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Flesh of My Flesh	By : lashton Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 9436 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
Legacy of Light
Laurence Ashton
Prologue:
Flesh of My Flesh
Part G

Severus jerked in surprise as Draco slammed open the door to his private apartments so hard that they bounced off the walls. Pansy, Blaise, and Harry stumbled into the room after him, breathless, looking confused and concerned at once. Draco ignored them and threw himself at Snape, clutching at his godfather�s black robes and screeched, �TELL ME THEY DIDN�T KILL HIM! TELL ME THEY DIDN�T � HE WASN�T � PLEASE��
�Draco, what in Merlin�s name�?� said Snape, supporting Draco�s weight and looking over Draco�s shoulder for some sort of answer. Draco opened his mouth to explain, but all that came out was a choked sob and he slumped against Snape�s chest, clinging to him and weeping so violently he immediately became sick again. He crawled away a bit and, after grabbing a waste bin, vomited so brutally that he grew faint and wheezed, struggling to breathe in the aftermath. Draco started to fumble through his robe pockets as he wheezed, looking for his asthma relief charm, but before he could find it, Harry crossed the room and pulled Draco into his arms, holding him close, hands pressed flat against Draco�s chest.
�Sereno,� he said, and a soothing warmth seeped into Draco, chasing away his hysteria and panic. �Sedo Respiratus. � With one last cough, Draco took a deep, calming breath and his dizziness began to ebb away. After a few moments of breathing properly again, Draco slumped back into Harry�s arms, his head resting on Harry�s shoulder, and closed his eyes. Tears stung at him again. He felt Harry send another pulse of magic through Draco, this one a refreshing surge like that from a Pepper-Up potion. Draco shivered as a tingle went down his spine, the residue of Harry�s magic as it settled into him. Draco opened his eyes and turned to look at Snape, who watched them with a strange, unseeing look in his eyes.
�I have a twin bother, Uncle?� Draco asked quietly, sniffling.
Snape started and looked at Draco with apprehension and shock. �What makes you say that?�
�Do not patronize me,� said Draco. �What happened to him? Where is he? Why did no one ever tell me?�
�I think,� said Snape slowly, �this is a conversation better handled by your mother. There are, ah, some circumstances, considerations� it is a very delicate subject and, well, I am not equipped to��
�Tell me, Uncle,� said Draco coldly. �Did they kill him?�
�No, � said Snape. �Draco, no, they would never � they were devastated when he died. They had tried everything to spare you both, but he was not strong enough.�
Draco settled back with a relieved sigh. Harry snaked a hand around his waist and rubbed circles into Draco�s belly. Draco let him because they were calmed him as Harry kept sending jets of soothing magic through him to help keep his emotions at bay.
�Did they name him? Why did he die? Why did no one tell me?�
�Yes. He was named Lucius Aurelius Julian Malfoy the tenth.�
�My older brother, then.�
Snape nodded. �You were both very ill. Early on Narcissa had been assigned to bed rest, but, still you had a long and complicated birth and were both severely ill. Your father had,� Snape glanced over Draco�s shoulder to where Pansy and Blaise stood by the mantle, listening eagerly and casting uncertain looks at Draco. Draco nodded and Snape carried on, �He had the Dark Lord aid in your birth and, afterwards, because you were so much stronger than your brother, to bind your magic together so that you might support him until he became healthy enough to survive on his own.�
�I� failed him?�
�No� Draco don�t ever think that!� said Snape fiercely. Harry stiffened beneath him and sent more pulses of magic through him.
�That�s enough, Potter,� snapped Draco, trying to shrug away. Harry held him fast, but stopped using the manipulative magic weaving.
