Archive of Our Own ^beta

Laelia Nymphadora Malfoy-Potter was six years old and lived with her brother, Teddy, and her two parents, Daddy Harry and Papa Draco, in a big house out in the country. She had her own room decorated in bright colours, a big chest filled with toys, and a family dog named Lady.

Laelia loved her family, especially Teddy who was a Metamorphmagus and could change his appearance at will. Even though Teddy was ten and about to start Hogwarts next year, he was the best big brother because he always had time to play with her. Her favourite games were Exploding Snap or Gobstones, but not Quidditch because she had a small fear of heights.

Whenever Teddy was with his friends, Laelia would spend time with her parents if they were not too busy working. Papa Draco would have her help him in his potions lab, letting her gather ingredients to brew simple potions, while Daddy Harry would try to teach her to cook. And if there were meals that didn’t quite turn out okay, Lady had no problems eating them before going to sleep at the end of Laelia’s bed every night.

For the first six years of Laelia’s life, she was happy.

Until everything changed nine months ago.

#

Daddy Harry started to be tired and sick in the mornings. He never paid much attention to it, saying that it was just from working too hard chasing criminals every day. His skin was too pale and he had shadows under his eyes from lack of sleep. And even though he would cook their meals, he wouldn’t always eat them. Or he would eat a little and then be sick soon afterwards.

It wasn’t until Papa Draco had given Daddy Harry some potions and he was still sick a week later that Laelia and Teddy became worried. That morning, Papa Draco had come into the kitchen without Daddy Harry and told both of them to go change out of their pyjamas. They were going to go to St Mungo’s that day.

As soon as she had finished putting on her red dress and purple jacket, Laelia went to make sure that Daddy Harry was okay. She stood outside the bedroom door and peeked in.

“I’m perfectly fine, Draco,” Daddy Harry said, leaning down to lace up his trainers, “I don’t need to go to St Mungo’s when all I’ve got is the flu.”

Papa Draco scoffed. “You haven’t been this sick in years and it doesn’t take this long to recover from the flu, Harry. I just want to be sure it’s not anything serious. Now, while you finish up, I’ll go fire call Mother so that she can join us.”

“You told her?” Daddy Harry shook his head and sighed.

“Of course I did. She worries about you, too.”

Daddy Harry’s face softened and the lines on his forehead disappeared. “Fine, but when the Healers say it’s just stress,” Daddy Harry said, standing up to stretch, “don’t expect me to go to St Mungo’s every time you think I am sick.”

“As long as you go this time is all that matters.” When Papa Draco turned around and saw Laelia, he asked her, “Would you mind staying here to make sure your daddy doesn’t try to leave?”

Nodding, Laelia went to sit on the edge of the bed and watched as her daddy finished getting dressed. It was true that Daddy Harry didn’t look sick, but why else would her papa insist on him seeing a Healer? Perhaps it was a sickness like the one Teddy’s Grandmother Andromeda had, which made her sad most days and more often than not had her crying.

Laelia kept looking at her daddy, biting her bottom lip as she hoped that that wasn’t the case. She didn’t want her daddy to be sad, because it wouldn’t be right. Her daddy was someone who never seemed to let anything bother him, even when her papa was grouchy at the world or when she and Teddy were fighting about who had won a game. To have that change right now would just be awful and it left a sick feeling in her stomach.

When her thoughts became too much and she couldn’t help it anymore, Laelia asked her daddy in a small voice, “Are you really okay?”

Daddy Harry stopped trying to comb his hair and turned away from the mirror with a frown on his face. “Why do you ask that?”

Once she had his attention, the courage she had slipped away and the words she wanted to say became stuck in her throat. Laelia looked away and twisted her fingers in her lap before she stammered out, “It’s just, well, you are sick every morning and nothing works to make you better, not even Papa’s potions, and he’s supposed to be the best. What happens if you get worse, or if…” She couldn’t even finish her sentence for fear that anything she said might come true.

“Oh, sweetheart, come here. It’s not that bad.” Daddy Harry reached out with open arms and Laelia rushed forward and gave him a hug, letting out a yelp when he picked her up. He smelled like coffee and peppermint and she looked at him when he began to rub her back to soothe her. His green eyes still were bright despite the dark shadows underneath them.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret, okay?” He waited until she nodded before he said, “I really don’t think I’m sick, and even if I was, I’m too tough to die.”

Laelia frowned because there was not a hint of doubt in her daddy’s voice. “Are you sure?”

