A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. I appreciate them, they keep me writing. I have another chapter in store after this one. I was debating on a longer chapter that wraps everything up … but then I got an idea. I hope to add an update once a day until the story is done. I am thinking it should all be done by the weekend *crosses fingers*. Well enjoy, and tell me if it's funny or not.
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Chapter 3
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Harry had slowly made his way to Artie's room. He was trying to calm himself down … completely before he went into the room.
"Come on, Potter, we haven't got all bloody day to wait around for you," said Draco.
"I could go in now. But I don't want to lose control …"
"Like I am going to let you hurt him," replied Draco as he walked up to the door and turned the doorknob. "The bloody door is locked."
Harry walked up to the door and put his ear next to it. He wished he had his Extendable Ears on him, he wasn't too eager to walk in on something he'd rather not see. It was difficult enough to deal with the consequences of said action! "Well, I don't hear anything," said Harry hopefully.
"They both know how to cast silencing charms, you know. Ok, well, here goes nothing," Draco said as he pulled out his wand and said, "Alohamora!"
Harry reached for the doorknob and opened the door. He and Draco had their eyes shut, just in case. Harry was the first one to look. He saw Artie and Lily, fully clothed, thank Merlin, sitting on the bed, talking.
"You two, get off that bed, that is what got you into this mess into the first place," said Draco.
"Actually Dad, we weren't anywhere near a bed …" started Artie in a sarcastic tone.
Harry decided now would be a good time start talking. "Don't be such a smart ass! Really, I don't need to know specifics," Harry said disgusted. "Now, you come along and you and I are going to have a little chat."
"Daddy," said Lily, "you promised you wouldn't hurt him. You swore to me and Mum…"
"Mum has taken my wands away," he replied crossing his arms, "and Draco has his wand."
Artie stood up and placed a hand on Lily's shoulder. Harry squared his shoulders and stood to his full height as he saw Artie touch his daughter. Artie looked at Lily, "It's ok, love, I'll be fine." He looked at Harry. "Let's just get this over with shall we?"
Harry nodded and waited for Artie to lead the way to a private place to talk. Artie led Harry into what he liked to call his study, but really it was a small room with a desk and an empty bookshelf whose sole purpose was to support a model Quidditch Pitch for planning plays. "I'll leave the door open, Uncle Harry."
"Please, stop calling me that … it just …"
"I know, Dad has already said, makes the whole thing worse."
Harry took the only seat in the room and left Artie standing. "If you don't take care of her, I'll kill you. You are my godson and I love you, but she is my daughter and I will kill you if you hurt her, understand?"
Artie gulped. "Y..yes, Harry."
"I hope you have a daughter. You'll then understand. Don't get me wrong, I still think you are wonderful kid, but you've messed with my baby girl!" Harry said as he extended his wand hand. Artie took a step back and stiffened. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hex you now. But not for your benefit, mind, I don't want to upset Lily."
Artie nodded. "I am going to do my best to take care of her," he began.
"Your best?" asked Harry skeptically. "Your best is not good enough. You will have to do better than your best!" said Harry coldly.
"Of course, I will," replied Artie.
"Now, I'll tell you the one thing that really has me … bothered… about this entire situation, I mean aside from the fact that my baby is having a baby, it is that Lily isn't wearing an engagement ring."
"En… engagement ring?"
"Yes you know, a ring that you give to a woman you are going to marry. You are planning on marrying her, aren't you?"
Artie paused. He really hadn't thought about that. He had planned on living with her and being there for the baby, but marriage was a big step. He wasn't going to admit that to Harry, he didn't have a death wish. "I was planning on it," he lied. "I just haven't had time to get a proper ring."
Harry reached into his pocked. `Oh, bloody hell,' thought Artie, `he's smuggled a wand up here and he is going to kill me. He used Legilimency and figured out I lied. Nice going idiot, lie to the savior of the bleeding wizarding world!' He ducked back as Harry removed his hand and shut his eyes.
Harry laughed. "I already told you, I'm not going to hurt you, today, anyway. Lucky for you, I happen to have a ring in my pocket, that is suitable for use as an engagement ring!" he said. Artie took the box from Harry's hand.
"Thanks."
"It's for her, not you, she deserves the best," said Harry. He was going to add a scathing comment along the lines of `it isn't you' , but decided he liked having his testicles attached to his body, so for fear of Hermione's wrath, he shut his mouth. "And another thing, I don't want to hear another bloody word about what you and Lilly … did or do … when you are alone in your … just I can't even think about it!"
"Yeah, sorry about that, Harry," said Artie, sheepishly.
"Honestly, how would you feel if your parents and me and Hermione filled you in on all of the details of our bedroom activities?"
Artie visibly shuddered. "Gross."
"Exactly. Better yet, you won't have any stories to tell if you keep your pants on and your trousers zipped … understand?"
Artie nodded.
"Well, our little chat is over for now."
Artie rushed to the door. `Thank Merlin that is over!'
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While Artie was tucked away with Harry in another room, Draco decided to take a moment to sit down and talk with Lily. He was really unsure of how to proceed. He wanted to be sure he didn't make her cry. He couldn't handle a crying female. He just couldn't.
"Un..I mean, Draco, I am so sorry," she started. "I didn't mean, we didn't mean for this to happen. The whole thing was … like I told Mum, it was just once and it was …"
"Spare me the details, please. There are just some things I don't need to picture, love," he said, surprisingly in good humor.
"Well, you sure are taking this better than dad did," she said.
"Don't fool yourself, I am in a right state. The shock has yet to wear off. I just can't allow myself to upset you. So what are your plans? I mean for the immediate future."
"Well, I am going to have a baby," she said, as it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Before that?"
"I'm going to be pregnant?" she asked.
"When are you two getting married?"
"Artie hasn't asked."
Draco stood up and balled his fists. He hated when his son did asinine things, such as this. Sometimes the Weasley side was just too evident in his son. "Well he will."
Lily said nothing.
"You two haven't even discussed this?"
"No, we had more pressing issues to deal with," she said.
"Really such as?"
"Such as how we're both going to go on with Apprenticeships at Hogwarts next year, you know I was offered a Transfiguration Apprenticeship. And how we were going to tell you about the babies."
"Well, I can … wait a second, did you say babies, as in more than one?"
"Yes."
"But your Mother didn't mention anything about that in her letter…"
"No one knows yet, my Healer just Flooed before we left the house. I was trying to tell Mum, but she just rushed me out of the house telling me things were going to be fine."
Draco got very pale, all of a sudden.
"Uncle Draco, are you all right," asked Lily, very concerned.
"Yes … I … well … I think I need to lie down," he said. "Lily, just how many babies, exactly?" he asked as he went to lie down on Artie's bed.
"Twins, they run on the Weasley side of the family," she said.
"Ok, at least it isn't triplets," he said in an attempt to calm himself.
"Too right that is," agreed Lily.
Artie was walking into the room as Lily told Draco this unexpected news and Harry was right behind him. Artie felt faint. "Twins," he said as he began to fall back. Harry stepped aside and let Artie fall to the floor.
Lily heard the thump and saw Artie, "Daddy!" she yelled.
The sound of the thump accompanied by Lily's cry alerted Bernadette. She came into the room. Draco assessed the situation and decided to keep Ginny and Hermione away from it for the time being. "Go tell your mother that your cat broke something," he ordered. He then looked at Harry. "Twins!" was all he could say.
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