A/N - This is just a fun one shot, that I hope people will enjoy. There is also no real reason Harry and Ron haven't been in contact with Hermione. For this story to work I just needed them to have been away and not know about Hermione's life.
Harry Potter and Ron Weasley stood nervously on the doorstep at Ron's childhood home, The Burrow. Neither man had set foot on the property in over eight years and they were slightly apprehensive about the welcome they would receive. A little over eight years ago both Harry and Ron were doing their Auror training when they got a chance to accompany a couple of fully trained Auror's on a simple retrieval mission in America. While they were in the states Harry and Ron decided that maybe they should see some of the world before settling down to careers. When they returned home they told their family of their plans and jetted off, promising to keep in touch.
Unfortunately Harry and Ron had been pretty lax at keeping in touch as they travelled the globe. The two former Gryffindors made sure to always send Christmas cards and birthday cards to their family and their best friend, Hermione Granger, but they rarely received any in response as they never kept people up to date with their location. Occasionally they would settle somewhere for a while and decide to get in touch with the Weasley's but usually before they got round to doing so, they got itchy feet and moved on again.
After nearly ten minutes of standing on the doorstep, and oddly seeing no sing of life from within, Ron plucked up the courage to knock on the door. When no-one answered they tried again and when they still didn't get a response they decided to have a look around the back of the house. Harry went one way around the house, while Ron went the other and they met up at the back door.
"It looks deserted, mate." Harry said, peering into the kitchen window. "Maybe your Mum and Dad are on holiday."
"Maybe." Ron replied. "We'll just have to try someone else in the family."
"Who do you want to try?" Harry asked. "Ginny was still in school when we left so we have no idea where she lives. We could try Bill and Fleur, or George maybe."
"Let's try Shell Cottage first." Ron suggested, deciding to try his oldest brother first. If Molly and Arthur were away they needed somewhere to stay and Ron figured that Bill and Fleur would be better candidates to stay with than George, or even worse still, Percy.
Harry and Ron apparated to Shell Cottage, where Ron's oldest brother Bill lived with his wife Fleur. A quick look around the cottage revealed that it was also deserted, just like the Burrow. After a brief discussion on where to go next, Harry and Ron decided to try George.
Apparating to Diagon Alley, Harry and Ron were taken aback by the changes in the street. The street seemed ten times bigger than they remembered and there were several shops and café's that were new editions to Diagon Alley. Luckily George's shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, was still in the same place. The joke shop also looked to be just as popular as it always had been and Harry and Ron had to fight their way into the shop.
"What's with all the kids?" Ron asked as he was nearly knocked off his feet by two boys barrelling past him at full speed. "Why aren't they at school?"
"Ron, it's the Christmas break." Harry chuckled. "It's only five days before Christmas, you know."
"Bloody hell." Ron grumbled. "We'll have to get presents for the family. I totally forget about Christmas."
"Why don't we find out where they are, before we start worrying over presents." Harry said, scanning the shop for signs of the redhead of George. "I can't see George anywhere, I think we'll have to ask someone."
Ron nodded in agreement and the two men made their way through the crowds to the checkout. There were a couple of young girls serving behind the counter and Harry managed to attract the attention of one of them when there was a slight lull in customers wanting to pay.
"Hi, I'm Harry Potter and this is Ron Weasley." Harry smiled at the witch as he introduced himself and his best friend. "We're looking for George."
"George is in Romania." The girl replied, looking at the pair of them strangely. "His brother is getting married over Christmas and the whole family went over for the wedding."
"Charlie's getting married?" Ron exclaimed in surprise. All of his life Charlie had been content to be a bachelor so it came as a bit of a shock to Ron that his brother was doing something he had vowed never to do.
"Yes, on Christmas Eve." The girl nodded. "I thought you would have known that, since he's your brother."
"Well, we haven't been around." Ron huffed.
"Ron, let's go and get a drink." Harry said, not wanting his friend to cause a scene.
Ron let Harry lead him out of George's joke shop and the two men ambled down Diagon Alley, discussing what they had discovered. After a while they decided they would get in touch with Charlie and maybe see if they could get an invite to his wedding but for the minute they were hungry so they sought out somewhere nice looking to eat.
Eventually they settled for a cosy looking café, which wasn't there last time they had been in wizarding London. Entering the warmth of the café, Harry and Ron ordered some food before heading for one of the cosy looking booths set back against the wall. As they were heading to their seats, Ron gasped and pulled Harry to a halt beside him.
