Epilogue:

Nine years later they were in the paternity ward of St. Mungo's, Draco exhausted, but with a beautiful newborn baby in hand to show for all of his efforts. This child had been a surprise, but a welcome one. It had been so long since he'd cast the spell that allowed him to become pregnant with Leo that they had thought it had worn off. They'd stopped using protection years ago, a year after he stopped nursing their daughter Lily. They hadn't needed any spells or potions to make Lily, because he was still nursing Leo at the time. Breastfeeding renewed the magic and kept it flowing in his system. But he hadn't breastfed for years and years now and they had long ago assumed all of the magic had dissipated. They'd been having unprotected sex for years and nine months ago was the only time since Lily that Harry's seed had taken. They still switched in the bedroom, with Harry bottoming about twice as often as Draco, but Draco's seed had never once taken in Harry, because the spell that allowed for males to be impregnated had never been cast on Harry.

They were wrong about the male pregnancy magic being out of Draco's system though, which was how they ended up with child number three; four if you count Teddy and they did count him. Lily was born just twenty months after Leo, giving them three children within two years of age. It had been a lot of work, especially for Draco, in the beginning. It still was a lot of work, but the three children were old enough to entertain themselves for long stretches of time, giving Draco a bit of time to himself to work on potions and paintings; he'd even earned a few of his NEWTs from home. He was finally in the home stretch, Hogwarts for all three children within sight, when they learned they would be starting from the beginning again with a new precious miracle. His painting and brewing would have to wait.

Leo was the oldest of the children and therefore the leader; he was brave as a lion and still bore a striking resemblance to a young Harry, only quite a bit taller and slightly more attractive thanks to the few traits he inherited from Draco. He idolized Hagrid, despite Draco's disapproval of the half-giant. He was already involved in breeding owls, peacocks, and abraxans, having a particular affinity towards flying animals, and had a saltwater fish tank full of tropical and exotic fish in his bedroom. He liked Quidditch alright, but complained about the broom being inferior to his beloved abraxans. He was of the opinion that the sport should be played on flying horses with the Quaffle as the only ball. When he played, he was a Chaser.

Teddy was the middle child and the follower, but his brains and strong magic always ensured he stood out in his own right. He was clumsy, constantly knocking things over as he rampaged past, and had a heart-shaped face like his mother. His father's features were there too, but the natural light brown hair was almost always some shade of blue, turquoise being a favorite, and the nose and chin tended to be altered in an effort to look more like one of his adoptive family members; either Draco, Harry, Leo, or Lily, depending on his mood. Sometimes he was bubbly like his mother, but at other times, when he felt the weight on his shoulders, he was more serious like his father.

Lily was their princess, spoiled the most because she was the youngest and the only girl. She had Harry's late mother's fiery spirit, although she tended to take after Draco in speech, facial expressions, and mannerisms, often reminding Harry of his husband. Sometimes she was a tad bratty, but more often she came across as a self-confident, pretentious, rich kid, similar to how Draco had acted at her age. She was an even mix of her parents and grandparents; Harry and James' square jaw, Narcissa's blue eyes and golden blond hair, Lucius' and Draco's pointy nose and tall, slender build, with mostly her namesake's bone structure, including the cheekbones, forehead, and shape of the eyes. Both of her fathers loved to watch her, mesmerized by the exquisite melding of themselves their love had produced.

The only one who wasn't happy with the three Malfoy Potter children was Lucius Malfoy. He wanted an heir and none of those three would do in his opinion. Teddy, or Edward, as Lucius referred to the child, was out of the question. Edward was only the godson, half adopted into the family and still living with his grandmother on weekends and holidays. Leo had too much Harry, too much Potter, and way too much Gryffindor in him to be suitable. Lily was his favorite, but she was a witch, not a wizard and she didn't look all that much like the typical Malfoy. Her eyes were light, but blue, not grey. Her hair was blond, but golden, not silvery. Her nose and build were right, but her facial bone structure was all wrong. Her name was even wrong: Lily Malfoy Potter; it was not a proper name for the Malfoy heir.

Lily had the attitude and mannerisms of a Malfoy and Lucius loved her, so he would ensure she married well and received a proper dowry. She was even top on his list to be the Malfoy heir, but because she was a girl, he had yet to claim her, something in him holding out. Until now, he didn't know why he was holding back, only that it mattered not: if he died without naming an heir after Draco, Draco would inherit the title Lord Malfoy and name Lily the Malfoy heir, because Leo was already the Potter heir. There was no risk in holding off and now he was glad he had held back.

