Chapter One
Harry Potter looked on with regretful eyes as the stunningly beautiful witch played with the little baby. Her freckled face was flushed with happiness as she bounced the yellow-haired child in the air and cooed cute little words at him. She looked happier than Harry had seen her in years, since Voldemort’s return in his fourth year, he thought. Before, her hair had seemed dull and her eyes lacked the spark he had always hoped to see there. Now, her tresses shone in their ruby splendor and those eyes that had always held the shadow of past sorrows now glittered with laughter as she played. He truly wished that he didn’t have to do this, but he had no choice.
Slim arms slipped around his waist from behind and he smiled, grateful for this small reprieve from his unpleasant task. Harry turned around to face the petite blonde witch and kissed the crown of her head.
Luna Lovegood looked up at him with those mysterious eyes and asked quietly, “Have you told her yet?”
Harry sighed. “Not yet, love. I’m trying to work up the nerve.”
Luna nodded, understanding. It was going to be more difficult this time than the others had been, Harry reasoned. Though Harry and Luna cared for each and every child sheltered under the roof of Stepping Stones Home for Children, they had never gotten as attached to a child as they, and Ginny, had to the little blond boy. He supposed it was an effect of the war.
Harry Potter and all those around him had fought against Voldemort and his legions of Death Eaters, surviving battle after battle. They had slowly whittled down the number of dark followers, all the while having their own side reduced at almost the same pace. Friends were lost, taken down in the heat of battle, many taking three or more enemies with them. Remus and Tonks Lupin. Kingsley. Dennis Creevey. Hannah Abbot. More people than Harry liked or wanted to remember had been taken from them.
Even in the midst of battle and war, however, light shone through. Harry’s two best friends in the whole world, Ron and Hermione, had fallen in love and married a little less than a year ago, a month before what turned out to be the final battle. Rather than feel abandoned by his two best friends, Harry had found his own love down another path, one that led to Luna Lovegood. During the course of the war, Ginny and he had grown, not apart, but rather into a comfortable friendship, the intense attraction that had brought them together replaced by camaraderie on the frontline. Harry hadn’t felt bad about it. At the time, he had been relieved that his focus wasn’t split between Ginny and Voldemort. She handled battle on one end of the front and he on the other. Together they had turned the tide of the war. The end had come in a somewhat expected way: Harry versus Voldemort, Ginny and the Order against the Death Eaters. When Harry had taken down the Dark Lord with one strategically placed Killing Curse, the Death Eaters were distracted enough that the Order members had been able to overthrow the dark wizards. Neville Longbottom had avenged his parents by killing Bellatrix Lestrange, while Ginny had personally taken down Lucius Malfoy. For removing the two biggest contenders to take the Dark Lord’s place, Ginny and Neville had both received an Order of Merlin, First Class, as did Harry.
But the award and fame weren’t what Harry appreciated most about the end of the war. He and Luna had been together for three years, and he wouldn’t wish it any other way.
After the heat of the battle had faded, Harry had shocked everyone by not immediately becoming an Auror and tracking down the remaining Death Eaters. While Harry had initially wanted to continue what he felt was his duty, Luna had come to him with a more brilliant idea. Instead of causing more death and destruction, Luna thought that Harry should give back to the wizarding world. “The opposite of war isn’t peace, it’s creation,” she had explained to him on his twentieth birthday.
But the real motivation for the starting of Stepping Stones was when, one day shortly after his conversation with Luna, Bill Weasley came into 12 Gimmauld Place carrying the little bundle that Ginny now played with. Little Alexandre Rowan, five month old son of Alexander and Marian Rowan, a pureblood family who, like the Zabinis, Narcissa, and Draco Malfoy, had elected out of the war. Unfortunately for the Rowan family, the Death Eaters were rather persistent, and their attacks left five month Alexandre orphaned. Seeing the helpless bundle, abandoned like Harry himself had been so long ago, had convinced him to created Stepping Stones Home for Children to protect those left alone in the universe. With Luna by his side, Harry had invested most of his inheritance into the orphanage, all because of Alex.
Ginny had begun working there almost immediately after the opening and had fallen in love with Alex at first glance. Now, three months later, Harry knew that Ginny was hoping to adopt the small child, make him hers officially. And now Harry had to tell her it would never be.
“You will have to do it soon, Harry,” Luna reminded him softly. ”He will be here in a couple of hours.”
“Yeah,” Harry replied, resigned to his fate. “I’ll do it now.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, love, I’d better do this by myself, fewer people in the target zone.”
“Oh, Harry. It will be alright. Ginny is a completely logical, rational person,” Luna reasoned.
Harry muttered as he started walking. “Ginny, rational. Only on the battle field.”
Harry approached the play area where Ginny was busy tickling a grinning Alex. The closer Harry got to them, the more and more he regretted what he was going to do. He had had multiple conversations with Ginny about adopting Alex, but until Ginny had a more stable source of income and a home of her own, it was out of the question.
“Oh look, Alex, here comes Harry. I bet it’s time for your lunch, little man.”
Alex cooed back at her, amused by the sound of her voice. Ginny set the now eight month old baby down in his crib and turned toward Harry.
“Sorry, Harry. I must have lost track of time,” Ginny apologized. “I’ll just get back to work so you can feed Alex.”
“No, Ginny, that’s alright. It’s not lunchtime, yet, but you might want to leave Alex be for a bit,” Harry added as Ginny turned back towards the child. “We need to talk.”
“Alright, Harry,” Ginny replied, and walked over to a table in the corner. Sitting down on the edge of the table, Ginny looked up at him with complete trust in her eyes. “What about?”
Well, might as well be direct about it. “Ginny, it’s about Alex.” He paused. “He’s been adopted.”
Harry stared at her face after he finished his statement, gauging her reaction. He hoped that it would be something he could handle, like yelling, or hexes.
“When was he adopted?” Oh, no. The quiet-but-deadly voice. He was in for it.
“Uh, last Wednesday. A man came by and—”
“You’ve known about this for five days and you are just telling me now?” Her voice cut him off, and the soft tones held the edge of steel.
