Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

The Rise of the Drackens: The Scaled Bits	By : StarLightMassacre Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 169453 -:- Recommendations : 8 -:- Currently Reading : 21
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All rights of Harry Potter belong to J. K. Rowling. I am making absolutely no money from this piece of fictional writing.

Chapter List
- 28
- 29
- 30
A/N: This chapter is set in the FUTURE! Four and a half years to be precise. There are children here that you will not have seen before nor have been mentioned, even in passing, in the main fic, but they are real and they will be ‘born’ in the main fic.

I have taken great care to give you their short names or nicknames only, and have not used gender specific nouns or pronouns so as not to reveal their genders, but this sometimes makes the text or speech a bit awkward, I tried to fix this as much as possible and I never used ‘it’ to describe the children, but having their full names as well as he/she, his/her barred from use, it does cause some problems, so please watch out for that.

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Fever

Harry curled up next to Draco into a tighter ball while still holding his lover around the waist and brushing his forehead onto a shoulder blade gently. He wanted to sleep for a little longer; he could just feel that it was very early. Too early to be awake, which is why he suddenly shot up and looked around blearily for something that could have woken him, for something must have woken him after all, and when he found the bedroom to be still and silent, as well as the rest of the house as much as he could discern, he slipped out of bed and went to listen at his children’s doors.

The first two were quiet and a poke in of his head showed nothing untoward happening. His only set of identical twins, who were in the nursery adjacent to his bedroom a bit further up the corridor, were silent and when he peeked his head in on them, they were fast asleep in their twin cots, light breaths only just stirring the hair covering their faces and the blankets wrapped around little hands. He covered them over, brushed the hair from their faces and kissed them gently before moving on.

Leolin was in his own cot, despite having put on weight and height, he was still too little to have his own bed for fear of rolling out of it, not that he complained much, he didn’t talk much, merely grunted and screeched despite Harry’s enthusiastic encouragement, but Harry didn’t mind, Nasta had removed all doubt of his parenting skills concerning Leolin from his mind long ago and seeing other Faerie babies had helped immensely and put a lot of his behaviours and actions into a better perspective.

Going into the room Regan and Tegan shared, Harry was unsurprised to find them in the same bed together, he had since gotten used to his daughter crawling into the bed with her brother during the night or vice versa, he saw no reason to stop it when they were only four years old.

He checked on them both critically before tucking them in more securely, smiling at the way Tegan had her younger brother in a protective choke hold. He chuckled softly and loosened her hold on Regan’s neck and moved her arm lower down, around his shoulders instead.

He left them and went next door, into Calix and Farren’s room; it was still a mess even though he’d told Max to help the boys clean it up. Farren at four year’s old was the size of a large five year old or a small six year old, Max was so proud of his little bruiser of a son, who had taken over Braiden in height and weight the summer just passed. Harry just smiled and rolled his eyes every time this happened within earshot of him and made sure it was out of earshot of the kids too.

Calix was a different story, he was dainty and light and Harry just knew he would be a lanky teenager when he got to that age. He wasn’t worried about Calix in the least, he knew he would grow and he was very bright for a four year old and Harry was very proud of him, he kissed his cheek and tucked him over, he wondered yet again if he should give them all separate bedrooms as he maneuvered his way through toys and games and clothes strewn about, it might look better if all this mess was divided amongst two rooms and not just jammed all into the one, he’d have to have a talk with Max about his sons’ messy tendencies.

He went to Braiden’s room at the end of the corridor, he had been asked if he wanted to share a room with his brothers, but he had shaken his head no and told them that he was the oldest. Harry smiled as he remembered that conversation, as they had been worried Braiden felt left out or isolated from his siblings. They shouldn’t have worried as Braiden had always loved his own space and privacy.

Harry opened the door to Braiden’s lavish jungle themed bedroom, Max was sure that this was the reason Braiden didn’t want to share his room. His love for animals, particularly wild animals, had only grown as he got older and Nasta had had the amazing idea to paint his bedroom like a jungle scene. It had taken forever to find a jungle themed bed for him with matching sheets and covers, but for Braiden they had searched far and wide until they had found it.

Harry climbed the ladder to reach the bed and when he did, he found the reason he had woken up, his Mother’s intuition had woken him as he looked to Braiden’s red flushed cheeks and his teary indigo eyes as he wiggled on his mattress uncomfortably.

“Why didn’t you come and get me love?” Harry asked as he picked Braiden up and placed him on his shoulder so he could step down the ladder without fear of dropping his oldest son.

“My tummy feels bad when I move.” Braiden told him quietly, in that soft, heart wrenching way that only sick children had.

Harry sighed and carried Braiden to the bathroom and sat on the toilet, Braiden on his lap after he got the first aid kit down from the locked cabinet up high, where curious little fingers couldn’t reach, even if they could somehow manage to unlock the safety proof door.

A quick check with the thermometer showed that Braiden had a temperature and Harry used a damp flannel on the back of his neck to cool him down.

He took the rehydration salts from the first aid kit and propping Braiden over his shoulder; he put the kit back into the top cupboard, locked it and carried him down the stairs, opening and closing the safety gates as he went and got them into the living room.

He settled Braiden down on the settee with a blanket before going to get him something to drink; he had to keep him hydrated with fluids, boiling the kettle for a cup of tea, a check of his watch showed that Xabe would be waking for a bottle soon.

Harry carried a beaker of very weak fruit squash to Braiden and helped prop him up, he hadn’t been sick yet, so he hadn’t bothered with the rehydration salts, but they were there at hand just in case.

“Are you tired love? You should get some more sleep if you can.”

“Xabie will be awake soon.” Braiden told him.

“You’re a very good, loving big brother, but you leave Xabie to me. You need to rest.”

“You take care of the babies when you’re ill Mummy.”

