Chapter Two: Child of the Ripper~~~~~~```
Hermione jolted awake and sat up her eyes darting around the room. She sighed remembering that she was safe inside the Malfoy Manor sleeping next to her fiancé, Draco Malfoy. She slipped out of bed and walked through a door that led into an adjoining room. A small bed stood in the corner by the large window. Hermione walked over to the bed and kneeled down next to it looking into dark, almost black, eyes of her three year old baby girl.
"Can't sleep either Bethany?" Hermione asked brushing the child's black hair away from her face.
"No, I keep having bad dreams about a bad man coming and hurting you and daddy." Bethany said. Hermione picked up the small girl and walked over to the big window.
"Don't worry, love, no bad man is going to come and hurt me or daddy. It's just a bad dream." She reassured the child kissing the top of her head. Bethany snuggled up against Hermione's chest.
"I love you mommy." She whispered before closing her eyes and drifting back off to sleep.
"I love you too, baby girl." Hermione whispered back placing Bethany down gently onto her bed. Hermione left the room back into the master bed room. She walked silently to the door and grabbed her black silk robe from the back of a chair that was by the door.
"Hermione.?" a voice asked from behind her when she reached the door. "Where are you going?" It asked again. She turned and saw Draco sitting up on the side closest to Hermione. Hermione smiled sadly at him and leaned against the door.
"I couldn't sleep again. I was going to get a cup of tea and take a walk through the garden." Hermione explain looking any where but at Draco. Draco stood and walked over to her wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her gently towards him.
"What's wrong? You haven't been sleeping well lately. I'm worried about you." Draco said concern showing in his eyes. Hermione felt his eyes on her boring into her body and mind finding the answers she didn't want to say.
"I'm just worried about us. And about Bethany; when she gets older she's going to find out that you're not her father. And we're going to have to tell her that she's the daughter of the ripper!" Hermione said softly tears welling in her eyes. She rested her head against Draco's shoulder and let the tears slide silently down her face.
"Shh, it's ok. We'll work this out together when the time comes. Right now we just have to worry about the wedding that happens to be in only two weeks from now." Draco said rubbing her back. Hermione couldn't help but smile. She wiped away the tears and looked into Draco's eyes and kissed him. Draco slid him tong along her bottom lip and she opened her mouth allowing him to deepen the kiss. Hermione pulled away before it could get any deeper.
"Bethany is still here you know. You are just going to have to wait three WHOLE more days before we do anything." Hermione said teasingly searching for the doorknob with her hand behind her back. She found the knob and gave him a devilish smile.
"You want me?" Hermione asked opening the door slightly "Come and get me." She told him. With that she opened the door all the way turned and ran down the long hallway. While all this happened Draco had fallen forwards but he soon caught himself and chased after her.
Hermione ran down their privet corridor and ran up the stairs two by two and when she got near the top three by three. She could hear Draco behind her catching up quickly behind her which made her giggle, she felt giddy and carefree even though there was this weight in her stomach that made her nervous. She pushed away this feeling and continued her run laughing when she heard Draco only three paces behind her. She was a fast runner but Draco had longer legs then she did so he could catch up to her. She pushed herself to go faster her body melting away into nothing as she ran faster and faster leaving Draco in her dust. Draco was amazed by her speed when she sped ahead way out of his reach. She was certainly different it seemed as if she could go through walls at the speed she was going. She seemed to leave her body behind and just run with her spirit. Draco sped up as well trying to catch up to her.
Hermione slowed as she got near a turn in the hall. She knew that she was near Lucius and Narsissa's master bedroom. She feet tred quietly along red carpeted floor. The carpet was thin so that Lucius' boots would make a tapping noise on the floor when he walked. She heard Draco speed up with his ragged breaths from running like mad to catch up with her. She slowed a bit as she came near the turn. She just started to speed up again when Draco's strong arms caught her around the middle tackling her to the ground with a quiet crash. Hermione had turned when she was falling so that she would face him and now she lay on her back staring with a raised eyebrow at Draco waiting for him to say something.
"Caught you." He panted; Hermione laughed softly and kissed him. "And you're not out of breath? How is that possible?" Draco asked half mockingly.
"I don't know, maybe I'm some type of alien. You never know, I could be anything and you're going to marry me." Hermione stated laughing softly. A noise came from behind the door that they lay before. Hermione snapped her head in the direction of the noise and saw the handle jiggling. Draco had reached out a hand and pressed a button. They started to lower and Hermione giggled a little when she heard the voice of Lucius asking who was out there and to show them selves. Narsissa's soft voice came next telling him to go back to bed. Draco rolled to the side of her and propped himself up on his elbow watching her as she sat up and looked around in confusion. Fear radiated off of her, she obviously didn't like it down here.
