Author: kayladie

Title: The Hardest Part of Ending is Beginning Again

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Harry/Draco

Summary: Held captive in Malfoy Manor's cellar, Harry is certain that this is the end for him. He might as well take the little bit of happiness that Draco Malfoy is offering. Things get more complicated when he doesn't die after all.

Warnings: Mpreg

A/N: Written for the 2013 HarryDraco Mpreg fest over at LiveJournal. The title comes from the song "Waiting for the End" from A Thousand Suns by Linkin Park.

"I can't be sure."

Harry had no idea what Malfoy was playing at, but he didn't think for one moment that their dire situation had improved at all. Malfoy had turned away to face the fireplace in the Manor's drawing room and Harry couldn't help but stare as intently at the other boy's back as Malfoy had stared him in the face only a few seconds ago. What was his game? They had stared each other down enough times in the last six years, that surely Malfoy knew it was him even with Harry's face as disfigured as it was.

He was looking so hard at Draco, that Harry missed whatever had set Bellatrix off. She was screeching at the top of her lungs about not calling for the Dark Lord yet. Harry dragged his attention back to what was happening on the other side of the room. Oh damn, she'd seen Godric's sword on one of the Snatchers! Harry held his breath, his brain paralyzed as to what the hell they could do to get out of this mess.

"I'll get the truth one way or another! Greyback, take the prisoners down to the cellar," Bellatrix sneered. "Except for this one." She grabbed Hermione by the hair and wrenched her head back roughly.

Harry clenched his jaw as Hermione gave a little whimper. Ron tried to leap forward, but was being held too securely by a Snatcher to get very far.

"NO! Leave her alone! You can have me instead!"

"Oh, you'll have your chance, blood-traitor! But ladies first, I think," Bellatrix said, and then laughed in that irritating way that grated on Harry's nerves.

Ron was still shouting Hermione's name as he and Harry, Dean, and Griphook were forced down the cellar stairs by Greyback. There was an iron door at the foot of the stairs that opened at the wave of the werewolf's wand. He pushed Dean into the dark cellar, causing all four of them to stumble inside. The iron gate clanged shut with an ominous feel of finality. Greyback was laughing cruelly as he lumbered back up the stairs.

"Harry Potter?" a soft voice came from the darkness in front of them.

"Luna?" Harry asked, although he recognized the lyrical tone of his friend immediately. They gingerly moved forward into the dark cellar, and discovered both Luna and Mr. Ollivander were also prisoners. The elderly wandmaker did not look well, even as little as Harry could see in the gloom of the cellar. They all started when Hermione's screams suddenly echoed from the room above.

Ron immediately began straining against the ropes tying them together, screaming Hermione's name at the top of his lungs. Somehow, Harry managed to calm him long enough for Luna to pull out a rusty nail to cut their bonds. Ron remembered the Deluminator in his pocket and used it to give some light to the dank cellar.

Luna and Mr. Ollivander blinked and flinched a little, and Harry couldn't help but wonder how long they'd had to suffer in the darkness. All the while, Hermione's screams filtered down the stairs and Harry felt utterly helpless. Ron's screams of her name had turned into half-sobs, and he was practically hanging off the gate at the bottom of the stairs, pulling at it uselessly.

Suddenly, the screams from above stopped and it seemed to Harry that all of them in the cellar were holding their breath. The door at the top of the stairs was wrenched open and someone began to make their way down.

"Back away from the gate!"

Harry immediately recognized the younger Malfoy's voice. Strangely, he sounded almost as frightened as the prisoners felt. Ron didn't move, and Harry could see his hands clenched around the gate's bars, his whole body trembling with fear and anger.

"Back away! Line up against the back wall and don't try anything, or I'll…I'll kill you!"

He moved down a couple more steps and Harry gasped as he could see that Malfoy wasn't alone. He was gripping a dazed Hermione by the arm. His wand, wavering in front of him as a threat, moved to her throat and Harry heard a keening sound of distress from Ron.

"Last warning, Weasley!"

"Ron," Harry said softly. He began to move backwards towards Luna and Ollivander, motioning Dean to do the same. "Ron, move back."

For a few terrifying moments, Harry thought Ron wouldn't listen, but eventually he let go of the gate and moved slowly back towards the others. He never took his gaze off Malfoy and Hermione. Malfoy waited until Ron was several yards away before he opened the gate and stepped off the last step, still holding Hermione firmly in his grasp.

Malfoy slowly moved his wand away from Hermione and pointed it at the other prisoners. Harry saw that it was trembling in his hand and he half-wondered if they should attempt to overtake the other boy. Noise from upstairs, specifically the screeching of Bellatrix, quickly changed his mind, because even if they managed to subdue Malfoy, there was still a host of Death Eaters waiting for them up there.

Ron's whole body was drawn so tight that Harry could see the strain in his shoulders, as Malfoy pushed Hermione towards them. He reached a hand out for Hermione, and Malfoy tensed.

"Slowly," Malfoy said, his wand still trained on Ron.

Hermione stumbled forward, and Ron stepped up quickly to keep her from falling to the floor. He dropped to his knees, cradling her in his arms as he did so. Malfoy took a couple steps back towards the gate, his wand still trained on the captives. He stepped through the gate and up on the first step. His wand twitched and the gate slammed shut.

Harry glanced down at Ron holding Hermione, who was whimpering and clinging tightly to Ron's shirt. Ron was stroking her hair and murmuring softly in her ear. Harry looked back up at Malfoy as the other boy started to turn and head back to the drawing room.

"Draco," Harry called out, and Malfoy froze.

He turned his head to stare at Harry, and the look on his face was inscrutable. Harry wasn't sure if Malfoy was insulted or intrigued that he had used his given name.

"Do you know what's going to happen to us?" he asked as he took a tentative step forward.

The pause after his impulsive question was so long, Harry immediately regretted it. Surely, Malfoy was only going to take this opportunity to taunt his rival.

"Aunt Bella has to go check her vault at Gringott's for something. The Dark Lord will be coming tomorrow," Malfoy said, his tone low and strangely dull. "After that, I don't know."

Their gazes seemed locked on each other for almost a minute. Harry was confused at the strange sense of awareness that seemed to pulse between him and Malfoy, and purposefully looked away to break the moment.

"Thanks for…letting us know," Harry muttered. He glanced back up in time to see the other boy giving him an odd look. Malfoy didn't say anything more before he turned and moved swiftly back up the stairs.

Harry wasn't sure how long they'd been down there, but it felt like several hours had passed. He reckoned that it must be nighttime, as the muted sounds from the house above had died down and there was only silence. The others were all asleep, or at least he thought they were, but Harry couldn't even try to close his eyes. His mind was still going a million miles an hour, trying to figure a way out of this disaster.

His scar ached off and on, and Harry dreaded the passing of every minute, as it only meant he was closer to facing Voldemort. It wasn't time yet, and he was not ready. There were still Horcruxes to find and destroy, and Harry cursed his rash use of Voldemort's name in the forest, which had gotten them into this mess to begin with. He looked at Hermione and Ron wrapped in each others' arms as they fitfully slept and wished them a silent apology.

The creak of the upper door opening had Harry frozen for a moment before he scrambled to his feet. He glanced back at the others, still sleeping under the light of one of the Deluminator flames. None of them had been willing to go back to the utter darkness of the cellar, even as they tried to sleep.

Soft footsteps made their way slowly down the stairs, and Harry wondered what the hell was going on. Whoever was coming down was sneaking to do so, obviously trying to be quiet. Harry's heart leapt as he wondered if this could be a rescue attempt. But who could possibly even know they were here?

A wand lit by a Lumos appeared at the gate, and Harry frowned as he recognized the pale hair of Draco Malfoy. He held a small bundle of cloth in his other hand, as held his wand forward to look into the cellar.

He seemed surprised to see Harry looking back at him, but then Harry was surprised to hear Luna's soft voice speaking up.

"Hello, Draco."

"Luna," Malfoy said gruffly, taking his eyes off Harry. He pushed the bundle through the bars of the gate, and Harry gaped as Luna stood and walked over to take it from his hand. "I was only able to get bread and cheese this time, no fruit, sorry."

"It's quite all right, Draco. I know you must have done your best, and Mr. Ollivander and I appreciate it. I'm sure the others will, too." She gave Malfoy one of her dreamy smiles before she turned and walked back over to where her 'bed' was. Harry watched as she carefully placed the food on the floor before she lay back down to go to sleep. "I think Draco wants to talk to you, Harry. You should probably listen."