Lucius, grey and aged, but not bowed or broken, by his many years, slipped silently into the hospital room behind his wife. He waited patiently until his son handed his newest grandson over to his wife. Upon peering over Narcissa's shoulder and getting his first look at the baby, he knew that this was the child he was waiting for. This was the Malfoy grandson he was due.

The newborn's hair was so short, thin, and pale that at first glance he appeared bald, but he wasn't. Lucius gently reached a hand forward and caressed the soft silvery strands. In response the tiny head turned and eyes so incredibly pale that they appeared to have no color at all blinked open for a second, before closing against the harsh light of the room. But true colorless irises were red from the blood vessels in the eye and these eyes definitely were not red, which meant they were likely the Malfoy grey.

Miniature facial features were always difficult to make out on a freshly born baby, but the chin had a distinct point to it. The baby was not as close a likeness to Lucius as Draco had been, but he was far closer than Lily. The features in common with Harry were limited to the shape of the eyes and the Potter ears, which pleased Lucius. The nose was not as pointy as Draco's and Lily's had been, but nor was it the shape Harry's; it bore similarities to Narcissa's nose and most likely came from the Black side. Best of all, he was a boy, wrapped in a light blue blanket to prove it.

Lucius smiled like the cat who caught the canary and asked as nonchalantly as possible, "Draco, son, what have you named this magnificent grandson of mine?" He hoped it was something grand, worthy of a Malfoy and without the superfluous "Potter" ruining the end.

Draco blinked in exhaustion, attempted a grunt in acknowledgement that his father had spoken, and waved a finger in Harry's direction, to indicate that Harry should answer for him. Then he closed his eyes and fell into a shallow sleep, helped along by the pain potion.

"Erm, we named him Lynx. Lynx Alastor Severus Malfoy Potter," Harry answered.

When Draco had let him fill out the birth certificate, Harry had been tempted to tack on James, Sirius, and Albus too, but he knew he was already pushing it with the Alastor. Besides, their pet crup was named Sirius, they had an owl named James, and Albus was Teddy's toad; it would be too confusing. They hadn't planned on having another child, so they hadn't saved those names for anyone special. Draco had suggested using Harry for a middle name, but Harry had brushed that idea off the table without giving it a serious thought. There were already too many babies in the wizarding world named after him; his son would be named after two of the heroes who had given their lives for him, the only two whose names their family had yet to use for pets.

Lucius groaned internally, trying to keep his frustration to himself. Why did his son insist on letting Potter have a say in naming the children, when it was clear with Lily that Potter had no taste in names? At least Lynx and Severus weren't bad, but those were probably his son's doing. "How would you feel about striking a bargain with me, Auror Potter? I will drop the Malfoy from Leo's and Lily's names and you drop the Potter from Lynx's."

Harry looked from Lucius, to Draco, to Baby Lynx in Narcissa's arms, and then back to Lucius. He would get the better deal: two Potters to Lucius' one Malfoy. As it was, both Leo and Lily wrote only the Malfoy name on their school work, when they bothered to write a last name at all, claiming that two last names were too many letters to bother with. Changing their last names to only Potter would end that habit quick. He was tempted, but he knew how Draco felt about this topic. Thus he set his face in a stern expression when he answered, "As tempting as that offer may be, Draco has made his opinion on this matter well-known. I believe he would want me to ask you to kindly keep your pointy nose out of the business of naming our children." In actuality, Draco normally used more colorful language, along the lines of, "Tell the old git to fuck off," but there was a baby in the room, so a direct quote was out of the question.

Lucius harrumphed in indignation. He was about to protest about the indignity of being treated so rudely, when Narcissa intervened.

"That is a rather long name. Did you come up with it on your own?" Narcissa asked Harry. If this child was anything like his older brother and sister, she knew he would hate having to learn such a mouthful. And it was quite a bit more name than either Leo or Lily had, so it would be that much worse.

"Er, no? Um, Draco did let me choose the final name, but we've been discussing names for months. He told me he liked Lynx and Scorpius the best. I went with Lynx, because I thought it sounded better with Leo and Lily. We've been leaning towards Severus as the middle name all along, but I thought it sounded weird after Lynx, so I put Alastor in the middle," Harry answered, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. He knew Lucius didn't approve of Lily's name, but his daughter had to be named after his mother and it fit her.

"It is a bit long. I suppose he will need a tutor in Kindergarten to learn it," Narcissa replied. "Speaking of school, Dromeda is at the Manor waiting for the children to floo home. Should I have her bring them straight over or do you think it better to wait?"

