Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Lifetime Decisions	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 11408 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor make any profit from it. J.K. Rowling owns it

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
Author's note: We're reaching the end of this fic, guys. After this chapter, we only have the epilogue left and then it's finished. I really appreciate your comments and favourites; it lifts my mood every time :)
Thanks to the following reviewers: Tami Lane; Olivia; Jan; Starr; djaddict; Hestia; Slythindor Malfoy; nari-chan; SP777 (Yes, Too Close is completely finished)
PAY ATTENTION TO THE WARNINGS!
Warnings: angst; drama; time skips; birth; violence; form of child abuse (it's very brief and more of a leading up to it, but I'm still putting it here just in case)
I hope you'll like this chapter!

Chapter 7
6th of June
The dark haired man was abruptly ripped from his peaceful slumber by the sharp chime sound announcing someone was Floo calling him and by the raised voices in the hallway right outside his room.
Even through the thick door he heard Draco say exasperatedly, "Nothing happened, Astoria!"
Well shit. Harry winced as he slowly sat up, rubbing soothingly over his rounded belly. He certainly hadn't expected to wake up to an argument between Draco and Astoria. His heart skipped a beat as his memories of the night before rushed back and he froze, staring blankly at the rumpled sheets. Draco would be divorcing Astoria. He and Harry would keep the baby.
The chime sound of the Floo rang louder, more urgent and Harry was snapped out of his shocked contemplation by it. Stumbling out of bed, his balance lost for a couple of seconds, he hastily made his way to the fireplace to allow the call as he knelt down; wincing as his back protested at the movement.
Hermione's puzzled face greeted him, dancing in the fire. "Harry, are you all right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I am. Sorry, my back just hurts a bit," Harry sighed and leant back a bit, resting most of his weight on his hands. "Why are you calling me so early?"
"Early?" She raised an eyebrow. "It's nine o'clock."
Ah. That explained why Astoria had encountered Draco before he could sneak back.
Before either one of them could continue, Astoria raised her voice in the hallway.
"Then explain to me why you came out of his room just now!"
Harry flushed underneath Hermione's knowing eyes. "What?" he asked defensively.
"Malfoy was in your room the whole night?" she questioned in a low voice and she seemed torn between smirking and looking horrified.
"We just slept! Nothing happened!" he stressed and ran a hand through his unruly hair. "Really," he repeated when he caught her disbelieving look. "I swear we only slept; nothing more happened."
"But did something happen before?" she murmured silkily.
His cheeks heated up and he cleared his throat. "None of your business."
"Look, Harry, I know I said that you should stop lying to yourself, but please tell me: what are you doing with Malfoy? It doesn't appear like you're just friends anymore," she murmured and gazed at him worriedly.
He sighed and started caressing his stomach absentmindedly when the baby gave a firm kick. "He and I … We sort of started a relationship to figure out what exactly we feel for each other," he admitted begrudgingly.
"And did you figure out already what you feel for each other?" she asked apprehensively.
"He – he wants to divorce Astoria, Hermione," he replied and couldn't temper the awe in his voice. Even though he had agreed to try a relationship with Draco, he had never expected the blond to actually want to go through with a divorce. Deep inside he had resigned himself to only being with Draco until the baby was born. Surely afterwards they wouldn't want to be with each other anymore; it could only be hormones after all. But he was starting to fear that his hormones weren't the ones to blame for this mess; it was him who hadn't realised his buried feelings sooner.
And though he felt ecstatic at the thought that Draco was choosing him after all, he was afraid that in the end nothing would come from it; he very much doubted that Astoria would be willing to step aside silently and agree to a divorce. What would happen to the baby then? Would Astoria still be recognised as his mother or not?
Something dark and ugly squeezed around his heart and he wrapped an arm around his belly.
The sudden tension and position of his arm wasn't lost on his best friend. "If Malfoy plans to divorce Greengrass, what will happen to the baby?" Hermione asked carefully.
"We're going to raise the baby," he answered and wetted his lips.
"Harry …" she sighed and shook her head.
Harry glanced away, his whole face burning with shame. She didn't need to say it out loud for him to understand the unspoken scolding; she had warned him that he would become attached to the baby, but he hadn't listened to her, laughing away her concerns. Because naturally, there had been no way he would grow attached to the baby, knowing that he would have to give it up after the birth. And he had believed that – for the first few months. He supposed it had been easy to not get attached to the baby in the first couple of months, because it had still been too small yet to form a real impact on his life; sure, he had experienced morning sickness, but take away that and he wouldn't have known he was pregnant if he hadn't proposed it himself. But with the months that passed by, his stomach grew and he started feeling more and more connected to the small being growing inside of him.
Growing more attached to it until he came to the horrifying realisation that he didn't want to give up his baby. He didn't want to separate himself from the baby inside of him, didn't want someone else to take care of him. Yet, he would have given up the baby to let him be raised by Draco and Astoria – if the blond hadn't made such a tantalizing offer to him.
Now here he sat: the cause of an impending divorce if Draco got his way and more animosity from the Greengrass family – and possibly the Malfoy family as well. All the while carrying a baby he had originally intended to hand over to other people.