Harry tore his gaze away from Luna to see Malfoy looking at her with the same befuddled expression. Well, at least he wasn't the only one confounded by Luna Lovegood. Almost without thinking, Harry walked over to the gate and stared at Draco.

"Is that true, what Luna said? You want to talk to me?"

"Yes, it is, though how she knew that…" Draco said quietly. "Potter, can you give me your word that if I come in there, you won't try to take my wand? This conversation will need a little privacy."

Harry hesitated. This might be their only chance to try and escape, and he would be a fool to pass it up. Draco must have recognized Harry's thoughts on his face.

"There are Death Eaters everywhere and wards, ancient familial blood wards, all over the Manor, Potter. Even if you got out of the cellar, there's no way you could get past those."

"Can't you do something?" Harry had no idea why he thought Malfoy would even want to help them, but seeing him bring the food to Luna and Ollivander, something he'd obviously done many times before, gave him hope that Draco might not be as committed to Voldemort's cause as his father was.

"I wish I could, Potter, but no. There's nothing I can do."

Harry could see the regret, and at the same time, the fear and hopelessness, in Draco's eyes. He had followed his father, no doubt desperate for the man's approval, and had found nothing but pain and despair. He was suddenly very interested in what Draco wanted to say.

"I give you my word I won't try to disarm you."

Draco nodded once and flicked his wand to open the gate. Harry gave a quick glance over to his friends to see if anyone had stirred at the slight creak. Even Luna seemed to have really fallen back into slumber. Malfoy stepped into the cellar and led Harry over to deserted corner, behind a pillar where they were out of sight of any prying eyes.

Harry wasn't sure which of them was supposed to start this conversation, and for a few moments, he wasn't sure that Draco was going to say anything at all.

"It's always been about you, Potter."

"What?" Harry was unsure exactly what Draco was getting at.

"I've been obsessed with you since I was a child and my nanny elf read me my first Boy Who Lived adventure story. When you refused my hand on the train to Hogwarts, I was devastated. Not that I let anyone know that, of course, but I decided that if I couldn't have your attention as your friend, I would have it as your rival. So I did everything I could to make your life miserable, because when I was doing that, you were looking at me, and seeing me."

Harry stared at Draco in shock, his words not what he had expected this talk to be about at all. Draco didn't give him a chance to reply as he continued.

"Did you know that Seers run in my family, Potter? I'm not one myself, thank Merlin, but I do sometimes get feelings, intuitions about things. I believe you're going to beat him. I have no idea how and I wish there was some secret that I could let you in on that would make it simpler for you."

Harry had gone past shock and straight into flabbergasted at this point. Who the hell was this and what had he done with Draco Malfoy? Malfoy smirked at the undoubtedly stunned look on Harry's face, proving that, yeah, this really was the git himself.

"Uh, I'm not sure exactly what you expect me to say to all that," Harry said. "I am slightly disappointed that you don't know some obscure ritual to let me vanquish the Dark Bastard from the comfort of your lovely cellar." Harry had learned his lesson about saying Voldemort's pathetic made-up name and had given him a nickname of his own choosing.

Malfoy's smirk threatened to become a grin at Harry's words. His face sobered as he spoke again.

"I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. If I can assist in some small way, I will, but I can't do anything overt. My parents…" Draco's eyes filled with tears and he shifted his gaze to the wall. "I know they're not the ideal parents, but they are still my mum and dad, and I couldn't bear it if something happened to them because of me."

Impulsively, Harry reached out to lay a hand on Draco's shoulder. "I would want to protect my mum and dad the same way. Anyone would."

Draco stilled when Harry's hand touched him and he glanced over at it before looking back at Harry. "I'm going to have to go soon, or I'll be missed. I just need to ask one favor of you," Draco said.

"If I can," Harry said with a nod.

"May I kiss you?" Draco whispered.

Harry jerked backwards in astonishment, his hand falling from Draco's shoulder as his back hit the pillar.

"You…what?!" he said too loudly, his voice ending in a squeak. Both of them looked over towards the others nervously, but no one stirred. "Why would you…Are you even gay?"

Draco's chin lifted proudly and he glared at Harry, as if daring him to have a problem with it. "I am, yeah."

"But why would you want to kiss me?"

"Did you not hear any of that speech I just made? I've only been crushing on you since I was five years old!"

Harry could not believe that Draco wanted to kiss him, much less believe that he'd had a crush on him forever. He was silent for so long that Draco assumed he was being refused.

"It was stupid, never mind. I need to get back to my room-" he said, as he started to turn.

Harry grabbed his arm, making sure it was not Draco's wand arm, so that he wouldn't get the wrong idea. "Wait! I didn't say no, I was just so…so shocked, is all." He let go and stepped back as Draco stopped.

"So you're saying yes," Draco said, his eyes suddenly gleaming with excitement.

"I'm not sure what I'm saying. I can't believe we're even talking about this! Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy? The whole thought of it is insane." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I don't even know if I like boys."

"Hey, what better way to find out?"

Harry rolled his eyes and muttered, "Opportunistic Slytherin."

Draco shrugged his shoulders, not bothering to deny it. "Let me just see if I can…" Draco stepped slowly closer to Harry, bringing his free hand up to caress the side of Harry's face. He leaned in to Harry's opposite ear and breathed, "…convince you."

Harry gasped as the warmth of Draco's breath in his ear, and the heat of his body so close made him feel strangely weak in the knees. Draco's tongue snaked out and licked right at the corner of Harry's jaw, and Harry's eyes fluttered closed as his heart started to hammer.

"May I kiss you, Harry?" Draco asked again. The sound of his name on Draco's lips was another thing Harry hadn't realized would turn him on. He couldn't even verbalize an answer, and just nodded feebly. Before he could take another breath, Draco's mouth was on his.

Harry's world was completely knocked off kilter at the sudden sensations coursing throughout his entire body. How strange and thrilling, he thought, that just Draco's lips touching his could make him feel so much. Even his toes were tingling. After several moments, Draco gently ended the kiss and pulled back just enough to look into Harry's eyes. They were both breathless, and Harry realized he was practically clinging to Draco.

"I definitely like boys," Harry said. "Can we do that again?"

Draco's grin was brilliant as he said, "Absolutely," and leaned in to claim Harry's mouth once again. This time, Draco didn't just stick to kissing. He pulled Harry close to him and wrapped one arm around his back, pushing their hips together. Harry heard a clatter, and realized that was Draco's wand hitting the floor, but he didn't care. Right now, all he wanted was more of the incredible feeling of Draco's mouth and hands on him.

Still, a tiny portion of Harry's mind that wasn't completely blown by what Draco was doing, started thinking about how amazing this was and why he'd never thought to do this before. Then he started wondering if he would ever have the chance to do anything like this again. Harry was not normally a pessimistic person, but he knew his chances of living through a final confrontation with Voldemort were between slim and none, no matter what Malfoy said about his family being Seers.

If this was to be his only opportunity to experience passion, Harry wanted it all. He certainly didn't relish the idea of dying a virgin.

Draco's mouth left his, but before Harry could protest, he began sucking on Harry's neck, and his hips ground against Harry's forcefully. Harry groaned with pleasure as both of them were completely hard and the feel of Malfoy's cock against his was incredible.

"God, Harry, you feel amazing," Draco muttered against his neck. "Can I-"

"Yes!" Harry nearly shouted. "Yes, yes, yes, anything you want, Draco."

That was enough to cause Draco to raise his head and look at him in surprise. "Anything?"

"I want…this might be my only chance to ever…"

Draco placed a finger on Harry's lips, silencing his words. "Not the time for talk like that," he said softly. His gaze grew intense as he asked, "Are you sure?"

Harry nodded. Draco stared for a moment more and then Harry heard his wand slap back into his hand. He watched as Draco quickly cast some sort of privacy spell, as now Harry couldn't hear any of the quiet rustling or grumbling of his friends. Draco leaned in and gave him the softest, most gentle kiss.

"How do you want to do this?"

"You've, erm, had sex before? With a bloke, I mean?" Harry asked, and Draco nodded, a slight blush staining his cheeks. "Then I trust you to know what to do."

He had basically ceded control of the encounter to Malfoy, but Harry wasn't worried. The look of awe in Draco's eyes at his admission of trust was enough to assure Harry that Malfoy wouldn't hurt him. Draco swooped back in and kissed Harry fiercely. Once he'd pulled reluctantly away, the next several minutes were spent quickly shucking clothing. As much as they would have liked to linger and take their time with each other, it was time they both knew they didn't have.

