AUTHOR'S NOTE:
UNBETAED
Don't expect too much. I'm planning to make this a five chapter story, dunno if I can pull this thing off, but anyway, let me give you the first chapter. Written again at 3 o'clock in the morning.
DISCLAIMER: "Harry Potter" is the property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. This work of fiction/art was created entirely for fun, not for profit, and no copyright infringement is intended.
ENJOY! Thank you!
Life and love and why
Child, adult, then die
All of your hoping
And all of your searching
For what?
Ask me for what am I living
Or what gives me strength
That I'm willing to die for
Draco's life is already composed of waking up to the smell of roasted coffee beans and constant singing of a certain witch that he married 3 years ago, He smiled as he reminisces all the things they went through, every teasing, love making and arguments they had. A relationship that started out of the blue when they were just 5th year students in Hogwarts. Although their relationship was challenged and strained by the war, being on opposite sides of the battle and all, they managed to protect it and even made it stronger.
He can say that his life is anything but dull.
He stood up pushing the blanket away from his naked body and went to the bathroom.
Three years ago, the bathroom might've been a mess, everything (from toothbrush to used pants) will be scattered all over the floor, but now, everything is in order. All things have its respective places and lined-up properly. Not a single dirt or mess will be spotted.
Sometimes Draco thinks that the bathroom is a reflection of what happened to his once messed-up life. The witch is like a whirlwind that instead of bringing destruction and calamity to his life, she did the opposite.
She built him and restored everything in his life back to its proper place.
Being wed to her does not only make her his wife. Hermione is more than that. For Draco, she became his lifeline. His hope. His life.
It scares him.
The love he has for the witch will be or might be the death of him someday.
He knows that.
His love for her is so intense, so full-forced that sometimes he thinks no one in the world,
no other human being,
no other wizard can love someone, like how he loves his wife.
Draco went downstairs and made his way to the kitchen quietly. He leaned on the door frame to watch his wife (He still can't get used to that, it feels surreal) cooks,body swaying slightly as she listens to the music from the muggle device on the table. Her voice sounds angelic as she sings along.
He smiled. Warmth flooding through his chest.
Hermione, although she doesn't really admit it, has a very good singing voice. (And Draco is the only one who have the honor to listen to her because she never sings outside the house.)
4 years ago, just few weeks after the war, the two of them decided to live together...in the muggle world, away from everyone and everything to sort things out.
Every night, Draco will have these moments wherein every traumatic memory will come back to him all at once. He will stand up from the bed or clutch something until the flashback is over. Sometimes when all of it became too extreme, he will cave in and throw a fit, screaming, punching the wall 'til his knuckles bled, throw everything in sight and then Hermione, being a brave woman as she is, will grab his arm and wrap her arms around him until Draco can't do anything but sob and shake, he will only calm down when he hears Hermione sings a lullaby or something.
He hasn't experience those moments of darkness again after they got married, a year after they moved in together. 3 years had passed and eventually, the nightmares went away, becoming a distant vague memory.
He then walks towards Hermione and wrapped his arms around her waist. Hermione leaned back.
"Good morning, Daddy." Hermione said. He can hear the smile in her voice, Draco beamed and placed a kiss on her neck.
"Good morning, Mommy."
Hermione giggled, waving her hand on top of the pan for what Draco assumed, is a non-verbal spell for cooking. She turned in his arm and faced Draco, silly smile plastered in her blushing face.
"For merlin's sake, I can't get used to that, I still can't believe we are going to be parents." She exclaimed, practically jumping. Draco laughed as he remembers how they found out.
Two weeks ago, Draco came home immediately, not even waiting until he finished the 3 day-mission given by the ministry, when he heard that Hermione got sick in a middle of a raid. The two of them are working in the Auror department and are frequently mission partners. Unfortunately, during that time, they have separate missions and can't go together.
He apparated to their home just near the shell cottage where Bill and Fleur are living together with Luna and Neville, he ran to their bedroom and called for Hermione. He heard someone groan in the bathroom and saw his wife crouching in front of the toilet, clutching her belly as she threw up.
