Title: His Daughter’s Father Part 12

Email: tirel@pcnuthut.com

Site: https://www.angelfire.com/tv2/firebird_ascending/

Author: Constant Vigilance

Disclaimer: JK Rowling is God. I own nothing.

Distribution: Sure. Just lemme know where my baby’s going.

Spoilers: Up to GoF. Book 5 never happened. *Growls at Rowling*

Summary: An attack. A promise. A claiming.

Dedication: Hmmm. To everyone who has reviewed.

Pomfrey scowled as she ran her wand over Harry’s stomach. She muttered as well. Harry couldn’t hear exactly what she was saying, but he was sure it had to do with him as she included the terms ‘stupid antics’, ‘thoughtless actions’, and his personal favorite…’ignorant male.’ He tensed his muscles when she ordered, sucked in air when she asked and grimaced as she poked him in spots he was sure would have fingertip sized bruises in the morning.

“Yes, well, you haven’t managed to kill either yourself or the baby yet,” she said petulantly. “So, I suppose that’s something to be grateful for.”

He flushed. “I’m sorry, Madam Pomfrey,” he said softly. “I’m not being deliberately reckless. Its just…” he looked plaintively at her. “Draco was going to die. I couldn’t…I just…please…” he begged for understanding.

Pomfrey rolled her eyes and sighed. “Yes, yes. I understand, Mr. Potter. And I don’t suppose I even fault you for it. It’s rather my job, however, to nag you incessantly about your ridiculously stupid risk taking activities.” Harry nodded eagerly; happy he wasn’t still in the doghouse. Pomfrey pursed her lips. “You are staying here overnight, though.”

Harry opened his mouth to argue but the look she shot him snapped his jaw shut again. He just nodded and slumped back on the bed. “And you,” Pomfrey continued, looking at Draco who was trying to remain very still and unobtrusive in the hope that Pomfrey would forget his wrongdoing in this situation. “You are to go straight to bed and rest. Blood loss is nothing to sneer at to say nothing of the magical energies required to pull you back from a life threatening injury.”

She wiped her hands on her smock. “I can’t force you to stay here tonight as you are technically no longer injured…that doesn’t go for you, Mr. Potter…” she shot a glare at Harry who’d mistakenly opened his mouth to protest again. “So, you are to report to me tomorrow morning before breakfast, Mr. Malfoy. And I do expect you to be prompt.”

Draco just nodded and sunk back into the bit of wall he’d hoped would hide him. Pomfrey sighed again. “Fine. Say goodnight, boys. And then off to your respective dreamlands.” With that, she moved to the back of the infirmary, puttering with the various medicines she would have like to give them both, simply for being so damndably frustrating.

“Sorry for getting you in trouble, love,” Draco whispered with a smile.

Harry grinned back. “Naw, if it not you, it would have been some other devastatingly handsome guy that I’d have almost killed myself over.” Draco glared and Harry leaned forward to give him a chaste kiss on the lips. Draco melted into him immediately.

“I do love you, Harry Potter,” he whispered against Harry’s lips.

“Same here, Draco Malfoy,” Harry returned with another kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Save me?”

Draco chuckled. “I’ll be here, sweets. But there’s no way in hell I’m going to risk the wrath of Pomfrey…even for you.”

Harry stuck his tongue out playfully and regretfully let Draco’s hand trail out of his as the Slytherin moved out of the room. Pomfrey moved up just as soon as Draco had gone, imperiously holding out a potion bottle. Harry knew better than to ask, so he simply downed the potion and lay back with his eyes closed. He heard a slight ‘hmph’ and fought to keep the smile off of his face.

He lay, drowsily thinking about Draco, the baby, Lucius, Pomfrey…Draco, the baby…

His head hurt. Actually, his head felt fine…his scar hurt. He could identify the itching burn of the scar pain over any other pain in his body. He tried to open his eyes, but they were like slabs of steel. He began to panic. That potion Pomfrey gave him…was it a sleeping potion? Damn! He should have warned her. Should have told her that he might have a need to pull up out of a dream quickly. A quickness that was not granted while under the realm of a medicinal Morpheus.

He began beating at the inner walls of his mind, searching for a gap in the potion that would allow him to wake.

“Oh, dear. Are you trapped?” came a voice slick with amusement.

Harry froze.

“Well, I’d like to tell you how terribly I feel about that…but you do know that I hate lying.” The amusement morphed into outright laughter.

“What do you want?” Harry thought angrily. “How did you even find me?”

Voldemort chuckled. “My goodness, you didn’t really think you were the only one who could see through this little doorway of ours, did you? You didn’t think it was a one way connection, surely?” Silence met his question and he laughed. “Oh, my…you did! Oh, Harry. Silly, sweet Harry. I’ve known of our connection for years.” His voice lowered, a deadly hiss in Harry’s head. “I’ve watched you for years.”

