Previously on Is It Love (back to the present):
"Hermione!" I heard the squeal of Cia at the door. I smiled and looked at her, but although she looked thrilled to be going, there was something wrong. And if I knew it was because of my grandfather, I would have turned my back on everyone there.
I smiled at her, and watched her dismiss the house elf that was trying to make my bed. "So, where are we going, and with who?" She asked, jumping on the almost-made bed. The wave of wrongness was still hanging in the air, but I decided to leave it for now.
"We're going to the mall, and I was wondering if we could go to England. You know... the muggle part of England?" I said, tossing my hair aside casually. She stared at me, a smile on her face. "We're a deatheater, love. We can't be just hanging around muggles." She said, dismissing the idea before it was even in contact. "But, I wanted to show you this place that I thought you might like." I lied smoothly, and it worked.
"Oh, all right. But can Bellatrix come? Her husband is with Lucius, and Bellatrix will not stand to be alone." She said, rolling her eyes and watching me. I hesitated.
Bellatrix had killed her cousin, Harry's own godfather; and I didn't trust her at all, but she was soon enough going to be my in-law, and I couldn't stand to leave her behind and have Draco know about it. "Come on. She's my sister, and she'll be on her best behavior." Narcissa pleaded.
I sighed and nodded slowly. Cia squealed and clapped her hands. "Okay, great! Who else is going?" She asked, checking her watch. 9:15 A.M.
"Danielle, Nicole, and Rebelle. I'm thinking of inviting Anastasia and Elyssa, too." I said. She agreed, and went to get the house elf to call them in.
Bellatrix came inside while I was trying to find out what to wear and sat down on my bed. I didn't notice this until I returned with some shorts and a black halter-top, and jumped at the sight of her.
"Darling, no need to be frightened." She smirked, and I tried to calm down. "What do you need, Bellatrix?" I asked not in a mean manner. "Well, one. I need to confess that I know of your lack of trust towards me, and I understand. I'm not the most merciful deatheater out there." She smiled, and I had to try hard to not roll my eyes.
"And second, I need to tell you that your newly adopted children, Kristy and Ania, are now being trained by... the Dark Lord himself." She said after a moment's uncertainty. "Wait, what?" I said, stopping abruptly. "He has decided that that would make great company." She said, scratching her head, a pout on her face as if I was insulting her.
"What about Hogwarts?!" I asked, enraged. They couldn't learn from him. He would only teach them the worst. "Well, we needn't worry about that." Grandpa said, walking in, his long cloak swaying behind him.
"And why ever not?" I asked, tapping my foot impatiently. "Hermione, I'm not who you think I am..." "When you say that, do you mean that thing everyone's saying about 'the most evil wizard ever'?" I interrupted. He sighed and sat next to Bellatrix, who looked uncomfortable being in this situation.
"No, I don't mean that. I mean that, even though my soul has been broken down seven times, and even though Potter has killed numerous parts of it, I still know wrong from right." "Oh, right! So what do you think about killing muggles?" I asked, throwing my clothes on the floor with frustration.
Draco came inside, and stood awkwardly at the door. "We'll talk about this later. But all you need to know is that I will teach them from a book, not from what I know. They'll be geniuses by the time they get to their own level, and then we will send them to Hogwarts." He sighed, and left the room.
Bellatrix shadowed him, and soon enough, I was with Draco.
"Should I just ask what happened?" He asked, putting his hands on my shoulders and rubbing them compassionately. "No, probably not." I smiled slightly, and excused myself to change.
I decided to take a shower before hand, and got out of the shower wet and with only a towel around myself, expecting no one to be there.
Instead, I saw a quick movement, and then everything was still. I looked around, confused, and shrugged it off, although I couldn't shrug off the feeling of being watched. I changed quickly, putting on some green wedges, and practically ran out of the room, and bumped into Draco.