�Draco, you were ill yourself at the time,� Snape explained cautiously. �For a while the binding worked, but it was too draining on your system and you began to give more and more of your health to supplement his. His health worsened still and he passed on. You would have followed him, but your father acquired the aid of a� specialist who could place certain inhibitors on you that would keep you from following your brother into death so long as the channel between you remained closed.� Snape paused and grimaced. �We did not tell you about this because we feared that you might inadvertently reopen the link between you and your twin and� it could have been fatal. By the time that you were old enough to understand the importance of the link, your father was afraid of your reaction, and� we have all put it off for far too long.�
�Well,� said Draco after a moment. �It didn�t kill me. Jones opened the link. My father� has arranged for his death for that.� Snape blinked at him. �Father has always taken such great care of me, hasn�t he?� Snape grimaced. �Will I start to feel him now? Julian, I mean?�
�I do not know,� said Snape. �But I would not advise you to try until we learn more about it. It may pose a threat to you, or the child.�
�Very well.� Draco pushed himself to his feet, having to struggle out of Harry�s grasp. �I�m going to sleep.�

By the end of the month, Draco could no longer fit into any of the new clothes in his wardrobe. The only thing he seemed to fit anymore were loose sleep pants and shirts with laces �so long as he wore them practically untied. These were hardly appropriate to wear in public, so Draco skived off classes for the day and lounged in his bedroom with his painting. Three nights before he had sketched out an image of Harry when they went up to the roof after classes were over.
It took Draco two and a half hours to charm the perfect color for Harry�s eyes and just as he had chosen his sample and started to pick the accent colors, Snape stormed into the room.
�Just what do you think you�re doing?� he snarled. �I have already told you that��
Draco turned around and Snape gawked at him for a moment, going pale and inching closer tentatively. �I can�t conceal it anymore,� said Draco. �I didn�t know what to do. It�s been harder and harder to, erm� and I just couldn�t do it anymore. It hurt.�
Snape grimaced, shaking his head as he sat heavily on the couch. Draco watched him curiously as Snape sneered towards the fire. �I haven�t had any luck with concealment charms. The ones we�ve come across� Madam Pomfrey and I� hold a small chance of damaging the child. Generally this is a negligible percentage, but since your child is��
�A bastard of incest,� snapped Draco. �No need to put it delicately, I�m well aware.�
Snape sneered at him, but continued, �Since your child is of a delicate nature, we did not want to risk causing any unnecessary complications. I refuse to allow you to withdraw from school,� Draco snorted his agreement, �and you show quite obviously�. I know Poppy said you would gain a little more weight earlier on because your body is not suitable to carrying a child, but this is ridiculous.�
Draco grinned and went to take a seat on the couch by his godfather. He took Snape�s hands into his own and pressed them flat against his abdomen. �It�s not ridiculous, Uncle,� he whispered. �In addition to my body preparing itself for the duration of this pregnancy, I�m having twins.� Snape looked startled again and he gaped at Draco for a few moments, eye twitching. �Reach out with your magic; feel them.�
�Anima, � said Snape, letting short threads of his magic flow through Draco, weaving a cocoon around his womb. Draco felt the twins reach out in turn, their magic pressing curiously against the fragile magical shell, getting to know him. �They are� beautiful,� said Snape pulling away after a few moments more. �They spoke to me.� He hesitated and looked at Draco�s samples and notes. �What do you want to do? I am sorry to say I don�t have any brilliant ideas regarding your situation.�
�I will go to classes tomorrow,� said Draco with a shrug. �Do you think you could find someone who could, er, help alter some clothes, temporarily speaking. I�ve a feeling that won�t last for very long.�
�I�ll see who I can find who�s good with domestic charms,� said Snape. �And, of course, I�ll send out an owl to Madam Malkin requesting her services in confidence. I don�t think it�d be prudent to see someone from Gladrags.�
�Why not? I�ve been there a few times on Hogsmeade weekends, and��
�I don�t trust the old hag at the counter, if you catch my meaning.� Draco blinked in surprise. �Malkin is quite trustworthy, Dumbledore has assured me of that.�
Draco bit his lip. �Uncle, Dumbledore will have to��
�Yes, I know,� said Snape. �But are you prepared for that? None of us is.�
�I have to be, don�t I? I can�t stall anymore. This past week had been agony for my back, even with the painkillers, and I�ve had a hard time of breathing. And I don�t think the twins like it very much, either, truth be told.� Draco hesitated and glanced at Snape curiously. �About� Julian. Were� are we identical?�
�Yes. I couldn�t tell you apart until you opened your eyes.� Draco looked quizzical. Snape sighed heavily. �He never had your expressive eyes. By the end of it, Julian� had gone blind.�
Draco felt as if an iron clamp has closed around his heart and tried to squeeze it to the bursting point. He looked as Snape in shock, though he supposed he should have expected it, from what he�d pieced together after the revelation that he was a twin.
