Secrets to Keep 10
Title: Secrets to Keep 10
Author: enchanted_jae
Characters: Harry/Draco, Ginny/OFC, Hermione, Astoria, next-gen children
Rating: PG13
Warning(s): Subject matter
Word count: 1600
Disclaimer: Characters are the property of JK Rowling, et al. This was written for fun, not for profit.
Author's note: Eleventh installment of an arc that began with Pixie Pox. This is a birthday gift for mindedif, who asked for an update to "Secrets to Keep".
Summary: The children learn of a change in family dynamics.
Ginny was almost afraid to look at her results. After two previous attempts to get pregnant had ended in disappointment, she was reluctant to get her hopes up too high.
"Third time's a charm," Karin whispered in Ginny's ear.
Bolstered by her girlfriend's supportive presence, Ginny peeked at the Muggle home pregnancy test. "It-it's positive!" she gasped.
"Really?!" squealed Karin.
"We're going to have a baby," Ginny murmured in disbelief.
"We're going to have a baby!" whooped Karin, catching Ginny in a fierce embrace. She released her hastily. "What am I doing?" Karin babbled. "You're pregnant--I can't be squeezing you like that!"
"I'm pregnant!" Ginny shrieked. "I can't believe it!"
There was a tentative knock at the door, and Hermione poked her head inside. "May I assume you have good news?" she grinned.
"I think so," Ginny replied, thrusting the pregnancy test at her. "Take a look."
Hermione accepted the stick and glanced at the display. "Congratulations," she said, "you're pregnant."
Her statement touched off another round of jubilant celebration from Ginny and Karin. Ginny stopped bouncing long enough to grab her girlfriend's hand and haul Karin to the Floo in the living room. "Come on," she urged. "We have to tell Harry and Draco!"
~*~
Harry was engaged in one of his favorite activities--snogging Draco. Astoria was in the kitchen baking biscuits with Lily and Carina, leaving Harry and Draco free to indulge in some canoodling on the sofa. They broke apart when the Floo flared to life.
Ginny's head danced in the flames. "May we come through?"
"Please do," invited Draco.
"Have we come at a bad time?" Ginny asked as she stepped out of the Floo.
"Why do you ask?" Harry tried.
His wife smirked at him. "Your lips are all puffy, and your hair is mussed.
Draco lifted a hand to smooth his own hair, and Karin snickered. "Are you ladies here for a purpose other than to mock us?" Draco drawled.
"As a matter of fact, we are," Ginny said, taking Karin's hand. "I'm pregnant."
Her announcement was met with one second of stunned silence before everyone erupted at once.
"Congratulations!"
"That's fantastic, Gin!"
"We're happy for you!"
"We're happy for us, too!"
Lily and Carina burst into the living room, followed by a flustered Astoria. "What's going on?" Lily demanded.
Draco stepped into the awkward breach. "Your Mum is very excited about something," he said, adding, "You know how girls get." Lily giggled, and Draco cocked an eyebrow at his wife.
"Come along, dears," Astoria said on cue, herding the girls out of the room. "We don't want the biscuits to burn." As Lily and Carina dashed for the kitchen, Astoria paused in the doorway to look back at Ginny. "Are you...?" Ginny nodded, and Astoria beamed at her. "Congratulations," she said before sweeping out after the girls.
"That was close," Harry muttered.
"We'll have to tell the children," Draco stated. "They'll have questions."
The others nodded in agreement.
"The boys will be home for the holidays in a few weeks," Harry said. "We'll speak to them then."
~*~
The first few days after James, Albus and Scorpius returned from Hogwarts were bustling with activity. Nearly a week had passed before Harry and Draco were able to organize a family dinner at the Manor. It was the first time the family was all present, sans any guests. When the meal was finished, Draco nodded to Astoria, and she ushered Carina from the dining room, chattering at the youngest of the Potter-Malfoy children about plans to wrap gifts.
Draco stood and cleared his throat, gaining the attention of everyone left at the table. "Let's go into the family room, shall we?"
The children were unusually subdued as everyone filed into the festively decorated family room. The adults sat on the two loveseats in the room--Harry and Draco on one, and Ginny and Karin on the other--while Lily and the boys were left to claim seats in chairs or on the sofa.
There was some friendly shoving between James and Scorpius until Harry spoke up. "Settle down," he reprimanded. "We have something important to discuss with you."
James glanced first at his fathers and their linked hands, then to his Mum and her partner and their clasped fingers. All of the adults had an anxious air about them. James steeled himself and asked, "Death or divorce?"