“Well, you see, Ginny—” Harry tried again, but once more was cut off.
“Who is it? Who are you giving my Alex to?”
Harry braced himself. “Draco Malfoy.”
“WHAT? You’re giving my sweet little Alex to that Death Eater? How could you, Harry?”
“Ginny, please listen to me. Let me explain.”
“Yes, Harry,” she replied mockingly, “please explain to me how you could let that traitorous scum adopt that innocent little child.”
Alright, at least she’s listening to me now. “Okay, Ginny,” Harry began. “Here’s what happened.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
On a normal Wednesday afternoon, Harry’s perfectly calm day was shot to pieces as Draco Malfoy walked sedately through the doors of Stepping Stones. Harry could only stare as his nemesis from school calmly walked up to him and asked for the owner of the orphanage.
Harry was saved from answering as Luna walked up to the Malfoy heir and smoothly interjected, “Mr. Malfoy, a pleasure to meet you. I’m Luna Lovegood, co-director of Stepping Stones. How may we help you?”
Malfoy seemed unfazed by Luna’s redirection of his attention. “I’m looking to adopt a child.”
That shook Harry from his stupor. “Adopt a child? Why would you want—”
“Not here, if you please,” Malfoy interrupted smoothly. “Do you have somewhere we could talk in private?”
“Of course, Mr. Malfoy,” Luna replied. “If you will please follow us?”
The three of them made their way to a small conference room off of the lobby. Harry walked along with them, still slightly in a daze. Draco Malfoy, along with his mother and Severus Snape, had gone missing immediately following that horrible night up in the Astronomy Tower. None of the three of them had shown their faces for the next four years of the war, though Harry and others suspected that Snape had continued to supply the Order information about the Death Eaters and particularly about Lucius Malfoy. It was on one of these anonymous tips that Harry and Ginny had prepared the Order for the final battle. Once the smoke had cleared and Harry could search through Hogwarts again, he found the evidence that Snape had worked for Dumbledore the whole time. Evidence that supported that the night in the tower had been carefully orchestrated between the two of them. Harry had them convinced the Ministry officials to clear Snape’s name. Harry never could find anything about either Draco or Narcissa, though almost all Death Eaters, when interrogated, agreed that the young Malfoy had never taken the Mark, nor had his mother.
Now, four years after his escape from the war, not many people concerned themselves with the missing Malfoys. The general consensus was that the three escapees had either died, or just permanently emigrated. As long as they didn’t return, intending on resurrecting the Dark Movement, Wizarding Britain paid them no mind.
Which was why having Draco Malfoy sitting across from Harry in a children’s shelter was exceedingly unexpected.
“Alright, Mr. Malfoy, before we can let you adopt one of our children, we need to ask you a few questions.” Thank Merlin for Luna, Harry thought. She never seems unsettled.
“Yes, indeed,” answered Malfoy with the barest hint of a smirk on his lips. “I suppose you have a lot to ask.”
“Right,” said Harry, gaining control of himself again. “The first question we have is: why do you want to adopt, and why have you chosen Stepping Stones?” Harry was eternally grateful for standardized questions.
Malfoy seemed to think for a moment. “My mother married my father almost directly out of Hogwarts. My father was insistent that he have his heir immediately, but my mother wanted to wait. They had me right around my mother’s twenty-first birthday.” He paused. “Consequently, my mother has insisted that by the time I turn twenty-one I have an heir, or at the very least be married. Especially in these times, an heir is most important. As to the second part of your question, your facilities are by far the most impressive of those I’ve seen of the wizarding variety, even as far as Germany.”
So that’s where they went. “Not to pry, Malfoy,” Harry cut in, “but why wouldn’t you just marry a Pureblood witch? Wouldn’t that be a better way to preserve your bloodline, as I’m sure your mother’s insisting?”
Malfoy nodded. “Of course it would be, Potter, but to produce an heir I would first have to find such a suitable Pureblood witch, court her, marry her, and then produce an heir. That would certainly put me past my mother’s deadline. Plus, it’s a lot of work, if you ask me, especially since I’m in no mood to get married. No,” Malfoy concluded firmly, “it is much easier to adopt a Pureblood baby and make him a Malfoy.”
“Alright, Mr. Malfoy,” continued Luna. “We understand your reasons for adoption. We would like to know what sort of child you are looking to adopt. What is their preferable age, gender, blood purity, and anything else that you have in mind? This will help us ensure that we match you to the ideal child.” Luna sounded almost clinical about it, but Harry understood the necessity of the question.
“I would like a Pureblood boy,” answered Malfoy without hesitation. “The younger they are the better, but most definitely under eighteen months of age. As to the features--” Here Malfoy paused. “--they aren’t as important, but as close to traditional Malfoy coloring as possible. That should pacify Mother about this whole process.”
But Harry didn’t hear that last statement. He and Luna exchanged anxious looks, both coming to the same conclusion. Alexandre. The small child was exactly what Malfoy wanted. The only problem was Ginny. She had fallen in love with the baby and obviously wanted him for herself. Luna’s eyes questioned him, and Harry nodded, resigned.
“We think that we can help you, Malfoy,” Harry acquiesced. He summoned the file and slid it across the conference table to Malfoy. “His name is Alexandre Rowan, son of Alexander and Marian Rowan, both Purebloods. He was orphaned at the age of five months and is currently eight months old,” Harry summarized, looking for Malfoy’s reaction. He was half hoping that Malfoy wouldn’t be interested so Harry wouldn’t have to destroy Ginny’s dreams. The blond man carefully studied little Alex’s file, absorbing the details written and the small picture attached. Both Harry and Luna waited for Malfoy to speak.
A few minutes later they had an answer. “Might I see the child?” asked Malfoy, eyes still attached to Alex’s file.
Luna checked the clock, making sure that Alex wouldn’t be eating or playing. “Of course, Mr. Malfoy,” she answered. “If you will just follow us again, the infant’s ward is just around the corner.”
