Draco blanched and saw through unseeing eyes as Granger fainted. He was actually feeling quite faint himself but kept himself in check as Malfoys never show any weaknesses in public.

"Oh Luna," Hermione sighed, relieved, as her friend had finally revived her, "I just had the most awful dream. I was in your office with Draco and…"

"It wasn't a dream." Draco stated bluntly as he ran yet another hand through his hair.

"Oh." He saw her sag in defeat.

"It's not that bad-"

"Don't, Luna. It is that bad and we all know it." She stood and brushed off her skirt before turning to Draco, "Do you want to catch a coffee to discuss this?"

"Coffee, would be excellent." He replied stiffly as he stood. He held out a hand to Luna who looked heart-broken at the fact that the news of the new arrival hadn't cheered up the only two people she believed were most suited for each other, besides her and Harry, of course. She had to do something she thought as she paced her office, if not for the baby then for both of them. All they needed was a push in the right direction and Luna knew just the person to ask. Their plan had worked thus far and she wasn't going to let those two ruin it! No, she thought as she scribbled furiously to her partner in crime, hell no!

"We have to tell our parents." Hermione stated as she took a tentative sip of her coffee.

Draco looked at her from beneath his lashes, she thought him beautiful in that moment. She looked tired and haggard; he was tempted to ask if she was alright but bit his tongue in fear of getting snapped at, "Yes."

"Can we start with mine?" she asked shyly, twisting a loose curl between her fingers. Draco thought the action to be distracting.

"Save the best for last, yeah?" Draco chuckled as soon as he saw Hermione grimace. Draco, in exchange for the protection of his mother had turned spy for the order. The cover story was that on a raid at Grimmauld Place with Snape, Narcissa had been "captured" and Draco had barely made it out with his life. From that day, when Draco had come to the leaders and begged on his knees for the protection of his mother, Hermione had a deep respect for him that she never let anyone know of.

So yes, Hermione had met his mother before and knew all about her wish of him to marry, and on more than one occasion the witch had set them up, by locking them- without wands, in the various rooms of her manor. Although Hermione would never admit to anyone, she actually enjoyed going to the manor now. It was a completely different place, lighter. And the wing where people had been tortured had been torn down and revamped after the war.

"Is she still on your case for getting married?" Hermione sympathised with Draco. She knew from experience that refusing Narcissa Malfoy anything was difficult and almost impossible. Many agonizing shopping trips spent in the expensive parts of muggle London, Diagon alley and Manhattan (both magical and muggle) proved her theory to be correct.

"She is going to have a field day with this you realise that?" Draco suddenly felt very sick at the thought of his mother finding out about the baby.

"Ron's going to be thrilled." Hermione added sarcastically. This had to be both the worst and the best day of her life. It was the best because she was going to be a mother, something that she had wanted for a long time, but it was also the worst because this was not the way she had wanted it to happen.

"He'll be singing in jubilation along with my father." Now Draco felt like laughing. The whole situation was just so bloody hilarious. Hermione let out a giggle which soon turned into full blown laughter which Draco joined. They were both crying and clutching their sides when Draco raised his coffee mug, "To the interesting time we are about to enter, these next 9 months."

"Here, here." Hermione clinked her mug with his before correcting him, "Oh, and it's actually seven months. I'm two months along."

"Dear Merlin give me strength." Draco muttered to himself before getting up, grabbing both their coat and helping Hermione up, not that she needed help as she clearly demonstrated by completely disregarding his hand and standing by herself. She grabbed her coat from him, which he had held up for her to put her arms in and made towards the door. Draco fought valiantly in trying not to roll his eyes but failed miserably as he followed her after leaving a rather generous tip on the table.

"What is my mother going to say?" Hermione said more to herself than to Draco.

"Who fucking cares what your mother thinks Granger?" he asked a little too aggressively, "You certainly shouldn't!"

"Draco, she's my mother." She replied simply as she pulled her coat closer around herself.

"Yeah, well, you bloody shouldn't!" Draco whispered lethally. Hermione felt a shiver run down her spine, a shiver of both (to her chagrin) desire and fear. She was worried about what her mother would do today, worried that Draco may be ticked off again like last time. He had spent three hours flying like a maniac the last time it had happened, Hermione recalled, as she felt her stomach turn as she reminisced the fear she had felt from watching him do all those dangerous stunts. Fear for herself, of course, she added hastily, that she would ever get so possessed as to do what he had done. She felt no fear for Draco, she assured herself, no, not for Draco. Definitely not for Draco.