"Harry." He whispered to his friend as he gestured to the other side of the room. "That's Hermione."
Harry looked to where Ron was gesturing and sure enough Hermione was sitting in a corner booth. Despite not having seen their friend in over eight years she was instantly recognisable. Hermione's wild hair had calmed down and fell in soft curls around her shoulders and she looked more mature but her friendly smile and warm brown eyes remained the same.
"Let's go and say hi." Harry said, setting off over to his friend.
Ron began to follow Harry but had only managed two steps when Harry stopped and turned back around. Without saying a word, Harry grabbed hold of Ron and dragged him to a table as far away from Hermione as they could get.
"What are you doing?" Ron hissed. "We were going to say hi to Hermione."
"She's not alone." Harry said. "Look."
Ron turned his head and realised that from where they were sitting they had a perfect view of Hermione and her companion. All the colour drained from Ron's face as he recognised the long, platinum blond hair of Lucius Malfoy. Totally shocked he watched as Hermione and Lucius chatted quite happily together.
"Why is Hermione eating with Lucius Malfoy?" Ron asked, unable to tear his eyes away from the chattering couple.
"I'm not sure, but I do have a vague idea." Harry said hesitantly.
"What?" Ron asked, turning his attention towards his friend.
"Can you remember that rumour we heard about Lucius Malfoy last year?" Harry questioned.
"Sure. He'd just gotten remarried." Ron nodded, not understanding what Harry was getting at.
"To a younger witch." Harry said pointedly, nodding in Hermione's direction.
"No." Ron gasped, flinging his head round just in time to see Hermione throw her head back and laugh at something Lucius had just said. "That's not possible." He muttered, curling his nose up in distaste.
"I don't want to believe it either, but why else would they be eating together." Harry sighed.
"There must be a logical explanation." Ron declared, racking his brains in search of one.
Before he had a chance to come up with an alternative reason for Hermione and Lucius to be dining together, Lucius stood up. Harry and Ron watched as he helped Hermione stand up and both of them gasped when she did so and they realised she was heavily pregnant. Still staring at the odd couple they watched as Lucius helped Hermione on with her coat before they walked out of the café together. From their seats both Harry and Ron could see the window clearly and they watched as Hermione and Lucius came to a stop directly outside. The pair spoke for a few minutes before Lucius kissed Hermione on the cheek and they went their separate ways.
"Have you got a logical explanation for that?" Harry asked.
"No." Ron shook his head, totally dumbstruck by what he had witnessed.
"Maybe we need to go and see Hermione." Harry suggested.
"How we don't know where she lives." Ron pointed out. "Well, she might live at Malfoy Manor but I seriously doubt that."
"I was thinking we could go to the Ministry, unless she's changed jobs we know that's where she works." Harry replied. "But as for living at the Manor, you never know. I never would have picked her for the type to marry an older man, especially not a former Death Eater, but maybe we don't know her as well as we thought we did."
"Maybe we don't." Ron muttered distractedly as a waitress arrived with their food. "This looks lovely." He declared, looking down at the large burger and chips in front of him.
"Yeah, it does." Harry said, eyeing up his own food. "So are we decided, we're going to visit Hermione at work this afternoon?"
"Yeah." Ron said, taking a large bite of his burger. "But what if she's not working at the minute?" He asked, swallowing his food. "You saw her, she's huge. She must be about to give birth any day now."
"Even if she's not working the Ministry might still be able to tell us if she's married to Lucius." Harry said. "Or at the very least, we might be able to get her address off them."
"I suppose it's worth a shot." Ron nodded. "Although if we can't find out anything we can always turn up at Malfoy Manor and ask to speak to her."
"That can be plan B." Harry replied, not too keen on revisiting the large Manor they had briefly been held prisoner in during the war.
Ron agreed and the two men changed the subject back to Ron's family as they finished their lunch. After their meal they walked the few streets to the Ministry, noticing just how much more prominent the wizarding world had become in London. Harry and Ron were surprised to find that Diagon Alley was only one of a dozen or so wizarding streets that intermingled to create a small wizarding community, in which the Ministry of Magic the centre piece.
Arriving in front of the Ministry of Magic, Harry and Ron discovered that the building they had once known had been redesigned and there was now a proper front lobby for visitors, which was visible through the large glass front. Heading inside they discovered that a large reception desk stood in front of the old atrium, meaning that you couldn't enter the main part of the Ministry unless you worked there. The lobby also had several chairs dotted around the place, where a few people were sitting waiting for appointments.