Malfoy nodded and handed the file back to Harry, who banished it back from whence it came. The three of them made their way to where children under twelve months lived and Harry peaked through the window to ensure that the room was Ginny-less before opening the wards to admit them. Harry stood back while Luna led Malfoy to Alex’s crib to determine the other man’s reaction.
There was silence for a moment before little Alex let out a small cry that indicated he was awake. Harry involuntarily walked over to the little baby’s side. From this angle Harry could see the look of pure wonder on Malfoy’s aristocratic face as he peered down at the child. He could also hear Malfoy’s gasp as Alex lifted his eyelids to reveal clear, crystal blue eyes.
“Can I hold him?” Harry was startled by Malfoy’s request, but obliged him. He picked up the child, who extended his pudgy little arms towards the new person. Harry passed the baby over to Malfoy, showing him how to properly support Alex’s head and cradle his back. Malfoy learned quickly, and as Alex settled into Malfoy’s arms, Harry could instantly see it was a perfect match. The two looked like the ideal father and son, the hair and high cheekbones serving as a physical connection between the pair. Had Harry not known Alex’s parentage, he would have thought that the baby was pure Malfoy.
“Mr. Malfoy?” prompted Luna.
“When can I take him home with me?” asked Malfoy. Aside from the physical resemblance, Harry could see the start of a connection between the two blonds. He could tell that Malfoy wanted Alex for more than his looks.
Harry gently took the child back from the other man and placed him back into his crib. He led the trio back to the conference room and sat down again. “Before we can start the adoption process there are three more things left to discuss.” At Malfoy’s nod of acceptance, Harry continued. “Luna and I assume that you have sufficient funds to support both yourself and Alex until Alex comes of age?”
Malfoy raised one white-blond eyebrow. “Potter, I have enough funds left to support Alexandre and five generations of his children without ever needing to work a day, even lacking the funds the Ministry unlawfully seized from my family.”
Harry shifted uncomfortably as the Malfoy he remembered from school reappeared, drawl, smirk, and all. “Right then. Second, where do you plan on living with Alex, and will you be taking care of him yourself, or hiring a caretaker for him?”
“Mother, Severus, and I are currently living in Malfoy Manor, and once Alexandre is officially a Malfoy, he will join us there. Since Mother is there, she will be able to look after him if I go away on business.”
Harry nodded his approval. He looked at Luna quickly before continuing. “There is one last thing, Malfoy. Would you please roll up your sleeves?”
Malfoy’s eyes hardened, but he acquiesced. His crisp while shirt sleeves were rolled up to the elbows and wrists were proffered, revealing two bare white forearms.
Harry brought out his wand and muttered, “Reveal,” tapping both of Malfoy’s arms. When nothing happened after a moment, Harry nodded at Malfoy and put his wand away.
“Sorry about that, Malfoy,” Harry apologized as Malfoy fixed his shirt. “It’s just a formality.”
“I trust I passed your inspection?”
The steel edge in his voice made Harry want to cringe, though he kept his composure.
“You have, Mr. Malfoy,” affirmed Luna. “We have some forms for you to fill out, some brochures for you to read, and after we sort out the legal side of it you can come pick up Alex on Sunday.” In Muggle orphanages and adoption centers, Harry knew, the adoption process and forms took weeks, sometimes months to complete and verify. However, Harry and Luna had carefully created the wards around the shelter and the forms filled out. No one with malicious intent towards a child could even step foot into the building, and the quill and ink Malfoy would be using on the forms were variations on McGonagall’s anti-cheating quills. No one could lie using those quills and ink on those forms. The precautions Harry and Luna had taken with the adoption process allowed them to cut down on the time needed to legally adopt one of their children.
Malfoy nodded and Harry handed him a packet of forms to fill out and gestured to the special quill and ink on the table. As Malfoy started to write, Harry pulled Luna to the side.
“Why Sunday, Luna?” Harry asked quietly. “The forms only take two days, three at most.”
Luna looked up at him with eyes that held understanding and sympathy. “We still need to tell Ginny.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry looked at Ginny, gauging her reaction in much the same way he had Malfoy’s earlier that week. It was not good.
“You just let that bastard walk in here and adopt my little Alex without even consulting me? How could you do that to me, Harry? How could you do that to Alex, letting his go home with that Death Eater?” Ginny’s voice was steadily growing louder and stronger, and Harry knew he had to stop her before she woke up every child in the shelter.
“Ginny, please listen to me,” Harry intoned, placing his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. “Malfoy is not and has never been a Death Eater. I performed the spell myself. He’s not hiding anything like that. And he has full rights to adopt Alex. I hate to say it, but he has all the means to take care of him, and he seems genuinely taken with him.”
“But what about me, Harry?” Ginny asked softly, all of the fight leaving her body. “I’ve been working so hard to be able to adopt him.”
Her quiet voice cut through Harry’s heart.
“I know, Gin. I know.” Harry hugged her to him. “But Luna and I truly believe that this is what’s best for everyone.” He felt Ginny nod silently against his chest.
“When is Malfoy taking him?” she asked, the question slightly muffled against his shirt.
“Today,” Harry answered. “One o’clock.”
Ginny pulled away from him sharply. “That’s in only an hour. You’re only giving me an hour to say goodbye!”
“I know, Ginny. I kept putting off telling you. I just didn’t want to hurt you like that.”
Ginny’s face hardened in a way that reminded Harry eerily like Malfoy’s had in the conference room. “How considerate of you, Harry. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to spend the next hour with Alex. You’ll need to get Padma to cover my shift.”
With that she walked away, back towards Alex, leaving Harry feeling like a sorry excuse for a friend. He left to find Padma, closing the door as quietly as he could behind him.
* * *
At one o’clock sharp, Draco Malfoy returned to Stepping Stones. He nodded at the receptionist and made his way to Lovegood’s office. He knocked on the door and turned the knob when he heard the woman inside call, “Come in.”