"Hermione...?" He said, looking at me oddly. "I think there's something... someone in there." I said, trying to push Draco inside. "Where?" He asked, taking out his wand. "I don't know! I just had the feeling," I said, a bit overwhelmed at my sudden craziness. "There's no one here, love." He said, pulling me into a tight embrace.
We stood there and held each other for a little while more, and then he whispered, "The girl's are probably waiting downstairs. Anastasia and Elyssa come, and look like they're hookers." He smirked. I giggled and kissed him on the cheek.
"Don't have too much fun." He smiled, and I waved. I still had the credit card that Draco gave me when we were pretending to be muggles, and stuffed it in my pocket.
I got downstairs, and the crowd of girls were complaining, debating on bringing their wands or not.
"I think only some of us should," I said, trying to make peace among the deatheater women. "Who, then?" Nicole asked, and I know she didn't want to bring hers. She would have to bring a bag, and nothing would look good with her cute outfit.
"Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Elyssa." I said, because they were the only ones that actually wanted to bring theirs. "Oh, and what are you guys going to wear?" Anastasia asked, pointing to Cia and Bellatrix, who were wearing the traditional cloak. "What's wrong with this?" Bellatrix asked, looking down.
"Muggles don't wear that kind of stuff." Danielle laughed. "Oh, well. I suppose we have to go to... the muggle room." Cia said, almost sneered. "Muggle room?" I whispered to Nicole, who was the closest person towards me. "Uh, yeah. That's where they do all the muggle studies. They have everything in there, from clothes, to food, and cars, too." Nicole whispered, pointing at a specific door.
Cia and Bellatrix entered, and in two minutes flat, they were back out. Bellatrix was, uncomfortably, wearing jeans, and a strapless green babydoll dress with black flip-flops, while Cia was wearing, more like modeling, green snake-print leggings, and a black tank top and wearing black pumps.
I smiled at the sight of the sisters, but soon enough, the port key was ready, and we landed in the muggle part of England.
(Draco's POV)
I was thinking about what I was going to do today, when Jacob walked in. "Jacob, cousin!" I smiled, and shook his hand. He looked wary, and told me of his last task from the Dark Lord.
"I wouldn't talk too loud," I said, and, before I knew what was happening, the Dark Lord himself walked in. Jacob stuttered, and I bowed.
"Up, boy." He said, nodding towards me. I got up instantly, and waited for him to say what he needed. "Well, as we know, the gathering for you and my granddaughter will be on Christmas day, we're thinking around midnight," He said, weighing his options.
Jacob just stared at me, wondering who his 'Granddaughter' was. The Dark Lord put a hand to his head and shook his head. "Great," He muttered, and vanished.
"Whose the chick your marrying?" Jacob laughed. I rolled my eyes, "Haven't you heard, mate?" He just shook his head and thought of an excuse.
"Hermione." I whispered, and his mouth popped open. "Hermione Granger? But isn't she a muggle-born?" Jacob asked, looking more confused then ever. "Nope, she found out that she was the Dark Lord's granddaughter. But, funny thing is that, I fell in love with her much before I even knew who she was." I smiled, and Jacob laughed and shook his head.
"Ah, young love!" He yelled, and threw a pillow at me. "So, you're coming to the wedding, I'm guessing?" I asked, tossing the pillow back at him. "Of course." Jacob nodded.
I stayed silent until Jacob asked what was wrong. "Well, Hermione's not doing anything. She's a pureblood, and, sure, she's making friends quicker then she's breathing, but I don't think she'll be able to get married without her real, old friends there." I shrugged.
"Well, have you considered having two weddings?" Jacob asked, and I replied, "That's like asking, 'oh have you considered being killed by the Dark Lord?'" He tried to not laugh and I sighed.
Hermione, really, couldn't get married with all strangers. She needed moral support from people other then complete strangers.
(Hermione's POV)
"So where is the store you wanted to show me?" Cia asked, looking around. I smiled, and we walked towards New Bonds Street.
We walked into GANT, and split up. I went to the blazers, and started looking. Finally, I found the cutest fitted chalk stripe blazer, and checked the price.
