Bulletproof Heart | A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction | Sequel to Desolation Row

Chapter 17

I held Joshua delicately in my arms while Elisa held Juliet as we headed down the corridor towards Elisa's flat. Draco was carrying Elisa's bag on his should but had been banned from holding either one of the babies. I giggled as Juliet sneezed, startling both herself and her brother and we reached the door bearing the number thirty-nine.
"Unfortunately, little ones, this hole will be your first home," Elisa began looking at her babies as Draco rummaged for the keys. "let's just hope we won't be stuck here long enough for you to remember it,"
As soon as Draco had found the keys and opened the door we could hear Lyla, Alex, Nev and Axel in the living room. I smiled softly down at Joshua. Both him and his sister had so many people who loved them. My smile grew even wider when I saw the pink and blue balloons that adorned the entire flat and the large 'Welcome home Juliet Ophelia and Joshua Draco Stevenson-Weasley' banner that they had strung up.
"If it weren't for the 'Weasley' bit, your daughter would have a true Shakespearean name," laughed Nev wearing her signature cheeky grin. "although I'm not sure I can say the same for your son. There they are! How are they? Can I hold one?"
I watched Elisa sit down, with Draco's help, as her friend bombarded her with questions.
"They're absolutely perfect and yes, in a sec. Thank you, Draco,"
Lyla, Neva and I all sat down beside Elisa, admiring her little ones while Alex, Draco and Axel stood beside us, watching on. I heard Elisa chuckle and looked up to see two of Alex and Lyla's triplets, Aileen and Nathaniel, toddling towards us to see what was happening. The third of the triplets, Kayla, was watching on from a distance, in Axel's arms, as the ten cats wandered over to us too.
"And suddenly there's a crowed," grinned Elisa, stroking Misty as Buchanan climbed onto my lap and the biggest of the kittens curled up at my feet.
"Ba-ba!" Aileen burbled and Elisa smiled at her, my heart fluttering at the cute scene before me.
"That's right, Aileen," Lyla said, encouraging her daughter with a soft smile. "they're Auntie Ellie's babies,"
Elisa chuckled again and offered Juliet to Lyla, causing Draco to complain.
"Hey," Draco whined and I rolled my eyes playfully at him, grinning as he continued, a gleam in his eye. "how come Lyla's allowed to and I've been banned from holding either of them for the rest of the day?"
Suddenly Nev snorted. "What did he do to make you ban him?"
"He refused to let me hold Juliet once I made the mistake of letting him hold her for an hour,"
"Wait a minute," Draco piped up again in an attempt to defend himself. "I only refused because I thought you wanted to sleep!"
"I needed to feed her," Elisa announced matter-of-factly before offering Juliet to Lyla again.
As Lyla cooed over Juliet, I couldn't take my eyes off of Joshua. The tiny thing in my arms would grow up happy and loved by everyone around him, as would his sister.

Elisa was changing Juliet's nappy and I was pulling faces at my best friend's daughter to keep her distracted - she wasn't having any of it. The first night Elisa hadn't let us help at all, had barely got any sleep as the twins had been crying all night and she had put silencing charms on her room as not to wake us. Thank Merlin we had convinced her to do otherwise the past few nights and she had allowed us to help more. We were all better off because of it.
"I fe-feel like w-we-we're not a-am-amu-amusing them," I pointed out with a laugh as I set Joshua down in his Moses basket.
"Yeah, I think that's the me in them,"
I laughed as Elisa passed me Juliet and stood up to go to the kitchen. Continuing to pull faces at the tiny baby, I was still getting nowhere as I knock sounded at the door. Heading through the doorway into the kitchen, I bounced Juliet on my hip as I looked at Elisa.
"Som-someone's at the d-do-door," I stated and she looked me confused, slipping out of the room.
Staying in the kitchen, I continued to do everything I could to make Juliet smile. Again, she was having none of my nonsense. Just then, Draco appeared in the kitchen and I tried once more to make my goddaughter smile but to no avail. With a sigh, I headed into the living room.
"El, wh-who is i-it?" I asked, growing concerned when my best friend didn't answer. "El?"
The woman pushed past her and scoffed, Elisa closing the door behind her.
"I'll put the kettle on," murmured Elisa before ducking into the kitchen.
I didn't quite know what to do with myself as Elisa closed the kitchen door behind her. Vaguely aware of her and Draco talking, I sat down awkwardly on the sofa, Buchanan firmly planting himself beside me and the twins, Juliet still in my arms and Joshua dozing in his Moses basket. I still wasn't sure who this woman was but I could hazard a guess, given the way Elisa was reacting. Elisa then appeared from the kitchen, a tray floating behind her.
"This is the best the Order of the Phoenix could give you?"
Elisa smiled at the question but it was quite clearly fake as she levitated the tray onto the coffee table. I found myself cringing away from the woman, suddenly feeling weak, though I wasn't sure why. I found myself not wanting to speak in front of her for fear of what she might say about my stutter and I hadn't felt that way in a very long time. As Elisa poured out a cup of tea, I watched the woman wander around the flat before stopping, staring at a photo of Ron and Elisa from Bill and Fleur's wedding.
"Moth--"
Of fucking course. Despite the fact that she was interrupted, Elisa's attempted speech confirmed my suspicions. Lolita fucking Stevenson, Elisa's mother. No wonder my best friend was in such a frenzy.
"I always thought you were pulling one of your jokes when you told me you were with the Weasley boy," Lolita spat, glaring at her daughter and I felt anger bubbling up and roiling within me. Draco was nowhere to be seen and I clutched Juliet tightly as Lolita continued. "Are those his too?"
"'She' and 'he', Mother, not 'those'. Will you please sit down?" Elisa lifted up Joshua into her arms.
"Cindy Atkins's son would have been perfect for you." Lolita sat down, her back as straight as a broom, her nose in the air.
I flinched. I could recognise that surname anywhere. Elisa looked as though she were about to explode and I didn't doubt that she would have done had she not been holding her son.