The Contract

A side note: If you get the chance -- I HIGHLY recommend Samayel's newest story: The Office



http://www.hpfandom.net/eff/viewstory.php?sid=18134



Well worth the read!







Chapter Forty Seven -- Babies and explanations





Draco woke to the sound of a baby crying. Instinctively, his hands felt for the bump of his pregnancy. It was still where it should be. His head hurt, but he felt a comforting relief when he found his babies. Struggling to sit up, his head spun for a moment. He felt hands touch his shoulders.



“Wait a minute, mate.” It was Ron’s voice; it sounded full of emotion. “Just go slow, you’ve been out for a bit.”



“Harry?” Draco’s voice choked as he called for his love. The babies, unmoving inside him, as his loss surrounded them.



Walking around the corner, Molly and Narcissa saw that he was awake. Narcissa moved quickly to the side of the bed and held the sobbing blonde. “Mum… Harry… dead…”



A growl from two of the goblins sworn to protect the children he carried stopped Narcissa but only for a moment, then she put them aside and held her son, Ron ever close in case he collapsed. Shushing him, she said, “No love. He’s not dead. He’s just over there.”



“What?” He said pulling back from her.



Molly answered. “Harry is in a coma of sorts. Poppy thinks he has used too much magic and has to heal. We don’t know what half the hexes were that they used against one another.”



Confused, Draco looked from one to the other, “He’s…alive?”



“Yes.” Came the resounding answer from Severus, Molly, Narcissa, and Ron.



“Can I see him?” Narcissa pulled away from him and moved to allow Ron and Severus to help the man to his feet. Slowly, weakly, Draco walked to a private room at the end of the infirmary. They passed a cradle, which held a newborn baby. Wrinkled and red, the baby’s face scrunched into an ear-splitting wail. Draco paused,; an ache crept into his chest as he wrapped his arms about his own stomach. “Whose baby is that?”



“It’s a long story, Draco. Let’s get you in to see Harry and then we’ll tell you everything over tea.” Draco wanted to go to Harry. He wanted to know that they were telling him the truth, but he was drawn to the infant. He could feel her magic reaching for him.



Moving closer, Ron and Severus still flanking him to be sure he didn’t fall over again, Draco reached for the child. The screaming baby stopped the moment Draco held him close. The aching in his chest receded just a bit as the panting sobs subsided immediately. Turning, he looked at Severus. “Where are her parents?”



“Her is actually a Him.” He said. Ron moved a chair behind Draco and prepared to catch one or both. “Bring him along. Once we see Harry, I promise to give you a full explanation.”



Draco carried the child as though he had practiced this step his entire life, rather than it being the first time he had held a baby. The little group moved to the door and Ron opened it.



Inside were several redheads and Hermione. Poppy was fussing and complaining that everyone needed to leave so she could have room to stir a cauldron. Draco looked to the bed. Assessing the situation, he cleared his throat.



“Excuse me, would you permit me to have few moments with Harry alone?” He asked with a forced calm, his gaze never leaving the form on the bed.



The room cleared out, each with a kind word and touch for the blonde, except for Severus and Poppy. Moving close, Draco looked at the man on the bed. His hair was gone, his skin blistered even onto his scalp. The lightening scar was open but no longer bleeding; just ugly flesh. His breathing was normal and steady. It was, unmistakably, Harry.



He took in a sharp breath, the baby staring intently up into the face of the one holding him.



Harry’s alive? MISTRESS!!!! HE’S ALIVE!!!!



Her magic swirled into the room.



: Yes, love of my human, he is alive. But he is not well. He must remain as you see him until he has regained his strength. I can only share so much of my magic with him and still maintain what I was meant to be.



“I understand.”



: Stay with him. Let him draw strength from you and the little ones you carry. The little protectors will not leave the doorway to the infirmary. They will stay as long as you are here. They will help me protect the ones you carry.



Draco nodded mutely as he walked closer to the love of his life. Pulling back the covers with one hand, the other still holding the baby, he saw the various marks and bruises across Harry’s torso. Draco sat, numbly on the chair next to Harry’s bed, which Poppy had transfigured to be a rocker, and without thinking, Draco began to rock the now sleeping infant and continued to stare at the love of his life.



