Open Your Heart. (Draco/Oc) (potassiumboron/Severu

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Neville nodded, knowing he'd just seen a soda machine down the hall.
It was going to be a long night, but there was a second bed in the room- one that folded into a couch.
It was really quite accommodating.

"I'll be alright. I've got my own little bed here." He said, smiling.
"I'll be right back."

Leaving the room, he went down the long hall to the soda machine, getting one Pepsi and one Dr. Pepper.
He hoped that everything would go well tonight.
He had a bad feeling, for some reason. Maybe it was because he'd seen Draco.

"Here you go." He said, entering the room and handing Karina her soda.
"If you need anything else, let me know."

===================

"Yes, you've said you want nothing to do with it plenty of times, but now here we are, and you're wanting to see it."
Sighing, she began walking faster, just wanting to go home now.
"I don't know how you'll feel once you see it. It's your child, after all."
She knew that Draco wasn't cold and uncaring like his own father, or her parents.
He would probably fall in love.

Atropa could see their house from where she was, so she sped up until she reached the front door.
Unlocking it, she stepped inside and sighed in relief.
She was beginning to get dizzy.

Walking to the sink, she washed her hands gently and dried them, looking around the spotless kitchen.
Their life was great as it was. Did she really want a child of her own?
She would never have freedom anymore, she'd be stuck at home with it, she'd have to give up her free time.

"I'm going to shower and lay down." She told Draco as he entered, voice quiet.​
 
"Oh, I don't want to be fussy. I just want the next few hours to go by fast, to be honest. It's not the nicest moment, looking forward to ten or so hours of agony," she grinned, cracking the Pepsi open with a thankful smile as she took a much needed sip, until peering at him quietly.

"What's on your mind? You look thoughtful," she murmured, her smile momentarily flattening as she observed him. "...You are okay being here, right? Stupid question, but... you look like something's worrying you."

---

"If I fall in love with it... I highly doubt Karina will let me anywhere near it, trust me. It won't matter," he reminded, only in that moment realising that she was really worried about that, as well as having the obvious annoyance about it all too.

Who wouldn't be annoyed in her position?

"Look, when we have our own kids," he started, heading to stand behind her and leaning to wrap his arms around her, pressing in to peck her cheek quietly, oblivious to both her dizziness and her doubts over their own children. "It'll be different. I'll love our kids from the get go, and they'll be adorable, hm? When we have one, then I'll be a father. I'm not with Karina's kid. It's not mine."​
 
Neville thought for a moment, wondering if he should tell her.
"Well, I was just thinking.. I hope Draco doesn't show up."
He shrugged and took a sip of his own soda.

"I mean, the choice is yours, if you want to let him see the baby or not."

============================

"That's not very helpful, Draco. Even if she won't let you near it, you could take her to court."
She sighed, moving away from him, wanting to lay down.
She didn't want to admit that she might not want children anymore.

"I'm feeling a bit dizzy.. I think I'll lay down." She mumbled, taking a step towards their bedroom, and having to grab onto the counter for support as she wobbled.

"Well.. Maybe I'll just sit down." She said, laughing weakly, taking a seat at the table.
She glanced at Draco, and let out a long breath. Something was wrong, though she wasn't sure what.
​
 
"And how would he know I'm in labour if he hasn't seen or talked to me in weeks?" She reminded, still unaware of the fact Draco was fully clued up on Karina's condition at the moment, and that Neville himself had seen him earlier that day. "We don't have to tell him I'm here. I'd rather he leave us alone, and he isn't having anything to do with our baby, okay? He's ruined it for himself, Neville."

She moved to adjust the pillows quietly, trying not to over strain herself and cause more pain than was necessary. "Draco's a stranger as far as I'm concerned, hon."

---

"...I'm calling a doctor, Atropa, you're worrying me," he finally blurted, unable to hold back on that as he finally leant to kneel before her and examine her expression with his brows knitted together in clear worry. "What if it's something bad? I... I'd never forgive myself if we didn't have a doctor see you this minute, okay?"

He reached for the phone, eyeing her for any sign of reluctance -not that he'd listen to her disagreement over something this serious to him- before dialling the number for the Muggle, only smiling when he secured a home appointment in the next hour. "I'm staying right here, for the whole night if need be. So come to bed, I'll make you a nice cup of tea."​
 
"Well... They were at the market today." Neville said quietly, sighing.
He hadn't wanted to tell her, but he figured he should.

