Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or settings. All rights belong to J.K. Rowling.

Determined: Prologue ~

Little did Draco Malfoy expected to see his wife walking into the living room with a pregnancy test in her hands, and a small smile on her beaming face.

"I'm pregnant, Draco," said Hermione, her voice was filled with faint excitement. She studied her husband's face for an answer, and a grin broke on Draco's lips. He settled down the Daily Prophet on the coffee table, and approached his wife with the same, big grin.

"You're pregnant."

"Yes Draco."

Draco narrowed his eyes down at Hermione's stomach. Looking back up, he pulled his love into an embrace, his face glowing with overflowing joy.

"I'm going to be a dad!" he exclaimed jovially, and a chuckle rolled out his mouth. Hermione immediately broke into a broader smile, and released a happy laugh.

"Oh Merlin Draco, I thought you were going to freak out," sighed Hermione, and she placed a hand over her heart. Draco looked at his wife in surprise, and laughed.

"Of course not! I'm going to be a, dad! And you're going to be a mum! W-we're going to be amazing parents!" He pressed a firm kiss on Hermione's forehead, and stroked her bushy brown locks.

Right now, Hermione couldn't have felt any happier than now.

And Draco? He was overwhelmed with glee.

Sadly, Draco didn't think of the hormones and rapid mood changes before.

It was four in the morning, and he dragged himself out of the silken sheets, witnessing Hermione's gagging in the bathroom. His poor wife was probably vomiting out all the dinner they had several hours ago, and Draco rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his pyjama shirt before holding back his wife's unruly hair.

"Love, do you need anything?" asked Draco sleepily, stifling a yawn as he knelt beside Hermione's side. He pushed the thin strap of her pyjama dress back on her shoulder, and rubbed it gently.

"Being pregnant is awful, Draco! I'm never doing this again," mumbled Hermione groggily as her fingers rimmed around the edge of the toilet bowl. Draco nodded his head, and placed a soft kiss on her bare neck.

"Thank you for carrying our child," yawned Draco before he stepped aside for Hermione to get back on her feet, and she washed her face thoroughly. Draco stood beside his wife, and tied her hair in a loose bun that Hermione had taught him a year ago.

Draco examined himself in the mirror. Lately he hadn't been able to get enough sleep, mostly because he would stay beside Hermione, agreeing to do everything she wished to happen. His pale face had under-eye bags which looked incredibly visible, and his white blonde hair was more disheveled than it could ever be.

"Draco, you look awful," said Hermione, motioning her slender finger at his under-eyes.

"Thanks for the compliment, Granger." His tone was rich in sarcasm; anything but genuine. Hermione rolled her eyes, and she grabbed Draco's hand as her brown eyes locked into a gaze with his own grey ones.

"Go sleep. I'm fine now," reassured Hermione with a small smile tweaking at her lip. "I'm just going to clean this up, and I'll sleep too."

Draco shook his head vigorously as he reached out to hold Hermione's small hand with his own. "No. This is our child. If you're going through this, so am I," he declared firmly. Hermione beamed at the fatigued Draco, and rose on her toes to peck a chaste kiss on his jaw.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

The pitched cry of Lyra Malfoy had awaken Draco's mind fully as he watched the Healers wrapping the small baby in a light pink blanket. Hermione was panting as her forehead streamed with beads of sweat, and the colour of her cheek had been filled with a crimson red. Tears rolled down her face continuously, and the salty tears had already dried on her hot skin.

"You did it, love. You did it." Draco peppered kisses along Hermione's temple, and she nodded her head as a new bucket of tears swelled in her eyes again. The Healer beamed as she handed Hermione the newborn baby, and Draco's heart was flushed with happiness.

"Congratulations," said the Healer as she beamed at the couple. Hermione gently rocked the crying Lyra in her arms, and pressed a light kiss on the baby's head.

"Welcome to the world, Lyra Ara Malfoy."

Dimmed sun rays of the beaming light peered through the flowing beige curtains that danced in the light breeze, which paid an uninvited visit of the airy room. The arousing scent of vanilla wafted in the crisp air, brushing the small lit candlelight which waved its flames with the melodic rhythm being played. The immaculate harmony whistled through the room, enlightening Crookshanks' old gloomy mood as he purred, grazing the wooden leg of the black leather seat.

No longer was Lyra Malfoy wrapped in a flannelette blanket. She was two years old, with a heart full of fire and grace. The white blonde ringlets belonging to her was inherited by Draco, but luckily, she was saved from Hermione's inexorable bushy locks. Although, she had Hermione's bright brown eyes, which gave a flooding pool of warmth to whoever stared in them.

