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Draco goggled at them. His mother smirked at him. "Do I get to know what they are?" Draco asked impatiently. |
"I'm sure you'll find out some eventually," Hermione said breezily, then walked out the door into the foyer, his mother following behind. |
Draco set about cleaning the glass up out of the fireplace. Once the evidence of his "dramatics" was cleaned away, Draco plopped back down on the sofa. He sat staring into the fire, twirling his signet ring around his finger. He felt like an expectant father all over again, waiting for a bundle of joy to be thrust into his arms. He found it odd that his three children became his so differently. |
Scorpius came with so much mixed emotions; joy and sorrow, birth and death. The beginning of Scorpius" life brought with it the end of his mother's. The birth of his son also brought about great change in Draco, seeking forgiveness for his past deeds and forgiving the cruelty of others who judged him for his impossible choices. Scorpius saved him. He brought light into Draco's life and drove away the dark. |
He became Rose's father through words and deeds. Bedtime stories about unicorns and princesses in disguise. Fast broom rides and Quidditch lessons. Rose was his princess. Rose imperiously claimed him as hers and stubbornly refused to listen to anyone that said otherwise. |
Minerva would become his through magic. Blood magic, though often considered to be dark, would bring another light into his life. She would become a Malfoy through blood magic. The first Malfoy daughter in centuries, Draco was sure. Probably the first ever adopted Malfoy. |
The door opened, and Minerva came into the room with his mother guiding her. The hollow look was slowly ebbing from her eyes and being replaced with a wary hope. His mother had cleaned her up, removing the remaining tufts of auburn hair and scrubbing out the blood that remained stubbornly behind after he and Hermione had healed her cuts. She was an odd contradiction with her shaved head and pretty emerald green dress and black Mary Janes. |
She approached him timidly, and Draco patted the seat beside him on the sofa. She sat down beside him and looked up at him. He could see the hope shining out of her eyes. |
"Mum says you found a way to make me not a Weasley anymore," Minerva said quietly, looking down at her hands. |
"Your mum and Nana Cissa have found a way," Draco answered, "Your mum has gone to get someone to help us." |
"Mum said that I have to do a blood ritual. Why can't I just say I'm not a Weasley anymore?" she asked. |
"You said you didn't want the Weasley hair and eyes anymore. Dropping the Weasley name will not make those things go away. It's in your blood. The blood ritual will allow you to forsake your father's blood," he explained. "We can just drop the Weasley name if that's what you want. If you can be alright with the Weasley hair and eyes. Is that what you want?" |
Minerva shook her head emphatically, "So I'll just be a Granger then?" Minerva asked. |
Draco sighed heavily. He wasn't looking forward to having a modified version of "the sex talk" with his daughter. Draco started explaining a little uncomfortable, "Witches and wizards are made up of both their mother's and father's magic. That mingling of magic makes up who we are at our core, and we cannot exist without both. To forsake your father's blood, another must take his place." |
"You?" she asked. |
Draco nodded, "If you'll have me. You'll be a Malfoy. You'll look like Scorpius and me." |
She lunged at him then, burying her head into his side, "Thank you," she mumbled over and over again like a litany. Draco hugged her to him and dropped a kiss onto her bald head. |
"I knew I was doing the right thing," a voice Draco didn't recognize called from the doorway. |
"Uncle George!" Minerva called. |
George Weasley, with his long, shaggy, carrot-colored hair, strode into the room looking solemn followed by his siblings. Draco was familiar with Bill, mostly because Bill had been one of the first apologies Draco had gone to make when he'd sought to make amends. He knew Charlie by the scars and tattoos. Ginny walked in behind her older brothers with Harry beside her. |
No Percy, but Draco hadn't expected Percy Weasley ever to darken his doorway. Draco and Ron Weasley might be personal enemies, both fighting for the affections of Hermione. Draco and Percy were political rivals. If Draco wanted something, Percy opposed it, whether for spite or because he didn't believe in whatever bill Draco was proposing, Draco never knew. Hermione closed the door behind her. |
"Hey Peanut," George said, crouching down in front of Minerva. |
"Why are you calling me a peanut?" she asked, looking affronted by George's nickname. |
He palmed her head and jiggled it a little, "You look like a peanut with your new hairstyle. Maybe it would look good on me. What do you think?" he asked, flicking his shaggy hair off his shoulders. |
"Nah, you probably have a lumpy head," she answered with a grin. George started feeling for lumps on his head comically. "You all came to help me?" Minerva asked. |