259 pounds. I let in a deep breath and put it back, feeling a bit uncomfortable. I then realized I had the same one in a different color at Hogwarts, and almost choked on my saliva. I was used to buying inexpensive clothes that, in all, cost half the price of that one blazer.
"You okay?" Nicole asked, walking up to me, her arms stuffed with clothes. "Nicole!" I hissed, looking at the hundreds of shirts she had in her hands. "What?!" She asked defensively. "Look at this!" I said, grabbing a tee shirt and pointing at the price. £70.
"What, you don't like the color?" She asked, totally missing the point. "Don't worry, I'm just going to buy it. If you don't like it, then I'll throw it in the back of my closet." She smiled, taking the shirt back, and walking over to pay.
"Nothing, dear?" Cia asked, her arms also stuffed with clothes she was probably never going to wear. "No, nothing." I muttered, and, after buying most of the store off, we moved on.
We got to Gucci, and noticed it was pretty much empty, only the workers, and two buyers.
"What's wrong with people these days?" Danielle asked, picking up some shoes and trying them on. "Well... the killings have really been scaring people." The cashier said. Bellatrix smirked, and asked for a dress in a size 36.
"Bellatrix, that's 760 pounds for a dress that you're never going to use." Cia said, but it didn't sound like she cared. "It's not for me, dear sister." Bellatrix sighed, rolling her eyes delicately.
"Then?" Cia asked, her attention still at a zero. "For Hermione." She smiled at me. "Oh, uh. No, no need." I said, waving my arms in front of me.
"Yes, yes! I saw you eyeing it when we came in. Please, just take it as a gift." She insisted, running her hands through the soft wool. "Oh, alright." I smiled, delighted.
We walked around a little more, talking and laughing and buying more things then we could wear in three years, but we had fun. We gave Nicole a makeover, buying more makeup then she needed, and turned her even more beautiful then she was before. We bought stuff for our boyfriends/fiancés/husbands/or friends (since Nicole didn't have a boyfriend), and, when we were finally finished with our weekly shopping, and tired as hell, we walked to the port key.
I saw a blonde head before we were even there. I was just about to call out, 'Draco,' when the guy turned around and smiled.
He wasn't Draco, not even close, but he did have a godly look to him. Instead of having Draco's icy blue-grey eyes, he had scorching red eyes with the darkest black pupils ever. His lips were an unnatural, yet beautiful, shade of pink, and his skin was the color of paper, a tiny bit darker then Draco's. His cheekbones were high like an Egyptian, and he had the pose of a model.
He stared at us, a smile on his face, and all of us were speechless, except for Elyssa and Anastasia, who were far back, spreading rumors about people. He was a wizard as far as any of us could tell, and, looking at his arm, there was a hint of a Dark Mark, or maybe my mind was playing tricks on me.
I blinked, and, as soon as my eyes reopened, his hair was pink and his eyes were a dark blue. I gasped and instantly said, "Metamorphmagi."
He grinned at me, and bowed deeply. "Miss Granger?" He asked, and I nodded. "What business do you have here?" Danielle asked in a harsh tone, but there was a hint of thrill, ignoring the fact that he called me a Granger instead of Riddle. "I have a letter for her." He said in a thick Bulgarian accent. "From?" Bellatrix asked, cautious. "Viktor Krum." He replied, and handed me the letter, which was in the form of a scroll.
"Well, thank you." Nicole smirked, and he nodded at her, obviously wanting to see a little more of her. "Who on earth are you?" Anastasia said, catching up. "Anton Raev." He said, bowing to her. "Oh, well, flattered." She said; a bit disgusted with his accent.
She went on talking with Elyssa, who kept looking at Anton. I smiled and nodded at him, waiting for him to leave when I opened it.
"He asked me to wait for a reply." He shrugged, and I nodded, opening the parchment.
