Chapter Twenty-One: A Zabini and a Malfoy
Hermione and Draco wasted little time moving into their new home. It was a beautiful Gothic style three-story home with five bedrooms, four bathrooms, an enormous living room, kitchen, study/library, and a bonus room on the third floor. The plot of land Draco bought was over ten acres, and included a Quidditch field, pool, and mother-in-law house. There was a small building near the Quidditch field where Draco kept all his brooms and practice equipment so as not to clutter the main home. There was a good acre of land you had to travel through before the house even came into sight from the road. The heavily wooded land gave the young couple much needed privacy from nosey neighbors and reporters. Draco often walked around the balcony in his underwear in the mornings because the house was so protected from unwanted visitors. Scarlet adjusted very well to the new home and decided to call it "Scarlet Manor" in honor of herself. She had recently celebrated her third birthday, and it seemed like she was growing every day. Scarlet was also adjusting pretty well to Hermione's growing stomach, and would often walk up to Hermione and kiss her swollen belly in imitation of Draco. Hermione and Draco were pretty sure Scarlet did not truly understand that she would soon be a big sister, but they prepared her as best they knew.
Ginny was blossoming as well, pregnancy treating her well. Her bump seemed proportionate for her size, many people not believe she was as far along as she really was. She and Hermione both had only a few short weeks left until their due dates. Ginny experienced some morning sickness a few months into the pregnancy, but overcame that quickly. Despite being extremely ecstatic about the new baby, something was still bothering Ginny. Afraid of getting in another argument with her husband, Ginny decided she would visit Hermione for some much needed advice.
(…)
Hermione heard the doorbell ring and slowly unfolded herself from the covers of her and Draco's large bed. She sleepily wondered who would be coming over today; no one had called or let her know they would be visiting. Hermione heard Draco open the front door and greet someone happily. Ginny's voice echoed through the large house and Hermione felt a flutter of excitement in her stomach- she hadn't talked to Ginny in at least two weeks. Draco had been in the middle of signing a new contract with Puddlemere that had a lot of stipulations and work that they were researching and negotiating with the managers. Draco was set to receive a substantial pay increase and sign on to play for another five years. All the paperwork, research, and bargaining over the number aspects of things had left Hermione and Draco with little time to spend with friends.
Hermione stretched and wrapped a fluffy cotton robe around herself as she walked down the marble staircase to say hello to Ginny.
"Hey Ginny!" Hermione called, waving her hand happily. Ginny turned around to view her friend and laughed.
"Did I interrupt something?" Hermione smiled.
"She's always sleeping. I'm glad you came over and woke her up- I was afraid she'd yell at me if I did it…" Draco smirked. Hermione stuck her tongue out at him.
"I just hadn't seen you in ages, so I thought I'd pop over and we could have a girl's day…" Ginny explained as she walked over to hug Hermione.
"That sounds excellent. I feel like Draco and I have been trapped here working on his contract and waiting to hear if all the sponsors will work with us…" Hermione said in a tired voice.
"Are you close to finishing everything, then?" Ginny asked Draco.
"Hopefully, but you never know about these people. They change their mind as often as the weather…" Draco shrugged.
"Are you going to be terribly heartbroken if I go out with Ginny and leave you all by yourself with Scarlet?" Hermione asked with her best attempt at a puppy dog face. Draco laughed at her and pulled her into a big hug.
"Go have fun- I'll take Scuttle-bee out for dinner." Draco said as the little girl pulled herself onto his lap. Draco ruffled her hair and Scarlet grinned.
"Perfect. Here, come upstairs and help me pick out something to wear… you look cute by the way! Where did you find that top?" Hermione led Ginny up the stairs into the master bedroom and to her closet.
"Blaise ordered it from a catalogue actually. Isn't that amazing? He did it all by himself…" Ginny said, her voice in awe. Hermione looked impressed.
"Tell him I'm proud of him. Maybe he'll pass his secret along to Draco…" Hermione teased as she sifted through her large wardrobe. Ginny watched her and sighed.
"I've been working on Blaise for so long now to buy a new house. It's really frustrating- it's like he doesn't even care about my opinion on this." Ginny vented.
"Maybe you should go on your own and start looking at homes and show Blaise pictures of the ones you like. He might begin to understand what you mean if you show him what you want instead of just saying it…" Hermione suggested as she pulled out a lavender sundress. "How's this?"