"I didn't want to worry you."

-----

Atropa didn't even try to disagree with him. She just followed him to bed.
After taking off her shoes, she got under the covers and laid there, head spinning.
Closing her eyes, she almost fell asleep, until she heard the doctor enter the room.

She sat up and let him do his tests, trying to ignore the spinning.
It took about twenty minutes, and then he was done, leaving to speak with Draco.

"Sir, was your wife pregnant recently? Within the past month?" He asked, looking down at his notes.
"It appears she's anemic, from blood loss. It seems that she lost a child very recently."
The doctor looked up at Draco sadly. "It can happen, sometimes, without anyone knowing. It could appear to just be a very heavy menstrual cycle, if it's not very far along."

Sighing, he wrote something else down, and then handed it to Draco.
"Here. I've written her a prescription for a vitamin that will give her more iron. She'll be fine in a few days."
And with that, he left.
​
 
"You should have told me," she responded with a furrowed brow after a rather tense, contemplative silence on her part, finally flicking her eyes to him tiredly. "I get why you didn't, it's fine, but... he was there, a-and his wife? Ugh, I feel awful. She... She must still hate me a lot, and Draco clearly doesn't care or... or he would have tried to get through to see me. Oh well, like I care about him. I only need you, really."

---

Another child? It had happened again?

Draco wearily peered at the bedroom door, not knowing how to break the news to her - the last time this had happened, it had caused him to cheat and for his wife to grow depressed and painfully thin. He had control in himself this time around, and knew that he'd stick by her side, but he didn't want her to lose the progress she had made the few months.

But he couldn't keep it from her - they had made a pact to be truthful, didn't they? Entering quietly with a flitting smile, which disappeared quick, he moved to sit beside her on the bed with a small sigh. "...You lost... another baby. It wasn't really a baby, I mean... it was under a month old, really, but still... it's okay though, we'll be okay. He said in the past month you must have been pregnant-- a-anyway, it's okay. I'm here this time to.. help you."​
 
"I don't think his wife hates you.. She looked worried, and so did he."
Neville sighed and took a seat, squeezing her hand gently.
"It's a complicated situation, but I don't think hate has entered the emotions of any of us."

"At least, I know I don't hate them. I don't like Draco, but..."
He shrugged.
"However, if he does show up, I'll tell security to escort him out, if you like."


=========================

Draco entered, sitting next to her gently.
She felt ridiculous, like a small, easily crushed flower. She wasn't delicate.
She didn't feel delicate, anyway. But Draco was acting like she was.

Hearing the news didn't surprise her. She just felt... Empty.
"I don't think I'm able to have children, Draco." She told him, voice quiet.
Atropa picked at the blanket, feeling cold.

"I'm going to... I'm going to get on birth control. I can't do this anymore."
She knew he wanted children. But now she wasn't sure, and, it seemed that her body didn't want them either.
"I'm sorry."​
 
"Security? It... seems a little harsh," she admitted quietly, choosing not to answer the topic of 'hate' because she was pretty sure that if Atropa didn't hate her, Draco did.

He probably saw her as the root cause of everything. Even if that wasn't the truth, she couldn't help thinking it was.

"Ugh, fine. Tell security I don't want him anywhere near me. I don't want the drama, and nor do I need it. He can piss off, because I hate him Neville. Hate's a strong word, I know, but I do. I hate his guts, and his stupid smug expression and his superiority complex. He's a jerk."

---

"Birth control?" He repeated, his expression only falling more at that. He didn't really see Karina's child as his own, and couldn't, so the children he hoped he and Atropa would have would be his... and now he wasn't going to have them.

But he couldn't blame her for making that decision when it was having this effect on them both. How many more miscarriages would there be before he drew the line? So now seemed a good time, as hard as it was letting that hope go and hearing the blunt truth.

She was unlikely to ever carry his child.

