Author's note: Here is my Christmas present for you guys :) It turned out quite a bit longer than I anticipated, but well, that's turning out to be the story of my life when it comes to fanfiction *sweatdrops*

Warnings: slash (established relationship); partly disabled Draco; problems with conceiving; angst (a lot of it - what would Christmas be without angst, am I right? *coughs*); implied lemon (for full version, please visit my profile for details); MPreg

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling owns it.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas/Happy holidays/insert holiday! :)

Please enjoy this oneshot!

Sometimes wishes do come true

Negative.

Hands clenched around the edge of the bathtub, the skin around the knuckles turning white. Hooded eyes glared at the trashcan that was placed underneath the sink and which contained the damned object that had been putting a damper on his marriage for nearly nine months already.

Fucking negative. Again.

A harsh breath was expelled in the otherwise silent bathroom and his eyelids slid close, while he tried to keep his cool. It wouldn't do to get upset now, make a wrong move and end up slipping underneath the water.

His husband hadn't mentioned that he had taken a new test. It had been by pure accident that he had discovered the small vial filled with a clear liquid hidden underneath some paper towels in the trashcan. His bottle with shampoo had slipped out of his hand, right when he had managed to grab it and had dropped into the trashcan, forcing him to reach into it and grab the bottle, because his wand had been out of reach.

And that was when he had discovered the small vial. Obviously his husband had never intended for him to find the vial and that fact frustrated him even more. There were not supposed to be secrets between them. Nothing was supposed to be kept hidden from the other one, except in rare occasions like birthday presents.

Something as life changing as this especially shouldn't have been kept from him.

Not that something life changing had occurred. He snorted bitterly and opened his eyes again to stare down, at his legs – the ones that were responsible for this entire mess.

The ones that had turned his happy marriage into a state where tension was constantly hiding underneath the surface, waiting for the moment when it could finally break through it and destroy the love they had for each other.

And all because of one curse. One curse that had made it impossible for him to feel anything below his knees and consequently stopped him from moving around freely and bound him to a magical wheelchair. One curse that after all this time still was wreaking havoc in his life and prevented him from living it to the fullest.

He could have dealt with having no feeling below his knees.

He could have dealt with being bound to a magical wheelchair as it allowed him to still do most of the things that he had been doing before he was attacked by self-righteous punks who thought he deserved a punishment for his relatively small crimes during the war.

He could have dealt with the bastards getting away with a light punishment: community service for five years and five years in Azkaban.

He could have dealt with seeing the mix of pity and guilty satisfaction on the people's face whenever they saw him: thinking he got what he deserved, despite the fact that he had been declared innocent during the trials.

What he couldn't deal with was his husband hurting and trying to put up a cheery front when it was as clear as day that he was suffering.

What he couldn't deal with was his husband suffering thanks to the curse that had been put on him.

What he couldn't deal with was not giving his husband one of the few things he really wanted. His lover already asked for so little and then to not be able to even grant him his one wish …

It hurt. Like something stabbing him in the heart over and over again. It made him feel useless. Worthless of his lover's affection and love.

At twenty-five years old, Draco Malfoy had been married to Harry Potter for two years after being friends for four years. Two months before the wedding took place, he had been walking home when he suddenly had been ambushed by three older wizards. He had fought vehemently and had almost succeeded in getting away until one of the three men casted the curse that hit him on his right leg – a curse meant to paralyze the muscles in the entire body, including the heart. His magic had reacted out of fury when he had collapsed on the ground and had bound the three men with a wordless Full Body bind spell. He had managed to Apparate to Saint Mungos and only the Healers' respect for Harry had made them treat him like they treated any other patient. They had managed to stop the curse on time before it reached his vital organs, but the damage had already been done.

Draco would never be able to walk again.

Grey eyes opened and stared blankly at the opposite wall while a memory rose up to the surface.

"What do you mean? The curse is contained to my legs?" Draco asked flatly and his hands clenched in the fabric of the hospital's sheets.

The Healer – a woman with dark blond hair and light blue eyes – repeated patiently, "We managed to stop the curse from spreading, but this particular curse can't be cured. We are sorry, Mister Malfoy, but we were only able to stop the curse from progressing further. You won't be able to feel anything below your knees. The hospital can order a wheelchair for you, so that you can move around, if you want to."

If he wanted to? He snorted harshly, ignoring the offended look on the Healer's face. It was not like he had a choice. He would have accused the Healer of lying, of not doing their job correctly, but as soon as he had heard the name of the curse, he knew how bad it was. The fact that he could not move his feet or feel anything below his knees was proof that the Healers had not been mistaken about the curse. He guessed he should be glad he was still alive and that the curse had been stopped on time, but he just felt numb.

He would never be able to walk again. He would never be able to run, to make long walks with his mother, to give his lover a playful nudge with his foot … He was bound to a wheelchair for life at the young age of twenty-three.

"There are some potions that you still need to take, Mister Malfoy and we can give you brochures with wheelchairs from which you can choose-"

"Can you leave, please?" Draco interrupted her and although the woman gave him a cold, offended look, she left with a huff.

Finally left alone, all he could do was stare at his hands. How would his mother react at hearing that her only son would never be able to walk around again? How would his father react, hearing that his only heir, the one he was proud of for getting so far in life, was bound to a wheelchair?

He closed his eyes and bit on his lip to prevent a sob from escaping. How would his lover react, knowing that he would be married to someone who was essentially cripple now – if he still wanted to get married. After all, who wanted to be bound to someone who would need help with various tasks and for whom they would need to adjust their house to make passage for a wheelchair possible?

The creaking of the door made him look up and he held his breath when a dark haired man slipped inside, his emerald green eyes staring at him in worry and fear.

"Merlin, Draco," Harry gasped and hurried over to the bed, sitting down on it, so that he could embrace the blond. "Luna sent me a message when she saw you Apparating here. I'm so glad you're okay."

"Did the Healers – did they tell you what happened?" Draco rasped and did not dare to return the embrace. Any moment now, Harry would realize how their lives would look like from now on and he would start stammering, trying to figure out a way to tell Draco that he wanted to call off the engagement.