"Get out, you don't need to see this" She breathed as she saw him standing by the doorway.
"Don't be silly, what happened to you? Let's go to St. Mungo's so that a healer can take a look at you." Draco said frantically, kneeling beside her and grabbing her hair so that it will be out Hermione's vomit.
"I just got food poisoned or something Draco, don't panic. I took the potion already" She said standing up and walking to the sink to wash her face and mouth. Draco caressed her back and waited for her to get finished.
"How do you feel now?"
"A little hungry." She said, giving him a small smile.
The two made their way to the kitchen and Draco made a simple dinner. When he placed the plate containing several pieces of meat in front of her, Hermione paled, stood up and ran to the bathroom again, Draco followed and saw her crouching on the sink this time.
"That's it, we're going to St. Mungo's" He declared and went to their room to grab their robes then when he came back to the bathroom, Hermione is sitting on the tiled floor, brows furrowed in concentration as she counts something on her fingers.
"love?" Draco said, kneeling beside her again looking at her trying to decipher what she is thinking. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah" She mumbled, then she shakes her head and started to count once again. Her eyes are tightly closed this time.
Draco, not knowing what is happening, put his hand on her forehead.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"How many days has it been since we came back from our mission in London?"
"1 month." Then Hermione started counting again, holding up a hand to prevent Draco from speaking. Then she counted again, this time mumbling the numbers loudly.
"Hermione, I'm losing my mind here, what's wrong with you?" Draco asked urgently, starting to panic at the sight her.
Hermione looked at him then she started counting again. Draco opened his mouth to asked her again when she muttered.
"Draco, I'm late."
"What?"
"I'm late."
"Late for what?"
"Draco, I am one month late, my period is one month late." Hermione exclaimed.
Draco's jaw dropped and gaped at her.
No one's muttering a single word.
"I don't think, it is food poison." She whispered, and he then scrambled to his feet and ran to the floo leaving Hermione calling out for him.
He went to the manor to get his mother. Panting hard. He ran to every room trying to find the woman, the elves are looking at him, surprised at the sudden appearance of their estranged master.
"MOTHER!" Draco shouted then he stopped running.
He realized how silly and stupid of him to leave his possibly-pregnant-wife to go to his mother. He mentally slapped himself and turned around to run to the floo chamber again when he heard his father speak.
"Draco, how nice of you to visit at this late hour of the night, scrambling like a baboon, waking everyone up. What in the name of merlin is happening?" Lucius asked, glaring at him. He looks like he ran out of bed because he is only wearing his sleeping robes and then Draco saw his mother running behind his father.
"What's wrong Draco? Did something happened?" Narcissa asked, tying her robes.
"I just…panicked. Mother, I—well—uh—fuck—I think Hermione's pregnant." Draco mumbled as his parent's jaw dropped.
"What?" Lucius asked.
"Well, she's vomiting and well, I panicked. I left her alone. I really think we need to go to St. Mungo's, I'll be on my way. See you!" Draco said, walking towards the floo again but then just decided to apparate.
Then Draco and Hermione went to St. Mungo's, Hermione calling Draco a lot of things for leaving her there. Draco did not really remember how it happened but then the two of them are just twirling around the room right after the healer announced the good news.
"So, do you have a mission today? Or you're free?" Hermione asked as she eats the pie she baked a while ago.
"I'm free, Potter's going instead of me, I need time for my wife." Hermione grinned shaking her head.
"Too bad the mission's in Paris, damn, I want to go to Paris." She said, Draco just smiled.
Hermione was given a maternity leave by the ministry when the couple reported that she is 1 month pregnant. Draco, however still continue his work but the department give him missions that will not even last for a day so that he can come home and take care of his wife.
Potter is a good head. Draco thought. and biased.