During the week Teddy, Leo, and Lily lived in Grimmauld Place with Harry and Draco. They each had their own room on the third floor. Over the years, most of Regulus' and Sirius' things had been distributed between the three children, so that they each had pieces of the past in their rooms. Leo and Teddy had fought over Sirius' Gryffindor themed décor, while Lily pretty much had her pick of Regulus'. The room formerly belonging to Regulus had long ago been turned into the playroom; a hazardous room with a toy-strewn floor that Draco hadn't been able to enter for months, owing to the fact that he couldn't see his feet and therefore couldn't risk stepping on Merlin-knew-what. Harry never thought he'd manage to fill the giant townhouse, but they had and Draco had begun to complain it was too small. There was talk of moving into the much larger Malfoy Manor, but as long as Lucius remained in residence there, that talk never went far. No, Grimmauld Place was their home and would remain that way.

Because the wizarding school in Wiltshire was the best in the country, Draco flooed the kids to his parents' house every morning and from there they flooed to the Wiltshire primary school. Draco was normally there to pick them up when they flooed back to the Manor, but if not, Narcissa was eager to play the doting grandmother until he arrived. When Draco had gone into labor in the night, Narcissa had been called to watch the children. She'd taken them to school in the morning, but had called her sister straight after, so that she could be here at hospital for the birth of what was surely her last grandbaby. She wouldn't miss this for the world.

"I think Draco's gone to sleep. Best wait until he's gotten a chance to rest. You know how loud and rambunctious they are sure to be when they get here," Harry answered.

"Not at all. My grandchildren are always the epitome of class and proper behavior," Lucius fibbed, keeping the smirk at bay as he said it. He did love having the children running around the Manor shrieking with laughter and delight. On occasion he tried to keep them orderly for Draco's sake, but when it was Harry's turn to pick the children up, Harry was to be watching them, or they were at a function for Harry's work, Lucius riled his beloved grandchildren up with sugar and encouraged the ruckus. There was very little else he could do to get back at the Auror for having the audacity to marry his son, so he made sure to take pleasure in what he could get away with. If they were spoiled rotten as a result, then it couldn't be helped, not even when it came to little Edward. After all, the Lupin child had long ago learned that he could get away with so much more in the Malfoy home when his hair and eyes were as pale as silver and his features were refined and pointy.

"Sit down, dear. We are staying awhile, are we not?" Lucius asked, positioning a free armchair behind his wife.

Narcissa sat, mindful of the delicate bundle in her arms. "Yes dear," she replied.

"I think it is time I hire Corbinian on full time to handle the family finances. I would like to spend more time with our precious grandchildren," Lucius said, pulling up the other free chair to sit beside his wife in order to have a good view of the baby.

Lynx wasn't doing much, but at his age, Lucius felt like memorizing every twitch and squirm. This was surely to be his last time receiving such a gift and he didn't want to miss a moment of it; especially not with his heir. He would need the extra time of full retirement, to ensure that this child, in particular, shed the Potter name and retained only the Malfoy one. Auror Potter had refused his offer, which meant the showdown for last name dominancy was back on.

What Auror Potter did not know was that Lucius had an unfair advantage with the primary school: he and his wife frequently volunteered at the school, he was on the board of governors, he provided the largest share of the school's operating costs, and his ancestors had built the school in the first place. The Malfoy family was the reason the Wiltshire primary school was the best in the country and as such, all three of the children, even Edward who was a Lupin, boasted of being Malfoys. While judging a spelling bee, Lucius had once overheard Edward tell another boy that he was a Malfoy and a Black on his grandmother's side. Instead of correcting Edward, Lucius had backed the child up and encouraged it. He planned on being even more present in Lynx's life. After all, Lucius needed to groom the child to take over the Malfoy estate one day and that would require time. Auror Potter did not stand a chance.

"More time with them? Don't you think you already spend enough time with them?" Harry asked. By the way his children spoke constantly of their wonderful grandfather, he got the impression that they saw more than enough of the man. Leo in particular, practically lived at Malfoy Manor, because that was where Leo's abraxans and peacocks were kept. They just didn't have the yard space for animals or a Quidditch pitch at Grimmauld, so for those sort of activities, the children flooed to the Manor.

"Not at all. I plan to devote my remaining years to teaching them everything I know," Lucius replied.

"Did you want to stop by and see Cor today, dear? Andromeda, Molly, and I can handle the children on our own if you need to step out," Narcissa said.

"Yes, I think I should. He needs to have the parchments drawn up to make Lynx here my official heir. It shouldn't take long; no more than half an hour to apparate there and relay the news," Lucius replied.