"...It's fine. I agree. It's too damaging, and... we'll be fine, just us two, huh? We've always been a great pair. Kids, however great they would have been, won't alter us. We'll still be a dynamic duo, right?" He grinned, clearly doing his absolute best - a contrast to how he acted when the first baby was lost. He had stormed out, got drunk at the bar and returned home in a state. Cuddling her close, he leant to simply peck her cheek and carefully holding her. "I'll go to Hogwarts tomorrow, tell them you'll be taking some time off to recuperate. I won't go into why, don't worry. I'll be off work too, have some personal leave to be with you."​
 
"Okay.." Neville replied, getting up and leaving the room.
Karina had some deep feelings for the whole situation.
He couldn't blame her, but still, hate was a strong word.

Neville found the security desk and let them know not to let Draco visit.

Once that was taken care of, he made his way back to the room.
"All good." He told her, smiling.

===========

Atropa knew that it would crush his dreams of having children, but she couldn't take it anymore.
The pain both physically and emotionally, it was too much.

"We could.. We could always adopt." She told him, smiling weakly.
It was an option- they were a good family for it, both had good jobs, and were good people.
Of course, their family backgrounds may put a stop to an adoption...

"Okay, that sounds good." She told him, sighing in relief.

(Shall we do a time skip?)​
 
"Ah, thanks," she smiled, not entirely happy that she had been clearly harsh towards Draco who, however horrible the fact as for her, was the actual father biologically of her son or daughter, and for that she had to be the slimmest bit grateful.

That didn't mean she was willing to let him waltz in after months of inactivity and disengagement though.

"...I just want it to be us, Neville, that's all."

---

"Adoption would be great, huh? Help some kid out who hasn't got a family. We'd be excellent at that. You're nurturing, and fatherhood is something I guess I want now," he smiled, though his thoughts were much the same - who would really let them adopt, with both their parents having been Death Eaters, and Draco himself for a short period of time?

It wasn't the best past, really.

"Just... we'll work on that, I guess. It'll be a while yet."


(Yeah, a time skip sounds great, I don't mind how long c:)​
 
(I'll let you do the time skip for Karina, since she's having the baby.)



------------------------------

The rest of the day went by fast, despite Atropa's earlier sickness.
After resting in bed all day and night, she felt much better by the time she finally went to sleep that night.

---

The next morning, Atropa woke around ten, surprised to find Draco still sleeping.
Yawning, she made her way to the kitchen, getting a glass of water.
She was dressed in her yellow cotton nightgown, perfect for the warm weather.

She took a seat at the table, remembering that Draco was going to Hogwarts today to excuse her for a while.
She wondered if he would bump into Adrian while there.

​
 
It had been, without a doubt, the most exhausting and agonising thing Karina had encountered, even more so than the time she broke her leg during fourth year at Hogwarts.

Hours of pain and often times she just demanded to give up and let them do it all, and when the result had finally arrived from all of it, she immediately forgot about how painful it had been - when her son had been placed into her arms, she felt that immediate gush of motherly love and any pain beforehand was just worth it, completely.

She hadn't had much sleep, if she was honest with herself - she had spent most the night just watching over the boy, whom of which she had hoped would look more like her for obvious reasons, though all he had really inherited off her was the light dusting of freckles, barely noticeable. The boy, who she had only named an hour before the present -Jude Amory Laditz- did follow the Malfoy appearance mostly. A head of platinum hair, ice blue eyes and pale, but Karina was determined to not raise him with Malfoy mannerisms - the fact she had the boy take her surname was the first step.

And so, in the present hour having had a nap after feeding the boy, she woke with a tired yawn, weakly opening her eyes to peer into the incubator with a proud grin at the little one cuddled up among the knitted blanket she had made. "Neville? Can I have some tea, please?"

---

It was only moments later before the blonde haired man wandered in after her with a tired smile. His sleep had been scattered, for everything playing on his mind, mostly that his wife had suffered a miscarriage while Karina had been going through childbirth.

It was two opposite scenarios, and he had chosen, expectedly, to stay with his wife in knowing that she needed him.

"I'll go to the school in ten minutes, let me have a coffee first," he smiled, at least glad it was Sunday and that most of the kids at the school should be relaxing in their dorms - he didn't really want any fuss really. "You feeling okay?"​
 
The labor had been long, and difficult on Karina.
Neville had been there the whole time, holding her hand, encouraging her, never leaving her side.
He loved her, he knew he did, and he never wanted her to be alone.
Draco had really messed up, but Neville could fix it.

And when the baby was finally born- it was a boy!- everything calmed down.
When Neville saw the boy, he couldn't think of anything to say.
He looked just like Draco.