Daddy Harry kissed her cheek then laughed as he let her down. “I promise. I’ve been sick many times before, some even worse than others, but I’m still here. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

#

At the hospital, Laelia and Teddy sat in the plastic chairs with Grandmother Narcissa for a long time after Daddy Harry and Papa Draco had left with a Healer. There had been no word on Daddy Harry’s condition, even as Grandmother Narcissa had asked every Healer that walked into the waiting room.

“Why aren’t they telling us anything?” Laelia asked Teddy. She hated waiting. It didn’t take long for her and Teddy to lose interest in colouring and reading The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle, although Teddy had wanted to teach her how to play chess. She also didn’t like that everyone in the waiting room was staring at her family and whispering to each other.

Teddy followed her gaze and glared at the people, who at least had the decency to blush before quickly looking away. “Ignore them, Laelia. Besides, it’s not as simple as waving a wand to know what’s wrong with Daddy Harry. They probably haven’t finished with all the tests yet.”

“No wonder Daddy Harry hates coming to the hospital,” Laelia muttered.

Teddy smiled but before he could answer, a bald Healer with mint green robes trimmed with silver entered the room. Laelia saw him walk over to the receptionist’s desk and hand her a piece of parchment. The woman pointed to their corner of the waiting room and the Healer did a double take when he saw them.

“Mrs Malfoy,” the Healer greeted, walking over with his hand outstretched, “I’m surprised to see you out here. You should have told our receptionist to escort you to a private room, considering Harry Potter’s children are also here.”

“Receiving treatment for my son-in-law was my first priority, but I’ll do my best to remember that next time,” Grandmother Narcissa said, pressing her lips into a thin smile. “Now, have the Healers had sufficient time to diagnose Harry or shall I have him transferred to a different hospital?”

“Yes, well,” the Healer said, dropping his hand to his side. He then used his wand to cast a Silencing Charm around the four of the before saying, “The waiting time is unfortunate but necessary to make an accurate diagnosis. We started by measuring Mr Potter’s vitals and then taking his symptoms and matching them with any curse spells that he might have sustained at work. Along with that, we analysed his blood and…”

Laelia didn’t like that the Healer was saying words that didn’t make sense and from looking over at Teddy, she saw that he didn’t understand either. All those words were useless if they didn’t actually tell them if Daddy Harry was going to be all right.

“Can we go see our daddy?” Laelia interrupted the Healer, who looked down in surprise from the piece of parchment he had been reading.

After looking over at Grandmother Narcissa, the Healer nodded. “Of course you can. Please follow me.”

Laelia and Teddy each took hold of Grandmother Narcissa’s hand and walked behind the Healer. They didn’t say a word as they walked, just listened to the sounds of their footsteps echoing in the white hallways. Most of the doors that they passed were closed, but those that were open had patients lying down on beds while visitors sat in chairs next to them, speaking in low, hushed tones. Laelia didn’t like seeing that and moved closer to her grandmother, squeezing her hand tighter.

The group stopped in front of room 113.

“I’ve given your son the list of potions Mr Potter needs to take, as well as setting up appointments for the next few months. It’s crucial that he attends each one in order to stay healthy and to not hesitate in coming to St Mungo’s if he has any complications. He should have been here earlier, but,” the Healer shrugged, and then twisted open the doorknob. “You may stay as long as you like and someone will be in soon to discharge him.”

“Harry’s well enough to come home today?” For the first time since arriving at St Mungo’s, Grandmother Narcissa let her shoulders relax. “You’ve healed him?”

“Not exactly. It’s quite unexpected, considering his medical history, and the next few months are not going to be easy,” the Healer said and opened the door, “but I’ll just let them tell you the good news.”

When they entered the room, Laelia thought the Healer had made a big mistake. Daddy Harry was lying on the hospital bed and Papa Draco was curled up next to him, both of their hands on Daddy Harry’s stomach. It was a little shocking to see Daddy Harry crying, but even more surprising was also seeing Papa Draco cry as he spoke to his husband. They were too far away for Laelia to hear anything, but the words had Daddy Harry smiling brightly and nodding his head.

Grandmother Narcissa let go of Laelia and Teddy’s hands and rushed to their side.

Laelia was frozen to the spot and couldn’t process what was happening in front of her. All of her thoughts were a jumbled mess in her mind with one thing ringing true. If Papa Draco was crying, then maybe Daddy Harry was wrong after all. Maybe he had found out that he was dying and was only smiling because he wanted to cheer everyone up.