"You are making Lynx your heir? After all of these years of refusing to name one?" Harry asked incredulously. He had no doubt that this news would piss Draco off. It had irked Draco constantly that Lucius had refused to choose either Lily or Leo for an heir.

"Yes, I was waiting for him to come along. I think he will make the finest heir I could possibly hope for. All I need is the exact spelling of his full name. I trust you will allow me to obtain a copy of the birth certificate on my way out." Lucius raised an eyebrow, silently daring Harry to refuse.

In the long run, it didn't matter whether Harry did or not, because ultimately the parents would have to turn over a birth certificate for every child they produced; it was in the marriage contract, after all, as necessary information for ensuring that each child was included in the will. Lynx would inherit the majority of the Malfoy assets, but there would be a fine dowry for Lily and several priceless heirlooms for Leo too. Lucius wouldn't want to snub either of the other two and drive them to using the Potter name. As it was, there was no end to the joy he felt when the Potter heir gave his last name as Malfoy.

There was a knock on the door then and a head of mostly grey, with just a few strands left of red, hair poked around the door. "May we come in?" Molly Weasley whispered.

Harry was saved then from further agitation by his father-in-law by the Weasley clan. Most of the Weasley grandchildren were in school, but the three who were not yet old enough for school were there in their parents' arms, waiting to see the newest member of the family. Percy and his wife each carried one of their young daughters, ages four and two, while Ron carried three-year-old Rose. Hermione was by Ron's side, heavily pregnant with a boy they planned to name Hugo. Bill and George were there too along with their wives, with Arthur Weasley bringing up the rear of the group.

"Actually, Draco's sleeping. We should probably move out into the waiting room," Harry whispered back, stepping forward to take Lynx from Narcissa.

The Weasleys made room for Harry and the baby as he carried his son out into the waiting room. Narcissa followed graciously, patiently watching from a distance, while Lucius scowled at the interruption. Harry, being the parent, always got the final say, leaving Lucius with little recourse but to complain to his son. Draco was in no condition to hear it at the moment, so there was nothing to be done about it. Thus Lucius stayed in the room, by Draco's bed. He fetched a glass of water and murmured reassurances when Draco stirred. And best of all, when Draco wanted the baby back in the room without extra Weasleys attached, Lucius got to deliver the word.

All of the Weasleys left then, with the exception of Arthur and Molly, who stayed around in order to see if they could help with the older three children's impending visit. Once Draco was awake and Lynx fed, word was sent to Dromeda, who then flooed over with Leo, Teddy, and Lily. The three children clamored to get a look at their newest sibling, Teddy being the most excited. Lily was excited because she did like babies, but this one was replacing her as the baby in the family, making her jealous. Leo was in the same boat, jealous that he was no longer the only biological son. Leo hadn't been expecting to feel so jealous, initially happy to be having a new sibling, but one look at the baby told him that this one looked more like a Malfoy than the rest of them combined, and that sent the jealous lion in him roaring.

"Can I hold him, Father? PaPa?" Teddy asked eagerly. He always referred to Draco and Harry as his parents, just like Leo and Lily did. He knew that he had another set of parents who had died fighting side by side during the Great War. They were war heroes and he was proud of them, but he was also ten and Harry and Draco were the only parents he ever knew. He wanted to fit in with his adoptive siblings in his adoptive family and had been referring to Draco and Harry as his parents for as long as he could remember.

The formal aristocratic sounding titles were reserved for when Lucius and Narcissa were present. At home the children all called Harry, Papa, and Draco was Daddy. At the tender age of fourteen months Teddy had been the first to call Draco Da-o, since Leo had up until that point called both of his parents Pa. It was obvious that Teddy had been trying to say Draco, so Dromeda and Draco had both encouraged it. Draco had been smug with pleasure that his was the second name Teddy had ever said, Ee-o for Leo, being the first. Leo, wanting to get in on the excitement Teddy was creating, soon echoed the new word. Harry had come home to a pair of toddlers exclaiming Da-o and thought they were saying Dad-o. During moments alone with the boys, he thus began referring to Draco as Dad-o. It caught on and by the time Lily could talk, morphed into Daddy. Now it was Dad most of the time, but Daddy when they wanted something and Father at school or in front on the Malfoy side of the family.

Draco took an appraising look at his clumsiest child, then eyed Harry in silent communication, before saying, "Alright, but only if you sit on the settee and your Grandmothers help you."

