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
- 22
- 23
- 24
Author's note: Surprise! Here I am again with a new chapter! My, how long has it been since I last was able to keep up my old updating schedule? O_O Not sure if you should get used to it, but anyway! Slightly longer chapter than before.
Thanks to the following reviewers: staar (only very sensitive people would have noticed the subtle change in his magical aura; his pets simply assumed that it was the trauma making him refuse to talk to Draco, as also the bond didn't really react); MoonlightVampiress
Warnings: drama; a small speck of fluff; more angst (like this chapter is 10% fluff and 90% drama and angst - you know the usual) and MOST IMPORTANTLY: AT THE END THERE IS A SCENE WHICH READERS MAY FIND DISTRESSING AND OR DISTURBING; SENSITIVE IMAGERY. More dark moments will appear from now on: you have been warned.
Also, while certain objects from the sixth and seventh book will appear in this story, I'm taking liberties with what they are able to do, so it won't follow the original plotline completely - maybe only a smidgen or so.
Ready? Off you go! Enjoy this angst and drama riddled chapter!

Chapter 23: Building Storm
5th of February
On Wednesday morning, Draco woke up before Harry; they were wrapped up in each other's arms, their legs tangled together with Harry's protruding stomach pressing against his. What a sharp contrast with last week, when Harry had actively avoided him.
Harry's mouth was slightly open and a few strands of his black hair fluttered with every exhale; his face was relaxed in his sleep and one hand was curled up next to him on the pillow. The blankets were shoved down to their waists and Harry's shirt had ridden up a bit, showing smooth skin.
Draco moved his head back a bit to avoid being tickled by his boyfriend's hair and slowly breathed out, letting his eyes rank over the sleeping body next to him. Drowning out the soft snores from Mara and Ruby, he slipped an arm around Harry's waist and languidly caressed the naked, warm skin.
Their conversation last Sunday had taken up most of their evening and they had only taken a break to eat their dinner. It hadn't gone smoothly. Despite initiating the conversation, Harry had been uncomfortable at first, not willing to explain why he had taken to avoiding Draco. Therefore, Draco had told his part of the story first: everything he could remember from the time in Dumbledore's house to Severus filling in the blanks in his memory and giving him the potion that would slowly bring it back. Throughout it, he kept reassuring his lover that he hadn't meant to attack him and he would rather hurt himself than even think of hurting the other one.
In return, Harry talked about the fear he had felt and the memory returning every time he looked at Draco to asking Severus to remove his memory. When he told him about Lovegood helping him with his fear, Draco had become weary.
It wasn't as if he didn't trust Lovegood around Harry – she had proven that she had good intentions when it came to his lover – but he thought it odd that she was able to appease his fear and take it away by simply using her magic. It made him suspect that something more had happened than Harry knew. After all, there was no way that such a strong fear could be removed by simply hugging and using some magic to comfort him.
If anything, it sounded as if magic had taken away the fear – and hadn't his godfather told him that only talking would help in this case?
But after thinking about it, Draco decided that in the end it didn't matter what Lovegood had done. She had made certain that Harry was willing to talk to him and for that he was grateful. When Mara had informed him that Harry had inquired about the duration parents could stay apart, he had been afraid that Harry would ignore him for at least the rest of his pregnancy. After all, there was no point in asking such a question if he hadn't been planning on continuing his avoidance.
After some prodding, Harry had told him that even if the fear had made him avoid Draco, he still hadn't wanted to hurt their unborn baby. So he had asked Lupin to make certain he wouldn't end up hurting the development of their baby.
The longer they talked, the more at ease Harry became until he finally ended up curled up against Draco's side. Harry still flinched whenever he moved too fast, but they were becoming closer again, slowly slipping back into their relationship as if nothing had happened.
It had been a close call, but they had survived this particular hurdle as well. And while it was a testimony to the strength of their feelings for each other that they hadn't ended up breaking apart, Draco dearly hoped they wouldn't experience something like this again.
The change in his breathing pattern warned Draco that Harry was close to waking up and he turned his head to look at him.
Emerald green peeked through half closed eyes and a yawn escaped the smaller wizard's mouth.
"What time is it?" Harry asked sleepily and carefully rubbed in his eyes.
"A quarter to seven," Draco murmured. "We have to get up soon."
"Hm." Harry stretched out like a cat and his shirt went up a bit further.
"How late does McGonagall expect you?"
"After defence," Harry replied and his eyes grew clear as his brain became fully awake. "You coming with me?"
Draco regretfully shook his head. "Can't. Sev said I needed to visit him so he can do a check up on my memory. See if the potion is working properly and all that."
For a few seconds, Harry's eyes darkened and shuttered close; then he shook his head and sighed softly. "Guess we better get up."