Draco's eyes fell on the silver ring with a small ruby on top that adorned Harry's finger – a sign for the whole world that their Saviour was taken – and felt his heart clench in sorrow. How much time did he have left with Harry? How much longer could he call himself Harry's fiancé?

"Yes, they told me what the curse did," Harry replied softly and pulled back a bit, so that he could look at Draco properly, his hands placed on Draco's shoulders. "I am so incredibly happy that they managed to stop the curse on time. To think I could have lost you!" A harsh kiss was pressed on his lips. "Ron went ahead to capture the ones who did it and I got a message from him that he managed to bring them to a holding cell. I promise you they won't get off easily for this." Determination flared up in those green eyes and for just a few seconds Draco let himself believe that everything would be all right.

"I … The Healers didn't manage to completely stop the curse," Draco muttered. He needed to be honest with Harry now; from the way Harry reacted, it was clear that the Healers had not told him the complete truth – if they had, Harry would surely have not reacted this happily.

"I know." Harry blinked and bit his lip. "They told me that … that you won't be able to walk anymore. They said the curse cut the connection between your brain and the nerves below your knees and that you'll need …"

"A wheelchair!" Draco spat out the word and pushed back against the cushions so that Harry's hands slipped off his shoulders.

Harry looked startled by Draco's outburst and proceeded carefully, "Yeah, they said they would have a list ready from wheelchairs that are available now. I'll firecall our home decorator tomorrow so that she can do the necessary adjustments for the wheelchair." He reached out to take Draco's hand in his and frowned when he felt how tense his fiancé was. "What's wrong?"

"Do you even realize how bad this is?" Draco whispered and snatched his hand back. If he would lose the best thing he had in his life, then he did not want to deceive himself by gestures that were now meaningless.

Harry opened his mouth, closed it and then opened it again. "I – I know you'll never walk again and that you'll need a wheelchair. I also know that you could have died, but you didn't and I'm really grateful for that. And that …"

"So you don't mind marrying a cripple?" Draco sneered, his face contorting into an ugly mask. If he would lose Harry, then it would be on his terms. His heart hurt enough already, without the added ache of seeing Harry's disgust when he told him it was over. "You don't mind spending the rest of your life with someone who can't walk anymore? You don't mind constantly needing to …"

"No, I don't!" Harry interrupted him forcefully and glared at him, his hands clamping down harshly around Draco's wrists. "I love you, Draco. I chose you. I'm still choosing you. You're not … There are still many things you can do and the Healer assured me that the magical wheelchairs will make you able to move around like you did on your own feet. I am not going to abandon you."

"I'm not some damn charity case, Potter!" Draco spat and tried to tug his hands free to no avail.

"No, you're the man I love and the man I am going to marry in two months!" Harry raised his voice and Draco was shocked. "You're still the same Draco that you were yesterday. So stop trying to convince me to dump you – it's not going to happen." His eyes softened as did the grip around Draco's wrists. "There is nothing that could make me stop loving you. We will get through this. We just need to make some adjustments in our lives, that's all."

"You're going to regret this," Draco said weakly. Could it be true? Could Harry really still be willing to stay with him, to marry him, despite the fact that he would never be able to walk again?

Harry bent forwards until their foreheads touched each other and until the only thing that Draco was aware of was the man in front of him. "I will never regret loving you," Harry whispered against his lips. "And I'm not planning on leaving you. In sickness and in health, remember?"

A few tears escaped Draco's eyes and he smiled weakly, relief cautiously flowing through his body. "In sickness and in health," he agreed and they shared a sweet kiss, losing themselves in their own little world until they were interrupted by a frazzled looking Narcissa and a tense Lucius.

In retrospect he should have realized that Harry was not a shallow person and that he would never drop someone for having a disability. However, at that moment he had been so overcome with rage and helplessness that he hadn't wanted to realize that Harry loved him for more than his looks alone. Their relationship had been rocky in the beginning – people had barely accepted them being friends and there had been a general outrage when the couple had announced their relationship. Even now, two years after they had officially bonded, they still received Howlers of people convinced that Harry was making the biggest mistake of his life.

At first, Draco had been able to shrug off those messages, even when he had been feeling insecure about his wheelchair. He had been busy with adjusting to the changes in his life: getting used to using the wheelchair, figuring out what he still could do and what he could not do, developing new potions and improving older ones …

But the last nine months, those messages had hit him far harder than they had ever done. Maybe Harry was indeed making the biggest mistake of his life by staying married to him; Merlin knew that if he had been together with another man, a man who was not cursed, he would have had his wish granted months ago.

Ten months ago, Draco and Harry had decided to have a baby. In the beginning of their relationship, they had breached the topic of children and Harry had been relieved to hear that Draco wouldn't mind having children – would even welcome them in his life. Harry had wanted to make certain of that, both because he wanted to have children and because he didn't want to keep his godson out of his life with Draco if their relationship progressed further. Sure, Draco had met his cousin various times before when he met up with his aunt, but there was a difference between visiting the boy occasionally and seeing him nearly every day.

The curse that still lingered in Draco's body prevented him from being the one carrying the baby – if he attempted to carry a child, the risks of having their child being infected with the curse was too big for them to consider it and so they had decided that Harry would be the one carrying their baby, after he had gone through tests to prove that he was healthy enough for a pregnancy. That way, the curse wouldn't be transmitted as that would only have happened by the baby staying for a long period near veins that still carried the curse through them.

One month after they had made the decision and Harry had undergone the tests, they had received the potion that would create a womb in Harry's stomach and make him able to carry their child.

Male fertility potions were extremely potent and normally a couple only had to try for two weeks before they conceived.

They had been trying for nine months and still the test displayed a negative result.

If everything had gone like it should, Harry would have been due any day now – instead they were still trying to conceive, performing the test each month with anticipation.