Luna looked up from her paperwork and nodded. “Ah, Mr. Malfoy. It’s a pleasure to see you again. Here to pick up Alex?”
“Yes, I am. Mother has finished preparing his bedroom at the Manor and we are all looking forward to his arrival.”
Lovegood nodded. “Very well, shall we go get him then?”
Draco nodded his approval, slightly nervous at the prospect of bringing the child home and becoming an actual father. “Lead the way.”
The two of them walked the familiar path to the infant’s ward, and Draco thought about his mother’s reaction to the news. When he had first told her that he had decided to adopt Alexandre, she had objected vehemently, ranting about the purity of Black and Malfoy blood. It was unheard of for Purebloods of their standing to adopt children, and never before had Malfoy heirs been of non-Malfoy blood, et cetera, et al. She had been mollified slightly when he informed her that Alexandre was Pureblooded on both sides, and was in fact, distantly related to both the Malfoys and the Blacks. He calmed her even more with the photo of the child, showing off his picturesque Malfoy features. Truthfully, Narcissa had loved Alexandre’s blue eyes more than the fact he looked like a Malfoy.
But what had really soothed Narcissa was the fact that Draco had chosen to not enter into a marriage of convenience purely to create an heir. As Draco had told her, he wanted a marriage like the one she and Severus would share, one of love. He didn’t want to become like Lucius and end up hating his future wife because he didn’t love her, and it was the truth.
And, if Draco was completely honest with himself, he genuinely liked Alexandre. The boy had survived infancy without his parents, and when Draco had held the child, he had felt the strength and power of his magic flowing through the tiny boy. Alexandre would grow to be a strong wizard and bring pride to the Malfoy name.
Draco stopped behind Luna as she peered through the window into the room. The blonde woman winced slightly before opening the door.
The reason for Lovegood’s discomfort became apparent as Draco’s eyes fell on a curvaceous red-head in the center of the room. As his eyes started to focus again he noticed that the woman was holding his child to her ample chest. Draco was struck by the picture they presented and the obvious connection the woman had with his son. This must have been the reason Potter and Lovegood were hesitant to let me adopt him, Draco reasoned.
A scoff from the direction of the red-head broke his reverie and Draco saw Lovegood retreat from the other woman with an apologetic look on her face. The co-director of Stepping Stones paused as she passed him, muttering, “Be nice to her. She’s having a hard time letting him go.”
Draco nodded, never taking his eyes off of the pair in front of him. He wondered who she was. He certainly thought that he would have remembered a woman like her. Her long legs belied her short stature, and the curves she possessed certainly didn’t belong to a small and frail woman. If not the body, than Draco certainly would have remembered her mane of wine red wavy hair.
The mystery woman finally turned towards him and gave him a look of utter disdain and loathing. That did spark Draco’s memory. Images of small, girlish features surrounded my flaming orange hair shouting curses at him, a thin freckled hand holding a wand at his throat flashed through his mind, and Draco gave an internal start. Could this gorgeous creature holding Alexandre really be little Ginny Weasley?
Now that he looked more closely at her face, Draco could indeed see traces of the girl she had been. She had certainly grown up in the four years he had been away. And if the stories of her ability in battle were half as true as Draco had heard, her prowess with a wand had grown as well. He decided it would be advantageous to stay on her good side, especially concerning his adoptive son.
“Weaselette,” he acknowledged with a tilt of the head.
“Malfoy,” she all but spat at him, her face contorted as if the word left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Draco didn’t take it personally; after all, he was hardly her favorite person in the world, and he was essentially taking something she loved dearly away from her. After the trials of the war, Draco figured that she would be very possessive of those close to her.
“I’ve come to take Alexandre home with me,” Draco informed her, taking care to keep his voice soft and understanding.
Ginny’s focus shifted from Draco to the baby, all the anger melting away from her face. Without the ugliness of contempt distorting her features, Draco was again struck by the beauty of it. The love shinning from her eyes, though it was directed at the child, did something strange to the bottom of Draco’s stomach, something he studiously chose to ignore.
“Ginevra,” Draco began again, only to be cut off by her curt reply.
“Give me a moment, Malfoy.”
He nodded, taking a half step backwards to give her more space. He waited patiently for her to finish saying her goodbyes to Alex, taking the time to memorize her body and the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled.
“You be a good boy for Malfoy, Alex,” he heard her whisper. “Though if you give him hell, that’s okay, too.” He was sure that Alex couldn’t understand her, but he burbled in response anyway. Ginny bent over and placed a small kiss on the top of Alex’s head, her blood red hair mingling with Alex’s light blond. Draco thought it was perfect. He wondered what it would take to win her over, to have her hair mingling with his.
But she snapped him out of his fantasy with her soft voice. “Alright, Malfoy. I’m ready now.”
He looked into her eyes for a moment as he took Alex from her arms and saw her pain at parting with the child she had taken care of for so long.
“Don’t worry, Ginevra,” Draco offered, hoping to seem compassionate. “He’ll be in excellent care.”
The ire returned to her face, and Draco realized that his comment could have been taken as a jibe at her ability to raise a child.
“I’m sure he will be, Malfoy,” she replied coldly and turned away from Draco and his son.
Draco sighed at his blunder and looked down at the child in his arms. He was currently amusing himself by sticking his fingers in his mouth. Draco figured nothing more would be accomplished by staying and turned towards the door.
As soon as she heard the door open, Ginny whirled around and rushed to catch his arm.
“Make sure that you don’t Floo or Apparate with him until he’s at least eighteen months,” she informed him earnestly. Draco nodded. “And make sure his formula is warmed before you give it to him.” Another nod. “And make sure he takes his nap--”
“Ginevra,” Draco cut in, “I will take care of Alexandre, you may be sure of that.” This time, when she nodded, Draco added, “Of course, if you think of anything else I desperately need to know, feel free to visit us.” He looked her up and down again. “I know I won’t mind.”