Draco had his daughter on his lap, and his long fingers pressed the gleaming white keys. Although even if Lyra was quite behaving for a two year old, she still was too smart for her own good. The genes of both her parents' wit and intelligence, Draco knew he would be afraid of her once Lyra grows into a fiery and bright young lady.

"Cwookshanks!" squealed Lyra as she pointed her tiny finger at the ginger cat. Draco pulled his hands away from the piano keys, and placed his squirming daughter down on the floor. Lyra knelt on her knees, and patted the cat softly as Crookshanks meowed.

"Do you like Crookshanks, Lyra?" asked Draco as he scratched the kneazle-cat's head. Lyra nodded her head, and her pigtails bounced on the collar of her primrose yellow dress.

"I wuv Cwookshanks! He's the best kitty ever!" she cried, wrapping her arms around the cat's neck, suffocating poor Crookshanks. Draco laughed, and he pulled the cat away from Lyra.

"Don't squeeze him too hard, princess," reminded Draco softly, and he placed the cat on his lap. Lyra continued to stroke Crookshanks softly, and babbling words to the cat that Draco couldn't understand.

"Lyra? Harry and Ginny are here!"

Lyra spun her head as her thin pigtails whipped in the air. The sight of a heavily pregnant Hermione with two other figures by her side excited her.

"Ginny! Hawwy!" Draco chuckled at her daughter's lack of ability to pronounce her 'r's, which made it quite funny when she called out to Harry. The toddler trotted to Harry Potter, and she beamed at the man joyfully.

"Hello you cheeky thing," chuckled Harry as he brought Lyra in his arms. Lyra embraced his neck tightly, then released it to greet Ginny.

"I think she prefers Harry over me," joked Ginny lightly as she took the child in her arms. Lyra pointed at the woman's belly, and gasped.

"Mummy, is there a baby inside?"

Hermione let out a laugh as she nodded her head. "Yes sweetheart. Like Mummy. There's a baby in Ginny's tummy."

Lyra clasped her hands over her tiny mouth. "Wow!"

"Lyra!"

Lyra darted her eyes down at the floor, and found a slightly older boy waving at her with a beaming toothy grin. The boy had jet black hair, which seemed as messy as Harry's own hair.

"Hello Jamesie," she said, although not in the same, thrilled tone that she used when she was greeting James's parents. Lyra was placed down on the floor, and was locked in a tight embrace with James, who was an inch taller. He pulled away, then looked up at Harry with his hands out.

"Daddy, I need my drawing!" demanded James instantly, waving his hand out at Harry. Draco snorted, and placed Crookshanks back on the floor.

"He's more bossy than I thought," laughed Draco jokingly as he dusted his khaki pants. Hermione and Ginny both gave a laugh, and glanced at each other.

"Would that be 'Mione's child?"

Harry chuckled before leaning down to hand his son the piece of paper. James grabbed it from Harry forcefully, and passed it to Lyra with a prideful grin.

"I drew this!" he exclaimed proudly. "This is you, and this is me! I'm going to marry you just like my daddy did to my mummy!"

The adults couldn't help but laugh. Lyra scrunched up her small face in disgust. The drawing was simply just two messy stick figures, one with yellow lines descending down from the top of the head, and one with a blob of black.

Draco swooped Lyra up in his arms, and examined the picture properly. "James, you better take care of Lyra for me then!"

"No Daddy, I don't want to!" wailed Lyra in despair, gripping her father's neck. She shook her head violently, with her pigtails whipping Draco's face. "I don't want to! I want Daddy, not Jamesie!"

James bursted into large tears, sobbing and wailing as he grabbed Harry's leg, pressing his face against the fabric. Hermione and Ginny both pouted, and patted James's back gently. Harry placed James in his arms, and Lyra gawked at the sobbing James.

"I wuv her, Daddy!" sniffed James as he rubbed his tears away from his eyes. The adults beside Draco let out a chorus of 'aww's, and Lyra crossed her arms.

"I only wuv my mummy and my daddy, and baby Scorpy," huffed Lyra, tilting her head high. Draco bursted into laughter, and placed a chaste kiss on Lyra's plump cheek.

"She's definitely my kid."

A/N: What'd you think? Good, Bad? Please drop a review, it would really be much appreciated.

I don't know how this story might turn out, but we'll see. We'll see...

Hope you have (or had) a great day!

- autumn sincerity