"One of these days, you both are going to come in for a prenatal check up earlier than the last minute," says Healer Harper with her hands on her hips and a folder full of papers in her hand. She flipped it open and started scanning the pages before continuing. "Draco, I ses that you are currently 14 weeks and due for an ultrasound. If all goes well, I should be able to tell you the sex of the baby today."
"Already?" asked Harry surprised, as he looked over to Draco sitting on the examination table, nervous, but not tense.
"He's almost 4 months along, so with hopes for proper development, yes."
Harry was too stunned to speak, and he laid a hand across his own stomach in awe. What if he really was pregnant? It wouldn't be long now before it was time to give birth again. It was like the months flew by some days.
"Now, Draco, if you would just lay back and relax. We could get started on the visualizing spells."
With a deep breath, the blond man did as he was asked. Healer Harper raised her wand then and with a series of movements that Harry remembered from his own pregnancy check-ups, she held up a floating yet blurry 3D image of Draco's womb and within it, a small bundle of newly forming arms and legs. After a few seconds there was the loud pounding of a heartbeat that surrounded them in the room. She turned the image this way and that until she finally finished checking vitals.
"Congratulations, Mr. and Mr. Potter. It's a boy."
"A boy," Draco said softly in reverence, looking up at Harry with tears in his eyes. Harry nodded before kissing his husband on the forehead softly.
--:--
"What should we name him?" Harry asked later, as he stared into the canopy above their bed. They were cuddling together in bed after a trip to St. Mungo's and his arm was wrapped lovingly around his husband's small bump.
"Stick with what works, obviously," Draco said flippantly, his hands resting over Harry's on his stomach. "Family history dictates we use stars or constellations."
"What options are even left?" Harry said through a laugh.
"I like Cassiopeia," said the blond, dreamily.
"I always thought that was a girl's name..."
"Eltanin?"
"I don't think I could say that with a straight face if I tried," the ravenette said through a snort.
"You're an idiot, I'm not surprised."
"An idiot you agreed to marry." Harry laid his head between Draco's shoulder and jaw, kissing the skin there and grinning crookedly.
"Oh, what about Cepheus?" Draco said melting further into Harry's embrace.
"Aw, we'd have a little Ceph'us and Scorp'us," he said with a grin.
"You'd be right if his name wasn't Scorp-i-us," he said elongating the ee sound in the boy's name.
"Okay, okay. What about a middle name?"
"Parker. Cepheus Parker Malfoy-Potter."
"Really?"
"Why, what's wrong with it?"
"Nothing, it just-" he shrugged, "seems a bit muggle for you..."
"I like it."
"Obviously."
Draco turned over until he was facing Harry, then took the opportunity to narrow his eyes at him.
"What about you, then. If you're carrying another child, which you are, what shall we name it?"
"Draco, we've been over this, I'm not pregnant."
"Then why put off the test? Whether you're pregnant or not, you're only delaying the inevitable."
"I just- if I don't know, I can act like it's not happening. Don't get me wrong, I loved carrying the girls; I was proud to do that, but it just didn't feel like my body anymore. So to go right back into being pregnant again..." Harry shook his head then changed tactics. "Not even you were excited when you first realized you could pregnant."
"It's not that I wasn't excited," Draco said stern, but quiet. "I was just terrified. I still am. What if I can't carry him full term? What if something happens to him? What if..." His voice wavered as he got even quieter. "You're stronger than me, Harry. You always have been, and what if I'm not strong enough for this."
"If you weren't strong enough it wouldn't have happened," Harry tried to reason with him.
"That's not true!" he argued forcefully."The world could just be playing some kind of horrid trick on me and you know what? I deserve it."
"No, love, you don't deserve that. No one does."
Draco didn't respond, but he swallowed down a sob before attempting to talk again. His voice was thick and pitiful as he begged forgiveness for things long since forgiven. His obvious hysteria sent Harry into something akin to a crying fit as well and he stopped trying to talk once he realized what that would mean.
He cringed further into the bed and blankets when a ministry appointed owl started pecking at the window.
"You know it's for you. I wouldn't be able to get the letter off of that wretched bird even if I wanted to," Draco said urging him from the bed and wipong stray tears from his face.
"I hate it when you're right."
"I'm always right," Draco said confused and Harry snorted back a laugh before pulling himself from the bed and opening the window just enough for the owl to waddle it's way in and perch on the inner sill of the window. He dug around in the desk drawer closest to the window before finally finding the owl treats he was looking for and giving one to the ball of feathers waiting for him to detach the letter. He did as much as he could to delay the inevitable. He ruffled the birds soft feathers, and fed her treats, but eventually she dropped the letter, nipped his fingers and waddled back out the window before flying away, across Hogwarts grounds.
Harry unrolled the scroll as though it were a death sentence, tense and uneasy. He read the letter with bated breath, and released an almost sob before falling backwards into the bed, defeated.
~~~
Mr. Harry J. Malfoy-Potter,
This letter is to inform you that your pregnancy test results have come in. However, due to our Privacy and Care Policy, we can not disclose this information within this letter. Your results have been released to your primary off-site Healer, Madam P. Pomfrey of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please let us know of anything else we can do to assist. If something is wrong please see your primary Healer, or come to St. Mungos immediately. Thank You.
Healer Clayton Aceto
Mediwizard Master Class
St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
Floor 8 Pregnancy and Prenatal Care
~~~
"I'm going to see Pomfrey," said Harry resolutely, easing off the bed again.
"Good luck," Draco murmured before rolling over onto his side for a nap. Why did no one tell him how tired he was going to be all the time? How did Harry ever do it? How could he do it? He furrowed deeper into the blankets.
-&-
so whassup futher muckers
finally got this chapter out ffs
school literally just started and i already wanna die
picture cred goes to mE
obviously notifications will take a while for me to check, but please know that i do appreciate all the great comments and votes
i felt like i had more to say, but i guess not *shruggs*
hope you guys enjoyed this chappie
love y'all
-- angel janeé xoxo 💋