The Plight Of the Dusky Badger Chapter 10
A/N: Hello my fellow badger lovers! It's time for another chapter for you all. Yes, I'm very excited about where this story is heading. It's going to be good, I just know it. Lots of fluff and happy moments. I don't do angst very well so there probably won't be much of that. I don't like characters to suffer or be hurt anyways. There's enough of that in the real world I think. I don't know, but that's just me. Anywho, straight out of the oven for you. Let's go find some badgers!-MoonlitShadow
It was around 8:00 a.m. when both Hildie and Draco were awoken by the sound of quiet tapping on their window that looked out over the lake.
Hildie groaned and immediately noticed two things.
One, that she had transformed back into her human self.
And two, there was something at the window desperately trying to get their attention.
Draco was up within a few seconds of the noise starting, his limbs falling all over one another as he tiredly made his way to the window.
Hildie stuffed her head underneath her pillow but still watched as Draco let in a small, brown owl that hooted good morning to both of them as Draco gently took the letter from where it was
tied around it's foot and gave it a loving pet before giving it a few owl treats that they kept on the side of their bed.
"What is it, Draco?"
Hildie called out tiredly from where she was hiding from the world still underneath her pillow.
Draco unrolled the piece of parchment and read the apparent letter, once, twice, three different times before he rolled it back up and placed it on his desk.
He was silent for a few moments while he quickly took out a quill and piece of parchment of his own and scribbled something down on it before folding it and retying his own letter to the owl's foot.
And with another small hoot, the owl took to the skies and flew away from their window as Draco opened it just a bit more to let in the early morning sunshine.
Finally, he made his way over to the bed and proceeded to jump on his unsuspecting mate, landing on her slim form with a large "oomph."
Hildie squealed and thrashed about as he proceeded to go underneath the covers and tickle her senseless.
"Alright, I give. I give. What is it?"
She breathed out when he finally left her now aching sides alone.
Draco chuckled quietly and rolled to the side so they were laying side by side facing one another and he gently reached up and brushed a piece of her long red hair out of her eyes as he answered her long-awaited question.
"The letter was from Headmistress McGonagall. She had received a letter from the Hufflepuff
Estate that we are being summoned to the main manor to officially announce our engagement and begin preparations for the wedding.
She asked that we meet her in her office in about half an hour so we can use the floo to head over to the manor.
She said that we'd be given the day off for classes seeing as it's a Friday anyways.
She said we could make up any work we missed when we return after the weekend."
He explained as Hildie nodded in understanding.
He watched as her eyes seemed to brighten and a relaxed smile took over her features at the mention of the Hufflepuff Estate.
"Oh good. So, they did get my letter about me finding you. I'm sure Grandmother will be very pleased when she meets you at the manor for the first time.
Then we can start immediately on our wedding preparations. Hopefully we can get a lot accomplished in that area while we spend the weekend there.
I don't doubt that they'll have us being busy as soon as we walk in the door."
She said with a little giggle of her own.
Draco smiled happily at his mate and moved closer, closing the distance between their bodies so he could wrap his arms tightly around her and nuzzle his nose against her own.
"Mmm…I bet you'll definitely be happy to be returning home, right my little mate?"
Draco drawled next to her ear making shivers run down her spine at the way his hot breath felt on her skin.
Hildie took a deep breath and let it out while nodding in relaxed agreement.
"Yeah. I will. And I'll be really happy that this time I'll get to share it with you."
She whispered to him as she looked up at him shyly through her long lashes.
Draco's heart skipped a beat as he smiled down at her and placed a sweet kiss on her forehead, letting her know that he too would love spending as much time as possible with her at the manor.
The two mates stayed in bed cuddling for another ten minutes before Draco finally pulled away reluctantly and said that he was in need of a shower before they left for the manor making Hildie pout in fake annoyance.
Draco laughed and brushed his thumb over her bottom lip that was stuck out making her look even cuter.
"Oh, don't be like that, love. We'll get to spend plenty of time together when we're back home, I'm sure."
He said with a bright smile making her heart melt into a puddle of goo on the floor.
She watched as her handsome mate grabbed his toiletries and monogrammed towel and swaggered off towards their attached bathroom.
Hildie felt like she was on cloud nine and would never come down back to earth as she thought of how Draco had already referred to the Hufflepuff manor as his home.
"Oh, joy to me and my mate…"
She murmured as she looked up at the ceiling, saying a prayer of thanks to whatever higher power existed for her new love and mate, the handsome Draco Malfoy.
She lay there a few more minutes until she heard the water running from the shower, and then proceeded to carefully make her way out of bed over to the large wardrobe and dresser that she shared with Draco.
Sifting through their contents, it only took a few moments before she decided on an appropriate outfit to see her Grandmother and the staff of the manor along with announcing her engagement officially to the world.
She quickly slipped into the cute black peplum pencil dress and found some black heels that would match it perfectly.
She was in the process of doing her hair, makeup and deciding on what purse and jewelry to wear when Draco emerged from his shower a few minutes later.
Her breath caught in her throat again when she noticed that he was only in a towel wrapped around his waist and his chiseled chest was on full display.
She blushed hard and shuffled from one foot to the other as she desperately tried to quench her need for her mate's touch in her lower regions while he swaggered over to her with a smirk that he wore proudly.
"Like what you see, darling? There's a lot more where this came from that you'll see soon enough."
He said as he leaned over and kissed her cheek before chuckling and making his way into their walk-in closet to change.
