Chapter 12 Closer
Harry and Lucius spent a number of days together, familiarizing themselves with each other. Mostly they spent days out in Diagon Alley, just having lunch, talking, and exploring. Lucius often stayed for dinner at Grimmauld Place and he and Harry both noticed the looks Remus, Tonks and Sirius were giving them.
Harry would blush and try to ignore it, Lucius just smirked. He couldn't hide how attracted he was to Harry. The boy was not only gorgeous but fun to be around. He was intelligent, always ready to learn new things, and he often sat on the sofa listening to Lucius speak about a number of subjects.
The teenager was a mountain of knowledge himself. He spoke about Quidditch in-depth as well as the Dark Arts, reminding Lucius of spells the blonde had forgotton or never heard of.
When at Malfoy Manor, Harry would either explore the beautiful grounds (complete with gardens, fountains, marble walkways and a lake and Quidditch pitch) or sit in Lucius' study or the library reading or doing his homework.
Narcissa had moved out already and the divorce was finalised. Harry had only seen Draco once, the blonde always busy with his own N.E.W.T studies or with Severus. He was polite when he and Harry spoke briefly, welcoming the teenager to the family and talking about the pregnancy, how excited he was to be a big brother. Harry was nervous, a bit awkward; how did you talk to the grown son of a man you'd slept with?
But Draco was kind throughout the entire conversation and both promised to have lunch some time when Draco was less busy.
Severus visited often, bringing letters from Hermione that were quicker delivered by the Slytherin rather then by owl. Like Harry's family, Severus noticed how close the two were growing and knew they'd be together before the baby was born.
Lucius didn't want to push the teenager but Harry seemed more then happy to cuddle the blonde on the sofa when they read, and always lit up when Lucius kissed him on the cheek, both when he said hello and goodbye. Then there were the stares, the touches, and both would avoid eye contact when they were caught.
Things were going good.
{oOo}
Like Lucius had promised, he didn't release the statement until after Harry was three months pregnant. His stomach was slightly bigger but he wouldn't be obvious until four months in. Lucius sat down with a trusted reporter at The Daily Prophet and told the whole thing.
The woman was shocked but eager to be the one to break the story and promised Lucius it would be front page news the next day. Lucius informed Harry before heading back to Malfoy Manor, both mentally preparing themselves for the storm that was about to break.
{oOo}
The Wizarding World Is About To Welcome A Very Special Heir
By Margarethe Flitchworth
In a few months time, the magic world will be welcoming a most anticipated child; Harry Potter, The Boy Who Defeated You Know Who, is three months pregnant with a baby boy.
A statement was released yesterday by the baby's father, who happens to be none other then Lucius Malfoy. The Malfoy patriarch stated the following;
"Harry and I are very excited to become parents, especially since this will be Harry's first child. We are enjoying this new time together and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our son."
When asked about the specifics of their relationship, as well as Mr Malfoy's marriage, the wizard spoke openly;
"I'm not going to gloss over what happened; Harry and I had a one time thing and he is pregnant. I'm not going to deny that I should have known better, but we are delighted with the way things have turned out and ask that people don't judge Harry on what has happened; it is not his fault, if anyone is to blame it's me.
"My marriage with Narcissa Black has been anulled due to Harry's condition. We have accepted this and Narcissa has settled out of court and has relocated to France."
This reporter asked how his son, Malfoy heir Draco, is taking the news. Mr Malfoy smiled;
"Of course Draco is surprised, and slightly angry, that I "knocked up a boy three months younger than him", as he put it. But he's accepted that this is happening like a true Malfoy."
Another matter to consder is their child's inheritence; will he be a Malfoy or a Potter?
"He will share our last names but be known as a Malfoy," Mr Malfoy has explained. "The Malfoy family already has an heir in Draco and that isn't going to change. This child will be the Potter heir."
