Draco saw the green light bright around him. He had a momentary thought, So this is what it's like to die-before something slammed him hard. He thought death would be softer, somehow. The curse was so swift. He thought his soul would be released so quickly and easily, but it was painful and hard, and the coldness was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Was this what becoming a ghost was like? He chilled at the thought. After his encounter with his own father's ghost, he had promised Harry he wouldn't become one. After all, in the end, he hadn't been afraid to die to save Harry and the babies. And he would certainly see Harry again on the other side. He knew that to be true because he saw his parents reunite. So why did he feel so awful?

"I hate death," he said, slightly surprised he was saying it with lips and breath and tongue.

"So do I," said a familiar voice.

It was the hardest thing he had ever done, but Draco pried opened his eyes and looked at the face-of Albus Dumbledore.

Draco jerked upright. He was lying on a bed somewhere...St Mungos? "What the hell happened? Albus!"

Dumbledore touched his shoulder, reassuring him that he was indeed alive. "All is well, Draco. Harry is unhurt, and Pansy is being cared for in the maternity wing. She is soon to deliver. It is believed the babies are fine."

"But...the curse. The Avada Kedavra. Someone-"

"I did," said the old wizard quietly. "I arrived, as they say, in the 'nick of time'. She was surely about to dispatch you, and I couldn't have that. It is very difficult to find a competent Potions Master."

Draco absorbed this. Dumbledore slew the witch, the babies were going to be delivered, and Harry-

"Where is he?" He sprang out of bed.

"Wait, Draco." He grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him back. "He's not ready to see you yet."

"What do you mean? You said he was all right."

The old wizard had not released Draco's arm. "He is. But you used...an unusual method to release him from possession."

Draco searched the man's face for clues. "Yes. I had to. It was all I could think of."

"I know. And it was very clever. But you must realize that the last person to visit that hex upon him was-"

"Voldemort." Draco staggered back. Oh God! "But...surely he would realize-"

"Of course, Draco. In time. Give him time. But now you must go to Pansy. I believe the moment of delivery is immanent."

Thoughts of Harry flooded his mind. Harry couldn't possibly...hate him...could he?

He looked up at the wizard. "Albus, I did it out of love."

He patted Draco's shoulder. "I know. So does he, deep down. Allow it to come to the surface. Come along now." He steered Draco's dragging steps through the ward and toward the maternity wing. They walked a long way past bed after bed. The patients looked up at him aghast. Was it his shabby and dirty appearance? Oh no. That's right. It was because he was the infamous Draco Malfoy. They can all bugger themselves.

"Here is where I leave you."

Draco stared at the door he hadn't realized they reached and looked up in to the old man's face. "Why?"

"Because you are one of the fathers and I am not allowed beyond this point. It is just as well. I am a bit squeamish."

"You?"

Dumbledore smiled.

Draco sighed and pushed open the door. Healers were moving back and forth between the stations and the beds. He could see doors beyond the end of the ward and he moved toward them, wondering exactly where he was supposed to go.

"Oh! Mr. Malfoy! Thank Merlin!" Healer Jordan grabbed his arm. "You must hurry now. Where is Mr. Potter?"

"I don't know. I mean...he can't come right now."

"Dear, dear. How inconvenient. Miss Parkinson was in a bad way when we brought her in. But I think she's much better. The twins are a bit early but not too early so all will be well. Have you ever been in a delivery room before? No? Well don't worry; I'm sure you'll bear up. Oh look! Here is Mr. Potter now."

Draco ground to a halt. He stared at Harry who wasn't looking at him. The healer glared at them both exasperated. "Gentlemen! We really haven't got all day!"

"Sod off!" yelled Draco. "We'll be there in a minute!"

Healer Jordan drew herself up and straightened her robe. "Well! I will be in the delivery room, then."

Harry and Draco were suddenly left alone. Draco longed to crush him in his arms, but Harry stood pale and aloof with a strange expression on his face. Draco cleared his suddenly cramped throat. "Harry. I am so sorry for using the curse on you. It was the only way."

"Oh I know that. It was quite effective." He hadn't raised his eyes from the ground.

"I would have done anything to save you and the babies. You know that, don't you? I was ready to die myself."

Harry nodded, studying the floor.

"Harry. Please. Look at me."

"I can't right now, okay?"

"But Harry-"

"Drop it, Draco. I said I can't now, and I meant it. It will be...fine. Fine."