'Dear Hermione,
So long; too long, my Приятел. I am going to England tomorrow, wonder if you would meet me there at a small restaurant I found called Amour?
Love, Viktor.'
I read the letter three times before finally answering, "Yes, tell him I would be delighted." He smiled, changed his appearance again, this time he had green eyes and brown hair, still smokin' hot. He nodded at Nicole, and kissed her hand before bowing deeply at the rest of us.
I smiled as he snapped his fingers, and disappeared.
Nicole squealed as he left and said, "You have to invite him to your wedding! Maybe even ask him if he would be my date." She blushed, and started daydreaming. "I have to thank you for making me this pretty. He might not have even noticed me if I didn't get the makeover." She said, hugging me tightly when we got back to the manor.
I smiled and told her to let the thanking go until I talked to Viktor about coming and bringing Anton along.
I looked at the time, and it read six. "Almost time for dinner. We're having another little dinner party at seven, family only, though." Narcissa said, shrugging. "Oh, but Nicole, you can stay. Of course, I'm blessed that the rest of you will be staying." Cia said sarcastically. Nicole smiled and thanked her, disappearing into the fireplace to get ready.
"And the rest of you?" She asked, looking at the girls who were all grinning. "Oh, don't worry Aunt Cia, we've done our shopping." Danielle said. Cia rolled her eyes, and dismissed us, going up to her room to see Luc.
"Ahem, sex time?" Elyssa laughed and Cia blushed. "Rodolphus and I better be off." Bellatrix said, sneering her husband's name. After they had left, I walked away, and back to Draco.
(Draco's POV)
Hermione walked in, her arms filled with bags of clothes. I got off the bed, and ran to help her. "Wow." I laughed, and she wiped some sweat from her brow. "It's freezing, how are you sweating?" I smiled and she laughed.
"We have a dinner party at seven." She sighed, and laid down on the bed. "Well, what can we do for an hour?" I said, climbing on top of her. She laughed and playfully hit me. "Draco, I'm pregnant." She said as I sighed, smiling.
"Oh, right? So, whose the lucky bloke that got your pregnant?" I said, and she played along. "Esh, you wouldn't know him. He's the most beautiful person alive, even if we only had sex for what? Ten minutes?" She said, and I thought back three months. I laughed and kissed her on the lips.
"Well, when you have the most gorgeous baby ever, we'll try to make a new record." I smiled, and she kissed me back.
After snogging for a while, she smiled and got up. "What?" I asked, upset that we couldn't snog for a little while more. "Well, we both have to get ready, and I have no idea what to wear. Can you do me a favor, hun'? Go see what kind of dinner party it is." She begged, and went over to the closet.
"Okay, love." I answered, and got off the bed, walking a floor down, and knocked on my parent's room door. After some disturbing sounds that I prayed to never hear again, my mother came out, pulling on her shirt.
"What?" She asked, annoyed. "What kind of party is it?" I asked, trying to erase my recent memories. "Formal," She said, and slammed the door in my face. I laughed, and jogged back up the stairs.
"Formal, darling." I said, and Hermione sighed, searching all the maternity dresses she owned.
Finally, she pulled out a one shoulder black dress, and put it on while I searched my own closet for a dress robe.
When we were both done changing, she checked the time and said, "We have fifteen minutes. Should we go downstairs?" I shrugged and asked what she wanted to do.
"I don't know. I mean, I'm meeting your family." She smiled happily and I hugged her tightly. She was right; we were going out as a couple in front of my entire family for the first time.
She skipped nervously, her words sinking in. "What if they try to test me? What if they don't like me?" She asked, ballistic now. "No worries, love. You're the Granddaughter of the Dark Lord. There will be no one testing you. Most of them are around my parent's age or older . Don't worry." I said, trying to calm her down. She just paced around the room, talking to herself while I smirked at her.
Fifteen minutes into her mental breakdown, I put my arm around her waist and pulled her close. "If anyone, and I repeat, anyone, tries to even make you blush, I will jinx them, and before they know what happened, I will stupefy them, and hide them in the dungeons until they apologize." I said, and she smiled.
