Title: His Daughter’s Father Part 15--Epilogue

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: His daughter’s father.

“Harry?” Draco asked into the crook of Harry’s neck. They lay snuggled together on the bed, taking advantage of the latest 20-minute interval that Acacia wasn’t awake for.

“Hmm?” Harry replied drowsily.

“Why did you take my name? And make Caci only a Malfoy?” he finally broached the subject that had been hounding him for the last few weeks. He felt Harry’s grin against the top of his head.

“I wondered how long it would take you to ask me.”

Draco nipped at Harry’s skin, lovingly catching the creamy flesh between his teeth. “Git,” he grinned back. “Seriously, I want to know. You do realize you’re letting the Potter name die out completely?”

Harry shrugged. “The name, yes. But if I die…stop it, Dray,” he sighed at Draco’s mumble of denial. “You know that there’s every possibility that Voldemort will kill me. And if he does—“ he tugged Draco’s face up to look at him, smiling at the pouting look adorning the Slytherin’s expression. “If he does, I want to make sure that there’s no way anyone can take Caci away from you. Giving her your surname gives her a place in your family. A place that no one…even your father…can contest.”

Draco looked slightly placated. “So, why did you take my name?” he countered.

Harry leaned down to gently kiss Draco’s willing lips. “I took your name for several reasons,” he began. “The most obvious being that if I’m a Malfoy and Caci is a Malfoy, that just further cements your claim on her. But…” he kissed Draco again, deeply and fiercely, dragging a moan from the lips of his bonded. “The most important reason,” he whispered against the swollen mouth of his beloved, “is because I love you.”

“I love you too, Harry Malfoy,” Draco smiled. And in the silence, they took advantage of the rest of Acacia’s naptime.

_____________________________________________________________________

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ron asked, peering out the window to the podium and the dozens of reporters.

“No, I don’t want to do this,” Harry grumped as Draco tied his hair back with a ribbon. “But my husband seems to think that if we strike first, we might curtail the rumors.”

Draco grinned. “It’ll be fine, Harry. We just need to make sure that we’re prepared for anything they throw at us.”

Harry grumbled again and threw himself into a chair. “Right. That’ll be the day.”

_____________________________________________________________________

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Albus Dumbledore called. Immediately, silence fell over the crowd. “Thank you all for coming to this, the first public appearance of Harry and Draco Malfoy and their newly born daughter.” Mutters went round as did the scritchings of quills at the casual name drop. “Please remember, gentle folk,” Dumbledore reminded chidingly, “it is a privilege to be here today. Please do not abuse that privilege.”

More mutters and an occasional grumble were heard at that. Dumbledore turned to Harry and Draco and quickly cast sonorus upon them before smiling broadly and plucking his godchild from Harry’s arms. He wandered back to the edge of the recently fabricated stage laughing and cootchie-cooing the littlest Malfoy. Harry wasn’t deceived, however. He knew for a fact that Dumbledore was paying very close attention to every word, every gesture that every person in attendance made.

Draco moved to the podium. “Thank you, Headmaster,” he nodded at the old man. “Before we get into the question and answer portion of this gathering, allow me to provide you with some pertinent information. First, Harry Potter and I were married on May 15^th of this year in a private and small ceremony. Harry changed his name to Harry James Malfoy at the bonding and it is reflected in his signature as a newly bonded spouse. Albus Dumbledore officiated the ceremony and you may find record of the occasion and the name change, certified by witnesses, on file at the Ministry.”

Harry hid a grin. Draco continued. “On May 27^th of this year, at approximately 5:30 p.m., Acacia Elise Malfoy was born via a caesarean section. We are pleased to say that she is quite healthy.” Draco swept his eyes over the crowd, narrowing them as he spotted some of the reporters from Harry and his last run in with the media. “You may begin with your questions,” he intoned, a hint of warning in his voice.

Harry moved up to the podium to stand next to his beloved.

“Did you bond for convenience?” shouted a reporter from the back. Draco vaguely recognized her as a correspondent from one of the teen branches of Witch Weekly. He shuddered slightly at the thought of the love story that magazine would turn this interview into.

“No,” Harry responded with a smile, taking Draco’s hand in is own. “We bonded because we happen to love each other more than anything in this world…except perhaps our daughter.” Draco smiled back and nodded.

“I must say, it is a close tie,” the blonde said quietly. He was almost sure that the little witch who’d asked the question ‘awwwed’ at that.

“Have you officially adopted Mr. Potter’s baby?” called a large wizard near the front.

Harry bristled. “My name is Malfoy now. Thank you.”

The reporter looked a bit embarrassed as well as a bit nervous at the anger in Harry’s voice. “Pardon, Mr. Malfoy. Has Mr. Draco Malfoy adopted your baby?”