Neville didn't want to be that type of person, but just seeing the boy...
Knowing his father, and now having him look identical..
It hurt.
He wasn't sure if he could look at the boy without seeing his father, and that was scary.

===========================

Atropa smiled at Draco as he entered, looking tired.
She took another drink of her water, looking out the window.
She felt better than she had for days, though she felt... Incomplete.

"It's alright, Draco. You should go.. Try and see your child."
She finished her water and put the cup in the sink, leaning against it.
"I can go to the school myself. I'm feeling much better today."

She knew, even though she'd had another miscarriage, Draco needed to see his child.
It might not be his child, by who raised it, but it was his by blood.
She couldn't let him miss this chance.

Maybe... Maybe she was even hoping that he would want to take the child.
That way, she'd have an excuse to leave. She wasn't sure if she could deal with all of this, anymore.
​
 
"...Don't you want to hold him? You haven't held him while I've been awake, anyway," she stated quietly as she shifted a little to lean across and take the baby in her arms again, having easily and naturally assumed the holding position, carefully stroking back the tufts of hair with a small grin.

She noticed just how similar he was to Draco, though she hadn't really been surprised. Draco looked like his father, held the same features, so was it really a major shock when Jude came out looking like Draco? Not really, but she was okay with it. She could look past it, in truth, but whether Neville could or not worried her as she peered over at him with a tired sigh.

"...Are you going to be okay with this? I... don't want you feeling uncomfortable around Jude. He may look like Draco, but he is just a baby who doesn't have a clue about anything, okay? You can look past this, right? I... i want you too, I mean..."

---

Unaware that she was even considering wanting out of the marriage, Draco quietly peered at her in clear tiredness with the conversation, sitting down once the coffee had been poured into his favourite cup. "Atropa, I don't want to see it. I told you this. I want to support you, and be with you, is that okay? I don't want to even see that kid. it's not mine: it's Karina and Neville's, end of."

He sighed to himself at the fact it continued to be brought up - how many times did he have to make himself clear? Okay, so a small part of him wanted to see the child, see if he had created a daughter or a son-- no, boy or girl. He was determined not to form any emotional connection, and the best way was to not refer to it as a son or daughter, and to just keep his distance. Besides, he thought Atropa needed him.​
 
"I need some coffee before I hold him." He told Karina, smiling tiredly.
He was barely awake, and he really didn't want to drop the child.

Standing, he made his way out of the room and down to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee.
He took a seat at one of the tables, drinking it slowly, avoiding going back to the room.
He was tired, and not in a great mood at the moment, but it wasn't Karina or Jude's fault.
He didn't want to take it out on them.

She was right, though he didn't want to admit it. Jude was just a baby.
He had no idea of his father, or what he was like.
If raised right, he would be Neville's son.

Finishing his coffee, he took the elevator back to the room and took a seat on a nearby chair.
"I've never held a baby before. I don't want to drop him." He whispered, a bit scared.

----------------------------------------

"Alright." Atropa replied, not wanting to press any further.
She was beyond tired, and an argument didn't sound like fun.
"Well, I'm going to shower, and then paint or something." She told him, making her way to the bathroom quickly.
She wasn't sure why she was in such a foul mood.
Hadn't she decided she didn't want children after all?

Sighing, she removed her nightgown and got into the shower, turning the water on extra hot.
Maybe if she woke up more, she would be better.

Once she'd showered and shaved, she got out and dried off, dressing in something nice.
It was simple, just a forget me not blue cotton dress with white daisy's on it.
She slipped on a pair of shorts under it, and then a pair of black ballet flats.

Maybe when Draco got back they could go on a walk. Or a date.
​
 
"You took your time. We thought you'd done a runner," she murmured softly, not entirely pleased with his reaction-- though quickly smiled and easily got over it. She couldn't blame him really, and nor could she ever stay mad with Neville. He was too sweet and far too cute for her to stay angry with him, especially over something he did have a right to be a little annoyed and uncomfortable with.

"It's not difficult, just make sure to support his neck and head, he can't do that alone," she murmured again, smiling down at the now awake child as she handed him slowly to Neville, a proud grin appearing. "He's beautiful, isn't he? And he's innocent, Neville. He doesn't need to know who he looks like."