"You feeling okay?" Draco couldn't help but ask and his arms tightened briefly around Harry.
A small smile was his reply. "Yeah, I am."

Classes passed by in a blur. Now that he didn't need to worry about Harry avoiding him, Draco managed to pay more attention to the professors and his notes were significantly longer than they had been last week.
Defence ended and they parted at the staircase: Harry needed to go up to the Headmistress' office and he needed to go to the dungeons to visit his godfather.
"I'll see you in a bit," Harry murmured and gave his hand a quick squeeze.
Draco nodded and followed the stream of students downstairs, feeling Mara following him – and obviously not giving a damn if she bumped against a student, judging by the confused mutters that followed her.
Severus had just closed the door of his classroom when Draco approached him and the older man turned his head to look at him.
"Not joined at the hip anymore?" he drawled out after noticing Harry's absence.
Draco scowled. "We are not joined at the hip," he muttered petulantly. They had however stayed very close to each other the last couple of days to make up for their lack of proximity the week before. Their new closeness had apparently not escaped his godfather's attention.
A scoff was his reply; his godfather beckoned him to follow and they made their way further down the hallway, entering Severus' quarters.
"Have you been feeling any discomfort?"
"No, I feel fine." Draco shrugged and dropped his schoolbag on the floor. He paused and continued in a strangled voice, "The potion worked."
Severus regarded him calmly. "You remember everything?"
Draco nodded; a faint grimace visible on his face. The memory of that time in Dumbledore's house had slipped back in small fragments during the last few days. Hearing his godfather talk about it had been awful, but actually remembering it had been horrifying. Once the last fragment had fallen into place yesterday afternoon, he had spent some time staring at his hands – hands that had hurt Harry.
Only slender hands covering his own and a whispered "It's over," in his ear had managed to pull him back from his dark thoughts.
He didn't think either one of them would forget that day soon, but they were determined to not let that day rule their lives.
"Your memories are all present again," Severus broke the silence and lowered his wand. "I sensed no other obstructions, so a second potion is not necessary."
A delicate cough had both men turning their heads.
Ravenclaw – whose portrait was hanging next to Gryffindor's – looked at Draco with a peculiar glint in her dark eyes. "Is everything all right with your companion?"
Draco blinked surprised. "Who? Harry? Yes, he's fine. Why do you ask?"
"No particular reason," she answered smoothly. "When I last saw him, he looked under the weather."
Considering Harry had been pale and bloodied when she saw him, her comment was quite an understatement.
Gryffindor piped up nonchalantly, "So that magical tremor a few days ago, can that be attributed to …"
"Godric!" Ravenclaw interrupted him sharply. "Do not bother them with insignificant questions."
Gryffindor glared at her, but didn't retort.
"Did something happen that we should be aware of, Lady Ravenclaw?" Severus raised an eyebrow.
"It is not a matter of concern," she smiled thinly.
"More importantly, Severus, we have a pressing matter to discuss," Slytherin took over.
His godfather narrowed his eyes, but gave a slow nod. "Draco, you can leave."
Draco wanted to know what the 'pressing matter' was about, but knew from past experience that pestering the older wizard would gain him nothing but a few nasty hexes that took days to remove.
Feeling slightly miffed, Draco nodded stiffly, picked up his bag and slipped out of the room; unaware of Mara sharing a look with the three Founders.
He had just arrived in the entrance hall when a familiar owl swept through the open doors and landed on his shoulder; her strong claws carefully taking a hold of his robes.
"Selene, you have something for me?" he murmured curiously and untied the letter from her outstretched paw.
The familiar signature – belonging to his father – greeted him and he furrowed his eyebrows. He couldn't recall a reason why his father would write him now.
"I don't have any snacks with me, but the Owelry will have some for you," he said absentmindedly, still wondering about his father's reason.
Selene nipped his ear gently and then took off, her wings sailing on the breeze sneaking past the open doors.
"Draco?"
His lover was standing at the bottom step of the staircase; a sheet of paper clenched in his right hand.
"Father sent me a letter." He held up his letter and made his way to the other one. He jerked his head towards the paper in Harry's hand. "What's that?"
"A list of spells, charms, curses and potions I need to know for my exams." Harry lowered his voice and casted a wary look around him. "McGonagall told me my exams will take place during the first week of the Easter holidays. My magic is more likely to act up if I take my exams with you." His eyes flicked down meaningfully towards his stomach.
"Of course, that makes sense," Draco muttered. He frowned; remembering one particular issue with this plan. "Will it be all right: the exam supervisors knowing about your condition?"
"She said that she, Snape, Remus and either Shacklebolt or Tonks would supervise my exams," Harry replied and shrugged. "Want to accompany me to the library? I need to look up some things of this list."
"Yeah sure. I can read the letter there."