Next to her, Laelia saw that Teddy also stood still, his eyes wide in shock. She felt her heart break a little and hot tears were on the verge of falling down her face. Then Grandmother Narcissa let out a cry of delight and hugged Daddy Harry and Papa Draco tightly, congratulating both of them.

“What’s going on?” Laelia asked Teddy, her voice shaking just a little.

“Oh,” Teddy said, and a dazed look had now settled on his face, “there’s a monster in Harry’s tummy.”

“What?” Laelia shouted, eyes wide as she stared at her daddy’s tummy, which had both of her parents’ hands on it. Was this how Daddy Harry would die; by having a monster burst out of his tummy? Surely the Healer would have mentioned something as serious as this?

“Well, what are they waiting for? Why won’t they get it out? Is he going to die? Is that why Daddy Harry’s crying? Because they can’t take the monster out? And why is grandmother happy about that?”

“No, it’s not that!” Teddy exclaimed, even though there was a faint smile on his face. “He’s not going to die. It just means that Daddy Harry is pregnant and is going to have a baby. You’ll be a big sister soon.”

“Wait,” Laelia said, more questions coming to mind than she had time to spit out. A baby? “Daddy Harry is having a baby? Then why did you call the baby a monster?”

“Because that’s what I thought was in Daddy Harry’s tummy when he was pregnant with you,” Teddy replied, shrugging his shoulders and trying to act unaffected by what he had revealed, but the hint of a blush gave him away. “I was four years old at the time and didn’t know any better.”

Laelia wanted to ask more questions, but heard her name being called out by her parents. She followed Teddy, but stayed at edge of the bed, just out of reach.

“Aren’t you happy that I’m not sick?” Daddy Harry asked, smiling and reaching out to clasp her hand. His smile faded a bit when Laelia didn’t move. “What’s wrong, Laelia?”

“Teddy says you’re having a baby and that I’ll be a big sister soon.” She saw her daddy exchange worried glances with Papa Draco. He cleared his throat and then turned to face her again.

“Yes, that’s true,” Daddy Harry said, slowly. “In a few months you’ll have two siblings.”

“Two,” she whispered, glancing down at Daddy Harry’s tummy. It was hard to imagine one baby inside, but to have two seemed impossible.

Daddy Harry smiled again. “Yes, twins. What do you think?”

Laelia glanced at Papa Draco, who still had his hands clasped with Daddy Harry, even though he and Teddy were now busy talking to Grandmother Narcissa. They all had silly grins on their faces. At last she looked back at her daddy, who, though tired and dressed only in a thin hospital gown, looked happy and had a glow to him.

She climbed onto the bed, then leaned up to whisper in Daddy Harry’s ear. “I want two sisters, okay? Because then we’ll be even. It’s not fair to have any more boys in the house.”

The laughter that came from Daddy Harry let Laelia know that she had said the right thing. “I want two girls, too,” Daddy Harry whispered back, before giving her a big hug.

#

Now that Laelia knew Daddy Harry wasn’t truly sick, she started to feel excited about becoming a big sister.

The family spent the next few months getting ready for twins. Daddy Harry ate a lot of weird things that Laelia and Teddy were tempted to try, even if they made faces and needed to drink a lot of water just to get the taste to go away. He would play instrumental music on the wireless, which was soothing to the twins, but drove Teddy crazy because there were no words to the songs. To pass the time, Daddy Harry also attempted to knit, staring with a baby hat in Gryffindor colours, but that didn’t last long as he got the yarn tangled up too many times and he refused to use magic.

Daddy Harry also took to talking to himself, which was weird the first time Laelia heard it, until she realised that he was speaking to the babies. Sometimes all he talked about was Quidditch, or how he hated filling out Auror reports since he couldn’t lead investigations, but one time Laelia caught him singing.

It wasn’t much of a song since there was no real rhythm or words, but he was lying on the couch with his fingers splayed over the small swell of his stomach. In that moment, he looked so peaceful that Laelia wanted the twins to be here already, if only to see if her daddy’s smile could get any bigger.

Laelia would also see Daddy Harry writing in a journal all the time, especially when he came home from his appointments at St Mungo’s. He would sit down in his study and place photographs onto a page and just write for a long time. When curiosity got the best of Laelia and she finally asked what he was doing, she was surprised at the answer.

“This is a baby book for the twins to look at when they are older. I never had one and my parents died before I could get to know them, so this is just a way to make sure that I don’t forget anything.” Daddy Harry’s voice was a little sad when he said that, but he didn’t stop speaking. “I write in it whenever I have something to tell them, a memory I want to share, some advice to give when they grow up, or just what I’m feeling at a particular moment. Or when I reach a milestone, like when I first felt them kick a while ago, remember that?”