“That’s because I’m your Mummy and I’d look after you no matter what, a little sniffle isn’t going to stop me, but you don’t have to do that Braiden, you’re a good brother, a brilliant helper, but the best way you can help Mummy now is by staying here and getting better.”

“Okay. I can do that.”

Harry couldn’t help but smile at his fever flushed son and he kissed his head.

“Get some sleep Braiden, call me if you need me, if you need to be sick, you have a bowl here, your drink is in reach. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

Braiden nodded and snuggled down. “If you go upstairs Mummy, can you get EB for me, please?”

Harry brushed the damp hair from Braiden’s face. “Of course I will love.”

Harry went upstairs to the raucous screaming of a newborn baby. Xabe was awake and was not best pleased not to have a bottle immediately present for suckling.

Harry slipped into their bedroom and sighed, Nasta was up, awake and heading out to feed the little squalling royal.

“Braiden’s sick.” He told them softly.

“What?!” Came the shout from the bed and Blaise was sat bolt upright, his indigo eyes wide, the very same eyes that were fever glazed downstairs.

Harry sighed. “He has a tummy bug and a fever, he’s on the settee, I’m going to keep an eye on him, I’m going to get EB for him now, he should be fine, but he needs a close eye on him.”

Blaise was up and awake in moments, planning on going to see their oldest child, slipping into his boxer shorts quickly for a modicum of decency.

“I’m going to feed Xabe.” Nasta excused himself as their newborn carried on crying and wailing for food, only getting louder as food wasn’t given immediately.

“You should be resting.” Draco croaked tiredly. “You’re stomach needs to heal, you were told not to lift the kids.”

Harry’s hand slipped to the caesarean cut and rubbed gently.

“I’m fine Draco, I promise, I just want to see to Braiden, he’s very unhappy.”

Harry went back into Braiden’s bedroom and hunted through all the stuffed lions, dragons, giraffes, elephants and snakes to find the soft, cuddly rabbit that Braiden had gotten for his third Easter and had aptly named Easter Bunny, EB for short.

He carried it back down the stairs and went into the living room and found Braiden propping himself up on his elbow, looking through to the noises from the kitchen.

“Did Xabe’s crying wake you up?” Harry asked as he tucked EB into Braiden’s grasp.

Braiden nodded and snuggled his little rabbit. “Xabie was crying really loudly.”

Harry chuckled. “I know. Daddy Nasta is sorting it out; you don’t need to worry about anything.”

“What if Xabie needs me?”

“I’m sure Xabe can manage without your wonderful help for a few days Braiden love, you need to rest and let Daddy Nasta sort out the new baby.”

“Is Daddy Nasta staying up?” Braiden asked in a small, uncertain voice.

“Yes he is.” Nasta said as he came into the living room, Xabe happily sleeping in the crook of his arm after a good feeding.

“Is Xabie okay Daddy?”

“Yes love, you just focus on you. I’m going to put Xabe back to bed and then I’ll be back down okay?”

“Okay.”

Harry got Braiden to take a few more sips of squash before tucking him up with EB.

“I’ll keep everything quiet for you today, alright Braiden?”

“I promised Calix I’d play farm house with him.”

“Calix can play with the others.” Harry assured him at Braiden’s distraught look at letting down his younger brother. “You’re not well enough baby.”

“I’m not a baby. Xabie’s a baby” Braiden insisted miserably, his bright, cherry red cheeks puffed out with his pout.

“You’ll always be my baby.” Harry said right back, giving him a kiss and tucking him up tighter. “Now you just go to sleep and rest.”

Harry went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea for him and Nasta, only to find Blaise had beaten him to it.

“How is he?”

“Miserable. He’s more worried about not helping with Xabe and letting Calix down; apparently he promised to play farm animals with him today.” Harry said as he picked up his favourite mug with his favourite honey tea inside and took a deep gulp.

“I’ll speak to Calix before he can pester him. Do you think it’ll last long?” Blaise asked, sipping his own coffee, savouring every mouthful.

“I’d think a few days.” Nasta said as he came back into the kitchen and kissed them both hard, before picking up his own mug of tea.

“Xabe go down for you alright?”

“Yeah, but you were right, as always about the kids, that one is a right diva; forget the family Princess, we now have a complete and utter royal who wants all the attention, all the time.”

Harry chuckled.

“What about Accident and Emergency?” Blaise snorted. “They’re right royals too.”

Harry turned on him in a flash and punched his shoulder hard. “I’ve warned you and Max, do not call them that!”

“You were the one to call them A and E in the first place, identical twins no less, what did you expect?” Blaise pointed out with a teasing grin. “We have a right horde of little royals running about.”

“No thanks to your spoiling.” Harry grumbled.

Nasta laughed. “Oh as if you haven’t spoilt them either? I heard about the extra scoop of ice cream after dinner last week.”

Harry grinned unrepentantly.

“I won’t mention the sixty pound doll’s pram you bought for Calix when he saw it on TV and wanted it right away, then.” Harry chuckled.

Nasta almost blushed and shuffled his feet as he remembered the day he had gone out after work and bought that damned pram. His mates hadn’t let him live it down since, but Calix had been so happy and thankful as he put his favourite doll, that Braiden had dressed meticulously for him, into the pram and pushed it around the house for the next week.

“He helped me in the garden for hours.” Nasta said stubbornly. “He was the only one to run around and put those leaves in the bin for me. He deserved a present.”

“Yeah, a few Sickles in his jar and a sticker.” Blaise chuckled. “Not an incredibly expensive pram that he could have waited for his Birthday to have.”

“I don’t regret it and I’m not taking that pram back from him.” Nasta said defiantly.

“Like we’d take it from him now.” Harry rolled his eyes. “He’s in love with it; he still won’t stop gushing about the special gift that Daddy Nasta got just for him. The other kids are jealous and think you like him more than them.”

Nasta scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to do that or to single him out in such a way.”