"Perfect- put it on." Ginny approved. "I think maybe you're right, 'Mione. I'm going to do that and see if Blaise changes his mind."
"Is that what was bothering you?" Hermione asked absently as she pulled off her pajamas. Ginny frowned slightly.
"How did you know something was bothering me?"
"Gin. You're my best friend. I know you better than you know yourself." Hermione smiled at her and turned around so Ginny could zip up the dress in the back.
"I guess you're right. But- no, that's not what's bothering me. Let's go have dinner and you can give me your advice on it all…"
Right then Draco knocked on the door to the room and pushed it open slowly.
"Bye, love, Scarlet and I are going to go have dinner…" Hermione hurried over to him and kissed him.
"Have fun! I'll see you later tonight…" Hermione said as she hugged Scarlet tightly.
"I love you-" Draco responded and closed the door.
(…)
Ginny and Hermione stopped at a local café for dinner, a place Ginny felt was quiet and safe enough to speak with Hermione about everything. Once they were seating and sipping their drinks, Ginny started.
"I haven't spoken to or heard from Harry since your wedding, Hermione. I'm worried sick about him and everything he said." Ginny gushed, her eyes filling up with tears. This was definitely not what Hermione had been expecting.
"Oh, Gin… I'm sure Harry is fine. I mean, we both know how he is- he spoke out of anger. He wouldn't want you to still be worried about everything." Hermione assured her. Ginny shook his head.
"I'm not so sure. Have you heard from him since?" Ginny questioned.
"No… I haven't actually…" Hermione's eyes dropped. "But what are you thinking about doing?"
"I'm not sure. I just have this feeling inside like I really need to talk to him. Back when it all happened Blaise told me to just invite him over to the house so he could keep an eye on him, but I don't want to do that. I hate feeling like I can't trust him…" A tear slid down Ginny's cheek. "I really feel like if I were to just talk to him about everything in private we could work everything out and things would be okay…"
"So are you going to do that?" Hermione asked.
"Blaise would be furious. Even though I've told him a thousand times I don't have feelings for Harry anymore I don't know if he honestly believes it… He would think I was sneaking behind his back for a reason…" Ginny explained.
"It sounds like this is really a problem between you and Blaise…maybe you should work on fixing the problem between you two before you try and work on the problem between you and Harry." Hermione sounded concerned.
"It's more of an unspoken thing. We haven't talked about it since the argument when I told him I was pregnant…"
"I know you want to fix what is going on between you and Harry, but to be quite honest, your relationship with Blaise is just more important, Gin. He's your husband, Harry's a great friend, but you don't have to live with him for the rest of your life." Hermione reached out and took hold of Ginny's hand.
"I know I need to patch things with Blaise, Hermione, but I just can't stop worrying about Harry. I need to find him… will you help me?" Ginny asked. Hermione let out a heavy sigh.
"I want to help you, because Harry is a dear friend of mine as well. Ginny, I don't know if I can support you in this if you're going to go behind Blaise's back to do it. I still feel very strongly that you should talk to him first, and then fix things…" Hermione felt Ginny's hand and body stiffen at her words.
"I thought you would understand, but I guess I was wrong…" Ginny said in a cold voice as she quickly gathered her things up to leave.
"Ginny- wait- no! Don't leave and be mad at me because of this…sit back down and let's talk some more…" Hermione reached out for her, but Ginny shied away.
Right at that moment, the door to the café swung open and Harry Potter himself entered.
(…)
Draco had decided to take Scarlet to a restaurant that was owned by one of his Quidditch teammates in downtown London. It was a classy place that required semi-formalwear to dine, and Draco thought it would be fun to treat his daughter to something she had never experienced before. Everything in her life was pretty casual, but she had begun to take a new liking to dresses and frilly things. Draco dressed her in a puffy pink dress and put a tiara with real diamonds on her head so she could feel like a princess.
Once they entered the restaurant, the dining guests all became silent for a few seconds and then burst into whispers and excited smiles. All the publicity from Draco's Quidditch team and his famous name caused a sort of fan club to form and people began to view him as a celebrity. Draco requested a private table for his daughter and himself, and was quickly escorted to it.