Laelia nodded. It was in the middle of breakfast, and Daddy Harry was cracking eggs, when suddenly he let one fall to the ground. He gave a soft oomph and then called out their names so fast that they thought he was hurt. However, he was smiling and he took their hands and placed them on his tummy and they felt the twins kick. Teddy immediately yanked his hand back and said that it was too weird, much to the amusement of others. Red faced, he muttered something about maybe there were monsters inside instead of babies, but to Laelia, the kicks were something magical and she liked that.

“Can I see my baby book?” Laelia asked, glancing around the study. She walked over to the bookcase and looked at the book titles, determined to find hers, but turned back when Daddy Harry coughed.

Daddy Harry shook his head and sighed. “I didn’t know at the time that wizards could get pregnant, and by the time I thought about starting one, it was too late. I wish I had a baby book just for you. But maybe when you’re older, I’ll show you my memories in a Pensieve. How does that sound?”

“All right.”

#

It was also nice to see Papa Draco come home every evening and always have a different gift for the babies. He would either have a new piece of clothing, or a toy that he had spotted in Diagon Alley and decided that the twins must have, or sweets for Teddy and Laelia. Daddy Harry would protest every time he received a gift, but he never refused any and always gave a kiss as thanks.

The best part for Laelia was decorating the nursery. A lot of her old baby furniture went into the room, even though Papa Draco wanted to buy new things.

“Nonsense, Draco,” Daddy Harry said as he levitated the furniture to different places around the room. He placed the rocking chair in the corner and sat down in it, rubbing his aching back. “These are perfectly good things and no reason to let them go to waste.”

“That may be true, but we could have at least bought a new set of furniture instead of Transfiguring new things,” Papa Draco muttered, shaking his head. In a louder voice, he said, “Why is everything yellow? It should be blue. We’re definitely having boys this time around.”

Daddy Harry snorted. “So you say. And just as I’m not convinced to name one of the twins both Scorpius and Hyperion, it’s still a mystery on what we’re having. So until then, the room will be in neutral colours.”

Laelia looked up from where she was placing all her baby toys on the shelf. This was new. Her parents had never discussed baby names before and she was curious at the different names she had just heard.

“We would know by now if you hadn’t insisted on keeping it a surprise until the delivery. There’s no valid reason to do so.”

Daddy Harry smiled. “Where’s the fun in knowing right now?”

“You’re just afraid because you know I’m right.” Papa Draco said, then waved his wand and the walls turned blue.

Daddy Harry got up from the rocking chair and grabbed the wand out of Papa Draco’s hand. “Care to place a bet, Malfoy? Because just like Quidditch matches, I’m pretty good at winning those.”

“I’d like to see you try to win one right now,” Papa Draco said, smirking. There was silence for a moment before Daddy Harry rolled his eyes and walked out of the room.

In the end, the nursery stayed yellow.

#

All too soon, Daddy Harry’s tummy was so big that he couldn’t do anything comfortably. He had aches and pains in different places, as well as swollen feet, and anytime he walked or stood for a long time, he would tire easy. In fact, everything tired him and he was often yawning throughout the day. He even stayed home from his job as an Auror, which Laelia liked best, even if Daddy Harry was sad that Papa Draco had to travel and be away for his birthday.

It would have been an easy pregnancy if Daddy Harry hadn’t tripped over Lady. Daddy Harry had started going on an early morning walk every day with Lady, so when she heard him getting up from the bed one night, she had run from Laelia’s room and rushed to his side.

Except that Daddy Harry had only wanted to use the loo and since he didn’t have his glasses on and it was a dark outside, a few hours until dawn, he didn’t see Lady and down he went.

All Laelia could remember was waking up to a scream and hearing Teddy rush to their parents’ bedroom. She ran after him and the sight in front of her was terrifying. Daddy Harry was sprawled on the floor, one hand clutching his tummy, while his other hand held the two pieces of his broken wand. He tried to be the calm, strong person that Laelia had always known, but there were some tears going down his face and when he spoke, he couldn’t hide all of his pain.

Once Daddy Harry had told Teddy to Floo call St Mungo’s and Grandmother Narcissa, Teddy and Laelia sat huddled next to him on the floor. All of them tried to think positively even as Daddy Harry’s voice was shaking when he kept repeating her father’s name.

#

Daddy Harry was going to be okay. Nothing bad had happened and when Laelia and Teddy were allowed to see him, they both climbed into his bed and asked all about the babies. Laelia even placed her head and hands against his stomach just to check if she could hear the twins moving inside.