“I know, I’ve told the kids that Calix got it for helping you in the garden for so long, so the next time you have a job to do, I’ll think you’ll find a lot more helpers rushing around after you and I hope you know what each of them wants, because they’ll all expect it the next day.”

Nasta groaned and sat at the large table with a slump, drinking his tea with a frown.

“Aw, don’t pout Nas, it’ll be alright. They’ll get bored soon enough, after all, how long can they last when all they have to do is easy, odd jobs every now and then and then get such an amazing gift at the end of it?”

Nasta groaned louder and let his head fall onto the table.

“I don’t feel well Daddy.”

Harry looked over to find Braiden, in his little lion pyjamas, clutching EB and looking very pale under his red cheeks.

“I told you to stay on the settee and to call for me if you needed me.” Harry chastised without any real heat.

“I heard you out here.” Braiden said, snuggling EB tightly in his stick like arms.

Nasta picked him up and held the five year old tightly, but not too tightly around his belly.

“We’re going to make you feel better baby, I promise.”

“I’m not a baby.” Braiden insisted. “I’m five whole years old now.” Holding out one hand to show five fingers, just in case they needed to be reminded how many five actually was.

The three of them shared loving, indulgent smiles and Harry almost melted at his cuteness.

“Did you want me to tuck you back up?”

“I need a wee.”

Nasta smiled and carried Braiden to the downstairs bathroom. Harry turned to Blaise and sighed.

“He really is unwell, but he doesn’t want to admit it.” Blaise observed.

“I hope he gets better soon, I hate seeing any of them sick or in pain.” Harry said unhappily.

“Do you think A and E will wake up soon?”

“If you don’t stop calling them that the next time I give you oral I’m going to accidentally bite off one of your balls.”

“It’s not an accident if you plan it.” Blaise teased.

Harry laughed and checked his watch. “They should be up soon, all of them will be. Where is Max?”

“Right here love.” Max said, sweeping into the room with Calix in his arms. “This little guy woke me up for a morning snuggle.”

Calix giggled and happily went to Harry when Max handed him over, the four year old was a very bubbly little boy and Harry loved cuddling him.

“Calix love?” Blaise got his attention softly.

“Morning Dada Blay.” Calix bent forward for a kiss, which Blaise readily gave.

“You know Braiden was going to play farm animals with you?”

“Farm house.” Calix corrected.

“Braiden is feeling poorly today, so can you play with one of your other brothers or your sister?”

“Bay is sick?” Calix’s face fell immediately and his bottom lip quivered.

Harry held him tightly.

“He’s going to be alright Calix, I promise, but he needs lots of rest and quiet, do you understand?”

Calix nodded. “New baby will wake him up.”

“No, Xabe is going to be kept away from him, so he can rest in peace.”

Calix nodded again.

“How is Braiden feeling?” Max asked as he put a bowl of porridge and banana slices in front of Calix with a spoon and a beaker of diluted apple juice.

“Miserable at the moment, he’s upset at the thought of not being able to help with Xabe and unable to play, but he’s steadily getting worse.”

“He is getting worse.” Nasta told them as he walked back in, his face tight with upset.

“What’s happened, do we need a Healer?”

“He’s got diarrhoea as well and he’s started vomiting. No Healer needed yet unless you want to just confirm that he’s got gastroenteritis, we need to rehydrate him though, he’s lost a lot of fluid.”

Harry reached into his pyjama pocket and pulled out the rehydration salts and handed them over to Nasta.

“Mummy!” Came the quiet cry from the living room and Harry was standing up and going to his poorly son immediately.

Braiden was crying and was wiggling around in discomfort. Harry went to him and held him gently.

“Daddy Nasta put me back in a nappy Mummy, I’m not a baby.”

“It’s just for now Braiden, just in case you have an accident. Please, no one else will know, I promise.”

“I don’t feel well.”

“I know, but you’ll be better very soon.” Harry said as he cuddled Braiden and moved them both until he was on the settee with Braiden in his lap.

Nasta came in with a beaker of the rehydration salts and handed it to Braiden, who took a few sips.

“Drink it slowly, okay?” Nasta told him.

Braiden nodded softly as he sipped.

“Can’t drink no more.”

Nasta put the beaker on the coffee table.

“Hand him to me love, I’ll check over him, but I think Draco needs a hand with the others. They’re banging around like a herd of elephants up there; they’ll wake up Xabe soon.”

Harry handed Braiden over and Nasta took his place, holding Braiden in his arms.

“I used to do this with you when you were the same size as Xabe.”

“I was never that small.” Braiden pouted.

Nasta chuckled. “I’ll show you photos if you’ll like. You were smaller than Xabe even. We loved you so much when you were born and we love you just as much now.”

“Will I get better?”

“Of course you will, I know it’s miserable at the moment and uncomfortable, but in a few days you’ll be just fine.”

“Does that mean I can’t go to school?”

“I’m sorry Braiden; I don’t think you’ll be well enough on Monday for school.”

“But the others, they have nursery Monday too.”

“You get to stay here with Mummy, Daddy Draco and your youngest siblings, all to yourself.”

Much to Nasta’s horror, that thought set Braiden off crying and Blaise came into the living room and sat beside him, stroking Braiden’s tummy gently.

“What happened?” He asked.

“I’ve just told him he can’t go to school on Monday.” Nasta sighed.

Blaise chuckled. “He loves school, you know that. Telling him he can’t go is like me telling you that you can’t go near anything to do with dragons. Of course he’s upset.”

Blaise kissed Braiden’s forehead and rubbed his arm comfortingly.

“Daddy.” Braiden sniffled.

“I’m here love. You need to calm down or you’ll make yourself sick again, you don’t want that do you?”

“No.” Braiden warbled out and it tugged on every heart string he had.

“No Tegan, into the kitchen sweetheart.” Harry’s voice came from the hallway. “You need your breakfast before anything else.”

“I want to play.” She said stubbornly.

“You can play after you’ve eaten.” Draco said sternly. “Now into the kitchen and eat your breakfast.”