�If� Julian and I had so many health problems, and � well, you know all of my issues � do you think that Carin and Xander�?�
�You know there is a large possibility that they will we worse off,� said Snape quietly. �Your DNA is so similar to your father�s. Recombinant DNA increasing the chances of Carin and Xander having severe health problems is, given your own health considerations and your father�s, more likely than not.�
�But� do you think they will be� de-deformed or damaged � b-brain damaged?�
�Er,� Snape said, going red in the face and scowling at Draco�s samples so that he didn�t have to look Draco in the eye. Draco felt his heart clench and he pressed his hand against his abdomen. �What did Madam Pomfrey say when you spoke with her last?� he asked finally. Draco didn�t answer. �Draco,� said Snape, looking at him again, but still scowling. �You did ask her about it, didn�t you? You need to know these things.�
�I� Well, I went,� said Draco, wincing. �It�s just� when I was there I, er� I just� I ended up asking her about, er, whether I�ll need to hire a wet nurse or not.�
�Draco Tiberius Narcissus Malfoy, I do believe we�ve gone over this many times before,� said Snape, sneering, his voice slinking like a shadow through the room. Draco cringed and inched away from his godfather, wondering if Snape would slap him. He had only ever hit Draco twice before and each time he had used that tone of voice before doing it. Like a serpent, Snape struck out, grabbing Draco by the arm and dragging him back until Draco was practically sprawled across his lap. Hands curled like claws clamped on Draco�s chin, and Snape turned Draco�s face until Draco stared up at his godfather. �Have you done anything else I�ve requested?� he snapped.
�Yes, Uncle,� said Draco, but perhaps too eagerly. Snape narrowed his eyes at Draco and whipped out his wand. Seeing the anger in his godfather�s eyes and such a convenient weapon at hand, Draco panicked. �What are you doing?� he screeched when Snape turned the wand on Draco. Draco swung out made contact with Snape�s jaw. Snape�s head snapped back, his jaw making a crisp pop, and his hands flew to his face. Draco scrambled away, waving his wand at Snape and said, �PETRIFICUS TOTALIS! �
Snape froze as he was: head bent back on the couch, eyes wide in surprise, hands clamped over his mouth as rivulets of blood streamed between them. Snape�s eye twitched and he looked over at Draco, consumed in fury. Draco fled into his bedroom and slammed the door. He waved his wand at it and said, �Dissimulo. � The door disappeared with a pop. Draco was now in a room that had four walls and no way in or out. He sagged against the now seamless wall in relief, running his shaking hands through his hair.
He would have helped you, said Mirage into Draco�s thoughts. She tightened around his rest, shivering and sending calming magic through him.
�I know,� he said at last. But when he looked at where the door had been, he could not bring himself to go back out there and release Snape from his frozen surprise, pain, and anger. It was always better to be safe than sorry.

As lunchtime rolled around, about three hours later, a knock came at the wall that separated Draco�s bedroom from Snape�s sitting room. Draco, who had been sitting up in bed sketching memories of his mother, looked at the door in surprise, wondering if the spell had worn off or if Snape had gotten angry enough to break through it.
�Er,� said a familiar, confused voice. �Draco?�
Draco jumped up from the bed, dropping his work on his pillow, and rushing over to the wall. �Harry?� he asked, irritated with himself for the rush of relief that came when Harry said that it was, indeed, him on the other side.