"I've been here before." She stated her eyes searching around the room. "I've hidden here. He never found me here because I guess I was under your manor." Draco frowned as she spoke.
"No one's been down here for years. Well, not since the first fall of Voldermort." Draco said now sitting up thinking deeply of how she could have been down here. "Who are you talking about? Who's 'he'?" Draco asked standing and moving to stand besides Hermione, who was running her hands over the walls in search of something.
"Here," She said pulling something out from the wall. Part of the wall slid open and revealed another room in which she entered closely followed by Draco. As she stepped in she took a sharp breath as memories were let loose in her mind. She looked around and heard crying, screams, evil laughter, and worst of all the heavy breath of the unseen stalker that followed her no matter where she went.
"We have to get out of here now." She said sharply turning and walking quickly out of the room. Draco stood for a few moments looking around the room in confusion. When he went back into the other room Hermione was sitting against the wall slowly rocking her self back and forth looking afraid of something. He walked over to her and kneeled down placing his hand on hers. He pulled her gently to her feet and pressed a button on the wall. They moved upward and Hermione gripped him tightly until the floor stopped moving and they were in the hallway again. Hermione shivered despite the heat coming form both her body and Draco's. Draco hugged her tighter before letting go and looking at her.
"You alright?" he asked sincerely rubbing her back. She nodded and they started to walk down the hall towards the stairs. As soon as they reached the corner a large blond figure jumped out at them.
"HA! I knew some one was out there! I told you Narcissa! I told you!" Lucius Malfoy yelled triumphantly to his wife who stepped out from around the corner since Lucius made her wait there with him.
"Oh it's just you two. What are you doing out here at three in the mourning!" Lucius exclaimed at Draco ignoring Hermione's presence. Draco was lost for words when Hermione spoke up clearly annoyed that Mr. Malfoy was ignoring her.
"I couldn't sleep. And neither could Draco so we decided to take a walk around the manor since it's big enough to put a lot of foot ball fields (soccer) in it." Hermione explained stepping next to Draco looking Lucius straight in the eye with an hair of defiance in her voice and posture.
"I don't believe I asked you mud- Hermione." He stated glancing over at Narcissa who was glaring at him.
"Well, not that we've got this all settled." Narcissa said stepping forward and taking Lucius by the arm. "Lets go back to bed." With that she pulled him away back down the hall and into their bed room.
"What's wrong? Come now you can tell me." Draco said soothingly as they walked down the hall.
"It's just... I think I've been there before..."
Hermione jolted awake and sat up her eyes darting around the room. She sighed remembering that she was safe inside the Malfoy Manor sleeping next to her fiancé, Draco Malfoy. She slipped out of bed and walked through a door that led into an adjoining room. A small bed stood in the corner by the large window. Hermione walked over to the bed and kneeled down next to it looking into dark, almost black, eyes of her three year old baby girl.
"Can't sleep either Bethany?" Hermione asked brushing the child's black hair away from her face.
"No, I keep having bad dreams about a bad man coming and hurting you and daddy." Bethany said. Hermione picked up the small girl and walked over to the big window.
"Don't worry, love, no bad man is going to come and hurt me or daddy. It's just a bad dream." She reassured the child kissing the top of her head. Bethany snuggled up against Hermione's chest.
"I love you mommy." She whispered before closing her eyes and drifting back off to sleep.
"I love you too, baby girl." Hermione whispered back placing Bethany down gently onto her bed. Hermione left the room back into the master bed room. She walked silently to the door and grabbed her black silk robe from the back of a chair that was by the door.
"Hermione.?" a voice asked from behind her when she reached the door. "Where are you going?" It asked again. She turned and saw Draco sitting up on the side closest to Hermione. Hermione smiled sadly at him and leaned against the door.
"I couldn't sleep again. I was going to get a cup of tea and take a walk through the garden." Hermione explain looking any where but at Draco. Draco stood and walked over to her wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her gently towards him.
"What's wrong? You haven't been sleeping well lately. I'm worried about you." Draco said concern showing in his eyes. Hermione felt his eyes on her boring into her body and mind finding the answers she didn't want to say.
"I'm just worried about us. And about Bethany; when she gets older she's going to find out that you're not her father. And we're going to have to tell her that she's the daughter of the ripper!" Hermione said softly tears welling in her eyes. She rested her head against Draco's shoulder and let the tears slide silently down her face.
"Shh, it's ok. We'll work this out together when the time comes. Right now we just have to worry about the wedding that happens to be in only two weeks from now." Draco said rubbing her back. Hermione couldn't help but smile. She wiped away the tears and looked into Draco's eyes and kissed him. Draco slid him tong along her bottom lip and she opened her mouth allowing him to deepen the kiss. Hermione pulled away before it could get any deeper.