“Thank Merlin for Daddy Draco’s stern approach.” Blaise grinned.

“His take no attitude and no arguing assertiveness, but give him a tea cup of water and he becomes Daddy Princess.” Nasta chuckled.

Blaise laughed, remembering Tegan’s Princess Club, which naturally included dressing up Regan and Calix in costume dresses, Tegan wearing a plastic tiara and Draco wearing an over large hat, sat in a tiny chair, his knees up to his chin as he talked to Tegan, Regan and Calix about ‘Princess’ things over ‘tea’. He always got a backache from hunching over after one of Tegan’s meetings and Harry usually gave him a back rub before bed to ease the discomfort.

Braiden was now fast asleep and Nasta slid out from under him, placing him on the settee and tucking him over with the blanket, making sure he had EB in his arms still before going into the kitchen chaos with Blaise.

Harry was feeding Leolin his porridge, the four year old only had nine teeth, but no matter how few it seemed, Leolin had more teeth than most Faerie babies of his age.

Farren was eating heartily, overseen by Max, who was feeding one of the twins on his knee. Draco had the other twin and they were wrestling with the spoon. Calix was just about finished and Tegan was feeding Regan from her own bowl like she had seen them feeding the twins.

“Right, listen up sweet ones.” Nasta called out, being inspired by his earlier talk with Harry and Blaise. “I need help weeding the garden, any takers?”

As he had known, Calix was up and bouncing and agreeing happily, he loved everything to do with the garden, from binning the leaves Nasta had raked into a pile, weeding, digging or just being in the garden.

Of course as soon as the others saw Calix offering, remembering the present he had gotten for being helpful, they jumped on the chance.

“Right, it’s a big garden, a big job, I think I’m going to need all of you!” Nasta declared. “So eat your breakfast, help Daddy Max clean up and ask Daddy Draco to find your outside clothes and we can go and battle the weed monsters.”

Calix rushed to throw his empty plastic bowl into the sink, with the help of a step stool, before clamouring Draco to get his outside clothes.

“Alright Calix, calm down.” Draco brushed a big hand through his brown hair. “I’ll sort you out now.”

Nasta took the twin he had been feeding and carried on, leaving Draco free to take Farren and Calix to get into their old, garden clothes.

“At least it’s not raining.” Nasta offered with a grin when Harry gave him a look.

“You watch them and make sure none of them get too cold and you find those presents they want.” Harry said. “And make sure Farren doesn’t eat any more worms and that Tegan doesn’t feed anyone mud or the three little ones don’t get hurt.”

“Mumma, where’s Bayan?” Regan asked.

“Braiden’s not feeling too well at the minute Regan love. He’s going to stay inside sleeping.”

“Will he be okay?” Tegan asked, frowning, her jet black eyebrows lowering over her large hazel eyes.

“He’s going to be fine in a few days sweetheart. He just needs to rest and sleep.”

Tegan nodded before finishing her own banana porridge before she put both her and Regan’s bowls in the sink, took her brother’s hand and pulled him from the kitchen and up to Daddy Draco.

“I feel sorry for her future spouse.” Max chuckled. “She’s definitely going to be wearing the trousers in the relationship, all under a diamond studded, glamorous gown. I wonder if she’ll still wear the tiara.”

Harry rolled his eyes and snorted. “She’s turning into a very independent, headstrong young lady. I’m very proud of how she takes care of her brothers.”

“Love, she’s four.” Blaise pointed out with a snort. “She rules her nursery class, takes control of all the other children and is a completely indomitable force.”

“Good.” Harry huffed. “I won’t have anyone walking all over my little girl.”

“Walk over her?!” Max laughed. “Harry, she has control issues, personally I think it’s the effect of too much time with Draco.”

Harry chuckled at that and rolled his eyes. “Tegan does not have control issues.”

“She does. She pulls Regan around like a slave.”

“Don’t say it like that!” Harry snapped, getting upset. “It’s cute that she wants to protect him, it’s not like he doesn’t have free time to himself or doesn’t play with the others, he does. I don’t see a problem.”

“Fine, but if she grows up with a carpet of men under her feet I’m blaming you.”

Harry snorted. “Carpet of men.” He rolled his eyes. “You can be so dramatic. I think you’re the diva, not Xabe.”

“Speaking of, when’s the next feed?”

Harry checked his watch. “Half an hour. Lai love, don’t do…that.”

Harry sighed as his youngest child after Xabe pushed the bowl of porridge off of the highchair tray and onto the floor.

“Uh-oh.” Lai said sweetly, putting an index finger into a drooling mouth with only three teeth.

“Yes I should think so!” Harry said, taking Lai out of the highchair only to have Max take the little monster from him.

“Sixteen months old and already a terror! What are we going to do with you hmm?”

Draco came in with a ragtag bunch of dressed children, all in faded dungarees, patched jeans, old shirts, wellies and padded coats.

“Here you are, all ready to go out to play in the muck and filth. I’ll have a bath ready for when they come back in.”

“Mummy! Daddy!” Braiden cried from the living room and immediately four children ran to clamour him.

“Stop!” Harry called out loudly, stopping his children in their tracks before they reached Braiden. “Back into the kitchen you four, Braiden isn’t well and unless you want to be sick too and stuck in bed all day, go outside with Daddy Nasta and leave Braiden to rest in peace.”

Harry herded the four back into the kitchen with the four others as Max, who had handed baby Lai off to Draco, went to Braiden and crouched on his haunches in front of him.

“What’s the matter little man?” He asked softly.

“My tummy hurts Daddy.”

“Oh, sweet one.” Max slipped an arm under Braiden’s head and pulled him into a hug, one huge hand rubbing softly on the mentioned belly. “It won’t last forever, I promise. We’ll make you feel all better; you just need to do what we tell you too.”

“What do I have to do?” Braiden asked weakly.