"Yes. I volunteered first, so I get the honors, but we all agreed to help you." George said simply, taking both her hands in his, "Before we get started, I want to tell you something. Family is more than people who share your blood. Family is people who are there for you to celebrate the good times and pick you up and carry you during the bad. If I understand what Hermione is telling me, after this ritual, we won't be blood-related anymore, but that doesn't mean we aren't family. We'll always be family. You'll always be a part of us. We do this for you because we love you and we want what's best for you." |
Minerva launched herself off the sofa and hugged her uncle, nearly knocking him down, so fierce was her relief that he'd come to help. George managed to stand and wrapped an arm around Minerva's shoulders. |
Draco stood and held his hand out to the man, grateful that they had understood Minerva's need enough to give her up. George grasped his hand hard, giving him an appraising look. Something in Draco's face must have reassured the man because he nodded and let go. Bill and Charlie both clapped Draco on the back. The percussive force of their slaps jolted him forward, causing both men to chuckle. Draco righted himself and winced dramatically, reminding them that their brother had almost killed him. He smirked devilishly at them over Hermione's head when she came forward to fuss over him and scolded Bill and Charlie for hurting him. |
"We appreciate what your family is doing for Minerva. We understand how hard it is to ask this of you," Draco said to the Weasley siblings. |
"What he did to you, Hermione, and the girls was despicable," George spat, refusing to utter his brother's name, "There must be consequences for what he's done. If giving her a new father and a new last name helps her heal, then, while it saddens us to let her go, we will because it's what's best for her," George said, looking down in sympathy at Minerva and squeezing her into his side. |
"She and her sister will be treasured as daughters of the House of Malfoy," Draco said formally, "I'll make sure they never want for anything." |
George nodded, "You're just getting Minerva as a Malfoy today, but we decided that when Rose gets older, if she decides she wants to be a Malfoy as well, we'll agree to it. We agreed with Hermione to let you be their father. Do a better job than he did," he said to Draco, then turned to look down at Minerva, "Well, Peanut, are you ready for this?" |
Minerva nodded, "Thank you, Uncle George." |
"So," Harry asked awkwardly, "How are we doing this?" |
"Let's all move over here to this open space," Hermione said, directing them to the open area between the chairs and his and Hermione's desk. |
They formed a loose circle with Minerva and his mother in the middle. George and Draco stood in front of Minerva with Harry and Ginny behind her. Bill and Charlie stood opposite Hermione. Hermione handed Draco and George each a slip of paper. |
"Okay," Hermione started, "First, I need to do a spell that will reveal the bonds tying Minerva to her father. It's a pretty big spell, and it will cover everyone in the room. It's also difficult to maintain, and I won't be able to hold it for long, so I'm going to ask that you keep any questions about what you see to yourselves until we're done. Is everyone comfortable being a part of the spell?" They all nodded their agreement. "I'll give you a minute to look at the bonds then we'll move forward. Narcissa will help you three throughout the spell while I focus on the bonds." |
His mother stepped up and started to explain what she would be doing. They went through a practice run before they started the proceedings. Draco searched Minerva's face one last time before Hermione cast the spell, "Are you sure this is what you want? There's no going back after this." |
"I'm sure," she answered firmly. |
"Okay, everyone ready?" Hermione said. She waved her wand over her head and said "Animabus nostris, qui tenetur ad invicem per caritatem familiaeque." |
A large, silvery dome shot out of her wand encompassing the occupants in the circle. Once the silvery wall of the dome hit the floor, a vast spiderweb of color appeared between them. Colors shot from each person and connected to others in the group or shot off to end at the dome. |
Draco looked at the threads shooting out from his chest. A blue thread ran to the outside of the dome. Another ran between him and his mother. A thick, gold thread connected him to Hermione at their hearts, as well as two sets of blue threads that connected from her abdomen to him. |
Along with the blue and gold that connected Hermione to Draco, were two more blue threads branching out from Hermione, one to Minerva and another to the edge of the dome. Minerva had multiple blue threads heading to the edge of the dome, as well as the myriad of blue connecting her to all the Weasleys in the room. |
Draco looked across to Ginny and Harry. They had a gold thread connecting the two of them, along with three blue threads coming from both of them. Two that stopped at the dome and one that joined them together at Ginny's abdomen. |
Draco connected the dots of what that meant. He hadn't dared to hope what the blue threads connecting him to Hermione indicated earlier, but seeing the same connection between Harry and Ginny allowed him to rejoice at the news. "Hermione," he said in wonder. He got a faint smile from her and noticed the fine sheen of sweat breaking out on her brow. He turned to his mother, "Mother, let's get this started." |