Walking up to the reception desk, Harry and Ron greeted the witch that was in charge of the desk.
"Hi, we're looking for Hermione Granger." Harry said.
"Do you mean Hermione Malfoy?" The witch asked. "She's the only Hermione we have working here."
"Does she work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?" Harry asked. That was the department Hermione had started work in and unless she had transferred he was guessing she was pretty important by now.
"Yes, that's her." The witch nodded. "But I'm afraid it's not possible to see her today. She's just gone into a meeting and when she leaves today she's heading on maternity leave."
"That's fine." Harry replied. "We'll catch up with her later. What time do you think her meeting will be finished?"
"I think she'll be finished just before five." The witch replied. "I would try again about then, if you want to catch her. She does tend to leave via this entrance as she lives nearby."
"Thanks." Harry smiled at the witch on the front desk.
Harry turned to Ron, who had been listening to the whole conversation, and the two men left the Ministry. Once outside they stopped to discuss their next move.
"What now?" Ron asked.
"We could wait and come back later on." Harry suggested. "Maybe we can catch her leaving."
"Yeah, that sounds like a plan." Ron nodded. "Well, we were obviously right, she's a Malfoy now." He said as they began wandering around the new wizarding community that had sprung up in their absence.
"Does her marriage change anything?" Harry asked, looking unsurely at his friend. "We not going to abandon her, are we?"
"Of course not." Ron tutted at the idea. "Unless you want to abandon her."
"No." Harry protested. "I admit it's very odd to picture her with Lucius but she's our friend and as long as she's happy, that's the important thing."
"That's what I think." Ron said, agreeing with Harry. "Her choice of husband may leave a lot to be desired but it's not really our place to judge her. She seemed happy enough earlier, didn't she?"
"She did." Harry smiled at the memory of seeing Hermione earlier. "I've never seen her so happy."
"Maybe we should buy her a present for the baby." Ron suddenly suggested. "It might make up for us being such rubbish friends for the last few years."
"Yeah, that's a good idea." Harry agreed.
For the next few hours Harry and Ron wandered around the shops and by the time they were finished they had a large bag of gifts for Hermione's baby. Realising time was getting on Harry and Ron made their way back to the Ministry. Upon arrival they found a different witch on reception, but since they already knew about Hermione and when she was expected to leave they settled down in a couple of seats in the corner.
Harry and Ron had only been sitting a few minutes when the doors opened and Lucius Malfoy strode into the Ministry. The two former Gryffindors watched as he spoke briefly to the witch on reception, before settling in a chair over the other side of the room.
"What do we do now?" Ron whispered to Harry. Because of the angles they were sitting at the two men were hidden from Lucius's view by a large plant but he didn't want the former Death Eater to hear them and start asking questions.
"We could still approach her as we planned." Harry responded, also whispering.
"What, with Lucius there?" Ron questioned, his unimpressed tone relaying his thoughts on the matter.
"What do you suggest, then?" Harry asked. "Since she's married to him, we'll have to get used to him sometime."
"I suppose." Ron sighed.
Before the boys had a chance to reach a decision regarding whether or not to approach Hermione, a door opened at the side of the reception desk and the witch in question emerged. Hermione walked straight over to Lucius and greeted him with a smile and a hug. While Harry and Ron couldn't hear the conversation they saw the couple talking for a minute before Lucius placed his hand on Hermione's bump and nodded at her. Before Harry and Ron had a chance to approach Hermione, she then turned and left the Ministry with Lucius.
Harry and Ron exchanged a look before bolting from their seats and following their friend onto the street. Looking from side to side they quickly spotted Hermione and Lucius in the distance. Hermione had linked her arm with Lucius's and the pair were happily strolling along the street. Since it was beginning to get dark, Harry and Ron hurried along after their friend, wanting to know where she lived.
Harry and Ron followed Hermione and Lucius for nearly ten minutes, until they entered an expensive looking neighbourhood. Keeping a safe distance they observed the couple as they stopped at a large house in the middle of the street. As the carried on observing their friend, Hermione unlocked the door and she and Lucius disappeared into the dark house.
A glance around the area showed a park just opposite Hermione's house, so Harry and Ron wandered over to it and settled on one of the park benches that faced Hermione's place. The duo watched as the ground floor of the house slowly lit up as the lights were turned on. They carried on watching as Lucius shut the curtains in the front window and seconds later a light switched on in the upstairs front room.