The couple sat on the dining table for a few minutes. Eating, enjoying the bright sunny day and the sound of soft waves of the ocean outside their house. Draco reading the daily prophet and Hermione reading the novel he bought yesterday. It became a routine already, Draco buying her a book almost every other day, enjoying the look of surprise and wonder on her face when she accepts it.
He finds her the most beautiful when she skimmed the spine of the books he gave her and smile as she ran her fingers to the pages as if she is being sucked to another dimension while he plays with the curls of her hair. Life is a beauty.
Hermione moved all their plates with a silent spell and looked up to Draco, tucking her hair behind her ear. She is perfect.
"Want to go to the lake?" She asked. "I've been cooped up inside this house for weeks now, I want to go out."
"Sure." She beamed at him. Always perfect.
"Let's go then." She stood up and grabbing his hand and dragging him to the door.
"Don't you need to pack things up or something?"
"I've done that just before you asked this question." She said, showing Draco that magical purse of hers which he assumed contains all the things they might need for the picnic at the lake.
"Merlin, Hermione, use your wand sometimes." Draco said, rolling his eyes and grabbing his wand so that they can apparate to the lake.
The two arrived at the lake and Draco let her wife set the things up. Hermione just muttered a few enchantments and snapped her fingers then the blanket, together with the basket with foods and the books was laid out properly in the field.
"You're staring." Hermione cooed. Sitting down, she pats the space beside her.
"Well, it's really amazing how you cast all that without using your wand, love. Always amazing. You look so powerful" He said, laughing softly as he lay down on the blanket. He placed his head on her lap and then Hermione automatically threaded her fingers on his hair as if they have a mind of their own. She just smiled at him, shaking her head.
They regularly do this whenever they have the day off. The lake and the field around it, filled with flowers and herbs, they discovered it when they got lost in one of their mission, and since then, they started hanging out here. It's their sanctuary.
Their safe haven.
Draco lost count of how many times the two made love in this place. Under the stars or during the day. Whenever the mood hits them.
His eyes wandered to her face, taking in every detail, every moles and bits of freckles present. He remembered, before everything started.
Way back before they even started their relationship in 5th year.
Waaaay back before she even formally met him.
He saw her already...
In the Diagon Alley, inside the Flourish and Blotts, running her fingers at the spine of the books placed on the shelf, looking excited, wonderful...and beautiful. He stared at her, wondering, how someone can look so happy by running their fingers on the plain covers of the stupid, useless books. Is she that poor that books can make her look dreamy?
He just stared at her.
And since then, He found himself staring at her, invariable, consistently, every. single. time. For the whole duration of his studying in Hogwarts until now. He just never gets tired of doing it.
He closed his eyes, smiling, enjoying the feel of his wife's fingers.
It seems too perfect.
Too ideal.
Too Peaceful.
Draco is beyond grateful that he was given this chance. He is living the life he did not deserve. After all the things that happened, after all the things he did. He expected that no one will accept him.
But then there she is.
Hermione Granger.
The pinnacle of his happiness.
He reached up to touched her face and she averted her eyes from the book she's reading to look at him.
"What?" she asked.
"I love you." He said.
Then Hermione gave him his favorite grin.
"I love you too." She leaned down to place a kiss on his forehead then she resumed reading as Draco nuzzled his face on Hermione's belly.
"Hey there." Draco said addressing the life forming inside Hermione who puts her book down and pulled her shirt up. Draco gave her a smile as he kissed her belly mumbling sweet words to the baby. Hermione brushed her hands to his hair, satisfied smile on her face, then she looked up and looked through the woods.
Her eyes narrowing as it followed a running figure who is wearing a black coat.
The running figure is running towards them. them.
Draco felt Hermione stiffened so he looked up at her and saw her staring somewhere. He sat up and looked for the thing she's looking at. He found it. His heart skipped a beat.
GO! A voice screamed in his head. So, without hesitation, he grabbed his wand and wrapped his arms protectively around Hermione.
They apparated just in time as they heard the figure cast an unforgivable curse.
To be continued.