Devotion

Chapter 16

"Darling, please wake up, please," I heard, and blearily opened my eyes. Despite the sleep I got, I felt incredibly exhausted.

"What is it?" I asked, seeing him looking vividly worried.

"Evelyn, y-you're so pale. Paler than me. And you weren't waking up," he explained.

"What?" I sat up in surprise, but the action made my head spin, and Draco helped me lay back down.

I yawned and close my eyes, wanting to fall back asleep. Maybe it was just some small virus, I'd get better with some sleep.

But Draco shook me to prevent any rest from occurring. "Draco, let me sleep," I whined, trying to pry his hands off me.

"No, not yet. I sent a patronus to Pomfrey, I want her to check you first. No sleeping until we know what this is," he instructed.

I began to grow very annoyed with him as he continuously shook me right when I was about to drift off. I had no idea why, but I felt so drained, and I just needed to sleep. It felt like hours before Madam Pomfrey showed up.

But she eventually did. And it didn't take her long to detect what was wrong.

The first spell she performed was one I recognized, as Draco had done it every morning. But this time, the light that shined was not a glaring red.

Instead, it was a glorious green. But not only that, there were three glowing spots upon me, and I looked at her in confusion. What did that mean?

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. You're going to have triplets," she announced.

I looked at Draco, and he looked back, both of us shocked. It was a happy and good thing, of course. But neither of us were prepared to raise three babies at once.

Finally, Draco asked the question that had just begun forming in my mind. "But why is she so tired and pale? I don't know much about pregnancies, but I didn't think it was normal to be affected this much, especially this early on."

"Mr. Malfoy, in a normal situation, yes, you would be right. But bear in mind that magical pregnancies are more demanding and difficult than non-magical ones. And the Malfoy family seems to have always struggled the most with that."

"Why?" I inquired curiously.

She turned to me. "We aren't really sure. It seems to be that the magic surrounding Malfoy children is too powerful for most women to bear and carry the child to full term. A large percentage of pregnancies in the Malfoy family ended in miscarriage."

"But I don't understand..." Draco trailed off, his head spinning as he stared at the bed, trying to register this onslaught of information.

Madam Pomfrey looked at him, opening her mouth to help him get it. "Haven't you ever wondered why there was only ever one Malfoy child at a time? Never brothers or sisters? Or why your own mother suffered so many miscarriages, both before and after you were born?"

"She had mentioned I was a miracle, and Father told me the night she had lost the twins when I was little, but I thought we were just really unlucky or something," he answered, putting his head in his hands.

"Well, it is unlucky, but bad luck isn't the cause of it," she said, patting his shoulder.

"Am I going to miscarry all three of our children?" I worried, my eyes filling with tears.

Madam Pomfrey rushed to comfort me. "Oh no, darling, don't worry. We are much more advanced in our healing magic than we were with Narcissa, you'll have a much better chance. I'm going to head to St. Mungos today and talk to some of the healers there about what we can do."

"I'll write to my mother," Draco suggested. "She's been through this before, she might have some ideas. Even if she doesn't, she'll want to see us anyway, if you're okay with it, Evelyn."

I nodded. "That's fine, I'd like to see her again. What should I do in the meantime, Madam Pomfrey?"

"I'll get a better idea once I talk to some other healers. For now, I suggest you spend the day resting, and making sure to eat. I'll be back tomorrow morning, maybe you can get your mother to stop by then, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Of course, I'm sure she'd be willing. Am I allowed to stay here with Evelyn today?" Draco questioned.

She nodded. "That's fine. I'll tell Minerva the situation, and get you both excused. Send another patronus if you need anything."

She walked out with a wave, leaving us both sitting there. I was still extremely tired, but now I was worried, fearful of the worst.

Draco came up to where I was sitting and stretched his legs out, leaning his back against the headboard. He coaxed me into laying down, and I laid my head on his lap.

He began running his fingers gently through my hair, massaging my head tenderly. His calming gesture soothed my consciousness, letting my worries drift away.

I began to close my eyes, fatigue overtaking me again. "Go to sleep, my love," he encouraged, and that was all it took for me to slip off into a peaceful slumber.