Turning their attention upwards Harry and Ron watched as Hermione came into view briefly as she pulled the curtains shut. From then on they could just make out her silhouette as she passed by the window. After a few minutes Hermione stopped in front of the window and Harry and Ron clearly saw another silhouette join her, whom they assumed belonged to Lucius. When Hermione and Lucius embraced they turned their heads away from the sight and turned to each other.
"Do we visit her tonight or wait until tomorrow?" Harry asked.
"I think tonight." Ron replied. "We just have to pluck up the courage to go and witness her being all loved up with Lucius Malfoy."
"That could take some time." Harry muttered. The silhouettes of his friend and her husband embracing had been bad enough and he really didn't think he was ready to witness it in person.
"Well, we don't have to go over right now." Ron said. "We have all night."
Harry nodded in agreement as the two men remained where they were, trying to pluck up the courage to go and speak to their best friend.
...
Hermione Malfoy wandered around her bedroom, stripping off her work clothes and changing into something more comfortable. Hermione was due to give birth in under a week, Christmas Eve to be exact, and she knew that really she should have stopped working weeks ago. Both her husband, Draco Malfoy, and her father-in-law, Lucius, had been telling her just that but she had insisted on working as much as possible.
Hermione was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and she was the youngest person to hold such a position. She had just achieved her promotion a few months earlier when she had discovered she was pregnant. Hermione had gone to the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shackelbolt, and explained the situation in case he wanted to rescind the job offer but he had insisted she was the best person for the job and he wanted her to take it. Because she had only been doing her job for a few months, Hermione had been determined to work as late as she could, as at the minute she had no idea when she would be returning to work after she had given birth.
Because Hermione had insisted on working so close to her due date, Draco had insisted that someone should be with her as she walked to and from work. Because of this insistence Hermione had spent the week being chaperoned by Lucius, not that she really minded spending extra time with her father-in-law as they were pretty close these days.
Hermione and Lucius hadn't always been as close as they were now, in the first year of her relationship with Draco the older wizard had made no secret of the fact he disapproved of his son's choice of partner. Things only changed between them when Narcissa Malfoy, Lucius's wife and Draco's mother, died from a blood clot on the brain. Both Lucius and Draco had taken Narcissa's death hard and it was Hermione that stopped them both from falling apart completely. Hermione moved into the Manor with the two Malfoy men as she helped them both cope with their grief. By the time she and Draco moved out fifteen months later she and Lucius were pretty close and over the years their relationship had continued to strengthen.
It had been Hermione who had encouraged Lucius to move on with his life and restart his love life two years ago when he had met a witch he liked. With Hermione's encouragement, and Draco's approval, Lucius had remarried fourteen months ago to a witch ten years his junior. Claudia, Lucius's wife, was a pureblood witch that ran her family's cosmetic potions company and the couple had met at a potions conference. A few months after getting married, Lucius had retired and left Draco in charge of the business. He now spent the majority of his time accompanying Claudia as she travelled the globe drumming up business for her company.
At the minute Claudia was currently overseas but for the first time in months Lucius wasn't accompanying her. While Claudia was due back in the country in a few days' time, Lucius hadn't wanted to risk being away when Hermione gave birth. Lucius was extremely excited about becoming a grandfather and he wasn't intending to miss the birth of his first grandchild.
Hermione suspected that Claudia had been more than happy to go away for a few days without her husband. While the Malfoy's marriage was a happy one it was no secret that Narcissa was the love of Lucius's life and just recently he had been missing his first wife more than ever. Claudia had never once tried to take the place of Narcissa and she fully understood that the birth of Hermione and Draco's child would put Narcissa firmly in people's minds. Over the last few months both Lucius and Draco had been pretty upset to think that Narcissa wouldn't get to see her grandchild.
As she was thinking, Hermione had wandered over to her dressing table in front of the window, her eyes falling to the picture frame she kept on there. She was standing looking at the picture of her and Draco on their wedding day when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and she was enveloped in the familiar scent of Draco's aftershave.
Turning around she smiled at her husband as she reached up and kissed him briefly. "Hi." She greeted with a smile.
"Hi, yourself." Draco smiled back at his wife. "How was your day? I assume you finally finished work."
"I did." Hermione replied. "Now I can concentrate on you and the baby."
"It's about time." Draco mumbled as he leant down and connected his lips to Hermione's again.