Swallowing became rather difficult as he tried to imagine how Narcissa would react to the fact that her son wanted to divorce the woman she had approved of; the woman who was one of the many ways in which the Malfoy family was trying to work its way up in society again. Harry didn't care about how Lucius would react, but he wondered whether he would still be welcomed by Narcissa if he was the cause of her son's ruined marriage.
"I didn't … It wasn't my intention," he stammered and his fingers burrowed themselves in his shirt as shame flooded through him.
"Are you … Are you sure it's not just a passing whim?" Hermione asked and bit her lip. "It's just … Until a couple of months ago you didn't seem interested in Malfoy."
"It's not a passing whim, Hermione," Harry replied quietly and shook his head slowly. "I'm not sure what happened, but … These past weeks have been the best and worst of my life so far. Well, not the worst," he amended, thinking back to his school years when he had to battle with Voldemort. "Whatever it is that we have, I don't want to lose it."
"Oh, Harry," she sighed and her face softened. "You're not going to have it easy."
He let out a dry chuckle. "As if I don't know that. I fucked up, I know," he smiled self-deprecatingly.
"Are you ready to raise a child? I mean, there's a difference between carrying a child and giving it up and raising it," she murmured, her eyes flickering towards his waist.
"I helped raise Teddy, remember?"
"You know what I mean, Harry." She frowned heavily. "You won't have Andromeda ready to help you at all times."
"I know," he murmured and shifted a bit, wincing slightly when a twinge of pain shot through his back. "But I don't want to give up the baby, 'Mione. I would have if Draco stayed with Astoria, but … I know I shouldn't want to, but I don't want to give up my baby." He looked at her miserably.
She looked at him sympathetically. "It's not going to be easy for you, but you know Ron and I are here for you."
"I know," he replied and looked at her gratefully. He knew he could always count on his best friends, but at times it was nice to hear them affirm it.
"Harry?"
The dark haired man whipped his head around when Draco's exhausted voice rang through the room. The blond was leaning against the doorway with crossed arms; his lips pursed in annoyance.
"Draco, I'm talking with Hermione."
"It's fine. I need to kick Ron out of bed anyway," Hermione assured him. "I'll see you tomorrow for dinner?"
"Yes, I'll be there at six," he said and after offering him one last smile, Hermione disappeared and the flames turned red and gold again.
With a bit of trouble, he got up again, grimacing as his back protested. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly and rubbed his lower back.
Draco released a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Could have done without Astoria snapping, but it could have gone worse, I suppose."
"Does she suspect anything?" Harry asked apprehensively and bit his lip. He wondered where she had disappeared to after her argument with Draco.
The blond grimaced. "I think she does, but she can't prove anything. Besides, it's not like we slept together last night."
Arms slipped around his waist and hands came to rest on his lower back, rubbing soothingly over his tense muscles. "How are you feeling?" Draco inquired softly; his eyes reflecting his concern.
Harry released his breath slowly. "I'm fine. How are you?"
"I've been better, but I'm mainly relieved," the blond wizard muttered and a crooked smile lingered around his lips.
"What do you mean?" Harry furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"I finally figured out what to do with my life," Draco explained and his hand came up to caress Harry's cheek. "And that's staying with you and raising our child together."
"So you haven't changed your mind?" Harry smiled weakly; his fingers buried in Draco's wrinkled shirt. Maybe yesterday's decision had only been made thanks to the alcohol Draco had indulged in. The ugly uncertainty in him had no trouble coming up with various reasons why the blond would retract his promise. Why would he give up a politically interesting marriage for a relationship that would make him a target of vicious gossip? Even after all this time, Harry received backlash for being gay – and he had been the main hero during the war. How bad would it become for Draco if he came out of the closet and announced himself as Harry's partner?
The man would have it worse than Harry, whose deeds during the war still acted as some sort of – albeit flimsy – buffer.
Harry closed his eyes as lips descended tenderly upon his forehead.
"There is nothing that can change my mind," Draco swore and the pregnant man felt his intense gaze on him, seemingly burning through layers of his skin. "I made a mistake when I agreed to marry Astoria, but what you and I have is not a mistake."
"How can you be so sure about that?" Harry protested and opened his eyes. "We're not even to- …"
"I know," Draco answered calmly. The hand on Harry's back shifted from his back to his stomach, caressing the bump gently. A sot push of a small fist was his reply. "I promise I'll make it right."
Harry didn't reply and instead kissed Draco hungrily, a bit of desperation leaking through; not minding the taste of morning breath.
Try as he might, he couldn't shake off the dark feeling of foreboding.

21st of June
Two weeks after his faithful conversation with Draco, Harry walked back to the garden with a book he had retrieved from the large library. Now that he couldn't work until the baby was born, he had to find other ways to pass the time. Ron and Hermione had to work and visiting George in his shop would be too hazardous in his state, so that left him with few options.
Thank Merlin the Malfoy family had a large library.
He was passing through the corridor of the first floor – serenely ignoring the dark muttering of one particular Malfoy ancestor – when somewhere behind him a door was slammed shut and footsteps hurried towards him.
Right when he turned his head to see who else was in the corridor, the person slammed against his shoulder; the shock causing him to drop his book that fell on the floor with a muffled 'thump' as he was forced to catch his balance against the wall.