“Did falling down hurt them?” Laelia asked, looking up into her daddy’s eyes. She could still remember how hurt Daddy Harry had been that night and she had wondered how much worse it could have been for the babies.

“No, my magic protected them,” Daddy Harry said, reaching out to still the hands that were moving all over his stomach. “I’m okay and the twins are fine. I just need to be more careful when I leave here, that’s all.”

This time, however, Daddy Harry couldn’t leave St Mungo’s since he was close to his delivery date and the Healers wanted to keep him for observation. When Daddy Harry found out that Papa Draco had agreed with the suggestion, he was furious. Laelia had never seen him argue with her papa, yelling that he had not sacrificed his life just to be held against his will in a hospital bed.

Laelia didn’t like seeing them fighting, because it would only stress Daddy Harry out more, so she walked out of the room and into the hallway. Even with the door closed, she could hear them and she squeezed her eyes so that no tears could escape. A few minutes later, Grandmother Narcissa came out and took her and Teddy to the gift shop to see if they could find something to cheer Daddy Harry up.

Once inside the shop, they took their time walking up and down the aisles searching for the perfect gift. Most of the gifts were for small children so it was hard to choose one for Daddy Harry. He needed something perfect that would make him smile and let him forget that he was mad at Papa Draco.

After a half hour, all Laelia could find that she really liked was a lion soft toy. Teddy came to find her and in his hands were several Quidditch magazines. “You should get him that one since he’s a Gryffindor,” he said, pointing to the baby lion that roared when its tail was pulled.

“Maybe,” she said, shrugging her shoulders, “but I think that Daddy Harry would like some chocolate right now.” Laelia placed the toy lion back on the shelf and then walked over to where the sweets were kept. She randomly grabbed a few chocolates and placed them in the bag and was surprised when Teddy yanked it from her hands.

“Hey!” Laelia exclaimed, causing the customers around them to stare. She blushed then lowered her voice to tell Teddy, “I was going to buy those.”

“Daddy Harry is allergic to coconut; he can’t eat those,” Teddy said, upending the contents of the bag back into the bin. “Besides, what’s wrong with the other gift? I think Daddy Harry would love it.”

Laelia crossed her arms and huffed. “Yeah, but I want something just for him this time. He’s the one who is mad right now, not the twins.”

Teddy stared at her and she tried not to fidget under his gaze, since he had changed his eye colour to match Daddy Harry’s eyes when he had found out their daddy was fine. “What’s going on, Laelia?”

Teddy would understand, Laelia thought, because he knows that Daddy Harry and Papa Draco love each other too much for them to be fighting like this. He saw what it was at the beginning when even talking about the babies made their parents smile.

“Can I ask you something?” she said at last and was relieved when Teddy nodded.

She took a deep breath and leaned in closer to Teddy because she didn’t want other people to listen to her fears. “Did Daddy Harry and Papa Draco ever fight before I was born?”

“Not like this,” he said immediately, shaking his head. Then he must have seen the shocked expression on Laelia’s face, because he quickly added, “Well, yeah, they fought, but it was about small things, like what Quidditch game to attend and what to cook for dinner. Most of the time, I remember them being happy.”

Laelia nodded, but her fears didn’t fade away completely even with hearing Teddy’s words. “Then what’s different this time? I know Daddy Harry falling down was bad, but the Healers say Daddy Harry is fine, maybe a bit tired, but that’s normal, right?”

When Teddy spoke, he, too, sounded unsure. “I really don’t know.”

Laelia thought about Teddy’s answer all the way back to Daddy Harry’s room. She wished she could turn back time and make sure the accident never happened. However, even magic couldn’t fix everything. One thing she knew for sure was that she was going to try to make her parents stop fighting.

They stopped outside the door and listened, but it was silent. Grandmother Narcissa placed a hand on their shoulders so that Laelia and Teddy couldn’t enter the room. They looked up at her, puzzled, before she motioned for them to be quiet. The door was opened just a crack and they could finally hear Papa Draco speak.

“Harry, don’t make this any more difficult. I need to leave soon and I’m trying to give you a choice. So either stay here at St Mungo’s or go with Mother to the Manor where she can help you. I don’t want to leave you alone in case something like this happens again.” Papa Draco was standing at the foot of the bed, so Laelia couldn’t see his face, but his back was very stiff and his voice sounded exhausted.

“Narcissa is more than welcome to stay at our home,” Daddy Harry argued, sitting up in his bed and placing a pillow behind his back to be more comfortable. He didn’t look at Papa Draco the entire time, choosing to stare out the window when he was finished.