His fingertips were being bandaged; he would learn later that the wandless killing curse that had left Harry had damaged the skin where it had left the body. He watched as Severus turned him over and began healing the back of his torso. The bruises from the falls after being hit were much worse on his back than on his front.



As for the hexes used, some were known and being healed one at a time, others were going to have to wait until they could ascertain exactly what they were. Draco rocked the baby for over an hour before anyone approached him. He found comfort in the blue-eyed little boy as they rocked. Back and forth, back and forth, they moved. And the baby and Harry slept on. Draco put the head of the baby up on his shoulder and continued to rock, dozing a bit as the lull of the baby breathed in his ear.



When he woke from his light nap, the room was empty. A few moments later, Molly brought him a drink and offered to take the infant. Draco agreed, but only if she would return him soon. She did and they left the room.



Hermione Granger entered with Ron. Pulling two chairs up, Hermione reached for Draco’s hand. “They think he’ll be alright, you know. Just a healing sleep is what we hope for.” She said gently.



Ignoring her less than hopeful words, he asked who the baby was.



Taking a deep breath, Hermione told a story that had only unfolded in the last few days. “According to what we knew before the duel and what was said on the pitch we have put a bit of the information together. It seems that the reason Dumbledore went to fight Grindelwald in 1945 was because Grindelwald had killed Cygnus Black. Dumbledore had been a brilliant research assistant to Cygnus, who was Sirius’ great-grandfather.



“Their research was to find the cure for Lycanthropy. From what we have found in the room at Grimmauld place, just over a year later Albus apparently found the cure, just before he fought Grindelwald.



“Even for a research assistant, when Dumbledore fought Grindelwald, he fought bravely. His ability to research finally paid off. He was cunning and used every hex and curse probably known at that point. He defeated the Dark Lord of the age.”



“Except he didn’t.” Ron said. “Actually Grindelwald won. He used a curse that would keep Dumbledore in his Animageous form: a phoenix.”



“See, Draco, if Grindelwald killed him, the Polyjuice would no longer work. The man had to stay alive if Grindy was going to pull off his scheme. He assumed the form of the research assistant. The phoenix was locked into his form and refused to leave his side, standing guard, we assume. How he got additional hair from Dumbledore is still a mystery.



“I found the spell at the Black Estate in a book I just finished reading. The book, Permanent Transfigurations was by a Lisa Natalie West. Fascinating thoughts in that one. Hogwart’s A History refers to her as Nat West. She was a Muggleborn and actually recognized and documented the spell in the late eighteen hundreds.”



“The problem is that the phoenix, when killed, was reborn. So Grindy couldn’t get rid of him. As he got older, and people were more accustomed to him, he grew his beard long and did not need to Polyjuice himself. The only thing I know he used as a disguise was a color for his eyes.”



Ron jumped in with excitement. “So when Harry killed the old wizard, it wasn’t just Dumbledore that was released. He has had all kinds of long term spells hiding his past. There are doors in the Ministry that have opened. Filing cabinets have suddenly appeared. Even, according to Garen, vaults have revealed themselves. It’s amazing.”



“Wait. That baby is… Albus Dumbledore?”



“That’s right. Since the spell was broken he found himself on the ground as an infant. I guess when Harry hit him with the A.K., he was able to survive it because of the Phoenix form. But since Grindy was killed, it released the spell at the same time.”



“Who’s going to take care of him?”



“Dunno, mate. He has no family. The only time he stopped crying was when you were holding him.” They all heard an ear-piercing scream come from the out room. The ache in Draco’s chest became more pronounced.



“Excuse me, stay with Harry for a moment?” The teens nodded.



The screaming stopped immediately when Draco took the baby back into his arms. The babies he carried stretched inside of him as he took the weight, gladly, from Narcissa. “Looks like I’m having triplets instead of twins.” He told her.



Smiling he walked back toward Harry while Narcissa fell into Remus’ arms as she collapsed, the little Goblin’s gaze following him.