His mother walked up to stand beside Minerva. She took a black dagger out of her pocket and took Minerva's hand in her own. "I'm sorry my dear, but this will hurt." She sliced the dagger quickly across Minerva's hand, leaving a shallow cut and blood pooling in the palm of Minerva's hand. Minerva bit her lip to keep from crying out at the sight of the blood in her palm. |
His mother quickly wiped the blade of the knife on her emerald green dress, leaving streaks of red. She then took George's proffered hand in hers and cut his palm as well. She placed Minerva and George's palms together and nodded at Minerva to proceed. |
In a strong, sure voice, Minerva intoned, "I, Minerva Helen Granger-Weasley, reject as my blood the Most Noble House of Weasley. I ask that the House of Weasley willingly relinquish me as their blood kin." |
George placed the tip of his wand over their joined hands. White strands wrapped around their joined hands and traveled down their arms to wrap around the blue threads radiating from them. "Minerva Helen Granger-Weasley, blood of my blood, I, George Septimus Weasley, speaking for the Most Noble House of Weasley, do hereby relinquish you, from your bond as our kin. We willingly break this bond and give you into the keeping of another." |
The Weasley siblings gasped as the blue threads connecting them to Minerva faded. Minerva now only had two blue threads that joined her, one to her mother and the other to her sister. His mother took Draco's hand and swiped a quick cut across his palm. She took Minerva's hand and placed their palms together. |
Minerva looked up at him; those innocent, hopeful eyes drew him in. "I, Minerva Helen Granger, ask the Most Noble House of Malfoy to accept me as their blood kin." |
Draco placed his wand over their joined hands and looked into Minerva's eyes. White strands encompassed their hands again to swirl around the threads at their hearts. "Minerva Helen Granger, I, Draco Lucius Malfoy, speaking as the Head of the Most Noble House of Malfoy, do hereby form this bond with you, and accept you as my kin, as blood of my blood, and as my own blooded daughter. From this day forth, you shall have the protection of the Malfoy line and name and shall bear the name Minerva Helen Granger-Malfoy." |
Blue threads appeared between the two of them, as well as one connecting her to his mother and another running outside the dome. Minerva was now a Malfoy and his daughter. He marveled at the threads before they wavered and disappeared along with the silvery dome surrounding them. |
Draco looked over at Hermione, his hand still clasped around Minerva's. He could feel himself bursting with joy. He saw Hermione stumble and struggle to right herself. Harry was beside her in an instant and had an arm snaked around her waist. Draco rushed over and scooped her up into his arms. He carried her over to the sofa, brushing off her protests. |
"I'm fine," she protested weakly, "Put me down. You'll hurt yourself." |
Draco gingerly settled her down on the sofa as if she were made of glass. He knelt down on the floor in front of the sofa and brushed her hair off her forehead. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed the sweat away. |
"You're pregnant?" he said quietly to her. |
She looked unsure and apprehensive, "That's what it looks like. I know we didn't talk about this, and we didn't exactly plan for it. Are you mad?" |
He interrupted her with a kiss, soft and sweet, full of the joy he was feeling. "If I get any happier, I might burst. Did you know before we did this?" |
Hermione shook her head. The pregnancy was a surprise to both of them, though it shouldn't have been. They hadn't exactly been diligent about casting contraceptive charms. He hadn't reminded her or cast the charm himself, which was not something he would have forgotten in the past. With Hermione though, he hadn't cared about casting the charm. |
"It's so soon," she worried. |
"I know," he admitted, "but that doesn't make it any less of a happy occasion. We haven't done things the normal way in this relationship yet. Why start now?" |
"People will say such horrid things," she continued to fret, rubbing a hand protectively over her abdomen. |
"And then they'll remember what it's like to cross a Malfoy," Draco said darkly. Anyone that disparaged the mother of his children would find themselves face to face with the full force of the Malfoy wrath. |
"You can't go around hexing people," Hermione chided. |
"I'm not a Gryffindor, remember. Hexing people is so," he said, waving his hand, looking for the right word, "straightforward. Mild discomfort and then the person goes back to their lives, probably not even sorry that they hurt someone's feelings. That's so... unrewarding." |
"You're going to be dreadfully overbearing the next nine months, aren't you?" she asked with a playful smile. |
"I've always been overbearing," he answered her. He dropped the grin though and let her see the vulnerability he was hiding from the rest of the room, "I need you to let me," he begged, "I'm probably going to be overbearing and overprotective. You'll be lucky if your feet touch the ground or you get to lift anything heavier than a paperback book. I know it will be annoying for you, but I need you to be patient with me." |