There weren't many students present in the library. Madame Pince looked at them with narrowed, beady eyes and a pinched mouth, as if she had tasted a particularly sour lemon. She didn't say anything, though, and they passed her in silence.
Some students looked up when they walked by; to prevent annoying gawking or insulting remarks, the couple searched out a remote, small table which was half hidden in the shadows.
Mara curled up behind Draco's chair; her yawn faintly audible. Draco nearly jumped up when he felt something brushing past his ankles; something very long and familiar.
"Ruby stayed in your quarters?" he asked in a low voice.
Harry nodded and dumped his bag on the table. "I'm going to search these books," he announced and left silently.
The whispers of the other students in the library filled the otherwise quiet room and Draco opened his father's letter. His eyes roved over the page and his eyebrows steadily rose up with each line he read.
"Bad news or good news?" Harry asked softly, placing a short stack of books on the table.
Draco folded the letter and placed it in front of him when he was finished reading. "Depends on how you look at it," he murmured contemplatively.
"Okay," Harry said slowly and sat down. "Want to tell me about it?"
"He talked about the trials of Pansy and that Ravenclaw guy who tried to attack you during Curses," Draco replied, his attention fixated on Harry and his reaction. He wasn't certain whether he should tell everything that his father had written. Harry probably wouldn't mind Pansy's punishment, but the one of the Ravenclaw student …
Harry froze momentarily; his hands tightened on the first book on the pile. "Did they end?"
"Yes." Draco nodded. "As expected, Pansy is magically forbidden to ever contact or approach us again. Additionally, she's under a Mouth Binding curse that prevents her from talking about us and has to serve thirty years in Azkaban. Now she's handed over to Germany where she'll be put on trial as well, because her ex suitor is prosecuting her. She'll probably get an extra thirty years on top of her punishment here."
"At least she won't be able to retaliate," Harry answered grimly.
Draco inclined his head. One less person to worry about.
"How did the other trial end?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"Of course. Why? Did he get acquitted?" Harry asked warily.
The blond sighed and after a short moment of hesitation, he answered, "He was found guilty of using an illegal curse."
"What's his punishment?" Harry demanded to know, leaning slightly forwards; a lock of his hair fell across his cheek, casting a light shadow.
"I'm not certain you want to know."
"Draco, I'm not a delicate flower," Harry snapped irritated. "Just tell me!"
Deciding that beating around the bus wouldn't help, Draco replied, "He received the Kiss three days ago."
Harry fell back in his chair; green eyes wide with shock. "He's dead?" he brought out in a small voice.
Draco nodded silently; personally he wasn't very bothered with this particular punishment. When they had studied the curse, their professor had stated clearly that use of it in non-lethal situations and without justifiable cause would result in being punished with the Kiss. The Ravenclaw student had known what would happen if he would be caught and yet decided to take the risk. Draco couldn't say that he really mourned his passing. He had been about to kill Harry and their unborn baby and hurting his loved ones was one of the few things he could never forgive.
Harry however …
Even though it was easy at times to forget that Harry had never had a proper Pureblood upbringing – times when he used his magic to properly punish his enemies – the fact remained that Harry had been Muggle raised for almost half his life. Draco wasn't certain whether Harry would understand why this particular curse required the offer of the caster's life. It followed a simple concept: a life for a life. Aside from the Unforgivables, this curse was one of the few ones which would be punishment with a death sentence.
A simple imprisonment sentence would not suffice in this case. That was just one of the rules in the Wizarding World.
"I didn't think he would be given the Kiss," Harry said eventually, looking perturbed.
Draco cocked his head slightly. "Moondagger warned us that that curse would result in receiving the death sentence," he reminded the other wizard.
Faint annoyance coloured Harry's voice when he answered, "I know that. I just thought he wouldn't receive it, because he's still a student."
"He was already seventeen when he casted that curse, so legally he was an adult and would be tried like one," Draco pointed out. "But even if he hadn't turned seventeen yet, there is only one punishment for this curse. That guy knew that and yet still tried to curse you."
"I know," Harry groaned and raked a hand through his hair, looking slightly frazzled. "I just … It's … I don't know. The war took a lot of lives already and it seems … rather severe, I guess, to meet a crime like that with that particular punishment."
"Maybe it is," Draco conceded and let out a small sigh. "But that's just how the justice system works in this world."
"I guess," Harry muttered and stared down at the table, tracing some light groove in the wood with his finger. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."
"It doesn't," Draco agreed and then shook his head, stuffing the letter in his bag. He hadn't intended their visit to the library to be this morbid. "Anyway, you said you wanted to look up some things from your list. Can I help?"
Harry threw him an indescribable look, but then faintly smiled and nodded. "Yeah, can you look up this potion and this charm for me?"

She couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene taking place right behind the bookcase she was currently hiding behind. It had been by pure chance that she had stumbled upon the two studying in this remote corner of the library. The only reason she had discovered them was because she had been searching a particular book that was supposed to be on one of these shelves. She had intended to ignore the two students at first, intent on finding her book and hurrying back to finish her essay for Ancient Runes, but once she recognized the voices, her hand had stilled in its search and she had remained in place, listening to the voices that up until a year ago had been very familiar for her.
Nowadays she didn't know what exactly her place was in the small world they had built around them.
Once she had been the best friend of Harry Potter, but now …
Hermione bit her lip, lowering her arm that had become numb by now from holding it into the air for a suspended period of time.
Since her short, awkward conversation with Harry during the Ministry Ball, she hadn't talked to him again. She hadn't sought him out and he hadn't reached out to her either. She couldn't feel offended by that; her chance of deep friendship had been warped and lost once she and Ron had basically made Harry choose between them and Malfoy. That didn't mean she didn't mourn the end of their friendship however.
She understood that she probably would never be as close to Harry as she had been before, but she couldn't help but wish to at least be able to talk to Harry without the strained atmosphere pressing down upon them. Just a casual friendship would be enough already. Anything was better than this non-existing bond between them.
Multiple times she had thought of going up to Harry after classes, catch him in the hallway and ask whether they could talk, but every time she had had the chance, her courage left her; disappeared like the wind when she thought of the possible rejection she risked to face.
It didn't particularly help either that Malfoy was constantly near Harry; the two of them shared their own private little world and only a few people like Zabini and surprisingly enough Neville were able to breach that world and make themselves a part of it.
Her eyes widened and a faint blush coloured her cheeks when she caught sight of the tender kiss Harry and Malfoy shared and she hastily looked down; a soft chuckle reaching her ear. That would teach her to eavesdrop she supposed.
She should just go back, clean up her table and go back to Gryffindor Tower. The essay could wait.
Yet …
She didn't want to go back yet. Going back would mean being confronted by Ron, who had been acting strange ever since the Ministry Ball. Some days he walked around in a constant angry mood, quick to snap at her, while other days he was almost back to his old self: the way he used to be when they were still the Golden Trio.
The good days seemed to be getting rather sparse lately. Ron seemed more on edge, more prone to lashing out at whoever annoyed him. Even Ginny had felt the brunt of his anger more than once, but she was always quick to retaliate until the common room resembled a mini war zone between the two of them.
He wasn't the man she had fallen in love with anymore and at this point she honestly didn't know how their relationship was supposed to go. She fled in her homework, staying in the library until closing time just to avoid being near Ron.
Not that Ron really noticed her absence; he still talked to her, but he sounded as if his thoughts were somewhere else and that made her uneasy. Especially when she considered who those thoughts could be about. It was no secret in the Gryffindor common room that Ron hated Harry. He blamed him for Percy's death and sought ways to get revenge. So far he hadn't really tried anything, but Hermione feared it wouldn't be long anymore before he would try something stupid. And she wouldn't be able to stop him. One year ago, he would have listened to her and stopped doing whatever stupid thing he attempted to accomplish, but she had lost that ability months ago.
Another soft chuckle made her look up involuntarily and she swallowed when she noticed the fondness in Harry's eye when he looked at Malfoy. He was murmuring something to the blond and in response, Malfoy grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers, dropping a soft kiss on his knuckles, making Harry blush faintly.
How long had it been since Ron had looked at her like that? When was the last time they had just stayed up in the common room to cuddle and kiss and murmur sweet things to each other? When had fondness turned into indifference?
"They are beautiful together, aren't they?" a dreamy voice suddenly piped up behind her.
Hermione jumped nearly three feet in the air and she hastily turned around; her heart speeding up in fright.
Crystal blue eyes shimmered and a friendly smile was aimed at her.
"Luna, you scared me!" she said in a scolding voice and she placed a hand on her chest.
Luna blinked and cocked her hand; a finger tapped thoughtfully against her lips. "He wouldn't mind it, you know," she said abruptly.
Hermione brushed a stray lock of her curly hair out of her face. "Who and what are you talking about?" she inquired irritated.
"Harry, of course. He wouldn't mind talking to you," the blond girl specified.
She stiffened. "I'm not certain whether he really wouldn't mind talking to me," she muttered almost silently and looked away, feeling uncomfortable under the sharp glance Luna favoured her with at her admission.
"You won't know until you try, right?" Luna hummed and gazed at her serenely.
"I don't want to disturb him; he'll probably has enough on his plate already," Hermione murmured and clasped her arms around her waist. She had read the articles about Professor Dumbledore and the search for him. Her initial reaction had been to disregard the articles, because surely, the Headmaster would never attempt to actually kill one of his own students? But she had to face the truth when she had spoken to Kingsley and he had urged her to inform him as soon as she heard even the slightest rumour about the ex-Headmaster.