We congratulate the couple, who have expressely denied they are romantically involved, on the impending birth of their child and ask our readers to consider Mr Potter's current state in leu of hate mail. Male pregnancies are delicate in nature and we don't want any stress added onto what Mr Potter, as a first time parent and carrier, is no doubt already feeling.
Once again, our congratulations go to the Malfoy and Potter families, and we can't wait to see the baby boy.
{oOo}
Sirius groaned and leaned back in his seat. He pushed his toast around, not feeling really hungry any more.
'Siri, come on,' Remus tried as he burped Teddy.
'Come on what?' Sirius muttered.
'Harry will be up soon and you know how emotional he is,' the werewolf said. 'Just try to be understanding.'
'How can I?' Sirius demanded. 'My godson went and got knocked up the first time he had sex! What the hell are they teaching at Hogwarts?'
'You know they don't teach that,' Remus said.
'They should,' Sirius growled.
Remus smirked. 'I doubt it would have mattered.' Sirius raised an eyebrow and the younger man continued. 'He's told me all about that night and... well, both of them were pretty caught up in the moment.'
Sirius groaned and slapped his face. 'Don't wanna know, so don't wanna know.'
'You asked,' Remus said. Teddy burped and his hair flashed maroon before settling to bright green. 'Ah, there's my little man,' Remus grinned at his son.
Harry stumbled into the kitchen just before Tonks, the boy looking a mess. His baby bump was obvious when the teenager stretched, shirt riding up his tanned skin.
He looked a mess; hair all over the place, green eyes droopy, and dark bags under his eyes. He lit up when he saw Teddy and rushed forwad.
'Hello, little man,' he grinned.
Teddy gurgled and his hair flashed black. He always loved imitating Harry and the green-eyed teen grinned and started cooing.
Tonks rolled her eyes as she sat beside her husband. 'I tell ya, whenever anyone's pregnant they go all gooey over babies.'
'I'm not gooey,' Harry said and waggled his finger at Teddy. He frowned when Remus and Tonks chuckled and fell into the seat opposite Sirius.
'Breakfast?' Remus asked and Harry nodded. He took the eggs the werewolf offered him and lumped them onto his plate. He covered the lot in chilli sauce and wolfed in, scraping some onto his toast and taking large bites.
'Hungry there?' Tonks commented and Harry swallowed a large mouthful.
'I'm pregnant,' the teenager huffed.
Tonks grinned and slapped him on the back. 'S'alright, Harry, I remember my cravings.'
Remus shook his head and said, 'Relish and tomatoes, honestly.'
'Hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time,' Tonks pouted.
'I know what you mean,' Harry said around his eggs. 'Yesterday at lunch I begged Lucius to let me order mashed potatos with chocolate sauce.' The other three grimaced but Harry continued. 'I begged and begged for twenty minutes before he relented just to shut me up.
'Anyway, the food comes and I look at it and throw up everywhere. Lucius was all bitchy and saying, 'I told you so'. I nearly cried and he apologised and bought me a hot fudge sundae.'
The teenager grinned as Tonks snorted. 'You have that man wrapped around your little finger.'
Harry frowned. 'What?'
'You do, Harry,' Remus said, passing Teddy to his wife. She cuddled the youngster and smiled down at him. 'Anything you want, he does.'
'But... I'm pregnant, of course he'll do what I want,' Harry said. 'My hormones are mental.'
'It's not just that,' Remus said. 'He could very well disappear and let you do it all yourself, or he could be all Malfoy about it and say no. But he doesn't. He tries to talk you out of it, you give him the puppy dog eyes, he relents and does what you want.'
Harry frowned again. 'I don't do puppy dog eyes.'
'Yes you do,' Sirius said, finally speaking up. He might not like it but he couldn't deny that there was something between his godson and the blonde. 'You don't see how he looks at you, Harry.' He sighed and shook his head. 'As much as I hate it, the stupid git is too old for you, he really does care about you.'