There was indeed a settee in the room, which Harry planned to sleep on that night, not wanting to leave his husband or their newest bundle of joy. Teddy ran to it in two big leaps, his muggle trainers squeaking on the floor as he went, and forcefully plopped himself down, practically jumping on the thing. He did try to act dignified when his Malfoy grandparents were present, but he was so excited and this wasn't Malfoy Manor or Wiltshire Primary, so he forgot.

Molly came fully into the room then, leaving Arthur alone in their previous position at the doorway, and sat down next to Teddy. Dromeda squeezed in on the other side of her grandson and together she and Molly reminded Teddy of the rules for holding a baby. Once Teddy repeated every rule word for word and promised to be extra careful, Harry brought baby Lynx over and handed him off to Molly. Molly then shifted Lynx over to Teddy's lap, keeping her own hands supporting the newborn's neck and bottom. Dromeda showed Teddy how to cradle the baby, which Teddy copied for a few minutes. He then left the holding to Grandmother Molly in favor of using his hands to gently stroke his new brother's little face and soft pale blond hair, before trying to peek inside the tightly wrapped blanket, wanting to see the rest of tiny bundle.

Leo and Lily looked on for a few moments, before Lily turned to seek Draco's attention, wanting to reaffirm that she was still his precious baby girl. Draco patted a free spot on the bed next to him and Harry lifted Lily up to fill it, instructing her to be careful, because Draco was sore. Lily moved slowly and carefully and was soon lying in Draco's arms, hugging her Daddy tightly.

Leo, meanwhile, went to his Malfoy grandparents for attention, claiming a spot on Narcissa's lap, which he was already too tall for but unwilling to give up. "Grandmother, Grandfather, Great Aunt Dromeda said we are to go over to the Burrow after. Do we have to? Can we not go home with you? I want to fly Pegasus and I need to check on Stardust; she's having a baby too, you know." At home his language wasn't so precise, but he long ago learned that speaking properly, as his teachers called it, went a long way to pleasing his Malfoy side of the family. When he wanted something from them, he always spoke as properly as he could and referred to them as Grandmother and Grandfather.

Pegasus and Stardust were two of the abraxans kept at Malfoy Manor. Pegasus, in particular, had been given to Leo on his second birthday, when she was just a foal. For the first year, Leo had simply run alongside her, and had learned the basics about feeding, watering, and grooming. When he was three, she started to fly, but was already receiving lessons from a professional abraxan trainer, so she knew not to take off too close to her boy. By the time he was four, Leo was riding Stardust on the ground and by five, he was harnessed in and allowed to take off into the sky.

Lily and Teddy had also been given abraxans at young ages, but neither of them were as obsessed with their winged horses as Leo was. Sure, they liked to ride and loved to fly, but they weren't interested in the breeding and grooming like Leo. And they certainly didn't bother with the animals in the stable that weren't theirs; in total there were a dozen abraxans at Malfoy Manor, soon to be a dozen and one.

"The place of the Lord and Lady Malfoy is at the bedside of the Malfoy heir when every new Malfoy is born and that is exactly where I plan to stay," Lucius said proudly. "The elves can care for all of the animals for one day."

"But Grandfather! The elves aren't good enough! And I did not finish with the peacocks before Great Aunt Dromeda said we had to go!" Leo complained.

"Did you turn the eggs?" Lucius asked. Every spring the peahens that were free to roam the Manor grounds began laying eggs. Some of the eggs, the hens reared themselves, renewing the Manor population, but a portion were always abandoned. In the past the house elves had been allowed to cook with the abandoned eggs, but for the last two years, Leo had insisted on incubating and rearing these eggs and resulting peachicks himself. When the birds were mature, Lucius helped Leo sell them as pets. Lucius ensured that a decent price was paid so that the operation turned a profit and Leo made sure the birds were going to good homes.

"Yes," Leo answered.

"Did you feed the chicks and make sure they have water?" Lucius asked another.

"Yes."

"Then what is the problem, dear Grandson?"

"It was too cold in the incubator room! I told Pepper to fix it, but it was still too cold when we left!" Leo whined.

"Leo, you know as well as I that the temperature must be changed gradually. Pepper would harm the birds if he raised the temperature instantly. I am sure the elf cast a gradual heating charm, just like he is supposed to," Lucius reassured.

"But elves aren't reliable. I need to go back and make sure it's right before nightfall," Leo protested.

"I will check the incubator when I return home tonight. You need not worry," Lucius reassured.

"Leo, I am under the impression that Grandmother Molly needs your help with her chickens. She told me that one of the chicks is ill and she needs you to come over and help nurse it," Narcissa said, hoping to distract her grandson from his current course and get him interested in spending a bit of time with his other grandparents.