�What� what happened? Are you all right? Did he hurt you?�
�I�m fine now,� said Draco. �He didn�t� it�s not what you think.�
�Er,� Harry said again. Draco could practically see the furrow in his brow. �Can I come in?�
At this time, Harry didn�t even sound certain of his own name, but Draco still felt confident and secure in his presence, and he didn�t hesitate a second when he waved his wand at the wall and said, �Finite Incantatem. � The door reappeared with the sound of tearing fabric. Immediately, Harry opened the door a crack and slipped inside, closing it behind him. He grabbed Draco and held him at an arm�s length, scrutinizing him. �I�m fine, I told you,� said Draco, shrugging out of Harry�s grip.
�You have to admit the scene was queer,� Harry retorted. He released Draco and crossed to the bed, snatching up Draco�s sketches and he flopped down. Harry fingered through them as if looking for evidence against Draco�s sanity, then glanced up at him. �Tell me what happened.�
Draco blushed, humiliated. �I panicked.�
Harry looked back at the sketches. �I see,� he said, licking his chapped lips. He scratched at his forehead and tugged a piece of hair down over his scar. �I couldn�t break the charms on Snape or the door.� Harry looked at Draco expectantly.
�Like you�ve never done any magic when you were frightened,� Draco snapped. �A wizard�s emotions are tied into his magic, obviously, and mine are even more linked together, now.�
Draco sat on the edge of the bed and Harry shifted over to stretch across the middle. He turned the pile of papers so that Draco could see the image of his mother zipping through the air over a vineyard, her hair flapping behind her in the wind. She steered the broom with one hand because with the other she clutched a squirming, giggling, clapping child close to her.
�This really happen?�
�Of course,� said Draco. �We were at Morgan�s Down one summer. Morgan�s Down is our estate in Tuscany � Chianti. We�ve got vineyards and olive groves out there. Father loves it more than Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire, I think.�
Harry smiled indulgently. Draco sneered. �Your mum�s a lot cooler than I gave her credit for, to be honest.� He set the sketches aside and stood up, stretching first, then extending a hand to Draco. �All right, beautiful, time to get up. Do you think you�re up to getting out of here and ennervating Snape?�
�Don�t mock me, Potter,� snapped Draco. He used Harry�s hand as leverage to heft himself up. �I can�t fit any of my clothes and I�m starting to walk queerly. I�ve never been this fat in my life and it�s bloody torturous.� Harry cocked an eyebrow. �I have asthma, Harry, recall?�
�Ah, carrying extra weight too much for you?� said Harry with a cheeky grin. �I�ll carry you around if you want. Or do you just not want lunch?� Draco punched him in the arm and Harry glowered at Draco, rubbing at the sore spot. �We brought up some lunch for you.�
�We?�
�Me, Parkinson, Zabini, and Goyle,� said Harry with a shrug. �We thought you were sick so we stopped by the hospital wing first. You didn�t show up for any classes and Snape disappeared before midmorning, so��
�I couldn�t fit into the uniform,� said Draco. �I�ll be back in classes tomorrow, though. Do you know anyone who�s good with domestic charms? I need some robes let out until Madam Malkin can get here.� Harry grinned again, his eyes alight with mischief. �What?�
�Ron�s good with domestic charms,� said Harry. �Came as a bit of surprise, that, since he�s such a sloppy sod most of the time.� Just as Draco was about to protest, Harry gave Draco a tug and pulled him into the sitting room where Pansy, Blaise, and Greg stood around Snape awkwardly.
Draco raised his wand. �Finite, � he said. Snape blinked and lowered his head to glower at Draco. His hands moved around to rub his sore neck and Draco saw that Snape�s jaw was blue and yellow and off-center, swelling up with fluid, caked with dried blood. Draco winced.
�I�m sorry, Uncle,� he said. �I��
Snape grunted impatiently, pain coming into his eyes and Harry immediately crossed the room. He stood behind the couch where Snape sat and gently moved Snape�s hair back, and placing two fingers each on the underside of Snape�s chin.