"What do you want to order, Scuttle-bee?" Draco asked, smiling at his daughter. Scarlet put her index finger to her pursed lips and thought silently for a few seconds.
"Cookies!" Scarlet decided happily. Draco laughed and tickled her until she shrieked.
"How about fish and chips?" Draco offered after Scarlet finished giggling.
"Mmmm! Okay!" Scarlet decided.
The waiter walked up a few minutes later and took their orders. Draco and Scarlet conversed happily for a few minutes until a woman interrupted them.
"Draco? Is that really you?" A smooth voice paused their conversation. Draco turned around to be face to face with Pansy Parkinson.
"Yes… what do you want?" Draco was slightly annoyed that his dinner with Scarlet was being interrupted in general, but especially by Pansy. Apparently sensing his tension and annoyance, Pansy flushed.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I just haven't seen or spoken to you since… well… you're wedding…" Pansy mumbled, sounding embarrassed.
"There's a good reason why, too." Draco snapped.
"I really miss you Draco, can't we play catch-up for a bit?" Pansy pouted. Draco shook his head firmly.
"I don't have time for this, Pansy. Please don't force me to be mean in front of my daughter." Draco whispered. Pansy glanced quickly over at Scarlet.
"She's very beautiful, Draco. She has your eyes… but Granger's face…" Pansy commented. "Rumor has it Granger's pregnant again, too." Draco glared at her.
"She's not Granger anymore. You would do well to call her Hermione in front of me. And yes, we are expecting another baby in a few weeks." Pansy's eyebrows shot up.
"What happened to you, Draco? Don't you believe in anything you used to anymore?" Pansy's voice was bitter.
"Actually, no. I'm very much a different person. For the love of Christ, why are you still here?" Draco's voice began to rise. Pansy glared at him.
"If your father knew what had become of you…"
"My father was an evil man who deserved to die." Draco said through clenched teeth. Scarlet sat quiet absorbing the conversation.
"Your father was a great man who served the Dark Lord loyally throughout his life. You are shameful to the Malfoy name, Draco!" Pansy cried.
"You need to leave right now, Pansy. Never try and contact me or any of my family again." Draco turned his back to her.
"Fine, I'll leave and you may never see me again…but that doesn't mean you'll forget me…" Pansy whispered so close to the back of Draco's neck he could feel her warm breath on his skin. Goosebumps shot up and down him and he shivered slightly, but said nothing. "See, I still have an effect on you Draco…" Pansy commented with a smirk and walked away. Draco could almost feel the rhythm of her slim hips swaying from side to side as she walked away, but he kept his back to her. He hated himself for letting her get to him and make him remember the way he used to feel about her. She was very good at that. Shoving things out of his mind for later thought, Draco smiled at Scarlet who smiled back.
"Sorry Scuttle-bee…" Draco apologized.
"Who was that lady, Daddy?"
"She was someone Mummy and I used to know when we went to Hogwarts a long time ago. She's not a very nice person, so Mummy and I try to keep her out of our lives… I'm sorry you had to see her, baby." Draco pushed some stray hairs out of Scarlet's face.
"Mummy's prettier than her I think." Scarlet announced. Draco smiled softly.
"I think so too."
(…)
Ginny and Hermione stared as Harry walked through the door and spotted the two of them. He smiled feebly and began to walk over slowly.
"Hey Hermione, Ginny…" Harry acknowledged them. "Both pregnant at the same time? What a coincidence…" His voice sounded tight. Ginny looked lost for words, almost embarrassed, which caused anger to flare up inside Hermione.
"Why don't you sit down and join us, Harry. I think there is some unfinished business that needs to be resolved…" Hermione suggested, and scooted over so there would be room for Harry in the booth. Harry sat down and glanced nervously over at Ginny.
"I'm really sorry for everything that happened at your wedding, 'Mione…" Harry started, looking Hermione in the eyes. "I feel like I ruined everything because I drank too much and said some things I should have kept to myself…"
"You shouldn't have kept them to yourself, Harry…" Ginny interrupted, her eyes glistening again.
"No, I should have because I didn't do anything but make life difficult for everyone else. You're married, Gin, and I should have known not to try anything and respect the new friendship and trust I had with Blaise. I fucked up…"
"Harry, no one is mad at you anymore, okay? Ginny is upset because she feels guilty about making you feel the way you did… even though she has no control over it…" Hermione stepped in.