"What?!" gaped Harry.
Lily burst into tears, and Ginny rushed to comfort her as chaos erupted.
"Who's dying?!"
"Who's getting a divorce?!"
"What's going on?!"
A shrill whistle cut through the cacophony. Harry glanced at Karin, who smiled back impishly. "Thank you," he told her. "All of you need to calm down," Harry said, addressing the children. "We have good news to share."
"Then why do you all look like you're constipated?" demanded James.
A small snort of laughter escaped Draco, and he got an elbow and a scowl from Harry. "Sorry," he muttered.
Harry returned his attention to his wide-eyed brood. "As I was saying, we have some exciting news to tell you, but it is going to affect all of us, and we anticipate you will have some questions."
"Are we going to have another baby?" Lily asked from where she was now squashed between Ginny and Karin.
Harry smiled at her. "Yes, we're going to have a new baby in the family."
It took Draco a moment to realize all four children were staring at him. "Don't look at me," he drawled.
Four pairs of eyes swiveled to Harry. "I'm not going to have a baby," he told them. "Your Mum, Ginny is."
"You are?" Lily gaped, touching her Mum's still-flat stomach.
"Who's the father?!" James yelped in outrage.
"James Sirius!" Draco barked. "Apologize at once!"
With a muttered sorry, James flounced back on the sofa and glared at the floor.
Harry opened his mouth, but he was interrupted by Lily's voice.
"Don't be silly, James. Karin is the father."
Karin clapped a hand over her own mouth to stifle a giggle for fear of being the next one to be scolded.
Harry removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He replaced his glasses and cleared his throat. "I am the baby's father," he stated.
"Dad, how could you?!" cried Scorpius.
The other children began firing questions.
"Will you leave Dad for Mum?"
"What about Aunt Karin?"
Harry dropped his head into his hands. Draco rubbed soothing circles on his back and crooned, "You're doing great, love. You have them right where you want them."
Harry chuckled and raised his head. He silenced the inquisition by pressing a passionate snog on Draco right there.
"Eew."
That was Albus, and Harry smiled against Draco's lips before turning his head away to look at the children once more. "If you will all be quiet and listen to me without jumping to conclusions or blurting out questions, I will explain." He paused and raised his eyebrows, but the children remained silent. "You know that your Mum loves all of you, and Carina too, very much. However, she and Karin decided they wanted another baby of their own to love. Because your Mum and I are married, it was logical that she and Karin would ask me to be the baby's father." Harry hesitated a moment before forging on. "I won't bore you or traumatize you with the details, but please be assured that this was accomplished without...er...without your Mum and I being...intimate." Harry's cheeks were red by the end of his speech.
James leaned forward and asked, "How is that possible?"
"Magic!" Lily chirped.
Harry chuckled. "Actually, we didn't use magic at all," he said. "We employed Muggle technology."
"Muggle technology?" Albus frowned.
"It's...complicated," sighed Harry. "Your Aunt Hermione can explain it to you sometime. Suffice it to say that your Mum and I didn't have to see one another naked. In fact, we weren't even in the same room."
This last was met with blank stares.
"Okay, moving on," Harry said. "What this means for all of you is that you'll have a new half brother or sister." The four children exchanged looks with one another again, and Harry resisted the urge to squirm. "What do you think of this?" he asked them.
"I think it's brilliant," squealed Lily.
"Maybe this one will be a boy," James said, giving his sister a pointed look. Lily stuck her tongue out at him.
"Boy or girl, it will be another baby to love," Harry said.
"Are you excited, Mum?" asked Albus.
"I'm terrifically happy," she beamed at him.
"Will...will you love this baby more than you love us?" Scorpius whispered.
Before he finished speaking, Ginny was on her knees beside him and enfolding him in a hug. "Oh darling, no," she exclaimed. "I love all of you very much, and this new baby will grow up to love you, too."
Karin and Lily sniffled, the boys broke out in excited chatter, and Harry slumped against Draco in relief.
"That went better than I anticipated," Draco muttered.
Harry nodded and waited until the din died down. "As you all know, this isn't something to be gossiping about," he reminded his offspring. "James, Albus and Lily may mention there will be a new baby in the family, but Scorpius, you must keep quiet on the subject. I'm sorry, son."
Scorpius nodded his head in acceptance. "Don't worry, Dad," he said. "I'm good at keeping secrets."