With a smirk at her thunderous expression, Draco swept out of the room and out of Stepping Stones with Alexandre Rowan Malfoy tucked safely in his arms.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
End 1/2
Harry Potter looked on with regretful eyes as the stunningly beautiful witch played with the little baby. Her freckled face was flushed with happiness as she bounced the yellow-haired child in the air and cooed cute little words at him. She looked happier than Harry had seen her in years, since Voldemort’s return in his fourth year, he thought. Before, her hair had seemed dull and her eyes lacked the spark he had always hoped to see there. Now, her tresses shone in their ruby splendor and those eyes that had always held the shadow of past sorrows now glittered with laughter as she played. He truly wished that he didn’t have to do this, but he had no choice.
Slim arms slipped around his waist from behind and he smiled, grateful for this small reprieve from his unpleasant task. Harry turned around to face the petite blonde witch and kissed the crown of her head.
Luna Lovegood looked up at him with those mysterious eyes and asked quietly, “Have you told her yet?”
Harry sighed. “Not yet, love. I’m trying to work up the nerve.”
Luna nodded, understanding. It was going to be more difficult this time than the others had been, Harry reasoned. Though Harry and Luna cared for each and every child sheltered under the roof of Stepping Stones Home for Children, they had never gotten as attached to a child as they, and Ginny, had to the little blond boy. He supposed it was an effect of the war.
Harry Potter and all those around him had fought against Voldemort and his legions of Death Eaters, surviving battle after battle. They had slowly whittled down the number of dark followers, all the while having their own side reduced at almost the same pace. Friends were lost, taken down in the heat of battle, many taking three or more enemies with them. Remus and Tonks Lupin. Kingsley. Dennis Creevey. Hannah Abbot. More people than Harry liked or wanted to remember had been taken from them.
Even in the midst of battle and war, however, light shone through. Harry’s two best friends in the whole world, Ron and Hermione, had fallen in love and married a little less than a year ago, a month before what turned out to be the final battle. Rather than feel abandoned by his two best friends, Harry had found his own love down another path, one that led to Luna Lovegood. During the course of the war, Ginny and he had grown, not apart, but rather into a comfortable friendship, the intense attraction that had brought them together replaced by camaraderie on the frontline. Harry hadn’t felt bad about it. At the time, he had been relieved that his focus wasn’t split between Ginny and Voldemort. She handled battle on one end of the front and he on the other. Together they had turned the tide of the war. The end had come in a somewhat expected way: Harry versus Voldemort, Ginny and the Order against the Death Eaters. When Harry had taken down the Dark Lord with one strategically placed Killing Curse, the Death Eaters were distracted enough that the Order members had been able to overthrow the dark wizards. Neville Longbottom had avenged his parents by killing Bellatrix Lestrange, while Ginny had personally taken down Lucius Malfoy. For removing the two biggest contenders to take the Dark Lord’s place, Ginny and Neville had both received an Order of Merlin, First Class, as did Harry.
But the award and fame weren’t what Harry appreciated most about the end of the war. He and Luna had been together for three years, and he wouldn’t wish it any other way.
After the heat of the battle had faded, Harry had shocked everyone by not immediately becoming an Auror and tracking down the remaining Death Eaters. While Harry had initially wanted to continue what he felt was his duty, Luna had come to him with a more brilliant idea. Instead of causing more death and destruction, Luna thought that Harry should give back to the wizarding world. “The opposite of war isn’t peace, it’s creation,” she had explained to him on his twentieth birthday.
But the real motivation for the starting of Stepping Stones was when, one day shortly after his conversation with Luna, Bill Weasley came into 12 Gimmauld Place carrying the little bundle that Ginny now played with. Little Alexandre Rowan, five month old son of Alexander and Marian Rowan, a pureblood family who, like the Zabinis, Narcissa, and Draco Malfoy, had elected out of the war. Unfortunately for the Rowan family, the Death Eaters were rather persistent, and their attacks left five month Alexandre orphaned. Seeing the helpless bundle, abandoned like Harry himself had been so long ago, had convinced him to created Stepping Stones Home for Children to protect those left alone in the universe. With Luna by his side, Harry had invested most of his inheritance into the orphanage, all because of Alex.
Ginny had begun working there almost immediately after the opening and had fallen in love with Alex at first glance. Now, three months later, Harry knew that Ginny was hoping to adopt the small child, make him hers officially. And now Harry had to tell her it would never be.
“You will have to do it soon, Harry,” Luna reminded him softly. ”He will be here in a couple of hours.”
“Yeah,” Harry replied, resigned to his fate. “I’ll do it now.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, love, I’d better do this by myself, fewer people in the target zone.”
“Oh, Harry. It will be alright. Ginny is a completely logical, rational person,” Luna reasoned.
Harry muttered as he started walking. “Ginny, rational. Only on the battle field.”
Harry approached the play area where Ginny was busy tickling a grinning Alex. The closer Harry got to them, the more and more he regretted what he was going to do. He had had multiple conversations with Ginny about adopting Alex, but until Ginny had a more stable source of income and a home of her own, it was out of the question.
“Oh look, Alex, here comes Harry. I bet it’s time for your lunch, little man.”
Alex cooed back at her, amused by the sound of her voice. Ginny set the now eight month old baby down in his crib and turned toward Harry.
“Sorry, Harry. I must have lost track of time,” Ginny apologized. “I’ll just get back to work so you can feed Alex.”
“No, Ginny, that’s alright. It’s not lunchtime, yet, but you might want to leave Alex be for a bit,” Harry added as Ginny turned back towards the child. “We need to talk.”
“Alright, Harry,” Ginny replied, and walked over to a table in the corner. Sitting down on the edge of the table, Ginny looked up at him with complete trust in her eyes. “What about?”
Well, might as well be direct about it. “Ginny, it’s about Alex.” He paused. “He’s been adopted.”
Harry stared at her face after he finished his statement, gauging her reaction. He hoped that it would be something he could handle, like yelling, or hexes.
“When was he adopted?” Oh, no. The quiet-but-deadly voice. He was in for it.
“Uh, last Wednesday. A man came by and—”
“You’ve known about this for five days and you are just telling me now?” Her voice cut him off, and the soft tones held the edge of steel.