The Prophet might twist the truth whenever it wanted, but Kingsley would never lie about something as serious as that.
Having noticed the increased protection consisting of Aurors around Harry last summer whenever he was in public, it hadn't taken her long to figure out just exactly who had been nearly killed by the ex-Headmaster.
Hermione didn't think Harry was looking forward to deal with one of his former best friends when he had to deal with a dangerous enemy out to get him.
"You think he wouldn't welcome some normalcy?" Luna asked friendly and took a step closer.
Hermione shrugged half-heartedly. "It's just that …" She didn't know how to finish and trailed off.
Why couldn't she keep a normal conversation going without losing the thread of it? It was Luna for Merlin's sake!
"Maybe it's best to wait," Luna murmured and looked at her with a strange glint in her eyes as if she had figured something out. "It's best if you shed the darkness first."
"Darkness?" Hermione looked at her bewildered, letting her arms fall down. "What darkness?"
"The one who is hurting you now," Luna replied soberly. "Fate has other plans for you and they don't include him."
She could only be referring to one person: Ron.
"I – I'm planning on … I've thought about …" she stammered and to her utter humiliation she felt hot tears building up behind her eyes, threatening to spill over while her chest hurt, as if something heavy was pressing down on it.
Her hands shot up to hide her face behind them and she desperately tried to will back the tears, not wanting to break down in the library.
A milky white shield enveloped the two girls, blocking out all sounds and hiding them from potential eavesdroppers.
A pair of slender, warm arms wrapped around her slowly and her head was softly pushed down against a soft shoulder.
"Even the strongest lion needs someone to lean on," Luna murmured in her hair and her hand started to caress her hair. "Let me be your pillar."
There, hidden in one of the most remote corners of the library, shielded from sight by a bubble, Hermione finally let go of her tears and broke down – wrapped up in the protective embrace of the person she had least expected to lend her the much needed support.

Harry tapped his quill against the parchment, his eyes gliding bored over the open book in front of him. He was looking up the ingredients of the Oculus Potion: one of the three potions he would have to brew in order to pass his exam. Not that he wasn't grateful to have received the list – it made studying for the exams a lot easier – but that didn't take away the fact that researching potions was boring.
He couldn't complain, though; Draco had taken care of the other two potions and was now looking up a particular Transfiguration spell.
"Trouble with looking up the ingredients?" Draco's question broke through his thoughts and he quickly shook his head, dispelling the light drowsiness that had been sneaking up on him.
"No, I found it in this book," Harry replied and hid his yawn behind his hand.
Draco pulled the book slightly towards him and studied the potion. "Seems he's taken into account your state," he murmured, pushing the book back to the dark haired wizard.
"What?"
The blond nodded towards his own written list of ingredients. "The potions he decided on are all safe for someone with your condition," he explained. He smirked. "Not to mention that I think he slightly adjusted the exam for you."
Harry narrowed his eyes, not liking the smirk on his lover's face, nor his comment. "What do you mean with that?"
"Let's keep it at the fact that the regular exams will be vastly different," Draco chuckled amused and dodged the fist that was aimed for his arm.
"Bastard," Harry huffed and convinced himself he wasn't pouting. Even though he and Snape got along better than the previous years, he strongly doubted that the stern Potions Master would adjust the difficulty level of his exams for just one student. Especially when that student was the son of someone he had loathed for a long time.
He turned his attention back to the potions book; he wanted to look up everything before dinner started. Shifting slightly on his chair – the wooden chairs were taxing on his back – he picked up his quill again and dipped it into the ink. Right when the sharp tip of the quill was about to touch the paper, Harry froze.
What had just happened?
Not realising it, he held his breath and waited.
There.
It was a weird feeling in his stomach; some kind of fluttery feeling, as if he had swallowed something with wings and those wings were now beating softly against his stomach. It stopped and Harry slowly released his breath. Maybe he was hungry; it had been a while since he had eaten something after all. He probably should go to the …
It started again. This time the fluttery feeling was stronger, feeling more like something weakly pressing against his skin.
He hunched forwards slightly, focusing all his attention on his stomach. Hesitantly, he lowered his right hand – dropping the quill on the paper, which made the ink spread out slowly over the parchment – and placed it on his stomach. His sweater proved to be a barrier and he slipped his hand underneath it, placing it firmly on his rounded stomach – now easily visible if he didn't wear his belt; tension building in his body as he waited.
It was softly pushing against his thumb and a gasp tore through his throat when he realised what the feeling was.
"Harry? What's wrong?" Draco asked alarmed and leant towards him, worry clearly visible in his eyes.