"Bethany is still here you know. You are just going to have to wait three WHOLE more days before we do anything." Hermione said teasingly searching for the doorknob with her hand behind her back. She found the knob and gave him a devilish smile.
"You want me?" Hermione asked opening the door slightly "Come and get me." She told him. With that she opened the door all the way turned and ran down the long hallway. While all this happened Draco had fallen forwards but he soon caught himself and chased after her.
Hermione ran down their privet corridor and ran up the stairs two by two and when she got near the top three by three. She could hear Draco behind her catching up quickly behind her which made her giggle, she felt giddy and carefree even though there was this weight in her stomach that made her nervous. She pushed away this feeling and continued her run laughing when she heard Draco only three paces behind her. She was a fast runner but Draco had longer legs then she did so he could catch up to her. She pushed herself to go faster her body melting away into nothing as she ran faster and faster leaving Draco in her dust. Draco was amazed by her speed when she sped ahead way out of his reach. She was certainly different it seemed as if she could go through walls at the speed she was going. She seemed to leave her body behind and just run with her spirit. Draco sped up as well trying to catch up to her.
Hermione slowed as she got near a turn in the hall. She knew that she was near Lucius and Narsissa's master bedroom. She feet tred quietly along red carpeted floor. The carpet was thin so that Lucius' boots would make a tapping noise on the floor when he walked. She heard Draco speed up with his ragged breaths from running like mad to catch up with her. She slowed a bit as she came near the turn. She just started to speed up again when Draco's strong arms caught her around the middle tackling her to the ground with a quiet crash. Hermione had turned when she was falling so that she would face him and now she lay on her back staring with a raised eyebrow at Draco waiting for him to say something.
"Caught you." He panted; Hermione laughed softly and kissed him. "And you're not out of breath? How is that possible?" Draco asked half mockingly.
"I don't know, maybe I'm some type of alien. You never know, I could be anything and you're going to marry me." Hermione stated laughing softly. A noise came from behind the door that they lay before. Hermione snapped her head in the direction of the noise and saw the handle jiggling. Draco had reached out a hand and pressed a button. They started to lower and Hermione giggled a little when she heard the voice of Lucius asking who was out there and to show them selves. Narsissa's soft voice came next telling him to go back to bed. Draco rolled to the side of her and propped himself up on his elbow watching her as she sat up and looked around in confusion. Fear radiated off of her, she obviously didn't like it down here.
"I've been here before." She stated her eyes searching around the room. "I've hidden here. He never found me here because I guess I was under your manor." Draco frowned as she spoke.
"No one's been down here for years. Well, not since the first fall of Voldermort." Draco said now sitting up thinking deeply of how she could have been down here. "Who are you talking about? Who's 'he'?" Draco asked standing and moving to stand besides Hermione, who was running her hands over the walls in search of something.
"Here," She said pulling something out from the wall. Part of the wall slid open and revealed another room in which she entered closely followed by Draco. As she stepped in she took a sharp breath as memories were let loose in her mind. She looked around and heard crying, screams, evil laughter, and worst of all the heavy breath of the unseen stalker that followed her no matter where she went.
"We have to get out of here now." She said sharply turning and walking quickly out of the room. Draco stood for a few moments looking around the room in confusion. When he went back into the other room Hermione was sitting against the wall slowly rocking her self back and forth looking afraid of something. He walked over to her and kneeled down placing his hand on hers. He pulled her gently to her feet and pressed a button on the wall. They moved upward and Hermione gripped him tightly until the floor stopped moving and they were in the hallway again. Hermione shivered despite the heat coming form both her body and Draco's. Draco hugged her tighter before letting go and looking at her.
"You alright?" he asked sincerely rubbing her back. She nodded and they started to walk down the hall towards the stairs. As soon as they reached the corner a large blond figure jumped out at them.
"HA! I knew some one was out there! I told you Narcissa! I told you!" Lucius Malfoy yelled triumphantly to his wife who stepped out from around the corner since Lucius made her wait there with him.
"Oh it's just you two. What are you doing out here at three in the mourning!" Lucius exclaimed at Draco ignoring Hermione's presence. Draco was lost for words when Hermione spoke up clearly annoyed that Mr. Malfoy was ignoring her.
"I couldn't sleep. And neither could Draco so we decided to take a walk around the manor since it's big enough to put a lot of foot ball fields (soccer) in it." Hermione explained stepping next to Draco looking Lucius straight in the eye with an hair of defiance in her voice and posture.
"I don't believe I asked you mud- Hermione." He stated glancing over at Narcissa who was glaring at him.
"Well, not that we've got this all settled." Narcissa said stepping forward and taking Lucius by the arm. "Lets go back to bed." With that she pulled him away back down the hall and into their bed room.
"What's wrong? Come now you can tell me." Draco said soothingly as they walked down the hall.
"It's just... I think I've been there before..."