A/N: Thanks gaeilgerua for looking this over. Written for the Rare Pair Short's wishlists event - summer 2018.
Prompt: obscure holidays/mating rituals for plaidphoenix.
Disclamer: JKR owns these characters, not me. Anything you recognise is not my own. No profit is being made from the posting of this work.
Lughnasadh
Hermione nibbled at her lower lip, flipping through the pages of the book in front of her. Her eyes devoured each page, and she tried to commit as much of the information to memory as she possibly could. Lughnasadh was approaching, and it was a festival new to her, so she knew she had a lot to learn. It was her first season as the new Mrs Malfoy, and she wanted things to be perfect.
"Ah, there you are, wife."
Looking up, she smiled as she saw Lucius enter the library. "Hi, love." He walked towards her slowly, returning her smile.
"I should have known I'd find you in here," Lucius said. He took a seat next to Hermione on the sofa.
"Oh, I missed lunch!" Hermione realised. "I'm sorry."
"No need to worry," Lucius assured her. "I'll have the elves bring you something up."
"I can get it myself," she murmured. "You know I don't like bothering the elves."
"And you know you're not actually bothering Tippy when you call her," Lucius replied. He shook his head, smirking. "So, what are you looking?"
"Lughnasadh rituals," Hermione replied, blushing lightly. She closed the book, making sure to mark her place.
"Oh?" Lucius asked, his gaze sweeping over the book. "Mating and fertility rituals to be exact."
Hermione's blush deepened. "Er, yes." She cleared her throat nervously.
"And just what do you want with those, Mrs Malfoy?" He arched a brow at her suggestively.
Hermione's tongue darted out and wet her lips. "Well, it's my first time celebrating Lughnasadh, and I don't want anything to go wrong."
"You needn't worry about that, Hermione. Draco, Astoria, and I are all there to guide you." He cupped her cheek, lightly stroking it. "Please, don't stress about the celebrations."
"You know I will," Hermione told him honestly. Leaning forward, she kissed him lightly. "I do, however… I mean, I've been doing some thinking."
"When do you not?" Lucius teased.
Hermione grinned. "Yes, well, I think that Lughnasadh may be a good time for us to try and conceive." She blushed once more. "I know that Dolohov's curse has likely made it difficult for me to become pregnant, but I think that using one of these mating and fertility rituals could help with that." She looked at him nervously.
"Conceiving on one of the seasonal festivals is good luck. It would also ensure a healthy and fruitful pregnancy."
Hermione nodded. "The books went into depth about those positives."
"Are you sure, Hermione?" Lucius asked. "I know we discussed waiting before trying to conceive."
Hermione nodded. "We've been married for a few months, now, and I've been thinking it over carefully." She scooted closer to Lucius. "I really want to have a child with you." She smiled at him nervously. "If that's all right with you."
Lucius grinned. "Nothing would make me happier." Leaning down, he pressed his lips against hers in a loving kiss.
Neither of them could wait to celebrate Lughnasadh.