Happy Friday! Also, happy payday and happy start to a three day weekend! Ya know, if you have those too.


Chapter 9

Draco glanced at the clock on the wall. Five minutes to six, it read, and he began to pack up to go home. "Can't talk," he said as his father entered his office. "We have an appointment with the midwife in fifteen minutes."

"Things are going well, I presume?" Lucius inquired, taking a seat in front of the desk.

"Quite," Draco responded as he packed his briefcase. "Look, I mean it - I can't stay tonight. And if this is some attempt to talk me out of raising this child, you can save your breath. Mother has already put the Malfoy fear into Hermione. You're not doing it too."

Lucius chuckled mirthlessly. "Have a little faith, son," he remarked. "I have no intentions of attempting to separate the two of you. That plan seems to have failed the first time, despite your behavior. No, I merely wished to lend my support. Your mother has high hopes of you finding a nice girl of proper status to settle down with, but I've come to know Hermione over the years. You won't find a woman as well suited for you as she is."

Dumbfounded, Draco could only stare. Who was this man posing as Lucius Malfoy? Surely a potion or spell was involved. "Where is this coming from?" he wondered when he found his voice.

"We both know I wasn't a good father," the older man explained. "I was absent at best, and disinterested at worst. That couldn't have been easy on you. A child should never have to wonder whether or not they have the love of their parent."

"I didn't," Draco told him as the the fireplace came to life and Hermione stepped into the office. She looked curiously from father to son, but neither offered any clues. Lucius merely smiled before taking his leave. "Ready to go?" he asked.

"Promise to tell me about that later?" she retorted as he escorted her back into the hearth. He shrugged as he called out for St. Mungo's. Hand in hand, they made their way to the midwife's office to await their appointment. "Are you alright? Lucius wasn't talking you into pushing me down a flight of stairs, was he?"

"He doesn't want our kid to grow up questioning my feelings for it," he said quietly. "Because I did. I did question whether or not my father loved me. I lied and told him I didn't, but I did. Sometimes I still do. I don't want our child to worry about that."

She held his hand tightly, urging him to look at her. "That won't happen," she promised.

Scoffing, he pulled her into an empty room and shut the door. "I did that to you, didn't I?" he demanded. "I made you doubt the way I felt about you. Hell, you divorced me because of it. I don't blame you. I'm just not able to believe you when you say that everything will work out."

"Then don't," she said calmly. "Don't just believe me. Make it happen. Prove to the both of us that you can do this. Because you can do this, Draco."

Taking a deep breath, he nodded uncertainly. "I'm sorry," he said tiredly. "He just...he gets in my head, and I can't shake him. What if him saying he supports us is just a mind game to split us up again?"

"You're an adult, Draco. You don't have to listen to him anymore," Hermione replied with a grin. "We're the parents now, and we get to decide how this child is raised. It's up to us to make our child realize that it's loved. Whatever mind games your parents choose to play, we have to ignore them."

"So, you agree that they're playing mind games," he retorted, opening the door.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione continued on to the maternity ward. "Actually, I thought your father's advice was pretty good," she said. "I know you Slytherins enjoy screwing other people over, but I think he's being sincere. Even if he's not, it's still good advice."

He signed her in and they sat in the waiting room. "Just once, could you try to be wrong?" he requested. "The idea of you and my father agreeing about anything is a bit unnerving."

Hermione laughed as they were shown into an examination room. She made herself as comfortable as possible on the exam table while Draco sat beside her. While they waited for their midwife, she held out her hand to him. "I want you to know that I appreciate you," she told him, squeezing his hand. "The last few months, you've been here for me every step of the way. I know you're worried about being like your father, but I'm confident you won't be. I've seen the way you light up when you talk to anyone about the baby. You've been nothing but helpful and caring and supportive. I love you for that, Draco."

"I love you too," he murmured as the midwife entered.

A woman in her late thirties with short brown hair and a kind smile greeted them. "Mrs. Malfoy, how are you feeling today?" she asked, surveying her chart.

Draco stared at his ex-wife as she spoke. Not once did she correct the midwife when she referred to her as Mrs. Malfoy. It gave him hope that, despite the signing of the divorce papers four months earlier, there was still a chance that he could win her back. Through the haze of his thoughts of reconciliation, he began to hear the thumping of a heartbeat. "Is that the baby?" he asked.

Hermione faced him, her grin stretching from ear to ear. "Sounds strong," she remarked.

"Very strong," the midwife confirmed. "The baby is in a good position. Would you like to know what you're having?"

"Yes," the replied simultaneously.

They left the hospital, Hermione clutching a small envelope that held the baby's gender. Days earlier, they had discussed asking Pansy and Theo to serve as their child's godparents, and decided that they would find out at the same time as their friends.

"Is it bad that I want to rip that open now?" Draco asked, escorting her to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner. "I know that you always say patience is a virtue, but I can't wait. Plus, those two always show up late. Couldn't we take a peak?"

Taking a seat at a table near the back of the pub, Hermione placed the envelope between them. "You're sure you want to know?" she asked. He nodded emphatically. Tearing the corner of the envelope, she removed the small slip of paper and her face fell. Narcissa's words rang in her mind. Draco would retain full custody of the Malfoy heir if he decided to remarry. Her heart hammered as she handed it to Draco.

"We're having a boy," he said ecstatically.