Chapter 10

"You look ready to throw up," Pansy commented when she entered the house. "Are you still experiencing morning sickness? Merlin, I don't think mine ended until a month after Daisy was born, and it was all hours of the day."

Hermione shook her head and pulled her friend upstairs to the master bedroom. "I know we planned to tell you and Theo together, but it's a boy," she said hurriedly. "That's what worries me. Narcissa told me about the laws, and what if Draco does get married again? What if he takes our son from me?"

Pansy forced her to sit and breathe. "That's the last thing in the world Draco would do," she promised her anxious friend. "Are you the only person in the world who doesn't see that he still loves you? He won't jeopardize that, and he's certainly not going to marry someone else. He only wants you."

"And when I won't be what he wants? What then?" Hermione wondered. "I tried being his wife, and that failed miserably. We've discussed custody, but nothing's been settled yet. Am I getting myself worked up over nothing?"

Chuckling, Pansy nodded. "You are, but I understand," she replied sympathetically. "When I was pregnant, I always wondered what would happen if Theo and I divorced. When your husband nearly misses his own wedding, having a kid brings up all kinds of fears. I grew up knowing the laws, and that makes it ten times harder when you worry about your relationship falling apart. They're not something you need to worry about though. And if you are, you need to talk to Draco." Taking a deep breath, Hermione nodded and thanked her friend. "That's what I'm here for, and I'm not going anywhere."

They returned to the living room, receiving questioning looks from their respective partners. Draco put his arm around her shoulders and held her close. "Okay?" he whispered.

"I broke down and told her," Hermione confessed, flashing a smile.

"Eh, I told him too," Draco replied. "Is Pansy arranging a marriage contract already?"

Theo, seated on the floor with Daisy and plastic blocks, rolled his eyes. "First of all, my daughter is never getting married," he stated. "Second, Hermione hasn't even had the kid yet. Let her have it first, then decide how much she hates her son by arranging a pureblood marriage contract. Not everyone wants their parents to decide who they spend their lives with. Hell, if it were up to the Malfoys, Astoria Greengrass would be sporting the title of 'Mrs. Malfoy' instead of you, Hermione."

"I never knew that," Hermione said, pulling away from the blond beside her.

Shrugging, Draco sat down and patted the spot beside him. "It never mattered to me," he explained. "There was no way in hell I'd marry someone I didn't know and didn't love. Pureblood marriages have a no divorce clause. Could you imagine being a hundred years old and married to someone you hate, but can't escape?"

"Yeah, it's much better when you like the person you divorce," Theo retorted.

Disapproving eyes turned to him, but nothing was said. "That's not what I was saying," Draco stated, turning to his attention to Hermione. "You and I chose each other, and even if it didn't work out, we were still allowed to make these decisions. Even if it was only a few years, at least I got to be with someone I love."

Teary-eyed, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'm not mad that you didn't tell me," she promised. "And as long as you never allow your parents to arrange a marriage between our son and someone else's daughter, we're good."

"If I have it my way, they won't be allowed near our son," Draco declared. "By the way, I did get an owl from Astoria the other day. She wanted to know if the rumors are true, and if I needed to talk."

Pansy scowled, having seen nothing in the papers about the divorce or the baby. "What did you say?" she inquired.

"I threw it out," Draco replied. "I can't pick this woman out of a lineup, I'm not going to share my marital woes with her. Besides, we've managed to keep our private life private for the last four months. If Astoria is anything like her sister, everything will be front page news ten minutes after we talk."

"The public is bound to find out eventually though," Theo pointed out. "You can't keep either a secret. Wouldn't it be better if it came from you?"

"I'd rather not have to tell the world everything that occurs in my life," Hermione said, getting to her feet. "Draco, kitchen?"

He followed her to the kitchen, warding it once the door was shut. The room was uncomfortably silent while Hermione pulled the roast from the oven and mashed potatoes. "Are you going to talk to me, or just beat those potatoes to death?" he asked, hoping to infuse a little humor into the tense situation. Glaring, she turned to the cabinet near the sink. Pulling out a stack of plates, she began to set the table. "Look, I'm with you. I don't want the whole world knowing our business either, but it comes with the territory of us being us."

Sighing, her shoulders slumped before she sat at the table. "I know," she muttered. "It scares me to think that the baby will be subjected to this because he got stuck with us as parents. Don't you ever wish we could just disappear?"

Brows furrowed, he considered the question for a moment before asking, "How would we do that?"

Minutes later, they called in the Notts to eat. The table was set, the food was on the table, and Daisy's highchair awaited her. She was seated between her parents while Hermione and Draco sat across from them. "So, um, now that we've shared the news that we're having a boy, we also wanted to ask if the two of you would be his godparents," Hermione said nervously, ignoring the food Draco put on her plate. Pansy was ready to accept, but Hermione stopped her before she could. "The thing is, we're talking about moving."

"So?" Pansy asked with a shrug. "We'll just floo to a new house."

"Moving to the muggle world," Draco clarified. "We were talking about moving to the muggle world."