At his first sight of a naked Draco, Harry gasped in delight, and then dismay as he noted the silvery scars across Draco's chest. He started to reach out and touch, but Draco caught his hand and shook his head.

"It's forgiven, Harry," he whispered. "And we have other things to be concerned with now." With that, he pulled Harry's hand down to touch his cock, curling Harry's hand around it. He then let go and reached over to wrap his hand around Harry's cock. Harry gasped and couldn't stop a full body shudder at the intimate touch of another person for the first time in his life.

At the same time, he was fascinated at the feel of Draco under his own fingers. Draco moved closer and their bare cocks touched. Harry groaned as the pleasure intensified. Draco summoned his wand with his other hand and leaned forward to whisper into Harry's ear again.

"Someday, when we have more time to pursue this, I'm going to show you so many things we can do," Draco promised. "But for now, we're skipping ahead to the main event."

Harry appreciated Draco's words, but he had no idea whether he and Draco would ever see each other again after this night. He expected tomorrow to be his last day, and could only hope that someone else knew about the Horcruxes and would be able to defeat Voldemort somehow. For now, Harry was going to grab onto this tiny bit of happiness with both hands and not let go until he had to.

Despite being rushed for time, Harry knew Draco still tried to make his first time special. He lavished attention on Harry's body, kissing his way down Harry's chest, and all too briefly taking Harry's cock into his mouth. It was almost finished right then before they'd barely begun, but Draco pulled off and stood up. He gently guided Harry to turn and face the pillar.

"I'm going to use some spells on you that will make this easier. They may feel a little strange, but don't be frightened."

Harry nodded his agreement mindlessly. He was so turned on, Harry feared he was going to come any moment and he desperately wanted this to last a little longer. The warmth of Draco's spells centered on an area that normally didn't see much magic was weird, but Harry was excited enough that he barely noticed.

A few seconds later, Draco was pressed up against his back, one hand on Harry's shoulder and the other nudging between Harry's buttocks with his cock. "Oh, God!" Harry gasped as Draco slowly and carefully slid inside.

It didn't hurt as much as Harry had thought it would and he silently thanked Draco for those spells. Finally, Draco was fully seated in him, hips flush against Harry's bottom.

"Fuck!" Draco muttered harshly. His entire body was tense, even more so than Harry's.

"Okay?" Harry asked over his shoulder. Both of them were panting hard and trembling.

"Fine. Just so amazing being in you," Draco said and leaned in to kiss Harry again.

Harry thought nothing could feel better than Draco buried deep inside him, and then Draco began to move. He cried out helplessly and arched his back, trying to get more. He heard a chuckle from behind him and then Draco gripped Harry by the hips, shifted his legs and changed his angle a bit. He hit something deep inside Harry that literally made him scream.

"Oh, yeah, you like that, don't you, Harry?" Draco said, his words almost grunts as he began to thrust harder and faster.

"AH! Fuck, yes! Draco!"

"God, I'm so close to coming already, Harry. So fucking close," Draco gasped. He leaned onto Harry's back, wrapping one arm around Harry's chest, as the other snaked around to grasp his erection. It took no more than three strokes and Harry was coming all over the pillar. Draco was only a couple of beats behind him, and groaned as he shot deep inside his lover.

Slowly, they sank to their knees, Draco slipping out of Harry on the way down. Harry shuddered and leaned his head back on Draco's shoulder. They sat there, quiet but for their panting breath and thundering hearts, for a few minutes, and then Draco nuzzled Harry's ear.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Harry chuckled softly. "I think I should be the one thanking you. That was amazing."

Harry would have expected there to be some awkwardness as they stood, cleaned up thanks to some quick spells from Draco, and got redressed. Strangely, there wasn't, but there was an air of sadness that even shy smiles couldn't dispel.

They walked together over to the gate. At the last minute, Draco turned back to Harry and kissed him hard. Harry gasped in surprise, not having expected it, but he welcomed the gesture and kissed Draco back. It wasn't a long kiss, and when Draco pulled away, he rested his forehead on Harry's, his hands cupping Harry's face.

"Whatever happens tomorrow, know that my heart and my loyalty lie with you, no matter what I may have to do or say in front of my father and the Dark Lord."

Harry was shocked and wasn't quite sure what to say to what amounted to a declaration of love. So he just nodded. A moment later, Draco was gone. Harry stood there in a daze for a bit, before wandering over to where his friends lay sleeping. Still unable to sleep, Harry sat there pondering everything that had happened in the last few days. Idly, he picked up Hagrid's pouch, which he normally wore around his neck, and opened it. Dumbledore's snitch gleamed dully in the meager light and Harry looked at it intently, hoping that the secret to it would somehow pop into his head.

He wished he had something of Draco to take with him and store with his other things. He groped around in the bag and found the pieces of his broken wand. Harry sighed as he tossed them back in. Fat lot of good that would do him. He heard a clink as the wand hit something and Harry peered into the bag again. He pulled out the shard that was all that was left of the mirror Sirius had given him and stared at it bleakly.

"Is anyone there? Can anyone hear me?" he whispered urgently. He gasped as he thought he saw a flash of blue in the reflection. "We're being held captive in the cellar of Malfoy Manor. Please send help if anyone can hear me!"

He waited breathlessly for what felt like an eternity, but there was no response. Despondent, Harry dropped the shard back into the bag, and leaned his head against the wall. He should probably try to get a little sleep, although with the way his scar was prickling, he knew time was rapidly running out.

He must have drifted into a light doze, because he jerked awake some time later when the soft pop of Apparition sounded in the room. The noise had woken Ron, Hermione, and Luna and they all stared in disbelief at Dobby.

"Dobby is here to be rescuing Harry Potter!"

"Shhh! Dobby, you have to be quiet!" Harry whispered, but he couldn't be too mad, because he'd never been happier to see the house elf in his life. "Dobby, you can get through the wards, right?"

Dobby must not have trusted himself to speak, because he just nodded, his ears flapping furiously.

"Can you take people with you?"

Dobby nodded again, a little squeal of excitement escaping him.

"How many at once?"

"Dobby could be taking two wizards at once, Harry Potter," Dobby whispered loudly. Harry thought he might not really understand the concept of being quiet.

"Okay, Mr. Ollivander and Griphook should go first since they're injured. Then Hermione and Luna, then Ron and Dean-"

"We're not leaving you here alone, Harry!" Hermione said.

"There's no way around it, Hermione. Dobby, go, take Mr. Ollivander and Griphook now."

"Where should Dobby be taking them?"

That threw Harry for a loop for a moment, and he frowned, his mind whirling as he tried to think of someplace safe for them to go.

"Bill and Fleur's place near Tinworth. Shell Cottage, it's called," Ron said suddenly.

"Perfect!" Harry said with a grin. All of them froze at the sudden sound of footsteps above their heads.

"It must be morning already," Hermione said grimly.

"Dobby, now!" Harry said urgently.

Griphook moved stiffly closer to where Dobby was already grasping Ollivander's hand, and a moment later, the three of them disappeared with a loud pop.

"What was that noise!?"

Harry saw Hermione shudder at the sound of Bellatrix's voice from the drawing room upstairs.

"Wormtail, go check on the prisoners! I will be calling our Lord soon and we want nothing to go wrong."

"Ron, the lights," Harry hissed. Ron hurriedly snatched the balls of light in the room back into his Deluminator.

They waited, frozen and holding their breath as the door at the top of the stairs opened. They could hear Wormtail lumbering down the stairs, muttering vile things about Bellatrix under his breath. Harry prayed that Dobby wouldn't pop back in right at that moment.

"Harry, we can take him," Ron whispered in his ear. Harry nodded to let Ron know he understood, and then Dean was right beside him as well.

When Wormtail thrust his wand through the gate, lit up with a Lumos, he sneered at Harry, Ron and Dean as they were standing there looking back at him.

"Hold on. Where's the wandmaker and that goblin?"

"They're back there, beyond your light. They've been hurt, you know," Harry said accusingly, as he jerked his head towards the back of the cellar.

"Bring 'em up here then, so I can see them."

Harry scoffed. "Go check them yourself. You're the errand boy, from what I hear."

Wormtail scowled at him. He started to turn and head up the stairs, and Harry cursed silently, seeing their chance about to disappear.

