A/N: As mentioned (numerous times!) in the last chapter, Astoria has green eyes in this story, despite the face claim above (love Adelaide Kane)
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"You didn't think to tell me that you're engaged to Daphne's little sister?!"
"I was worried you wouldn't come back with me if you'd known!"
"How did you figure that one out?!" I splutter.
Draco looks at me, his face full of regret.
After the shocking revelation upon our arrival at the manor, Draco swiftly dragged me and Lily away, insisting on getting us settled in after our 'long and tiring' journey.
The room Narcissa had made up for me and Lily is right next door to Draco's, I notice, and even has an adjoining nursery for Lily - the perfect space for her crib and toys. The place is bigger than my entire flat alone.
However, I can barely appreciate this due to being in utter shock at the discovery of Draco's surprise fiancee. Not once had he even given me any tiny indication that he was with anyone, let alone engaged to be married. I cannot even process how I feel about this - that, why, when I should be happy for him, I just feel so fucking sad.
"Harri," he says quietly, moving across the room to me, placing his hands on either side of my arms. "I've missed you. I don't think I can live without you. You are, and have always been, my most favourite person in the world."
"Isn't this the kind of thing you should be saying to the woman you are going to marry?!" I snap, shrugging him off. "And how the hell does she feel about me and my daughter shacking up with you?!"
Draco hesitates. "She knows you and I are just friends."
I stare at him, shaking my head.
"Yesterday, you paid two thousand pounds for me to give you a lap dance and then proceeded to tell me that you think I'm the most beautiful girl in the world." I say steadily. "If Fred had behaved like that towards another woman when we were together then I would have chopped his balls off with a pair of blunt pliers!"
"But I never intended for you to do the lap dance-"
"That is not the point!"
I am totally shocked by Draco's behaviour. Actually, scratch that - no I'm not, him treating girls like shit is normal. Him asking them to marry him, however, is not.
A gentle knock at the door startles us, and Draco and I look up as Astoria tentatively enters.
"Sorry to interrupt," she says, looking nervously from me to Draco as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, "but I just wanted to see if there's anything I can do to help?"
Oh god, she is so sweet. I want to kill Draco.
I try my best to offer her a sincere smile. "No, thank you. I think Lily and I are all settled in now. How are you, Astoria? And Daphne? It's been a while."
Astoria seems to visibly relax and her eyes light up, as though she'd been fearful that I was going to tell her to fuck off.
"Oh, great, thank you," she says quickly. "Daph'll be so happy to hear you've returned. Everyone has missed you so much. Especially Dray."
I don't miss the dull flicker in her eyes as she says this last part. I feel so sorry for her.
"That's kind of you to say," I continue to smile with an effort.
This is so awkward. The atmosphere is completely strained and I notice that Draco doesn't even look at his fiancee, his gaze too busy studying me.
I wait for him to say something, but he remains silent.
"Can I have a cuddle?" Astoria asks, looking at me. "With your baby, I mean? Only, I suppose she's not really a baby anymore. It's been two years since the battle. You must have not been too far gone that day, because it certainly didn't show."
I really thought Draco would have at least warned his mother and fiancee about this. It would save on a lot of awkward conversations. But then again, he is clearly very good at leaving out important details.
"I didn't actually fall pregnant until after the war." I explain stiffly as I lead her into the nursery where Lily is sat on the floor playing with her toys.
Astoria follows eagerly behind, leaving Draco alone in my bedroom. "Oh! But I thought you and Fred... Well- she looks just like him."
Lily scowls as I lift her from the playpen, annoyed that I am interrupting her chewing her teddy bear in peace.
There is a silence in which I expect Astoria is waiting to hear from me whose baby she actually is, but I say nothing.
"Here you go," I say instead, placing Lily into her outstretched hands.
Astoria is so tiny in frame that she looks almost comical holding my chunky daughter out awkwardly in front of her.
"Oh, what a darling!" She laughs as Lily continues to chew her teddy's ear, drool dripping down her chin.
"Do you think you and Draco will have children?" I ask even though this thought creates an unpleasant burning sensation in my stomach.
"Oh, yes, I suppose," Astoria shrugs, still holding Lily out at arms length in front of her. "We haven't really talked about it."
"Isn't that something you ought to discuss before getting engaged? What if one of you wants children and the other doesn't?"
"Don't be silly," Astoria laughs, looking at me as though I am mad, "who doesn't want children?!"
"Lots of people." I shrug.
Although, with the way he is around Lily, I'm pretty sure Draco isn't one of them.
"We've only been together three weeks," Astoria confesses shyly as she begins to jiggle a grizzling Lily. "I couldn't believe it when he asked me to marry him after just a fortnight! A real whirlwind romance. Only-" she stops to frown, throwing me a curious look, "he's never actually said much in that time. He's only ever really talked about you."
I experience an odd mixture of pleasure and pity.
