A gift!fic
This fic was written tonight as a baby shower gift for
owens_mom on occasion of her and her husband adopting a little girl from China. I hope you like it, L. :D
Title: The Future of the Malfoy Name.
Author:
aquila_star
Rating: PG
Pairing: H/D, natch.
Warnings: Much fluff and sappiness.
"Draco?" Harry called to his husband from the door of their flat; after being away for three days he was very eager to see Draco, he had missed him desperately. “I’m home! Love?” he called again, moving down the hall into the kitchen. He heard an answering voice call out, “I’m in here” from the direction of Draco’s study.
Although he had chosen not to live in the Manor, Draco was still in charge of the estate, which included not only the Manor, but a large portfolio of domestic and foreign investments, in tracts of land and Wizarding businesses. It was a full time job to maintain but Draco preferred to do it himself rather than hire out.
Harry found Draco in his favorite armchair, a gift from Harry when they had set up the study.
“You’re home.” Draco said with a smile. It appeared he was not in the best of moods, but his happiness at seeing Harry was clearly genuine. “I missed you.”
“I missed you.” Harry answered, striding across the room to kneel at Draco’s feet, leaning in first to give him a sweet kiss. “What’s wrong, love?” he asked softly. Draco was prone to fits of melancholy, a result of all he had seen during the war, as well as his own involvement in the deaths of his parents. Occasionally Harry found him in this spot; nursing a strong drink and staring into the fire with a glum countenance. Harry had always been able to bring him out of it, and over the years the bouts of depression had lessened in both frequency and duration.
“Nothing, really.” Draco replied, but Harry could tell immediately that this was not the case. This sadness was not the usual; Draco was genuinely concerned about something. Harry raised a questioning brow at his husband and ran a loving hand up and down Draco’s thigh in an attempt to give him some small measure of comfort. Draco let out a deep sigh and leaned forward, kissing Harry before resting their foreheads together. Another sigh and he was ready to speak.
“Well, as I was working today I was thinking about what will happen to all this when I die.” Harry opened his mouth, as if to assure Draco that such a thing wouldn’t happen for a very long time, but Draco forestalled him with another kiss.
“Just let me finish please.” Draco asked, and Harry nodded.
“So, I was thinking and I just don’t know what to do. I can’t just let it go to the Ministry, as it likely would, and even the thought of leaving it to charity, however deserving, gives me an unsettled feeling in my stomach. The Malfoy estate and holdings are extensive, and they have been in the family for centuries. I just can’t fathom leaving it all behind, with no one to care for it, to pass it to the future generations.”
Draco paused and sighed again. “Then I realized that there won’t be any future generations. I’m it, Harry. I’m the last. The last Malfoy, and the last Black too, for that matter, besides Tonks. We’re dying out and I don’t know how to change it.”
“Oh, Draco.” Harry breathed, giving his lover a tender hug. Draco held on tightly for several moments before sighing and pulling back. “I’m so glad you’re home.” He said, before kissing Harry again.
Suddenly Draco chuckled humorlessly. “Being gay doesn’t exactly facilitate the reproductive process.”
Harry smiled back grimly. “Draco, be honest. How long have you been brooding over this?” Harry looked deeply into Draco’s eyes, imploring him to be truthful
Draco sighed, a bad habit, he thought wryly to himself. “Since my father died.” He replied quietly.
“Why haven’t you told me before? What’s been holding you back?” Harry’s eyes were very persuasive when they pinned Draco with that look. Draco smiled slightly. Harry was exceptionally perceptive, at least as it concerned him. Draco’s face grew grim once more.
“I haven’t told you because I thought you wouldn’t care about it. I didn’t think you would be concerned, or want to help continuing the Malfoy line. We’re Dark Wizards, Harry, there’s no use denying it.” Draco’s head fell forward onto Harry’s shoulder.
