A Baby Project

1

Dear student,
We are pleased to announce your acceptance into the 7th year class at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, this year, we are introducing a new course to the program. During the war, our world suffered a great many losses, and our numbers have declined greatly. This prompted us to add another obligatory subject to your curriculum. The pupropse of this class is to teach you basic domestic and parenting skills, in hopes of inspiring as many students as possible to choose having a family expeditiously, to help them see that it is wonderful to have children and maybe decide to help our kind grow in this time of need. None of you will be forced to have children right away, but it is advisable to do so. In addition to this, should you do well with your assigned partner and decide to marry them, all your wedding expenses will be paid for by the Ministry of Magic. If you do badly, you will be assigned new partners and so forth until you find your perfect match. Your partner shall be assigned to you by the Headmistress of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall.
Your NEWTS will go as planned, of course.
All your required books and supplies are listed in the attached parchment in the envelope.
We wish you a pleasant remainder of your summer holidays.
Best wishes,
The Ministry of Magic.

Draco Malfoy stood staring at the letter he had received by owl earlier that day. It made him uneasy as he already knew none of the girls would like to be his partner in this. He thought of all the girls McGonagall could choose from. There was even more uneasiness after that. He didn't want to be with any of the Slytherin girls. They had as much motherly instinct in them as his aunt Bella. But the others... No. Enough, he thought. He knew deep inside there was only one girl he wanted to do this with, but she was bound to be with someone else. "Argh, I need to stop thinking about this. About her... McGonagall will choose someone for me, and I'll just have to endure it, whoever she is."
He looked around his dark room. The only light was coming from the lit candle on his desk. After the war, he had made the decision to keep residing at Malfoy Manor, even if it was full of dreadful memories. He couldn't leave his one true home. Though it stopped feeling like home a long time ago.
He scratched his tattoo as he thought about the past four years. The return of the Dark Lord, his residence in this house... The tortured cries of muggle-borns and halfbloods still rang at the back of his head along with the maniacal laughter of his insane aunt. He saw two snake eyes in his every nightmare. The white arm outstretched toward him, and the whispering voice that said, "Come Draco." And he did. He went. Every time, he made the worst decision of his life over and over again. But how could he not? This was all he knew, all he was raised to choose. Darkness followed, only darkness, and from time to time, a soft light was at the end of this tunnel of darkness. A shape with bushy hair came to be his guide in these nightmares.
He shook his head, trying to get away from the thought of her. He looked down at his arm. Blood was slowly dripping from his tattoo as he'd scratched it too hard.
Sighing, he got up and blew the candle out. He lingered in the dark room for a minute longer and then went out looking for his mother. Together, they went to get his books and school supplies. He had a week to go before Hogwarts Express would take him to his freedom.
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When he boarded the train, he saw some familiar faces. He nodded curtly at Potter, who had saved his mother from Azcaban. Potter gave him a sad smile and then disappeared into his cart. Draco walked past it and heard their laughter. He kept looking in booth after booth, trying to find an empty one for himself, but to no avail. In the end, he joined Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, and Pansy Parkinson. To his surprise, Pansy and Blaise were holding hands, and by the disgusted look on Theo's face, they had probably just stopped kissing.
"Sup' Malfoy. Haven't seen you in a while."

Draco murmured a polite hello to Theo and sat next to him. After an hour of Theo blabbing on about his summer and Blaise sucking face with Pansy, Draco had had enough. "What do you guys think about the new baby thing subject?" Draco asked. "I just hope I don't get anyone from Slytherin," Theo said. "None of our girls seem like the type to raise a child well, and also most of them are disgusting and awful people. On the other hand, I think this is just a "friendly" way of brainwashing us into having kids at 19 and throwing our lives away for the "greater good." I bet there's going to be a catch at the end, gradually forcing us to get married and have children." His answer surprised everyone because they didn't expect Theodore Nott to give such an intelligent and insightful answer.
"Not all Slytherin girls are bad, mate. I, for one, am looking forward to this baby-whatever. I really do hope they pair me up with P diddy over here," Blaise spoke and kissed the top of Pansy's head. "Blaise, I agree with Theodore, Slytherin girls suck. And please, in the name of Merlin and all that is good in this world, never call me that again, babes," Pansy snorted. Blaise gave his girlfriend an apologetic look and then kissed her. After this, the conversation was forgotten because they went back to making out. "By the looks of it, one could really mistake them for Dementors the way they're sucking the air out of each other," Theo noted whimsically. Draco smirked at his remark, cast a Muffliato on his two friends, and pulled out a book from his bag.
While Draco was reading, Theo tapped his fingers on the windowsill. He was watching the shapes flying by in heaps of green and brown. He was looking forward to this year. He was excited to see a certain Ravenclaw. He had spent his entire summer thinking about her, as they had a moment during the war. No, not just a moment, THE moment. An occurrence that changed Theodore's entire life. It made him realize that he was not just bad and evil. He had goodness in him too, a great goodness that was brought out by the peculiar blonde. Like Draco, he too wished this baby project would bring him together with his "person."