"Ah, my lovely Death Eater." She said, and rolled her eyes, checking her dress. She slipped on her high heals, and grabbed for my hand as someone knocked on the door.
"Darling, it's time." My mother said, coming in, smiling. Yes, it was time.
(Hermione's POV)
I breathed in and out. 'You can do it!' I yelled at myself, but then I thought I was mental, talking to myself. And, of course, the more I thought I was crazy, the more I talked to myself.
The first person to greet me was utterly beautiful, white blonde hair, grey eyes, and pale skin. I wondered if I was going to be envious of everyone. Of course, I wouldn't be jealous, because they were family, but I would envy all of their beauty.
Everyone started crowding around Draco and me, wanting to talk to the lost heir and the Malfoy legend. I just smiled and held Draco's hand as if it meant my life.
After everything calmed down a little, I got to hear people's names and how they were related to Draco.
"My names Kenneth," One guy told me, "I went to Dermstrang. I don't think I saw you during the Triwizard Tournament." Obviously, he was proud of himself for remembering some information about me. "Oh, yeah, I guess not. I went to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum." I said, and his face fell a little. "Hmm..." He said, nodded at Draco, and walked away.
"Who was that, darling?" I asked in a whisper. "My father's father's brother's sister-in-law's grandson." He breathed back while smiling and waving at no one in particular. "Geez," I laughed silently, and waited for the next person to approach us.
"Hello, my name is Danielle," Danielle said, coming up to us and waving. "Oh wow, nice to meet you, finally. I've heard so much." I laughed, playing along as I did with Draco.
Danielle was wearing a short green dress, and pointed out that no one was wearing red. I laughed at this, and rolled my eyes. Of course no one would wear red. No one in the Malfoy family had even been in Gryffindor, and no one in the Black family, except for Sirius, had even thought of being sorted into the Gryffindor.
Draco was talking to a man I didn't know, and then it hit me that most people in the party were actually men.
"Draco, why are there so many guys?" I asked, looking at him. "Well, the Malfoy family has always had boy heirs..." He started, and then the man he was talking to interrupted, "Yes, and they will keep it that way. Boys are the ones that carry on the name," He sounded like the most ignorant old man I've ever talked to.
"Yes, but the girls are the ones that marry into money," I sneered back, and he gasped, annoyed that a girl, even with my standing, would talk back to him. "Have they taught you no respect, girl?" He asked, as if he didn't know who I was.
"Well, sir," I emphasized, "if you want an honest answer, then no, I haven't ever been taught respect for annoying, old, cranky, sexist men. I was not born into a wealthy family, and, actually, I was born a muggle, with no one to tell me that I was going to be something in life. I didn't know that there was even magic in the world until I got the letter from Hogwarts, claiming I was a witch. Yes, I'm a Gryffindor; I'm strong and brave. My parents were both supposed dentists, and I had no idea that my father was the son of the most evil, dark wizard ever, neither did my mother, he was a lying son-of-a-bitch. I was lied to by him for my entire life. So, if you ask if I've ever been trained to be something like a house-elf, that shouldn't at all be treated how they are since they are willfully doing their duty, then no." I said, and he shook his head at Draco, disappointed, and walked away.
"Hermione?" He asked, and I could tell that he was a bit upset by my speech, too. "Draco, please!" I said, annoyed out of my mind. I let go of his hand, and headed down to the dinner table where everyone was starting to gather.
Everyone had a little nametag in the huge table stating where they should sit. I got to sit next to, 'Mrs. Cecil Grandcaff' and 'Mr. Jacob Malfoy' at the dead center of the table. I thought deep in my mind where I had heard the name. The more I thought about it, the more confused I got.
Finally, he sat next to me, and a flashback at Hogwarts hit me with him with his arm around my waist. As soon at the flashback came, it was gone again, leaving me alone and confused.