When they still hadn't conceived after three months of trying and throwing away negative test results, they had consulted their Healer. After various tests, the Healer had admitted that it would be very difficult for them to conceive a child – even with Harry being healthy, the curse affected Draco in more areas than only his nerves in his legs and that made it difficult for him to get Harry pregnant.

The only advice the Healer had given them was that they should continue trying if they really wanted it and otherwise try other ways like adoption.

Briefly they had thought about adopting a child, but they feared that with the general opinion of Draco, their request would be automatically rejected and they didn't want to deal with that rejection.

So they had continued to try; in the beginning hoping foolishly that Harry's luck would win again and they would have a baby soon.

It was the end of August now and they still hadn't succeeded.

It hurt. It made him frustrated and furious at himself. With every negative test result, Draco's anger and frustration grew and when he reflected on some of his past reactions – like smashing various trinkets in his rage – he begrudgingly could understand why Harry had wanted to keep this latest result a secret.

That didn't mean he was happy with it. What kind of opinion had Harry gotten of him that he thought he should keep the result a secret?

But the most important question that bugged him was: why wasn't he allowed to have a baby with the man he loved? Wasn't he enough punished by having his ability to move taken away from him? Would he continue to be punished for crimes that hadn't been that severe in comparison to other people's?

A knock on the door startled him and the water splashed around him when he sat up abruptly.

"Draco?"

"Yes?"

The door opened and revealed his husband standing with a tired smile on his face. "I was wondering where you were," Harry murmured and came over to give him a soft kiss on his lips. "Are you almost done? I'm making dinner now."

Draco looked up in soft, green eyes and nodded slowly. "Yeah, just give me a few minutes and I'll be downstairs."

"All right," Harry smiled and left the bathroom again.

Casting one last look at the trash bin, he called a house elf to help him get out of the bath. While he dried himself and dressed in some comfortable slacks and a loose shirt, he made up his mind. He had been thinking about it for a while now, but never had found the courage to start talking about it.

But it couldn't go on like this. They couldn't go on like this. He could not let this break them apart. He'd do whatever it took to make Harry happy. It didn't matter what he had to do, what he had to accomplish, as long as he could make his lover happy.

Having made up his mind, he let the house elf guide him downstairs to the dining room.

"Sorry I was so late today," Harry apologized during their dinner. "I stopped by Neville's office and I lost track of time."

"Nothing to worry about," Draco murmured and took another bite of his salad.

"Oh yeah; be prepared for a letter of the Ministry: they need a couple of potions and apparently the Potions Masters in the Ministry aren't able to brew them." Harry rolled his eyes.

Draco hummed. "Do you know which potions?"

Harry shook his head. "No; I only saw a notice about it."

The blond made a non-comitial sound and continued eating, brooding on how he would lead the conversation to the point he wanted it to.

Dinner went on in silence until their plates were nearly empty; Harry placed his knife and fork on his plate and sighed, staring at Draco imploringly. "What's wrong?"

Slowly Draco placed his glass back on the table. "Why would something be wrong?" he asked carefully.

"Draco, please; I've known you long enough to realize when something is bothering you," Harry replied and studied his face. "Did something happen today?"

Well, he wouldn't get a better opportunity than this, he supposed. He took a deep breath and replied, "I found the test in the bathroom."

With that one sentence, his lover seemed to have turned into a statue. Green eyes stared at him in shock and then he grimaced and looked away. "I should have thrown it out," he murmured and raked a hand through his hair.

"Why didn't you tell me that you had taken a new test?" Draco asked and praised himself on keeping his voice calm.

Emerald green eyes looked at him wearily. "I wanted to avoid a scene. I knew you would get angry if you saw the result and excuse me for not wanting to deal with that," he replied tersely.

"I apologize for my past outbursts," Draco said stiffly. "But my getting angry doesn't give you the right to keep this a secret."

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Draco! It's not like something life changing had happened!" Harry bit out. "I did the test and it turned out to be negative like the others – I hardly saw the point in informing you about it when it was the same answer as the past months." Bitterness coloured his voice and Draco hid the wince that wanted to pass through his body. He didn't want to hear his husband so bitter, so defeated, but when had Lady Faith ever been gracious to him?

But maybe he didn't need Lady Faith. Maybe he could fix their problem on his own. Maybe he could finally make Harry happy again.

"Sorry; I didn't mean to snap at you," Harry murmured and rubbed a hand over his forehead, throwing him an apologetic look.

"Harry, I think I may have found another way," Draco began hesitatingly. He didn't know how Harry would react and felt uncertain about how he should breach the topic.

"Another way?"

"Another way to get a baby."

Harry blinked and gazed at him apprehensively. "Did the Healer say something to you at your last check-up?"

"No; it's something I came up with on my own." Draco took a deep breath and continued, "You know how the curse is making it difficult for us to conceive?"

Harry nodded silently, a grimace crossing over his face.

"I was thinking that if we used an … outside source, then you would be able to conceive and the curse would not be able to interfere," he said carefully and studied Harry's face.

"An outside source," Harry repeated blankly and his face was smoothed over, no hint of emotion left behind.

Draco nodded slowly.

"You mean that – that I would carry someone else's … baby?" Harry asked after a short moment of silence.

"Yes; it's clearly the curse that's keeping us from having a baby, but someone else should be able to help us conceive. Of course we'll need to be careful about who we pick and we'll need to draw a contract, but …" Draco's nervous chattering was abruptly cut off by Harry.

"No."

"What?" Draco stared at him blankly, not certain whether he had heard correctly.

"No, we're not going to do this. I'm not going to carry a baby of another man," Harry stated resolutely and crossed his arms, frowning.

"But why?" was all that Draco could utter. He had thought that Harry would give it some careful consideration. Sure, he had not expected him to agree immediately, but even he should realize that they couldn't go on like this. Draco was defect essentially; he wouldn't be able to give Harry what he wanted. The thought that Harry would carry the child of another man stung incredibly and made him feel as if someone was Crucio'ing him repeatedly, but if that meant that their wish of having a family would come true, he was prepared to do anything.

