#xedra

Summary: Draco is demanding, Harry is teasing. Mpreg fluff!

“One day we wake

to a stranger in our bed

where once

a true love lay,”

Harry quoted wistfully.

A pillow immediately struck him in the face.

He chuckled and lifted a corner of it to grin at his husband.

Draco lie next to him in bed, rubbing his hands over his very pregnant belly and scowling.

“Don’t spout ridiculous Muggle poetry at me while neglecting your child! Your daughter requires a large cup of chocolate, so get moving, Potter!” He pointed an imperious finger toward the bedroom door.

Harry tossed the pillow aside and quickly slid down to press his face against Draco’s belly, smiling against the dark blue silk stretched over it.

"Is that what you want, Cass? You want chocolate tonight, my little sweetheart? Not pumpkin juice or cottage cheese or tomato and gherkins on mustard toast?" Harry crooned sweetly to the firm mound, completely ignoring Draco's attempts to swat him away. Draco's hormone-driven food cravings changed almost every day now.

He sucked in a breath when he felt an answering kick against his cheek and instantly wrapped an arm around Draco's hips. It never ceased to amaze him to feel their daughter's movements, the sheer miracle of it never failed to make him emotional.

Draco carded his fingers through Harry's shaggy black hair and sighed. "Must you call her that? It's so... common."

Harry blinked the stinging out of his eyes and brought Draco's hand down from his head to kiss it. "'Cassiopeia' is a bit of a mouthful and she'll need a nickname just for family and close friends. That way we can save the whole 'Cassiopeia Molly Potter-Malfoy' for when she gets in trouble, so she knows we mean business."

Draco huffed, "As if our darling girl would ever be a bit of trouble."

Harry snorted in astonishment and rubbed his nose against his husband's belly. "Excuse me, but have you met us? Our little angel is getting trouble-making genes from both sides, you know. Bound to be a bit devilish from time to time."

Draco's hand went back to Harry's head and gripped a fistful of hair just hard enough to pull Harry's head back. "Bring me that chocolate or I'll show you some devilish behavior of my own."

Harry's eyes positively twinkled, "Promise?"

Draco tightened his grip and relished the sight of the pulse quickening in Harry's throat, "Only if you hurry."

Harry surged up to plant a lush kiss on Draco's mouth before bounding out of the room.

Draco smiled and rubbed his hands over his belly, soothing the persistent kicks. "Settle down, Cass, my love. You'll get your treat and I'll get mine when Daddy comes back."

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Now introducing Xedra, Rami’s mother

Summary: Hermione and Ron discuss baby names.

The air was warm and breezy on that Sunday evening at the Burrow. Most of the family were still inside chattering and laughing after enjoying the feast lovingly prepared by Molly Weasley.

Hermione and Ron decided to take some time for themselves out in the quiet garden behind the house. They cuddled together on the padded garden swing under an arbor of climbing pink roses that hung heavy in full bloom and perfumed the air with their rich floral scent.

Ron took a handkerchief out of his pocket and neatly Transfigured it into a lightweight throw and then slung it around Hermione’s shoulders. She leaned back against his chest and he wound his arms around her waist, smoothing a palm over her rounded belly.

“What about ‘Apollonia?’” Ron suggested.

Hermione snorted softly and nudged him with her elbow. They still hadn’t settled on a name for their unborn daughter and for the past week her husband had been suggesting more and more outlandish girl names, originating from every corner of the world – and if she wasn’t mistaken, this time it was Greece.

“Sephronia?”

Hermione wrinkled her nose and hummed negatively.

“Petronella?”

Hermione giggled and shook her head, “Seriously, Ron.”

“Eulalia?”

Hermione sat up a bit and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, “And spend her entire life spelling it out for people?”

Ron considered that and conceded, “Good point.” He kissed her temple and hugged her back against him.

Muffled shouts of joy and groans of despair from inside the house reached their ears. Charlie was visiting from Romania and challenging everyone to beat him at a Muggle game he had recently learned called arm-wrestling. Ginny’s distinctive whoop of triumph followed and Hermione and Ron both shook with silent laughter at her apparent victory.

They swayed slowly back and forth, watching the fading colors of sunset, until a stray breeze blew a petal down from above their heads to land on Hermione’s cheek. She plucked it from her skin and rubbed it between her fingertips for a few moments; the silky texture made her smile.

“I remember the first time we sat out here, under these roses,” Hermione began.

Ron hummed against her temple. “After the Battle, yeah. Dad stayed at Hogwarts to… sort things out for Fred. Mum brought almost every else here. Well, all the kids, anyway.”

“Gathered all the chicks, made enough food for three armies,” Hermione smiled warmly. “When the crowd and the noise got too much, you brought me out here. Held me under these roses.”

He tightened his arms around her, much as he did then. “Kissed you, too.” She could hear the smile in his voice and turned her face up to once again accept the soft press of his lips on hers.

