A/N: Thanks to SometimeSelkie for the great beta work.

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The Safe House

Chapter Fifteen

The next couple of months flew by for the inhabitants of the Safe House, as they had decided to call it. Ginny's morning sickness became more and more of an occurrence and continued into the end of February. Most mornings, Draco would just sit by her and attempt to soothe her whilst in the loo. The couple was in awe of the little life they had created and spent much time discussing all of the hopes and dreams they had for their little family. Draco would often read to Ginny and the baby, and on some nights and after much pleading from his wife, he would sing to them before bed. Ginny insisted that the baby would know his voice and even theorized that he would be able to sing the little one to sleep when he or she arrived. Slowly but surely, her once flat abdomen started to fill out, and by the anniversary of her arrival, Ginny was definitely showing a baby bump.

Draco made it a point to get up quietly as it was the first of March, and he wanted to surprise Ginny with breakfast in bed. It was also only the third morning that she hadn't awoken with sickness, and he wanted to let her sleep in. He looked over at her before standing up and smiled as he noticed her hand was placed on her swelling midriff. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It was as if she had started to glow in the last week as her morning sickness was beginning to pass. He missed being more intimate with his wife, but she had encouraged him that her hormones would be kicking in soon, and she would be wearing him out.

After he crept quietly out of their bedroom, he crossed over to Ginny's old room. They had decided that they would be using this room for the baby. It already had furniture that could easily be transfigured into the baby's furniture. It also faced west, and they hoped it would keep the sun away from their sleeping baby in the early mornings. They had begun discussing the new layout of the room, but they had yet to begin the transformation. Draco knew that Ginny would want to be part of the actual decorating of the room, but he could not resist making the cot from her old bed. After transfiguring the cot, he put the stuffed dragon she had made him inside of it along with some other toys he had transfigured into other significant things, such as a stuffed Golden Snitch and even a stuffed lion.

He smirked at the little lion in his hand and said quietly, "I must love that woman if I'm even considering the possibility that my child could be in Gryffindor."

"Oh, really. As I recall, you couldn't get enough of the Gryffindors, always pestering us or fantasizing about one in particular." Ginny stood in the door with a broad smile on her face. She kept her hand placed on her belly as she walked over to the cot.

Draco put the little lion in the cot and wrapped his arms around Ginny when she joined him. He rested his head on her shoulder, looking down into the cot with her. "This was supposed to be a surprise for you. I was even going to get breakfast made and bring it up. You feeling okay?"

"I think I've become used to waking up early these last several weeks. I feel great actually. Thank you for the surprise. It's beautiful, darling. You have done beautiful work. And I love the lion and the Snitch."

"I thought about making a snake, but even I know that's a bit creepy for a baby's room."

"Draco, I'm sure that our child will be in whatever house it will be in, with or without the influence of stuffed toys," she joked and turned in his arms, smiling up at him.

He tightened his hold on her and said, "So who was that Gryffindor I was fantasizing about?"

"I think that I might be able to arrange a meeting. But only after that breakfast you mentioned. WE are hungry." She loved referring to herself and the baby together.

"Yes, my loves, go back to bed, and I will serve you shortly." He kissed her nose, and then, leaning down, he kissed her tummy as he had started doing.

As she returned to the bed, Ginny began to think about her anniversary in the house. It was strange to think that she had been living with Draco for an entire year. On the other hand, it was hard to believe how much had changed in such a short amount of time. Thinking back to that cold night brought tears to her eyes. She still couldn't believe that Severus, as she now called him, had given his life for hers. She had spent a lot of time in those first few weeks dealing with the fate of her former professor. She had come to the realization that Severus had chosen not to save the world from Voldemort's rebirthing plan, but simply to save her. He would have known that the plan was futile, that there would have been no reuniting of Horcrux and man. All that could have happened was for Ginny to be used as some kind of experiment, for her to carry Voldemort's child. With that thought, she clutched her growing belly. How could I have loved a child made like that? How could I have ever been able to survive what he had planned for me? Thinking of the child she would have been carrying had Severus not rescued her was overwhelming, and in her hormonal state, she began weeping.

Draco entered the bedroom, tray in hand, prepared to greet a sleeping Ginny. When he found her lying in bed and crying, he quickly sat the tray of food down and rushed to her side. His first thoughts were that something was wrong with the baby, and when he reached her, she sat up and latched onto him.