"You really have to ask that?" Harry asked him shocked. "Draco, I don't want to carry anyone else's baby. I want to carry your baby. If we – if we can't have a baby, then we'll try to adopt. We could adopt Teddy officially. But there is no way in hell that I am going to carry another man's baby. I chose you, I married you, I love you and yours is the only child I want to carry."

"But Harry," Draco protested, wanting to explain the benefits more clearly.

Harry stood up and came over to him, carefully shoving his chair back so that he could sit on his lap. He looped his arms around Draco's neck and looked him straight in the eyes. "Draco, I don't care how long it takes. We'll just keep trying. The Healer said it would be difficult, but not impossible. So it takes us a while before we conceive; that doesn't matter. I only want to carry your baby, give birth to your son or daughter; not someone else's."

"I feel like I'm ruining your life," Draco muttered, the hot sting of tears pressing against his eyes.

Lips descended upon his to give him a fiery kiss. "Never, ever think again that you're ruining my life," Harry whispered harshly against his mouth and Draco stared as entranced in burning emerald green. "You're the best thing that has ever happened to me, so don't ever think that you're ruining my life."

I don't deserve you, Draco thought morosely. His arms slipped around Harry's back and pulled him closer to him while he buried his face in Harry's shoulder. A hand started carding through his hair gently until it trailed lower and started massaging the tense muscles in his neck.

Harry was making a mistake in staying with him – but Draco couldn't bring himself to give up the man. Call him selfish, but it felt good to hear that Harry still considered him the best thing to happen in his life – even after all the struggles they were going through, the ex-Gryffindor wasn't planning on giving him up and that warmed his heart.

That didn't mean, however, that all their problems were now solved. Maybe it was time to take the next step.

There were three types of potions that could make a man able to carry his own offspring. The first one was the most common one and was given to all men the first time they tried to conceive. For most men, it also worked if they tried for a second or a third child (men were advised to not carry more than three children, so as to not exhaust their magic).

The second type was a little less common and was only given if the couple had trouble conceiving for the second time. This one was obviously stronger than the first and was more complicated to brew – and therefore a lot more expensive.

The third type was something most men wanted to avoid taking in – while it did have a high success rate, it came with a high price: the man carrying the baby had to be on bed rest for the majority of the pregnancy, as the pregnancy was too fragile and could be broken off by the slightest disturbance. It also took a great toll on the carrier's body as it took a lot more energy to sustain the baby and more than half of the man's magic went to supporting both the womb and the baby. If the man successfully carried the baby full term, there was still a possibility of either the man or the baby dying during the birth.

Draco and Harry were both becoming quite desperate to finally conceive, but they were not willing to risk Harry's life to gain a baby. After a lot of deliberation and going over their options again and again, they had decided they would try out the second type. While Draco was a Brewer, he wouldn't be able to get his hands on the needed ingredients – thanks to a whole slew of regulations the Ministry had passed a few years ago – so they decided to employ the service of an Apothecary.

The second type of fertility potions wasn't really recommended to conceive for the first time, but there were no real health hazards either. Most Apothecaries just refused to sell it to customers who hadn't conceived before, because gathering the specific ingredients took a lot of effort and time and most Brewers considered it a loss of their time if they had to brew it for people without children. Their mentality was that if conceiving didn't happen with the first type, the chance of the second type working was slim to none, as there had to be something wrong with either the Carrier or his partner. It was better to give the potions of the second type to people for whom it would actually work, instead of risking selling it to people who may never be able to conceive, thereby wasting ingredients.

Keeping this particular fact in mind, Draco and Harry (both in disguise, so that no paparazzi would try to follow them and giving the Apothecary no chance to sell his story of providing a fertility potion to Harry Potter) visited an Apothecary which, while still doing legal business with Ministry approved potions, didn't care a lot for restrictions that Brewers had set up and therefore didn't put up a fuss when the couple had asked for the second type.

Thus in the second week of September Harry took the potion and once it had started working – only a day later, as the potion was indeed stronger than the first type – they both kept track of Harry's temperature and magic levels to determine when they had to sleep together. While the potion would work the entire time, there were still moments in the day when the chance of conceiving immediately was at its highest. These moments were marked by a subtle spike in both Harry's temperature and his magic levels.

This meant of course that Harry had to take leave from his work as an Auror. They could hardly have sex in his office after all, or even worse during one of his raids. While Shacklebolt hadn't been happy to see his best Auror leave for at least two months, he knew about the struggle the couple was going through and was sympathetic as he and his wife had had quite some trouble conceiving as well. When Harry had timidly asked for a leave, explaining the situation, he had been granted a holiday of two months, which could be extended, depending on the situation.

As soon as Harry had informed his husband about his holiday, Draco had pulled him in bed, deciding to make good use of the time they now had.

Draco would admit he was not an optimistic man. Going through a war at a young age and living his days wondering whether he would be the next one to be killed, the small amount of optimism he had possessed had been brutally squashed under the presence of the Dark Lord.

That being said, somewhere deep inside of him, he had held the hope that the second type of the fertility potion would be able to grant them their wish. After all, the entire composition of the potion had been designed to heighten the chance of conceiving for people who had trouble having a child.

He still had held hope after the first week had passed. Expecting to conceive on the first time after months of experiencing trouble was too unrealistic.

The second week had passed by with keeping track of Harry's temperature and magic levels and sleeping together whenever the most opportune moment arose and it hadn't yielded any result.

Third week had rolled by leisurely and while Harry's magic levels had spiked more often, the test result had been a firm negative.

When the fourth week ended – and thereby also announced the end of the month September – the liquid in the vial remained clear, despite Draco's silent pleading for it to turn purple.

Harry sighed and threw the vial in the trash can. He glanced at Draco, clearly trying his best to keep a smile on his face. "Well, that didn't work, but we'll keep trying," he murmured and Draco nodded silently, doing his utmost best to not lash out in frustration.

How was it possible that even after a month, they weren't successful? They had already upgraded to the heavier potion and kept track of the ideal moments; surely he couldn't be that defect?

He was starting to lose the little smidgen of hope he had left.