“Well, you see, Ginny—” Harry tried again, but once more was cut off.
“Who is it? Who are you giving my Alex to?”
Harry braced himself. “Draco Malfoy.”
“WHAT? You’re giving my sweet little Alex to that Death Eater? How could you, Harry?”
“Ginny, please listen to me. Let me explain.”
“Yes, Harry,” she replied mockingly, “please explain to me how you could let that traitorous scum adopt that innocent little child.”
Alright, at least she’s listening to me now. “Okay, Ginny,” Harry began. “Here’s what happened.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
On a normal Wednesday afternoon, Harry’s perfectly calm day was shot to pieces as Draco Malfoy walked sedately through the doors of Stepping Stones. Harry could only stare as his nemesis from school calmly walked up to him and asked for the owner of the orphanage.
Harry was saved from answering as Luna walked up to the Malfoy heir and smoothly interjected, “Mr. Malfoy, a pleasure to meet you. I’m Luna Lovegood, co-director of Stepping Stones. How may we help you?”
Malfoy seemed unfazed by Luna’s redirection of his attention. “I’m looking to adopt a child.”
That shook Harry from his stupor. “Adopt a child? Why would you want—”
“Not here, if you please,” Malfoy interrupted smoothly. “Do you have somewhere we could talk in private?”
“Of course, Mr. Malfoy,” Luna replied. “If you will please follow us?”
The three of them made their way to a small conference room off of the lobby. Harry walked along with them, still slightly in a daze. Draco Malfoy, along with his mother and Severus Snape, had gone missing immediately following that horrible night up in the Astronomy Tower. None of the three of them had shown their faces for the next four years of the war, though Harry and others suspected that Snape had continued to supply the Order information about the Death Eaters and particularly about Lucius Malfoy. It was on one of these anonymous tips that Harry and Ginny had prepared the Order for the final battle. Once the smoke had cleared and Harry could search through Hogwarts again, he found the evidence that Snape had worked for Dumbledore the whole time. Evidence that supported that the night in the tower had been carefully orchestrated between the two of them. Harry had them convinced the Ministry officials to clear Snape’s name. Harry never could find anything about either Draco or Narcissa, though almost all Death Eaters, when interrogated, agreed that the young Malfoy had never taken the Mark, nor had his mother.
Now, four years after his escape from the war, not many people concerned themselves with the missing Malfoys. The general consensus was that the three escapees had either died, or just permanently emigrated. As long as they didn’t return, intending on resurrecting the Dark Movement, Wizarding Britain paid them no mind.
Which was why having Draco Malfoy sitting across from Harry in a children’s shelter was exceedingly unexpected.
“Alright, Mr. Malfoy, before we can let you adopt one of our children, we need to ask you a few questions.” Thank Merlin for Luna, Harry thought. She never seems unsettled.
“Yes, indeed,” answered Malfoy with the barest hint of a smirk on his lips. “I suppose you have a lot to ask.”
“Right,” said Harry, gaining control of himself again. “The first question we have is: why do you want to adopt, and why have you chosen Stepping Stones?” Harry was eternally grateful for standardized questions.
Malfoy seemed to think for a moment. “My mother married my father almost directly out of Hogwarts. My father was insistent that he have his heir immediately, but my mother wanted to wait. They had me right around my mother’s twenty-first birthday.” He paused. “Consequently, my mother has insisted that by the time I turn twenty-one I have an heir, or at the very least be married. Especially in these times, an heir is most important. As to the second part of your question, your facilities are by far the most impressive of those I’ve seen of the wizarding variety, even as far as Germany.”
So that’s where they went. “Not to pry, Malfoy,” Harry cut in, “but why wouldn’t you just marry a Pureblood witch? Wouldn’t that be a better way to preserve your bloodline, as I’m sure your mother’s insisting?”
Malfoy nodded. “Of course it would be, Potter, but to produce an heir I would first have to find such a suitable Pureblood witch, court her, marry her, and then produce an heir. That would certainly put me past my mother’s deadline. Plus, it’s a lot of work, if you ask me, especially since I’m in no mood to get married. No,” Malfoy concluded firmly, “it is much easier to adopt a Pureblood baby and make him a Malfoy.”
“Alright, Mr. Malfoy,” continued Luna. “We understand your reasons for adoption. We would like to know what sort of child you are looking to adopt. What is their preferable age, gender, blood purity, and anything else that you have in mind? This will help us ensure that we match you to the ideal child.” Luna sounded almost clinical about it, but Harry understood the necessity of the question.
“I would like a Pureblood boy,” answered Malfoy without hesitation. “The younger they are the better, but most definitely under eighteen months of age. As to the features--” Here Malfoy paused. “--they aren’t as important, but as close to traditional Malfoy coloring as possible. That should pacify Mother about this whole process.”
But Harry didn’t hear that last statement. He and Luna exchanged anxious looks, both coming to the same conclusion. Alexandre. The small child was exactly what Malfoy wanted. The only problem was Ginny. She had fallen in love with the baby and obviously wanted him for herself. Luna’s eyes questioned him, and Harry nodded, resigned.
“We think that we can help you, Malfoy,” Harry acquiesced. He summoned the file and slid it across the conference table to Malfoy. “His name is Alexandre Rowan, son of Alexander and Marian Rowan, both Purebloods. He was orphaned at the age of five months and is currently eight months old,” Harry summarized, looking for Malfoy’s reaction. He was half hoping that Malfoy wouldn’t be interested so Harry wouldn’t have to destroy Ginny’s dreams. The blond man carefully studied little Alex’s file, absorbing the details written and the small picture attached. Both Harry and Luna waited for Malfoy to speak.
A few minutes later they had an answer. “Might I see the child?” asked Malfoy, eyes still attached to Alex’s file.
Luna checked the clock, making sure that Alex wouldn’t be eating or playing. “Of course, Mr. Malfoy,” she answered. “If you will just follow us again, the infant’s ward is just around the corner.”
