Not your usual Veela mate [Chapters 39-69]

The Night Before The Start Of Our Future [65]

Thursday, Sep. 19
Harry found it extremely difficult to settle down that night and go to sleep. Not even Draco's soothing presence next to him did anything to help the Elf to calm down enough to feel even remotely drowsy. Tomorrow was finally the day that Severus and Lucius would be free of their Dark Marks. For so long they had waited for this day, and now that it was almost here Harry felt terrified that something would happen to prevent the two men the freedom they so richly deserved.
"

Would you calm down? We've thought of everything. Nothing is going to happen; not to Father, and not to Severus," Draco said in exasperation when Harry continued to fidget next to him. Wrapping his arms more securely around his mate, Draco reached up and began to run his fingers through soft black hair in the way he knew Harry liked.
"I'm sorry, Draco, but I just can't help it!" Harry complained, shifting his position yet again. "What if something goes wrong? What if the potion doesn't do what it is supposed to do? What if I'm not strong enough to free the spirit snakes? What if- oomph!"
Draco calmly looked into the green eyes glaring at him, keeping his palm firmly planted across the Elf's mouth. "Harry, we have been over this at least a hundred times. You know as well as I do that this will work. The only one capable of stopping us is Dumbledore and we've made sure that he'll be too busy with his own troubles to worry about us. Relax, Harry, everything will be just fine."
Harry looked searchingly into silvery eyes, needing the reassurance and the firm belief that was shining from their dept. Sighing softly he put his head down over Draco's heart, removing the hand from his face in the process, hoping the sound of the steady heartbeat would help calm his suddenly jittery nerves. "I know, love, and I do know. It's just…"
"Believe it or not, but I do know too," Draco said softly, resuming his petting. "But I have faith in you. And I have faith in my father and godfather, and in myself too. We've been over this so many times, looking at the problem from every angle, and we've made so many contingency plans I'm not sure I remember them all. We will be fine. They will be fine, and by Monday the two of them will be bonded the way they were meant to be."
"I really wish I could feel that certain," Harry said with a soft sigh. "Unfortunately, life has taught me to never take anything for granted. And no matter how well made the plan, something always goes awry, leaving me scrambling to save the day."
Draco snorted. "You forget, love, most of those plans were made by Dumbledore. Of course they went awry," he stated matter-of-factly, giving Harry a pointed look.
Harry stilled for a moment, completely taken aback by the logic behind Draco's statement. Then he broke into sniggers. "I guess I never looked at it that way," he eventually gasped once he was able to speak again. "I guess I never truly allowed myself to consider how much he manipulated me while I was younger. Merlin, I was so stupid!" Harry said with a sigh, thinking back at his younger years.
"No, not stupid, Harry. You were young, ignorant, even naïve, but you were never stupid," Draco said softly, giving his mate a reassuring squeeze.
"Yeah, I guess I was, wasn't I?" Harry slowly agreed having thought the matter through some more. Emitting another soft sigh, but this time one of contentment, Harry settled himself more comfortably against his Veela and listened contently to the steady beating of his beloved's heart.
"I still don't think I can go to sleep though," Harry finally admitted, his mind abuzz with worries, plans, and counter plans. "What if Dumbledore doesn't come down for breakfast? What if he doesn't ingest the potion? What if-"
"Dumbledore will come down for breakfast, and he will drink down the potion. Dobby will make sure that he does and you know it! You've completely converted that house-elf you know that, right? I don't think I have ever seen oneso fiercely devoted and protective of their charge before."
Harry shrugged his shoulders feeling a little uncomfortable. "I just wanted to help him. I thought your father was mistreating him and I just wanted to do something nice for the poor thing. Even though he almost got me killed attempting to save my life," Harry added with a laugh. He swiftly grew sombre again and Harry turned his head to look into Draco's loving eyes. "I'm sorry about your mother, Draco. I know that you don't love her, and that is just… sad," he said, searching for the appropriate word and just not finding one that truly described what he was feeling.
"My mother loves only one person and that is herself. Her parents named her very aptly. I wonder if they knew? I mean, just about every other Black are named after a star and she was named after a flower. And not just any flower at that," Draco said musingly. "Anyway, you are in no way or shape responsible for that woman's actions. On the contrary, you are helping my father to gain his true mate, and that true mate is most definitely not Narcissa Black!"
"I know," Harry admitted with a soft sigh. "But still… achild is supposed to be able to love their parents, you know? I don't remember my parents and the Dursleys never gave me any encouragement to view them as substitutes. I always thought you led a charmed life and to find out that you too lost your mother… Ah, forget it, I can't explain what I mean," Harry said irritably, moving to turn away from the Veela, not wanting him to see the treacherous tears that filled his eyes.
"Oh, Harry," Draco said with a soft sigh, hugging himtightly, ignoring Harry's initial struggle to get away from him. "It is not stupid. And I do understand what you are saying. Family is something sacred to you, isn't it? In a way it is to me too, only Narcissa was never a part of that. To me, my family consisted of my father and of Severus. Now it has extended to include you as well, and I find that I am… content. No, I am more that that. I am happy. For the first time in my life I am truly happy and I have you to thank for that," Draco said with a beatific smile, giving Harry's forehead a light kiss.