He smiled brightly and shook my hand. Cecil came up next and sat down, smiling as bright as Jacob.
"Do I know you?" I asked Jacob, staring at him in a very unladylike manner. "Not you." He said without explanation. "Not me? What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, shaking my head and staring at the black roses that were being placed in front of me by a house-elf. Draco came up to me, momentarily forgetting how I cracked at him.
"Hermione, this is my cousin, Jacob, and his fiancé, Cecil." Draco introduced, and I smiled over at Cecil that talking to the women next to her.
"Geez, how was I supposed to know you had so many family members?" I laughed, taking Draco's hand. We would talk about the girl/boy problems later. "Oh, you'd be surprised." He laughed, and kissed my hand softly. "If you need anything, I'll be sitting right there." He said, pointing across the flowers to his seat.
He walked away, and I started talking to Cecil. I couldn't get it out of my head how he said, 'not you.' It was as if he knew me, and yet I didn't know him, but part of me did, if that makes any sense.
After fifteen minutes, Narcissa stood up and smiled, waiting for silence. "Well, darlings. I would like to thank you for coming on this beautiful day to celebrate the proposal of my son, Draco Malfoy, and his fiancé, Hermione Riddle." She said, and Elyssa, Nicole, Danielle, and Anastasia stood up and cheered loudly. They, in turn, got disapproving sighs and a couple of smirks.
That's when I noticed my Grandpa sitting at the end of the table next to some randoms and Bellatrix. He was smiling at me and clapping politely. His snake was nowhere to be seen, and for that, I was grateful. I was terrified of Nagini.
Everyone waited for Narcissa to continue, but tears left her speechless, and she sat down immediately. Lucius stood up and nodded at his family. "Yes, we're very proud of our son and our future daughter-in-law, who's carrying the next Malfoy generation." He said, looking at me considerately. He deliberately left out the part of the baby's sex.
After that, I didn't speak to anyone. If my baby were a girl, everyone would shun me for having born a girl, and not the traditional boy. And if my baby were a boy, everyone else would think that he was going to turn out just like Voldemort.
I sighed at both thoughts. I couldn't think like that. If I gave birth to either boy or girl, I would love them unconditionally with all my heart.
(Draco's POV)
I saw Hermione picking at her food, and I knew instantly what she was thinking about: the baby.
I sighed and ate my steak miserably. Hermione had decided two months into the pregnancy that she didn't and wasn't going to know the baby's gender until the day the baby was born, and neither was I. Fuck.
Next to me, my cousin's wife's sister, Astoria Greengrass, tried to flirt with me. "So, Draco..." She started, and I accidentally looked over at her. "I'm Astoria." She said, as if I didn't know that. "Your mother's letting me stay with you guys for a while since my house is being re-made, and I don't want to go to my parent's country house." She said, smiling at me. I just nodded.
Hermione was now starting to eat, probably still thinking about the baby, but still silent. Lord Voldemort must have noticed, because he got up and walked over towards me. Everyone fell silent and stared as the Dark Lord strode over to where I was sitting.
"We will talk in private." He said, and it wasn't a question. I got up and we walked into the library. He mentioned me to sit, and I obeyed quietly.
"What's wrong with my granddaughter, Malfoy?" He asked, instantly blaming me. I hesitated a second, I mean, I could be wrong about her worrying about the baby, but the way the Dark Lord looked at me showed that I had to tell him what I had predicted.
"I think Hermione's troubled with the baby." I whispered. "Excuse me?" He asked, watching me. "I think she's scared that the baby will turn out a girl, and everyone will be disappointed." I said a little louder, but not by much.
He sighed and sat on the couch, tossing a book carelessly to the ground. "Did you know my mother was, in fact, a witch? And a powerful one, at that. She was the descendent of Salazar Slytherin." He said, studying the library. I nodded at his words, not knowing, but asking him to go on. I, really, didn't want to talk, or give my opinion.