Ask his friends about him and one of the things they would readily admit was the fact that he could be very obsessed about things he really wanted.

During his Hogwarts years, his obsession had been fixated on gaining the best marks of his year – especially in Potions –, beating the Gryffindor Quidditch team and of course having Harry Potter's attention focused on him. Nothing would deter him from reaching his goal and he did not care what had to happen as long as he succeeded.

Harry knew about this particular fault and usually could deal with it very well. Throughout their entire relationship Draco's penchant for obsessing about certain things hadn't brought up any issue. The only obsessions he displayed throughout their relationship were his need for being the best Brewer and for making Harry as happy as he could possibly be, just to reinforce the fact that nobody else would be able to steal him away from the Malfoy heir.

During the past couple of weeks, however, a new obsession had reared its ugly head. Or better stated, this particular obsession had grown worse with every week that ended.

It had started out rather innocent.

After their last test at the end of September, Draco had casted a spell on Harry which would pick up even the slightest change in his temperature and magic levels and warn them both by producing a light 'tick' sound as that of a clock.

This meant that the times they had sex increased as well. While before they had sex twice a day – depending on how busy both were with their work – they now did it at least thrice a day.

It was kind of tiring, Draco had to grudgingly admit, but if being a bit tired meant that they would finally succeed, then he had no complaints. Harry didn't seem to mind the increase in sleeping together either.

That was until Draco drove his obsession too far.

Initially the spell which would alarm them about the right moment had been set to only work during the day and a bit throughout the evening, as the opportune moments differed from day to day.

In the middle of October Draco altered the spell lightly without telling Harry.

The result was that there were nights when Draco would wake up Harry from his sound sleep, coaxing him to react.

Four days before Halloween, the frustration – which had been slowly building up throughout the month – exploded when Draco tried to convince Harry to sleep together for the third time that day, apparently not having noticed how tired his husband looked.

"CAN YOU PLEASE STOP?!"

Harry's outburst startled Draco and his hand – which had been outstretched to coax Harry into their bed – froze in the air.

"What?" he asked bemused.

Madly glittering eyes met his own in a fierce gaze and he swallowed, recognizing the fury building up in the dark haired wizard.

"I'm getting sick of this, Draco!" Harry spat, raking his hands through his hair in frustration. He stepped out of Draco's reach and backed away against their wardrobe while Draco stared at him dumbfounded from his spot in their bed.

"Of what?"

"Of constantly being pulled away from my work or even my god damned sleep just so we can have sex," Harry snapped; his cheeks flushed in anger.

Draco dropped his hand and glared at the other man. "If we want to conceive, then we need to have sex," he hissed and then narrowed his eyes, his stomach churning. "Or don't you want to have children? Have you been lying all this time?!"

"Of course I want to have children!" Harry yelled and threw his hands up in the air. "I just don't want to feel as if I'm merely your fucking brood mare! All you can think about lately is trying to get me pregnant; it's as if you don't even care about me anymore!"

"Of course I care about you!" Draco snapped and rolled his eyes. "Don't be so ridiculous!"

"Oh yeah? What did I tell you about Teddy then, tonight at dinner?" Harry crossed his arms in front of his chest; his eyes turning stormy.

"You were saying that he …" And then Draco stopped. He had no idea what Harry had been saying, because he had been thinking about ways he could possibly improve the second type of the fertility potion, so that they wouldn't have to resort to the third type. He glanced away uncomfortably.

Harry's derisive snort broke the silence. "Yeah, you don't even know what I was saying, huh?" he said in an accusing tone.

"I … I was a bit preoccupied and I …"

"Let me guess: by thinking of another way to get me pregnant, right?"

The silence between them had never felt so heavy.

He heard Harry sigh forlornly.

"I really want to have children, Draco, but I don't know whether I can keep this up," he said softly and sounded exhausted, as if his sudden outburst had consumed most of his energy. "I want to feel like I still matter to you as a person, as your freaking husband. Not like your damned brood mare. You're obsessed with getting a child and while I understand, you're going too far."

Harry approached the bed and Draco felt the matrass sink down a bit when he sat down. "Ever since I took that second potion, you've started to change and to be honest you're starting to scare me now. At this point, I honestly don't know if you would still be able to love me if we don't succeed in having a child."

Draco whipped his head around to stare at him incredulously, while his heart clenched in pain. "Of course I'll still love you!"

"Really?" Harry raised an eyebrow and shook his head, a bitter smile tainting his lips. "I shouldn't have to wonder whether you're lying right now."

"I'm really not lying, I swear," Draco said, a hint of desperation sneaking into his voice.

Harry sighed deeply and hesitated for a few seconds, before he grabbed Draco's hand and entwined their fingers together. "Look, I think we need to take a break from trying to have a baby, all right? If we go on like this any longer, I don't know whether …" he broke off abruptly, but his unspoken message was clear.

Draco swallowed – feeling as if shards of glass were stuck in his throat – and softly squeezed the slightly smaller hand held in his own. "So, act like we're not trying to conceive?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded and smiled weakly. "We're both too tired and becoming too stressed out about this. Let's just enjoy each other again, all right? And we'll see how it goes."

The blond nodded and murmured, "I really don't consider you as a brood mare, Harry. I'm sorry that I made you feel like that." The apology came out haltingly, almost awkward, as he wasn't used to apologizing.

Slender fingers brushed a lock of bright blond hair behind his hear and a fleeting kiss was pressed against his temple. "Let's just go to sleep now, okay? Tomorrow's a new day."

Draco gave a single nod and manoeuvred himself deeper underneath the sheets, as the air in their bedroom grew colder throughout the night. He held up the heavy bed sheets and the sheer amount of relief he felt at Harry immediately crawling next to him was almost overwhelming.

He only now realised how close he had come to losing his husband due to his ever growing obsession. He hadn't meant to take it that far.

They wriggled around – Harry a lot more than Draco – until they both had found a comfortable spot. Harry ended up with one leg thrown over Draco's – he only knew this because he felt the warmth of Harry's thigh against his own thigh – and his hands tucked against his chest with his face nearly hidden in Draco's grey shirt.

