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

71. Niggly November

When Harry, together with Lucius had arrived home, he had been hugged by Draco and asked if the meeting had indeed been about him dying.  When Harry confirmed that, he went silent and just held onto his lover.  Words at a time like this were needed, and he would say the right thing in due course.  Harry had told him how he had the idea of a praise jar, and Draco thought that it was the perfect goodbye gift.  

"Harry my love, everything will be all right", he cooed.  "Nothing in this world can stop it, not even you my beautiful Alpha".

"I don't want to stop it Boo, it just seems sometimes that when we are at our happiest, life has a cruel sense of humor to take it away from us", he replied.  Draco smiled at him, but nodding in  total understanding that what they were going to face was going to be hard, but they had each other to lean on, and gain support from.  That alone had to be enough to be able to bear the burden of knowing that someone is going to die.  "At least we will be prepared for it", Draco said.

The hours rolled into days, and the days into weeks.  With the days getting so much more colder now, all the fireplaces were lit, bringing warmth to the Manor.  Gloria had made another visit, and had told Draco that in no uncertain terms, was he to apparate, or even think of leaving the Manor.  If he needed anything, best to send someone for it.  He could go into early labor, and she didn't want that.  He agreed, saying that Harry wasn't letting him out of his sight anyway.  And really, where would he go?!

Snape and Mcgonagall made alternate visits to see that eveyone was all right, and to deliver news on how Dumbledore was faring.  He was frail but strong.  He was calm and serene.  There were times that he himself would visit when he had the strength, looking very much forward to meeting the Alpha twins, just as Harry had asked him.

Everyone was on edge.  The cold, the impending death of Dumbledore, the birth of the twins, the niggly behavior of Narcissa, because she didn't know what to focus her attention on.  She was sorry that they were going to lose a great wizard, but she couldn't contain her excitement at meeting her grandchildren either.  Conflicted as she was, she would try and stay calm for everyone's sakes.  It wouldn't bode well if she started losing her mind.

Hermoine even more so, because she knew what Dumbledore meant to Harry.  She knew of the bond that they shared, and had to know if he was going to accept his death when the time came.  It is one thing to say it, but another to witness it altogether.  She had sent an owl asking if she could call on him, there was something on her mind.  He replied and said he would meet her in Diagon Alley.

Leaving Draco at home, he apparated to just outside of Ollivanders.  He walked in and greeted the old man who had once said to him, "I remember every wand I have ever sold Mr Potter.  It is curious that you are destined for this wand, when it's brother gave you that scar", and just then felt the need to touch his forehead.  The scar would always be there, as a reminder to him and everyone just what had transpired all those years ago in 1981.

"How are you Sir?", he asked politely.  Ollivander smiled at him and replied, "Never better Mr Potter.  And how are you today?"

They made small talk while he waited on his friend, and when he heard the crack of apparition, bade Ollivander goodbye and went to meet her.  They decided on a lunch of ice cream and made their way to Florean's Fortescue ice cream parlor.  Harry ordered chocolate chip, while Hermoine had the Strawberry flavor.  He waited for her to speak, and when she did, his heart swelled with affection of his one time family.

"Harry.  The Weasleys keep asking me and Ron when you will go and visit them.  They think you are still angry", she said with hesitation.  

He sat back in his chair and regarded her, knowing that wasn't the full reason why she was here, so didn't give his answer just yet.  

"They wanted me to ask if you would be all right with Molly knitting jerseys for the twins, after they have been born of course".

Ah!  There it is.  Molly always the mother figure was apparently nervous about just doing it for his babies, and he thought that was so precious of her.  Remembering how he had valued every single jersey that he had been gifted, he smiled at her with a blush.  "You go back home and tell them that I would love for my babies to each have a Weasley sweater, and that I am not angry with them.  What happened is in the past, and it should stay there.  If I had still been angry, they wouldn't have been invited to my wedding Hermoine", he said.

She smiled at his answer, and was glad that she had come to see him alone.  Crunch time, she thought.  "Harry, about Dumbledore", she started.  He looked at her with his blazing green eyes, and waited for her to continue.  Always being the smart one, and the caring one, she was worried for him.  And he loved her for it.  He told her that he was starting to come to terms with what was going to happen, and even mentioned the praise jar project that he had started.  She was blown away.  "Harry that's brilliant!", she exclaimed.

After talking some more, they left each other and went their separate ways, Harry with his thoughts, and Hermoine with her smile.  

Pansy and Blaise had asked Narcissa if they could move in to the Manor at the end of November, because they really wanted to be here when the time came for Draco to give birth, and she immediately said yes.  The more friends Draco had around him, the better.  When Draco heard the news that they were doing it for him, it sent him into a dizzy mood.

Not wanting anyone to change their lives, just because his was going to.  But he relented and said thank you just the same.  Having friends like them made it all seem so worthwhile, and he knew that Harry would appreciate the gesture as much as he did.  He had found the gift of the maternity pillow on his bed earlier, and smiled at Harry's brilliant sense of humor.  It was Slytherin green, in the shape of a dragon.

Mcgonagall had contacted both Harry and Draco, and had given them the cribs as her present, to which they both responded with a resounding thank you!  White was the order of the day, and eventually Draco had decided on a color scheme.  They were going to go with the different shades of blue, and when he said that, Harry had waved his hand, and everything was put in place.  There was a light blue outline to the new white cribs, a pattern of white and blue clouds painted on the walls, different scatter cushions on the couch provided so that they could just sit there and hold their babies.

Lucius was fidgeting.  A fumbling mess of a man, because he was going to be a grandfather soon, and hoped that he would be better at that than being a father.  He knew he had drilled manners and traditions into Draco, and look how far that had got him.  He scoffed at himself, hoping that he wouldn't mess things up this time.

The teachers had gotten together after Harry had left them with his words.  They had indeed started what he had suggested, and the jar was filling up nicely.  They wondered who would read from it, on the day.  Perhaps they could all read out what they had personally written.

Dumbledore was lying down on his bed, after a light lunch.  Excusing himself from daily activities had become his new normal, stating that he had other things to do.  Which of course was a lie.  He wasn't going to lie to himself, he was nervous at what lay ahead, but at the same time, he was so thrilled that he would be able to keep an eye on everyone after he had gone.

He still had to make the painful decision on who to appoint in his stead, and closed his eyes with a smile, thinking that he had the perfect one for the job.