enjoyed staying at the manor and even though the thought of staying near Draco's parents had been daunting at first, they had quickly put him at ease and it was almost like he had known them his entire life.
To have to return back to a place where most people regarded him warily and where some of them even dared to attack him or his lover was not his idea of fun.
He was absently rubbing a towel over his head to get his hair mostly dry, when his eyes caught sight of the tall mirror. Slowly he removed the towel and cocked his head. His attention was caught by his stomach and he furrowed his eyebrows, stepping closer to the mirror as if that would make the image clearer. He turned sideways and studied his reflection thoughtfully.
He hadn't paid much attention to it, but now that he was concentrating on it … Was his stomach rounder than before?
Still focusing his attention on the mirror, he raised his hand and placed it on his stomach. He moved his hand back and forth, up and down and slowly a wide grin appeared on his face.
"Are you nearly done?" Draco called out and knocked on the door.
After throwing another glance at his stomach, he quickly changed into his pyjamas. "Yes! I'll be there in a minute!"
He had something to show to his lover – which he was certain would make the blond excited.

AN2: So what do you think of it? Was it worth the wait? (I hope so). Please leave a review behind with your thoughts!
Preview of the next chapter: One would think the students have become smarter after witnessing what happened to the one who attacked Draco. Apparently they haven't and this time Draco is the real target, though the bond doesn't want anyone to interfere with it ...Luna turns out to know more than suspected and offers her help with finding the next Founder. If Harry thought Potter Manor had been dangerous to enter, it is nothing compared to what awaits them in the place that hides the next Founder ...
See you all in the next chapter!
Cuddles
Melissa
- 15
- 16
- 17
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Survival of the fittest