Slowly Draco draped his arm around Harry, breathing in the comforting scent of his unruly, yet soft hair.

"I love you," he whispered; the need to say that out loud almost suffocating him.

It was silent and Draco had almost given up on hearing a response – Harry had probably fallen asleep already – when a pair of soft lips touched his neck and the words he desperately wanted to hear were whispered against his skin.

They celebrated Halloween with Harry's godson Teddy, who had turned eight this year. Harry and Teddy had briefly visited Harry's best friends earlier that day, saying hello to baby Rose. As she was barely a few months old, she was still too young to celebrate Halloween, so Harry and Draco took Teddy with them to go trick or treating. While the couple waited on the sidewalk, the boy – dressed as his favourite Quidditch player – made his way to each house, holding out his bag while exclaiming in a bright, high voice, "Trick or Treat!"

By the time it was nine p.m. the large bag was nearly overflowing with all sorts of candy – both Muggle and Wizarding ones – and the boy had grown very tired, swaying on his feet.

"Time to go, Teddy," Harry smiled and picked him up.

"You carry the bag, Uncle Draco," Teddy mumbled and yawned, slipping his small arms around Harry's neck, his head resting on Harry's shoulder.

With an amused smirk, Draco placed the bag – which actually felt quite heavy – on his lap and together with his husband, they escorted the boy – by now sleeping soundly against Harry's shoulder – back to his grandmother, who shook her head fondly when she opened the door.

"Good night, boys," Aunt Andromeda murmured with a smile after Harry had handed over her grandson.

"Good night, Andromeda," Harry smiled back and waved.

Draco nodded politely. "Good night, Aunt."

Apparating with a wheelchair was rather tricky, but after so long Harry had gotten the hang of it and when they reached the Apparation point, (a spot underneath a large tree of which the branches reached the ground and offered protection against prying eyes) Harry grabbed Draco's arm, making certain at least two of his fingers were touching the wheelchair as well and concentrated.

When Draco opened his eyes again, shaking off the queasy feeling Apparating always gave him, he noticed to his surprise that Harry had not only gotten them through the heavy wards, but right into the middle of their bedroom.

"You're tired?" he asked casually, removing his coat and scarf.

Harry dropped his winter clothes on the desk before Draco even had time to blink. A familiar glint greeted him when he looked up at dark green eyes.

"Not really," Harry hummed and slowly approached him, bearing a striking resemblance to a lion sneaking up on his prey. "You?"

Wordlessly Draco shook his head, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. He wondered whether he was reading the atmosphere wrong. This was usually how Harry behaved when he wanted to fuck, but after their spat a few days ago, they hadn't attempted to touch each other like that even once. Instead they had been working on going back to simply enjoying each other's company, like they had been doing before Draco had allowed his obsession to take over.

Harry offered him a bemused smile and helped him sliding into the bed. "Why so worried?" he murmured curiously.

"It's just …" Draco trailed off, his eyes widening a bit when Harry started practically slithering out of his clothes like a snake shedding its dead skin. He shook his head briskly, trying to gather his thoughts. "I thought you would want to … wait, you know."

A thin, black eyebrow rose up and the matrass sunk in a bit when the dark haired man climbed on top of it. "I said we needed a break from trying to conceive," he reminded the blond calmly and shuffled forwards until he was sitting between Draco's spread legs. He leant forwards, distributing his weight over both his hands while he brought his face towards Draco's; noses touching, breaths mingling together. "I never said we needed to stop everything."

"Oh. Oh!" Draco licked his dry lips and settled his hands on Harry's hips – which unfortunately were still covered by his underwear.

"You're not feeling up to it?" Harry asked softly, flicking a piece of his hair back impatiently.

"That has got to be one of the most stupid questions you've asked me," Draco murmured and closed the gap between them.

Harry exhaled slowly when their cool lips touched and their closed lips kiss transformed into an open one, tongues coming out to meet each other while slightly cold hands started unbuttoning Draco's shirt. With each new button popped open, more and more pale skin was revealed until his naked upper body was practically bathing in the moonlight making its way through the large gap in the curtains.

They broke apart long enough for Harry to assist Draco with removing his shirt and then Draco lunged forwards again, hungrily seeking out reddened lips.

Impatiently Harry tugged at Draco's belt and blindly started opening it when Draco made a line of kisses from his cheek to his neck; Harry ending up with his head turned towards the window to give Draco enough space to continue kissing him.

The triumphant sound that escaped the dark haired wizard at finally having managed to get rid of the annoying belt ended up being mixed with a breathy moan when the blond attacked the most sensitive spot in his neck.

"Draco …" Harry breathed out and slid a hand through blond hair, grasping and tugging at it softly with each lick Draco's tongue delivered on his skin.

Draco pulled back a bit – loving the way Harry's fingers tightened in his hair – and smirked. "You still need to remove my trousers," he pointed out, wriggling his hips a bit.

Harry huffed and with one impatient tug at the waistband, his magic released itself in a golden thread and the black trousers seemingly dissolved before turning up whole again on the floor.

Draco glanced at it and raised an eyebrow. "Someone is becoming impatient," he murmured teasingly, but barely held back a shocked yelp when Harry practically pounced on him and pushed him backwards.

Their mouths found each other again; teeth clacked together for a few seconds before they turned their heads a bit and lips parted automatically for the other one. The kiss was rapidly turning passionate, borderline filthy and twin moans rose up when they rubbed their hips together.

Draco pressed his hands against Harry's chest and softly pushed him backwards until the man was sitting up.

Bruised, red lips parted and his breath came out in panting. "Wha …"

Harry's question was cut off when Draco leant forwards and wrapped his lips around Harry's nipple, rolling and flicking his tongue over it in the way he knew would drive his husband mad. Still busy attending to the hard nub between his lips, his hand rose up to play with the other one, gently pinching it and rubbing his thumb over it.

Harry's hands shot up and landed on his shoulders, clenching down rather hard while his breathing turned ragged.