"You're family believes in passing on the family name, its heirlooms, the money, the fame." He said, clearly disapproving. He paused, and watched me with mockery in his eyes. "Yes, sir." Was all I could answer. "Well, if your family so much as thinks to talk to my granddaughter about the responsibility she is going to give birth to if she, in fact, gives birth to a girl, I will have them killed in one minute flat. My granddaughter will give birth to greatness, no matter if it's a witch or wizard." He said, and sighed, staring into the fire in the middle of the room. I was reminded that my child was not going to be a pureblood, but, instead, a half-blood.
"I'm going to love my child no matter what," I muttered, but he heard the edge in my voice. "You want a boy." He said, saying the truth I hated to even think. "It's part of my family's tradition. Malfoy's are always boys." I murmured, hoping I sounded more convincing then I thought. "Malfoy's are also always purebloods," He huffed, rolling his eyes. Once again, the tang to my heart
"Yes, sir." I said once again. "Of course you want a boy, but what will happen if you have a girl?" He asked, and I shrugged, not trusting myself. "Will you kill her like Lucius killed his little Scarlet?" The Dark Lord tempted.
I had to control myself from pushing back the chair and hexing him, not that that would do any good. "Of course not." I said with a raspy voice. "Of course not." He mimicked. "I'm no murderer. You should know that from last year." I said, reminding him that I couldn't kill Dumbledore.
"Ah, yes. That little incident is forgiven, but not if you keep bringing it up. A more experienced Death Eater will kill him. Potter, of course, will suffer, and I will be able to kill him." He said, spilling his master plan. "But... you told Hermione..." I gaped. He had told Hermione that if she went to live with him, he would leave stupid Potter alone.
"I know what I told her," He hissed me to stillness once again. "But he is destroying me. You, obviously, heard what the prophecy said. One of us has to die." He smiled, enjoying my shocked expression. "But, Lord," I said, bowing slightly to show no disrespect. "No!" He yelled, and I winced.
"I will kill him. I will let him suffer until he begs to be killed. Hermione will understand," He said, lying to himself. I stayed silent, letting his words sink in. "You don't understand. You wouldn't, I suppose." He said apologetically.
"No," I sighed, wishing I could be excused and go back. "Did you hear about Krum?" He asked almost erratically. "No, what happened to him?" I said, not particularly caring, but at least it got me out of talking about my child, his past, and the future of 'The Chosen One'. "Hermione is going on a lunch date with him tomorrow," The Dark Lord smirked and I looked up, it finally catching my attention.
"What do you mean, 'A lunch date'?" I asked, suddenly anxious. "I mean everything I say. I mean a lunch date. He will be taking her out for lunch," He said, still taking the pleasure of having me confused and angry.
"But... she's engaged!" I snapped. "Yes? And?" He said, curious to see my next move. "It's just a lunch date, not a real date." He exclaimed as the jealousy kicked in. "I'm not letting her go out with her ex-boyfriend." I said, rubbing my temples.
"And what are you going to do to stop her?" He asked, but it wasn't a threat. "I—I don't know, but all I'm going to say is that I'm the man, and I'm not letting her go with him to London all alone where I can't see what he's doing!" I sneered. Voldemort was most defiantly enjoying this.
"And if she doesn't listen?" He asked. "Well then I'll go with her!" I exclaimed. Why wouldn't she tell me? Was she going to lie to me tomorrow? I got out of the chair and paced around the room, yelling things at myself while Voldemort watched me, amused.
Finally, he told me to relax and go back to eat with my family. I walked out without thinking, and sat down, looking at my lap, refusing to look at Hermione, even though I felt her gaze on me.
After much confusion, and another course, Mother got up once more, waiting for everyone's attention. When she finally received it, she said, "And I want to announce the newest Malfoy additions. Ania and Kristina," She said, and the twins stood up.
They were wearing white silky dresses with black sweaters on top. They had on more jewelry then they had probably ever seen, and were smiling brightly. "They have been adopted by Draco and Hermione." She said, and approving glances went from all around.