"Apologies, Potter," Astoria sneered and looked at him coldly. "Sometimes I'm just a tad clumsy."
"That happens," Harry muttered warily. Something had happened that made the woman pissed off and he wasn't in the mood for the argument that would inevitably arise should he mention that the corridor was broad enough for her to be able to walk past him.
She snorted derisively and walked away with her head held high.
Harry clucked his tongue in annoyance and bent down, sinking down as much as he could without toppling over. Picking up his book was quite a chore with his eight month pregnant belly, but he didn't dare to use his wand, in case his magic decided to act up again. He didn't want to damage the book with his fickle magic.
Steadying himself with one hand against the wall, Harry grunted softly when he grabbed the book; after a brief inspection, it was clear that the book wasn't damaged. Now he only needed to get back up again.
"Harry! What are you doing?" Draco exclaimed and hurried towards the other man to help him get up again.
"Thanks. I dropped my book," Harry explained after he had regained his balance. He certainly wouldn't miss this feeling of unbalance thanks to the odd distribution of his weight.
"Why didn't you ask a house elf to pick it up?" Draco fussed; his hands lingering on Harry's side.
"Didn't think of it." Harry shrugged and frowned when he took notice of the harsh lines on Draco's face. "What happened?"
Draco seemed to close off; his eyes growing hard as his lips formed a thin line. "I told Astoria I want to divorce her," he answered and sighed noisily.
Harry gaped and nearly dropped his book again. No wonder Astoria had looked so angry. Wait, did that mean that she knew about them?
Worry brewed in him and fingers tightened around the spine of the novel.
"I confessed I'm in love with someone else," Draco continued. "I didn't tell her who, but that doesn't even matter. She refuses to divorce," he spat and glared at the floor. "She doesn't even love me, but now she knows that I want to split, she decides to be a stubborn bint!" He laughed darkly and his eyes glittered viciously. "Can you believe she threatens to take full custody of our baby if I push through with the divorce? That god damn bitch!"
Harry swallowed and despair started to grow in him. That was what he had been so afraid of: still losing his baby, even though Draco reciprocated his feelings. He knew it had been too good to be true. This was probably some sort of punishment, because he had started an affair with a married man.
Hermione had been right as usual; he should never have become Draco's surrogate. If he had never offered himself as a surrogate, they would have never landed themselves in this mess.
Or, he thought wearily, he might have been able to hold himself back.
Because it had become clear to him a while ago that he had had feelings for the blond for a long time already. The baby just had made it easier – and at the same time more difficult – to act on his hidden feelings.
Of course acting on his feelings and being honest with himself had caused him to be in this gigantic mess.
Why had he ever thought this could end well? He loathed his naivety; he should have known better, should have never given in.
"Hey." Draco broke through his thoughts and Harry opened his eyes.
"Maybe – maybe it's better if we put a stop to this," Harry said softly as his heart clenched with pain. He didn't want to end his relationship with Draco, but he also didn't want the baby to suffer. Now that Astoria knew that Draco wanted to leave her, she wouldn't stand by idly. She would do whatever it took to get back at Draco and Harry thought her capable of using the baby in her revenge.
He'd rather never see Draco and the baby again than that he would allow Astoria to use the child to hurt Draco.
He stared shocked at Draco when the latter grabbed his shoulders roughly; nails digging into his skin through his shirt as the blond scowled at him.
"Since when do you give up so easily, Potter?" he barked angrily. "Do you really think I'll give in to her?"
"But Draco, do you seriously want her to get full custody? She won't take a step back," Harry retorted and bit his lip; holding back a grunt of discomfort when the baby kicked his kidney.
"Oh, please; if I can survive sharing my home with an insane wizard, I can convince my lovely wife to sign the divorce papers," Draco sneered and placed his hands on Harry's cheeks; his thumbs rubbing slowly back and forth over Harry's cheekbones. "And I'll make sure that she won't have custody of our baby at all."
The doubt must have shone through his eyes, because Draco kissed him and rested his forehead against Harry's; some strands of his hair tickling Harry's temple.
"Just trust me, please. I'll make everything right, I swear." Grey eyes stared at him solemnly, silently asking him for his answer. His hands drifted from Harry's face to his lower back; his warm palms searing through his shirt.
Harry nodded; his own arms winding around Draco's shoulders.
It wasn't as if he could do much else.

27th of July
Bees were buzzing around, flying from one flower to another one, as the sun cast its burning rays on the earth while some birds argued in the trees.
Two people were present in the garden, watching the serene scene as they sipped from their glasses filled with ice cold tea.
"You still haven't told me what you want for your birthday, Harry," Narcissa chided gently as she peered at the young man from underneath her large hat.
Harry shook his head with a faint smile. "I don't need anything, Narcissa," he assured her and rubbed absentmindedly over his large stomach when a twang of pain shot through his side. He shifted around, trying to find a better position in which he wouldn't be bothered by his large belly. Being nearly due to deliver and feeling incredibly bloated, this was certainly not an easy feat.
She huffed and looked at him in a reprimanding manner. "Everyone deserves gifts for their birthday, darling."