He turned, but Draco wouldn't let him pass. He grabbed his elbow and yanked him back. "It's not fine! The person I most love in this whole world can't even look me in the eye because he thinks I did something...well, unforgivable to him." He made a half-hearted chuckle but it came out more like a cough. "Hell, Harry. That's why they call those curses that. Because they are unforgivable. But you must know that I didn't do it to you. I did it to her."

"I know all that. I do. But Voldemort was the last person to do that to me. And I just can't shake off that memory. It blends now with what you did to me."

"But I didn't-"

"But you did."

He looked up then and Draco could see that his eyes were back to normal, except that they were filled with hurt.

"Please don't punish me for this," Draco whispered. Tears burned his eyes. "I love you almost beyond bearing. I would do anything for you. You know that. And I am so sorry I hurt you. I would never, ever do such a thing to you. Please, Harry. Please forgive me. Please...love me again."

Draco's words seemed to snap Harry out of it. He looked at Draco then. Really looked at him. Scoured every inch of his face with his eyes.

Draco stood stock still afraid to move, afraid to breathe.

Very slowly, Harry stepped forward and tentatively raised his hands to Draco's face until he was cupping his cheeks. "I haven't stopped loving you. How could I ever do that?"

"Harry...."

Harry smiled gently and pulled Draco's face closer. He placed a tender kiss on his lips and drew back to look at him. "I love you, Draco. Nothing will change that. And I'll get over it. I'm already getting over it. You are too irresistible to me."

Draco sniffed. "Really?"

"Yes. And besides. We've got to go in there. We're about to be fathers."

Draco finally smiled. "Yeah." He wiped the tears from his face as well as those at Harry's eyes. "Time to act like men, eh?"

Harry's smile was genuine. He took Draco's hand and squeezed it. "Yeah. Like men."

* * *

It wasn't like anything Harry thought it would be. Oh he remembered the occasional telly program he was allowed to watch at the Dursleys when women were in labour, but a magical delivery room was something entirely different.

Everyone was waving wands and levitating something or other. Pansy was lying on a bed-like table and Healer Jordon was talking softly to her and giving her potions to drink, which didn't seem to agree with her because she was constantly grimacing. Then her labour pains would take hold of her and she would grip the sheets and yell her lungs out. Pansy was never an attractive girl by Harry's estimation, and this situation certainly wasn't helping matters. She definitely wasn't glowing with impending motherhood.

He looked over at Draco who was bearing up quite well despite Pansy's screaming and the strange instruments they wheeled out.

Harry didn't know why he had been so foolish about it all. Draco had done the only thing he could have done. He saved all their lives. Why should a little thing like a torture curse get between them? Well, it did hurt like hell. But he supposed the thing that hurt more was that Draco was able to perform it on him! Of course, being rational about it, it really wasn't on him but on the witch. Still. It was a dreadful thing to have done to anyone. But he could easily forgive Draco. He was just too hard to stay mad at. Too sad. Too repentant. Too adorable. He reached over and clasped his hand. Draco looked up at Harry gratefully. Oh yes. It was easy to forgive those big, loving eyes.

Healer Jordan pushed them none too gently out of the way. "It's time, gentlemen. All right, Miss Parkinson. Let's have some babies!"

"Just get them the hell out of me! Potter! I blame you for all this! And just what the hell was all that before in the cave?"

"Er...um...there was this Dark witch and she possessed my body-"

Everyone suddenly stopped and looked up at Harry.

Harry pulled his collar away from his neck and tried not to look at the staring witches and wizards. "She's dead now," he said with a shrug. "No worries."

Slowly, they resumed their work, but cast furtive glances toward him now and again.

"Possessed? Wait till I get my wand back. Forget my wand! I'll strangle you with my bare hands! I should have known better than to get mixed-up with the Savior of the Wizarding world!"

"Really, Pans," said Draco, sounding like his old self again. "It's just a couple of little babies."

Her face reddened so much Harry thought for a moment someone must have hexed her. "You ungrateful, sodding, catamite! Fucking shirt lifter! Blood traitor! Poo pirate!"

Draco raised a brow. "Honestly, Pansy dear. I think someone needs a hug."

She hissed and tried to rise. Draco leapt back in fear. Healer Jordan looked back over her shoulder. "Nothing to be alarmed about, gents. All women do this in the delivery room. They blame their husbands. But I suppose in this case...erm...." She shrugged and turned back to her charge. "All right Miss Parkinson. You've dilated enough and I think you can go ahead and push now."

"Really. That's a jolly good idea!" She screwed up her face again and did just that.

Harry cringed. This really looked painful. He grabbed Draco's hand. He felt a little sorry for Pansy. And a little guilty for making her go through it.