“You need lots of rest, so even if you can’t sleep, no jumping around the room, okay?”

Braiden giggled. “Okay. I don’t think I could do that today anyway.”

Max’s face softened. “Oh love.” He held him tighter before sitting him up and helping him take a few sips of the Dioralyte solution.

“Am I going to be okay Daddy?”

“You’ll be just fine soon enough love. You’ll be back in school before you even have a chance to miss it.”

Braiden nodded trustingly and his eyes started slipping closed as sleep fought to take him.

“Just go to sleep honey and call if you need anything. One of us will always be close enough to hear you.”

“Is Calix upset that I can’t play with him?” Braiden asked, his fever glazed indigo eyes closed, his small voice slurred slightly with sleep.

“No Braiden, he’s not, you can always play another day, when you’re better, but you focus on yourself for me okay? We need you better to help wrangle the little animals.” Max said, referring to the other children as little animals, like he knew made Braiden giggle and he wasn’t disappointed, even if his giggle was tired and weak.

Max tucked him in, pressed a hand to his forehead and grimaced at the heat radiating from the little boy, he took out his wand and tapped Braiden’s forehead gently and got a reading that made his face pull into a worried frown.

He went out to the kitchen and caught Harry’s arm and tugged him to the side.

“How high was Braiden’s temperature this morning?” He asked urgently.

“One hundred, why? Has it gone up?”

“One hundred and two, we have to keep an eye on that, if it gets any higher, I’d rather him see a medical professional.”

Harry nodded, his face creased with concern. Max pulled him into a hug.

“He’s going to be fine, stop with that face or you’ll have wrinkles.”

Harry smiled at that and shook his head softly.

“That’s it, much better to have laughter lines than wrinkles.”

“I’m sure only you and Draco know the difference.” Harry answered, kissing him.

“What have you done with A and E?”

“Honestly, stop calling them that!” Harry demanded furiously.

“Well where are they?”

“Toddling around the garden with Blaise.” Harry answered. “Draco almost threw a fit and asked if I wanted him to roll Xabe in the mud too.”

“What did you tell him?” Max asked with a grin.

“I asked if he was going to be the one to clean them all up afterwards.”

Max laughed before pulling him into a kiss.

“Do you think Braiden got the bug from school? Maybe I should ask around the other parents and find out.” Harry asked a while later, after they’d finished kissing.

“Don’t worry about that Harry; other people’s kids aren’t our concern. We have more than enough of our own to worry over. If we’re not careful all of the kids will get sick before this is over.”

“Oh, they better not be, my heart is breaking at just seeing Braiden so sick, I can’t imagine them all going down with it.”

“Wait for the inevitable chicken pox catastrophe, that’s going to be hell.”

“What are the chances of them not getting it?” Harry pleaded.

“With how many we have and them all being in public school? Ah…zero.” Max replied cheerfully.

Max went to the sink and began washing up the breakfast dishes, Harry sighed.

“Keep an ear out for Braiden; I’m going to check on Xabe.”

“The squalling royal babe.”

Harry snorted and smacked Max’s bum as he walked past. Max chuckled and watched Harry walk away with a smile until Harry was out of sight and he went back to the dishes, smiling at the colourful plastic bowls that the kids had decorated themselves with glitter glue and stickers, made permanent and undamageable by a simple charm.

He washed each one carefully and placed them into the drainer, the matching spoons and beakers not far behind before washing the mugs used that morning before tipping out the dirty water and drying his hands on a tea towel.

“Daddy?” Came the small call from the living room and Max made his way there quickly, hunching down in front of Braiden again and smiling softly.

“What’s wrong honey?”

“That feeling’s back. The one I had before where I thought I needed a wee, but didn’t.”

Max took Braiden to the bathroom, frowning only for a moment at the pull up nappy before he cradled his oldest son as he sobbed in discomfort.

He wanted to cry right along with Braiden at how miserable and uncomfortable he was, but he held himself strong and sorted him out, got him into a new pull up, got him dressed into his pyjamas, made sure to wash his and Braiden’s hands thoroughly before tucking him back on the settee, making sure he took a few sips of the rehydration solution first.

EB was tucked back into Braiden’s little arms and Max kissed him lingeringly. He hated seeing his babies in pain or so sick and fevered they couldn’t do anything by lie down.

“How is he?” Draco asked softly from the door.

“Just had another bout of diarrhoea. He’s so miserable and unwell, we have to keep track of all of the vomiting and diarrhoea, too many in a twenty-four hour period and he’ll need a Healer.”

“That’s what I was thinking.” Draco said as he held out a notebook and a quill.

Max smiled and opened it to a fresh page, writing down everything he knew of Braiden’s sickness, from his changing temperatures, to the times he had vomited, how much of the rehydration solution he had drank and what he had eaten, which so far was nothing, he’d give him some plain toast when he next woke up and some soft eggs for lunch if he kept the toast down.

“Right, I have to get on with the washing, can you watch him Draco? I don’t think he likes being on his own.”

“Sure, I’ll take an hour to read if no one needs me for anything.”

“Blaise and Nasta have nearly all the kids in the garden and Harry has Xabe covered as Nasta’s forced him to go to bed to rest, it’s just Braiden.”

“Then I’ll keep an ear out for everyone else, but I’ll stay here with him.”

Max nodded and left hesitantly.

“I can look after him on my own you know.” Draco smirked.

“I know, I just…he’s so unwell and I don’t want to leave him.”

“He’ll be fine, go and do the washing; it’ll only catch up with you when he’s better and then you’ll be sorry that you didn’t keep on top of it.”

Max sighed. “Yeah I know.”

Max left and Draco pulled his newest novel down from the bookshelf. He had been wanting to read it for a week now, but hadn’t had the chance or the time, he was grateful for an hour to get started on it, it had been playing on his mind since it had come via owl on the day of its release and seeing it just sitting on the bookshelf, just waiting for him to open it and settle down, it drove him insane.

