InsaneJournal

Unexpected - Chapter 4: Good Intentions
Title: Unexpected
Authors: slashpervert and aveeno_baby.

Betas: brknhalo241, asm614, Mini Mouse, and Indie.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: ADULT!
Genre: Fluff, Smut, Hurt/Comfort
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Length: 94,000 words (40 Chapters)
Warnings (Mark to Read): Language, Explicit, M/M Sex, Masturbation, Oral, Rimming, Anal, Mpreg, and mental health issues such as anxiety attacks. (Characters in this fiction are over 18.)

Summary: Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy have lived together for four years in their country house surrounded by a magical menagerie of unwanted animals Harry rescues. Yet, Harry wants more. He dreams of a family that includes children.

Notes: Post-war, AU after HBP, not DH compliant. Sequel to Undesirable, though can be read separately. Whereas, Undesirable was very dark, this one is very fluffy with some angst. Thanks to corvusdea for help with Latin for spells. Icon adapted by slashpervert from Passion by dirty_darella.
Disclaimer: This is a non-commercial work of fan fiction intended for adult audiences only. No copyright infringement intended. (Full Disclaimer!)

Chapter Number/Total: 4/40
Chapter Title: Good Intentions
Words: 3350 Words



Harry was setting the table. "Elijah wants me to teach him a coin trick. Problem is, I don't know how to do it without magic,” he explained.

Draco was chopping vegetables. A pot of broth beside him was being tended by a "self-stirring" spoon. "Just don't let anyone find out you do magic in front of Muggles," Draco warned, but smiled. If they did, Harry would probably get away with it anyway.

Harry shrugged, pulling glasses out of the cupboard. “So what do I do about Elijah?”

Draco added the potatoes to the pot and wiped his hands on a tea towel before reaching for his lover. "Maybe Hermione could look up how the trick is done on her computer," he suggested. Draco barely tolerated the telly in their house but knew that Hermione said you could find out almost anything on a computer. Draco preferred books himself.

"Yeah, I guess so. Do you know how Sammy's doing, by the way?" Harry asked, setting the glasses down and then leaning into Draco’s embrace.

"No, I didn't check on him," Draco admitted. "And Severus must have finally eaten something that even he couldn't stomach because he threw up on the carpet in the front room." Draco's nose wrinkled in disgust.

Harry made a face; just thinking about that made his own stomach turn. "Was bound to happen. I should check on Sammy, though. You know it takes a long time for them to shed.”

Draco nodded, kissed Harry again and went back to cooking. He very much hoped that Sammy would finish soon. After Voldemort, Draco wasn't comfortable having a large snake that close to him. He knew Sammy couldn't really hurt him but it was still unnerving.

Harry went upstairs and changed into his more comfortable house clothes that consisted of a baggy pair of sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. He walked into the bathroom and knelt beside the tiled shower. "Sammy, how's it going?" he asked the snake.

"Hungry," the snake complained. He seemed to have wriggled about halfway out of his old skin now, which probably meant another day before he was ready to go back under the house.

"All right, what do you want?" Harry asked, unable to stop himself from petting the new skin.

"Rat is good," Sammy suggested. Problem with that, of course, was that Harry would have to find or go buy him one. And Harry was a softy, Once he saw the rat, he would feel sorry for it. But snakes only ate live food.

"Aw, Sam, I don't have food like that," Harry said, pouting a little.

Sammy did his best to look sad, head resting on the tiles. "Hungry," he complained.

"Okay, I'll do my best," Harry sighed, petting the snake one more time before he stood up and left the bathroom, heading back downstairs. "Hey, Draco, you wouldn't happen to know where any rats are?"

"They try to hide from Oberon in the old barn," Draco answered, serving up two plates now. "Though I don't know if they manage that. Having a Kneazle, a Crup, a dog and five owls thins out the rat population pretty quickly."

"Damn. Sammy's hungry. Wonder if ... hmm. Where's Severus? Severus!" Harry called out, not sure of where the Jarvey had got to.

"You're not going to feed him Severus?" Draco asked, actually wondering if that would be good thing – especially when the creature came running from the other room calling them both "Mudblood fuckwits."

"Nice to see you, too! Hey, could do you me a favor? Go out in the barn and get a rat, but don't eat him! Just bring him back here, okay? I'll give you extra food," Harry told him, nodding.