~tbc~
Secrets to Keep 11
Author: enchanted_jae
Characters: Harry/Draco, Ginny/OFC, Hermione, Astoria, next-gen children
Rating: PG13
Warning(s): Subject matter
Word count: 1600
Disclaimer: Characters are the property of JK Rowling, et al. This was written for fun, not for profit.
Author's note: Eleventh installment of an arc that began with Pixie Pox. This is a birthday gift for mindedif, who asked for an update to "Secrets to Keep".
Summary: The children learn of a change in family dynamics.
Ginny was almost afraid to look at her results. After two previous attempts to get pregnant had ended in disappointment, she was reluctant to get her hopes up too high.
"Third time's a charm," Karin whispered in Ginny's ear.
Bolstered by her girlfriend's supportive presence, Ginny peeked at the Muggle home pregnancy test. "It-it's positive!" she gasped.
"Really?!" squealed Karin.
"We're going to have a baby," Ginny murmured in disbelief.
"We're going to have a baby!" whooped Karin, catching Ginny in a fierce embrace. She released her hastily. "What am I doing?" Karin babbled. "You're pregnant--I can't be squeezing you like that!"
"I'm pregnant!" Ginny shrieked. "I can't believe it!"
There was a tentative knock at the door, and Hermione poked her head inside. "May I assume you have good news?" she grinned.
"I think so," Ginny replied, thrusting the pregnancy test at her. "Take a look."
Hermione accepted the stick and glanced at the display. "Congratulations," she said, "you're pregnant."
Her statement touched off another round of jubilant celebration from Ginny and Karin. Ginny stopped bouncing long enough to grab her girlfriend's hand and haul Karin to the Floo in the living room. "Come on," she urged. "We have to tell Harry and Draco!"
~*~
Harry was engaged in one of his favorite activities--snogging Draco. Astoria was in the kitchen baking biscuits with Lily and Carina, leaving Harry and Draco free to indulge in some canoodling on the sofa. They broke apart when the Floo flared to life.
Ginny's head danced in the flames. "May we come through?"
"Please do," invited Draco.
"Have we come at a bad time?" Ginny asked as she stepped out of the Floo.
"Why do you ask?" Harry tried.
His wife smirked at him. "Your lips are all puffy, and your hair is mussed.
Draco lifted a hand to smooth his own hair, and Karin snickered. "Are you ladies here for a purpose other than to mock us?" Draco drawled.
"As a matter of fact, we are," Ginny said, taking Karin's hand. "I'm pregnant."
Her announcement was met with one second of stunned silence before everyone erupted at once.
"Congratulations!"
"That's fantastic, Gin!"
"We're happy for you!"
"We're happy for us, too!"
Lily and Carina burst into the living room, followed by a flustered Astoria. "What's going on?" Lily demanded.
Draco stepped into the awkward breach. "Your Mum is very excited about something," he said, adding, "You know how girls get." Lily giggled, and Draco cocked an eyebrow at his wife.
"Come along, dears," Astoria said on cue, herding the girls out of the room. "We don't want the biscuits to burn." As Lily and Carina dashed for the kitchen, Astoria paused in the doorway to look back at Ginny. "Are you...?" Ginny nodded, and Astoria beamed at her. "Congratulations," she said before sweeping out after the girls.
"That was close," Harry muttered.
"We'll have to tell the children," Draco stated. "They'll have questions."
The others nodded in agreement.
"The boys will be home for the holidays in a few weeks," Harry said. "We'll speak to them then."
~*~
The first few days after James, Albus and Scorpius returned from Hogwarts were bustling with activity. Nearly a week had passed before Harry and Draco were able to organize a family dinner at the Manor. It was the first time the family was all present, sans any guests. When the meal was finished, Draco nodded to Astoria, and she ushered Carina from the dining room, chattering at the youngest of the Potter-Malfoy children about plans to wrap gifts.
Draco stood and cleared his throat, gaining the attention of everyone left at the table. "Let's go into the family room, shall we?"
The children were unusually subdued as everyone filed into the festively decorated family room. The adults sat on the two loveseats in the room--Harry and Draco on one, and Ginny and Karin on the other--while Lily and the boys were left to claim seats in chairs or on the sofa.
There was some friendly shoving between James and Scorpius until Harry spoke up. "Settle down," he reprimanded. "We have something important to discuss with you."
James glanced first at his fathers and their linked hands, then to his Mum and her partner and their clasped fingers. All of the adults had an anxious air about them. James steeled himself and asked, "Death or divorce?"