"Draco, Draco," he chanted almost under his breath and rocked forwards, pressing his body closer to his lover's.

Draco smiled and decided that he had abused the poor nipples long enough. He pulled back a little, only to lick a long stripe from Harry's collarbone to his bellybutton.

A cool breeze across his nether regions made Draco blink and stop his teasing nips around Harry's bellybutton. He looked down – only to discover both of them as naked as the day they were born.

"And you call me the impatient one?" Draco said, a bit exasperated, but he couldn't hold back the low groan when nails softly scratched red lines across his chest, which left a tingling sensation behind – not quite pain, but the warning sting was still there.

"You're complaining?" Nails pressed down a bit harder, but still careful enough not to draw blood.

"Who? Me?" Draco cocked his head a bit to the left, offering an impish smile. "I'd be a fool to complain."

"That you would be." Harry nodded satisfied and then leant sideways, opening the second drawer of Draco's nightstand. He riffled through it, pushing aside various miscellaneous items. "Why do you have so much crap inside this drawer?" he asked exasperatedly and yelped when his arse was smacked.

"Not crap," Draco sniffed and narrowed his eyes. "That is all stuff I need and can use."

"Sure, keep believing that," Harry muttered and then managed to finally locate the tube of lubrication – which was half empty.

"We need to stock up soon," he murmured and braced himself on Draco's thighs.

"Hm." Draco sneaked an arm around Harry's waist, his hand reaching down.

Before he could slide his fingers between the two firm cheeks, a hand stopped him by gripping his wrist and pulling it from behind his back.

"I'm doing it," Harry muttered and Draco blinked, before nodding.

One hand gripping Harry's hip and the other hand stroking him leisurely, the blond man watched with a burning gaze how his husband slowly prepared himself, lifting himself up a bit so that Draco could have a better view.

A lustful groan escaped him when three fingers disappeared into Harry's willing body and he felt him trembling underneath his grip, keeping up the rocking of his hips.

"That's it," Draco whispered and licked his lips, feeling tremors running through Harry's frame; now coated with a slight sheen of sweat.

"I think that's enough," Harry gasped and hurriedly removed his fingers. Hastily he covered Draco with the clear, gel like lubricant and rose up on his knees, shuffling a bit forwards until he was hovering right above Draco's crotch.

Draco guided him down by holding onto his hips and they both let out a loud moan when Harry dropped down, engulfing him completely in a tight heat.

"You okay?" Draco asked, running his hands up and down over Harry's sides.

Harry bit his lip and leant forwards, his hands seeking assistance on Draco's shoulders. His chest was rapidly going up and down and he had a strained look on his face; clearly taking Draco inside hadn't been that easy.

"Yeah, just – just give me a moment," Harry huffed and narrowed his eyes.

Draco felt the moment Harry's inner muscles started to relax around him, but he kept himself immobile until Harry started rocking back and forth, taking him in deep.

While Draco obviously couldn't prop up his legs and offer Harry support through that, he could still move his hips and upper thighs and he started meeting Harry's downwards thrusts with his own upwards ones, while his hands kept a firm grip on his hips to ensure that he didn't slip off.

Harry moved a bit to the right and hissed softly, throwing his head back.

Finally found his spot.

Draco grinned and reared upwards, attacking Harry's neck while he had the chance now. He tasted salty sweat and Harry's own unique scent and if he bit down a bit harder than he normally did, well, Harry didn't try to stop him. In fact, he encouraged him by baring his throat even further, releasing a loud moan of approval and a whimpered, "Draco!"

They moved faster and faster, exchanging kisses and nips turning into bites whenever they had the opportunity. By now Harry was holding tightly onto Draco's shoulders, practically bouncing up and down while a series of low pitched moans and throaty groans were released into the silent air.

"Fuck, Harry," Draco moaned and buried his face in Harry's slick with sweat shoulder when he felt his climax building up rapidly.

"Al-almost there," Harry stammered and the next moment he screamed out Draco's name when he was thrown over the edge, clinging tightly to the other one.

Draco followed soon after, his climax feeling like an inferno that swallowed him up whole.

Harry dropped down on him once the strength in his arms left him and Draco cradled him against his chest, laying his chin on dark, sweaty hair.

Harry breathed out gently. "I love you," he murmured sleepily.

Draco smiled tenderly and tightened his grip. "I love you too," he whispered and it didn't take long for Harry to succumb to sleep.

Draco – while feeling quite tired – wasn't ready yet to fall into the clutches of sleep and turned his head to the side.

They had forgotten to close the curtains. He could use his wand to cast them close, but he was pretty damn comfortable with Harry's body on top of him and he didn't want to move.

The soft moonlight bathed the bath in a light silver colour and Draco stared as transfixed at the dark sky, littered with various twinkling stars.

The serene view should be enough to gently lull him to sleep, but instead it made him brood over the fight he had had with Harry a couple of days ago.

Slowly he caressed Harry's back, feeling every bump of his spine and the slightly pronounced ribs.

Despite Harry's experience in the war and his job as Auror, he was actually a fairly deep sleeper if he slept at home. Draco didn't want to sound cocky, but he was fairly certain that his presence was part of the reason why Harry felt safe enough to sleep deeply.

Therefore he wasn't the least bit worried that Harry would wake up if he said something out loud now.

"I really wish I could give you what you want, Harry," he murmured and a pained grimace marred his face. "You deserve someone who isn't defected and who can actually give you a child. But you have to be a stubborn idiot, huh…" he trailed off and dropped his head on his pillow, staring at the ceiling morosely.

He drifted off to sleep while the moon continued to gaze at them gently.

Draco took another sip of his glass of champagne and watched how Teddy eagerly tore through the packaging to reveal a box which contained a Snitch and a Quaffle that could be used in a real Quidditch match.

A large grin unfolded on the young boy's face and he looked up, beaming at his uncle. "Thank you, Uncle Draco!"

Draco waved his hand, giving a small smile. "No problem, brat."

Harry shook his head with an amused grin. He could hardly complain about Draco's rather extravagant gift, considering he bought his godson a real broom.