He sat in the armchair by Braiden’s head and cracked the book open and he was lost from the first word. An hour and a half passed so quickly, almost in the blink of an eye for Draco, but the moment Braiden let out a soft moan, he was sliding a bookmark into the pages and putting it down.

“Mummy?” Braiden croaked out so weakly.

“I’m here Braiden.” Draco said, slipping over to sit on the edge of the settee, facing Braiden, whose cheeks were still bright, cherry red.

“Daddy, my head and belly hurts.”

Draco frowned and pressed a large hand to that tiny forehead, Braiden actually pushed his searing hot forehead into his cool, dry palm.

“Do you need to be sick?”

Braiden shook his head.

“Do you need the toilet?”

Again Braiden shook his head.

“Do you need a drink? Something to eat?”

Braiden considered it then nodded. Draco pulled him up onto his lap carefully and slowly, holding him gently as he gave him a few sips of the rehydration solution. Braiden took a few more sips and then a few more before he pushed the beaker away.

“Let’s go and get you some toast, okay baby boy?”

“Not a baby.” Braiden said so quietly Draco almost didn’t hear him.

Frowning Draco took out his wand and touched it to Braiden’s forehead. The reading had gone up to one hundred and two point seven. He sighed and sat Braiden on his hip, letting him lean against his shoulder, burying his head into his neck weakly.

Draco put some toast on for him and rubbed his back gently. Max came into the kitchen with an arm load of white clothing. He dumped them into the washing machine, set it up, but aware of how Braiden might be feeling, didn’t set it off.

“How are you feeling now little man?”

Braiden just made a soft noise.

“He’s had half the remainder of the Dioralyte.” Draco answered. “But his temperature has gone up to one hundred and two point seven. He needs a fever reducer.”

Max marked the changes down in his book nodding. “As soon as he hits one hundred and three, I’ll call a Healer.” He said. “Has he had any more bouts of vomiting?”

“No, he’s been asleep pretty much since you left; he’s only just woken up, though his head hurts now as well.”

“He might have a headache from the high fever, I’ve already dug out some fever reducers and a junior headache reliever, if he can eat just half a piece of toast, he can have both.”

Draco nodded and cut the piece of toast into four little squares and coaxed Braiden to eat at least two of them.

The poorly little boy actually managed two and a bit before he pushed it away and refused any more.

“Come here love; let’s get some medicine into you.” Max said, taking Braiden into his own arms and holding out a tiny amount of potion in a tumbler glass. “You need to take all of this and down in one Braiden, can you do that for me sweetheart?”

Braiden nodded tiredly and when the glass came to his lips, he gulped the potion down and pulled a face, his eyes tearing up at the horrible taste.

“I know they don’t taste very nice, no medicine ever tastes nice, but you still need them to feel better. Now love, this one will help with your bad head okay, so same again, drink all of it and down in one.”

There was more of this potion than the last and Braiden struggled to swallow it all, but he managed it, fat tears sliding down his red cheeks.

“There we go, all gone. You’re such a good, brave boy; I think you deserve a sticker.”

Braiden actually smiled, no matter how weakly or tired it was as Max carried him over to the far end of the kitchen and to the ten star charts charmed to the wall. The charts were set out with the days of the week and at the end of the week, each star was counted and the children got Knuts and Sickles in their jars for however many stars they had gotten.

Each star was worth a Knut, but if a child got five stars in a single day, they got a Sickle instead. Only Braiden had ever gotten a Galleon before and it was for getting thirty-six stars in a single week. It had only happened once so far.

Max let Braiden pick which colour star he wanted and wasn’t surprised that he picked green, like the jungle trees. He peeled the green star from the paper and stuck it between the two lines for Saturday. Braiden was the first child to get a star for today and he pointed that out, making Braiden smile. It didn’t matter that all the kids would probably get a star when they came in from helping Nasta in the garden; he was the first for today.

He took the pencil from the board and wrote under the star what it was rewarded for, so the children could see what they had done right, and the other mates could as well, before carrying Braiden back into the living room and laying him on the settee.

“Do you need the bathroom?” He asked.

Braiden shook his head.

“A drink?”

Braiden shook his head.

“Do you need anything?”

Another head shake and Max tucked the blanket over him and kissed his cheek.

“I don’t think I can sleep Daddy.” Braiden whispered.

“How about a story?”

Braiden nodded slowly and Max went to the bookshelf and pulled down the new book he’d bought for Braiden about two parrots who went on an adventure into the jungle. He knew Braiden would love it, but he hadn’t had a chance to read it or to even show it to the boy before now, he had planned on doing it at bedtime, but with Braiden being so sick, he thought this was just the thing he needed to cheer him up just a little bit.

“This book is called Peter and Polly Parrot in the Jungle.” Max said, watching as Braiden’s eyes widened and he tried to sit up.

Max sat on the settee and pulled Braiden and EB on to his lap, reclining him slightly so he used less energy, but sat him up enough so he could still see the pictures on the book. He draped the blanket over Braiden, and himself by extension, and made sure he was tucked in.

“It’s new.” Braiden said as he touched the words and pictures on the front cover.

Max nodded. “I bought this for you the other day, I was going to show it to you tonight, for your bedtime story, but as you’re so unwell, it can’t hurt to give it to you early.”

“Thank you Daddy.”

Max gave Braiden a kiss when he angled his head back for one, hoping he didn’t catch the bug the boy had, but not caring enough about it not to kiss his son before he cracked the book open and started reading, Braiden showing more enthusiasm than he had all day.

“Peter and Polly parrot were brother and sister. Like most brothers and sisters they loved adventures. One day they flew further than they ever had before and they ended up in a giant forest!

‘Let’s go and explore!’ Peter parrot said to his sister.

‘It looks really dark Peter.’ Polly told her brother.

‘It’ll be fun Polly!’ Peter insisted. ‘Come on, let’s go and see if we can find a tree frog to play with!’