“You know that she doesn’t feel comfortable leaving Father alone now that he’s losing his memory,” Papa Draco replied, going over to sit down on the edge of the hospital bed, “Taking him to our home would confuse him because there’s nothing familiar there and -“

Daddy Harry interrupted him, saying something that Laelia didn’t understand, but it only made Papa Draco frown. He then reached over and turned Daddy Harry’s face towards him, forcing them to finally look at each other. “Please, Harry, just stay here until I can come back. I won’t be gone for much longer and I want to know that you are safe. We’ve wanted this far too much for it to go wrong at the last second.”

It wasn’t much of a choice, Laelia thought, because staying at St Mungo’s would make Daddy Harry unhappy. He didn’t like staying in one place and wouldn’t be able to leave his room without the Healers following him. And from the few times Laelia’s family had visited Malfoy Manor, they didn’t stay very long because it was too creepy and didn’t have good memories for both of her parents.

To Laelia’s surprise, Daddy Harry let out a long sigh and nodded. “Okay,” he said at last and reached out to pull Papa Draco in for a kiss, “but I’m not staying here alone and you need to come back soon.”

Before he left, Papa Draco added a new bed in the hospital room and made Teddy and Laelia promise to take good care of Daddy Harry while he was gone.

#

At St Mungo’s, Daddy Harry received many visitors from family they hadn’t seen in quite a while. Even his best friends had come from Australia for the first time in years, bringing with them their two kids, Rose and Hugo. Laelia liked Ron, who made her daddy laugh, brought him sweets, and would try to sneak him away from the hospital room whenever he had a chance. It was Hermione she didn’t like too much because she was bossy and asked many questions. Hermione wanted to know every single thing about Laelia’s daddy, especially his pregnancy and his accident.

Daddy Harry answered her questions as politely as he could, but he didn’t look too happy about it. “Leave it alone, Hermione,” he would say, then quickly change the topic. Hermione would talk about her job in the Australian Ministry instead, but she never lost the gleam in her eye that wanted to know more.

So it was because of Hermione that Laelia found out the reason behind Papa Draco and Daddy Harry’s big argument. Laelia was hiding under the bed while playing a game of hide-and-seek with Teddy, Rose, and Hugo when she saw Hermione enter the room.

Laelia thought Hermione would leave once she saw the room was empty because Daddy Harry had gone with the Healers early that morning, but she didn’t. Instead, she walked around the bed and sat on the chair. Hermione didn’t move at all except to open the nightstand drawer and take out a book to read.

For minutes, all Laelia could think about was how she could escape the room without attracting Hermione’s attention. Her heart was beating so loud inside her chest that she missed the door being opened and was surprised to hear a question break the room’s silence.

“What are you doing?” Laelia had never heard a voice sound so cold, and from underneath the bed, she could see her grandmother’s polished shoes at the door.

The baby book Daddy Harry had been writing in all these months slammed to the ground and Laelia became mad. Why Hermione read Daddy Harry’s words that were meant for the twins? She was about to get out from under the bed and say something to Hermione, but she walked away before Laelia could even move.

“Harry never mentioned that he struggled to have children,” Hermione said.

Laelia gasped and she quickly covered her mouth and hoped that the grownups didn’t hear. Luckily they didn’t, but that didn’t stop all of the questions that popped up in Laelia’s mind. Those words were a surprise to Laelia since Teddy had told her two powerful wizards could get pregnant and Laelia was proof of that.

Grandmother Narcissa didn’t say anything, letting Hermione continue her rant. “It says in the baby book that he’s had several miscarriages throughout the years. Each one has been worse than the previous one and it’s left Harry feeling miserable every time because he thinks he’s failed. What is Malfoy thinking, putting Harry’s life in danger like that?”

“What right do you have to pry into the details of Harry’s private life, Mrs Weasley?” Grandmother Narcissa said at last, taking out her wand to Summon the baby book. Laelia watched the book fly into her grandmother’s hands, where she shrank it and placed it into her robe’s pocket.

Hermione frowned, the lines etched deep in her forehead. “We’re his best friends; of course he would tell us everything.”

Grandmother Narcissa arched an eyebrow. “Admit the truth, Mrs Weasley. You don’t know much about Harry. Otherwise you wouldn’t question his pregnancy.”