"Aunt Andromeda is going to raise hell when she sees how much presents he got – and what kind," Draco murmured, placing his glass on the table next to him.

Harry shrugged, but looked a bit guilty. "Well, it's not like he acts like a spoilt brat," he defended himself. "Plus he's old enough now to ride on a real broom."

Draco chuckled, but didn't retort.

Now that Teddy had opened all his presents and put them in a pile – which was actually quite big – it was time for the adults to open their Christmas presents.

"Well, Harry, let's start with …"

"You need to open your presents first, Uncle Draco," Teddy interrupted him and stood up from his place near the Christmas tree.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Okay," he said bemused, not understanding the vehement and at the same time excited look in Teddy's turquoise coloured eyes.

"This present is from Uncle Harry and this one is mine, but you need to open mine first and then Uncle Harry's," Teddy ordered, handing over an envelope and a small box wrapped in dark green paper. "And you're not allowed to say anything until you open Uncle Harry's package!"

Now even more confused, Draco looked at Harry, who simply shrugged and smiled – a queer look on his face.

Figuring he would have no other choice but do what Teddy ordered, he first opened the white envelope and discovered Teddy had made a drawing for him.

He stared blankly at the drawing, not certain whether his brain could comprehend what it saw through his eyes.

Teddy had drawn himself sitting on the couch in their living room with Draco in his wheelchair next to the couch, reading a book and Harry seated next to his godson.

The drawing was fairly accurate and showed Teddy's promising skills in art, but what made Draco's heart clench painfully and his grip becoming tight around the paper, was the unknown child sitting on Harry's lap, a bright smile on his face while he had a hand placed on Harry's clearly rounded stomach.

Why had Teddy drawn something like this? They had never told the boy that they were trying to conceive – had Teddy somehow overheard them talking to Andromeda about it? But what was the meaning of this picture?

"Teddy," Draco started in a controlled voice.

"No! You have to open Uncle Harry's present now!" Teddy scolded him, frowning.

"Don't take that tone with me," Draco couldn't help but snap; his nerves high strung with the damning picture in his hands. It seemed to mock him, showing him a scene that probably would never come true.

"Draco, open my gift," Harry interjected softly, before Teddy could become too upset.

"Fine," Draco bit out and placed the picture rather harshly on the table. He ripped through the paper and a black, satin box greeted him.

With an encouraging nod of Harry, he opened the box and …

Stared at a vial with purple liquid inside.

"I – what?" Draco stammered once he found his voice again; his silver grey eyes glued to the vial. This couldn't be what he thought it was, right? That would just be too unreal; there was no way this could be …

Harry rose up and sat down on the table in front of Draco, grabbing one hand to place it on his stomach underneath his sweater.

Forest green eyes shone excitedly and a bright smile bloomed upon Harry's face when he announced, "I'm almost two months pregnant, Draco. You're going to be a father."

"This can't be … You're … Please tell me you're not joking," he brought out and a few tears rolled over his cheeks, his hand roaming across Harry's stomach.

"I'm not joking, I swear. I did the test two weeks ago and visited the Healer," Harry smiled tenderly, his own eyes glittering with unshed tears. "We're going to have a baby, love."

Accepting that Harry was definitely not lying to him, he eagerly reached out and pulled his husband towards him until the man ended up straddling his lap.

"I love you; I love you; I love you so fucking much," he murmured over and over again while he pressed a flurry of kisses over Harry's face.

"I love you too," Harry whispered and when they each tasted the salt of tears, they didn't know whose tears it was and frankly they didn't care about that.

When Draco finally pulled back, his gaze dropped down to Harry's stomach and he placed both hands on it, caressing it reverently. "After all this time …" he said and laughed. "I can't believe it's finally happening!"

Finally, finally, after all those months of trying and failing, they would finally have their own baby. In just seven months, they would welcome a new addition to the family and he wondered how his body was able to contain the amount of happiness which was threatening to burst through.

Hands came around his neck and green eyes looked at him lovingly. "Take good care of us, papa," Harry whispered smiling.

Draco buried his face in Harry's neck – ignoring Teddy's smiling face – and carefully tightened his grip around Harry, taking care not to hurt the precious bundle his husband was carrying. "Always, I swear."

All those months of misery and doubting himself had been worth it in the end. It had taken them a long time, but soon they would welcome their son or daughter into the world.

Whatever it was that had granted their wish – luck, Lady Faith, some other higher being – it didn't matter, but he was eternally grateful for giving them the one thing he thought he would never be able to have.

A child with the one he loved the most.

"Merry Christmas, Draco," Harry murmured against his temple.

Draco closed his eyes and smiled. "Merry Christmas."

Outside, snowflakes were merrily drifting down, covering the town in a white, fluffy blanket. A glittering ball of pure white light hovered near a window and seemed to concentrate on the scene inside: a blond man hugging his lover while they cried tears of happiness after hearing his dearest wish fulfilled.

The light hummed softly; a melodious sound which made the nearby animals croon in delight. Usually it didn't go around fulfilling wishes of mere mortals; it had better and more important things to do than squander its energy like that, but this man had grabbed its attention a while ago.

Most human beings were selfish, asking for things that could only benefit them.

But this man, though having a dear wish of his own, had cared more about his lover than himself. He could have asked for his legs to heal; for his reputation to better; for human beings to stop acting nasty to him; for wealth beyond any measure.

He could have asked for all that and more and yet he had wished for nothing more than his lover to be happy. Pleaded for anything that could stop the suffer his lover was experiencing.

And that was why the spirit had decided to help him. Even though its powers were only strong during the winter, it had done everything in its might to fulfil this man's one wish in late autumn.

The spirit cast one last look at the house and flew away.

It was time to perform a miracle for someone else now.

AN2: So what do you think of it? Was it good? Please leave your thoughts behind in a review!

For ones who like Attack on Titan: I have also posted a Christmas fic for that fandom :) Pre-slash Levi and Eren; if you're interested, please check out "Missing: Christmas Spirit".

Cuddles

Melissa

P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.