The two went into the forest, not knowing that they had actually gone into a huge jungle and that there were a lot more dangerous things in there than a tree frog. Things like monkeys and elephants, tigers and lions!”

“People are wrong about lions.” Braiden insisted stubbornly. “They don’t eat animals at all, they eat the jungle leaves!”

Max smiled indulgently and chuckled before carrying on the story of Peter and Polly, not telling Braiden that his most favourite animal in the world would eat any meat that wandered across its path.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- X

For four days Braiden battled with his fever and stomach bug and all of them were tired and grouchy.

“This reminds me of when we were back in Hogwarts, that last month before the exams where absolutely everything went wrong and we were almost at breaking point.” Max said through a yawn.

“It doesn’t help that Xabe isn’t sleeping through the night yet.” Draco groaned.

“Give it time. Braiden will be fine soon, this can’t last much longer, it’s been four days.”

The five of them were up and awake, despite it being only six in the morning. It was a school day and in half an hour they had to wake up the kids, dress them for nursery, feed them and get them off as quickly and as easily as possible.

Little steps on the stairs alerted them to one of the kids being awake earlier than they should have been. Harry stood to go and get the little one, but Braiden came into the kitchen before he could, his rhino pyjamas on today, EB under one arm being squashed by a large stuffed lion, also under the same arm.

“How are you feeling sweetheart?” Harry asked.

“Better Mummy.”

Harry actually let out a relieved smile. He pulled Braiden into his arms and sat him on his lap as Blaise tapped his forehead with his wand.

“Ninety-eight point seven. Perfectly normal.” Blaise reported with a smile. He bent and kissed Braiden’s little mouth and ruffled his hair.

“Can I go to school today?” He asked brightly.

“I think we should keep you home for one more day.” Nasta replied, looking very apologetic as Braiden deflated.

“We’re not that bad to stay with are we?” Draco teased, shaking his arm gently.

“No!” Braiden said quickly. “But I miss my friends and school; I’ll be so behind in my exercise book!”

“Are you sure Granger hasn’t gotten to him?” Draco asked.

Harry chuckled. “I think it’s wonderful that we have a child so eager to learn and you only have to look at Blaise to know where he gets it from, remember the last month of school? It was like he was possessed.”

“I wasn’t that bad.” Blaise frowned.

“You were.” Max replied with a wide grin.

“Why are you up so early love?” Harry asked Braiden.

“I needed a wee. I was going back to bed but I heard you down here.”

“Do you want to go back to bed?”

Braiden shook his head.

Max stood up with a groan and started pottering around making breakfast. Braiden slipped over onto his own chair and sat happily, listening to Draco and Nasta talking softly, Blaise adding in his thoughts here or there.

Harry laughed silently as his son sat at the table, making his back straight like Daddy Draco had taught him, listening to the conversation and acting like a big boy.

How Harry loved his oldest son, not to say he didn’t love his other children, he did very much, but Braiden was his oldest, his most ‘grown-up’, the child who wanted to be seen as older than he was and was so well behaved Harry considered him the perfect child, despite his spectacular, though admittedly rare, tantrums.

Max served Braiden a single boiled egg with two pieces of toast cut into slices. Braiden grinned and thanked Max happily as he dipped his toast into his egg. Max gave the rest of them the same breakfast, only with two eggs and four slices of toast and sat down to enjoy his own breakfast before the others got up.

“How are the fledglings Nas?” Harry asked after a lull in the conversation.

“Brilliant.” Nasta answered with a grin. “We’ve had the record number of surviving fledglings this year; we’re going to be hands on now for the rest of the year to rear them to adulthood, though four of them have been promised to other reserves to help the breeding programme.”

Harry smiled at how excited Nasta was when talking of the dragons.

“I’m sure you said before, but what breeds are they again?” Harry asked, even though he knew perfectly well, Nasta knew he knew as well if the part smile, part smirk he sent him was any indication, but neither of them minded.

“We have eight Ironbellies, twelve Welsh greens and nine short-snouts. They’re all in different stages though, with the Ironbellies almost juveniles, but now the Welsh greens have turned fledgling, they’re all in the fledgling stage at the moment, so we have a few weeks of reprieve, before the Ironbellies turn juvenile and start acting up.”

“Good luck with that.” Max clapped his shoulder and grinned.

“Good luck with your meningitis outbreak.” Nasta grinned back.

Max groaned theatrically, making Braiden giggle around his egg and toast. Harry got up and got him his beaker and asked Braiden what he wanted to drink.

“Orange juice, please Mummy.”

Harry couldn’t help but smile as he poured the pure juice into the beaker and handed it to Braiden.

“Where’s my juice Mummy?” Max pouted.

Braiden giggled. “Mummy isn’t your Mummy, Daddy Max! You’re so silly!”

The five of them chuckled at that, even as Harry poured a glass of orange juice for all of them and kissed them gently. Harry had never been so proud, or so entertained, as when his children had started talking in sentences, even if those sentences were choppy, unfinished or only a few words long.

Regan was the worst for talking, as Leolin didn’t count due to his Faerie heritage, and that was mostly because Tegan spoke for him. The five of them tried to stop her and tried to coax Regan into talking more, but he was simply contented to let Tegan talk for him or decide what they were doing, she really was a force to be reckoned with.

A soft cry from over the baby monitor had Harry scoffing another bite of eggy toast and dashing up the stairs to fetch Xabe as Draco stood to boil the kettle and set up a bottle ready.

“Are you still feeling well after breakfast?” Blaise asked Braiden, smoothing the silky black hair from his little face.

Braiden nodded. “Yes Daddy. I feel so much better.”

“We did promise that you’d be better soon, didn’t we?” Max said with a smile.

Braiden nodded again. “Thank you for making me all better.”

“That’s alright sweetheart. We wouldn’t have left you sick and miserable.” Nasta told him as he came around the table to help Braiden scoop out his egg with a spoon, it was harder to do with the thick, plastic spoons.