She screamed again as she pushed, much harder this time. Harry scooted over and got a good look at what the healer was concentrating on.

Harry had changed Annie's nappies all the time and that was the closest he had ever been to a girls' privates. He'd never been with a girl, though he knew what all the parts were. But this! There was blood and clamps and...and...He looked over at Draco who was staring as well. Draco seemed to sense what he was asking and he looked over at Harry with a grimace, as if to say, 'Nope. I don't miss it.'

Then, the top of a head appeared. It was pink but had a thatch of dark hair. Harry gasped. That had to be Harry's! Draco's hand tightened in his. The healer cradled the emerging head carefully, reaching inside Pansy and gently twisting the shoulders to allow them to pull free. The baby's head was out but there was no sound. Harry watched as the pink, squirming, and mucus-encrusted infant was lifted up. A spell hissed across and severed the cord. Finally, the baby opened its mouth and wailed a cat's cry.

Healer Jordan turned to the men. "It's a boy," she said, though it was a bit obvious when she turned the baby toward them. "I'll clean him and hand him to you."

She incanted a gentle Scourgify, wrapped the baby in a blanket, and handed him toward the fathers. Harry reached out, but before he could take it, Draco scooped up the baby. Cradling the child, he looked down at it, completely mystified. "Harry," he said softly. "It's...you."

Harry leaned up against Draco and looked down. The baby had stopped crying and was making sucking sounds. His thatch of black hair hung in a tufted fringe over his wide forehead. He seemed to look an awful lot like Harry. "I guess so," he said awkwardly.

"This is our son," said Draco, just as softly as before. "And he'll be just like you. I know he will." Draco bent down and gently kissed the tiny head.

Harry was completely gobsmacked. Draco was holding Harry's flesh and blood as if it were his own. In fact, it looked very much as if he would not surrender him anytime soon. And Harry was perfectly content just to watch him.

"Here comes the other one!" said Jordan.

Harry awoke from his daydream. There was another child to attend to!

Pansy wailed again and the head began to crown. There was a lot of blood and mucus this time. Harry felt woozy and had to momentarily turn away.

By the time he had mastered his stomach, the healer was Scourgifying another infant and wrapping it in a blanket.

She handed the twitching bundle to Harry. "Congratulations, Mr. Potter. Another boy."

Harry looked down at the baby in his arms. "Oh my God." It was Draco to a "T", from its pointy little nose to its pointy little chin. There was even a fuzz of white blond hair on the head and white blond eyebrows arched over petulant silver eyes. "Oh my God," he whispered again. Could one's heart burst from love? Harry felt that his was about to. He couldn't look away. He wanted to show him to Draco but he couldn't take his eyes from the baby's little face.

He felt tears on his cheeks and Draco nudging his shoulder. "I'll be damned," said Draco, looking at his other son. Finally, Harry was able to tear his eyes away and gaze at his husband. Draco's face was a mess of tears.

"You have a son, Draco."

"I have two sons." He kissed Harry and Harry kissed him back. "I'm so very glad we did this."

"Hey!" They whipped around. Pansy was frowning at them. "How about me? How about a 'good show, Parkinson.' Or a 'thank you', if that's the very least I can expect. I did the hard work anyway."

Harry smiled. "Thank you, Pansy. You know how much I appreciated all you did. Do you want to see them?" He held up the baby and approached the bed.

"NO!"

Harry startled to a stop.

"No. Take them away. I don't ever want to see them. You have your babies and I'll expect my galleons to be at Parkinson Place when I get home."

Draco frowned. "You'll get your galleons, you heartless cow."

"Heartless cow, am I? Right, Draco mine. As heartless as your purchase of your children. Well boys, the shop is closed. They'll be no returns."

Draco clutched the baby. "Come on, Harry. Healer Jordon? What do we do now?"

"Erm...." She looked worriedly over at Pansy as she was levitated out, still complaining. "There are papers to sign and some pamphlets to give you, but I'll give you a few moments if you'll both just step in here."

She led them into a private room, lit the candles with a Lumos, and then left them.

Harry and Draco both sat on the settee together, shoulders touching, and looked at the babies in the other's arms. "Want to switch?" asked Draco.

"Yeah. Let me see." They struggled awkwardly for a moment, until they could slip each child to the other father.

"I wish my parents could have been here," said Harry wistfully, looking down on the dark-haired bundle.

"If your parents had been here, the whole world would have been different."

"That's for sure."

They sat holding their children for a long, quiet span.