"Great Aunt Dromeda did tell me that…" Leo admitted.

"Arthur, would you come here a minute?" Lucius called to the wizard still standing by the door.

"Yes, Lucius?" Arthur asked evenly. He wasn't fond of Lucius Malfoy, but they were typically on speaking terms, due to their shared grandchildren. The glowers and stares they exchanged that first year after Harry and Draco's marriage had stopped too, when the children had grown old enough to notice and ask what was wrong.

"Our eldest grandson here is not convinced that his talents are required with your chickens this evening. Can you tell us what sort of treatment this chick needs?" Lucius asked. He didn't like the other wizard, but he knew better than to start something, especially here and now.

Arthur then proceeded to describe the potion that needed to be brewed to treat the chick's infection and what else needed to be done to ensure the chick lived. George, the best non-pregnant potions expert in the family, had promised to stop by with Angelina and their two children, to brew said potion. Since it was a relatively simple and hazard-free potion, George was planning on letting the children help with the preparation and watch the brewing.

Uncle George was a favorite among the Malfoy Potter children, because he always came with something interesting to show them. Aunt Angelina was cool too, affectionate with her many nieces and nephews. Plus, their two children, Fred and Roxanne, were only a few years younger than them, so they could do stuff together. That side of the family was far more exciting than the rest of the Weasleys.

Uncle Ron always came with Aunt Hermione, the aunt with too many rules and who was snappy when pregnant. Being only six weeks behind Draco in her pregnancy, Hermione had been snappy for months now. Then there was their three year old know-it-all Rose. Rose would whine until the adults forced the big kids to take her along, slowing them down. Lily, Leo, and Teddy had once liked Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione best, but ever since Rose was conceived, that had changed. Four years was a long time for young children and now they could hardly remember how much fun that particular aunt and uncle used to be.

Uncle Charlie was never around, so they didn't really know him, although they wished they did, because Charlie's work with dragons was fascinating. Uncle Percy was a pretentious git that no one liked. Aunt Ginny had a new boyfriend every time they saw her and no time for any of her nieces or nephews, in particular the Malfoy Potter ones. Uncle Bill was cool, but Uncle George was the favorite with Leo and Teddy.

Lily preferred Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur, but only because of their daughters. Their oldest daughter, Victoire, was two months older than Lily and in the same year in school. Their middle child, Dominique, was only two years younger, so she and Roxanne were in the same year. Dominique and Roxanne were close enough in age to Lily and Victoire that the four of them would split off and form their own little group at Weasley family functions. Their son, little Louis, was three, like Rose, but not nearly as annoying to the older kids. He either stuck with his parents, or if Rose was there, diverted her attention away from the older kids.

"Uncle George is coming over?" Lily asked, her head perking up from where it had been laying in the crook of Draco's arm. Before she'd always laid her head on Draco's chest, but for months now Draco's chest had been too sensitive, so she'd learned to snuggle into his armpit instead.

"Uncle George?" Teddy asked with excitement, momentarily forgetting the baby Molly was holding in his lap.

Molly quickly retracted the baby and began cooing at adorable little Lynx herself. That was a good thing too, because only moments later Teddy jumped up to join Leo next to Grandfather Arthur, who was confirming that the entire Uncle George branch of the family was expected over. Dromeda scooted closer to Molly to get her own closer look at the baby.

The three older children began asking about what else Uncle George might be bringing in terms of Weasley Wizard Wheezes products. Lily sat up in Draco's bed, mindful of her father, and suggested that Uncle George might bring some of those awesome whiz bangs, like he did for the last Weasley family birthday party. While she spoke, she acted out the pyrotechnic display with her hands, the way Draco always did when he told stories. Leo copied the gesture, while Teddy changed his hair color in rapid succession, to mimic the explosion of color the whiz bangs created in the sky.

"Alright you three, you are getting a little too rowdy. If you don't settle down, you'll have to go," Harry warned, standing by Draco's bedside facing the boys, before turning to look his daughter in the eyes. "Especially you Lily-flower. Your dad has been through a lot today and if you want to talk to your brothers, you'll have to get down."

"Wait a minute PaPa. Lily, do you want to hold your baby brother before you go?" Draco asked softly, wanting his older children to love their new sibling as much as he did. "I think he looks like you, but not quite as pretty."

Lily preened at the compliment, happy that she was still the prettiest and that the new baby looked more like her than like Leo. Suddenly, she did want to see the new baby and nodded eagerly. "Oh can I, Father?"

