When Hermione left her job at the end of March, the entire department threw a going away party. There was cake and music and punch but if she was honest with herself, Hermione was glad when it was over and she could go home.
The first morning, she slept late for the first time in a long time. To his surprise, Draco woke before Hermione. He slid out of bed as quietly as he could, careful not to disturb his wife. Hermione mumbled a bit but continued to sleep. Draco made his way down to the kitchen where he found Toby.
"Tony, I want to make breakfast today."
"Yes Master Malfoy." The elf hesitated, "Would Master like help."
"No, I want to do this myself. I'll call you if I get into any trouble."
The elf bowed and trotted away.
It took Draco the better part of an hour to manage breakfast. He was a mess and so was the kitchen but he had half a dozen slightly burnt chocolate chip pancakes covered in sugar syrup and a glass of fresh orange juice. He carried it slowly up the stairs to the master suite. Hermione was just starting to stir as he walked in.
"Breakfast in bed?"
"Yep! And I made it myself!"
"You're like a little kid."
"Will you just eat? I'm rather proud of it."
Hermione laughed and picked up her fork. All things considered, the pancakes were pretty good. Her plate was soon clean and the pair had settled back against the pillows.
"What are you going to do with all your free time?"
"We still don't have a nursery. We'll put a bassinet in here but I'd also like to have a separate room for the baby."
"Pick a room, any room."
Hermione spent the rest of the day wandering from room to room, considering all the pros and cons of each, trying to choose. Ultimately, she settled on a large guest bedroom near the master suite. It was spacious, full of natural light from the large windows that graced the East wall. It would have to be painted and redecorated as soon as possible but it would make a perfect nursery.
Hermione spent several days trying to pick a theme for the nursery. She wanted to decorate in a way that would work regardless of the baby's gender. When she had finally decided, she watched as several house elves cleared the room of all its furniture and decorations and then the transformation began.
The first thing to go was the dark paint on the walls. The burgundy was quickly replaced by a warm tan, like sun-dried corn husks. Over this, Hermione created a forest of birch trees in a slightly darker hue. The pattern looked almost as if a person was looking at the shadows of trees through a dense fog. It was subtle and stately but a little whimsical. Next came ivory curtains trimmed with a delicate lace. They were heavy enough to block out most sunlight during the day but not to completely darken the room. The floor was covered by a soft chocolate colored carpet that would perfectly match the furniture set Hermione had chosen. She and Draco had ordered a crib made of dark wood with a matching changing table and dresser. Hermione had also purchased a simple rocking chair of the same material with ivory cushions.
Hermione spent almost a week watching the house elves move the furniture into different configurations before she was finally satisfied. Then came the finishing touches.
Above the crib, Hermione hung a mobile. There were 7 owls, each different from the next, that made up the mobile. When it was set in motion, the owls would flap their wings and swoop to different levels, making a lazy circle just out of reach. Draco hung three small shelves on the wall and filled them with simple picture books and plush toys.
One afternoon when everything was finally in place, Draco and Hermione stood in the middle admiring their work. Hermione, only three weeks from her due date, ran a hand over her belly and felt a kick. Draco placed his hand over hers and smiled.
"I guess we're ready."
"I don't feel ready."
"I doubt we ever will, Hermione."
Hermione lay her head against Draco's shoulder and stood, gazing at the beautiful space they had created for their child. In the master suite, the frilly white bassinet stood ready and waiting. There were onesies in the drawers and diapers in the closet. There was a hand knit baby blanket made of soft yellow yarn draped over the arm of the rocker. Everything was in place. Now all they needed was the baby.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think and I'll post again soon.