Harry was floored. “Draco.” He said carefully, reaching out to lift Draco’s gaze up to his once more. “I love you. I care about everything that happens to you, everything that concerns you. Besides, I married a Malfoy. You are not your father, or your family. You are Draco, and I love you. I’ll do whatever I can to help, whatever you need of me. What ever you feel is important, I’ll be right here.”
Draco smiled wanly at him, mollified by Harry’s words of assurance.
“There are things we can do, Draco. We can find a surrogate; the Muggles have a method of fertilizing without any…intimacy.”
Draco’s nose crinkled at the suggestion of Muggle technology. “No thanks, Harry.” He replied. “Besides the fact that my ancestors would roll in their graves, I would hate to have a child that was mine, but not yours.”
Harry accepted this, pulling Draco into another warm hug.
“We could always adopt.” Harry whispered into Draco’s hair.
Draco pulled back to look at him. “Adopt? Really?” Apparently the thought had never occurred to him.
“Sure.” Harry replied, catching Draco’s eyes again. “We can find a little boy, a wizard of course, with blond hair and far too much arrogance,” Draco mock punched him, but Harry continued. “One who is alone in the world and we can make him ours. He can carry on the family name, and although he won’t be blood related, he’ll be raised as a Malfoy with as much love as we can cram into every day. He’ll be as much mine as yours.”
Draco brightened at the idea. “He’ll be ours.” He said, happily, as if struck by an epiphany.
“Yes.” Harry agreed. “We’ll send him to Hogwarts and you can teach him all about your family, the history and your plans for the future. We’ll be a family, Draco.” Harry grinned at his husband, and Draco grinned back.
“Are you sure, Harry?” Draco asked, concerned. “We’ve never talked about children; I don’t want to pressure you into anything.” Draco gazed deep into his husband’s green eyes, searching for an answer.
“As a matter of fact, I’ve always wanted children. I’ve longed to show someone the love I had missed growing up, but I never thought it would happen. I’d given it up. Like you said being gay isn’t conducive to having kids.”
Harry held his lover close, tucking his face into Draco’s neck. “I would love to raise a child with you, Draco. Nothing could make me happier.”
“It’s perfect, then, Harry. We’ll do it!” Draco was beaming brightly now. They shared a long, loving kiss before breaking off to smile at each other.
“We’ll get started on the paperwork tomorrow.” Harry promised.
Draco took Harry’s face between his hands, rubbing his thumbs across Harry’s perfect cheekbones. “Thank you, Harry.” He whispered; his voice thick with emotion. “I love you.”
“I love you, Draco.”
******** ******** ********
Several months later, Harry and Draco were lounging in the sitting room, enjoying a drink and movie-Harry had introduced Draco to television and the blond wizard, after a day of watching, had declared decisively, “Perhaps Muggles aren’t completely useless.”- when an owl swooped in through the Floo.
Harry sat up and removed the letter, reading the envelope and turning to Draco with an awed look.
“It’s from the adoption agency.”
“Well, open it then!” Draco exclaimed, sitting up straight and on the edge of his seat, both literally and figuratively. Harry opened the envelope with shaking hands and scanned it quickly before turning to Draco again, smiling brilliantly.
“There’s a baby for us! We can pick him up next week.”
Draco leapt to his feet, pulling Harry up by the hand to join him, wrapping him in a tight hug. They held each other close, laughing and crying and spinning each other around in circles until they were dizzy and light headed from lack of oxygen.
“I owe it all to you, Harry.” Draco whispered once they had calmed down.
“You’ll be a wonderful father, Draco.” They shared a loving kiss, their faces wet with tears of joy.
“Wow.” Harry remarked after they had released each other. “I guess we got a little carried away there, hopping around like Hufflepuffs.”
Draco’s nose wrinkled and he fixed Harry with a withering glare, made much less fierce by the tear tracks on his face.
“I have no idea what you mean, Potter.” He declared, in a voice reminiscent of his schoolboy sneer. “But if you ever tell anyone about his, I’ll be forced to hex you, baby or not.”
Harry barked a laugh, wrapping his arms around Draco’s waist and kissing his pointed nose.
“Whatever you say, love.”