It took several minutes for Hildie to regain her ability to breathe properly but before she knew it she had managed to do her hair in an elaborate
updo with twisted braids, picked out a sparkly black clutch that she would carry everything she needed for the manor in and a matching
diamond necklace and earrings set that sparkled in the sunlight.
She was admiring her slim figure in the mirror when Draco strutted out of the closet like he was a model in a fashion show.
She turned and almost let out a little squeal of excitement as the rush of wetness dampened between her legs once more.
He was gorgeous.
His blonde hair hung just low enough across his eyes that his grey eyes were only slightly covered and he wore a matching black suit and white shirt with matching pants and shoes that went very well with her own black attire.
"Well, give me a twirl then."
He laughed as he took her hand and spun her around in a circle so he could admire her better.
Hildie blushed and laughed at her mate's insistence to make sure she looked her very best at all times.
"Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous."
He drawled in his perfect English accent.
He closed the space between them and took her into his arms, looking down at her like she was a miracle from above.
"I'm such a lucky badger, aren't I? To be mated to the queen of the badgers?"
He whispered to her as his lips got closer and closer to her own.
Hildie bit down lightly on her rouge lipstick covered lower lip and gazed up at him with a look of pure innocence that spoke volumes to him.
"And I'm lucky to be mated to the most handsome wizard alive."
She whispered back with a small smile making his heart skip a beat in his chest.
Just as he was about to kiss her he pulled back and she let out a groan at the absence of his lips on her own.
"Now, now little one. We have an appointment to keep. We can't be late. It's rather important that we get there on time."
He said as he gave her a knowing look.
She finally nodded in agreement and took his offered hand smiling wider when he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and led her from their apartment, off into the bustling castle.
Along the way to the Headmistresses office, the castle was up and about in full swing ready for yet another wonderful school day.
It seemed like every student was now awake and up and about as they made their way through the crowded halls.
The different colors of all the houses robes seemed to blend together into one huge melting pot as the students passed them by so they could head to breakfast.
Draco and Hildie smiled proudly and waved to anyone they knew, eager to show off themselves as a newly mated pair.
Hildie beamed as she watched Draco strut about the castle like he owned the place.
He may have become a badger and in turn ended up in the house of Hufflepuff but he still had a lot of his Slytherin charm that he had become well known for.
Sooner rather than later, they reached the Headmistresses office and Hildie was surprised when Draco waltzed right into the room instead of giving any sort of password.
On the few times she had been in this room, she always had to give some sort of secret password.
Draco seemed to notice her confusion and shrugged as he led her over to the two chairs that were placed in front of the large desk in the center of the room.
"Don't need a password anymore now that any threat to the school is gone. It's been a rather quiet year now that Voldemort and his followers have been destroyed."
He explained as he helped her into her chair and then seated himself right next to her as they waited for the Headmistress.
It was only a matter of minutes when the Headmistresses practically glided out of her personal chambers and over to them with a kind smile.
"Ah, Ms. Hufflepuff. Draco. It's lovely to see you again. I trust that your days after finding one another have been going well."
She said as she took her seat and looked between the two.
Hildie blushed as Draco chuckled and placed a gentle hand on her bare knee.
"Oh yeah. It's been going wonderfully just as we thought it would. It's been amazing to finally find one another and be able to start our lives together."
Draco said as he looked lovingly into the eyes of his mate who looked adoringly back at him.
The Headmistress's smile seemed to grow bigger and bigger by the second as she watched the two, mated pair settle in with one another.
She had been worried about Hildie's reluctance to accept her bond with Draco, but it seemed that the two were fairing quite well despite the young girl's hesitance at first.
"Well I'm glad to hear it. I'm awfully happy for you two. Hildie, it's been so long since I've seen
you smile this big ever since your Grandmother placed you here and Draco, this couldn't have happened to a more worthy student of a happily
ever after that would turn into a second chance at life. I look forward to seeing how you both progress with one another and welcome any additions that may be joining us in the near future."
She concluded as she gave both of them a knowing look.
Hildie's blush deepened as Draco chuckled as his mate's reaction to the fact that they would be having children sooner rather than later.
From what he and Blaise had researched, the heir of Hufflepuff and her mate would be accepted into the House of Hufflepuff without hesitation and would be expected to produce the next generation of heirs almost as soon as they were wed and their bond was made official.
Draco beamed at the thought of having his children with his mate, who he had come to know quite well in the past few days.
And by the looks of it, he could tell that she too was thinking of their very near future and of the offspring that they would happily welcome with open arms.
"Well, now that that's settled, I think you two best be on your way to the manor now. They're expecting both of you so you cannot be late."
The Headmistress said as she gave Draco a look.
Draco rolled his eyes playfully at the witch who had become like a second mother to him and got up to help his mate over to the fireplace where they would floo away for the weekend.
"Thank you for everything, Headmistress."
Hildie said as the Headmistress went to give them both a tight hug.
"It's no problem, dear. No problem at all. Draco has become like family to me. It's only right that we welcome you into our little odd clan with open arms."
She said with a reassuring smile making Draco's eyes water at the thought of the Headmistress welcoming his mate into their small, but loving family.
"Thank you, Minerva. It's always a pleasure."
He said as he gave her one more hug and then led his mate into the fireplace where she proceeded to take a handful of floo powder and utter the words "Hufflepuff Estates and Manor" and just like that, the two were whisked off to begin their new meaning of forever.