'He cares about the baby,' Harry said, 'and that's why he's doing this.'
'Are you sure?' Remus asked.
''Course I am,' Harry said even as his heart skipped a beat. Lucius had told him he wanted to be there for Harry, hadn't he? Maybe... maybe they were right...
And there were the looks, the touches, the kisses on the cheek... Harry blushed at the very thought of them.
Remus shrugged. 'If you say so.'
'But we still reckon he wants you,' Tonks smiled.
Remus nodded. 'Have you seen the way he stares at Harry's arse?'
Tonks grinned and said, 'Oh yeah; like it's got its own orbit and he's stuck in it.'
The couple burst into giggles while Harry flushed, Sirius groaned, and Teddy drooled.
There was a tap on the kitchen door and they all turned.
'Speak of the devil,' Tonks said as she grinned at Lucius Malfoy.
Remus snorted and said, 'Lucius, come in.'
'Thank you,' Lucius inclined his head and walked into the room. He passed a scowling Sirius and went straight to Harry, bending to press a chaste kiss to the boy's cheek. Harry turned bright red and Remus and Tonks snickered.
'H-Hi,' he mumbled and looked down at his plate.
'Good morning, Harry,' Lucius said and sat beside him.
'Um... c-can I get you anything?' Harry asked.
'No, I already ate,' Lucius said and crossed his legs. He pointed his walking stick across the table and tapped at the paper. 'Have you read it?'
'No,' Harry said and picked up the paper. He quickly read the article. 'Draco's really okay with it?' he asked for the twentieth time.
'He's a little annoyed,' Lucius said.
'Did he really say...' Harry scanned the paper for the right sentence, ''knocked up a boy three months younger then me'?'
Lucius smirked. 'His exact words where 'why the fuck did you shag Potter? Haven't you heard of the contraceptive charm?''
Harry snorted into his eggs and rubbed at his lips. 'Sounds like Draco.'
'He's accepted it, he has to,' Lucius said. 'Our son won't affect his inheritence and he's old enough to know that I still love him. He's also glad I'm finally divorced.' Harry raised an eyebrow. 'He thought Narcissa and I were sucking the life out of each other and I quite agree.'
Harry smiled. 'I'm glad, Lucius. I'd hate to come between you and your son.'
'You haven't, how many times do I have to tell you that?' Lucius said and picked up Harry's free hand, pressing a kiss to the boy's knuckles. Tonks and Remus giggled together and Sirius rolled his eyes. Lucius raised an eyebrow and asked Harry softly, 'Did I miss something?'
'Ignore them, they're idiots,' Harry said and shot the three a glare.
Sirius smirked and Remus and Tonks went right on laughing.
'I thought we could spend the day together at Malfoy Manor,' Lucius said. 'I wanted your help decorating the nursery.'
'Really?' Harry's eyes lit up.
Lucius nodded. 'We've got most of the things we need, it's about time we set it all up. I need you to look over everything before you make a final decision.'
'Before we make a final decision,' Harry said. 'It's your baby too.'
Lucius' smile was magical and Harry found himself melting as he stared into the man's eyes. He snapped back to himself when Tonks nudged him under the table.
'Um... s-sounds good,' Harry coughed and shovelled eggs into his mouth.
Lucius dropped his hand and grabbed the paper, leaning back to flick through it until Harry was done. He didn't miss the looks Tonks, Remus, and Sirius were throwing him and Harry.
{oOo}
Ginny, Ron, Fred and George were all home for the weekend. Severus had had enough of Ginny's behaviour at Hogwarts and had warned Molly and Arthur that the girl had to get her head together or she'd be kicked out. Ginny had just scowled when her mother asked her to behave.
The paper lay in the middle of the table until Ron picked it up to check the Quidditch scores.
'Son of a fucking bitch,' the Gryffindor snarled, glaring at the paper.
'Ronald!' Molly chastised.
'What is it?' the twins asked.
