The Alpha Dynasty (Sequel to MARKED FOR DESTINY) (Book 2 of 2)

18. Gift Sorting

Draco had invited the girls to help him sort through the remainder of the gifts that had come from the public the day after their news had been on the front page of the newspaper.  There had been too many to sort out by himself, and he knew that Pansy and Hermoine would love to help.  In the beginning, Pansy had suggested making three piles.  A yes, no and maybe pile.  For all of the gifts, and that way he would be sure also to not purchase what had already been gifted, and he agreed.

Hermoine herself thought it was a great idea, and all three of them, dressed casually, were sitting on the floor doing just that.  There had been clothes, toys, and personal items gifted, and going through them all again, made Draco feel warm inside.  He still couldn't believe that he was pregnant, and that he and Harry were going to have twins.  Twins!!  And with Harry bloody Potter.  Just the thought of it brought a tear to his eyes, and when his friends saw that, they pounced on him.

Hugging him tight, because they knew what he was feeling, and they were happy for him, and always wanted to be there for him.  In every way possible.  He choked back a sob, one that he had been waiting to release for a while now.  Probably ever since Harry had come to the Manor that day, and had called him beautiful.  How their worlds had changed, from being silly antagonizing children, to becoming strong married men, who were without a doubt the best thing that had ever happened to their world and to each other.  He thanked the gods that Harry had been born, and that he was the one lucky enough to love him until the end of his days.

Rocking him gently, stroking his back, whispering words of comfort, they just held onto him.  And none of them, not even Draco, heard or saw his husband standing in the doorway, watching the whole thing unfold.  He too was blown away by the amount of love and happiness that was emanating from Draco, and for once left him and his friends to handle it.  He would hold onto it, and when night time came, he would tell Draco what he had felt.  He loved him endlessly, and would never stop loving him.  The love and understanding coming from the girls was astounding, and he loved them all the more for it.  Making a silent promise to spoil them somehow and soon, he left them and went back to the garden.

Sniffing and trying to get his dignity back, Draco said in a snotty way, "Get off me you wenches and let's start sorting", making them laugh at him and start their tedious task of doing just that.  After an hour or two, they decided to take a break and look at exactly what was in the piles.  There were baby grows, blankets and bath towels.  There was an assortment of medicine supplies, for when the babies would have stomach cramps, and start teething.  

There was a range of baby bottles from small to large, and Draco wanted none of that.  They were all put into the NO pile.  Because he was Draco Malfoy-Potter, and because he was a spoilt brat and entitled princess - Harry's words, not his - the NO pile was the biggest of all.  He wasn't ungrateful, but had already purchased what he deemed the best bottles for babies anyway.  He was however going to hold onto some of the clothes, blankets and towels.

The medicines that were gifted were to be kept, no questions asked, and so he asked the house elves to make a cupboard that was befitting of a Malfoy-Potter baby to store it all away.  They left immediately to start.  Which made Draco think of other things.  The nursery had to be close to their bedroom, and so without even telling the girls where he was going, he went to find his mother.

"Mother", he said, when he found her sitting in the lounge going through some baby catalogues.  "Where on earth are we going to have the nursery?", he asked.  Narcissa had been waiting for this question, and when she patted the couch next to where she was sitting, an indication that her son needed to sit and listen, he frowned and did so.  She took his hand and said in a soft kind voice, "Dragon, I was going to wait for the appropriate time to tell you this, but your father and I want to gift you and Harry the west wing of the Manor".

Absolute silence.  And then when her words finally made sense in Draco's head, he threw his arms around her neck and said a huge thank you.  "I'm not sure how Harry will feel about this, because you and I both know that he doesn't want to feel like he is intruding, but thank you Mother", he said.  "I will tell Harry later", he told her and she smiled and said, "Let's rather keep it as a surprise".

He went back to the girls, sat down again, and sorted through more gifts.  There were a lot of children's books, some to read and some to color in.  There were soft plushie toys, some that were too bright and colorful, which Draco put them to one side, and some that were just perfect.  There were baby albums that you could store and keep record of your child's growth.  There were photo frames that were done in the most beautiful colors, soft and calming.  

And then there was jewelry.  Silver bangles that could have their names engraved on.  Sets of diamond necklaces that would have to be given when they were older.  There were two sets of silver spoon and fork sets, and there were rings, embedded with the greenest of emeralds.  Draco was blown away by the gift of giving.  The public had most certainly accepted him being the Omega to Harry, and he had no words.  He put them all away in a separate pile, and would show them to Harry later.

The pile of maybe grew smaller and smaller, and when they were done, Draco stood up and said to his two friends, "You are both welcome to take from the NO pile.  As a thank you for your help in this abysmally tiring job, if not exciting one".

They both said thank you and hugged him hard.  He sighed for a job well done, and left the girls to go and find his husband.  He needed to know about the jewelry, and ask if they were going to keep any of it.