Hermione lost herself in the kiss but when Draco's hand started to wander under her top she pulled away from her husband. Things could get very heated, very quickly with her and Draco but with Lucius sitting downstairs she had no intention of giving into her desires for her handsome husband.
"I've got to go and get dinner ready." Hermione told Draco. "Don't be too long up here, your father is waiting downstairs." She warned him as he began to get changed himself.
"I'll be two minutes." Draco replied, heading into the en-suite bathroom.
While Draco finished in the bathroom, Hermione headed downstairs. After checking Lucius didn't need anything she went into the kitchen and began preparing dinner. She'd only been in the kitchen for a few minutes before she heard Draco come down the stairs and join his father in the front room. As she continued to make dinner, Hermione let her mind wander and she found herself reminiscing about her relationship with Draco.
Hermione had been with Draco for seven and a half years and they had been married for the last five of those. After the war they didn't see each other for a while and when they did re-meet it was the memory of a conversation with Harry and Ron that had convinced her to give the blond man a chance to prove he had changed. Before they left on their travels her friends had told her about how Draco and Lucius had helped the Auror department after the war. Both of her friends had admitted that Draco had apologised to them and that he had clearly changed his attitude and behaviour. It was her friend's convictions that the blond Slytherin had change that prompted her to give him a chance when they had bumped into each other at a Ministry function and he had asked to buy her a cup of coffee.
That one cup of coffee had led to several more dates and within a few months they were starting to get serious with one another. Narcissa's tragic demise had briefly halted any progress their relationship was making but once Draco started to recover they started to plan their lives together. They had bought the house they currently lived in with the intention of starting a family and they had set about trying for a baby almost as soon as they were married. It had taken them a few years to actually get pregnant but when it had happened it had been a smooth pregnancy, at least it had been smooth so far.
Dragging herself out of her memories, Hermione decided it was time for a nice cup of tea. She was just heading to ask Draco and Lucius if they wanted a cup when there was a knocking on the door. Since she was already on her feet and close to the door she told Draco and Lucius she would answer it as she walked the final few steps into the front hallway. Opening the door, Hermione's mouth dropped open when she found her two best friends standing there.
"Hi, Hermione." Ron smiled.
"Hi." Harry said, also smiling widely at his friend.
"Oh my god. Harry, Ron." Hermione gasped. "Come in."
Hermione ushered both of her friends in out of the cold before she pulled them both into a tight hug. She really hadn't expected to find her two best friends standing on her door step and with the Weasley's away she had to wonder how they had found her.
"I can't believe you're back." Hermione said, unable to keep the smile from her face as she looked at the two men she had shared so much with in their school years. "Did anyone know you were coming?"
"We thought we'd surprise them." Ron said. "Turns out we were the ones who got the surprise. We got to The Burrow and found it empty."
"They're all in Romania over Christmas for Charlie's wedding." Hermione explained.
"The assistant at George's shop told us." Harry said. "Why aren't you at the wedding? I thought you would have been invited."
"I was but the wedding coincides with the arrival of this little one." Hermione replied, placing a hand on her protruding stomach. "I promised Charlie we would go and visit in the summer."
"When are you due?" Harry asked.
"Christmas Eve."
"That'll be a nice Christmas present. And speaking of presents this if for you." Ron said, handing Hermione the large gift bag he was carrying. "Well technically they're for the baby." He added.
"Thank you so much, you didn't have to do this." Hermione said, taking a peek into the bag and finding all sorts of baby toys and clothing.
"We thought it might make up for the fact we've been away for so long." Harry said. "We're sorry we haven't been here for you."
"You're here now, that's what matters." Hermione smiled. "You are staying aren't you, or is this a flying visit?"
"We're back for good." Ron reassured Hermione. "I think we've already missed too much of our friends and families lives."
"I take it that means you know who I'm married to." Hermione said, watching Harry and Ron closely for their reactions. With the Weasley's away she figured that her friends had to have known who she was married to in order to find her as she had long since stopped using her maiden name.
"Yes, we know." Harry nodded. He was trying to keep his expression neutral and he could see Ron doing the same thing, while they still struggled to understand Hermione's choice of husband they didn't want to upset her and make her think they would cause trouble.
"I know he's probably not who you expected me to marry, but I hope you give him a chance." Hermione said, relieved that her friends didn't seem too upset by her marriage to Draco.