"Wormtail! Bring the goblin up! Lucius thinks we can get him to verify if the sword is the real thing. Although now that I know my vault is safe, it doesn't really matter," Bellatrix shouted, and then went off in a peal of that insane laughter. "Maybe we'll just play a bit instead."

Wormtail grimaced and then turned to look back at Harry, Ron and Dean. "Back up!"

The boys acquiesced and took several steps back. Wormtail opened the gate and took a couple of cautious steps inside. He held his wand in front of him, as his eyes darted around the cellar, looking for Ollivander and Griphook.

Hermione must have caught wind of the boys' plan, because she suddenly had a suspicious bout of coughing. The moment Wormtail's eyes went to her, Harry, Ron, and Dean pounced on him. The tubby little man didn't have much of a chance against three strong young men. Ron immediately snatched the wand out of Wormtail's hand, but then that silver hand reached up and grabbed Harry by the throat.

Still trying to be quiet, lest they alert everyone upstairs, Dean slapped his hand over Wormtail's mouth and Ron jabbed his wand into the man's neck.

"Let him go!" Ron said, his voice little more than a growl.

Harry gasped and managed to find his voice. "You owe me a life debt, you bastard! This how you repay it?" he choked. To his surprise, the silver fingers slackened on his throat and Harry took a deep gulp of oxygen.

Before the traitor could move or say anything, Ron stunned him and cast a quick body bind with Wormtail's own wand. They shoved him over into the corner, just as Dobby popped back into the cellar.

"Dobby, quickly, Luna and Hermione! Then come back if you can," Harry said.

"No, Harry, I won't!" Hermione said.

"Please, Hermione, you've already been tortured. You need medical attention just as much as Ollivander, and so does Luna," Harry begged. He had to get her to listen because he knew they were running out of time. Someone was bound to come down and check on Wormtail any moment now.

Dobby took matters out of Hermione's hands as he stepped up, grabbed her hand and Luna's at the same time and popped out of the cellar. Harry breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to Ron and Dean.

"All right, we're out of time, so we're going to take the fight to them. Hopefully, we'll be able to have the element of surprise," he said. They whispered a quick plan as they moved towards the open gate. Harry didn't say anything to them about Draco, but he was hoping they may have an ally up in the drawing room as well. Not that he expected Draco to suddenly switch sides, but there might be something he could do for them.

The three of them crept up the stairs to the door. Harry peeked through the opening to see Bellatrix, Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, Greyback, and a couple of unknown Death Eaters in the drawing room. Bellatrix was pacing furiously back and forth. Her sleeve was pulled back to reveal her Dark Mark, and Harry got the feeling she was just waiting for the right moment to summon her Lord.

"Where is that stupid rodent? Draco! Go check on Wormtail and see what's taking him so long!" she ordered.

Draco started at the sound of his name, but gamely got up and moved towards the cellar door.

"Now," Harry whispered and the three boys burst out of the cellar door. Ron immediately shouted an Expelliarmus at Bella and her wand went flying into the air, straight into Harry's hand. Dean made a lunge for Greyback and took him down with an impressive Rugby-style tackle.

A fierce battle between Ron and Harry, and the other two Death Eaters quickly broke out, spells flying haphazardly for several minutes. Harry didn't really have a second step to his plan, so he wasn't sure what to do next, other than try not to get cursed. Bellatrix was screaming in fury even as she dodged the spells coming her way.

"Draco! Don't just stand there like a lump! Get them!" Bellatrix shouted.

Draco was the closest to Harry and Ron, but thus far hadn't joined the fight. Interestingly, Harry noted that Narcissa and Lucius weren't doing much of anything either. Flinching when his aunt called him out, Draco raised his wand and cast a stunner in Harry's direction, though it flew wide, and Harry was sure that was intentional.

"Useless little pissant!" Bellatrix snarled.

Harry grinned ferociously when one of his spells finally connected and took out one of the Death Eaters. Bellatrix's wand was difficult for him to use. It felt as though it was fighting him on every cast he made. He barely dodged a curse and was about to retaliate when things went from bad to worse.

"Stop right there, Potter, unless you want your little friend's blood on your hands," Bellatrix yelled.

Harry and Ron both froze and looked at her in horror. Apparently, Dean had lost his battle with Greyback, as he was on his knees with Bellatrix's knife at his throat. The werewolf looked a little worse for wear, but he was leering at Harry maliciously from Bellatrix's side, one hand holding Dean by the arm.

"Drop the wands!" she ordered.

Harry and Ron spared one quick glance at each other, and seeing no other option, tossed their wands in front of their feet.

"Draco, pick them up!"

His gaze caught Draco's and Harry could see the anguish and uncertainty about what to do in his eyes. Harry nodded minutely, hoping that Draco could see he was okay with whatever happened. He couldn't blame Draco for being frightened.

"Dragon, do as your aunt says," Narcissa said quietly, the fear for her child evident in her voice and her tense posture. Harry figured she was worried that Bellatrix would turn her madness on her own nephew, and she was probably right to be concerned about that.

Draco darted forward and quickly snatched the wands off the floor, before stepping back near the fireplace. Bellatrix laughed in wicked delight.

"Poor little Potty! Don't you realize that you can never win? The Dark Lord will triumph and soon you'll be nothing more than a smear on the bottom of his boot!"

At that moment, Harry thought he might hate Bellatrix Lestrange even more than he hated Voldemort. If he was able to get his hands around her neck, he would have cheerfully strangled her. He was pondering what the hell his next move could possibly be, other than to be immediately struck with a killing curse the moment Voldemort showed up, when there was an odd creaking sound from the ceiling. It happened to reverberate through the room in one of those odd moments of silence, and everyone looked up.

Harry's mouth gaped open in shock at the sight of Dobby sitting on the huge chandelier, a tiny conjured saw rapidly whizzing back and forth through the support that was attaching it to the ceiling. Before anyone could think to react, the entire chandelier dropped straight down…on top of Bellatrix's head. Dean managed to jerk out of Greyback's grasp and away from Bella's blade just in time to avoid being smashed as well.

Harry didn't think for one second that being pulverized by a chandelier would keep Bellatrix down for long and jumped forward to grab the wands held in Draco's hand. Malfoy's grip tightened for a moment, and Harry thought that must have been instinctive, because after a battle of about two seconds, his hand relaxed and Harry ripped the wands away. He wasn't sure, but Harry thought he heard Draco whisper 'good luck' beneath his breath.

"Dobby! Dean and Ron, NOW!" Harry yelled. He continued to throw as many spells as fast and furiously as he could to cover his friends' escape. Thankfully, Dobby didn't waste any time. He grabbed Ron by the hand, Apparated both of them to Dean's side, and then the three of them vanished.

Harry knew that Dobby would not have enough time to come back for him, and the throbbing of his scar told him that Voldemort was drawing ever closer. He hadn't seen Bellatrix hit her Dark Mark, but that didn't mean she hadn't done so. He decided he'd rather be splinched than tortured by Riddle or Bella any more, so Harry concentrated with all his might on Shell Cottage and Disapparated.

He could hear Bellatrix's screams of rage as the room disappeared around him. The last thing he saw was the surprised and relieved expression on Draco's face.

Harry focused on keeping his breathing shallow and as quiet as he could. Even though he carried Harry right up against his chest, Hagrid probably wouldn't hear anything with the way he was crying, but he didn't want to take any chances. He let his eyes open just enough to see what was going on. The morbid procession had finally made its way to the courtyard in front of Hogwarts. He could see the entire school, staff and students, members of the Order, and a few Aurors, ready to still stand against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

A shock of pale hair stood out in the Hogwarts crowd, and Harry almost shivered as he remembered Draco clinging tightly to him as they flew out of the Room of Requirement, barely escaping the Fiendfyre that Crabbe had cast. They'd only had a moment to stare at each other then, before Ron and Hermione were trying to pull him away.

"Hide," he whispered quickly. "Hide yourself and don't let anyone find you 'til it's all over."

Draco didn't say anything in return, just nodded dumbly. Harry caught the confused look that Ron was giving him, but didn't want to explain himself, so he didn't. He wasn't even sure what he meant by telling Draco to hide; all Harry knew was that he wanted to keep Draco from getting killed.

And now it was obvious the prat hadn't listened to him. Although, to be fair, things weren't looking too good for the Light side, what with their leader dead, and everyone thinking that their poster boy was as well. Draco probably thought that it was 'all over'.