Harry looked up wide eyed; his hand still firmly pressed against his belly. "I think the baby's kicking!" he whispered and excitement rung through his voice. Only the realisation that they were in the library and would attract unwanted attention kept him from laughing excitedly. He couldn't believe he was finally feeling his baby kick!
"What?" Draco's mouth dropped open from shock, until he realised it and closed it again hastily. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, here, feel. The kicking isn't strong yet, but I can feel it," Harry said smiling and grabbed Draco's hand to push it firmly against his stomach.
Draco was leaning half over the table; the edge of it was digging against his hips, which must have hurt, but he didn't seem to care about that. A concentrated frown was etched into his forehead while he waited for their baby to make its presence known again.
"The baby was kicking here," Harry said slowly while he guided Draco's hand over his stomach, trying to predict the next kick – if there would be one. One of the books Narcissa had sent him told him that the kicking wouldn't be frequent at first, so it was possible that he wouldn't be able to feel it kick for a while.
Ah, but there it was. It was a bit lower than before, but the baby was definitely kicking again.
When he looked up again, his breath hitched when he was faced with a look of fascinated wonder on Draco's face.
"That's our baby, moving around in you," Draco murmured dazed and his astonished eyes met glittering green ones.
"Yeah, it is," Harry smiled and nearly trembled in his seat from happiness. Ever since he had decided to keep the baby, he had been wondering how it would be to feel the baby kick and he had tried to imagine it. His imagination didn't even come close to the real thing; it was as if he now finally realised that there was an actual human being inside of him, depending on him. Had his mother felt the same way when she felt him kicking for the first time?
This feeling of excitement, happiness, elation?
A hand was placed on his cheek and lips met his in a slow, tender kiss.
"I love you," Draco whispered against his mouth.
"I love you too," Harry murmured and felt another vague flutter in his stomach, making him smile brightly.

One person hidden underneath a Cloaked Visibility spell – a spell which strongly resembled an Invisibility Cloak – regarded the scene in front of him with macabre interest. Who would have thought that something like this would happen to the Saviour of the Wizarding World? He was surprised none of the papers had made this particular discovery – then again, Potter could be using one of those belts to hide his stomach. That was most likely the case as he couldn't see any rounding of his stomach when Potter's shirt slipped up.
He didn't care how it had happened – that wasn't important. What was important was the fact that Potter was currently carrying a child.
A child which would leave him vulnerable.
A smirk grew on the eavesdropper's face. Male pregnancies were always monitored closely; the risk of something happening to either the unborn child or the man carrying it was noticeably bigger than during a normal pregnancy. Not only that, but the man was also more vulnerable during the entire pregnancy as most of his magic was used to support the baby's growth.
He couldn't wait to inform the other man of this particular news; he was certain he would be glad to hear this particular titbit. The other one would know how to use this information in the best way.
Quickly he turned around and marched away, before either Potter's or Malfoy's beast could detect his presence; it wouldn't do to be caught before he could send his letter. Not after all the trouble the other had went through to teach him these useful spells.

"So there you have it," Gryffindor stated nonchalantly.
Severus stared at the object on the table. He had suspected it, but to hear his suspicions confirmed – it didn't make him feel relieved. If anything, it made him more wary, more tense. This was not exactly an object they could easily trifle with; this was the object that had been the cause of various, long lasting clan disputes and multiple Wizarding families had gone extinct by battling over it and losing.
And now it had landed in his hands.
What had Albus been thinking to hide such a dangerous object? Or the most important issue was: why hadn't he taken it with him? That would certainly have given him an advantage.
"So it really is the Elder Wand," Lucius murmured and studied the white wand with critical eyes. "Well, this certainly makes things interesting."
"Only you would call a dangerous object 'interesting'," Severus snorted harshly and crossed his arms.
Grey eyes looked at him amused. "Well, what else would I call it? You have to admit, Severus, that it is rather satisfying to know that the Deathly Hallows really exist. Many years people have thought it to be a fairy tale and now we have one of the three objects in possession."
"You actually have two of the three," Slytherin piped up with a faint smile. "Although, it is more accurate to state that two of the three are in the castle, but the other object belongs to someone else."
"The other two are supposedly an Invisibility Cloak and the Resurrection Stone," Severus muttered, recalling the short tale he had read about them years ago. "Which one of them would be …" His next breath intake was sharp as realisation sunk in. He narrowed his eyes and scowled at Slytherin. "Don't tell me Potter's Invisibility Cloak is the second Deathly Hallow!"
"Harry's Cloak?" Lucius repeated surprised. "You mean the Potters were in possession of a Deathly Hallow?"
"Well, the Potters are descendants of the Peverell family," Gryffindor remarked bored. "That family was rumoured to be the first one to be in possession of the Deathly Hallows. It would not surprise me if that blasted Cloak was passed down from father to son."
