The Gift From Death

Chapter 18: Astoria's story

Draco and Astoria had decided to go for a walk around the garden.

"Hey Astoria?" Draco asked quietly after a minute of silence between them.

"Yes Draco?" she replied.

"You don't have to tell me this if you don't want to but, why were you fighting with your parents and Daphne?" he asked hesitantly.

Astoria sighed, "I knew you would ask eventually, I'm grateful it wasn't in front of everyone else though. They don't agree with something that has happened." she explained hesitantly.

"And what happened?" Draco prodded gently.

"Well I'm guessing you remember that night, up at the Astronomy Tower at Christmas?" she asked, he nodded with a smile at the memory. "Well you can remember we had a similar night about two months ago when we were drunk at the Mannor?" he nodded again. "Well I don't know how to say this." she admitted, "But you're going to be a father." she said quietly.

Draco was in shock. Him? A father? He was barely even 18 how could he possibly be a father to a child? He looked at Astoria numbly.

"W-what?" he stammered.

"Your going to be a father Draco, I'm pregnant." Astoria said gently.

He stood stock still for a minute before speaking, "Well that gives me a reason to do this then." he pulled a little black box out of his robe pocket and got down on one knee opening the box to expose a beautiful ring with a sapphire gem surrounded by little emeralds on a thin golden band that was in the shape of a snake biting its own tail. "I was going to wait until christmas but..." he cleared his throat. "Astoria Greengrass will you do me the extraordinary honour of becoming my wife." he looked at her nervously.

"Are you just doing this because I said I'm pregnant?" Astoria asked in shock.

"No I was going to ask you at Christmas." he replied honestly. "I want to do the right thing here, Astoria, and that's sticking by you and our unborn child. I'll admit I'm nervous and that I have no idea how to take care of a child but I know the right thing to do is to not run away, to face my fears about our situation. I really do want to marry you." he was being completely honest and she could see that.

Astoria was speechless, she had tears in her eyes though she wasn't sure if they were from happiness or from something else.

"Yes. I will marry you." she whispered. Draco grinned and stood up and slid the ring on Astoria's left ring finger, then he pulled her into a hug and kissed her on the lips.

When they pulled back for air they were both ginning wildly.

"So how far along are you anyway?"

"About two months. I'm due in June." she replied placing a hand on her flat stomach. "I found out when I was at St. Mungo's about a week ago with morning sickness. I would have told you sooner but I was scared and confused." she admitted.

"Well I'll support you fully and I can understand why your family weren't happy, especially with how young we are. We're nowhere near ready for this but we can, and will, get through this together." Draco said solemnly. They continued walking around the garden the sapphire and emerald ring sitting on Astoria's finger glittering in the sunlight.

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IN THE LIVING ROOM AT THE SAME TIME

Harry was sitting playing with Teddy as Ginny watched him with a smile on her face. She didn't hear someone come up behind her.

"It's like watching the future isn't it?" a voice said behind her ear making her jump. Ginny spun around to see Lily standing behind her. "Sorry I thought you heard me coming."

"It's okay. I was just thinking about something Harry said to me earlier." Ginny explained as Lily sat down next to her. "We were talking earlier and he asked me where I wanted to live when we're married."

"Oh, I can remember James did that to me as well. To me it sounded like he was proposing but we had only been together 9 months I wasn't quite ready for marriage and he knew it." Lily replied thoughtfully as Remus joined Harry on the floor beside Teddy.

Ginny nodded, "That's what it sounded like to me but it's like he read my mind, he probably did as we were both in wolf form when we were talking he said to me, 'You know one day I will ask you to marry me Gin. It just might not be in the way you expect.', so I'm guessing that he did read my mind." she explained.

"Well the way James proposed was defiantly not the way I expected." Lily said smiling, "He was hiding in our bedroom as Prongs, the stag, with a note saying, 'Will you marry me' around his neck, he bowed to me when I entered the room and the ring was sitting on one of his antlers, obviously he had spent quite a bit of time thinking about it and I said yes because I knew he meant it." she explained.

"Really? Well I'll just have to expect the unexpected then." Ginny said with a giggle as Harry stood up and came over to them.

"Hi Gin. Hi Mum." he said sitting down next to Ginny, "What are you two women talking about that gave me the feeling that you were talking about me?" he asked grinning.

"You know what we were talking about Harry, I saw your ears twitching." Ginny smirked as Harry blushed.

"Oh Harry." Lily sighed, "You know your Godfather and Remus used to do that as well, pretending they couldn't hear what anyone across the room said when they heard everything most of the time." she nodded at the two men who were looking a little red as Dora joined them.

"Do you have any idea what is making my husband and cousin look like they are trying to hide a blush." Dora asked.

"Advanced hearing." Ginny replied. "Lily was just telling us about how they used to pretend they couldn't hear across a room when they could hear perfectly. I just caught Harry doing it." Harry blushed again.

Dora chuckled, "I thought that." she said sitting down on Lily's other side.

"They used to do it all the time, of course Remus's hearing is probably better now, it was always better than Sirius's anyway." Lily explained.

"True our hearing is pretty excellent." Harry admitted, "By the way Gin can I have a word? Silently preferably." he added. Ginny nodded and they switched to speaking using their telepathic connection.

What is it Harry? Ginny asked.

I've been thinking again, I think we should make it clear that we can change anyone if they want to be changed into a Lycan, He explained.

I've been thinking about that too. I think your right we shoud tell everyone that if they want to be turned into a Lycan all they have to do is ask.

Yeah we don't want the Lycan virus to go extinct again. Death did say it was a lost species and it has some useful advantages, he nodded.

Of course, she replied as Draco and Astoria walked in.

"Everyone we have an announcement." Draco said and everyone looked at him.

"Were engaged." Astoria said smiling and holding up her left hand to show her ring.

Everyone clapped or cheered and Narcissa went over and hugged them both tightly. Once she had released them Draco pulled her over to the side and quietly explained that Astoria was pregnant before he announced it, she was shocked but nodded.

"There's something else too." Draco said joining Astoria and putting a arm around her waist, "We're having a baby as well. Astoria's two month's along." he said making everyone cheer again.

"Well this should be interesting." Bill said once everyone had said their congratulations, "Three babies being born with about two month's between them." he grinned making everyone chuckle.

"Definitely interesting." Harry agreed, "but shall we return to the memories?" he suggested as Andy picked Teddy up and sat him on her knee where he fell asleep.