The Flesh that Lived and Loved

Draco was woken up by the screaming two floors below him. He squeezed his eyes shut and drew a steadying breath, willing them to shut up. He looked over his shoulder to his husband, who was spooned behind him. Their eyes met, silver to black. Then a particularly loud scream from below forced Draco from the bed.

"Come back to bed once they're sorted, yeah? I want to fuck you." Sev's hand gripped his wrist.

Draco shot the other man a disdainful look. "You wish."

Severus pushed himself up on his elbows, mouth opening in indignation. "What, still?"

"Yes, still." Sev had forgotten their 20th anniversary two months ago and they hadn't had sex since.

Sev fell back onto to the pillows with a groan. "This can't be any more enjoyable for you than it is for me, so why are you insisting upon it?" They both knew that if Sev had really thought Draco was being unreasonable in denying him sex, they'd be having sex by now. Such was the nature of their relationship.

"So next time you might remember."

Draco freed himself from his husbands grip and pulled on a dressing gown. He made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Here he stopped, surveying the twelve teens and pre-teens who were in varying stages of war. He fixed each one with the trademark Malfoy glare. Slowly they stopped their activities and turned to him. He looked at Analeya, his eldest.

"What, may I ask, is going on?"

The seventeen year old glared at the younger children. "There's no milk, Daddy, and Luc and Braxi are refusing to go out to get some. Its their turn." She waved at the schedule on the wall.

Draco turned his attention to his fifteen year old sons, Lucius and Abraxus. "Why aren't you doing as you're asked?" Silly question really, the twins never did as they were asked.

"We don't want to go out." Luc announced.

"Yeah, we'd have to get dressed." Braxi gestured to his pyjamas.

Draco fixed them with the hereditary glare while smiling almost sweetly. "Well boys, you can either go to the shop and buy milk, or you can go upstairs and tell your Father why he wont be able to have his morning tea."

There was a moment while the twins thought about it, then they scrambled back upstairs to get dressed. Draco shook his head after them, having house elves had been so much more simple.

Draco surveyed his children. Analeya was the oldest at seventeen; the fifteen year old twins, who were upstairs; the fourteen year old triplets, Lorelei, Morgana and Kestral; the thirteen year old twins Circe and Mercury; the twelve year old triplets Nox, Salem and Claresca; and finally Scorpuis, who was eleven. For a woman it would have been implausible if not impossible to have so many children in so short a time. But male pregnancies were shorter, only five months, and the likelihood of multiple births was vastly increased. Still, twelve children in six years may have been a little much.

Draco returned his thoughts to the present. "Can I trust you all to be sensible until your father and I come down?"

"Yes, Daddy, of course." Lorelei answered for the group. She was the sensible one, along with Analeya.

"Good, see that you are."

Draco made his way back to his room, shedding the dressing gown at the door. Severus lowered the book he had been reading and propped himself up on his elbows again.

"Sex?" he asked hopefully.

"No."

"I'll give you a blow job."

"No."

"Uh. Please."

"Uh. No."

"Fine, I'll take care of it myself." He slid his hand beneath the cover.

"You do that. I'm going to take a shower."

"No wait." Sev moved across the bed to where Draco was standing to take a hold of Draco's hips. He guided the blonde back onto the bed and into his arms. "What were the kids arguing about?"

Draco sighed, moving to settle into his husband's embrace. He did love him. "Luc and Braxi were refusing to go out and get milk, despite the fact that it's their turn."

"But they've gone now."

"Yes, I told they could either go or explain to you why there wasn't any milk."

"Yeah."

"Yeah. We really need to make sure they get their act together this year. It's their OWLs year after all, and their teachers weren't exactly optimistic."

"Mmmm."

Draco looked around at his husband to see if he was paying attention. He wasn't. His fangs were fully extended and he had his eyes fixed on the vein in Draco's neck, where the bonding mark was. Sev had fed from all over Draco's body, but he always returned to that mark, reaffirming his claim on his mate.

"In fact, I think we should send them to Army boot camp."

"Mmmm."

