Chapter Fourteen

Just Like The Ministry Wanted

The next morning the brightness of the day pooled onto the wooden floor of Draco, and Hermione's home. Her first thought was that she was married. She felt the rings on her left hand, and beamed. She was married to Draco. She was Mrs. Malfoy.

The feeling of elation however didn't last long when she was instantly with the knowledge that she didn't feel good, her stomach rolling a few times, the room spinning before she rushed to the bathroom slamming the door shut. She held onto the cold toilet as she threw up any contents that were in her belly.

Soon Draco was rapping against the door. "Hermione? Are you feeling ill?"

"Yes," she gasped, her knees digging into the tile floor, but she didn't dare move from her position in case the room spun again. She hoped Draco wouldn't open the door, she didn't want to be seen like she was.

"Should I cancel our trip?"

That was right... She almost forgot... Their honeymoon. Harry gave him the week off for them to go to Iceland, and her boss had been ecstatic to let her have some time off with all of the work she did for the firm. She desperately wanted to go, but as she leaned over the toilet again it was set. "Please. I'm sorry. I can't."

Minutes later she was vigorously brushing her teeth. She decided to take a shower, and dress in fresh clothes. When she came out she saw Draco adorned in his usual black attire standing from his seat on the bed. He held out his hand for her to take which she did. "We're going to St. Mungo's," he explained seeing her curious expression.

"It's food poisoning, I'm sure." That was a lie as everything was very well cooked last night, Mrs. Weasley had been sure of it.

"You're sure, but I'm not."

"I'll take a potion. We can still go to Iceland. Just let me –"

"Come on," he ordered harshly pulling her down to the lounge, and into the fireplace. She didn't have time to argue with him, she was busy being swept up in emerald fire.

They stepped out into the foyer of St. Mungo's, Hermione catching her breath. "This is unnecessary," she told him harshly.

He tugged her over to one of the chairs set aside for waiting pushing her in it. "You're green, Hermione. Stay here while I sign you in."

"I can do it myself!" But she was talking to no one, he was already walking towards the counter where an elderly woman sat doodling on some papers.

St. Mungo's wasn't very busy. Across the room there was a man with an over-sized teapot stuck on his head. A woman hiccuping frogs beside him, a Healer with sweat spotting his scarlet face chased after one that escaped. It was more or less normal for St. Mungo's.

Draco came back taking her hand once more, and directing her after a young Healer that waited by the double doors that separated the entrance from the hospital. She took them down the softly lit hallway lined with moving pictures of passed Healers yelling out remedies to them. She was relieved when they went into a room away from it, with the door shut it almost blocked out the noise completely.

With Draco sitting at the bedside Hermione lied down while the Healer, a woman with golden highlights in her otherwise raven hair performed many complicated wand movements over her. She nodded, and hummed to herself which seemed to irritate Draco as he sneered visibly in her direction. Hermione stared up at the ceiling counting the cracks. There were three small ones, and one larger one in the corner. Someone should fix those, she thought idly trying to keep any ideas that Draco knew something she didn't. He acted very odd as if he was expecting something…

Then the Healer smiled. Draco's sneer faded into discomfort, and Hermione furrowed her brows as the Healer placed her wand back into the pocket of her lime green robe. "Congratulations Mr., and Mrs. Malfoy. You're pregnant."

Two words, and Hermione's newly patched world came to a screeching halt. She was whiplashed by the blow of the thought she had next. It's too early. It's not Draco's. Just like the Ministry wanted. I'm having Blaise's baby.

Hermione didn't really feel it, but she knew that Draco had taken her hand. Blankly they looked at each other. Silently she begged him to say something to break the rousing stillness. Neither of them noticed the Healer gone.

"Draco... What do we do?" She could feel the tremble in her voice.

He shook his head coming out of his reflection. He squeezed her hand. "Tell Blaise."

"Then?"

"I don't know, Hermione. I never imagined... I assumed... You two... I should've... You two..." He groaned. "I had a feeling this morning…"

She inspected his features as pale as the day of his and Ginny's wedding. She wondered if he was going to be sick. She gripped his hand, unyielding. "Don't leave me, Draco." She heard her voice break, but didn't feel it. She was dull to everything. The smell of the multiple potions that could give someone a headache, and at the same time make them grow exempt to it like the blindness of the white walls. She was completely dull, and she steeled herself for the oncoming realization to hit her. She knew it would.

He glimpsed up surprised. "No, Hermione, I'm not leaving you." He placed his other hand on her stomach. "I'm not leaving either of you."

"You don't hate me?"

"For sleeping with your husband?" He chuckled, "silly Witch. I didn't want to think that you did, but how could I expect less? I'm not happy about it… I wish it were mine, but we both know it's not… It's a blessing though - nonetheless - that's how we must look at it."

She sighed, inhaling a lung-full of air before asking the next question that was on her mind. "Will Blaise hate me?"

Draco laughed harder at that. "For giving him a child? I don't think so. Blaise wants to be a father. If it's by you it's a bonus."

"But we're not married anymore."

"That doesn't matter when you're sharing something like this with him."

"I'm not, I'm sharing it with both of you." She kissed his cheek hastily catching the downward curve of his mouth. "He's the father, and you're my husband. You're going to be a father too."

His smile was sad. "I'll love the child as if it were my own. After all, I already love its mother."

"You really do, don't you?"

"The moment you ordered mocha."

She whimpered still reeling from the news, and he kissed her like two days ago when he proposed. It was hard, rough, completed with need, and want. She kissed him back putting as much feeling as she could in it stamping her rampent emotions of worry, love, and excitement in it. She could feel his. Despair with a touch of reluctant acceptance.

A/N: Draco appears to be handling it very well, but I can assure you that he's extremely scared. He's good at hiding that, and it helps that he sees it at being fair. Him, and Blaise both got half of what they wanted, he has Hermione, and Blaise will have part of a family.