Severus looked at him sceptically. "Shithead," he said and leapt out the pet door. Draco shook his head sadly and sat down at the kitchen table.

"Ah, I never know when he's happy or mad," Harry said as he sat down at the table across from Draco, shaking his hair back off his face.

"I think he stops talking and sulks when he is mad," Draco ventured, picking up his spoon and taking a bite of the stew he had made.

"So, when he's okay, or really happy, he swears a lot, yeah," Harry said, laughing softly as he picked up his own spoon to eat. Severus was probably the most entertaining animal he had.

They cleaned up after dinner together. Sherlock came back and Draco kept his promise feeding the owl some raw steak he had set aside for him. Then Draco and Harry settled on the sofa to watch the telly. Oberon curled up on the back of the sofa while Wags and Snuffles curled up on the rug at their feet. Severus had not yet returned from his errand.

Harry curled up next to Draco, relaxing as he watched some silly television show. It had taken him forever to help Draco get used to it, and he even now he seemed to tolerate it rather than like it most of the time.

Draco had one arm around Harry and the other on the remote control. His lover had an unfortunate tendency to flip channels when he got bored, which drove Draco spare.

They were in the middle of the latest episode of the new Doctor Who series when they heard the flap of the pet door and a horrible high-pitched screeching noise. Harry jumped, sitting up quickly and looking towards where the sound came from. "What was that!"

Draco followed and they burst into the kitchen to find Severus crouched and holding a very large rat in his jaw and paws. The rat was, as Harry had directed, very much alive – screaming and thrashing and trying to bite the Jarvey.

Harry frowned as he watched the situation, knowing that he couldn't just walk over and pull the rat away without getting bitten. He pulled out his wand and pointed it, waiting until he had a good shot before he yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!"

Both animals froze in place.

"Go get it, Draco," Harry said, nudging him.

Draco arched an eyebrow. "Why do I have to get it? It's not my snake."

"Draco," Harry whined, pouting and nudging him again.

"Bloody hell," Draco complained, and stepped up. He had to pry Severus' jaw apart to get the rat and then picked it up by the tail, his own wand pointed at the rat in case the hex wore off. "I'll take it to Sammy," he huffed. "You check Severus. I think the rat bit him."

"All right, thanks," Harry said, kneeling down in front of the Jarvey and murmuring the counter to end the petrification. "Are you okay, buddy?" he asked, brushing his fingers over the animal as he prepared himself for the swearing. One of Severus' paws was bleeding and he whimpered.

"Ohh ...." Harry bit his lip and reached to pull Severus into his lap so that he could get a closer look at the wound. "It isn't so bad." He didn't know the Healing Spells Draco did, so he'd have to wait for him to come back. In the meantime, he pressed his fingers over the wound to slow down the bleeding, the blood making Harry pale and look away.

"Bitch," Severus answered.

Draco took the rat to Sammy and locked the creature in the bathroom. "Get blood everywhere and I will make a belt out of you," he snapped at the snake before heading back downstairs. "How is he?" he asked when he came back into the kitchen.

"He's hurt," Harry said, breathing in deeply a few times. He hated the sight of blood; it reminded him of too many things. Bad things that made him shiver and brought nightmares.

"It's going to be okay," Draco said, trying to reassure both the Jarvey and his lover. He knelt beside them and used a Healing Charm on Severus. The poor creature was still panting and looked exhausted.

"Sorry I had you do that," Harry softly said to the Jarvey, slowly looking down at his pet.

"Come on," Draco said, helping Harry hold on to the beast and moving them both to the front room. "Next time you need snake food, we use magic or go to the pet store to get one."

"Yeah, sorry," Harry murmured again, getting up and letting Draco lead him back into the room.

They settled back onto the sofa, Severus sleeping in Harry's lap and the dark haired man snuggling against Draco. The rest of the animals had watched the excitement but now quieted down again too. "Never boring around you," Draco said with a sigh.

Harry calmed down once his hands were clean, and the image of the blood slowly left his mind while he let himself concentrate on the feel of Draco holding him. "That's good. I don't want you to get bored of me," he whispered.

"Never," Draco whispered in reply and they went back to watching their show. Then it was time for bed. The four house animals all had their own pet beds in the front room.

Harry carefully set Severus down in his bed and then followed Draco up the stairs and into their room.