Not if Harry had anything to say about it. No, if Riddle thought he was done, he was about to find out he was sadly mistaken. He listened to Voldemort's posturing, and waited for his moment.

It came soon enough. Voldemort ordered Hagrid to lay Harry's 'body' on the ground, so that he could show everyone his victory over the Boy Who Lived. At that moment, he seemed to notice Draco standing with the Hogwarts group.

"But what's this? Young Malfoy, I think you're a little lost, aren't you?"

Harry could hear a sharp intake of breath from somewhere behind the Dark Lord and knew that it must be Narcissa. She alone knew that Harry Potter was not dead, and he hoped fiercely that her fear for her son's life wouldn't mean her sacrificing Harry's.

He watched through slitted eyes as Draco hesitated for a moment.

"Draco…come, please," Narcissa said, her strangled whisper somehow carrying over the length of the courtyard.

Draco flinched at the sound of his mother's voice, but dutifully stepped around the students in front of him and slowly made his way across the divide between the two sides. He paused as he reached the Dark Lord, and it seemed the entire world was holding its breath.

"And look, young Draco, your wand, so ruthlessly stolen from you by Potter. I return it to you now," Voldemort said, ever so graciously, holding the Hawthorn wand out to Draco.

Draco glanced over to where Harry was lying on the ground only a few yards away. Harry purposefully winked at him and saw Draco's eyes widen. His eyes flicked briefly to the wand in Voldemort's hand, before glancing back at Harry. It was as though there was some mysterious unspoken communication between them and Harry instantly knew what Draco was going to do. He was finally going to declare himself for the Light and help Harry Potter at the same time.

Almost as though they'd planned it in advance, Harry rolled and leapt to his feet. At the same time, Draco ripped the Hawthorn wand out of Voldemort's hand and threw it to Harry with a shout of "Potter!" and then turned to dash back to the Hogwarts side of the courtyard.

"Confringo!" Harry shouted, sending a spell towards a momentarily stunned Dark Lord. Unfortunately, Voldemort got a shield spell up in time to prevent it striking home. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Narcissa Malfoy cry out and send a lethal-looking curse towards her sister, as Bellatrix had attempted to strike Draco down with a killing curse.

There were cries from both sides of the field, fury from the Death Eaters, and jubilation from the Hogwarts students as they realized Harry was alive. There was sudden, utter chaos all over the courtyard as the battle was joined once more.

There was only Nagini left to deal with, and Harry could only hope that Ron and Hermione were able to fulfill their part of the plan, and kill the monstrous snake. Until then, Harry had to continue to engage Voldemort, while trying not to get killed...again.

Harry stumbled as a wave of weakness rolled through his body. He smiled grimly as he saw Voldemort waver as well, and Harry knew what that meant. The snake was finished, and it was time.

As his wand locked with Voldemort's once again, Harry put every ounce of love he held for Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, the Weasleys, Dumbledore, and Hogwarts into his cast. And if a certain grey-eyed blond showed up in his private circle, well, Harry wasn't going to fight it.

His breath left him in one huge whoosh as the Elder Wand landed in his hand, and Voldemort collapsed to the ground, finally gone for good. He fell to his knees, literally unable to stand any longer. A moment later, he was surrounded by Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Molly Weasley. They were yelling, laughing, crying, all at the same time.

"Harry, we should take you to the hospital wing to be checked out, just in case," Molly was saying, but Harry was having a hard time hearing her. Things seemed to be fading in and out, and he'd thought to refuse seeing Madam Pomfrey, but he wondered if it might not be a good idea.

As his friends helped him to his feet, Harry could see Aurors and members of the Order rounding up the remaining Death Eaters. Few of them were resisting, as they appeared to be in shock at their leader's defeat. Harry shook his head, trying to clear it. There was something, or someone, that he knew he had to look for, to make sure they were okay, but it was just so difficult to think right now.

Just then, as they were heading into the front entrance of the school, Harry looked through the open doors of the Great Hall, and saw the Malfoy family, all three of them, sitting huddled together at the end of the Slytherin table. There was debris everywhere, and Harry shuddered at the damage done to his beloved school.

"Draco," he mumbled. "Need to…"

"Did he say Malfoy's name?" Harry heard Ron's voice say in disbelief right before he felt himself start to slump and darkness overtook him.

When Harry opened his eyes, it was to see a stark white ceiling. Frowning, he tried to raise his head to look around. This didn't look like the infirmary at Hogwarts, which was the last thing he remembered someone talking about.

"He's awake!" a voice shouted nearby and Harry flinched at the noise.

"Ron! Quiet!" Hermione's voice said in a harsh whisper.

"Maybe both of you should be quiet," Harry muttered. His head was pounding like someone was attempting to play it like a bass drum.

A glass vial was touched gently to his mouth and Harry swallowed it down without even thinking about it. He lay his head back down and sighed in relief as the pounding died down to just a dull ache.

"What happened?" he asked, once he was finally able to open his eyes and squint at his best friends.

"That's what we'd like to know, mate!" Ron said.

"Hush, Ron, there'll be time for that later. Here are your glasses, Harry."

"Thanks," Harry said as Hermione carefully placed his glasses on his nose. "Where am I?"

"Well, at least you didn't say who am I?" Ron said.

"Ron, you are. Not. Helping," Hermione said through clenched teeth. She glared at him for a second before turning to Harry and her expression melted into sympathy. "You're in St. Mungo's. It's been almost a week since you defeated Voldemort and you've been unconscious all that time."

"What?" That was about as coherent as Harry could get at the moment.

"The healers said it was extreme magical exhaustion, compounded by your, um, other condition."

"What other condition? I didn't have two Horcruxes in me, did I?!" Harry asked in alarm.

"Not a Horcrux, but definitely still a parasite," Ron said, snickering.

"You're going to be waiting in the hallway in a moment, Ronald Weasley," Hermione said, her tone deadly serious as her glare burned her boyfriend up again.

"Fine, fine, I'll behave. But you need to stop beating around the bush and just tell him, Hermione. You know how he hates things to be kept from him."

"You're right," she said. She looked back at Harry and said, "Harry, you're pregnant."

Harry blinked and just stared at her. "I'm sorry, I thought you said I was pregnant. I must have misheard you, right?"

"Afraid not, mate. The healers were astonished and quite excited. Apparently, there have only been about a dozen male pregnancies in the last two centuries. And there hasn't been one for more than thirty years," Ron said. His smirk said he was having way too much fun with this.

"But how is this possible!?"

"If you need us to tell you that, Harry-" Ron said, and started to laugh.

"I know how it happens, you prat! I just wanted to know how it happened to me when I've only had sex one time!"

"It only takes one time," Hermione said wryly. "And evidently, it can only happen unassisted when a wizard is particularly powerful."

"Unassisted, what do you mean by that?"

"Well, most of those other male pregnancies were brought about by potions and spells, because the wizard was trying to get pregnant. Obviously, you weren't trying to, or at least I hope you weren't, yet here we are."

"Oh, my God, this is a disaster," Harry said, as he covered his face with his hands, before abruptly yanking them away and struggling to sit up. Ron assisted him by stuffing a couple more pillows behind his back.

"Wait, where are the Malfoys?"

Ron groaned. "Oh, man, I was afraid it was the ferret. I knew it when you moaned his name right before you passed out."

"Hermione?" Harry asked, when neither of them seemed inclined to answer his question at first.

"They're in Azkaban," Hermione admitted, looking miserable.

"What!? No, that's not right, someone has to fix that-" Harry said, as he yanked his covers back and started to swing his legs around to get out of the bed.

"Whoa, mate, you've got to be checked out by Healer Williams before you go anywhere," Ron said, and blocked Harry from getting up.

"Harry, they've got to make sure the baby is okay. They didn't want to risk running many tests while you were recovering from the magical exhaustion."

"Baby…" Harry said, and looked down at his belly. He touched his stomach with one hand. "Oh, God, I'm pregnant!" he said, as it began to hit home what Ron and Hermione were saying.

Some time later, after a mini-meltdown, Harry was sitting on the bed as Healer Williams, a no-nonsense woman in her late sixties, was flicking her wand at him in what she said were diagnostic spells.

"Well, considering what you've recently been through, Mr. Potter, everything looks surprisingly good. You're approximately six weeks pregnant, due around Christmas time. Congratulations."