"But I really don't know what I want." He shrugged helplessly, fixing his gaze on the hand on his belly. Well, that was a lie. He knew what he wanted; it was just nothing that Narcissa could give to him.
The only one who could give it to him was away at the moment, attending a meeting while at the same time trying to come up with a way to divorce his wife without her taking drastic measures.
So far he hadn't found a way and Harry did his best to curb his disappointment. He knew the divorce wouldn't happen quickly and that it wouldn't be easy, but he was dreading the moment when he had to give birth and had to leave afterwards. The knowledge that he would have to give up his baby at least until the divorce was finalized hurt him deeply, but he knew there was no way around it. If he tried to keep the baby, there was no doubt in his mind that Astoria would make certain he would never see his son again.
"Uncle Harry, come look!" Teddy called out urgently. He was standing in front of a rose bush, staring at something intently, with his hands on his knees as he bent forwards a bit.
Andromeda had a meeting with the goblins in Gringotts and had asked Harry whether he would mind babysitting Teddy for today. Narcissa had immediately assured him that she wouldn't mind having Teddy at the manor; Lucius had remained silent and had merely retreated to his office.
With a silent huff, Harry stood up and practically waddled over to his godson; rubbing over his back when another twang of pain shot through him. With Teddy present, he was once again wearing his magical belt so that his godson wouldn't discover his pregnancy.
"What did you see, Teddy?" he asked curiously and bent over, closer to the rose bush. He bit back a grimace when a sharp bolt of pain popped up near his left side. The pain simmered for a couple of seconds before it disappeared again.
"Look; that's a pretty butterfly," Teddy whispered awed and pointed at a butterfly resting on one of the rose buds; its slowly beating wings were a mixture of blue and green.
Harry smiled and quickly ruffled Teddy's wild, dark brown hair. "It's quite pretty," he agreed.
Teddy insisted on showing him every flower he thought was pretty and Harry indulged him, slowly walking behind him. He could feel Narcissa's concerned eyes on him as they made their way through the garden and he occasionally looked back at her to reassure her everything was fine.
Well, except for the blistering sun and the small twangs of pain that kept shooting through him, making him clench his teeth as they slowly built up in intensity. His cramps had never been this bad before. Was it because he wasn't used anymore to walking around for such a long time? Both Narcissa and Draco had insisted that he rested as much as he could, keeping his feet off the ground.
Right when he was about to tell Teddy that it was time for them to retreat to the shadows again, he froze when the baby gave one harsh kick and suddenly he felt warm liquid trailing down his legs, darkening his trousers a bit.
"Oh," he breathed out and his hand automatically shot out to cover his stomach. The painful cramps he had been experiencing all morning gained a whole new meaning.
His water had just broken. The baby was coming.
Something in his posture must have tipped off Narcissa, because he heard her hurrying towards him and Teddy.
"Teddy, the house elves have made an ice cream cake especially for you," she smiled as she halted next to Harry. "I believe they are finished with it now. Would you like a piece?"
"YES!" Teddy cried out excitedly and rushed off to the kitchen, forgoing his admiration of the garden for the moment.
As soon as Teddy had disappeared into the manor, Narcissa turned towards Harry. "Harry, are you okay?" Her gaze was drawn downwards and she let out a surprised gasp as she saw his darkened trousers.
He smiled weakly at her. "Looks like the baby couldn't wait any longer," he joked and couldn't hold back a loud hiss of pain as a new cramp – a contraction – swept over him. Okay, yeah, that one hurt.
"Let's get you to your room, okay?" Narcissa murmured and touched his arm.
He nodded; already itching to get rid of his trousers which clung uncomfortably against his skin. One hand rubbing anxiously over his hardened stomach, he followed the blonde woman to the manor. They passed the kitchen – hearing Teddy awing over the large ice cream cake – and by coincidence encountered both Astoria and Lucius in the hallway.
Grey eyes looked at the position of his hands keenly. "Is it time?" Lucius asked abruptly; his hand clenching around his cane.
"Yes, dear. Please Floo Healer Lyrian and tell her she needs to come through to help Harry," Narcissa replied calmly and then addressed Astoria, who had an odd look in her eyes. "Astoria, darling, can you Floo Draco and tell him he needs to return home now?"
She nodded silently and disappeared into the foyer while Lucius made his way upstairs to Floo call in his office.
"Come on now, dear, while you still can walk," Narcissa smiled and kept a hand on his arm as she and Harry made their way to his room.
A house elf must have been alerted somehow because when they entered his bedroom, his bed had been stripped off all its fancy sheets and were replaced with pure white ones.
Narcissa politely turned away as he changed into a large shirt and new boxers, sighing a bit in relief as the coolness of the clothes brushed against his heated skin. A house elf popped up in the room to gather his discarded clothes and after bowing to him left again.
As Harry sat down on the bed, Narcissa held up a pack of cards and smiled wryly.
"I know that your labour won't take long with the potions, but I thought we could spend the time playing cards until you're ready," she offered and while she sounded calm, the excited glitter in her eyes told Harry that she couldn't wait until her grandson was born.
He smiled back and nodded. "Sure, sounds good to me."

They had been playing with the cards for half an hour – Harry occasionally pausing the game when he was hit with a contraction – when Lyrian swept inside the room, carrying her large bag.