Ron thrust the paper at them as he seethed, watching Fred and George read.
'Wow,' Fred said.
'Go Harry,' George added.
'What?' Ginny demanded. She too read the paper and shrieked, throwing it across the room. 'That bastard!'
'Ginny, really,' Molly tutted.
'Harry's baby is Lucius Malfoy's!' Ginny shouted.
Molly looked stricken as she read the article, fingers shaking. 'How... how...'
'Fucking traitor,' Ron growled. 'I bet he defeated You-Know-Who 'cause he's Dark.'
'Shut up, Ron,' Fred scowled.
'That's stupid,' his twin added.
'I can't believe he cheated on me with Malfoy,' Ginny said. 'I mean... he's gay, I could probably live with that but... Lucius Malfoy.'
'He's a fucking arsehole who deserves to be beaten,' Ron said in disgust. 'I saw them together, remember?'
'And didn't put it together,' George mused.
'Silly little brother,' Fred chastised.
Ron ignored them and looked at Ginny. 'I'll make him pay, Gin, mark my words.'
Molly ran a hand through her hair. 'Let's just forget it, okay? We don't have to see them or their baby, let's just... forget it.'
'How can we?' Ron demanded. 'He betrayed our family!'
'He followed his heart,' Fred said. 'Harry's gay, marrying Ginny would have made them both miserable.'
Ginny bit her lip. Though she was still pissed, she knew Fred and the others were right. What would her life have been like if Harry had realised he was gay later on? He might have cheated on her over and over again, they both would have grown to hate each other. In a way, the baby had saved them both a life of misery.
But how could she just forgive him? How could she forget that the man she loved had cheated? If Harry had told her, confessed his fears to her, she could have got over it.
The witch sighed and buried her face in her arms. This entire thing was so messed up and had divided her family. She wished she could forget it had ever happened.
{oOo}
Lucius had set a large room aside for the nursery. It was between his own master suite and a set of rooms that would be Harry's when the teenager moved in.
The room was plain and filled with boxes. It had soft grey carpet and dark wooden walls, the ceiling white and trimming done in gold. There was a large window directly across from the door that had a fantastic view of the Manor grounds.
'This will be perfect,' Harry said.
'We should decide how to decorate it before setting up the furniture,' Lucius said. 'I got a cot yesterday for when the baby's too big for the bassinet.
'Um...' Harry said and looked around. 'How'd you decorate Draco's?'
'A mountainous range with dragons flying through the sky,' Lucius said.
'How about...' Harry mused and started pointing at walls. 'Lions on one, repitles on that one, plants around the window and door, and blue skies and Quidditch stuff on the ceiling?'
'That's very... eclectic,' Lucius commented.
'Sorry, is that bad?' Harry asked, turning to face the blonde.
Lucius smiled at him. 'Not at all. Would you like to paint it yourself?'
'I can try,' Harry said, 'but I didn't get any drawing skills from my dad.'
Lucius chuckled and said, 'I'll show you.'
And he did just that. He showed Harry spells to put up wallpaper so they could paint the walls. He showed Harry how to flick and swish his wand just right for the little details, and how to erase something if he screwed up. Lucius proved to be quite the artist and Harry let him do most of the work.
By eleven they were done and Harry grinned as he nibbled on the cookies Lucius had had a house elf deliver. 'Awesome,' he said, looking around the room.
'The paint's dry, do you want to put everything in?'
Harry nodded and they got back to work.
{oOo}
Harry sat in the rocking chair he and Lucius had picked out, Lucius on the sofa, and the two surveyed the room with big grins. The room had come together beautifully.
The cot, made of dark wood with red and gold blankets, was to the right of the door, just before the window. Lucius had nearly blasted the thing out the window when it failed to fit together and Harry had laughed himself to tears watching.