She pulled back and met his eyes. “It was the first time I’d felt safe, truly safe, for the longest time. Like I could finally breathe again.”

Ron swallowed hard and pressed his forehead to hers. "I knew it that night, you know? That I couldn't be without you. I wanted to hold you like that for the rest of my life."

Hermione stroked his cheek and kissed him again. "You asked me to marry you under these roses."

Ron snorted softly, "I managed to wait a year, but I didn't even have a bloody ring for you."

Hermione pinched his chin, "Ridiculous man. You had something better: an old wizarding tradition of sealing an engagement pact in blood. You taught me a new spell - it was absolutely perfect."

Ron lips turned up in a wry grin. "Dad gave me the idea. He had done the same with Mum. They still have tiny scars on their palms."

"We pricked each other's thumbs with a thorn and made our promise."

"You wore a rose in your hair at our wedding. Bloody gorgeous, you were."

They both jumped when they felt a sudden kick from Hermione's belly.

Hermione laughed and patted the spot, "Yes, darling, we mustn't leave you out of this. We were here on Ginny's birthday, sitting under these roses eating cake when the owl came from Dr Lux and confirmed the test results."

“Nearly passed out, didn’t I?”

Hermione huffed in amusement and leaned back against him, “Recovered quickly enough to spin me around and almost vomit up the cake, is what you did.”

They fell silent and linked their fingers over her belly, where their little one was merrily wriggling around.

“What about ‘Rose?’” Ron spoke after a while, his voice low and slightly rough in her ear.

Hermione swallowed against a thick lump in her throat and nodded, “Rose.”

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Summary: Hermione can't sleep. Ron can help with that.

Hermione couldn't sleep.

The Battle of Hogwarts had been won and she had been given the all-clear that it was safe enough to collect her parents from Australia. She paced around the living room of The Burrow, wrapped in a patchwork quilt, her eyes itchy and sore from watching the clock.

She huffed and threw herself once more onto the sofa, beat a throw pillow into submission and closed her eyes, willing sleep to come. She took deep breaths and tried to clear her mind.

It was no use. She could not relax; her body was too tightly wound and jittery. The ticking of the clock did not soothe her, and she soon found her eyes opening once more and following the second hand as it shuffled its way around and around.

She grabbed the pillow from under her head and pressed it hard against her face, screaming her frustration into it.

"Hermione?"

Hermione froze, then peeked out from behind the pillow to see Ron, adorably disheveled and blinking sleepily at her from the bottom of the stairs.

"You all right?" he asked as he ambled over to lean on the back of sofa.

She sat up, folding her legs up under the quilt and wrapping her arms around her knees. "Can't sleep. Tomorrow's taking too long to get here. You?"

Ron shrugged, "Bad dream." He waved away the concern he saw in her eyes, "Can't remember it now, but I can't settle enough to get back to sleep."

The clock made a low gong to announce the passing hour and Hermione dropped her head, groaning into her knees. She heard Ron hum and felt his hand sweep softly over her hair. "I'll make us some of my mum's Special Sleepy-Time Hot Chocolate."

Several minutes later, Ron returned with two big steaming mugs and Hermione quickly scooted herself around so he could sit next to her. The ceramic mug was magicked to stay cool on the outside, but she blew across the top to keep from burning her lips as she took a sip. the chocolate was rich and sweet, but also included a rather potent ingredient that made her eyes water and explained the "sleepy-time" part of its name.

"Your mother spiked your chocolate to put you to sleep?" Hermione rasped through the burn of the whiskey in her throat.

Ron chuckled low and gave a small cough to combat the sudden burn in his lungs. "It was only a sip or two and it did the trick. Come on, another mouthful will put us right out."

Hermione figured another swallow wouldn't hurt as the first was already sitting warm in her belly. She lifted the mug and drank deep. The sweetness of the chocolate barely covered the fire as it warmed its way through her chest and down her arms. Her eyes blinked slowly and she turned toward Ron with a lazy grin.

"Oh, that's lovely," she hummed and carefully placed the half-full mug on the nearby table.

Ron did the same and Hermione laughed at the chocolate mustache on his face and took his face in her hands to gently wipe it off with her thumbs. Ron smiled widely and pointed out she had one too and leaned in to kiss it off.

The feel of his lips on hers and his arms sliding around her waist to hold her close did more to soothe and relax her than any shot of liquor could. Ron pulled away and peppered sweet kisses on her cheeks then rested his forehead on hers.

"Think you can sleep now?" he asked softly, nuzzling his nose down along hers.

"Only if you stay." She pulled him with her as she lay back down. They shuffled about until he lay curled around her like a big spoon and wrapped the patchwork quilt around them. They both sighed with deep contentment and fell fast asleep.

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Summary: Boys kissing in the library. 'Nuff said.

Harry sat in the library poring over his Transfiguration text and scratching out notes when the nib of his quill broke and splattered ink all over the parchment.