"All right, Harry, let me check how far you've progressed until now," she announced as she sterilized her hands.
He nodded and removed his boxers, halting for a few seconds as his stomach cramped again. As soon as the wave of pain died out again, he took a deep breath and let his underwear drop on the floor, trusting a house elf to pick it up as well.
He shuffled around a bit until he was on his back and he bit his lip as Lyrian pushed his legs up and spread them a bit. He hadn't realised how embarrassing it would be to have someone looking at his private parts so intently. He jumped a bit as he felt fingers touching an opening that hadn't been there before and barely restrained from lashing out with his foot.
Lyrian clucked her tongue thoughtfully and nodded. "Looks like your birth cannel has completely formed," she announced and Harry heard Narcissa sighing softly in relief.
Snape had given him the potions needed to give birth to his baby and while the potions had a high success rate, a small percentage of men only formed half complete cannels, leading to dangerous complications during the birth.
Harry had worried about that in the back of his mind, so he shared Narcissa's relief that the potions had worked perfectly.
"You've also progressed pretty far already," Lyrian continued and signed that he could lower his legs again for the moment. "Your dilation is already seven centimetres." She raised an eyebrow. "Have you notified Mister Malfoy that you're in labour?"
"Yes," Harry replied and clenched his teeth when another cramp assaulted him, automatically holding his breath in an attempt to ride the wave of pain. A bit out of breath he continued, "Astoria Floo called him."
"You need to keep breathing, dear," Narcissa murmured and surprised him by brushing his hair out of his face.
Lyrian pinched her lips together, but nodded and settled in a chair next to the bed, casting spells that would monitor both his and the baby's health.

Two hours later found Harry bent over, his hands gripping the side of his desk, as he forced himself to breathe through yet another contraction. They were following up each other quicker now and the intensity was increasing as well, leaving him sweating profusely despite the Cooling charms that had been cast in the room. Moaning lowly in pain, he had to hold himself back from pushing, but it was becoming difficult to ignore that feeling. He could feel his baby dropping lower, but he still wasn't ready to push and so all he could do was try to relax and breathe through the pain every time a contraction swept over him, making him feel as if a knife was slashing through his stomach.
Then there was the issue of Draco still not being here.
Where the hell was he? He knew he had to be there to lend his magic to Harry during the birth – so why was he still not here?
"Harry, lay back down on the bed, so I can check your progress again," Lyrian ordered and Narcissa – who hadn't left even once – helped him back on the bed, of which the sheets now were thoroughly mussed up already as Harry had accidentally kicked out with his legs when he had been surprised by a very painful contraction.
Closing his eyes tightly as yet another contraction hit him, he felt Narcissa grabbing his hand and without thinking twice, he squeezed hers harshly, trying to steady himself with her presence.
"Nine centimetres," Lyrian remarked and furrowed her eyebrows. "It won't be long anymore before you need to start pushing."
While that news should have made him happy – by this point he just wanted the baby out of him – he couldn't help but feel incredibly nervous. "Even," he licked his lips, "even if Draco's not here?"
Lyrian sighed heavily and looked at him broodingly. "Yes; his absence will make it more difficult, but if he's still not here by the time you're ready to push, we can't do anything else but proceed. Halting the process will bring your baby in danger. You're already progressing slower than expected, because he's not here. Thankfully Mrs. Malfoy's magic is able to help you somewhat, so the damage has been limited so far."
He took a shuddering breath and let his head drop back down on the pillows, his stomach cramping with something else than contractions this time. While it didn't put him at ease to hear that he was going to be in trouble soon, he appreciated the fact that Lyrian didn't mince her words. He'd rather her be truthful than sugar coat what was happening.
Abruptly Narcissa stood up; a fire lightening up in her eyes. "I'm going to see where on earth my son is," she announced and strode out of the room, clearly angry that Draco still wasn't present.
Another contraction went through him and this time he keened loudly in pain, shooting up to curl around his stomach, his hands clenched tightly around it, as the pain seemed suddenly worse; the need to push rose again.
"No, Harry, you can't push yet," Lyrian snapped and forced him back against his pillows.
"Why was this one so much worse?" he whimpered as the contraction finally disappeared, leaving him trembling in its after wake.
She looked at him troubled as she cast more spells. "Because you're almost fully dilated and because Mrs. Malfoy left the room, so her magic couldn't support you anymore," she replied and pursed her lips. "So far you have been supported by her magic, because subconsciously your magic recognizes the link she has with Mister Malfoy. With her gone, your magic isn't stabilized anymore."
Harry placed an arm over his eyes, telling himself that the few stray tears in his eyes were from the lingering pain and not from the fear that was slowly growing in him.
He wouldn't and couldn't lose his baby.

Fifteen minutes later, Narcissa wasn't back yet, but the contractions kept assaulting Harry one after another and he barely kept himself from screaming in pain as their intensity grew, until the pain felt worse than what he had experienced under the Cruciatus curse.
After he once more dropped back on the bed exhausted, Lyrian examined him again.
He only looked at her when he felt her hands on his knees and he froze when he saw the grim look in her eyes. "Wh-what's wrong?" he stammered and his hand clenched around part of the sheets.
