Chapter 5: Suitable Couple
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: 5/40
Chapter Title: Suitable Couple
Words: 2122 Words



Harry went back to the orphanage the next day. Now that Draco had agreed, Harry was excited to begin this new chapter of their life.

Sister Margaret greeted him. "Well, hello, Harry. We didn't expect you today."

"I wanted to see Elijah," he said.

"Elijah has been telling everyone you are going to teach him magic." There was a hint of disapproval in her tone.

"Just a simple thing, Sister. Coin trick. It's just a game," he explained.

"Well, they are in the playground," the nun told him, giving him more of a smile.

Harry headed out back to see Elijah and the other children. He smiled, watching them running and climbing for a long moment, including Elijah. The boy saw Harry and came running up to him.

"Why, hello there. I hear you've been telling everyone about this magic trick," Harry said, crouching down in front of Elijah.

"Was I not supposed to?" Elijah asked, a big grin on his face. "I was too excited not to!"

Harry shook his head. "That just means that I'll probably have to show everyone else, too. Or maybe you'd rather do that?"

"Yeah! I wanna!" Elijah replied excitedly.

Elizabeth, Billy and Sean came running over then, all yelling Harry's name and jumping up and down. Luckily this gave Harry more time to figure out what to teach him. Of course, he didn't have much time to think about that since, as soon as the kids came over, they dragged him off to play games. He preferred this anyway, playing football and tag, just enjoying the time he had with the children.

When it was time for Elijah's group to go back into for lessons, Harry gave the boy a big hug and then went to find Sister Margaret, determined to find out how to adopt the boy. She looked concerned at his request for a private chat but nodded, leading him into the tiny office and gesturing for Harry to take a seat. "How can I help you, Harry?"

"I want to ask how I would go about adopting a child," Harry said as soon as he took a seat.

Sister Margaret paused, looking completely taken off guard. "Really? How long have you been considering this?"

"A while," Harry insisted. While it had only been about a week really, he had known for a lot longer than that he wanted to have a family.

Sister Margaret was looking at him more intently that she ever had before. "I know we haven't really talked about your personal life before ... but, are you married, Harry?"

Harry paused. He basically was to Draco, but it wasn't official, so he didn't think he could say that. "No, not exactly."

"And what is your occupation, Harry?" she asked.

"I don't exactly have one at the moment. But I got an inheritance from my parents," he tried to explain. "So I have enough to take care of a child."

Sister Margaret sighed and got up from behind her desk, sitting in the chair next to his. "Harry," she said, "I can see that you are man with a big heart. You love kids. That's a good thing. But our policies require we only place children with good stable families. Suitable married couples with stable income."

Harry bit his lip, his excitement being replaced with worry. "I'm in a stable relationship," he went on to say. "We've been together for years and my partner brings in most of the income. I can't really have a job at the moment."

"Well, it's traditional for a man to bring his wife with him when they apply for adoption. Don't you think she should be part of such a big decision?"

Harry knew she would assume that Draco was a girl. He frowned a little, but something told him not to tell her the truth then and there. "I told them about it already. I just thought I'd come talk to you first ...."

"Them?" she asked, frowning.

Harry hesitated for a moment longer, but he really didn't like hiding who he was. And it was going to come out eventually. "Him."

The change in her face was immediate. She lost that soft edge, her expression closing down to a kind of cold neutrality. "That would violate our adoption policies," she said crisply.

Harry's eyes widened, and he immediately knew he should've lied. "You just said we'd have to be married and have a stable income," he said.

"A married couple. A man and woman," she said curtly. "This is a Christian institution, Mr Potter."

Harry stared at her for a moment before he looked down, his lips beginning to tremble. "I just wanted to protect him," he said softly, pulling off his glasses to rub at his eyes.

She shook her head, sighing. "I can't change the rules, Harry, even if I wanted to. We can't condone your lifestyle."

Harry didn't really understand how he was any different. He didn't really think he was gay, since he only really had eyes for Draco. It wasn't like he ever wanted other men. He didn't understand how that made a "lifestyle." He eventually pushed his glasses back on and moved to stand up, barely able to look at her. "Thank you for talking to me," he murmured, and then turned to leave, pausing to look back at her. "Could you tell Elijah I'll come to see him again soon?"

"Yes, I will," she said.

Luckily none of the children stopped him on the way out, and Harry managed to hold back the tears while he got out of the building and Apparated home. When he opened up the door and stepped into their home, he sank down onto his knees and started to cry, ignoring the animals that crowded around him.

Wags was trying to lick his face and Snuffles began to bark in alarm. Harry didn't push them away he just cried harder, his hands pressed against his face as he sunk down closer to the floor, almost laying down. He couldn't believe it, just a few words and all his hopes of adopting Elijah were thrown out of the window as if they were nothing and they meant nothing. And just because he was in love with a man.