Draco really did not like Helen Granger; his last visit to the Granger's house for Hermione's twenty-fourth birthday in September had cemented that fact. She had blatantly stated that the reason Hermione was not married to Ron was because she was lacking in the looks department which Draco thought was absolutely preposterous as he had seen almost every male's eyes on her that night. She had looked magnificent in that deep plum dress that plunged showing her ample cleavage and showed off her deliciously long and toned legs in a skirt that cut off mid thigh. The insufferable woman had also stated that Hermione was a failure academically as she didn't go for the big hot-shot job like everyone thought she would, instead opting for opening her own cosy little book shop and café which Draco frequented himself. Draco had finally snapped when the bitch had subtly mentioned that she believed the reason that her daughter was not married to the red-headed bint was because she was not good enough for him. He was just about to give her a piece of his mind when Hermione had come over and saved her. Draco left promptly after and flew dangerously for an hour to vent off his anger. Hermione had been waiting for him at the ground. She had told him that just was the way her mother was and she was used to it. Draco had told her it was unacceptable. His mother pressured him to get married but she never said it was due to any weaknesses he had understanding that it was his own choice. Hermione had just sighed and said that that was the way it was. He had left it at that but if that woman tried to insult Granger again today he was going to kill her without a second thought. He paused at that thought, he was worried now. He was getting too overprotective of Granger. It's just the baby, he thought to himself. You're just worried about what her stress would do to the baby! He felt so relieved at the revelation he almost cried.

Hermione led them into The Leaky Cauldron, "We're going to have to floo," she told him as she payed Tom for the floo powder, "I can't apparate while pregnant. The baby might get-"

"Splinched. I know Granger." He replied as he handed Granger back her knut and payed for the both of them. She thought to protest but decided against it, opting to stay out of an argument.

She went in first and after the dizzy feeling she felt from spinning around she walked out in her parent's living room, "Daddy." She greeted her father who was seated on a couch reading the Saturday paper his golf clothes already firmly in place.

"Hermione, we weren't expecting you, how are you? You look ill." He said as he stood up and embraced his daughter. Hermione melted into her father's arms, and chose for just that moment to forget why she had come to see her parents unannounced.

"I'm… well. But we need to talk," she sighed as Draco put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Is mom in?"

"Hermione, dear, you look awful." Helen Granger stated bluntly as she entered the room with what she assumed was grace but what Draco thought was like a chicken's waddle. He chortled at this thought and was elbowed in the ribs by Hermione.

"You must be wondering why I'm here," she began hesitantly. Another reassuring touch from Draco spurred her on. "I'm so sorry to come in on your Saturday, but I have some important news I have to share with you. Bear in mind that I only just found out this piece of, well, valuable information a little over an hour ago.

"Mum, I know you don't approve of anything I do, and what I am about to tell you will probably be the worst of all that I have ever done. I am begging you to please refrain from mocking me for my decisions for your own sake. Draco is quite, well, he hates people mocking others wrongly, so…"

"Hermione, I have never mocked you dear. I think you mistake my honesty for mockery-"

"Mom, just… not know okay?" Hermione pleaded with her mother whilst trying to calm Draco beside her who was looking ready to murder.

"Well, then Hermione, what's the news?" John Granger asked after a momentary, but pregnant silence.

"I'm," she began before clasping hands with Draco, to show a front of unity to her parents but also for support, "We're expecting."

There was another silence; this one however was a tense silence, thick as a forest and as alive as an animal.

"What, are you expecting, dear?" Helen Granger asked, voice dangerously and uncharacteristically low.

"A baby." Draco answered bluntly. Hermione almost hit him on the head, lord knows she was tempted. Didn't he understand the criticism and the scrutiny and the absolute crap she would begin to endure from her mother?

"Hermione, I always thought you were a sensible young lady, but I was obviously mistaken." Helen was fuming as she paced her lounge in her chicken waddle, nose in the air, "Sleeping with a man out of wedlock is awful but doing it without protection is downright negligence. You aren't even in a relationship; do you not value your body?"

"I'm sorry mum." Hermione whispered looking down at her lap, ignoring Draco's heated gaze and wishing the ground would just swallow her up. She thought she was prepared for this, she thought that her lifetime of being told her unworthiness had prepared her for this but she was wrong. Nothing could have prepared her for her own mother telling her that she was a common whore.

"You are lucky you live in this day and age where you have options." Both Draco and Hermione's heads snapped up focused fully on Helen, not comprehending, "Adoption or abortion or…"

"Now you just stop right there," Draco's feral voice declared in a tone that could cut though ice, "No Malfoy child will be killed or given away. In fact, no kid of any family deserves such awful treatment."

"You aren't even dating-"

"And you know that how? Hermione and I have been dating for the past 6 months. This baby is just an extra addition that comes as a surprise, yes, but never unwanted." Draco stated with a straight face. Hermione made a mental note to ask him to teach her that, "I believe you had some prior arrangements, so Hermione and I will be off. We have to tell my mother."

"This conversation is far from over Mr Malfoy." Helen said as he stood.

"I couldn't agree more Helen. Hermione and I will be sure to pay you a visit soon." With that he stood and made his way to the fireplace where he let Hermione through first and with one last deadly look from her mother Draco too disappeared with a cloud of green smoke and the words, "Malfoy manor" on his lips.