Draco decided to skip brushing his teeth rather than see what Sammy had done with the rat. "Let's use the other bathroom until our house guest moves out," he told Harry as he stripped off.

Harry nodded, really not wanting to see what happened to the rat either. He pulled his clothes off and led the way to the other bathroom.

Finally, they settled into the bed for the night. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry and sighed.

Harry was quiet. He’d been thinking about Elijah again. There was one way he could take the boy away from all that, he thought. "Maybe we could adopt Elijah," he said.

Draco hadn’t been prepared for that. He hadn’t even been thinking about the child. He knew Harry wanted children and he supposed he should have seen something like this coming. "Adopt a stranger's child?"

Harry nodded, but didn't exactly like the way Draco said that. "He's an orphan, it doesn't matter if his parents are strangers or not."

Draco tried to be calm, to figure out why the idea upset him. He had never even met this child. A Muggle child. "I don't know, Harry. I mean, I think you would be a good father. But ...."

"You don't think you'd be a good father?" Harry asked, his head tilting. "Why not?"

Draco closed his mouth and looked away. Given his own father had been a murderer and one of the men who had tortured and raped Harry, he wasn't sure what to say to that. And the things Lucius had done to Draco ... he never talked about.

"You don't think so because of your... father, right?" Harry whispered, biting his lip as he watched him. He didn't want to think about that man.

"You know what I was like, Harry," Draco whispered. "You brought it up yourself. Why do you think I was like that?"

"That doesn't mean you'll be like him," Harry insisted, biting his lip harder as he reached for Draco's hand. "You're different."

Draco sighed, letting his head fall back against the headboard and staring at the ceiling. "I don't even know how to be different than him."

Harry shook his head, his eyes closing as he took a deep breath. "You're doing it now."

"I'm different with you," Draco whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Harry said softly. "And I know you can do this. I know."

The idea terrified him but Draco wasn't sure if he could explain why. Harry had a thing for saving others. Draco had managed to accept all the animals, but now his lover wanted to bring a child into their home. Draco had a difficult enough time around their friends' children. "I'll think about it," he promised.

Harry opened his eyes and grinned, moving in to kiss his lips. "Think hard about it ...."

Draco nodded, pressing his face into his lover's hair, nuzzling his neck. He loved Harry more than he could ever say and wanted to make him happy. "As you wish, love."

***

Harry didn't bring it up again over the next couple days, but he did think about it. He didn't know what to say to Draco about his desire to adopt. He was still trying to figure that out when Sunday came and it was time for their weekly dinner with Hermione and Ron. Draco was in the kitchen and Harry was in the dining room, setting the table, when he heard the Floo activate and the dogs immediately began barking a greeting.

Harry finished with the table and moved to greet his friends, hugging them both, "Just on time as usual," he said, leading them back into the dining room.

"No thanks to these two," Hermione harrumphed. Ron rolled his eyes and he hefted their son, Brian, in his arms. The boy was squirming, trying to get down to pet the "doggies."

Harry went to help Ron, taking Brian from him. "You'll get to pet them later," he told the toddler, kissing his forehead.

Brian wrapped chubby arms around Harry's neck. "'arry!" he greeted.

"I'm starved," Ron said with a groan, heading straight for the kitchen.

"Draco should almost be done," Harry said to Ron, hugging the boy in his arms as he spun around with him. "Brian!"

The boy giggled and Hermione smiled. They followed Ron, only to find Draco shooing them all into the dining room because Ron had tried to sneak some of the food before it was served. "Sit down and we'll all eat," Draco huffed.

Harry helped Brian into his high chair and then went to help Draco bring the food out. "I'm starving, too," he murmured, leaning over to see what he was finishing up on.

Draco pushed away from the food, then carried the platter with the roast and vegetables to the table, setting it down and then taking his seat.

Harry sat down next to him, settling down as he smelled the food. "Smells wonderful," he commented, smiling at Draco. "I have my own personal chef."

Draco rolled his eyes but smiled, cutting the roast. "And I have my own personal hero," he teased back.

"Lucky you," Harry chuckled, picking up his fork to start eating.

Hermione talked about her work at the ministry, Ron about the shop. They exchanged stories about Brian's latest shenanigans, with Harry and Draco's stories about the animals.

"So, we have something to tell you two," Hermione said as they were finishing. She smiled at Ron who grinned.