�Torpeo,� he said. �Ossis-locus restituo. Sano. � Snape�s jaw moved back into place suddenly and with a distinct snap. Snape grunted again in pain, but a look of relief soon came over his face and the bruise faded. To test the relocation, Snape opened and closed his mouth a few times, and shifted his jaw side to side. �It�ll be sore for a few days,� said Harry.
�Hmm,� said Snape, massaging the joint. �You need practice,� he sneered. �That hurt far more than it should have. You�ll have to double up your lessons.�
�Er,� said Draco. �That might have been my fault again. Sorry.�
Snape sighed heavily and stood. �I should have expected it, I suppose. I�m just not used to explaining myself. It is forgotten.�
Draco smiled at Snape in relief. That was the closest he�d ever come to forgiveness from the professor. It was embarrassing that he�d panicked like that and hurt the one man who�d bent over backwards to help him.
Snape stalked out of the room to clean up, leaving Draco with his friends. �Just what happened?� said Pansy, flopping down on the sofa. �Why did you break his jaw?�
�I don�t really want to talk about it anymore,� said Draco. �And no, before you go barking up the wrong tree, he didn�t hurt me, either.�
Blaise snorted. �Well, if we knew you could fight like that��
�I couldn�t always,� Draco interrupted. �My uncle taught me when I was sixteen. He thought I might need the, er, skill.�
�Nero, was it?� said Goyle, smirking. �He�s a bit unhinged. Needs some anger management, that bloke. You didn�t, er, have to fight him, eh?�
Draco sniffed. �As if I�d let Uncle Nero get anywhere near me in one of his moods. No, it was Uncle Justinian. He hired a trainer for me, without my father�s permission. I�ll say, when Daddy found out about it, he was not a happy camper. Aunt Florence had to get half the staff to break them up before they could drag him away � safety in numbers, you see.�
�Was your father always so violent when you did something he didn�t want you to do?� said Harry, sounding irritated. Pansy turned on him like a hawk and Blaise jumped from his seat, prepared to start screaming again, and Harry winced. �Whoa. Sorry.�
�Sorry isn�t good enough, Potter,� sniped Blaise, sneering.
�It�s fine,� interrupted Draco before Blaise could get into full swing and start a screaming row. �I think we all know that my father has a bit of a temper. Besides he always took it out on everybody else, not me.�
The door to Snape�s bedroom swung open and the professor stormed out of the room, scowling. �Don�t you children have classes to attend?� he snapped. Pansy checked the time and she blushed, gave Draco a kiss on the cheek, and hurried from the room with the others on her heels. �Not so fast, Potter,� said Snape as Harry was almost out the door. �You are going to cover my classes for the rest of the afternoon. My notes are in the top right drawer. I will make your excuses to your other professors.�
Harry curled his lip. �Professor, � he began plaintively, but Snape cut him off saying, �Do not argue with me, Potter, just go.� Harry slammed the door on his way out. Draco snorted.
�You actually trust Harry to cover a class for you?�
�I couldn�t send you, could I?� he said. �Besides, I�ve got first year Hufflepuffs, third year Ravenclaws, and fifth year Gryffindors taking a test. He can�t blow anything up.�
Draco laughed as he uncovered the platter on the tray. �I wouldn�t count on it.�
�He�s competent,� said Snape bitterly. �Dumbledore forced me to tutor him all through sixth year.�
�Unfair,� noted Draco, picking at a salad. �Does Dumbledore generally make you coddle all of his favorites or just the hero-types?� Snape flicked Draco impatiently. �I�m sorry, Professor. I�m actually very sympathetic to your plight.�
�Bah,� he said, flopping down on the couch beside Draco. He picked up Draco�s sample palate. �Must you paint Harry Potter?�
�Er,� said Draco. �Do you take offense?�
�I�d rather not look at his face more than I have to,� said Snape. �It�s quite enough that he�s in here every day for you, but to have to look at him even when he�s gone�.�
�Am I unwelcome?� said Draco with a cheeky grin. �Or would you rather we put a door in that connects to the hall?�
�Mmm,� said Snape. �That�s not necessary. You don�t have to be brave with me, Draco. That would not go over well with you, and I want to keep you as comfortable as possible. Besides which, by the end of the year, it may be best to make certain others have limited access to your room.�
�You think someone would try to hurt me.�
�I think children are cruel,� said Snape. �And unbelievably stupid. Even if they don�t intend to hurt you, they could still pose a danger.� There was something harsh and bitter in his voice that made Draco think that he was speaking from experience, something terrible that he did � or was done to him.