---

Downing his coffee, the blunt reply did make him frown - he was doing what she would want, wasn't he?

It seemed like whatever he was doing, it was wrong. He wanted to see the child, and she grew hostile. He promised her he didn't want anything to do with it, and she gave a one word response and avoided talking about it by leaving the room seconds after he had entered. If he was honest, he knew he would have had to work for her trust, but it did seem harder than it should be when he felt like he was the only one trying to save the marriage.

"...Atropa, I'm going to Hogwarts to tell 'em, okay?" He called out, not bothering to wait for a call back as he apparated quickly - he'd grown used to the hostility between them both by this point that he really didn't expect his words to be met with any acknowledgement. ​
 
Neville nodded, taking him from her carefully, cradleing his head gently.
"He's so small." He said, smiling up at her.
Jude was looking up at him with big blue eyes, curious.
And then he smiled.

Neville's heart melted instantly.
"H-He's smiling!" He said excitedly, grinning up at Karina.

------------------------------------

Atropa felt like Draco thought she was being difficult.
But in reality, she just wanted it to be over with so they could move on already.
She was tired of speaking about babies and their problems.

--

Adrian had been roaming around Hogwarts, on his way to his class, when he spotted someone familiar.
It was Draco, Atropa's husband.
Grinning, he made his way over to him, noticing how run down he looked compared to when he was in school.
"Well, hello, Draco. I think it's about time we met." He said, holding his hand out. "I'm Adrian."​
 
"Smiling? See, he already loves you," she grinned quietly, not too sure it was a smile but choosing not to question it was best, grinning quick at the sight of the boy nestled close in her boyfriend's arms.

It made them appear a normal, happy family, and it did fill her with a content warmth. "I love you both so much, you know."

---

"Sorry, what? Adrian?" Draco repeated, having been rubbing his temples tiredly as he walked until spotting the man, staring incredulously at his hand. What, did he expect him to shake it?

Initially, he just wanted to scoff and walk away, which in retrospect he should have.

Instead, he found his lip curling in a sneer and, regrettably, pulled a fist back to punch him hard. At school, he had never really lived down being punched by Hermione Granger, so this was a little retribution of sorts. "Ah, sorry, mate," he muttered, holding his fist quietly once pain exploded across his knuckles. "Just a little warning to stop flirting with my wife, hm?"​
 
"I know. And we both love you." Neville replied, smiling at her.
The whole scene was perfect, like a family from an ad.

Neville gently handed Jude back to Karina, uneasy with holding him so long.
He'd get used to it eventually, but he didn't want to take chances right now.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her, sitting back down with a yawn.


========================

Adrian hadn't been expecting the punch, so he didn't have time to turn his face.
Draco smashed into his nose, resulting in a bloody nose, but most likely not broken.
Adrian grabbed a handkerchief out of his pocket and held it to his nose, glaring at Draco.

"Man, what the Hell?!" He called out, anger surging through him.

"Your wife happens to enjoy my company, man! She told me what happened, by the way. With, what's her name.. Karina?
So, you go out and get a chick pregnant, but your wife feels so guilty that she can't even speak to me?
Seems like double standards." He said, pulling the cloth away from his nose, glad it had stopped bleeding.

​
 
"A little sore, but... better. It's just nice to know I can start getting back in shape now," she admitted, the other good thing about it, besides the obvious of having he son, being that she would look to going back to work.

Staying at home all day hadn't been much fun, and she did want to socialise with the women at work again, because they were friends and did help pass the time.

Taking Jude back quietly, she as at least happy he had helped him for a little moment - she was sure the feeling would disappear the moment they went back to normality with the baby in arms for a family feeling at home, and not in the hospital. "As soon as we're home, you're getting some sleep, okay? No arguments~"

---

"We're working on it, and I'd appreciate you keeping your nose out of it, man," he scoffed, holding his bruising fist with a small smirk crossing his face at the sight of blood.

He hadn't realised just how angry he had been until actually punching him, the adrenaline mostly helping with the increase and burst of strength behind the punch.

"Look, I didn't mean for this to get violent. I'd just rather you respect the fact she chose to work on our marriage. She's told you time and time again she doesn't want to go on dates, so leave it, you pathetic little nobody. You know, there's a reason you weren't memorable at school. Even Atropa doesn't remember you. You just faded into the background~"​
 
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