"I wonder if we'll be able to find the third Hallow," Lucius mused thoughtfully.
Severus threw him a sharp look. "Why on earth would you want to bring those three objects together? They were separated for a reason."
"You will be in need of the Deathly Hallows if you want to complete the ritual to seal Dumbledore's magic," Ravenclaw stated calmly and swung her leg over the other one. "They were not named like that to strike fear in the Wizarding population. When used in the right ritual, they will completely seal a wizard's or witch's magic, absorbing it and giving it back to the universe. We all know what happens to wizards and witches who are deprived of their magic."
Yes, they all knew what happened.
Severus grimaced and looked away from the Elder Wand, which seemed to taunt him. "Can the ritual be completed without their aid?"
If it was possible, he would like to avoid using the Deathly Hallows. It wasn't even the issue about finding the third one – bringing the three in close contact to each other was just asking for trouble. Ever since he had brought the wand to Hogwarts, it had been buzzing lightly, almost sounding like a satisfied cat purring. He didn't dare to guess whether it was the general magic infused in Hogwarts that made it act like that or the proximity to Potter's Cloak.
Ravenclaw's eyes were unreadable. "It is possible – but you would be risking your own lives in the progress."
"And we wouldn't risk them when using those cursed objects?" Severus couldn't help but snap.
She sighed and shook her head. "I am not going to lie to you. Yes, it will be risky to use them in a ritual – especially this particular one – but it will definitely be safer than not using them. They will be too busy absorbing Dumbledore's magic to be interested in any of you."
"So either way, it will be risky for us to complete the ritual," Lucius commented dryly. He let out a soft sigh and glanced at his dark haired lover. "Have you told Black and Lupin about this?"
"If I had, don't you think they would be here now?" Severus replied coolly. "You should know by now how Black is. That idiot would try to use the wand as soon as he knew what it was."
Lucius chuckled softly. "I think you aren't giving him enough credit, Severus."
"You only say that, because you aren't forced to see him every day," the Potions Master muttered darkly.
Slytherin clapped his hands. "For now, this information can remain between us, but I advise you to inform them soon, Severus. The sooner they know about this, the better."
"Should we tell Harry about the Deathly Hallows?" Lucius asked pensively.
"Let Draco talk to him about it," Severus answered shortly. "I wouldn't mention anything about the real purpose of the ritual to Potter, though."
"Why not? Do you think he would be opposed to it if he knows the result?" Lucius inquired interested. "I don't think he is still fond of the old coot."
"I very much doubt he cares for Albus," Severus replied and took a sip of his tea. "That does not mean however that he will agree with the result of the ritual. He may be a Slytherin now, but he acts too much like a Gryffindor in situations like this one."
"I presume you are talking about honour," Gryffindor spoke up gruffly. "I'll have you know that nothing is wrong with being in possession of that. It is far better than this so called cunningness Salazar prefers."
Slytherin chuckled; an amused glint in his eyes. "In the end, it is preferable to have both."
Gryffindor just scoffed and looked away.
"Let's first focus on finding Hufflepuff," Severus said harshly, throwing the Elder Wand a suspicious glare. "We'll worry about the last Hallow after that."
Lucius inclined his head. "Seems like the best course of action for now." He threw the three Founders an inquiring look. "Would any of you have an idea as to where she is hidden?"
"Not a clue," Gryffindor muttered gruffly. "It's not like the bastard was nice enough to let us know where the others were located."
"There are ways to find her," Ravenclaw said soothingly, placing a finger against her lips. "As soon as we have found the best way, we will inform you."
Severus sighed and rose up; this particular conversation was finished as far as he was concerned and so there was no need for the wand to remain in the open.
While Lucius continued conversing with the three Founders, Severus picked up the Elder Wand and brought it back to his storage room. In his private storage room he had a box which was warded heavy and would make sure nobody could touch the object locked up inside of it – and prevented the object from escaping.
The perfect place for this particular object.
Carefully the wand was placed in the box and the Potions Master wasted no time in locking the box, raising the various, complex wards around it. Ravenclaw had warned them that the wand would need an order soon, lest it would grow impatient and start its own rampage.
He stared down at the box contemplatively for a while, before he turned around abruptly and left.

9th of February
On Sunday, the sun had started battling with the clouds and had won. It wasn't exactly spring weather, but people had gone outside, eager to soak up the small rays of sunlight. Who knew when the weather would turn ugly again? Best to enjoy it while they could.
Draco and Harry had also gone outside with Mara trailing behind them while she silently grumbled over the puddles of rain left on the ground. Ruby had decided to stay indoors, accompanying Sapphire, leaving the guarding of his master up to Mara. Garin had disappeared soon after Harry was done with his breakfast, stating he would hunt for his own food.