"You're fully dilated, Harry," she answered softly and with a flick of her wand a small basin appeared and was filled with warm water; a small pile of towels rested next to it. "That means you need to start pushing as soon as you feel another contraction coming up. You can rest a bit afterwards, but I need you to keep pushing with every contraction, all right? And keep breathing calmly."
"But Draco isn't here yet!" he protested and breathed shallowly. He couldn't start pushing without Draco being here! He needed him to be here, damn it!
"I know, Harry," she retorted sternly. "But you have no other choice! I'm not going to have both of you in distress, because you're trying to hold back until Mister Malfoy is here. Now, with the next contraction, you must start pushing!"
"I can't, not without him, I just can't," Harry blabbed and shook his head; fear simmering inside of him. The thought of giving birth without Draco there to support him utterly terrified him.
"You'll have to!" Lyrian snapped. "Your baby needs to be born now and he won't wait!"
Right when Harry was about to snap, the door slammed open, revealing a harried looking Draco.
"Mister Malfoy, you're late!" Lyrian glared at him as he hastily dumped his robes and settled himself next to Harry on the bed. "Didn't I tell you that you have to be here as soon as Harry went into labour?"
"I know," Draco groused as he let Harry grab his hand firmly. "I didn't get any mention until my mother came into the meeting herself! If I had known sooner that Harry is in labour, I would have been here sooner!"
Before the realisation that Astoria's message apparently hadn't gone through could fully register in Harry's mind, he was assaulted by a strong contraction, making him groan in pain as he tightened his grip on Draco's hand.
"Start pushing, Harry," Lyrian told him and he did as she ordered, feeling faintly relieved that after all this time he could finally start pushing.
Their baby boy slowly made his way through Harry's birth cannel, so slowly that Harry was starting to worry that something had gone wrong. With both Draco and Lyrian encouraging him to keep pushing however, he didn't have time to contemplate his worry as he pushed through every contraction until his skin felt so hot that he thought he was on fire.
"You're doing well, Harry; keep going," Draco murmured in his ear; by now his hand had paled until it was a stark white thanks to the bruising grip Harry had on it.
"Shut, shut up!" Harry groaned as he pressed his chin to his chest, pushing once more.
He was getting tired, so tired. How much time had gone by since he started pushing? An hour? Two hours? He didn't know; the only thing he did know was that he wanted his baby out now.
After more time had passed with Harry pushing with all his strength – or whatever he still had left – Lyrian uttered a triumphant sound.
"I can see his head, Harry! Keep going!"
"Fuck!" Harry gasped and fell back against Draco's shoulder, as his strength left him. He could feel his baby crowning and he knew he had to keep pushing, but he was so exhausted that he only uttered a weak moan when another contraction went through him.
"Harry, you can't give up now!" Lyrian warned him. "You need to keep going a bit longer! He's almost here!"
Harry startled when he felt lips brushing against his sweaty temple.
"Come on, Harry, just a bit longer," Draco muttered and with his free hand brushed Harry's sweat soaked locks out of his face. "I know you're tired now, but you have to keep going for just a bit longer, okay? Our son is nearly here, but he still needs your help. Don't give up now."
Harry couldn't suppress a sob, but he nodded and when the next contraction hit him, he started pushing once more, begging to whatever deity was up there to help him get through the agonizing pain.
It felt impossible to get his baby out of him – surely he couldn't stretch that far for the baby to fit through?! – but suddenly his baby slipped out of him, right in Lyrian's hands.
"Oh god," Harry uttered exhausted and fell back, panting harshly as he tried to adjust to the sensation of feeling raw and empty. He felt himself passing the afterbirth, but was too tired to open his eyes.
The sharp crying of a new born did make him open his eyes blearily and next to him Draco murmured in awe, "Oh Merlin, he's here!"
"Congratulations, Mister Malfoy. You have a healthy baby boy," Lyrian announced with a bright smile as she cleaned the crying baby and wrapped him up in a clean towel. She handed him over to Draco, whose shocked face was priceless and if Harry wasn't so exhausted, he would have chuckled and snapped a picture of his face.
"I can't believe it," Draco muttered dazed, staring down at the bundle in his arms. "He's here. He's finally here."
"Don't faint now, Draco," Harry quipped tiredly as Lyrian helped him clean up. Fuck, his entire body felt so weak he didn't think he would be able to stand up without falling down. Not to mention that the sudden empty feeling in his stomach was quite unsettling.
"What are you going to name him?" Lyrian asked and helped Harry sit up.
"Scorpius," Draco replied; his gaze still trained on his son, who was making smacking sounds with his pouty lips. "Scorpius Sirius Malfoy."
Harry stared at the blond in shock as Lyrian smiled knowingly. "That's a beautiful name," she murmured and inclined her head. "I'll leave you two alone for now. I'll inform your family that little Scorpius has been born."
"Draco, what …" Harry stared at him confused as the door softly closed behind the Healer.
Draco looked at him with a tender smile. "I heard you talking to our son a couple of weeks ago; saying that you would like him to be named after your godfather. Your godfather was a brave man, Harry; I can't think of a better name for our son."
Tears dropped on the fresh sheets; hands clenched tightly into the cool, white cloth. "Thank you," Harry whispered and laughed shakenly as more and more tears slipped down his cheeks.