“It’s not that,” Hermione exclaimed, curling her hands into fists. “I’m happy he’s pregnant, but we’re worried about him. Even Ron knows something is wrong with Harry from the letters they’ve written each other and for the longest time we thought he was dying.” Hermione took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “And that’s why he’s still at St Mungo’s, right? This pregnancy could kill him and we only want what’s best for him.”

For the first time since she had met her, Laelia felt sorry for Hermione because she really did sound upset. But that feeling quickly went away when she heard that Daddy Harry could still die even if he was okay at the moment. She wrapped her arms around herself and wished that Papa Draco would could back soon. He would know how to make everything better.

“If you really believe that, then you should know that this is what Harry wants. He wants a family, has wanted more children ever since Laelia was born, and he knew the risks. He didn’t make a foolish choice one morning just to spite us. Harry loves his family and the only thing my son has done is support Harry’s decision.” Grandmother Narcissa turned around and walked out of the room, but not before adding, “If you and your husband cannot accept that, then I suggest you leave before you do or say anything that will hurt him or the twins. He won’t forgive you for that.”

Laelia stayed underneath the bed long after both women had left the room.

That was a few days ago, and Laelia had kept everything to herself and didn’t tell Teddy what she had heard. Laelia got sick to her stomach every time she saw Daddy Harry lie in the hospital bed and remembered that conversation. He did look miserable and not even Grandmother Narcissa’s sharp words to Hermione could make Laelia feel better. All she could think about was that she could have caused something bad to happen to the twins, because Lady had escaped from Laelia’s room and had caused Daddy Harry to fall. And that scared her most of all.

Since that day, Laelia stayed silent.

#

Just like Daddy Harry, Laelia had grown to hate hospitals. Nothing good seemed to come out of them. Until one morning, Laelia woke up early to see that Papa Draco had finally came back from his business trip.

“Draco?” Laelia heard Daddy Harry’s sleepy voice call out. “Is it really you?”

Laelia opened her eyes a little to see Papa Draco place the glasses on her daddy’s face before getting into bed with him. The bed was too small for the both of them, but they didn’t seem to mind and moved in closer together.

“You’re here early,” Daddy Harry said, pulling up the quilt to cover them.

“I could leave and come back in two days.” Laelia could see Papa Draco start to get up, reaching over to grab his wand and go.

“No, don’t do that. I’ve missed you,” Daddy Harry said, pulling him back down and wrapping his arms around him. “Doesn’t matter anyway; you’re here now.”

“I should have been back sooner if Mother’s letters are true.” Papa Draco stared at Laelia’s daddy with a stern expression on his face.

Daddy Harry looked away, his fingers fidgeting on top of the swell of his stomach. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but what did she write?”

“Things you should have told me a long time ago. About Granger sticking her nose in things that don’t concern her-“

“Don’t blame her because she was worried,” Daddy Harry interrupted, turning to face his husband. “That’s how she is, wanting to find a solution to every problem.”

Papa Draco pressed his lips in a thin line almost as if he didn’t want to let any words escape. Instead, he grabbed the baby book off the nightstand and looked through the pages. He smiled at what Daddy Harry had written and used his long fingers to trace the photographs the Healers had taken of the twins while he had been away.

Towards the end of the book, he stopped and set it aside. “Mother also hinted that something was wrong with Laelia…” he let the sentence trail off, but he looked expectantly at Daddy Harry.

Laelia closed her eyes and tried to keep still when she felt her parents look over at her.

“I do want you to talk to Laelia later today,” Daddy Harry said at last. “Maybe she’ll tell you what’s wrong because she won’t say more than a few words to anyone, not even me.”

The guilt Laelia had inside her grew larger when she heard the sadness in Daddy Harry’s voice, and even more so when Papa Draco asked, “Is she hurt?”

Daddy Harry sighed. “No. Not exactly, but something’s bothering her and- Oh!”

Laelia opened her eyes and saw that Teddy was also awake, his eyes wide as they stared at the other bed. Daddy Harry grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to breath evenly, but he let out a gasp that was filled with pain.

“What’s wrong?” Papa Draco said, his hands shaking as he used his wand to cast lumos, lighting up the entire room.

“Nothing, just- Oh, God, it hurts!” Daddy Harry yelled, his hand reaching out until he found Papa Draco’s.

“Harry, how long have you had them?”

“First one,” was all Daddy Harry said before he doubled over in pain again.

“I think you’re in labour!” Papa Draco exclaimed, torn between disbelief and excitement.

Daddy Harry gave a shaky laugh. “I guess I am.”

#

The Healers caused quite a commotion when moving Daddy Harry to a different room so Laelia was able to slip away unnoticed.

