Devotion

Chapter 17

"Narcissa!" I smiled as Draco led her into the room.

"Oh Evelyn dear, I'm so happy to see you. How are you?" she asked.

"Tired," I replied honestly, but sparing the other details.

"I can imagine," she said, pulling a chair up beside the bed. "Draco, please leave us until Poppy gets here, I would like a word alone with Evelyn."

Draco obeyed, exiting the room and shutting the door behind him.

"Now, how are you really?" she pushed.

I sighed, wrapping my arms around myself. "I'm terrified. I don't think I'm strong enough to do this, and Draco wants children so much," I told her.

She reached out and rubbed her hand along my arm kindly. "I understand. I always felt similarly. But no matter what happens, Draco will not blame you for it. In fact, from what he said as he walked me in, he seems to blame himself more than anything."

"Does he always blame himself for everything?" I asked, thinking back to earlier this week.

"Before the war, he never did. But since the war, probably because of the trials and the insults thrown at him, his self-confidence has lowered, and he's changed to think everything is his fault. I hope you can eventually help him raise his self-esteem again. Maybe not quite to the level it was at, mind you, but enough so he's not miserable," she confessed.

"I'll try," I promised, adding it to my mental to-do list. But like most of my life at the moment, it wasn't going to be easy.

After a few minutes of silence, Narcissa spoke again. "I promise you Evelyn, you are going to deliver all three of your beautiful, healthy babies. We will find a way, and I will do whatever it takes to help you."

"Thank you," I said, tears pricking my eyes at her words. She reminded me of my mother, with her comforting smile, and loving gaze. Whether or not she knew it, she was starting to fill that void of emptiness that had formed when my mother's memory had been wiped of me. It felt like I had a mum again.

~

When Madam Pomfrey arrived, the four of us wasted no time in discussing what we could do. Narcissa quickly divulged what she thought was different about being pregnant with Draco that had made it a success.

"After finding out I was pregnant, the Dark Lord ordered me to be out on bed rest for the entirety of my pregnancy. I hated it, but I still did it, and it did seem to have worked."

"But I can't do that, Narcissa. Ignoring the fact that I would go insane, I couldn't possibly miss the entire school year, when this is my final and only year I can get taught," I argued.

"Well, the St. Mungos healers and I were talking, and there might be a way around that. There is a potion that will speed up the pregnancy, so each day in actual time is a week of your pregnancy. It's been tested and is safe to use, but it isn't common because of how terribly expensive it is to make," Madam Pomfrey revealed.

"That won't be a problem, we'll pay," Draco told her immediately.

"I assumed as much. But there are downsides to this that I want to make clear to you before you decide," she began, and I nodded, ready to listen.

"First, this is a sped up pregnancy. So all the symptoms like throwing up, cramps, and more that would happen throughout the span of a week will be jammed into one day. It won't be fun, but I'm sure it can be managed.

Second, your diet will need to be monitored extremely closely. You will eat exactly the amounts I tell you, whether you feel like eating them or not. Remember, you are eating for four now. We don't want to take any unnecessary risks.

Third, you will have to be extremely careful in your movements. How you sleep, how you sit, and how you walk when you go to the bathroom. Any bad position for too long can cause growing abnormalities, especially when everything is being sped up. And too quick of movements could jar your children too much.

And finally, I am going to assign you specific times to take brief walks, or do different stretches. They might seem absurd and ridiculous, but I assure you, they are necessary. Your body will be growing even more rapidly, so we need to take as many measures as possible to make sure you and your babies are safe and healthy.

Any questions?"

I stared at her for a minute, processing the load of information she had just given me. "I-I think you covered it all. But I'm going to need someone to stay with me during the day, I can't possibly—"

"I'll stay with you," Draco interjected, volunteering immediately.

"I don't think that will be possible, Mr. Malfoy. It's one thing for your wife to miss school with her situation, but I don't think Minerva would allow you to do the same," Madam Pomfrey stated.

I pondered over what to do, but the solution came to me quickly. We could just have our friends each spend a day of their week with me.

Pansy, Theo, Luna, Blaise, and Draco. Five people, five days in a week. It was perfect. Plus, I would get to spend some time with each of them despite being basically bedridden.

As I relayed this plan to the three of them, there was nothing for Draco to argue against. While he wanted to be the one here all the time, he couldn't deny that our friends were the next best thing. We both trusted them.

"So, am I correct in thinking that you want to take this potion?" Madam Pomfrey asked, and I nodded. "Great, I'll owl St. Mungos. The potion should be here by tomorrow. Any other questions before I leave?"

"What schoolwork will I have to do?" I questioned, and Draco snorted. I didn't miss the glare his mother sent him.

"I don't know for sure, as I still need to talk to Minerva, but I think it's safe to assume that she'll be lenient and give you a pass on all your studies," she answered, and after no further questions from me, she left.

Narcissa stood up to follow her, but first turned to me. "I know this is the last thing on your mind right now, but if you want, I can go out shopping and buy you some new clothes to fit you as your pregnancy progresses," she offered.

I beamed at her. "That would be wonderful, thank you Narcissa. You're right, I will need them, and some new clothes would be a fun distraction."

She smiled. "I'll go out shopping today, I have nothing better to do. I can drop them off tomorrow, if you're okay with that."

"Of course you can. Please bring Lucius along too, if he can come. He's family too," I suggested.

She said she would, and with a few final good-byes, it was just me and Draco.

"You're okay with all of this, aren't you?" I asked him.

He took my hand and replied, "You're the one carrying our children. Whatever you want, I will support you with."

"Well aren't you perfect," I replied, pecking him on the lips.

As the room descended into silence again, Draco asked one final question. "Do you want your sister to come back and stay with us a bit? I wouldn't mind."

I shook my head. "She's just starting her life away from here. I'm not going to drag her right back. I'll write to her, and once our children are born she can come see them, but I don't need her here right now."

"As long as you're sure," he said.