She looked like she wanted to protest but Draco forestalled her. "Astoria...I...you," Draco stuttered, "It hurt losing her, and I mourned everything she would miss. It would destroy me if I lost you." |
"Oh Draco," she sighed. She propped herself up on an elbow and ran her hands across his furrowed brow, soothing away the worry lines. "Everything will be fine. I've done this twice before. Sturdy, Muggleborn birthing hips and all that," she joked, patting the flair of her hips, "Now stop fretting. We've got a bunch of people over there trying to discreetly not get caught listening to what we're talking about." |
Draco looked over at the group of people still milling about in the center of the room. His mother had scourgified the blood off her emerald sheath dress and healed Minerva and George's cuts. She couldn't hide the smile on her face. Harry had the grace to blush and look away at getting caught eavesdropping. Ginny had no such compunctions and smirked at him. |
George grinned unrepentantly, tapped his cursed ear, and said, "Sorry, couldn't hear that. I'm sure it was ear-istably nauseating. If you start worshipping Hermione because she's pregnant, the rest of us lackwits are going to get an earful from our wives." |
Bill groaned at that. Charlie chuckled, "I'm glad I only have to deal with dragons." |
"How long can he make the ear jokes?" Draco asked quietly. |
"Days," Hermione laughed. |
Hermione sat up on the sofa and Draco protested that she should keep lying down. He got her to compromise by keeping her feet up on the couch. He fluffed a pillow up behind her so that she could recline back on it, and sat down beside her with her feet in his lap. |
"Come over and sit down guys, since I'm obviously not going anywhere," Hermione called. |
"And so it begins," George intoned ominously. |
Bill and Charlie said goodbye, hugging Minerva and congratulating Hermione and Draco before they left. |
"Mind if we widen the chairs, Draco?" Harry asked politely. |
"No, no, go ahead," Draco said distractedly, looking for Minerva and beckoning her over. He took her hand in his and checked to make sure that her cut was fully healed. Minerva and Hermione let him fuss unnecessarily over them. |
He wrapped a handkerchief around his cut. He would leave it to heal on its own. Maybe his mother had cut deep enough, and it would scar. He always wanted to be able to see the reminder of how Minerva became his. |
"How are you feeling, angel?" he asked. |
"Fine," she answered, shuffling from one foot to the other and biting her lip in a way that was so similar to her mother. Without the red hair, he could fully see how much she resembled her mother. The color of her blue eyes was starting to fade a little. |
"Hermione, look at her eyes," Draco said excitedly. |
"Come here, love," Hermione said. Minerva sat beside Hermione on the sofa and let Hermione take her face in both her hands and turn her head this way and that to catch her eyes in the different light as she closely examined her daughter. "It's working. Her eyes will probably be gray by morning." |
"Does this mean that her hair will change too?" Harry asked from the love seat they'd created beside Draco. |
Hermione nodded, "It should be blonde like Draco's when it grows back." |
"Speaking of growing back," his mother said from her seat on the love seat closest to Hermione, "We can't send her back to school looking like this. I had one of the elves get some Hair Replenishing potion while you were at the Burrow. With your permission, I'd like to take her and Rose over to the manor. I'll put the potion on her since you can't now in your condition. And maybe we'll have a bit of fun playing in the vaults." |
His mother was going to spoil those girls. She'd always wanted daughters and granddaughters to do girly things with. Rose would come home with a priceless tiara attached to her head, he just knew it. Maybe Minerva could use the distraction of playing in a jewelry vault to help ease the trauma of the last couple of weeks. |
"Please, mum," Minerva begged excitedly. |
"That's fine. Make sure you tell Nana Cissa if you feel funny at all," Hermione said, smiling at her daughter. |
"She's not in any danger, right?" Draco asked worriedly, not ready to let Minerva out of his sight yet. |
Hermione shot him a glare, the look saying "as if I would do a dangerous spell on my daughter," "No, she'll be fine. Being at the manor around the Malfoy family magic for a few hours would probably help solidify the bond." |
"Mum? Are you pregnant?" Minerva asked, looking between Draco and Hermione. |
"Yes, love. Twins apparently," Hermione answered, "How do you feel about that?" she asked, taking her daughter's hand in her own and looking a little unsure. Draco couldn't blame her. He was a bit hesitant how Minerva would react to this news with everything that had been going on. |
"Are they going to cry a lot?" Minerva asked. |
"That is what babies do," Hermione answered. |
Minerva wrinkled her nose up, "Do I have to change the diapers?" |
"You are expected to help when you're home from school," Hermione said calmly. |
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