�I should know,� said Draco. Snape did not like to share his emotions and history and Draco didn�t want to back him into a corner. �So why did you make Harry cover you?�
�We are going to see Madam Pomfrey this afternoon. We�re going to Floo directly into the hospital wing at two o�clock. I will join you, this time, to ensure that you speak with her about everything that concerns your condition.�

Draco fidgeted as he came through the Floo into Madam Pomfrey�s office. The portly witch greeted Professor Snape and him with a friendly smile and they all sat around the fireplace to take tea. Madam Pomfrey had placed a tray of chipped chocolates in a cut crystal bowl on the table. Draco took a chunk and dropped it into his mint tea, added milk, and stirred until it was all one smooth, creamy, toffee-colored mass. It tasted delicious: fresh and sweet and subtle. It was more soothing than any of Madam Pomfrey�s smiles.
�I must say, your condition seems more prominent when you�re not wearing your uniform,� said Madam Pomfrey when Draco didn�t speak after a few moments.
�That is because there is something Draco has yet to tell you,� said Snape.
Madam Pomfrey looked at Draco, intrigued. �I�m having twins.�
�Twins!� said Madam Pomfrey. Her eyes rounded comically and she looked on the verge of a joyous exclamation before she remembered herself � and the circumstances. �And all this time we�ve been thinking that your body�s been building up your fat content to tolerate your condition! You should have told me sooner, young man.� Draco accepted the mild scolding silently. �How did you come to this conclusion?�
�It� Harry, Granger, and Weasley, er� they had this Muggle machine that� could show me inside, you know.�
Madam Pomfrey narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment then nodded. �Sound waves,� she said. �So I take it they modified it themselves. Weasley�s doing, as far as I can tell.�
�Granger operated it.�
�Hmm,� said Pomfrey. �Do you have any questions about the twins, then?�
�I� brain damage?�
Madam Pomfrey blinked in surprise. Draco supposed she had expected him to keep stalling, avoiding the question which answers he desperately needed to hear. Draco didn�t think he could stand to wait any longer. He had a lifetime to live with the results of his rape, but the anticipation was slowly eating away at him.
�Mr. Malfoy,� said Pomfrey, setting her tea aside. �Draco, there is a rather simple diagnostic charm that I can cast that will have the results to you in a week.�
�O-okay,� said Draco. He was not looking forward to the week ahead. Madam Pomfrey took her wand out of her pocket.
�Pervideo, � she said and a silver beam struck Draco in the belly. �Coaduno indicium morbus. � Draco could feel the magic of the spell pulse through him, swift as a rapid. It poured out of him like a stream and splashed against a crystal globe that Madam Pomfrey had sitting on her desk. Pomfrey tapped the globe and said, �Malfoy, Draco.� The globe glowed green for a second then dimmed. �That test is the modern form of the old amniocentesis spell. It originally was used only to determine genetic diseases, but modern medicine has made it possible to simply scan the child � or children, in this case � and diagnose many disorders or handicaps that might affect the child.�
�And if something very serious is wrong�?�
�In some cases we may able to treat, although not cure, but in others, there may be nothing we can do. I�m sorry. The issue is in��
�Allele repetition between my father and me,� said Draco. �I know.� Snape looked at Draco sharply. Draco changed the subject. �I need to ask you if you�ve been able to determine the path that the birth might take.�
�Oh,� said Madam Pomfrey, smiling kindly. �Well, your latest tests have shown that you�re building up adipose content and that your estrogen and progesterone levels are gradually increasing. We�ve also noticed that the estrogen is stimulating further development of glandular tissue� ah, above the pectoralis major muscles.� She said this last so pointedly that Draco was drawn back to his last conversation with her on this topic, how she�d blushed and told him that they weren�t yet certain which path the birth would take and what the results of that would be. She seemed rather certain now that he�d� be able to breastfeed. The idea made him nauseous and he cringed. Madam Pomfrey coughed and continued, �The rising progesterone levels are also stimulating further development of the duct system. Soon we expect increased levels of prolactin (to stimulate milk production) and oxytocin (to eject it). Combined with the adipose build-up, our current theory is that the pregnancy is trying to regulate itself as if you were,� she coughed and blushed, �but if that falls through, we may need to perform a caesarean.�
Draco almost laughed. Instead he cringed and ducked his head a moment until he could pull his emotions under control. After a few moments, he looked up again, trying to ignore Snape�s measuring look.