In unspoken agreement, Draco and Harry walked away from the small groups of mingling students, who were occupying the space in front of the castle, and made their way to the right of the castle. They weren't planning on entering the Forbidden Forest, but lingering close to the edge had the advantage of the other students leaving them alone as they had no desire to get close to the forest.
Mara huffed softly and walked further, investigating some of the bushes nearby.
"Did you sleep well?" Draco asked, slipping his hand free from Harry so that he could pull Harry closer to him by his hips; one hand sneaking underneath his coat to rest on his back.
"Yeah, you?" Harry murmured, shivering slightly when a chilly breeze passed over them.
Draco grimaced lightly. "Spending so many nights in your quarters made me forget how badly Blaise can snore," he replied dryly and smiled when Harry's light laughter rang in the air.
"Poor you," Harry grinned and patted Draco's cheek with his gloved hand.
"Yeah, yeah, you know how annoying his snoring can be?" Draco muttered and pursed his lips.
"You forgot I shared a dorm with other people for six years," Harry retorted. "Trust me, I've had my fair share of other people snoring. I resorted to using Silencing charms."
"I had to use them last night. Think Daphne knows how much her boyfriend snores?" the blond smirked, tightening his grip on Harry's hips.
Harry chuckled. "Oh, probably not. Otherwise he would have stopped by now."
The soft hoot of an owl made them look up and to Harry's surprise, the brown owl flew towards him. It was carrying a rather large, square package and it beat his wings rapidly to stay up in the air in front of Harry.
"You're expecting something?" Draco asked curiously, eyeing the brown owl warily.
Harry shook his head, his eyes narrowing. "No, didn't order anything. It isn't an owl I recognize either."
"Could be from those Weasley twins?" Draco suggested uncertainly.
Harry grabbed his wand. "No, I know what kind of owl they use and it's not this one," he muttered and started casting the various spells he knew which would detect any trace of dark magic on the package.
Nothing happened, except for the owl hooting impatiently, thrusting his paw out.
"Looks like there are no Dark spells on this package," Harry mumbled and lowered his wand.
Draco looked at the owl contemplatively and picked up his own wand. "Well, let's see what's inside."
Mara slunk closer to them and her eyes were fixated on the package.
The owl flew away immediately once it was relieved from its baggage and Harry held the package carefully between his hands. It looked rather normal: it was simply wrapped in brown paper, tied together by a string. There was no note attached to it.
Sharing a wary look with Draco, Harry carefully untied the string, pushing away the paper. Inside was a brown box and after a moment of hesitation, Harry removed the lid; highly aware of Draco's presence next to him.
And instantly dropped the box with a horrified gasp once his brain understood the image that his eyes were taking in.
He felt Draco hastily pushing him back, exclaiming something in disgust, Mara growling loudly, but all he could focus on was the content of the box.
Inside the box was the bloodied body of a dead, unborn baby; it was a baby boy and its fine, dark hair was matted with blood and something slime like. His small eyes were open; light blue staring up at the sky.
The note, which had been placed on top of the baby's belly, ruffled and flew upwards. It hovered in front of the two wizards and a very familiar voice spoke warmly, "It seems congratulations are in order, dear boy. It is rather difficult to find an appropriate gift, but I hope this one conveys my feelings appropriately. Do take care of yourself and the little one, Harry. It wouldn't do for either one of you to get hurt."
As soon as the last words died out, the letter was engulfed by a white blue fire, until nothing remained but ashes that were taken away by the wind.
Trembling knees giving out, Harry sunk to the ground, both of his hands covering his stomach while his wide eyes stared at the box in front of him.
Bile rose up in his throat and he barely turned around on time to avoid splattering either Draco or Mara; his breakfast came up in a rush, burning his throat while he dry heaved. Tendrils of panic slipped around him, slowly tightening their hold. He was only vaguely aware of Draco dropping down next to him after having hastily covered the box, talking to him, trying to snap him out of his panic, while the fluttering in his stomach increased; his baby's reaction to his distress.
They had been found out.
Dumbledore knew about the baby he was carrying.
His baby was no longer safe.

AN2: Yeah, this probably is one of the most disturbing scenes so far in the story. Prepare for more dark moments *winces* It seems this story is nothing else but a chain of angsty chapters *sweatdrops*
So what do you think of Hermione's appearance? She won't play a big role in this story, but you definitely haven't seen the last of her. And it is finally revealed just what exactly Ruby and Mara had found in Dumbledore's house.
Next time will be about Valentine's day - and can you all guess what will happen then? :) If I can keep up this schedule, then the next chapter will appear on the 31st of October - a Valentine's chapter on Halloween ...
Please leave a review behind with your thoughts! They really inspire me to write :)
See you all in the next chapter!
Cuddles
Melissa
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Survival of the fittest