Draco confirmed that she could, if she settled herself back down. Harry retrieved Lynx from Molly and deposited the baby in Draco's free arm. Lily was then able to lean over and get a proper look, unconsciously moving one hand to stroke his face and the other grasping the blue blanket.

"Careful there, Lily love. Gentle touches," Draco reminded his daughter, moving the hand from the blue blanket, for fear she'd put weight on it.

"He doesn't really look like me," Lily said, scrunching up her face. "He looks like Uncle Percy's dog!" Percy had an English Bulldog with a scrunched up, wrinkly face.

"Let me see!" Leo exclaimed, climbing off of Narcissa's lap in order to clamber at the side of Draco's bed, opposite Lily, where the best view of the baby was to be had. "No he doesn't! He looks like Great Grandmother Malfoy!"

Not that the two would ever be present side by side, because Lucius' very old mother still hated babies, but there was indeed a resemblance between the old wrinkly witch and baby Lynx. The resemblance was two-fold, because Lynx shared a lot of her features and his face was a tad wrinkly and puffy, superficially mimicking the wrinkles that covered the old witch's face. Leo and Lily both smiled as they thought of Great Grandmother Malfoy and how she wanted nothing to do with the new baby. They would still be the only great grandchildren in her eyes for years to come, unlike Great Grandmother Black, who had been positively gushing about the prospects of the new baby for months now.

"Lily, Leo, be nice now. All newborns look like this. In a month or so, the wrinkles and puffiness will smooth out and then you will see his face properly. He looks like Daddy, you'll see," Harry said.

"And Lily looks like me, so he will look like Lily too," Draco added, not wanting Lily to be left out.

"But he has my lips!" Leo spotted, wanting to claim part of the baby for himself.

"That he does. Your forehead too, I think," Harry encouraged.

"He looks like me, then," Leo concluded happily.

"He looks more like me," Lily challenged.

During this exchange, Teddy moved to stand by Leo's side, peering down at the baby in concentration as he changed his own features to closely mimic those of his newborn brother. "He looks the most like me," Teddy said, once he thought he had perfected the transformation. His eyes were large now, like a baby's, and surrounded by deep creases in the eyelids. His face was round and swollen, like Lynx's, and his hair and eyes clear. It looked alright on a newborn, but coming from a walking talking ten year old, it was creepy. Draco recoiled instinctively, shielding the baby without thinking.

"Change back Teddy, you need to work on that one more before you show it in public," Harry said. He never wanted to discourage the boy, but he also didn't want Teddy's feelings to be hurt by realizing that an impersonation was scaring someone. Thus he encouraged Teddy to sit in front of the mirror and practice, before showing off.

Teddy did change, but not back to neutral. Rather he took on the pale blond hair, grey eyes, and pointy features that had already been approved for use around the Malfoys.

"Good. Actually, I think you look more like Lynx like this Teddy," Harry commented and Teddy beamed.

"Now you look like the proper big brother. The five of you make a picture perfect family. Smile now," Lucius said, his camera suddenly in hand as he positioned himself to capture the scene.

They smiled, looking at the camera, and Lucius snapped a few shots. Harry leaned down and kissed first Lynx's little head and then Draco's lips. Lucius kept clicking away at his camera, capturing the tender moments.

"It's my turn to hold the baby," Leo said.

It was indeed Leo's turn, so Harry picked up the baby and sat down with Lynx on the settee, which Molly had vacated in favor of standing by her husband's side. Dromeda was still sitting there, but there was plenty of room between them for Leo to sit down, which he did. Harry held Lynx over Leo's lap as Molly had done for Teddy and Dromeda showed Leo where to place his arms. Unlike Teddy, Leo had a lot of experience with baby animals, and took to it instinctively; he'd had to be careful not to hurt all of the baby peachicks, owls, and abraxans he'd helped rear over the years. Leo's right hand covered Harry's at the base of Lynx's neck and the left cradled the tiny body close to his own small body. Sensing that Leo had this, Harry moved his hands out from under Leo's hands to on top of his son's hands. He thought Leo would probably be alright holding the baby without help, but he kept his hands in place just in case.

Lynx opened his pale eyes, looked straight into Leo's green eyes, and cooed. Leo's resulting smile was wide and exuberant. "Did you hear that? He said my name! He looked at me and said my name!" in his excitement, he pulled Lynx a little too close, squashing the baby slightly, but Lynx didn't seem to mind.

"Careful Leo," Dromeda said, tugging backwards on Leo's right shoulder.

"Opps. Sorry. Are you alright there Lynx?" Leo asked concerned as he relaxed and shifted the baby back to the original position.

"Ooo," Lynx repeated.