"As long as you're happy, that's all that matters to us." Harry said and Ron nodded along in agreement.
"I am happy, very happy." Hermione smiled at her friends.
"Then we're happy for you." Ron said.
"Thank you." Hermione hugged both men for a second time. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"
"If it's not too much hassle, we'd love to." Ron said eagerly.
"Of course it's not, it'll take me a few minutes to prepare enough for two more." Hermione said. "Come on, let's go into the front room."
Hermione led Harry and Ron into the front room where they were surprised to find both Lucius and Draco sitting talking. Neither Harry nor Ron had even thought about Draco and they both found themselves wondering what he thought of his stepmother.
"Look who's here." Hermione said to the two Malfoy men. "Harry and Ron will be staying for dinner. I trust you will both behave yourselves."
Harry and Ron watched in amusement as both Lucius and Draco promised to behave. For years Harry and Ron had often experienced Hermione's orders to behave and it was good to see that she had her family just as well trained as they were.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" Hermione asked as she ushered Harry and Ron into seats.
"Yes, please." Harry replied politely.
"I'd love one." Ron said, openly gazing around the large but friendly room.
"Do you two want one?" Hermione asked, turning to Draco and Lucius.
Draco and Lucius both accepted the offer of tea. Hoping her friends and family would behave, Hermione left the room to make it. Once Hermione had left the room an awkward silence fell between the four men, none of them wanted to upset Hermione so they were slightly unsure of what to say. Harry eventually decided to break the silence, hoping to convey to the two Malfoy's that him and Ron didn't have a problem with Hermione being a part of their family.
"We brought some presents for the baby." He told Lucius. "We gave it to Hermione out in the hallway."
Lucius nodded politely before turning and sharing a look with Draco. From the way Harry had addressed him it looked like Hermione's two friends were under the impression Lucius was the father of her unborn child, but surely even Harry and Ron couldn't think such a thing. Neither Lucius nor Draco really believed that the two former Gryffindors could be so dense but Ron's next comment only confirmed they were.
"How do you feel about the baby?" Ron asked Draco, fully expecting the blond to be unhappy with Hermione's pregnancy.
"I can't wait for Hermione to give birth." Draco smiled, deliberately not revealing that the baby was his. If Harry and Ron were stupid enough to believe Hermione was married to Lucius he intended to have a bit of fun and he knew his father would be just the same.
"It must have been a surprise, though." Harry said.
"Not especially." Draco replied. "Hermione's being trying to get pregnant for a while."
"Although you would think that with all the sex, it would have happened quicker." Lucius smirked as Harry and Ron shared a horrified look at the mention of sex. While the two Gryffindors were busy freaking out over the other side of the room he shared an amused look with Draco. "But I suppose these things can take time."
"I suppose they do." Harry muttered, unable to look Lucius in the eye after the images he had just put in his head.
"I think I'll go and see of Hermione needs any help with the tea." Lucius said as he stood up. "I'll be back in a minute."
As Lucius left the front room, chuckling quietly to himself, he heard Ron ask Draco what he thought of his stepmother. Lucius didn't hear Draco's response as he made his way to the kitchen.
"What are you smirking at?" Hermione asked, the second he entered the kitchen. "You're behaving yourself aren't you?"
"Of course I am." Lucius tutted. "Draco and I are having a lovely time winding up your friends."
"What are you doing now?" Hermione questioned with a groan. At times her husband and father-in-law could behave like big kids and she often joked that when she had the baby it would be like having three children to keep in line.
"Not much." Lucius shrugged. "Your friends are just under the impression you and I are married and we haven't bothered to correct them."
"What?" Hermione looked at Lucius disbelievingly. "There is no way Harry and Ron would ever think we were married. I asked them earlier if they knew about my marriage and they said yes."
"Well I'm telling you, they think we're a couple." Lucius chuckled, picking up the tray of tea Hermione had just finished preparing. "Come and see."
Picking up a plate of biscuits from the bench, Hermione followed Lucius into the front room. Lucius placed the tray onto the table and gave Harry and Ron their cups. Hermione checked her friends were alright as she placed the biscuits down on the table and told people to help themselves.
"Thank you, sweetheart." Lucius said to Hermione as he grabbed a biscuit.
Hermione didn't think anything of Lucius calling her sweetheart as it was something he had done for years. However, from the disturbed looks Harry and Ron shared at the endearment she realised that Lucius was right, her friends did think she was married to him. Hermione looked at the pair in bewilderment before shaking her head and returning to the kitchen to finish dinner.