He swore and grabbed his wand, Vanishing the broken quill and cleaning up the mess with a few deft swishes and flicks. He turned to Ron, who had accompanied him in order to finish his History of Magic essay, but found him sound asleep, his head still propped up on his fist.

Harry let him be, but snagged the quill out of his limp hand to continue his notes.

After another hour passed by and the words in the text began blurring together, Harry set his notes aside and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his bleary eyes. He propped his own head on his fist and closed his eyes. Just to rest them. Just for a few minutes.

Something knocked against his forehead, startling him almost out of his seat.

There on the table was an origami bird, laying on its side feebly flapping its paper wings. Harry tapped it with his wand to undo the spell and opened the paper.

Muggle Philosophy

Harry grinned and pocketed the note. He glanced at Ron, who was now resting with his head in his elbow and breathing deeply, and slipped quietly from his seat.

Winding his way through the stacks in the furthest section of the library, he turned the last corner and was immediately wrapped in a pair of wiry arms and pulled up against a long, slender body. Lips found lips and bodies pressed together desperately.

Draco groaned as Harry licked and bit as his mouth. He threaded his fingers through dark hair and pulled, making Harry gasp and lean his head back, exposing his neck which Draco set upon with sucking kisses and scraping teeth.

Harry's hands slipped down around Draco's hips to grab at his arse, grinding shamelessly against him. Draco hooked a leg up around his waist and thrust right back.

They kissed and writhed against each other, moans muffled against feverish skin or bitten cloth, until an elbow caught on a row of books and sent them crashing to the floor.

The boys startled and froze, their hearts pounding. They stood there for long moments, not daring to move or breathe.

Ron's loud snoring broke the silence and they practically melted against each other in relief and barely contained laughter.

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Summary: Harry sings a lullaby

Harry held the tiny bundle to his chest and rocked back and forth. The chair had been a gift from Mrs Weasley, spelled for hours of comfort and to make the most soothing of creaks.

He took a moment to run his palm over the silky blonde puffs of hair on his daughter's head, wondering if it would stay the same shade of gold, grow lighter or darker or even stay blonde at all. Her parentage wasn't known, as she had been left at a magical foundling home only days after her birth.

The child began to fidget and Harry swiftly lifted her to his shoulder, cradled her head and patted gently over her bum. He hummed a lullaby deep in his chest so that she would not only hear the melody but feel the vibrations.

It was a song he had heard only in his dreams as he was growing up and only remembered in bits and snatches when he woke. It was only since the child in his arms had arrived a couple months ago that the song coalesced into a full memory. It was his first memory, much older than the one of his mother screaming as she died protect him. This memory, he now knew, was of his mother singing him to sleep. The melody had been buried deep inside of him, surfacing throughout his life whenever he was most in need of comfort.

He used it now to comfort his own child, soothing her back into a deep sleep.

Harry was almost about to drop off himself when he heard soft footsteps behind him. He smiled when he felt a hand on his shoulder, followed quickly by the press of lips against the top of his head.

"How is our darling girl?" Draco asked quietly.

Harry grinned, "Practically perfect in every way."

Draco snorted softly at the reminder of the muggle children's story Harry had introduced him to when they had first set up the nursery. They already had the makings of a small library, filled with selections from both the wizard and muggle world so that Mary Poppins sat cheerfully next to Beedle the Bard.

Draco carefully took hold of the child as Harry offered her up. He stepped over to the crib and kissed her forehead before placing her gently inside.

He smoothed his fingers across her brow. "Sweet dreams, my darling."

He felt Harry's arms wrap around him and he pressed back against his husband's chest. They stood and simply watched her breathe for a few moments.

Harry pressed a kiss to the back of Draco's neck and whispered for them to go back to bed, which Draco was happy to obey. He drew his wand from his pocket and triggered the protection and alert spells that permeated the room, then followed Harry back to their bedroom.

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Summary: Sleeping Beauty AU drabble fic. Short and sweet.

Harry had hacked his way through the thick briars surrounding Malfoy Manor, had faced down Lucius Malfoy in dragon form, and now had to wake his beloved Draco from his enchanted sleep.

Narcissa had done what she could to change the horrible curse her deranged husband had placed on their son the moment he had learned of Draco's affection for the Potter boy.

Draco would not die, but only sleep until a kiss of true love woke him.

Harry burst into the Manor, panting and sweaty, the bloody sword in his hand dripped on the cold marble floor.

The glowing shade of Narcissa Malfoy smiled softly at Harry, mere steps away from where her husband had cut her down in his rage over her actions. She pointed the way and bade him to hurry.

Harry dropped the sword and ran up the long staircase to the topmost room.

Draco lie there, pale and achingly beautiful. Shaking hands cradled Draco's face as Harry sweetly, reverently, kissed him.

With a swift inhale, grey eyes blinked open and instantly filled with warmth upon seeing his love.

He demanded another kiss, which Harry happily gave.

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