Draco was in his basement Potions Lab, in the middle of chopping nettle, when he heard Snuffles barking. At first, it didn't concern him, but then Oberon yeowled and hopped down from his perch on the shelf. Unsure what the problem could be, Draco wiped his hands on a cloth nearby, drew his wand and headed up the stairs. He was shocked to find his lover collapsed on the floor. "Harry?" he said, dropping to his knees beside him.

Harry was shaking hard, most of his hair covering his face by that point. He couldn't stop crying and barely even heard Draco when he spoke.

Draco didn't know what had set Harry off this time, but it was worse than he'd seen in a long time. He wrapped his arms about his lover, pulling him against his own chest. "I'm here, right here," he soothed.

Harry just clung to Draco's shirt as he sobbed, pressing his face against the man's chest.

Draco began rocking him, petting Harry's hair with one hand while he held him firmly but gently. "I have you. You are safe," he whispered. It was a mantra begun years before when he had been Harry's Healer and it served to calm and ground Harry when he had his episodes.

Harry slowly started to settle, sniffling and shuddering a few more times before he went quiet, his face wet from the tears.

Draco kissed the top of his head, still rocking and petting. He waited for Harry to signal he was ready to talk about whatever it was.

Harry was quiet for the next few minutes until his eyes started to well up again. "They won't let us adopt him," he started to say, his voice thick with tears.

"What? Why?" Draco asked, surprised. He'd been so worried about whether he could handle a child, he hadn't thought about someone refusing them.

"Because we're men," Harry replied. "And we're together."

Draco couldn't help but be annoyed, but not at all shocked. He actually thought Muggles were more progressive about such things. The wizarding world certainly wasn't. "They'd rather the boy have no family than two men?"

"Yes," Harry mumbled and then hiccuped, covering his face as he thought of Elijah growing up homeless just because of this.

Draco was furious, the urge to scream obscenities something he barely controlled, and then only for Harry's sake. He didn't like being told he couldn't do something. "Do you want me to talk to them?" he asked.

"What could you say?" Harry asked through his fingers.

Draco wanted to hex them, actually, but that would probably land him in trouble with the Ministry. "Do you think they accept bribes?" he wondered.

"Probably not, Draco," Harry sighed, wishing it was possible, but he was sure that the sisters there wouldn't let him go home with Elijah because of their so-called "lifestyle."

"I'll write my Solicitor and see if he has any advice. I don't know anything about Muggle laws," Draco explained, wiping away his lover's tears with a thumb.

"They won't let me," Harry whispered, looking up at Draco then. "Christians don't like what we're doing. They're very strict about that."

Draco didn't think much of that. "They didn't know about me before?" he asked.

"No, I never said. And then today she started talking about how I needed to be married and with a stable income, so I told them that I had someone. They assumed you were a girl," Harry softly explained, feeling worn out amongst other things. "And I couldn't just lie to them."

Draco would have lied, of course. He shook his head sadly, fingers pushing back damp strands of hair from Harry's wet cheek. "My noble Gryffindor," he whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he whispered, sniffling as he looked up into Draco's eyes, his lips trembling again. "But I really wanted to do it ...."

"I know," Draco whispered, now feeling guilty for having fought with Harry about it. He wanted Harry to have everything that made him happy. "Let's get up off the floor," he suggested.

Harry nodded, but didn't really move to get up. "I'm tired," he whispered.

"Let me take you to bed and hold you. I can brush your hair or do anything else you want," Draco offered.

"Sleep," Harry mumbled, turning to bury his face in Draco's neck, knowing he wouldn't mind the wetness.

"Come on," Draco said, pulling him up, but keeping him close. "A nap and then maybe a treat will help."

He wasn't really hungry, but he nodded slightly and let Draco lead him up the steps.

Draco gently undressed his lover, petting and soothing as he did. He didn't know what he could do about the problem yet, but at least he knew how to take care of Harry. It was what he did best.

Once Harry was undressed he was cold and moved to get under the covers, waiting for Draco to join him.

"You want cocoa now?" Draco asked.

Harry shook his head, turning over to look at him. He was feeling a little weird now, along with the tiredness. Like he had almost thrown a tantrum of sorts downstairs.

Draco saw that slightly lost, embarrassed look and moved to the bed. "Can I lie down with you?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, nodding and pulling the covers back a little.

Draco kept his eyes on his lover as he undressed, loving the sight of Harry naked. It wasn't just desire. He loved holding Harry, being the one Harry wanted to hold him. He laid his clothes aside and slid into the bed with Harry.

Harry moved closer to him, but not too close so he could rest his hands against Draco's bare chest. "How do you put up with me?" he asked after a few minutes. "I can't get a job because I'm too scared to. I can't do normal things that might not bother anyone else without worrying about having an episode, or some kind of temper tantrum. I just ... sometimes I don't get it."

Draco blinked in surprise. While everything Harry said was true, technically, it wasn't how Draco saw him. "I am a selfish prat who has only ever completely loved one person, you," Draco explained. He'd loved his parents, at least when he was young, but he didn't think that counted. "I am just lucky you love me back."

[Such a disappointment.]

Chapter 6





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