Malfoy nodded and handed the file back to Harry, who banished it back from whence it came. The three of them made their way to where children under twelve months lived and Harry peaked through the window to ensure that the room was Ginny-less before opening the wards to admit them. Harry stood back while Luna led Malfoy to Alex’s crib to determine the other man’s reaction.
There was silence for a moment before little Alex let out a small cry that indicated he was awake. Harry involuntarily walked over to the little baby’s side. From this angle Harry could see the look of pure wonder on Malfoy’s aristocratic face as he peered down at the child. He could also hear Malfoy’s gasp as Alex lifted his eyelids to reveal clear, crystal blue eyes.
“Can I hold him?” Harry was startled by Malfoy’s request, but obliged him. He picked up the child, who extended his pudgy little arms towards the new person. Harry passed the baby over to Malfoy, showing him how to properly support Alex’s head and cradle his back. Malfoy learned quickly, and as Alex settled into Malfoy’s arms, Harry could instantly see it was a perfect match. The two looked like the ideal father and son, the hair and high cheekbones serving as a physical connection between the pair. Had Harry not known Alex’s parentage, he would have thought that the baby was pure Malfoy.
“Mr. Malfoy?” prompted Luna.
“When can I take him home with me?” asked Malfoy. Aside from the physical resemblance, Harry could see the start of a connection between the two blonds. He could tell that Malfoy wanted Alex for more than his looks.
Harry gently took the child back from the other man and placed him back into his crib. He led the trio back to the conference room and sat down again. “Before we can start the adoption process there are three more things left to discuss.” At Malfoy’s nod of acceptance, Harry continued. “Luna and I assume that you have sufficient funds to support both yourself and Alex until Alex comes of age?”
Malfoy raised one white-blond eyebrow. “Potter, I have enough funds left to support Alexandre and five generations of his children without ever needing to work a day, even lacking the funds the Ministry unlawfully seized from my family.”
Harry shifted uncomfortably as the Malfoy he remembered from school reappeared, drawl, smirk, and all. “Right then. Second, where do you plan on living with Alex, and will you be taking care of him yourself, or hiring a caretaker for him?”
“Mother, Severus, and I are currently living in Malfoy Manor, and once Alexandre is officially a Malfoy, he will join us there. Since Mother is there, she will be able to look after him if I go away on business.”
Harry nodded his approval. He looked at Luna quickly before continuing. “There is one last thing, Malfoy. Would you please roll up your sleeves?”
Malfoy’s eyes hardened, but he acquiesced. His crisp while shirt sleeves were rolled up to the elbows and wrists were proffered, revealing two bare white forearms.
Harry brought out his wand and muttered, “Reveal,” tapping both of Malfoy’s arms. When nothing happened after a moment, Harry nodded at Malfoy and put his wand away.
“Sorry about that, Malfoy,” Harry apologized as Malfoy fixed his shirt. “It’s just a formality.”
“I trust I passed your inspection?”
The steel edge in his voice made Harry want to cringe, though he kept his composure.
“You have, Mr. Malfoy,” affirmed Luna. “We have some forms for you to fill out, some brochures for you to read, and after we sort out the legal side of it you can come pick up Alex on Sunday.” In Muggle orphanages and adoption centers, Harry knew, the adoption process and forms took weeks, sometimes months to complete and verify. However, Harry and Luna had carefully created the wards around the shelter and the forms filled out. No one with malicious intent towards a child could even step foot into the building, and the quill and ink Malfoy would be using on the forms were variations on McGonagall’s anti-cheating quills. No one could lie using those quills and ink on those forms. The precautions Harry and Luna had taken with the adoption process allowed them to cut down on the time needed to legally adopt one of their children.
Malfoy nodded and Harry handed him a packet of forms to fill out and gestured to the special quill and ink on the table. As Malfoy started to write, Harry pulled Luna to the side.
“Why Sunday, Luna?” Harry asked quietly. “The forms only take two days, three at most.”
Luna looked up at him with eyes that held understanding and sympathy. “We still need to tell Ginny.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry looked at Ginny, gauging her reaction in much the same way he had Malfoy’s earlier that week. It was not good.
“You just let that bastard walk in here and adopt my little Alex without even consulting me? How could you do that to me, Harry? How could you do that to Alex, letting his go home with that Death Eater?” Ginny’s voice was steadily growing louder and stronger, and Harry knew he had to stop her before she woke up every child in the shelter.
“Ginny, please listen to me,” Harry intoned, placing his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. “Malfoy is not and has never been a Death Eater. I performed the spell myself. He’s not hiding anything like that. And he has full rights to adopt Alex. I hate to say it, but he has all the means to take care of him, and he seems genuinely taken with him.”
“But what about me, Harry?” Ginny asked softly, all of the fight leaving her body. “I’ve been working so hard to be able to adopt him.”
Her quiet voice cut through Harry’s heart.
“I know, Gin. I know.” Harry hugged her to him. “But Luna and I truly believe that this is what’s best for everyone.” He felt Ginny nod silently against his chest.
“When is Malfoy taking him?” she asked, the question slightly muffled against his shirt.
“Today,” Harry answered. “One o’clock.”
Ginny pulled away from him sharply. “That’s in only an hour. You’re only giving me an hour to say goodbye!”
“I know, Ginny. I kept putting off telling you. I just didn’t want to hurt you like that.”
Ginny’s face hardened in a way that reminded Harry eerily like Malfoy’s had in the conference room. “How considerate of you, Harry. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to spend the next hour with Alex. You’ll need to get Padma to cover my shift.”
With that she walked away, back towards Alex, leaving Harry feeling like a sorry excuse for a friend. He left to find Padma, closing the door as quietly as he could behind him.
* * *
At one o’clock sharp, Draco Malfoy returned to Stepping Stones. He nodded at the receptionist and made his way to Lovegood’s office. He knocked on the door and turned the knob when he heard the woman inside call, “Come in.”
Luna looked up from her paperwork and nodded. “Ah, Mr. Malfoy. It’s a pleasure to see you again. Here to pick up Alex?”