"What?" Harry asked, reaching for a napkin to wipe his mouth.

Hermione had her hand on her belly then and Draco knew before she spoke. "We are going to have another child," she continued.

Harry's eyebrows rose before he grinned. "Oh! Congratulations, you two!"

Draco smiled, nodding. "Yes, congratulations. When are you due?"

Hermione grinned too. "Just a bit over six months."

"That's great, Hermione," Harry said, nodding. He did feel just a little bit of jealousy, but he tried not to let that show, feeling genuinely happy for them both.

They spent some time talking about Ron and Hermione's plans and how excited they were. Draco did notice that Harry was upset but didn't bring it up in front of their friends. He waited until they had left and they were cleaning up afterward. "You really want a child?" Draco said with a sigh as he started the Dishwashing Charm.

"Yeah," Harry replied softly, quietly helping him. "I want a family."

Draco sighed and moved to Harry's side, taking a hand. He wanted to assure him he would do it, just to make his lover happy. Yet, he knew this was too big to just give in. "Children would be a lot of work, a lot of responsibility."

"I'm not stupid, I know that," Harry huffed, turning to leave the kitchen and walk up to their room. He knew a child wouldn't be another pet.

Draco stood in the kitchen for a minute. He knew he would go after Harry, would do what he could to calm him down. Yet, this conversation frightened him. He took several deep breaths and then made his way up the stairs.

Harry was standing in front of the mirror, his hair loose as he started to brush different sections of it, staring at himself in the mirror.

Draco stepped up behind him, looking over his shoulder at his lover. "Can you really imagine us as parents?" he asked, trying to see what it was his lover saw in him.

Harry just looked up at him through the mirror. Was he seriously asking that? "Yes, Draco. Obviously."

Draco sighed and turned away, going to the window and looking out over their back garden and to the trees around their property. Their life wasn't exactly quiet, but it was comfortable. He was afraid of changing that. He tried to imagine what a child would mean for them. He tried to picture himself as a parent.

Harry turned to watch him, setting the brush down and slowly crossing his arms over his chest. "What's stopping you, Draco? If you're still thinking that you wouldn't be a good father, stop it now. We already talked about that," he said.

"We didn't talk about that," Draco snapped. "You said I'm not my father but that's hardly an endorsement."

"Yes it is! You know what I meant by that," Harry huffed, scowling at him. "Didn’t you ever imagine yourself with a family of your own?"

Draco frowned, still not turning to look at Harry. He could remember that. He'd been raised as the only heir in a wealthy pureblood wizarding family. Of course, he had assumed he would have a family someday. That was before the Dark Lord had come back and destroyed his family. He had always thought he would marry a pureblood witch and father children. Now that seemed relegated to the foolish notions of childhood. He sighed and nodded, unable to articulate all this to the man he loved.

"Talk to me," Harry sighed, pushing his hair out of his face. "I always wanted a family of my own. But I could never even focus on stuff like that, not with the war and, well, everything."

"It was before my father ..." Draco trailed off, taking a deep breath. "I was going to say sold us to the Dark Lord, but I suppose he did that even before I was born. I just didn't know it. Not until ...."

Harry shook his head to stop him before he continued, not really wanting to think about Voldemort or the war. He stepped closer and rested his hand on Draco's shoulder. "But now things have changed. We don't have anything to worry about. I want a child. I want Elijah."

That touch, that warm hand on his shoulder, brought a flush of warmth over Draco's skin and he turned his head, rubbing his cheek against his lover's fingers there. "What if I ... what if I fail?" he whispered.

"You won't fail," Harry whispered, moving his hand up to cup his cheek. "You won't."

Draco closed his eyes, pressing his lips to the wrist near his mouth. His heart was pounding. He wanted to assure Harry he would do it, be whatever he wanted him to be. Only he didn't know how. What if he couldn't love the child? Or any child? "I ... don't know what to do?" he admitted.

"We'll learn together," Harry whispered, reaching to run his fingers through Draco's hair. "Just take the chance with me."

Draco gave a small smile then, turning to meet Harry's eyes. "For you, I will try. I will think about it," he whispered.

"Thank you. Thank you so much," Harry said, smiling brightly up at him. "It'll be great. Elijah's a great kid!"

[Draco is really struggling with this...]

Chapter 5

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