I sighed and nodded at everyone while they talked about the girls.
"Are you okay, Draco?" I heard a tiny voice ask beside me. Astoria again. "Yeah, sure." I answered plainly. She didn't believe me, and put her hand on my leg, massaging it tenderly.
And, as much as I hated to admit it, she turned me on.
(Hermione's POV)
I watched as Draco and that... girl, talked, laughed, and pretty much flirted. Jacob stood up, gave my hand a quick kiss and whispered, "Come, everyone's leaving."
I noticed everyone getting up, and realized I was the only one not up and walking back outside.
"I'll be right back, I need to get some... fresh air." I said, and walked out of the house and into the cold December snow. I was breathing heavy, and sat down on the steps, waiting to calm down.
I was a total wreck by the time I decided to disapparate. I had to go somewhere to just relax for a couple of minutes. Going to the Burrow sounded like a good idea, but then I realized they wouldn't let me come back. I paced around the garden, thinking. I couldn't go anywhere without having a riot behind me. I then closed my eyes, and went back home.
"Mum?" I yelled from the bottom of the stairs to the county-like, two story house. "Darling?! Darling, Hermione, is that you?" She asked, running down the stairs, her curly hair flying behind her.
"Yes, mum," I said, tears coming to my eyes. She pulled me into a tight hug, and smiled. "Oh, dear. I've missed you so much." She said, tears tricking down her own eyes. "I've missed you too mum." I said, and remembered she had no idea I was getting married, and she hadn't the slightest idea that I was pregnant.
"Mum..." I started carefully as she chatted about her daily life, and how she had just put water to boil for tea, and how I should join her. "Hermione, darling. There's something wrong, what's wrong?" She asked.
My mother always knew when there was something wrong, and, after she caught the drift, I broke down and told her everything.
"I'm a murderer, mum." I cried, remembering the Pansy incident, and so many other instances that I couldn't help myself from tasting the sweet juice of death. "No, dear. She killed herself. You couldn't help her." She stated, putting her arm in my shoulder. "It's not just that, mum. I've used unforgivable curses, I've tortured people to not talk, or do things I want them to do. I'm turning to someone I don't know. And now I'm three months pregnant, mum. I'm pregnant with the Malfoy heir." I cried, and she gasped in surprise.
"The Malfoy boy got you pregnant?!" She yelled, outraged, but, in a way, glad that she knew who we were talking about. "Yes, mum. And we're... getting married." I sighed, and she gasped again. "Married?! Hermione Jane Granger!" She yelled, forgetting that I wasn't a Granger anymore. "Yes, mum." I said slowly.
"Well... are you happy?" She asked, a little more composed. "Well, yeah. I'm happy, of course, why wouldn't I be? But... I don't know..." I sighed, thinking about Draco and that girl sitting next to him. "You don't know if you can trust him." She said, taking the words right out of my mouth.
"It's not that I can't trust him, but..." I said, stared into silence. "If he truly loves you with all his heart, he won't make you feel like dirt." She said, and the memory flashed to me when Ron said that Draco WAS going to treat me like dirt.
"Mum, I have to go, but I'll be back as soon as I can. I'm going to meet Viktor Krum for lunch tomorrow in England." I said, and she smiled, remembering the Quidditch player that talked me into going to the Yule Ball with him.
I gave her a huge bare hug, and disapparated back to the Malfoy Manor. When I got there, I saw Draco and his new friend going up the stairs, hand in hand.
They went into the bedroom, and that was the last I saw of them for hours. When I finally had the courage to look through the keyhole, I saw clothes were everywhere, and they were both in the bed.
Naked.
OK, if you guys didn't notice, I had a REALLY REALLY hard time writing this. :( I'm so so so so sorry :(
&&thanks for the ONE and ONLY review: sweet-tang-honney: THANK YOU SO MUCH! :)
Uhh... please review please :) I'm going to post the new story when I get at LEAST 195 reviews :(
