Chapter 7
Hermione's hand was sweaty against Draco's palm. "Don't be scared," he murmured, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I won't let them hurt you."
She stared up at the dark, looming facade of Malfoy Manor. The last time she had seen the large mansion was the day she was tortured at the wand of Bellatrix Lestrange. It was a memory she couldn't erase no matter how hard she tried. The evidence, reminding her of her blood status, was carved into her arm for eternity.
"Easier said than done," she admitted.
"Believe me, you're not alone," he replied. He too dreaded entering his familial home. The last time he had been there was the day they announced he would marry Astoria Greengrass. Now, he planned to tell them that he had no such intentions. Lucius would not be happy. Despite Draco's change of heart after the war, his father had suffered no such attack of conscience. He still believed that purebloods were meant to rule the wizarding world, and nothing anyone said would dissuade him of that notion.
"They're gonna hate me," she predicted. "More so than they do now. We just ruined their perfect plan for you."
Reaching the front door, he took her other hand in his. "Theirs wasn't a perfect plan," he stated. "You and me and the baby. That's the perfect plan."
He placed their joined hands on her abdomen and smiled at her as he kissed her. "Do you think they know?" she asked when he pulled away.
He shook his head, and releasing one of her hands, knocked on the door. "But they will soon."
Hermione's heart raced as the front door opened and a tiny elf in a tea towel escorted them to the main parlor. The elf left as soon as they were seated, and it was minutes before his parents arrived. Narcissa was the first to greet them. Her blue eyes coolly examined Hermione as she hugged Draco.
"Your father will be along shortly," she declared, pouring herself a cup of tea. "I'm quite interested in learning why Miss Granger is here."
"As am I," Lucius stated when he entered. He took a seat beside his wife, but declined her offer of tea.
Draco cleared his throat and wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulders. "I realize that you're going to be upset by what I have to say," he started. "I just thought you should hear it from me."
"You know, I spoke with Mrs. Greengrass yesterday," Narcissa told them. "It seems your fiancee has a few misgivings about your engagement. Perhaps you should speak with her."
"I intend to," he replied. "But first-"
Lucius interrupted before he could say what needed to be said. "The two of you look rather chummy," he observed. "Are you intending to keep her as your mistress? I'd rather not know about that, Draco."
Scowling, the younger Malfoy shook his head. "No. In fact, I have no intentions of marrying Astoria," he stated, defiance in his voice. "Hermione and I are having a baby."
There. It was out. Now, he awaited the backlash. It came in the form of tears from his mother and anger from his father.
"Of all the stupid, immature, selfish things you've done, this tops them all," his father seethed. "The arrangement with the Greengrasses would have secured you a proper future, Draco. You'd have made contacts with the right people, advanced your career. Instead, you throw it all away for a mudblood."
"So, my happiness doesn't matter?" Draco asked, matching his father's ire. "You care more about money and your status in the community than you do your own son. You forced us to follow a man who wanted to wipe out an entire group of people because he didn't like their blood status. But I'm the stupid one? I don't care about my job or where I could be if I married Astoria. What I do care about is Hermione and our child."
Lucius rose from his seat. "We'll see how much you still care when you've been cut off," he threatened. "Have your office cleaned out on Monday. You no longer work for my company."
Draco, too, got to his feet. "Fine by me," he replied. "We'll be going now. As always, lovely to see you both." He helped Hermione up and led her to the front door. It wasn't until they arrived home seconds later that he spoke. "I'm sorry."
"What for?" she asked, making her way to the kitchen.
He watched as she prepared tea. "For yelling at my father," he replied. "For getting fired. Don't worry about it though. Blaise always has openings at his company. I'm sure he would hire me. We might have to take those hand-me-downs from Pansy now though. We're down to one salary and my inheritance is gone. Plus there will be your maternity leave once the baby comes."
"We'll figure something out, Draco," she promised. "We always do."
Nodding, he sat down and pulled her onto his lap. "You're the problem solver here," he murmured. "What do we do?"
She cocked her head to the side, deep in thought. "Well," she finally said, "I can think of two options. One is you ask Blaise about a job. Or I can work and you can stay home with the baby. I hate the idea of our child being raised by a nanny while we're out all day long. Besides, I make enough to cover our rent and groceries. This could work."
"Okay, and what if you meet someone?" he wondered. "Say you fall in love and want to get married. Where do I go?"
Her arms wound around his neck. "I'll make it a stipulation that you come with us," she told him, pressing her lips to his. "You're my best friend. I'd never let anything bad happen to you."
He pulled away when she tried to kiss him again. "I'm not joking about this, Hermione," he stated. "I don't want you to feel burdened by me. Especially not because of our current situation."
"You're not a burden," she promised, cupping his cheek.
"What if I become one?" he asked.
Hermione chuckled and moved off of his lap to finish preparing the tea. "Is that your new goal?" she wondered. "Make me resent you?"
He shook his head, though she missed it with her back turned to him. "It's more like I'm afraid that you will resent me someday," he told her. She set two mugs of tea down on the table and sat across from him. "I don't want to hold you back. If you find someone you love and want to be with, I don't want to be the reason you don't go for it."
Brown eyes narrowed. "Great, thanks, Draco," she replied, getting to her feet. "I'll keep that in mind."
She left then, leaving him alone in the kitchen. "What was that all about?" he wondered.