Draco leaned into Harry and looked at his face. Suddenly, he lifted his dark fringe. "Hey Harry. Are you still Disillusioning your scar?"

"Oops. I forgot to."

"No, mate. There's no need. It's gone again."

Harry slapped his hand to his forehead and felt around it with his fingertips. "I wonder what that means."

"I hope it means this nightmare is over."

"Maybe her possessing me whisked it away for good."

"I'm sure Dumbledore will have something enigmatic to say about it."

Harry chuckled. "No doubt. I'm just glad it's gone again."

"If it never comes back that will be too soon."

They fell silent, merely listening to the babies make their little noises, just absorbing the wonderful feeling of the warm softness in their arms.

"You really mustn't be too harsh with Pansy," Harry said quietly. "This must be very hard for her."

"Harry, you give her too much credit."

"No, Draco. Really. You didn't visit her for all those months. She was really struggling with it."

"Didn't I tell you not to go?"

"I'm glad I did. I got to feel the babies move."

"We'll you'll feel a lot more in a second. I think this one just wet my robe."

Harry giggled.

"Laugh it up, Potter. You're next."

And just as Draco said it, Harry felt something warm and decidedly wet growing on his own robe. "Whoops!"

He looked at Draco and they both laughed. "So Harry," said Draco after they shifted and dried their bundles with a spell. "What shall we name them?"

He turned to Draco with an earnest face. "Don't get angry, but I've been thinking about this for a while."

"Why would I be angry?" said Draco in that voice that Harry knew meant he was about to get angry.

"It's just that...I'd like to name mine...Lucius Malfoy-Potter. We'd call him Luc. I don't think I could actually tell a 'Lucius' I love him. But do you think it's all right?"

Draco stared for a moment before he burst into laughter.

"What? Did you want to name yours Lucius? I can understand if you'd rather-"

"Harry, that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard. And the funniest. Want to know what I wanted to name mine? James."

Harry smiled so wide he thought his face was going to crack. "Really?"

"Yes, really. How would our parents like that?"

"Well, at least you can ask yours."

"My father will have a skrewt that you've named yours Lucius and I didn't. Why do you want to, anyway?"

Harry kissed the dark-haired baby. "Because I want him to be fully yours as well. Why did you pick James?"

"Same thing. Dear me. We're beginning to think alike."

"Married couples do that."

"But what's with 'Malfoy-Potter'? I thought you didn't want any funny hyphenations."

"Well...it's nice to have both names, don't you think?"

"So...James Potter-Malfoy?"

"No, they're brothers. They should have the same surname. Malfoy-Potter is fine with me."

"Oh it would be, wouldn't it? You've assigned my name to the wife's place."

"I did not! I didn't know. I was just going alphabetically."

"Don't worry, Harry. That's all right. I've always been your bride, I guess."

"No you haven't! We'll do it the other way round, if you like."

"No. I like the sound of 'Malfoy-Potter'. I should be first. Pureblood and all." He smiled. Harry's mouth fell open appalled, until he realized Draco was joking with him.

"I'd hex you for that, but you're holding my little blond Jamie."

"And I'd never dare do anything to hurt my precious dark-haired Luc."

* * *

They had expected the babies to be born in July, not the end of June. So the school term was just winding down with a fortnight to go. Cradles were quickly set up in their Hogwarts suite and Harry and Draco juggled their schedules in order to care for the babies. Dumbledore offered to let them off, but Harry wanted to see off his seventh years properly.

They gathered in the Defense classroom, his favorite seventh years. Suddenly, a muffled sound of a baby crying permeated the walls followed by another baby's wail. The students stared at Harry's study door.

"Erm...it hasn't been officially announced, but I guess I can tell you all. Draco and I are fathers. Those are our twins in there."

No one said anything for a long time. Suddenly, Felicia Rosencrantz made a high-pitched squeal and jumped to her feet. That seemed to be the cue, and soon Harry was surrounded by his well-wishing students.

He was all smiles. "Thank you. Thank you all. Really. Please." They moved back to their places when Rupert Fenwick raised a tentative hand. "Yes, Mr. Fenwick?"

"Pardon my asking, sir, but...how...?"

"Yes," said Rosencrantz. "You didn't...."

The class seemed to lean forward en masse. Harry looked at them perplexed until he suddenly got it. "Oh! Oh no! Of course not! Even I can't do that! No, we had a surrogate."

The class relaxed with a collective sigh.

"What are they, sir?" asked Serenity Hudson. "Boy or girl?"