"I was so scared for you after you left, Harry…" Ginny explained, tears falling freely. "I didn't know what you were going to do because of the things you said. I love you like a best friend, Harry, but I'm afraid we won't be able to be friends if you can't get over what happened sixth year." Ginny said, using a napkin to wipe the tears off her face.
"I know. After the wedding I knew I needed to try and find a way to get over everything, so…. I started dating again…" Harry explained slowly.
"Oh, Harry that's wonderful news!" Hermione exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him as best she could.
"I met a girl a few months ago and we've been dating steadily since… I'm actually supposed to meet her here for dinner tonight…" Harry shrugged sheepishly. "But I feel so much better about everything since I met her… she has made me realize that you aren't the person out there for me, Gin. You found Blaise and that's who you are supposed to be with, and I think I'm supposed to be with this girl…" Harry explained.
"Who is she, Harry?" Hermione asked excitedly. Harry grinned.
"Cho…" Harry couldn't stop grinning.
"I'm really happy for you, Harry…" Ginny whispered, smiling warmly at him. "I feel so much better knowing you are okay now and everything is going to be fine."
"Well, I'm sorry I made you feel the way you did after the wedding, Gin. I never wanted you to be bothered over anything. But, I mean, you were the first girl I ever loved, so you're always going to hold a special place in my life…" Harry blushed and so did Ginny.
"Now we can all be friends again!" Hermione exclaimed happily.
"Well, almost." Ginny sighed. Everyone looked at her in confusion. "Harry, you really need to talk to Blaise. He doesn't trust you at all anymore and frankly, he really wants to kick your ass." Ginny smiled. Harry laughed and nodded.
"I'll send him and owl and see if we can get together soon to sort things out." Harry promised. "But, I should go for now, I just saw Cho walk in…" Harry got up quickly and practically ran over to Cho, who smiled lovingly at him and kissed him passionately.
"See, Gin? He's happy now, and you can be too." Hermione said. Ginny nodded.
"I feel so much better now that I know he's fine…" Ginny exhaled loudly.
(…)
A Few Weeks Later…
Ginny awoke with a start. The pain was so intense she couldn't move or make any noise. It finally subdued slightly and she was able to whisper.
"Blaise…" Ginny's voice was barely audible. Blaise made a sleepy noise and rolled over. "Blaise…" Ginny spoke, a little louder and with more urgency. Blaise sat up sleepily and yawned. His hair was sticking out at crazy angles and his eyes blinked rapidly trying to focus in the dark.
"What's the matter?" Blaise asked softly. He was finally able to adjust to the dark room and saw Ginny clutching her stomach with a look of utter horror and pain on her face. She was slightly damp with a layer of sweat coating her body. "Holy shit, Gin…. Is it time?" Blaise asked, jumping out of bed like someone had just shocked him. Ginny could not speak as another wave of agony washed over her. She groaned and closed her eyes.
"Ohmigod. Ohmigod." Blaise chanted as he ran around the room hurling things into a suitcase. "Baby, here, hold onto me and I'll apparate us to St. Mungo's." Blaise said gently. He pulled his arms around Ginny and held on tightly just as a wail escaped her throat directly into his ear. With a pop they were gone.
Hermione and Draco were awoken that evening by one of their houselves who came careening into their bedroom, waiving a letter in his hand.
"Master! Mr. Zabini's owl just delivered this letter!" the elf jumped on the bed and thrust the letter in Draco's face. Draco's first reaction was to throttle the annoying elf, but he resisted and instead accepted the letter and flipped on his bedside lamp. Hermione made a soft noise and rolled over, with some difficulty.
"What's going on, Draco?" Hermione asked quietly. Draco said nothing for a few moments while he hastily read the letter.
"Ginny's at the hospital, she's in labor and they want us to come." Draco explained.
"What will we do with Scarlet?" Hermione asked. Draco sighed.
"I guess take her with us… I don't know…" Draco answered as he threw the covers off his body and got out of bed. Hermione followed and they changed quickly. Awakening Scarlet proved to be a difficult task; she was cranky and tired and did not want to be bothered.