“So,” Voldemort’s voice brightened jovially. “What do you think of that little baby you’re carrying? Quite powerful, isn’t she?”

Harry wanted to shriek curses at him. “You stay away from my baby,” he screamed through the link.

He felt Voldemort flinch back for a moment, but then the Dark Lord was right back in position again. “I don’t think so, my boy,” he whispered, his mind voice crawling through Harry’s head like a plague. “The baby has proven to be worth the trouble you’ve been to me through the years. I wouldn’t get too attached to her, if I were you. I’ll be coming for her soon.”

Harry’s horror made Voldemort chuckle. “No! No, never! You’ll never get your filthy hands on her. You’ll never touch her.”

More laughter echoed through Harry’s head. “Actually, yes I will. And soon. And you have no choice. I own you, and through you…I own that baby. I will have my heir and perhaps the bloody death of the Boy Who Lived as a bonus. It will be beautiful,” he hissed.

At that, Harry felt his stomach muscles clench painfully. A rhythmic roll began on one side of his gut raced across to the other, leaving waves of agony in their wake. He screamed. At least he tried. He had no idea if the sound made it out of his head. He tried to wake again, to face the pain straight on in consciousness…but the potion was too strong. He battered at it ineffectively and realized that if he couldn’t get out, Voldemort might actually get his wish.

The pain dimmed a bit. Then a bit more. Then it was like watching someone else in pain…perhaps like on television. He could see the agony he should be in, but it couldn’t touch him. After a moment, the roiling of his stomach muscles ceased and he gasped in relief. Exhaustion began dragging him down and he fought weakly against it, trying to decipher what had happened.

Healing warmth began to flood through him, making him more and more drowsy. Finally, he couldn’t fight against it anymore and he dropped off into the abyss. Where the peaceful feelings continued to rock him gently to sleep…to the tune of a lullaby.

_________________________________________________________________________

When Harry next came conscious, he tested the limits of his physical capabilities. That is to say, he saw how fast he could leap out of bed and huddle, shivering, whilst glaring at the offending bed.

“Harry?” he heard the tentative voice next to his ear and he swiped at it, fearing for a dreadful moment that Voldemort had actually made his way back again. “Ow!” was the response as his arm banged painfully into a very real nose. Harry looked up to see Draco, his hands clasped over his nose.

“Oh, baby,” Harry whispered, moving to caress the injured body part. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just…it was another dream. And I couldn’t get out. The potion…it was…I couldn’t fight it and he found me and I was trapped and he threatened me and he’s coming to take our baby away and what do I do?” Harry’s imprecise jointed comments ran together and became a babble fest of panic and fear.

Draco pulled his hands away from his nose and hugged the shaking boy. “Shhh, Harry,” he murmured. “It’s okay. You didn’t hurt me. I’m fine. Let’s get you back into bed. We’ll call Dumbledore and get this all figured out.” Harry nodded, not really caring what Draco was saying. He was here, soothing Harry’s fear, holding Harry’s hands. The words didn’t matter.

He allowed the blonde to move him back to the bed and tuck him in but he drew the line at allowing Draco to leave afterwards. He tugged Draco down onto the bed with him, glaring back at Pomfrey as she dared to look disapprovingly at them. He stayed huddled into Draco’s side for long minutes. He couldn’t really tell the passage of time, save that he felt more rested just lying here…feeling safe and protected…than he’d felt after sleeping the whole of the night through.

“Harry, dear boy. I’m so glad to see you awake,” Dumbledore’s chipper tones flooded the room. Harry glanced up with a slight smile as the headmaster took the seat next to the boys, not a disapproving look in sight for their compromising position. “I understand that you’ve had a trying night?”

Ah, Dumbledore. Such a quandary. Normally, he’d dance around a subject as though it would burn his toes on the embers, but give him a direct threat to one of his students and he was all business. Harry nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Well, Madam Pomfrey gave me a sleep potion I think?” he glanced up to verify that and was astonished to see a red hue on the mediwitch’s face. “It’s okay, ma’am,” Harry replied, the anger he’d felt at her this morning just sliding away in the face of her vexation. “I know you did it to help me. I was at fault for not telling you my problem.”

Pomfrey, still red and embarrassed, just nodded for him to continue. “Anyway,” Harry went on, “I fell asleep and Voldemort contacted me. I couldn’t get out of the dream because I couldn’t wake up. And then he told me that he’s always been able to access me, like I do him,” Harry pointedly looked to Dumbledore. The older wizard just sat, listening intently. Nothing on his face gave away him thoughts.

Harry sighed. “Anyway, he said he was impressed with the baby’s power and told me he was coming to her away soon. He said she was to be his heir and I couldn’t stop him. That he owned me and through me he owned her.” Harry was getting more and more upset. Dumbledore and Draco moved in concert, each placing a hand on Harry to anchor him back to them.