Harry was still a little in shock, but it was starting to sink in that he was going to be a father, that he was actually carrying another human being inside of him. His thoughts turned to Draco, and he wondered if the other boy had known this was possible. Then he remembered that Draco and his parents were in Azkaban, and he waited impatiently as the Healer went over instructions for nutrient potions and prenatal care. After she finally left, Harry turned to Hermione.

"How do we go about getting the Malfoys out of Azkaban? They don't deserve to be there. Well, at least Narcissa and Draco don't. Lucius could probably stand to stay a few years."

"The timing of your waking up is actually fortuitous. Their trial is scheduled for tomorrow at 11:00 in the morning," Hermione said.

"All three of them at once?"

Hermione nodded. "There have been so many trials, the Ministry is trying to save time and resources."

"I think they're trying to just get it done quickly, too. The Daily Prophet had a big headline about getting back to normal," Ron said, his brow furrowing.

"They're being fair, though, right?" Harry said, and then groaned as he realized the ridiculousness of expecting the Ministry to be unbiased. "Has anyone been completely railroaded?"

"Not really, not so far. They started with the worst of the worst. The Lestrange brothers, Greyback, Avery, McNair, and Dolohov."

"And Bellatrix?" Harry asked.

Ron gave an evil grin. "Dead. Killed by my mum after she tried to curse Ginny."

"Good," Harry said quietly. He silently acknowledged the death of Sirius' murderer with a mental salute to his godfather. "I'm surprised that Lucius Malfoy wasn't with that group. He was practically Voldemort's right hand man, until he screwed up at the Department of Mysteries."

He was surprised to see Ron give Hermione an exasperated look. That usually went the other way, in Harry's experience.

"He was, until Hermione pulled some kind of trickery at the DMLE, which got all three Malfoys pushed to the bottom of the pile. Still not sure how she did that," Ron said, his voice dropping to a resentful mutter.

"And I'll never tell you," Hermione retorted. "It's obvious that Draco is the father, um other father, of your baby, Harry. So I knew that we had to delay their trial until you woke up. It's a good thing you did so today, or I was really going to have to pull a rabbit out of my hat to get it delayed again."

"What's rabbits and hats got to do with anything?" Ron asked.

"Never mind, Ron, I'll tell you later. Harry, do you think you'll be feeling up to facing everyone tomorrow?"

"Depends, I guess. Who all knows about this?" he asked, gesturing to his stomach.

"The two of us, Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, and Healer Williams," Hermione said. "Madam Pomfrey was the one to actually discover it. When we got you to the infirmary at Hogwarts, she ran a host of diagnostic spells and apparently, pregnancy is one of the standard ones. Imagine how shocked we all were when that one was positive!"

"I can imagine," Harry said glumly, thinking of how shocked he still was right now. He wondered how Draco would take the news. Should he even tell Draco? Would he care that the other parent of his child was a half-blood? Would Narcissa care? Harry didn't give a rat's ass what Lucius thought, but he owed his life to both mother and son.

No, of course he had to tell Draco. He couldn't imagine keeping such a secret from the father of his baby, or from his child once it was born. But first, he had to get the Malfoys out of prison.

He suddenly realized that he hadn't denied that Draco Malfoy was the father of his baby to Hermione when she'd said it. Harry peeked up at her from under his fringe.

"Um, are you okay with it being Draco? The other dad, I mean?"

"Of course we are! Aren't we, Ron?" Hermione said, as she elbowed her boyfriend harshly in the ribs.

"Yeah, we're okay with it," Ron grunted, rubbing his side, and shooting Hermione a wounded look.

"Really?" Harry asked doubtfully, looking specifically at Ron. He knew the bad blood between the Weasleys and the Malfoys went back generations. Draco and Ron both had seemed only too happy to continue the feud.

"Well, mate, he did refuse to identify you at his house when we were captured, even though it was obvious he knew it was you. He also helped out at the Battle of Hogwarts pretty significantly by making sure you had a wand to use against V-Voldemort."

Harry was proud of Ron for only stumbling a little over the name. "I'm grateful for your maturity, mate," he said.

"Mind you, I also did have a week where you were out cold to get used to the idea," Ron said bluntly.

Harry grinned. "Yeah, I guess that does help."

He spent the rest of the evening catching up with what everyone else had been doing since the Battle of Hogwarts, courtesy of Ron and Hermione. When Healer Williams finally cleared him to go, with all sorts of warnings and information on both prenatal care and recovering from magical exhaustion, Harry had to stop himself from sprinting to the door.

"Er, you might not want to try going out the front doors, mate," Ron said.

"Why?" Harry asked, and then actually thought about it. "Oh, are there a few reporters out there?"

Ron scoffed. "Harry, half the Wizarding World is out there. Everyone's been waiting to see if you were ever going to wake up. They all want to thank you personally."

Harry grimaced in disgust. That was the last thing he wanted or needed at the moment. Luckily, Healer Williams realized his dilemma and allowed him to Floo from the fireplace in her private office. They headed to Grimmauld Place, because Harry wasn't quite ready for all the attention the Burrow would bring.

He slept fitfully, worrying about so many things that his head felt as though it were spinning. There was a child to consider, his future to think about, and the Malfoys to liberate from Azkaban. Somehow, Harry thought that last one might end up being the easiest of the tasks he faced.

Hermione accompanied him the Ministry courtrooms the next morning. Ron said he was tired of drama for the moment and was with George repairing some of the damage to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. He and Hermione got there early, as Harry remembered his experience with the whims of the magical court back in Fifth year, and didn't want to chance missing anything.

Harry sat straight up in his seat as he saw three people with distinctive white-blond hair being led into the courtroom. He clenched his jaw in anger when he saw the state they were in. All of them were filthy, their hair dull, their clothes wrinkled from prolonged wear. They each had manacles on their wrists, which were then bound by a chain that linked the three of them together.

Hermione placed a hand on his knee, silently cautioning him not to say anything yet. Harry slumped back onto the bench, trying to control his anger, because he knew it would only trip him up if he was too rash with his words.

It was hard to keep quiet when he realized the Malfoys didn't even have a solicitor. There was only the prosecutor, and if anyone wanted to speak up for the accused, they could do so at his discretion. That didn't sit well with Harry at all. It called to mind the ghost of Sirius and his lack of a trial at all.

He forced himself to sit quietly and listen as the crimes of each member of the Malfoy family were listed. Narcissa's was rather short, and pretty much amounted to supporting Voldemort and letting him live in her home, as if they'd had much choice in that arrangement. Draco's crimes were a bit more severe, as being Marked was a crime in and of itself. The rest of it was mostly related to his letting the Death Eaters into Hogwarts.

Lucius' list went on for several minutes, and Harry was astonished at some of the deeds listed. Even if he was Draco's father, the man was a nasty piece of work. Harry paused in his silent condemnation as he watched Lucius listen to his wrongdoings. His head dropped and he flinched as many of the more horrid acts he'd committed were read aloud for all to hear.

Was that remorse? Harry would not have thought it possible, but maybe seeing the danger that his actions had caused his son to experience had opened Lucius' eyes. Maybe nearly losing his entire family had awakened him to the fact that he'd made many mistakes in the past.

Harry did not want to feel sorry for Lucius Malfoy, but damn it, if it wasn't happening anyway.

Once all the crimes of the accused had been read aloud for the record, the prosecutor started with Narcissa.

"As to the charges against Narcissa Malfoy, since no one has stepped forward to speak for the accused, the Wizarding people recommend twenty years in Azkaban, to be served immediately," the prosecutor said pompously. His name was Abner Honeycutt and Harry disliked him instantly.

It aggravated his sense of fair play that they probably hadn't even tried to find anyone to speak for the Malfoy family, or given them the chance to find someone themselves.

"I will speak for the accused," Harry stated boldly as he stood up.

The entire courtroom gasped and a buzz of whispering broke out, loud enough to drown out Draco's gasp of surprise at seeing Harry. He and Hermione had been sitting in a back corner, unnoticed by the onlookers, or the court.

Mr. Honeycutt was flabbergasted and didn't say a word as Harry stepped into the aisle and made his way to the front of the courtroom.

"Mr. Potter, allow me to extend my thanks for saving us all," Honeycutt said nervously.

"You're welcome," Harry said, in an utterly serious tone.

"But I didn't think that you even knew Mrs. Malfoy?"

"You'd be wrong. Mrs. Malfoy not only does not deserve to go to Azkaban, she should get an Order of Merlin for the service she's extended to the Wizarding World."