"What?!" gaped Harry.
Lily burst into tears, and Ginny rushed to comfort her as chaos erupted.
"Who's dying?!"
"Who's getting a divorce?!"
"What's going on?!"
A shrill whistle cut through the cacophony. Harry glanced at Karin, who smiled back impishly. "Thank you," he told her. "All of you need to calm down," Harry said, addressing the children. "We have good news to share."
"Then why do you all look like you're constipated?" demanded James.
A small snort of laughter escaped Draco, and he got an elbow and a scowl from Harry. "Sorry," he muttered.
Harry returned his attention to his wide-eyed brood. "As I was saying, we have some exciting news to tell you, but it is going to affect all of us, and we anticipate you will have some questions."
"Are we going to have another baby?" Lily asked from where she was now squashed between Ginny and Karin.
Harry smiled at her. "Yes, we're going to have a new baby in the family."
It took Draco a moment to realize all four children were staring at him. "Don't look at me," he drawled.
Four pairs of eyes swiveled to Harry. "I'm not going to have a baby," he told them. "Your Mum, Ginny is."
"You are?" Lily gaped, touching her Mum's still-flat stomach.
"Who's the father?!" James yelped in outrage.
"James Sirius!" Draco barked. "Apologize at once!"
With a muttered sorry, James flounced back on the sofa and glared at the floor.
Harry opened his mouth, but he was interrupted by Lily's voice.
"Don't be silly, James. Karin is the father."
Karin clapped a hand over her own mouth to stifle a giggle for fear of being the next one to be scolded.
Harry removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He replaced his glasses and cleared his throat. "I am the baby's father," he stated.
"Dad, how could you?!" cried Scorpius.
The other children began firing questions.
"Will you leave Dad for Mum?"
"What about Aunt Karin?"
Harry dropped his head into his hands. Draco rubbed soothing circles on his back and crooned, "You're doing great, love. You have them right where you want them."
Harry chuckled and raised his head. He silenced the inquisition by pressing a passionate snog on Draco right there.
"Eew."
That was Albus, and Harry smiled against Draco's lips before turning his head away to look at the children once more. "If you will all be quiet and listen to me without jumping to conclusions or blurting out questions, I will explain." He paused and raised his eyebrows, but the children remained silent. "You know that your Mum loves all of you, and Carina too, very much. However, she and Karin decided they wanted another baby of their own to love. Because your Mum and I are married, it was logical that she and Karin would ask me to be the baby's father." Harry hesitated a moment before forging on. "I won't bore you or traumatize you with the details, but please be assured that this was accomplished without...er...without your Mum and I being...intimate." Harry's cheeks were red by the end of his speech.
James leaned forward and asked, "How is that possible?"
"Magic!" Lily chirped.
Harry chuckled. "Actually, we didn't use magic at all," he said. "We employed Muggle technology."
"Muggle technology?" Albus frowned.
"It's...complicated," sighed Harry. "Your Aunt Hermione can explain it to you sometime. Suffice it to say that your Mum and I didn't have to see one another naked. In fact, we weren't even in the same room."
This last was met with blank stares.
"Okay, moving on," Harry said. "What this means for all of you is that you'll have a new half brother or sister." The four children exchanged looks with one another again, and Harry resisted the urge to squirm. "What do you think of this?" he asked them.
"I think it's brilliant," squealed Lily.
"Maybe this one will be a boy," James said, giving his sister a pointed look. Lily stuck her tongue out at him.
"Boy or girl, it will be another baby to love," Harry said.
"Are you excited, Mum?" asked Albus.
"I'm terrifically happy," she beamed at him.
"Will...will you love this baby more than you love us?" Scorpius whispered.
Before he finished speaking, Ginny was on her knees beside him and enfolding him in a hug. "Oh darling, no," she exclaimed. "I love all of you very much, and this new baby will grow up to love you, too."
Karin and Lily sniffled, the boys broke out in excited chatter, and Harry slumped against Draco in relief.
"That went better than I anticipated," Draco muttered.
Harry nodded and waited until the din died down. "As you all know, this isn't something to be gossiping about," he reminded his offspring. "James, Albus and Lily may mention there will be a new baby in the family, but Scorpius, you must keep quiet on the subject. I'm sorry, son."
Scorpius nodded his head in acceptance. "Don't worry, Dad," he said. "I'm good at keeping secrets."
~tbc~
Secrets to Keep 11