"And you and I should never engage in any form of sexual activity ever again."

"Sure."

"Sev." Draco twisted fully in his arms. Sev snapped out of whatever trance he had been in.

"What?" Draco just glared. "I'm so thirsty." No sex also meant no feeding, but Severus was only half vampire so he didn't have to feed, it was just more comfortable if he did.

"Use that donor stuff that comes in bags."

"But I don't want their blood." He whispered into Draco's ear. "You're my mate. I want you." He pressed a gentle kiss to Draco's bonding mark. Draco had to pull away before he changed his mind about the whole no sex thing.

"Shower." He managed to gasp before escaping to the bathroom.

"Told you this is shit for you as well." Sev yelled after him.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Two weeks later Draco and Severus stood on platform nine and three quarters to see all twelve of their children off to Hogwarts for the first time. Scorpius would be starting first year this year.

"You'll probably be in Hufflepuff." Mercury told his little brother.

"No, I won't be." Scorpius looked horrified, all eleven of his siblings had been Slytherins.

"Bet you will be."

"Or maybe Gryffindor." Lucius and Abraxus joined in the teasing.

"Luc, Braxi, Merc, that's enough." Draco quietened them. "We don't mind what house you're in, Scorpius, do we Severus?"

"No, each house has it's own qualities, even Gryffindor." You could hear Severus forcing the last phrase out from between his gritted teeth.

"You really don't mind, Father?"

"We don't." Severus confirmed. "Now it's time to get on the train."

"Take care, all of you, and owl us when you get there." Draco couldn't resist fussing just this once.

"Dad," Nox complained, "I think they'll let you know if the train crashes."

"Yeah, you'll be the first one told if we all die." Tamen and Nox had inherited their Father's sarcasm. Draco glared at his husband to let him know that he was being blamed for this.

"Thank you two, that's very reassuring."

As Draco was in the process, the long process, of bidding farewell to each of his children, Potter approached them. Potter had, unsurprisingly, married the Weaselette and had the obligatory three children with her. He'd then gone on the give them disgustingly predictable names: James, Albus and Lily. It was a wonder none of them had been called Dobby, just to keep to the theme.

Potter was approaching them, ushering his children in front of him and pulling his wife along behind.

"Hey." He began in his predictable fashion.

"Mr Potter," Severus greeted cooly.

"I guess Albus," he dragged his youngest boy forwards, "and your youngest," he tried and failed to remember the name, "will both be starting this year."

"Yes, I suppose so, Potter." Severus' tone did not warm in the slightest. Draco loved his husband.

"Maybe we should introduce them, so they know someone at Hogwarts."

"Scorpuis has eleven older siblings at Hogwarts, the likelihood of him not knowing anyone at Hogwarts is slim."

"Yes, well, I meant in their year."

"If you deem it necessary."

"Um, well, Albus this is Scorpius Snape."

"Hi," the child was clearly as uncomfortable as the Snape children.

"Hello," Scorpius glance was dismissive, a true Slytherin.

"Harry," a voice shouted from behind them. "What are you doing talking to those disgusting snakes?"

Draco met Ron Weasley's aggressive glare with a cold one of his own. Behind him his children bristled.

"Perhaps, Potter wanted to hear how those of us with some intelligence and class speak. I don't imagine he hears much of the sort from you." Draco's voice was laced with ice.

"Shut up, Malfoy. You're such a hypocrite anyway, you were always on at my family about how many kids there were, now look at you. How many do you have, twenty?"

"On the contrary, Mr-" Analeya carefully examined the man before her before drawing a conclusion, "Weasley. Daddy merely disapproves of a family having more children than they can afford, as we could afford the upkeep of every child on this platform, that's hardly an issue for us."

Weasley stood dumbstruck. Severus turned his attention again to Potter. "Perhaps you and your offspring should leave, Potter. And take your pet with you." Potter turned around rather quickly and left.

"Now kids, try not to pick fights with the other students." Draco instructed. "And do what your teachers tell you."

"Even Professor Longbottom?" Salem asked.

"No, Salem, not Longbottom."