“Yes, I am. Mother has finished preparing his bedroom at the Manor and we are all looking forward to his arrival.”
Lovegood nodded. “Very well, shall we go get him then?”
Draco nodded his approval, slightly nervous at the prospect of bringing the child home and becoming an actual father. “Lead the way.”
The two of them walked the familiar path to the infant’s ward, and Draco thought about his mother’s reaction to the news. When he had first told her that he had decided to adopt Alexandre, she had objected vehemently, ranting about the purity of Black and Malfoy blood. It was unheard of for Purebloods of their standing to adopt children, and never before had Malfoy heirs been of non-Malfoy blood, et cetera, et al. She had been mollified slightly when he informed her that Alexandre was Pureblooded on both sides, and was in fact, distantly related to both the Malfoys and the Blacks. He calmed her even more with the photo of the child, showing off his picturesque Malfoy features. Truthfully, Narcissa had loved Alexandre’s blue eyes more than the fact he looked like a Malfoy.
But what had really soothed Narcissa was the fact that Draco had chosen to not enter into a marriage of convenience purely to create an heir. As Draco had told her, he wanted a marriage like the one she and Severus would share, one of love. He didn’t want to become like Lucius and end up hating his future wife because he didn’t love her, and it was the truth.
And, if Draco was completely honest with himself, he genuinely liked Alexandre. The boy had survived infancy without his parents, and when Draco had held the child, he had felt the strength and power of his magic flowing through the tiny boy. Alexandre would grow to be a strong wizard and bring pride to the Malfoy name.
Draco stopped behind Luna as she peered through the window into the room. The blonde woman winced slightly before opening the door.
The reason for Lovegood’s discomfort became apparent as Draco’s eyes fell on a curvaceous red-head in the center of the room. As his eyes started to focus again he noticed that the woman was holding his child to her ample chest. Draco was struck by the picture they presented and the obvious connection the woman had with his son. This must have been the reason Potter and Lovegood were hesitant to let me adopt him, Draco reasoned.
A scoff from the direction of the red-head broke his reverie and Draco saw Lovegood retreat from the other woman with an apologetic look on her face. The co-director of Stepping Stones paused as she passed him, muttering, “Be nice to her. She’s having a hard time letting him go.”
Draco nodded, never taking his eyes off of the pair in front of him. He wondered who she was. He certainly thought that he would have remembered a woman like her. Her long legs belied her short stature, and the curves she possessed certainly didn’t belong to a small and frail woman. If not the body, than Draco certainly would have remembered her mane of wine red wavy hair.
The mystery woman finally turned towards him and gave him a look of utter disdain and loathing. That did spark Draco’s memory. Images of small, girlish features surrounded my flaming orange hair shouting curses at him, a thin freckled hand holding a wand at his throat flashed through his mind, and Draco gave an internal start. Could this gorgeous creature holding Alexandre really be little Ginny Weasley?
Now that he looked more closely at her face, Draco could indeed see traces of the girl she had been. She had certainly grown up in the four years he had been away. And if the stories of her ability in battle were half as true as Draco had heard, her prowess with a wand had grown as well. He decided it would be advantageous to stay on her good side, especially concerning his adoptive son.
“Weaselette,” he acknowledged with a tilt of the head.
“Malfoy,” she all but spat at him, her face contorted as if the word left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Draco didn’t take it personally; after all, he was hardly her favorite person in the world, and he was essentially taking something she loved dearly away from her. After the trials of the war, Draco figured that she would be very possessive of those close to her.
“I’ve come to take Alexandre home with me,” Draco informed her, taking care to keep his voice soft and understanding.
Ginny’s focus shifted from Draco to the baby, all the anger melting away from her face. Without the ugliness of contempt distorting her features, Draco was again struck by the beauty of it. The love shinning from her eyes, though it was directed at the child, did something strange to the bottom of Draco’s stomach, something he studiously chose to ignore.
“Ginevra,” Draco began again, only to be cut off by her curt reply.
“Give me a moment, Malfoy.”
He nodded, taking a half step backwards to give her more space. He waited patiently for her to finish saying her goodbyes to Alex, taking the time to memorize her body and the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled.
“You be a good boy for Malfoy, Alex,” he heard her whisper. “Though if you give him hell, that’s okay, too.” He was sure that Alex couldn’t understand her, but he burbled in response anyway. Ginny bent over and placed a small kiss on the top of Alex’s head, her blood red hair mingling with Alex’s light blond. Draco thought it was perfect. He wondered what it would take to win her over, to have her hair mingling with his.
But she snapped him out of his fantasy with her soft voice. “Alright, Malfoy. I’m ready now.”
He looked into her eyes for a moment as he took Alex from her arms and saw her pain at parting with the child she had taken care of for so long.
“Don’t worry, Ginevra,” Draco offered, hoping to seem compassionate. “He’ll be in excellent care.”
The ire returned to her face, and Draco realized that his comment could have been taken as a jibe at her ability to raise a child.
“I’m sure he will be, Malfoy,” she replied coldly and turned away from Draco and his son.
Draco sighed at his blunder and looked down at the child in his arms. He was currently amusing himself by sticking his fingers in his mouth. Draco figured nothing more would be accomplished by staying and turned towards the door.
As soon as she heard the door open, Ginny whirled around and rushed to catch his arm.
“Make sure that you don’t Floo or Apparate with him until he’s at least eighteen months,” she informed him earnestly. Draco nodded. “And make sure his formula is warmed before you give it to him.” Another nod. “And make sure he takes his nap--”
“Ginevra,” Draco cut in, “I will take care of Alexandre, you may be sure of that.” This time, when she nodded, Draco added, “Of course, if you think of anything else I desperately need to know, feel free to visit us.” He looked her up and down again. “I know I won’t mind.”
With a smirk at her thunderous expression, Draco swept out of the room and out of Stepping Stones with Alexandre Rowan Malfoy tucked safely in his arms.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
End 1/2
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