"Say hello to our son, Harry," Draco whispered and sat down next to him again, placing their baby boy on Harry's chest.
Dark blond hair peeked out from underneath the pale blue blanket and dark blue eyes gazed back at him in wonder. Small, chubby hands were curled into fists and plump cheeks were a bright red.
"Hey there," Harry whispered and through his blurry sight he carefully stroked Scorpius' cheek, feeling the soft skin underneath his own. He placed a tender kiss on the baby's wrinkled forehead and overwhelmed with love for this small being, he started crying in earnest; his sobs turning painful as he realised that he soon would have to give his baby up.
Arms slipped around him and lips pressed several kisses on his face. "I've got you," Draco whispered and tightened his embrace. "It'll be okay, you'll see. I promise everything will be all right."
In the midst of his crying bout, his baby slightly fussing around and Draco's whispered "I've got you; I'm here." Harry slipped into an exhausted slumber; his mind blessedly blank.

Two days later found Harry in the nursery, feeding a calmed down Scorpius. The baby had been crying loudly, wanting his diaper to be exchanged and afterwards he was still fussy, indicating that he was hungry. Draco had been called into a meeting suddenly – something to do with a shipment gone wrong – and Astoria had been nowhere near the nursery, so the moment Harry had picked up the sound of distressed crying, he had hurried towards his son.
If he had to be honest, he didn't mind nursing Scorpius. As far as he knew, Astoria had only held Scorpius a couple of times since he was born two days ago. Narcissa, on the other hand, had started doting on the little boy the moment she laid eyes on him. Even Lucius had softened up enough to hold the baby in his arms.
Staring morosely down at the drinking boy, the dark haired man wondered how much time he had left with his son. It wouldn't be long anymore before he had to return to his house.
Alone.
Leaving his son behind.
The thought of being separated from his son had despair whirling inside of him. He didn't want to give up his baby, but he knew he had no choice. As long as Draco didn't manage to convince Astoria to sign the divorce papers, Harry wouldn't be able to remain with his son and that thought hurt.
Looking at his son, he asked himself how he had ever thought he would be capable of giving up his baby without any trouble. It had been a doomed plan from the very beginning.
"What are you doing here?"
The cold voice of Astoria behind him had him nearly jumping up in fright and he hastily turned around.
Her blue eyes were colder than ice as she regarded him blankly; one manicured hand resting against the door.
"I … I heard Scorpius crying," Harry replied haltingly. "He needed his diaper changed and he was hungry, so I decided to feed him."
She took a step towards him and he forced himself to remain still. It wasn't like he had been doing anything illegal; he was simply taking care of the baby when no one else had been around.
"You could have sent a house elf to get me," she retorted sharply.
"I'm sorry; I didn't think of that," he said stiffly and put the empty bottle down on the dresser, cradling Scorpius against his towel clad shoulder so that the little boy could burp.
He tried to ignore the burning gaze as he rocked Scorpius slowly back and forth, coaxing him back to sleep. Her cold eyes remained locked on him as he silently crossed the room to Scorpius' bed.
As soon as Harry was done tucking the sleeping baby inside his bed – forgoing the kiss he so far had given the baby boy every time he cared for him – Astoria spoke up again.
"Don't you think it is time that you return back to your house?" she asked idly and her sharp heels click clacked on the floor. "After all, you have finished your favour for the Malfoy family. From what I've heard, your wards have been renewed as well."
"I …" Harry trailed off helplessly, not knowing how to respond to that quip.
"You don't want to further impose on this family and confuse the baby, now would you?" she smiled poisonously sweet as she cocked her head. "Draco and I are able to take it from here. Your duty is done now."
He wanted to curse her, wipe that ugly, satisfied smirk off her face. Wanted to throw it back into her face that her own husband was just waiting for a chance to get rid of her.
But he didn't do anything. Couldn't do anything. All he could do was bow his head, swallow back all the curses he wanted to throw at her, and leave the nursery with a heavy, bleeding heart to collect his stuff and return back to his house for the first time in almost five months.
The moment the fireplace spat him out in his own foyer – once so familiar, now so foreign – his legs stopped supporting him and he dropped down on the floor, as heart wrenching sobs were torn out of his mouth.
He hadn't even been able to say a proper goodbye to his son.
Facing reality – facing the prospect that he would never be able to care for Scorpius as his father – had never felt so cruel before.

His birthday was spent keeping up a façade of happiness as the Weasley family threw a party for him, inviting Teddy and Andromeda as well. Harry appreciated the thought, but it was exhausting to pretend to be happy, all the while dodging Hermione's concerned questions. He knew she meant well, but at this moment he just couldn't bring himself to talk about how he felt now.
The only highlight in the overall miserable day had been the moment in which he got to hold Scorpius again, when Draco visited him briefly during the evening to celebrate his birthday with him.
Celebrating his birthday with both Draco and Scorpius had been amazing and yet at the same time painful as well, because he was all too aware of the fact that his time with his baby boy was limited. The blond man had assured him he was doing everything to ensure that Astoria would agree to a divorce and while Harry tried his best to believe him, he didn't dare to get his hope up.