Once they were at the hospital, they were ushered to one of the highest floors on the hospital to Ginny's private suite. Ginny had already started pushing and was screaming in pain at the top of her lungs. Blaise stood beside her, clutching her hand and looking faint. Mrs. Weasley was crying and didn't seem to know where her daughter needed her most, so she just stood near her. Hermione rushed over to Ginny's side and began mopping the beads of sweat that had formed on her brow.
"Push, Gin! You can do it, I know it hurts, but think of the baby!" Hermione encouraged her. Ginny's anguished cry filled the room again. The doctor ordered Ginny to push really hard one last time, which Ginny did. Soon, a shrill cry could be heard and Ginny started bawling. Blaise kissed Ginny all over her face whispering "I love you" over and over again.
"Congratulations, you are now the proud parents of a baby boy!" The doctor exclaimed, handing the baby to Blaise. Blaise looked at his newborn son and his famous cool demeanor completely crumbled as tears began to roll down his cheeks. He held the baby near Ginny so she could see him and then handed him over to her. Ginny traced the baby's face with her fingers and watched him. Hermione held onto Draco and watched the new parents explore their child.
"Do you have a name?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she peered at her new grandson. Ginny smiled up at her.
"Wesley Isaac Zabini." Ginny breathed. "Little Wes…"
(…)
Exactly four days later, Hermione felt the familiar signs and pains of labor. She was watching a comedy on television with Draco and laughing extremely hard when she felt it.
"Draco!" Hermione gasped. Draco continued to clutch his sides in laughter, but looked at her nonetheless. "Draco we need to go now!" Hermione shouted. Draco immediately stopped laughing.
"Are you sure?" he asked stupidly. Hermione gave him a look. "Alright, alright! I'll go get things ready, you owl my mum…" Draco said, jumping up to pack a few pairs of clothes and get Scarlet. Hermione wobbled slowly over to the desk to grab a piece of parchment and a quill, trying to overcome the pains in her abdomen and lower back. She scribbled a brief, but clear, message on the parchment and sent Pilot off to deliver it. Not more than ten minutes passed before Narcissa Malfoy was barging into their home, stringing Tyler along with her.
"Okay, come on, let's get going! You don't want to have the child here!" Narcissa shouted orders and everybody hurriedly arrived at St. Mungo's.
When Hermione entered the delivery room, the same doctor who delivered Wes came in the room.
"Weren't you just here?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye. Hermione attempted to smile, but she really wanted to punch him in the face and demand some painkillers. The doctor must have read her thoughts because he quickly murmured a charm that relieved Hermione of pain. "Is that better?" he asked gently.
"Yes, much, thank you…" Hermione panted. Draco took hold of her hand and kissed it lightly.
"Here we go…" he smirked at her.
Ginny, Blaise, Wes, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Narcissa, Scarlet, Tyler, Ron, Harry, and the Weasley's were all waiting outside the delivery room to find out when Hermione had the baby and placing bets on the sex of the baby.
After what seemed like hours, Draco came out of the delivery room holding a tiny infant in his arms and beaming like he had just given birth himself. Everyone crowded around him to see the baby in excitement.
"Everyone, I want you to meet…. Ava Aradia Malfoy…" Draco announced. Ginny bounced Wes lightly in her arms.
"Look, Wes! It's your future first kiss!" Ginny laughed. Draco glared at her and held Ava protectively.
"Don't give her any ideas…" he snapped. Narcissa cooed over the new baby and put a hand on her son's shoulder.
"To think, my little boy is the father of two beautiful little girls…" she kissed his cheek. Draco paled slightly.
"I'm already thinking about how I'm going to murder the first boy who wants to date them." Draco admitted.
"Just wait until they get banged for the first time…" Blaise smirked evilly and Ginny gasped at him. Draco gave him a death look.
"Don't fuck with me Zabini." Draco said coolly.
A/N: HEY GUYS! I hope you all like this chapter- it's nice and LOOONG! By the way, this is not the end of the story, but I think the next chapter will be. I kind of want to write about Scarlet, Ava, and Wes' experiences at Hogwarts, but I'm not sure. Let me know what you think…. Also…. Earlier in the story when Scarlet was born, I had Draco cry a single tear and it said that it was the first and last time Hermione would see Draco cry… but I don't want you to think he doesn't love Ava as much as he does Scarlet- its just that Scarlet was his first born and yada ya. :- Okay, well please review and let me know what you think!
-shesmyfavorite