Snuggling down in each other's arms the two teenagers lay in silence, enjoying the other's closeness. However, soon Harry found his mind abuzz once more and he began to grow restless. Feeling it next to impossible to remain still and not fidget, Harry searched for something, anything, to think about that did not include the events of the following day.
Almost desperate for a diversion, the Elf latched onto a conversation he'd had with the Malfoys after his first Monday prank. Merlin, but that day seemed a lifetime ago! Poking a finger into the blond's ribs, Harry asked softly, "Draco, you awake?"
"Uh-huh. Still finding it hard to sleep, love?" Draco asked drowsily, already halfway to the land of dreams.
"Yeah, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Harry asked hesitantly. Now that he had asked the question, if only to himself, he kind of wanted to know the answer. Still, what if Draco didn't share his father's views? What if he did?
"What is it, beautiful?" Draco asked, coming wide awake in an instant as he felt the conflicting emotions his mate was experiencing. "Are you still worried about tomorrow?"
"No, this is something else. Draco, do you…?" Harry trailed off, unsure how to voice the question that had so unexpectedly popped into his mind.
"Do I what?" Draco asked, mystified. What on earth could have put his mate in such a state?
"Do you want children?" Harry asked hesitantly, craning his neck so he could watch the blond's face intently.
"Do I want what?!" Draco asked shocked, completely taken by surprise. This was not what he had been expecting and all he could do was watch his mate with wide eyes.
"Do you want children?" Harry asked, bravely repeating his question. "When we talked about Norabeth and her prank, I asked why wizards today have so few children, remember? Lucius told me that he'd always wanted a large family but that Narcissa refused him. Hmm, I wonder… Do you think Lucius and Severus will have more children now that they are finally free to bond?"
"I… Um… Well…Huh…" Draco stuttered, his mind a whirl.
"Draco? Are you alright? Do you need something? Should I call your father?" Harry asked in alarm, sitting up and about to bolt from the bed to get whatever the Veela needed.
Draco sat up in the bed too and grabbed hold of his mate's nearest arm. "Harry, you prat, you can't just throw a question like that at me and expect me to have a pat reply ready. Not at this time of night, anyway!" he said with some exasperation.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Harry said softly, hanging his head, feeling contrite.
Draco put his arm around slumped shoulders and pulled his Elf into an embrace. Settling back onto the bed, making sure that they were both comfortable, the blond took a stab at answering the questions that had thrown him for such a loop. "Um, let's see. Will Father and Severus have children together? I don't know. I guess it is something none of us has really considered. I know Father would be delighted to have another son or a daughter or two.
"Severus might act as if he abhors children, but he has always been wonderful towards me, so I'm guessing he wouldn't mind a child or two of his own either. Me, I would be delighted to have a sibling, so I would be more than all right if that happened.
"As for a child of my own… I would be both honoured and humbled if you were to give me a child, Harry. I wouldn't even care if it was a girl or a boy, though it probably would be a boy," he admitted somewhat ruefully. "Malfoys tends to have a son for their firstborn, something to do with our magical makeup," Draco added with a slight shrug of his shoulders. He had never truly thought much about having children; besides, Lucius had only mentioned the Malfoy tendency once when Draco had asked the famous, 'Dad, where do babies come from?' question when he was five so he truly didn't recall the details very well. He would have to ask his father again now that he had finally found his mate.
"You only want one child then?" Harry asked timidly, dropping his gaze to Draco's silk clad torso.
Draco's eyebrows shot upwards, it sounded as if Harry most definitely wanted more than one child. Feeling a smile threaten to break out, Draco pulled his Elf into a tight hug. "I wouldn't mind having more than one child, Harry. But what do you want?"
"I've always wanted a large family, with lots and lots of children to love and spoil and give all the things I never had growing up," Harry admitted softly, taking comfort from the tight hug that only grew tighter at his reply.
"I would be happy to give you as many offspring as you'd like, Harry. Um, just how many children did you wish for?" Draco belatedly thought to ask once the first heady feeling of joy had dispersed a little.
"Um… Well… Do you really want to know?" Harry asked, unable to meet Draco's eyes, fidgeting slightly.
"Harry?" Draco asked, beginning to wonder if he should start to worry or not.
"Well… twenty-five," Harry admitted in a rush, biting back a laugh.
"Twenty-five?!" Draco exclaimed with a yelp.
"You said you wanted more than one child," Harry said innocently, glancing up at Draco through his eyelashes.
"Yes, but twenty-five?!" Draco asked, still stuck on the number and not aware of anything else.
"Oh," Harry said, his face falling. "It is too few, isn't it? How many children did you want? I don't think I can agree upon more than thirty-two." Harry face was a study of misery and noble sacrifice.
"Thirty-two?!" Draco shouted, but then he stopped and took a good look at his mate. "You prat! You enjoyed that, didn't you?" Draco asked, narrowing his gaze in mock-outrage.
Harry tried, really he did, but the situation was just too ridiculous and despite his best efforts, he broke into gales of laughter.
Draco glared at him, before deciding that this demanded retribution. Taking his Elf by surprise, Draco pounced and began to tickle his impudent mate until he had been suitable punished.