"Two boys." Harry blushed. "So...." He looked back at the study door, wondering how Draco was dealing with the two. They had both been up all night with them as it was. "Let's get back to Defense." He sat on the edge of his desk while the class huddled around him. "I must tell you something. I said I was going to teach you Unforgivables." The class quieted again. Not a sound was heard, not even a breath. "But I've changed my mind. There is really quite a good reason they are called that. And I'm afraid I couldn't forgive myself if I was the one responsible for teaching them to you."

Felicia stood up. "Sir. That's really quite all right. We already decided amongst ourselves that we would refuse to learn them. We all discussed it, and it was really Treeloft who discouraged us."

"Malcolm?" He looked over at the Slytherin whom everyone had thought two years ago would become a Dark wizard.

Malcolm shot a quick glance at his boyfriend Rupert. He stood. "Yes, sir. I felt that there was enough darkness in the world without us adding to it. We decided we didn't need to learn them. We would do our utmost in our lives after Hogwarts to make certain no one need learn them. Or use them. Ever again."

Harry licked his dry lips and felt a little constriction in his throat. "Well, Malcolm. What can I say?" He shook his head, trying to master his emotions. "I am uncommonly proud of you all. It seems you have excelled the teacher. Well done." There were smiles all around as Harry composed himself.

"And so. Since we aren't learning any Dark arts today-" and he waited till they were done laughing-"what shall we learn? Has there been anything you've been dying to know?"

They all looked at each other, and then they nudged Treeloft. "Well, sir," he said, standing. "We've all been really wondering...how you really defeated Voldemort."

Harry looked at all their bright faces. "You know something. I think that is a very good idea." And for the first time for anyone other than Draco, Harry began to tell the tale. "Well, I guess I should start with the Prophecy...." He told the entire story, leaving nothing out-including all the foul deeds of one Draco Malfoy. And when he was done, nobody moved, nobody spoke. There was a pause while the students considered, and then the questions began. The bell rang, and still they asked, and Harry answered every one of them, until the next period was over and he had to write twenty slips of excuses for all of them. And even then, it was a very long time until the students left.

Treeloft and Fenwick hovered near the door, waiting until the last student passed over the threshold. They closed the door and approached Harry. Harry braced himself. With these two, he was never certain what he'd end up talking about.

"Professor," Treeloft began, but he faltered and looked to Fenwick. The skinny Hufflepuff smiled and squeezed the back of Malcolm's neck affectionately.

"This tosser here wanted to say a few words to you," said Rupert. "But he's too shy. And, well...I wanted to say something, too. If it wasn't for you and Professor Malfoy, sir, I don't know if old Malcolm and me would have gotten together. And we're pretty happy."

Malcolm blushed. Malcolm was a big man, taller than Harry and certainly more muscular. A blush on him went a long way.

"I am glad," said Harry. "It isn't easy for two wizards, but we're making great strides. I'm happy Professor Malfoy and I could help."

"A high-profile bloke like you, Professor? That's what's done it. After term, Malcolm and I are going to work together. Not as Aurors exactly. Neither of us had the marks for that. But as consultants of sorts. Magical do-gooders. We're partnering with Felicia Rosencrantz and Serenity Hudson. Rosencrantz is the brains, of course, and Malcolm here is the brawn. Hudson is the touchy-feely one and I...well. I'm the pretty face." Fenwick posed and Harry laughed. "I think we make a pretty good team."

"I think you do, too. Extend my congratulations to the young ladies as well."

"Right. But...uh...." said Fenwick, with a blush to his cheek, "Malcolm and I were talking about making a different kind of partnership together. We're talking...you know. Marriage. In a year or two." He clamped his arm around Malcolm's considerable shoulders. "We haven't told anyone yet. Hoped you and Professor Malfoy would put in a good word at the Ministry."

"Oh! Certainly! Congratulations to you, too!" He shook their hands vigorously and grinned. "I hope you'll be as happy as Professor Malfoy and I have been."

"Thank you, sir," said Malcolm, his voice sounding a bit gravelly. "I...I think I owe my life to you."

Harry lowered his eyes. "Not a bit of it, Malcolm. I just steered you in the right direction. That's what teachers are for. You might consider that in the back of your mind. I shan't be a teacher forever you know." And he winked.

A small smile curved Malcolm's lips. "Well, sir. The moment you decide to retire, just let me know."

Harry walked with them to the door. "Don't be surprised if I do."


A/N: Don't go away. One more chapter to go.


On to Chapter Thirteen
"Raising Wizards"

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"Return of Annikki"

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