Nine days til Christmas! I was supposed to make pierogies yesterday. Instead, I watched Lost on Netflix and followed some family craziness on Facebook. It wasn't the most productive use of my time, but it sure was entertaining!
Chapter 7
Athena bounced into the master bedroom just before sunrise to wake her parents. Sitting astride her father's stomach, she patted his cheek until he stirred. "Wake up, Daddy," she insisted. "I'm five today. Get up, Daddy."
Groaning, he rolled over, dislodging her from her place on top of him. "Go back to bed," he mumbled. Athena climbed over him and slipped beneath the covers, separating her mother from her father. "I meant in your own bed."
"I didn't want you to forget that I'm here," she replied.
On her other side, Hermione rolled over to face her daughter's back. "Slytherin," she muttered. "All your daddy's fault."
Sighing, Draco threw back the blankets and picked up Athena. "Go back to sleep, Hermione," he said softly as he left the room. "You're a troublemaker. You know that, don't you?"
Athena grinned as he carried her downstairs. "Yes, I do," she replied. "Why isn't Mummy more excited that it's my birthday?"
"She is, baby," he assured her, setting her down on the kitchen counter so he could brew a fresh pot of coffee. Clara had kept them up the night before, and neither had slept well. "Wait until the sun comes up. I bet she'll be more excited then."
The little girl with the tousled blonde curled eyed her father skeptically. "Are you sure?" she asked. He turned to her with raised eyebrows, silently asking for a further explanation. "Mummy only cares about Clara now. She's too busy to care about me too."
Coffee forgotten, he stood in front of his daughter and eyed her sternly. "I don't ever want to hear you say that again," he told her, placing his hands on either side of her. "Your mother has plenty of love in her heart for you and your sister and any more brothers and sisters we decide to give you. I know it seems like she pays more attention to Clara, but that's because she's a baby. Babies need more attention than big girls. That doesn't mean Mummy cares about you any less. It just means you're getting old enough that we can trust you to be on your own a little bit more. Okay?"
Athena nodded. "Okay," she agreed.
Hermione sat on the bathroom floor with a pregnancy test in hand and tears in her eyes. Hours earlier, Draco had sent her home from work after she spent the morning in the bathroom. He would be leaving work soon, and she feared he would stop by to see her. But she couldn't move from her spot on the floor.
So distracted was she by the test, she didn't hear the front door or the footsteps or the bathroom door opening. Her back was to the door, but that didn't stop Draco from walking around her to sit down in front of her. "Are you alright?" he asked, taking in her disheveled appearance. Holding the test carefully, she turned it around to show it to him. "Love, I don't know what this is," he said, reaching for it.
"I wouldn't touch that part," she cautioned, sniffling. "It's, um, I'm pregnant."
He stared at the two pink lines on the test. "Are you okay?" he asked, not sure what else to say.
Averting her eyes, she shook her head. "We're too young," she murmured. "We've only been together a few months. We can't have a baby. We were so careful."
Panic began to set in for him as well. "We have to get married," he added. "We can't have a baby if we're not married. And a new place to live. We're not raising a baby in the Manor, and your flat is too small. Are you sure you're pregnant?"
Hermione chuckled, suddenly finding his anxiety calming. "Shouldn't that have been your first question?" she wondered.
"Probably," he agreed with a laugh. "So, what now?"
She moved to sit beside him and leaned against the bathtub. "I guess we should confirm that this is real," she said. "And then we go from there."
Hermione slowly descended the stairs with Clara in her arms. "Coffee," she mumbled, entering the kitchen. Helene stood by the stove flipping pancakes while Draco read the paper and Athena colored. He put the paper down, poured her a fresh cup, and took the baby from her.
"Did you sleep?" he asked, kissing her.
Hermione shrugged. "Sleep? What's that?" she asked, sitting down. "Smells great, Mum."
"Nana said she puts in a secret ingredient," Athena shared, pouting. "She won't tell me what it is."
Hermione beckoned the little girl to her. "She won't tell me either," she replied, seating Athena on her lap. Leaning in she whispered, "I think it's cinnamon. Happy Birthday, sweet girl."
Athena looked up, beaming. "Thanks, Mummy," she said, kissing Hermione's cheek. "Am I your favorite?"
The adults laughed. "My favorite big girl? Absolutely," Hermione promised. Helene set breakfast on the table, and Athena took her original seat.
"She needed that," Draco whispered in his wife's ear as she sat down beside her.
Hermione rested her head on his shoulder and watched as Athena cut into her pancakes. "I don't want her to be five," she lamented. "It's gone too fast."
"Well, congratulations, Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, you are indeed expecting a baby," the Healer confirmed with a quick spell. "You're about five weeks along, which puts your due date in June."
Draco thanked the Healer and led a teary-eyed Hermione from St. Mungo's. Nary a word passed between them as they walked back to her flat. She held his hand, relying on him to prevent her from walking into traffic. When they entered her apartment, she spoke.
"We're having a baby. I have to tell my parents."
"I have to tell my parents," Draco said, shuddering at the thought. "They'll either insist we get married or insist we get rid of it."
Hermione stared at him. "We can't do that," she replied adamantly and angrily. "I won't give up this baby. I know that I'm not who your parents want you to be with, but I do want you to be involved. I can't do this without you."
Taking her in his arms, he held her close. "I'm not going anywhere," he vowed. "We can do this together."
Draco kissed the top of her head. "It's been a pretty good five years though."