"He said my name again!" Leo exclaimed, but did not budge his hold this time.

"He said, 'Ooo.' Since when is your name Ooo?" Lily asked sarcastically.

"Don't listen to her Ooo, she's just jealous," Teddy said, snickering.

"Leo, if you want to let him call you Ooo, then that is fine with me. You're a great big brother," Harry encouraged. After all, Ooo wasn't all that different from Ee-o, which was what Teddy had called Leo.

"Lily love, Father is tired. How about you climb down and tease your brother over there," Draco suggested, pointing at his boys.

"Here Lady Lily, let Grandfather help you down," Lucius said, standing up and stepping forward to help his granddaughter down off of the bed.

"I think it's time we get going," Molly said as Lily took her place by Teddy's side, watching Leo with Lynx.

"He's looking at Leo! He didn't look at me," Lily observed jealously.

"He didn't look at me either," Teddy added, his lower lip out in a pout.

"Babies don't open their eyes much at first. He'll look at both of you soon," Harry replied.

"But his eyes are still open! Hey Lynx! Lynxy, baby, look at me! I'm your sister Lily," Lily said leaning down obnoxiously close to the baby and trying to position her head within the baby's line of sight, which was still angled toward Leo's face. Her long blond hair fell in Lynx's face.

"No Lynx, look at me!" Teddy exclaimed, catching on to the excitement.

Lynx let out a soft cry of protest at the loud voices and the hair in his face.

"That is enough you two. Out in the waiting room this minute," Molly ordered sternly.

Dromeda seconded Molly with a stern look and a, "Go."

"But we didn't do anything!" Lily complained as Molly took her by the upper arm and pulled her towards the door. Dromeda stood to do the same with Teddy, but Teddy was a step ahead of his grandmother and willingly followed Molly and Lily out of the door, saving himself the embarrassment. Arthur followed after Dromeda, not wanting to be trapped in a room full of Malfoys with no backup other than Harry.

Dromeda let Arthur go ahead of her. Then she looked over her shoulder and said, "Don't worry; we will have a talk with them and remind them of proper behavior around infants," before she followed the others out of the door.

Lynx closed his eyes and snuggled peacefully into Leo's arms now that the irritating children were out of the room.

"He's asleep again Leo. You did really well with him; I'm proud of you," Harry said.

"Thanks," Leo said with a shrug, which jostled the baby slightly, but Lynx didn't stir. "Opps."

"It's alright. Let me put him down," Harry said, removing Lynx from Leo's arms and taking the baby towards the bassinette in the room. But before he made it all of the way there, Lucius opened his arms for his chance to hold the baby and Harry changed course. He eyed Lucius, then glanced at Draco whose eyes were closed, before quickly concluding that it was only fair to give the wizard a chance to hold Lynx too. Thus he handed the baby over and turned back to Leo. "What do you say we go out into the waiting room and see what trouble your brother and sister are in?"

"Alright," Leo replied with another shrug. He stood up and let Harry wrap an arm around his shoulder as they left the room together. "Lynx did like me best, didn't he?"

"For now, because you treated him right. If that changes, his preference will chance just as fast," Harry warned.

They caught the tail end of the lecture Molly was giving about using your indoor voice around babies and not fighting over them. Leo smiled smugly at his siblings, gloating over the fact that he hadn't needed a lecture.

Harry thanked Molly, Arthur, and Dromeda for their help and then saw the lot of them to the floo. When they were gone, the silence felt like a relief. He missed his children already, but he was too tired to deal with the fighting and he knew Draco was even more tired. It wouldn't be long before Lynx would be hungry again and Draco's nap would be over. It seemed that every time Draco closed his eyes, half an hour later he was up again. Harry remembered how tired Draco had been when Lily was born and wanted to take as much of the strain off of his husband as possible. That was why he was taking the next six weeks off from work to help out at home.

Walking back into Draco's hospital room, Harry saw the peaceful look on Draco's sleeping face and smiled. Narcissa and Lucius remained, Lucius holding Lynx, but they were still and quiet. He went back to his position by Draco's side, right where he wanted to be.

Harry had thought he loved Draco before, back when they'd started courting. He had really loved Draco then, he was sure of it, but his heart had grown when they made Lily and his love for Draco with it. He'd felt like he was going to burst with love for his small family that day in early summer when Lily had been born. Through the years, his love had only grown and now, looking down at the husband who had just given him yet another perfect child, his heart felt like it was bursting with love all over again. He couldn't be happier.

Author's Note: Did I surprise any of you with the ending? What do you think of the children and baby Lynx?

Please review!