"Huh?" was Mr. Honeycutt's eloquent reply.

"When I faced Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest outside Hogwarts, he cast Avada Kedavra at me again, just like he did when I was a baby. It failed, just like it did then. I was lying there pretending to be dead to throw Voldemort off when he sent one of his people to check on me. That person was Narcissa Malfoy," Harry said and pointed to Draco's mother. She was looking at him with a cautiously hopeful look on her face.

"Narcissa Malfoy," Harry continued, "lied to Voldemort and told him I was indeed dead. If not for this critical aid, I would not have been in a position to defeat him later when everything was in place."

"But the evidence-"

"Tell me, Mr. Honeycutt, if Voldemort had showed up on your doorstep and said he was making your home his headquarters, would you have felt comfortable saying no to him? The Malfoys didn't have the option of refusing their hospitality to the Death Eaters, but I was in that house, and I can assure you, he was not welcomed there, not by the Malfoy family."

After some more blustering by Honeycutt, and a chant of 'Free her! Free her!' that had wound its way through the spectators, which Harry suspected had been started by Hermione, Narcissa Malfoy was cleared of all charges.

"As to the charges against Draco Malfoy-"

"I will speak for this accused as well," Harry said. He hadn't even bothered to sit down again, gaining him an irritated look from Honeycutt.

Honeycutt heaved a sigh. "Proceed, Mr. Potter."

"The Wizarding World owes an even bigger debt of gratitude to Draco Malfoy than they do to his mother. If it wasn't for him throwing me his wand during the Battle of Hogwarts, I wouldn't have lasted more than two seconds against Voldemort. Yes, the wand that destroyed the Darkest Lord the Wizarding World has ever seen belonged to Draco Malfoy. He was coerced into following Voldemort and letting the Death Eaters into Hogwarts because his parents' lives were being held hostage. If he didn't do as Voldemort commanded, his parents would have been killed."

Harry paused for a moment and took a deep breath. He wasn't sure how the next part he wanted to say would go over with the crowd, but he was going to say it anyway. "I have no memory of my parents." He didn't think it would be wise to bring up the Resurrection Stone. "Still, I miss them fiercely. If my mum and dad had lived, and someone told me I had to kill an innocent man, or they would die…I would have a hard time refusing that order. And yet, Draco Malfoy did. I was on the tower with him and Dumbledore on that fateful night, and Draco lowered his wand. He couldn't do it, even though he knew his parents' lives might be forfeit. So, even if he carries the Mark on his arm, I don't believe that Draco is a true Death Eater. A true Death Eater wouldn't have hesitated."

Several minutes later, Draco sat beside his mother on the front row of the courtroom, staring at Harry in disbelief. Harry sent Draco a quick look, but then turned to Mr. Honeycutt. The prosecutor was looking at him warily.

"As to charges against Lucius Malfoy-"

"I will speak for the accused."

This was too much for Prosecutor Honeycutt. "Really, Mr. Potter? Lucius Malfoy is a known Death Eater, and has been a follower of the Dark Lord since before you were born. He has committed countless atrocities in His name. What can you possibly say that would persuade the court that he doesn't deserve the Dementor's Kiss?" he said in exasperation.

"His crimes are many and well documented, it's true. But I've watched Lucius Malfoy today, and for the first time since I met him when I was twelve years old, I saw remorse for his actions. I saw guilt for his crimes and I saw fear for his wife and son. I daresay that if you had offered the Kiss to Lucius yesterday in return for the freedom of his family, he would have taken it. Would that have been true a couple of years ago? I think probably not. Lucius has done what the entire Wizarding World needs to do and has learned from his mistakes. Now we here in this courtroom should do what the Wizarding World also needs to do and forgive."

"Forgive!? That is the most preposterous bit of drivel I have ever heard. There must be some punishment for the severity of his crimes!"

"Give him probation. Have him make restitution to the Wizarding families he harmed. Put him on house arrest if you must, but I don't think he should go to Azkaban."

"But he must go to Azkaban! It is the only proper thing to do!" Honeycutt insisted.

Harry could see that the members of the Wizengamot were being swayed toward the prosecutor's wishes. He really hadn't wanted to use his fame or his unique situation to gain an advantage, but at this point, he didn't see any other way to keep Lucius out of Azkaban, not to mention letting him keep his soul.

"You know, as much as I miss my parents, I also regret that I never had the opportunity to know my grandparents. Family means so much to me, as it should to all of us. I've been lucky enough to find good friends that I consider family," Harry said, with a smile at Hermione. "I think everyone knows that I didn't grow up in the most desirable of circumstances. I often wished with all my heart for my parents to come and take me away from the unhappiness I was forced to endure. I want my child to know both of his fathers, as well as his grandparents, and that can't happen if one of them is in Azkaban."

As he finished his speech, Harry's hands rose to curve protectively over his stomach. It took a few seconds for his words to sink in with his audience, but when they did, the uproar was nearly deafening.

"Harry!?" Draco shouted and stood up in shock, staring at Harry's face with a questioning look before his eyes dropped to his belly. Narcissa and Lucius were gazing at him with astonishment as well.

By this time, it was all over but the shouting. Harry couldn't help the feeling of victory he got as all three Malfoys were released from their bonds and were free to go. The Wizengamot did insist that Lucius pay some financial restitution to the Wizarding World. As well, he would be required to perform community service in helping to repair the magnitude of physical damage the war had wrought, starting with Hogwarts. Harry was more than okay with that, especially as he planned to help with the rebuilding of Hogwarts himself.

When the Wizengamot was dismissed, Harry was immediately tackled by an ecstatic Hermione. She hugged him so hard, his vision blurred a little.

"Okay, Hermione!" he said, laughing.

"Oh, Harry, you were magnificent! Where did that come from? I never knew you had that in you."

"I don't think I knew I had it in myself," Harry said. "I don't know, the words just came from my heart, I guess."

"I always knew you were a softy, Harry," Draco said as he stepped up in front of Harry. "I always thought that was a weakness before, but now I know it's really a strength."

Draco seemed to be hesitant about his welcome, so Harry reached out and pulled him into a tight embrace. Draco instantly wrapped his arms around Harry and they hugged for a long minute. When they pulled apart, Draco kept his hands on Harry's shoulders.

"I'm glad you're alive," he said, making Harry smile.

"I'm glad I am, too. And I'm glad that you're okay."

"Is it…is it true what you said? You're really…" Draco asked, and one hand dropped to hover in front of Harry's stomach.

"Yeah, it's true. I only found out yesterday myself. Apparently my weirdness knows no bounds."

"It's not weird, Mr. Potter. It's a miracle," Narcissa said, as she came up to stand beside Draco. "I'm going to hug you, Mr. Potter. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind, but only if you call me Harry."

"Harry, then," she said, and as she reached out to take him into her arms, Harry could see tears glistening in her eyes. "You have saved my family, Harry. I can never thank you enough," she whispered into his ear.

"I was honored to repay just a little of what you did for me," Harry said.

She released him and stepped back, dabbing at her eyes with a lacy handkerchief she'd somehow acquired. Harry looked over to Lucius, who'd silently appeared next to his wife.

"I'm not going to hug you, Mr. Potter," Lucius said, to which Harry replied with a heartfelt 'Thank God!'. "I would like to shake your hand, however, and declare peace between us, past wrongs on both sides to be forgotten."

He held out his hand and Harry took it. They shook firmly and Lucius quietly said, "Thank you for my family, both old and new." He glanced significantly at Harry's stomach.

"So you'll welcome this child, even if its bloodline is not as pure as you would like?" Hermione asked, a hint of challenge in her tone.

"I have had ample cause lately to realize many of my mistakes, Miss Granger. A new life is a new beginning, and hopefully a chance to put those mistakes behind me once and for all."

Harry supposed that was as close to a yes as they were going to get from Lucius Malfoy.

"Now, Harry, Lucius and I are going to go back to the Manor. There is much damage there that needs to be put to rights as well. I believe you and Draco have some things to discuss."

With that, the elder Malfoys made their way regally through the crowd of people still milling around the courtroom, and left. Harry was amazed that he hadn't been accosted yet by reporters or admirers, and decided not to push his luck any further. He, Draco, and Hermione made their way quickly to the public Floos, narrowly avoiding a reporter who ran after them shouting Harry's name.