Holding her close, he softly said, "Ginevra, please tell me that you are okay. Is the baby okay?"

She took a few deep breaths and calmed herself down before replying. "Yes, we both are fine. I just was thinking about last year."

"Oh, love. I'm so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. This is not a day to celebrate. I love you so much that I … I guess I'm being selfish because I'm glad you are here." He felt terrible at being so insensitive to her, especially with her emotions running so high lately.

"No, I want to be here. And I'm glad, too. Really, I am. I was just thinking of Severus. Draco, I could have been raped and impregnated by Voldemort. I can't even imagine the nightmare that I would be living right now if Severus hadn't brought me here." She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "I think that if it's a boy, we should name him after Severus. Without him, we wouldn't even be here. You would have died on your birthday, and I would be in hell, probably ready to kill myself."

He pulled her back to him and rocked her gently. "When this war is over, we will be able to tell everyone in the wizarding world just how great a man he was. And someday, our son will be named for him, whether it's this little one or the next one. I think that it's perfect."

ooo

Over the next month, Ginny's mood was dramatically improved, becoming almost euphoric in her joy at being pregnant. Her morning sickness had passed, and her appetite had returned. She also was feeling exceptionally amorous, about which Draco did not find any need to complain. She had begun to feel the baby moving and was anxiously anticipating the day that Draco would be able to feel it as well. Because of the fluttering sensation, she had started referring to the baby as her little Snitch. As her stomach grew and her clothes were altered, Draco started to accept the reality of their situation. He knew that Ginny was scared about the delivery, but he was becoming terrified. Ginny had already explained to him what a normal birth would be like. She had also warned him that he would need to be prepared for any complications. She had decided that at the beginning of her third trimester, they would begin his training for the delivery. Horrified with the prospect of anything going wrong, he decided that if there were any way to get them out of the house, he would find it. He feared for the safety of his wife and child, and he felt a sense of responsibility unlike any he had ever known. This was his family, and he would be willing to die to protect them.

One night, several days after another childbirth discussion, he had dreamt that both Ginny and their child died during labour; it was all the motivation he needed to begin his search for what could be the only way to keep the three of them alive. Among the many books Severus had left in the house were several tomes on the Dark Arts. Draco had studied these books at Durmstrang when he was an apprentice and recalled a particular spell concerning one's magical core. Whilst Ginny was sleeping, he would read through and search for the spell. Because she had been so happy lately, he wanted to keep his research from her. He knew that it would upset her to know what he was considering. It took him almost a week to find the Dark spell. He read through the passage several times, considering what it could mean for their future. It could work, and if it didn't, he wasn't sure what would happen.

He closed the large book and sat it down next to the bed, turned down the lamp, and gently laid his head against Ginny's belly. He had his hand placed on the other side of her rounded tummy. He had never felt more in love with someone than he did at that moment, and he felt that love for two people. Just before he was going to lift his head, he felt it. For the first time, he felt his baby moving. He sat up quickly and placed both hands on Ginny.

He leaned over and whispered, "Hi, Snitch. It's Daddy. Come on. Move again for me." He laughed quietly as he felt the small movement.

"Hey, you. What's going on?" Ginny was yawning as she opened her eyes.

"We are having a Father-Snitch discussion, thank you." He leaned over and kissed her. "I felt him, Ginevra. He moved for me." Draco was grinning from ear to ear.

"Really? Oh, Draco, I'm so happy." She placed her hand next to his. "It's amazing, isn't it?"

Just then, they both felt another flutter, and the two parents laughed together. The dark plan lay forgotten beside the bed. For the rest of the night, Draco only thought about his child, and all of the things they would be doing together.

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oooooOOOooOooOOOooooo

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Hermione sobbed into Ron's shoulder, barely able to stand. Ron appeared distant and cold, but the grip on his wife was firm, and the words he whispered into her hair were filled with love. The two stood in front of an old building. It had once been a museum, but on April the eighth, one year ago to the day, it had been attacked by terrorists. At least, that was the story that the Muggles were told. The truth was that it had been an awful trap set by Voldemort himself.