It was already painful to say goodbye to Scorpius now even with being cautious of the fact that he shouldn't become used to this – how much more painful would it be if he allowed himself to hope, only to never see that hope turned into reality?

Three weeks had gone by since Scorpius was born and Harry had started working again in the hospital, in an attempt to distract himself from the empty feeling in him that was a reminder of the fact that he wasn't allowed to be with his son. He had become a frequent visitor of Malfoy Manor; usually it was either Draco or Narcissa inviting him over for tea or dinner and he was too weak to say no to the opportunity to be near his son. In Draco's case this was his way of having Harry involved with his son; why Narcissa was suddenly so adamant about Harry visiting the manor was beyond his comprehension, but he couldn't refuse.
He cherished those moments when he could pick up his son and feel his comforting weight in his arms. Nobody looked up twice if he offered to feed Scorpius or take care of him in general whenever the little boy became fussy – everyone, that is, except for Astoria.
Whenever she was around when Harry visited, she made it a point to hold Scorpius in her own arms, refusing to let him hold the boy even once – until Scorpius' crying became too much for her and as she didn't manage to soothe him, no matter what she did, she was always quick to dump the baby in Draco's arms before she left the room angrily.
It made Harry worried about Scorpius; Draco had quietly told him during one of their spare evenings alone together that Astoria was having a hard time taking care of Scorpius. The baby was nearly always fussing whenever she was holding him and only calmed down when Draco or Narcissa took him in their arms.
Or whenever Harry held him.
The fact that Scorpius was more willing to calm down in Harry's arms than in her own had Astoria quite frustrated at times and it made Harry pray that Draco would convince her to go through with the divorce soon.
Maybe he was jealous of the fact that she could remain near Scorpius at all times, but he felt ill at ease whenever he saw her frustration mounting.
A frustrated Astoria was not a nice – or comforting – sight.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Harry asked with slight trepidation as he lightly stumbled out of the fireplace.
He had just changed into his regular clothes after having one of the most exhausting shifts in his life when Draco had shown up, declaring that Harry was to join him at Malfoy Manor to celebrate Scorpius turning one month old.
Draco pressed a quick kiss on his mouth. "Why not? It's been a couple of days since you visited and Scorpius really misses you," he murmured, squeezing Harry's hand gently.
Harry bit his lip. "I don't want to make Astoria angrier than she already is. I've heard you arguing with her a couple of days ago," he retorted, heavily frowning.
"Don't think about her now, okay?" Draco replied and tugged him with him. "I want you here to celebrate Scorpius turning one month old. You can't miss this."
Harry shook his head, but unwillingly he smiled; already relaxing due to the prospect of seeing his son again. He had missed him so much these past few days – the ache his absence had caused had been nearly unbearable.
They had barely set foot on the first landing when the sound of Scorpius' distressed crying floated towards them. It tugged at Harry's heartstrings to hear his baby boy crying so loudly, but what he heard next had him in shock.
"WOULD YOU SHUT UP FOR ONE GOD DAMN MINUTE, YOU USELESS BRAT?!" Astoria screamed, which only caused to make Scorpius cry harder.
Without even thinking twice, Harry rushed towards the nursery, Draco following closely; heart racing madly in his chest, he wrenched open the door and was met with the horrifying sight of Astoria snatching Scorpius' right arm tightly, making the boy wail in pain, as she raised her other arm to smack him.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HIM!" Harry snarled and his magic left him in a short burst, throwing the woman away from his terrified son.
"Harry, take Scorpius and get him out of here," Draco ordered and marched towards Astoria, who was scrambling up again with her face red and ugly in fury.
Harry rushed towards the crib and picked the squirming baby out of it, already hushing and soothing him as he quickly walked out of the room.
"You're okay now, Scorpius. She won't hurt you anymore, I promise," he murmured and frankly cast several spells to check how badly hurt Scorpius was.
Not even the knowledge that the damage was limited to a bruise was able to quell the rage inside of him. Astoria had gone too far. He could deal with her belittling him and hurting him by keeping Scorpius away from him, but what he couldn't deal with was the fact that she had been about to seriously hurt his son.
It didn't matter what kind of legal ties she had to Scorpius – if she came near him ever again, he would make certain that she would regret ever laying her hands on his baby boy.
Eyes darkening in cold fury and body slightly quaking with rage, he made his way back downstairs.
"I'm taking you home with me, okay, darling? You'll be safe with me," Harry murmured and pressed fluttering kisses on Scorpius' forehead as his small body still trembled with hiccups, but his green eyes – the exact copy of Harry's – stared at him trustingly, as if the young boy instinctively knew that he was safe now.
He had just descended the large staircase when footsteps rapidly making their way towards him had him grabbing his wand and whirling around, as Astoria's shrill voice reached him.
"This is all that whore's fault! It's his fault that you've now got a useless brat for a son!"
She appeared on top of the staircase, an aura of fury surrounding her, and raised her wand.
"Astoria, don't you …!"
"Avada Kedavra!"

AN2: ... Yes, yes, I really did end it at this point. I'm not going to spoil anything about the epilogue - you'll find out what happens next, next week :D
Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
See you all in the epilogue!
Cuddles
Melissa
- 6
- 7
- 8
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Lifetime Decisions