Teddy found her an hour later sitting at a table in canteen looking at Daddy Harry’s baby book. She couldn’t read every word he had written, but the photographs of her family would wave and smile at her and that was enough to soother her for the moment.

Teddy stood next to the table and asked, “Are you excited? In a few hours we’ll get to meet the twins and finally know if we’re having brothers or sisters.”

Laelia shrugged, flipping over to the next page that had a photograph of her and Lady sitting underneath a tree. She slammed the book shut and crossed her arms.

Teddy stared at her until his eyes lit up like he had figured out something important. “Yes, our parents still love you,” Teddy said, sitting down across from her. “Just because the twins are here now doesn’t mean they’ll forget about you or suddenly hate you.

“What?” Laelia stared at him with her mouth open, not really believing the words that Teddy had said. She found herself spilling everything she had heard while staying at St Mungo’s just to prove him wrong. “That’s not true. How could they? It’s my fault Daddy Harry got hurt and almost lost the twins and had to stay at St Mungo’s.” Now that she had said her secret out loud, she could feel hot tears threatening to fall down her face.

“Laelia, who told you that?” Teddy said, his voice hard and very different from what Laelia was used to hearing. “Is that what’s been bothering you all this time?”

Laelia nodded, then said, “No one told me. It’s just something I heard Hermione tell Grandmother Narcissa.”

Teddy reached out to take her hand, squeezing it once. “Laelia,” Teddy began, “Daddy Harry got hurt, but it’s not your fault. Yes, he tripped over Lady, but it could have happened at any time. He could have slipped in the shower, at a shop in Diagon Alley, or even at the Manor. But none of that is your fault. Daddy Harry doesn’t hate you. I don’t think he can hate anyone, least of all his family.”

Laelia wanted to believe that more than anything, but there was that hint of doubt stuck in the back of her mind. She remembered Grandmother Narcissa being quite serious when she said that Daddy Harry wouldn’t forgive anyone who hurt the twins. “How can you be so sure?”

“I’m going to tell you a secret, okay?” Teddy said, dropping his voice a little. “Papa Draco is my cousin and I didn’t like him at first. He was always taking Daddy Harry’s attention away and I hated it because for the longest time it was just me and Daddy Harry and he was my best friend. But then I saw that he made Daddy Harry very happy and I was okay with that. Until he got pregnant with you.”

Laelia had never heard any of this before and she stared at him in shock. Teddy had been a great brother to Laelia so it was hard to imagine anything otherwise.

“But,” he continued, “I was four and didn’t know any better. I didn’t want to share. I thought Daddy Harry would like you better since you were his daughter and I was only his godson. I was jealous and scared and didn’t know that I would have a great younger sister. But the entire time Daddy Harry was pregnant, they never said or did anything that left me feeling like I wasn’t a part of the family even on the worst days. And on the day you were born and I saw you for the first time, I understood why. They both loved me just as much as they did you.”

She didn’t know what to say, but her cheeks are turning red and she looked down at the table. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Teddy reaching into his pocket and said, “Here, take a look at this. When Daddy Harry was pregnant, I had drawn this.”

He pulled out a piece of parchment that’s been folded so many times that it’s falling apart. Leila looked at the picture and saw that it was of her family drawn in crayon. Daddy Harry, Papa Draco, and Teddy were standing outside their house holding hands. Laelia was in the picture, too, except that she was just a baby cradled in Daddy Harry’s arms.

There’s a blurry face in the window and Laelia pointed to it and asked, “What’s that?”

“Remember how I told you that I didn’t like Papa Draco at first?” Laelia nodded. “Well, it was just me and Daddy Harry standing outside the house and that didn’t change until the day you were born. That’s when I heard Papa Draco call me his son and that he was proud to have a daughter. I knew then that everything was going to be all right.”

Teddy pushed the picture right in front of her.

“When I got home, I took out the picture and I drew Papa Draco and you standing outside the house with us. I kept that to remind myself that no matter how much our family grew, we would always love each other no matter what happened. I think it’s time I gave this to you.”

Laelia couldn’t believe it, but when she saw that Teddy was serious, she smiled. “Thank you,” she said, standing up and going over to give Teddy a hug. When they pulled apart, she asked, “Do you have something I can use to draw? I just want to add something.”

Teddy pulled out a crayon and handed it to her, watching as Laelia quickly drew on the parchment.

“There,” Laelia said, proud of what she had drawn, “it’s perfect.”

Now standing right next to the four of them, there was a dog and two small babies added in new, bright colours, with huge smiles so that everyone could see they were one big, happy family.

End