Ron, Hermione, Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin, and Remus Lupin had been sent to the location to find and destroy one of the new Horcruxes. The Order was beginning to believe the rumours that there were actually only a few new Horcruxes. Captured Death Eaters had revealed that their Dark Lord could not make any more, or he would cease to exist. This was hard for the Order to believe since his followers seemed even more dedicated to their leader. So they tried to divide their time between capturing more Death Eaters and Voldemort supporters, and with searching out any other possible Horcruxes. Only the highest up in the Order were even aware of the Horcruxes, and they were the only ones allowed to search for them. There had been many false leads over the last few years, but this lead had come from Harry's informant.

~.~

When they found the painting of the Marvolo family hidden within the Muggle relics, the four of them rejoiced. It had been over a year since they had destroyed a Horcrux. It was their happiness that had made them neglectful, and without following protocol, Remus immediately grabbed the basilisk fang and began to tear into the canvas. Tonks had been standing at his side, Hermione had been only a few feet away, and Ron had been standing guard at the door when the explosion of magic erupted. Remus was killed instantly and Tonks was severely injured. Hermione had been blown back several feet and crashed into a large sculpture that fell on top of her. It had all happened so fast. Ron immediately ran to his wife and, using his wand, lifted the artwork from her. He grabbed the emergency Portkey and carried a screaming Hermione over to the other couple. When they arrived at St. Mungo's, he was informed of the loss of his friend and former professor. It didn't take long for the Healers to also inform him that Tonks may never recover, and that she was in a coma. But the most devastating news of all came from his wife.

"Ron, it's gone. I can feel it. I can tell. Look." She was covered in scrapes and was bruised and bloodied, but she pointed down, and he could see the blood pooling in her lap. She started crying loudly, and the Healer rushed to her side.

Ron dazedly looked at the Healer and said, "She's pregnant. Four months now." He held onto to his wife as the Healer performed several intricate spells. He couldn't even find the words to comfort Hermione when the Healer's eyes confirmed the terrible news.

~.~

Ron started to move Hermione away from the abandoned building, and she stopped him. She looked over at him and her eyes became cold. "If Malfoy is alive, I will kill him without magic. This is all his fault. He gave Harry the list. He knew this was a trap."

"Don't, 'Mione. Don't go there. I don't want you to lose yourself in revenge. When this is over, we will try again - no matter what the Healers say. And no one will ever be able to take anything else from us ever again."

The two arrived back at Grimmauld Place, and Hermione went directly upstairs to lie down. Ron sat at the kitchen table with Harry, drinking some Firewhisky. Harry knew that his friend was grieving the loss of his child, but Ron had come back from the hospital that day a changed man. He no longer showed any emotion, rarely even his temper. Harry only hoped that he was able to let down his guard with Hermione. He was becoming worried about Ron's state of mind.

Harry quietly asked, "Is she okay?" It was easier to ask about Hermione than to ask Ron directly about anything.

"Yeah, she's finally found some anger. That's good. Denial was getting a bit old. I think she will start to heal now. She even talked about killing Malfoy today." He laughed darkly to himself. "As if I would let her have the honour of destroying him."

Harry furrowed his brows briefly and then said, "I don't think he's alive, Ron. In fact, I am sure that he's dead. Pansy said that he would have been killed on sight. Besides, Voldemort probably used the Curse of the Mark on him. Whether he was for or against us, he's paid for his crimes with his life. You both need to let it go."

"Let it go? The bastard killed my baby. And my wife can't have more children. I'll let it go when I see his dead body under my wand."

Harry sat silently. Not for the first time did he regret what had happened that awful night the previous year. He had been blinded with rage that Ginny had been taken, and after weeks of searching, he was desperate for answers. Ron had urged him to return to hunting for Horcruxes, and he had quickly handed over Malfoy's list of locations, still wanting to spend his own time searching for Ginny. When he arrived at St. Mungo's and found out what had happened to his friends, he listened as they blamed his informant. He listened to them scream in anger. He listened to them cry in grief. He listened, and he finally gave them his spy's name.

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A/N: Thanks for reading. Please do take the time to review! I so appreciate getting the feedback, and I even take your thoughts into consideration. I really do.

The plot thickens a bit in this chapter. I know that D & G are pretty fluffy, but they are stuck together and making the best of it. Just add your own little quarrels, etc. into it because we know these two would definitely be capable of having some huge rows.