As Hermione finished dinner she thought about what her friends thought. She honestly had no idea where they had gotten the impression she was married to Lucius and to be honest she could see why Draco and Lucius were in no hurry to correct them. The two Slytherins would be thoroughly enjoying winding Harry and Ron up and she was guessing her friends were experiencing a rather surreal conversation in the front room. Obviously Hermione was going to straighten things out with Harry and Ron but until dinner was ready she was just going to leave the men to their own devices.
Hermione finished dinner and set the table in the dining room before heading into the front room. From the smirks on Lucius and Draco's faces her husband and father-in-law were having a fun time while her friends were looking ever so slightly uncomfortable. Hermione dreaded to think what sort of turn the conversation had taken so she hurriedly announced dinner was ready.
"Thank you, sweetheart." Lucius smiled at Hermione as he bounded out of his seat and kissed her on the cheek.
"That's enough, Lucius." Hermione scolded. The first time with the tea had just been to illustrate his point but now he was just deliberately trying to wind Harry and Ron up.
"I don't know what you mean, Hermione." Lucius protested innocently. "I was just thanking you in advance for making a wonderful meal."
"Sure you were." Hermione rolled her eyes at her father-in-law before turning to her husband. "And you're in big trouble for letting this carry on."
"Sorry." Draco smirked as he walked over to Hermione and gave her a kiss. "It was just too fun to resist." He said, wrapping his arm around Hermione and turning to look at a confused looking Harry and Ron.
Harry and Ron were staring at Hermione and Draco, unsure of what was happening. While Lucius had pecked Hermione on the cheek, Draco had kissed her full on the lips. For the first time since entering the house Harry and Ron were beginning to suspect they had made a terrible presumption earlier in the day and they had then proceeded to make fools of themselves for the last half hour or so.
"You do realise I'm married to Draco, don't you?" Hermione asked her friends, when they continued to look at her and Draco with obvious confusion written all over their faces.
"Of course." Ron blustered, not wanting to admit what they had really thought. While it was still weird that Hermione was married to Draco, it was better than her being married to Lucius.
"Really? It didn't seem like that a few minutes ago." Draco smirked at the duo.
"Fine, we thought you were married to Lucius." Harry admitted. "Clearly we were wrong."
"You don't say." Draco muttered.
"Why would you think I was married to Lucius?" Hermione questioned.
"Well, we saw you together a few times today." Ron said. As he described the moments they had seen he did begin to wonder why they had jumped to such an odd conclusion, after all they had seen nothing untoward between the pair.
"Plus, we knew Lucius was married to a younger woman." Harry added, trying to make their conclusions seem less odd.
"My wife is ten years younger than me, not twenty five years." Lucius chuckled. "Although I must thank you both for thinking I could attract a witch as young and beautiful as Hermione. I'm very flattered that you think I've got it in me to be with such a young woman."
"We really didn't think this one through, did we?" Harry said, shaking his head.
"What else is new?" Draco sniggered. "You two have never exactly been known for thinking things through. Back in school it was very much act first, think later."
"True." Harry chuckled, surprising everyone that he didn't take offence at Draco's words. "We would have gotten into a lot less trouble if we had just thought first."
"Or listened to me." Hermione said.
"Or listened to Hermione." Ron agreed. "She was nearly always right."
"Well, now I've put things right here, why don't we go and eat." Hermione suggested.
Everyone eagerly agreed and they all headed into the dining room. Dinner was a light-hearted occasion with Harry and Ron taking a slight ribbing over their earlier idea of Hermione and Lucius being a couple. Luckily Harry and Ron could see the funny side of their mistake and they didn't mind being the butt of the jokes. Both men knew one the Weasley's returned that their family would also make fun of them for jumping to such a stupid conclusion on such flimsy evidence.
Once dinner was over Lucius headed home to the Manor, although he did make Hermione and Draco promise to contact him if anything happened with the baby. Harry and Ron stayed and had a drink with Hermione and Draco, before they too called it a night. When they left both men promised to see Hermione soon and told her that they were really happy for her and pleased she was so contented with her life.
After everyone had left Hermione had curled up on the sofa with Draco. Her friends showing up had been totally unexpected, but it had been one of the best Christmas present she could have hoped for. That was until Christmas Day when Hermione and Draco received the best Christmas present ever in the form of their baby girl, Cassiopeia Narcissa Malfoy.
The End.