"Why did you agree to it then?" I ask carefully, busying myself by attempting to tidy Lily's toys.
And why the hell was Draco asking people to marry him after just two weeks?
"Have you seen him? He's gorgeous!" She turns bright red, and quickly lowers her voice. "And not to mention very good in bed."
"Yep," I mutter, popping the 'p' and feeling very uncheered by this whole conversation, "he's definitely the whole package."
Astoria giggles nervously. "I used to think you two were together," she says, still jiggling my daughter awkwardly out in front of her, "but Dray has assured me that you've never been anything more than like a sister to him."
So I guess he left out the part when he fucked me like a ravenous dog in sixth year?
"Yes," I mutter stiffly, throwing some more teddy bears into Lily's playpen, "I suppose that's what it's like with us, just good old siblings."
"It must be nice to have a platonic relationship with the opposite sex," Astoria continues obliviously, "I don't think I could, myself. I'd always be wondering what they're like in bed and surely ruin it by getting naked with them."
Huh, perhaps she and Draco are well suited to one another, afterall?
Without another word, Astoria wanders back out into the adjoining bedroom, taking my child with her. I follow her out feeling oddly annoyed.
"Say hello to your uncle Dray Dray," she coos lifting up Lily in Draco's irritated face and waving her about.
No doubt she is trying to get him broody so he will take her to his room and impregnate her.
Draco immediately takes Lily from Astoria, pulling my daughter into his arms and cradling her against him. "Tory, I need a moment alone with Harri. There are things she and I need to discuss."
"Oh." Astoria's face falls, before turning back to look at me. "But you will both be down for afternoon tea, won't you? We're having cucumber sandwiches and vegan French Fancies."
"I don't know, maybe," Draco mutters, nuzzling his face against the top of Lily's head and paying no attention to his fiancee whatsoever.
Astoria's smile falters from her lips as Draco turns his back on her.
"Yes, of course we will, Astoria." I say quickly, feeling immensely sorry for her. "We won't be long."
She instantly beams at me before blowing a kiss to Lily (or maybe Draco - I cannot quite tell). Then she turns on her heel and swiftly leaves the room.
"Dray Dray?" I splutter as soon as the door shuts behind her. "Cucumber sandwiches? What does she think this is? Downton Abbey?!"
"Leave it Harri." Draco says stiffly, his jaw tense.
"She said you proposed after just two weeks. What has gotten into you?"
Draco glares at me now, and I am shocked to see the anger in his eyes. "Is it so hard for you to believe that maybe I want what you and Fred had?"
"What me and Fred had?!" I laugh wryly. "We broke up for an entire year because he wanted to 'free' me, and then when we got back together, he proposed and died, before returning to make a baby with me using his twin brother's body! Nobody wants that, Draco!"
"You loved him." Draco simply says "And Astoria loves me."
"You have been together three weeks," I say in exasperation, "do you really think that is enough time for you both to know what you want out of this in the long term? And what about you? Do you love her?"
Draco just glares at me, his expression so tense I can see the tiny pulse of a muscle along his jaw.
"Look, I don't want to talk about me and Astoria," he says firmly, cradling Lily close to his chest. "We need to discuss when you're going to tell George about his daughter."
I look away, annoyed about the swift change of subject. "I'm not quite ready for that yet. I need more time."
"You've had almost two years!"
"Not all of us like to rush into things, Dray Dray," I snap childishly.
Draco sighs and rolls his eyes. "Yes, really mature, Potter. But we're talking about your situation, not mine."
"Yes and my is situation a little more complex. Especially as it involves my late fiance possibly being the-"
"You cannot keep pretending that Lily is Fred's." Draco interrupts sternly. "Even if what you are saying is true, that somehow he possessed George's body that night, she's still not his child. She was made with George's sperm therefore she is George's daughter."
"Stop! Stop talking about it like this!"
"It's true, and you know it! If Lily were mine-" Draco pauses to swallow, his voice cracking slightly as he kisses the top of her head again before looking up at me sadly. "If she were mine, I'd want to know."
The sadness I feel inside my chest almost breaks me as a painful lump grows in my throat. I feel I cannot breathe and the tears stinging at the back of my eyes threaten to spill.
"What if they want to take her away?" I whisper, voicing my true fears. "What if they are angry that I kept her from them for so long and don't think I'm good enough for her?"
Draco's expression immediately softens, and he strides over to me, instantly enveloping me in a hug with Lily squashed between us. I close my eyes and bury my face in his neck, simply breathing in the mingled scent of him and my daughter.
"I won't let them do that, Harri." Draco murmurs in my ear, as he nuzzles his face against my hair, "I promised you I will look after you both, and I will. But they need to know she exists."
I cling to him, bunching my fists in his shirt as Lily gurgles contently between us, her soggy teddy bear pressed against my shoulder.
It would have been such a sweet moment if his fiancee wasn't downstairs prepping fucking cucumber sandwiches and vegan French Fancies.
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