A baby mobile with snitches, thestrals, and dragons was hanging over the cot from the ceiling, twirling in the breeze that was blowing through the open window. They'd added white and blue drapes to keep the light out when the baby slept during the day and they ruffled in the breeze, casting shadows on the painted walls.
A dresser filled with clothes and various odds and ends, all baby-proofed, was across the room from the cot, the wood also dark and varnished. A change table with draws for diapers, powders, and other assortments was at the end of the crib, also dark wood, and beside that was a bin.
On the other side of the room was a fireplace Lucius and the house elves had created with a steel grate around the front that could be pulled out when the baby started crawling. The mantel was black marble and topped with empty photo frames, just waiting for pictures of their little boy.
To the left of the fireplace was a large bookcase filled with the baby books Harry and Lucius had read as well as two shelves of toys Harry had gone crazy and bought. There were plush dragons and hippogriffs, lions and snakes, as well as a large grey wolf that Harry took to cuddling whenever he walked around the room.
To the right of the fireplace were two armchairs and a table, the only other seats the rocking chair Harry was sitting on and the large sofa Lucius was sprawled across.
The blonde was exhausted and Harry grinned as he rocked back and forth, legs tucked under him.
'I'm never having another child,' Lucius groaned, 'and if I do they get this room, end of story.'
Harry giggled before gasping, hands going to his stomach.
'What?' Lucius demanded, sitting up and quickly going to Harry's side. 'What is it?'
'I... I think the baby's kicking,' Harry said and tugged his shirt up. He grabbed Lucius' hands and placed them near his own. 'Just wait.'
Sure enough, a few minutes later there was a little kick and Lucius gasped.
'That's amazing,' he told the teenager and dropped to his knees.
They sat in silence, feeling their little boy kick, both grinning at each other whenever they did. After twenty minutes the baby stopped and Harry said, 'That's just... wow.'
'I know,' Lucius said and rubbed Harry's swollen stomach, thinking about the life growing inside.
Lucius stroked again and the teenager shivered. Lucius looked up to see Harry's usually bright eyes dark with lust. The Gryffindor licked his lips slowly and Lucius stood.
It was just like that day when Harry's family had found out Lucius was the father. Only this time Lucius had no intentions of stopping himself. He could no longer stare at Harry from afar; those lips and eyes haunted his dreams.
So he slowly took Harry's hands in his own. 'Harry?'
'Y-Yeah?' Harry asked.
'Can I kiss you?'
Harry's breathing hitched and he nodded. Lucius leaned down and threaded one hand through Harry's hair. He tugged the boy up and Harry's eyes drifted shut as Lucius closed his own and pressed their lips together.
Harry gasped against Lucius before relaxing, allowing Lucius to lead the kiss. It was... nice, Harry thought. Not too hard or desperate, with only a flash of tongue when Lucius pressed down against his lips to start a new kiss. The hand in his hair felt good, and the hand rubbing his stomach felt really good. A part of Harry wished Lucius' hand would stray lower but he was mostly glad when the blonde pulled back.
Lucius' breathing was slightly laboured and his eyes dark, but other than that he didn't look like he'd been affected by the kiss at all. Harry knew he looked stupid; eyes droopy, hair messed up, cheeks dark and lips red.
Lucius smiled and pressed a quick kiss to Harry's lips. 'That was nice.'
'Yeah, it was,' Harry said and cleared his throat.
'I'm sorry, I couldn't resist,' Lucius admitted.
Harry grinned. 'No, s'fine. Um... feel free to do that whenever you want.'
'Really?' Lucius asked, looking hopeful.
'Just kissing,' Harry said when he saw the lust in Lucius' eyes. 'We can talk about the other stuff later... maybe.'
Lucius' shoulders dropped but he nodded. 'Join me on the sofa?'
Harry allowed himself to be pulled up and was led to the sofa. They both sat down and Lucius pushed a hand back through Harry's hair. Harry blushed and Lucius smiled.
They kissed again.
And it was the best thing in the world.