Braiden happily allowed Nasta to scoop out his egg and feed him, it was rare as he often insisted he could do it himself and Nasta savoured the act of feeding his oldest child.

Harry came in with Xabe tucked into the crook of his arm and little Lai jutted on his hip.

“There’s my beautiful baby!” Max cried out, taking Lai from Harry and peppering kisses all over the sweet little sleep creased face.

“Our little terror was wandering around the upstairs landing, trying to climb over the safety gate at the top.” Harry frowned.

“I’ll put some wards over it.” Draco insisted. “It’s been a while since any of them have been old enough to try climbing over it, but young enough to not know how to open it.”

“It’s only Lai and terrible two.”

“What is with these nicknames for our children?” Harry demanded.

“What? It gives them all a separate identity.” Max said innocently. “And Taren is in the terrible two’s. Then again Lai will be in the terrible twos soon too.”

“You can’t call both of them terrible two.” Blaise pointed out.

“You shouldn’t be calling any of them terrible two!” Harry frowned as he tested the bottle Draco had prepared on his exposed forearm before rubbing the teat on Xabe’s cheek, watching the newborn baby root for the nipple, catching it between little lips and suckling.

“Xabie’s so cute.” Braiden said in all the seriousness of a protective big brother.

“Me too!” Lai burst out.

“You too Lay-Lay.” Braiden nodded, patting the sixteen month old gently on the head, fluffy hair stuck up from sleep still.

The five adults chuckled and sniggered as they watched the siblings before Draco put the younger of the two into a highchair as Max served another egg and two sliced pieces of toast.

Max handed Braiden a bowl of sliced banana and the boy made an excited sound, having not been able to eat much over the past four days.

Slowly the day started to get rowdier and more active as Nasta went to get the kids up and dressed for nursery, bringing them down to where Max had breakfast ready and waiting.

Harry put Xabe into a bassinet, out of the way of the table and the other children, but close at hand as he fed his children, cleaned up after them and tried to keep everything in some semblance of order, but gone were the peaceful, quiet days where he could actually hear himself think, but as he looked around his little brood of children, he decided he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Tar, don’t do that…no! Taren!” Harry sighed exasperatedly as his two year old child up ended the beaker of apple juice onto Blaise’s lap.

Blaise jumped up and started cursing in Italian if Nasta unimpressed scowl was anything to go by and the kids of course laughed as their Daddy Blaise started ‘dancing’ around the kitchen before rushing to change his trousers before he had to go to work.

Harry picked Taren up from the highchair and washed the diddy little fingers from the butter and egg that had migrated under tiny fingernails. He washed the little mouth and chin to much protest of his mucky little child before setting Taren free to terrorise the others before the older children left for nursery.

“Are you sure you can manage five of them on your own? You should be resting.” Draco said worriedly.

“It’s only Braiden, Leolin, Taren, Lai and Xabe, I’ll be fine and if I need a break, there’s always Finding Nemo.”

“No Finding Nemo!” Braiden burst out. “George of the Jungle.”

Harry smiled indulgently and kissed Braiden’s upturned face.

“You can watch it after dinner honey, okay? Now all of you be good in nursery!”

“I’m in school.” Braiden said proudly.

“I know you are, but you’re always good.” Harry told him secretively. “I don’t need to remind you, do I?”

Braiden shook his head and grinned like he held the biggest secret ever as he rounded up his siblings and got them to stand still for a moment as Harry washed their hands and faces free of their breakfasts.

“Go and sit down Braiden love, you should be resting, not running around.” Nasta told him. “Take Leolin and Taren into the living room for me.”

Braiden pouted but hugged his siblings going off to nursery goodbye, took Leolin and Taren’s hands and tugged the four year old and the little two year old into the living room.

Harry rounded them up as Draco dragged and tugged a brush through their hairs, much to their displeasure and screaming. Harry dug Lai out of the horde as Nasta scooped up the twins, Max got Farren and Regan into his arms and Blaise found himself with a chattering Calix and an upset Tegan who had been forcibly separated from Regan and was not best pleased with the development either if her quickly reddening cheeks were anything to go by.

Harry kissed his children and his mates’ goodbye and it took only minutes for them to be gone. Draco finished his tea, washed up the breakfast things and took a cloth to the table, before freshening himself up, kissing Harry goodbye, and left for the day.

Harry sighed as the house was infinitely quieter without all the children running around and screaming.

“Just me and you and four others, huh Lai love?”

The sixteen month old giggled and Harry smiled, scooping up Xabe and going into the living room and settling down to play with the five children he was left at home with, the three too young for nursery, the one recovering from an illness and couldn’t go to school and the one that needed specialist care and attention that wasn’t offered in any normal or even private nursery.

No, his life was incredibly hectic and his days were always full, but he would never change this for the world. Nothing on this Earth was more important to him, was more precious than the life he had with his mates, with the children they had created and raised together and as Leolin crawled onto his lap, his small scrap of fabric that constituted as a blanket to the little Faerie pressed to his nose, Harry knew that nothing would ever be as important to him as his growing family. Nothing.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- X

A/N: One of the rare long Scaled Bits chapters, but I don’t think you’ll complain, especially as it was only supposed to be a short, fluffy one-shot, but that soon changed as my love and need to put in every detail possible and the actual plot itself took over.

As I said up top, Xabe, A and E, and Lai are abbreviated names or nicknames, not the full names, as if Harry would call a baby of his Accident or Emergency, but if you can get genders from them, then I’ll demand my notebooks back from you. Taren however, as a unisex name, was given to you in full.

But anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed this look into the future! I enjoyed writing it, no matter how long it took and how much research actually went into it. So let me know what you think of it and I might do some more of them later on if I can get around to it. Maybe the first ever family holiday?

StarLight Massacre. X
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The Rise of the Drackens: The Scaled Bits