“The paperwork is going through at the Ministry as we speak,” Draco intervened, petting Harry’s hand calmingly. “We will have the copy of the adoption records in hand by this afternoon.”

“Why did you change your name, Harry?” from a smirking reporter that reminded Harry instantly of Rita Skeeter.

“Personal reasons and a great deal of love for my bonded,” he replied, trying to emulate Draco’s serene composure.

“What personal reasons?” she persisted.

Harry grinned. “Well, if I shared them with you and your readers, they would hardly be personal, would they?” She didn’t look pleased, but she duly scribbled that down. He noticed a commotion at the back of the crowd and glanced that direction briefly. He could only see heads moving and hear the irritated complaints of people who seemed to be being shoved.

He rolled his eyes, figuring it was a nosy reporter who didn’t manage to get to the press conference on time.

“Mr. Malfoy!” his attention was drawn back to the front row to a gaudily dressed woman waving a monstrous quill. “Can we see the baby? Maybe take a picture?”

Harry looked worriedly at Draco. They’d discussed this. Harry had said why not, as he knew what it was like to hide from reporters determined to have a picture. He thought that if he chummed the reporters with one family picture, they might be inclined to respect his refusal for subsequent ones. Draco had firmly stated no. There was no way a reporter was going to take just one picture and then play nicely. But, he had been willing to get a feel for the crowd and make a decision at that time.

Now, he sighed. “I suppose.”

Harry smiled in thanks and turned to take Caci from the headmaster’s arms. He held her in the crook of his left arm and stood very close to Draco. She blinked up at her parents and gurgled. That same reporter who had ‘awwwed’ their love now ‘awwwed’ their baby. Even Draco grinned.

“Can we hold her?” the gaudily dressed witch asked.

Even Draco had a look of horror on his face. “Bloody hell, no!” he retorted, losing his icy mask for a moment.

“Oi, Harry!” Harry tensed at the familiar voice and closed his eyes in dread. He felt Draco wrap his free arm around Caci, shielding her from view and only then did he find the strength to look up…unto the insanely grinning eyes of Blaise Zabini who balanced against the flank of a unicorn statue. “Harry!” Blaise grinned. “Surely you wouldn’t say not to letting me hold my daughter?” he grinned, calling over the suddenly silent-as-the-grave crowd.

“You have no daughter, you filth,” Draco hissed, his voice booming with sonorus.

Blaise put on an exaggerated look of disappointment. “Oh, now that really hurts, Malfoy,” he patted his chest, over his heart. “Of course, you haven’t a daughter either,” he pointed out helpfully. “You have the bastard offspring of a halfblood who has no right to the name of Malfoy, regardless of who you managed to bribe at the Ministry for the papers.” The crowd gasped and the reporters began frantically snapping pictures.

Draco glared. “Harry has every right to the name of Malfoy. We are bonded,” he stated icily.

Blaise grinned again. “Terribly sorry, old chap. I actually meant the bastard child.”

Harry tensed and Draco placed a hand on his arm. “Acacia is not a bastard, Zabini,” the blonde stated clearly. “I’m sure that if you have someone help you make it past the Auror’s wards, you can find proof of our marriage several weeks ago in the Ministry records.”

Blaise once again clapped his hand over his heart and cackled. “I’m sure I could also find the birth records stating that the little bastard is the biological child of one Blaise Zabini, who has not signed over his parental rights to one Draco Malfoy, ” he pointed out. Draco paled in anger and it was Harry’s turn to place a hand on him. “Of course,” Blaise smiled wickedly, “Even that would be wrong.”

Harry narrowed his gaze in confusion. “What the hell are you blathering on about, Zabini?” he demanded.

Blaise swung onto the back of the stone unicorn and stopped to giggle up at the sky. “The little bitch isn’t mine either, Potty,” he crowed. Harry felt the world dropping out from under his feet. “You remember the potion, Potty?” the former Slytherin asked. Harry nodded helplessly. “That was the catalyst. Drinking that was the act that got you pregnant,” he swung off the unicorn again, a bit of insanity in his eye.

“Fucking you into oblivion?” he stated sweetly, “that was just for me.”

Harry couldn’t hold Draco any longer. He felt his bondmate’s hand slip from his grasp, felt Caci shoved into his arms and dimly heard sounds of a struggle from behind him, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of his tormenter. “Who?” he whispered. The sound didn’t make it far, even with the amplifying spell, but it didn’t need to. No noise other than that of Snape subduing Draco was heard. No one dared even whisper. And even had Blaise not heard it, the look on Harry’s face spoke volumes.

He grinned again and cocked his head. “Why Harry,” he purred. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? Your precious little brat’s father is Lord Voldemort.”

~Finis~

Thus ends His Daughter’s Father. There will not be a sequel.’ Thanks for reading, by the way. Hope you enjoyed it.