They returned to Harry’s room. He had not stirred, but Draco didn’t mind. He could see the healing taking place even as he slept. Ron and Hermione excused themselves to let Draco be alone with Harry.



Molly brought a bottle for Draco, but the ache in his chest became more painful with each squirm of the baby. Instead of taking the bottle, he handed her the baby. Excusing himself for a moment, he ducked into the loo. Pulling his pajama shirt open, he looked down, then in the mirror. Blushing, he closed his shirt and called to Molly.



“Er, Molly?” She looked up from trying to get the baby to suckle the artificial nipple. “Can you, oh my, Molly… I have breasts. They hurt and are leaking. What is happening to me?”



Smiling, but a bit confused, she said, “Usually, the breasts develop AFTER the baby is born. I am not sure why you are doing it now. Give me a minute?”



Draco nodded and tried to ignore the constant pain turning into pressure in his chest.



When she returned, she smiled again. “According to Poppy, this is just another odd occurrence in the life of Draco Malfoy. You must be producing milk or at the least cholostrum. That must be why he won’t take the bottle. Always better to have the milk from the mother… I mean daddy.” She said.



“Papa, Molly. I’m not a mummy, I don’t have the right bits. Harry called me Papa, and I like it.” Then understood the rest of her statement. He looked at her in horror. “Him? Feed? From these? You must be joking!” He said.



“No dear. Come over here and sit down, I’ll show you what to do.”



Draco swallowed hard and walked to the rocking chair, muttering something about …flipping magic… and never again… Harry’s turn next….



Molly smiled indulgently, “Open your shirt, just one side at a time.” He did. “Now, put the little man’s mouth to the nipple, hold him like a quaffle if you need to.” Draco stared at her in horror. She smiled at him. He did as he was told.



Immediate pain followed by relief from the pressure release of the milk as Albus drank. “Now, in a moment or two, he will let go. When he does, put him over your shoulder and pat his back, then flip him to the other side and let him drink from that breast.”



“You do know how wrong this is, don’t you?”



“Draco, dear, as a magical parent, you will produce enough milk for each of your babies. Don’t worry. When they get older, Harry will be able to bottle feed them to help, but the first few months, it’s on you. Don’t worry, it gets easier. Its just part of being a mummy.” Patting him on the shoulder, she looked down at her surrogate son just as Albus released his breast. “Now, burp him. There you go.” Draco did well for his first time, and the baby burped just a bit before starting to squirm again. “Now the other breast.”



Draco complied and repeated the procedure. “How often will this happen?”



“As many as it takes love. No one can set an exact amount of feedings a day. Every child is different.”



“Hipee..” He said sarcastically. A few moments later, Albus finished his feeding, was burped and smelled rather funny. “Molly, why does he smell like that?”



“I suspect his nappy needs changing.” He looked up at her again, a bit green. “Don’t worry about it dear, I’ll help you.” Another look at the blonde and she amended, “I’ll do it for you until you get used to it.”



“Thanks Molly.” He said sheepishly.





Molly and Remus returned the clean and fresh smelling baby to Draco. “Narcissa is awake and Severus is trying to explain your words to her.”



Theysat next to Draco without looking at him. “So do you believe you will be rearing this baby with yours?”



Smiling, Draco said, “Who else does he have?”



“Point taken. But surely someone could…” Remus started…



“Molly, Remus, I adore you both. I love my mum too. But this is going to happen. When Harry wakes he and I will have two already. What’s a third?”



Transfiguring a bassinet, Molly showed Draco how to lay the baby down and suggested that he get some rest as well. Looking to the sleeping man, he enlarged the bed and carefully, gently lay beside the man he loved, wrapping his arms around Harry’s upper arm and finding sleep quickly. The Goblin Army standing guard, outside the infirmary and their private room, against intruders and reporters.











*************AUTHOR’S NOTE************



natwest was the first to figure out that Fawkes was actually Dumbledore. She left the review (which I had to delete) on April 20, 2007 after reading chapter 43. Thanks Lisa!