Harry smiled shakily and drew in a calming breath. He nodded in thanks and then continued. “After that, he started to hurt me. I don’t know how he was doing it, but my stomach…it kept cramping and moving and rolling,” he winced in remembered pain. “I couldn’t get away, I couldn’t make him stop. I thought he was killing me.” Draco convulsively squeezed him tighter.

“Then the pain started to go away. It was her,” he looked up entreatingly at both men and Pomfrey. “It was her. She came in-between the pain and me. Between Voldemort and me. She healed me and she blocked him and then she sang me to sleep.” He smiled. “My baby saved me.”

Dumbledore just smiled back. “Well, Harry, this is of course very disturbing. We will treat it with the utmost care. Our dear Tom Riddle seems to have a bit of trouble when it comes to defeating helpless babes, doesn’t he?” he chuckled. And the somber mood was broken. “Actually, it rather leads into something I’d planned to suggest for you anyway.”

Harry perked up. “Really? What do you suggest?”

“First, I would like to know if Harry has plans for what will be done with his daughter should something untoward happen to him,” Dumbledore began.

Harry and Draco exchanged worried looks. “We’d planned on getting married, sir,” Draco said quietly. “Harry asked me yesterday morning, actually.” He couldn’t keep the smile off of his face as he remembered the absolute feeling of joy the request had blossomed in him.

Dumbledore smiled proudly at the boys. “That’s wonderful. And I must say, I am quite pleased to hear that. It fits in nicely with my thoughts. I would like to suggest that your nuptials occur soon, boys. If the worst happens and Harry is…well, the baby will need a legal parent in case of an emergency.” Draco shuddered at the likelihood that he would be required to raise Harry’s child by himself.

By himself. No Harry. Oh, god, how would he be able to go on without Harry? Much less raising a child of Harry’s blood. He closed his eyes briefly; blocking out the pain the thoughts caused him.

“I would like to offer the school as a place of union as well as a potential home for the both of you and the baby afterwards,” Dumbledore continued, choosing to allow Draco a moment of privacy within his thoughts.

“Afterwards?” Harry asked curiously. “You have plans for us afterwards?”

Dumbledore now looked at Draco. “My plan concerns mostly you, Mr. Malfoy.”

Draco looked startled. Since when had anything concerned him over Harry Potter? “Yes, sir?”

“I have taken the liberty to make tentative arrangements for you to study under Professor Snape as a Potions Apprentice.” Draco’s jaw dropped. “As you know,” Dumbledore went on, “Apprenticeship lasts for approximately two years. After such time, an apprentice may move on to Master status and apply for a position of employment wherever he or she chooses.”

Draco couldn’t form words. He just nodded. Dumbledore smiled, pleased. “Professor Snape has often mentioned that he wishes to go into research on a full time basis. Not to mention his new…preoccupation…with a certain former Mrs. Malfoy,” Dumbledore gave a slight smirk. “He wishes to spend more time on his two favorite subjects, if you will. He has expressed the utmost confidence in your abilities to be prepared, after two years of apprenticeship, to take over his Potions Master position here at Hogwarts.”

Draco was glad he was sitting.

Harry reached over and grasped Draco’s hand, a smile splitting his face. “That’s wonderful, Dray!” he nearly shouted. “I’m so proud of you!”

Dumbledore just continued to smile. “And I can make arrangements for you to apprentice out as well, if you’d like, Harry. Are you interested?”

Harry, caught unaware, stared wide-eyed. “I…I don’t know. I kind of thought I’d just be raising the baby.”

“Well, plenty of amazing witches and wizards have managed to fit in a child or two along with their careers,” Dumbledore remarked. “Don’t feel that your life is over simply because you might have to find a babysitter sometimes.” He smiled, his wrinkles becoming more pronounced. “I have it on good authority that there are several dozen people, students and adults alike, who are planning to ask permission to babysit your little one at some point.”

Harry blinked. “I…I just don’t know. What would I apprentice in?”

Draco snorted. “Defense Against the Dark Arts, idiot. What else?”

Harry glared at his boyfriend…~boyfriend? God, that sounds amazing. ~ After that thought, he couldn’t even generate the irritation to keep glaring at Draco. “Can I think about it for a bit longer?” he asked the headmaster.

The old man inclined his head. “Certainly. I would like an answer before the end of the month if possible in order to make the proper connections, though.”

Harry nodded. “Of course.”

Dumbledore leaned forward with a smile. “Now. When is the happy couple planning their wedding? I’d suggest within a few weeks,” he continued. .The boys exchanged happy looks.

“Um…how about May 15?” Draco offered. “It’d give us a couple of weeks to get everyone we want to have here and still be plenty of time before the baby comes.”

Harry grinned. “Sounds wonderful,” he whispered. “We’re going to get married on May 15,” he sighed dreamily.

Draco grinned back. “Yes we are, love.”