�Will they be� permanent?�
Madam Pomfrey blushed. �Well, we don�t expect large deposits of adipose, so it shouldn�t be too much effort to lose the fat again, or you could, er, exercise specifically to develop the adipose into muscle tissue.�
�Merlin,� mumbled Draco, grabbing a handful of chocolate. He ate them one by one, savoring the taste and the warmth it spread through him, the comfort. �So there�s also a possibility for a � birthing canal?� Pomfrey nodded. �I should hope you could at least get rid of that. �
�Oh, yes, of course!� said Pomfrey. �We�ve already worked out how to do that, should that be the case, so no worries, Mr. Malfoy.�
No worries indeed, Draco thought, scowling.
�Is there something else that concerns you at this time?�
�Well,� said Draco. �I don�t know how to take care of a normal child, let alone unhealthy twins.�
Pomfrey smiled. �I�ll speak with the Headmaster about that and see about arranging some lessons for you here.�
�Thank you, Madam Pomfrey,� said Draco, rising.
�Glad to be of help,� she said. �Take good care of yourself, and,� she patted his abdomen, �and the little ones. I�ll get back to you as soon as possible about the results of the diagnostic exam.�

The next morning Draco woke up early to prepare for the long, stressful day ahead. Harry had come by last night with Weasley to adjust some of Draco�s clothes and robes. Now, Draco dressed in a pair of uniform trousers that fit properly for the first time in a couple of weeks and a white cashmere turtleneck that fit to his rather rounded form. If he was going to expose himself in front of the whole school, he wasn�t going to be half-assed about it and field questions and speculations for the next couple of weeks regarding just what was going on. He wanted to get it out there already and deal with the backlash.
Easier said than done, I�m afraid, said Mirage in Draco�s mind. Draco glanced down to where she coiled around his arm, for once not hiding in his sleeve, but glimmering out in the open � she�d insisted � and he gave her a wry smile.
�I�d rather be exposed by my own hand, I think,� he said, grabbing his book bag and school robe. He didn�t put the school robe on, though, instead hanging it over the top of the bag as he shouldered it. Then he left.
At first he didn�t really come across anyone. But as he made his way out of the dungeons, he ran across more and more people, all of whom stared at him in confusion and surprise. By the time he�d reached the Great Hall for breakfast, he had a gaggle of curious followers (always a few feet behind) and an aisle of stage whispers on either side of him. His plan came to fruition in the Great Hall, though, when he walked in alone and paused a second before going to the Slytherin table. It had been just enough time for a few people to notice his new weight and pass it on to friends. As the murmuring grew and more and more eyes latched onto Draco, scrutinizing his every move, Draco went about breakfast as if nothing were abnormal. He couldn�t, though, stop himself from glancing over to the Gryffindor table at Harry�s thoughtful expression, or at the Head table to see Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, and Pomfrey�s collective horror. By the lunchtime there would be ridiculous rumors. By dinnertime, Draco would tell everyone the truth.
TBC
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Flesh of My Flesh