They were not quite able to make their escape completely though, and they became surrounded by people. Harry was beginning to get claustrophobic, when Hermione flicked her wand, and a loud boom sounded, which also immediately cleared a space of about ten feet around them. The crowd was surprised to realize they couldn't get any closer than that now.

"Mr. Potter, the public needs to know more! Are you really pregnant with a Death Eater's child!"

Harry recognized Rita Skeeter's voice above all the shouting.

"You're going to have to deal with this, Harry," Hermione whispered. "But do it on your own terms. Tell them you'll have a press conference later."

"Good idea," Harry muttered. "I'll hold a press conference that will hopefully answer some of your questions. Right now, I'm very tired. I did just get out of hospital yesterday."

There were murmurs of sympathy from some in the crowd, but the reporters weren't happy with the delay.

"When, Harry, when will you finally tell us the truth?" one of them shouted.

"I'll announce the date and time later. For now, my friends and I are leaving. Thank you."

They quickly used the Floo to make their escape to Grimmauld Place. Once there, Hermione decided that she was going to join Ron at the joke shop and catch him up on what had happened that day so far. After she was gone, and he and Draco were alone, Harry was hit with a wave of uncertainty.

"I'm not going to jump you, I hope you realize that," Draco said.

"I didn't think that!"

"Your thoughts were definitely heading in that direction. Why don't we just sit down and talk, and we can find out what we expect from each other?"

Harry wondered if Draco had always been this reasonable, and if he'd missed it all these years. Or perhaps, he'd just been reasonable with everyone but Harry.

Either way, several minutes later, Harry had scrounged up some tea and the two of them were sitting nervously across the table from each other in the kitchen. Harry took a sip of his tea, and fought back a grimace. He'd put too much milk into it, and it wasn't settling well on his stomach.

"So you do plan on actually having the baby then?"

Harry almost did a spit take. "Of course I'm going to have it!"

Draco raised his hands as though to ward off Harry's anger. "I didn't want to assume anything."

Harry ducked his head in embarrassment at his outburst. "Sorry. One of the things the Healer said I could expect was to be more emotional."

"Is everything well? You and the…baby?" Draco asked.

"So far. Course, I'm not very far along," he said. He chuckled quietly as he had a thought. "The Healer said I was about six weeks along. I could've told her exactly how long it was."

Draco gave a small smile. "That was an amazing night, wasn't it?" he said softly.

Harry nodded and said, "Yeah. Yeah, it was."

"Those memories are the only thing that got me through the weeks afterward," Draco said. "Things at the Manor became…even more difficult after you escaped."

"I'm so sorry," Harry said.

"Don't be. I was thrilled that you'd managed to pull off more of your special blend of magic and luck. I found it difficult not to smile every time I recalled the look on Aunt Bellatrix's face as you Disapparated."

Harry snickered. "The sound of her enraged screams helped push me along, I think."

Draco tilted his head and looked intently at Harry. "The baby does answer a question that plagued me for a while."

"What question?"

"You recall that I told you about the blood wards on the Manor? It should have been impossible for you to Apparate through them. The wards must have recognized that you were carrying a Malfoy with you."

"Malfoy-Potter. I'll agree to put your name in there, but the kid's going to have to hyphenate."

The ridiculousness of his statement had the both of them laughing. As Draco dropped his hands to the table, one of them brushed Harry's, and the laughter petered out. Draco's gaze held Harry's for a long moment.

"How do you feel about me?"

Harry probably shouldn't have been startled by the question, as they had escaped the Ministry to talk, after all. But he was.

"I don't know. I care about you, quite a lot, I think, but I don't have a lot of experience with these things."

"I don't have much more experience than you. I've had other physical relationships, but I've only ever been in love once."

Harry was surprised by the surge of jealousy that shot through him at the thought of Draco in love with someone else. "Oh? Who was that?"

"I'm still in love with him," Draco said, with a soft smile.

The way Draco was looking at him finally clued Harry in. "Me? You're in love with me?"

Draco nodded. "I told you earlier that I have been since I was about five years old, if you remember."

"You hid it very well during our first few years at Hogwarts," Harry said dryly.

"Yes, well, I might have been extremely angry with you for a number of years, what with the rejection of my hand."

It was astonishing that they could laugh about that incident now, but it was refreshing, too. It was like those years where they'd been enemies didn't matter anymore. They had happened, and there was no denying them, but it was no longer important.

After their chuckles died away, Draco sighed. "Is there a chance for us, Harry? Not just as parents to what is obviously going to be the most beautiful child in the world, but for the two of us, as Draco and Harry?"

Harry studied Draco's face, trying to figure out what his feelings were. He didn't know all that much about love, never having experienced much of it beyond his first year of life (which he didn't remember), and the love of his friends (which really wasn't the same thing). He did know that there had always been something about Draco Malfoy that drew his attention. Maybe there had also been a stray thought or two about how beautiful Draco was during Sixth year when Harry had been following him around, though he hadn't acknowledged it at the time.

There was going to be a bond between them for the rest of their lives in the form of a child. Perhaps there could be something more as well.

"I think maybe we could try it, and we could see what happens," Harry said shyly.

Draco's smile was dazzling. "Then I only have one question for you, Harry Potter," he said. He leaned over the table, and Harry instinctively did the same.

"May I kiss you?" Draco whispered.

Harry grinned as he remembered his distressed response the first time Draco had asked this question. This time, he had no doubt about what his answer should be.

"Yes."

"Harry, you need to take this opportunity to get some sleep."

"I can't. I just want to hold her forever," Harry said, ignoring Narcissa's advice as he gazed down at his daughter. She was about twelve hours old, and he was attempting to feed her, but apparently she was just as stubborn as both her fathers.

He was fascinated by the way her tiny tongue pushed the bottle's teat out of her mouth as she fussed. "Don't want it right now, huh?" he said softly. "Well, that's okay, Maia, we'll try again later."

He set the bottle down on the table beside the bed and just cuddled her some more.

"You're not going to get much sleep when you get home. You should take advantage of willing grandmothers while they're here."

Harry gave Narcissa a knowing look. "You just want to hold her."

Narcissa grinned at him. "Well, she is the perfect image of Draco when he was born. I remember never wanting to let him out of my arms either."

"That's why I need to hold her now. I know that as soon as we get home, everyone is going to be lining up for their turn. I may not get to hold her again until her first birthday!"

"Are you whinging again?" Draco said as he came into the room. He leaned down to brush a kiss across Harry's lips, and then Maia Lily's forehead.

"You're not the one who had ankles the size of cannons."

"Ah, but I am the one who rubbed your feet every day for the last three months of your pregnancy. Let my mother hold her just for a moment, won't you?"

Harry sighed. "If I must."

Narcissa practically squealed with delight and immediately claimed her granddaughter. She moved over to the rocking chair in the corner and sat with Maia cradled in her arms. The adoring baby talk began instantly.

Draco settled on the side of Harry's bed and looked at him critically. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. A couple of little twinges every now and then in the midsection, but otherwise, I'm perfect," Harry said, warmed by Draco's concern for him.

It had been easier than Harry would have thought for the two of them to mesh their lives. They'd moved into Grimmauld Place together, and Ron and Hermione had helped them fix it up and get it ready for a baby. Not to say it had been a complete bed of roses, as they still faced scorn from a lot of the Wizarding World because of their relationship. Most of them weren't upset by the homosexuality of their hero, it was the man he'd chosen as his lover.

Despite the way Harry had spoken up for him at the trial and again at the press conference he'd had a couple of weeks later, many people still thought the Malfoys had gotten off easy. Most of the time, it didn't bother them. Harry knew he had the support of his friends and that was the most important thing.

It had been surprisingly natural the first time he said 'I love you' to Draco. Harry hadn't even thought about it; it just was. And the look of joy on Draco's face was priceless.

Draco reached out now and took Harry's hands in his. He leaned in carefully and they shared a kiss a bit more intense than Draco's greeting earlier. After a moment, the kiss ended with both of them somewhat breathless. Draco stayed close, touching his forehead to Harry's tenderly.

"Tell me," Harry whispered, "did you see this happening all that time ago when you knew I was going to beat Voldemort?"

Draco laughed softly. "No, but I certainly dreamed about it every night, so I'm glad that it did."

"Me, too," Harry said. He squeezed Draco's hands, reassured by the tightening of Draco's grip in return. As one, they looked over at Narcissa holding their daughter, and perhaps Harry had a bit of Seer in him as well, because he knew that life was going to be good.

END