Disclaimer: I do not own any original Harry Potter characters. Sniff sniff.
Claimer: I own Jack Harry Arthur Potter, Robert Clegg, Victoria Fitzsimmons, Amy, Maxmillian Xavier Black, and the entire 'de Varci' family.
This story is being used for entertainment purposes only, no money is being made and no violation of copyright intended.
Read, enjoy, and review!!! *****************************************************************
This chapter is dedicated to F. **************************************************************
It was December, and Christmas was coming soon. Hermione was busy organizing hundreds of different things, from the hospital Christmas party to a charity ball in aid of Homeless Wizards and Witches.
In the first week of November, she had told all her friends about her pregnancy. They had all been surprised, but were happy for her and supportive. Ginny in particular had given her loads of advice and was forever stopping by with Clair and Jack to check on her when Lav was out.
Hermione had spoken to the administration at the hospital and gotten extra shifts as a nurse after her usual lab times. She figured she would need more than what she was earning to be able to raise a child. She had also spent hours in front of her laptop, working out account spreadsheets and exactly how much she could spend on what.
She had also spent a lot of time with Draco. He had changed so much from the broken man she had met that summer- he was loosening up and having fun again. Max was mostly recovered from his ordeal with Robert, and was forever talking.
It was a normal Tuesday afternoon. Hermione was at Draco's place, in the library. She had all her spreadsheets and files spread out all over the coffee table and was busy reading them through. Draco was sitting across from her, engrossed in a book about rare potions. Max was sitting on the floor playing with his toy train set.
Hermione checked, then double and triple-checked the final spreadsheet once more, her face falling. She wouldn't have enough money to rent an apartment for longer than two months. That wouldn't even last until the baby came. Draco looked up and saw the dismayed expression on her face.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Nothing." She replied. He was not convinced.
"Is it about where you're going to live?" He asked.
"Sort of." She replied vaguely.
"Listen, Hermione- why don't you move in here?" Draco suggested. Hermione was taken aback.
"What? I couldn't do that-"she began.
"It would be great if you did. We'd be like roommates." Draco said.
"I don't think I could just move in and be in the way all the time. Besides, my baby will most likely cry all night and keep everyone awake-"
"Max sleeps through anything except thunder. And I wouldn't mind."
"I... I just...." Hermione didn't know how to explain it to him. She didn't want to be a burden or be in the way, but there was also another side to it.
She was falling in love with Draco.
She saw him now as the person he had been all along, hidden under his cold mask of Lucius-induced behavior. The fun, loving, laughing Draco that could win anyone's heart if he tried. She loved everything about him- his eyes, his hair, his smile. The way he was around Max. The way he stood, sat, walked, talked. Everything. But she couldn't have him, and that made her more desolate than anything. This baby had to be her priority, and nothing else. It wouldn't be fair to Draco either, to know that she was in love with him. Then he would be obliged to raise a child not his own.
If she moved in with them, there was a very real possibility that she would crack and tell Draco how she felt about him. But then again, she really needed somewhere to live. Lavender was sorted, she was moving in with Steve. She had been going out with Steve since September and appeared to be happy with him. Ginny had invited Hermione to stay with her for a while, but the only available bed at Ginny's currently was a sofa.
"It's a really generous offer, but I'd have to think about it." She said finally. Draco smiled.
"Just tell me whenever you decide." He said, going back to his book.
******************************************************************
Of course she moved in with him. The next week, she magicked all her stuff into boxes and, with the help of Lavender and Draco, moved into Draco's spare room. There was more than enough room for all her furniture and other items.
She was sorry to leave the flat that she and Lavender had shared for the past couple of years. It held loads of memories. But now Lavender had Steve and she would be having a baby. Things had to change.
****************************************************************
It was Christmas Eve, and she and Draco were busy decorating the house and listening to muggle Christmas carols. Max was dancing around the living room to them, giddy with excitement as small children usually are.
Draco was in the kitchen, checking on the Christmas cookies, and Hermione was on a stepladder in the living room, hanging baubles on the tree and keeping an eye out for Max at the same time. She had always loved decorating the Christmas tree, and this year was no exception. She leant in close to the pine branches to inhale the scent of the needles.
"You could just hang the baubles with magic." Draco suggested, coming in with a plate of cookies. Max ran to him.
"Daddy, can I have one?" He asked.
"Sure Maxy. Tell you what, you can have two." Draco handed them over and Max sat contentedly on the floor, munching away.
"I know I could, but I used to do this with my parents when I was small." Hermione said.
"Do you miss them?" Draco asked.
"Not really." Hermione replied truthfully. "Do you miss yours?"
"Cookie?" Draco changed the subject, holding the plate up to her. As she reached down from the stepladder to get one, she lost her balance and fell. Draco reflexively dropped the plate and caught her.
"Are you okay?" Draco asked Hermione, who had gone very pale. She nodded.
"I'm fine. Just overestimated how far I could lean over with all this baby weight on me." She replied.
"Maybe you should just use magic." Draco said again, putting her down. "You really could get hurt doing that again."
"I know." Hermione sighed. She sat down cross-legged on the floor next to Max and started picking up the fallen cookies.
*******************************************************************
Later that evening they had a big Christmas Eve dinner, consisting of a roast ham. All three of them ate insane amounts, and sat around the table afterwards, unable to move. Hermione subconsciously rested her hand on the faint bulge of her stomach, something she'd recently begun doing. The Christmas Carols were still playing, and Draco began to sing along to 'O Come All Ye Faithful' in his smooth voice. Hermione joined in too. She could have sat there forever, listening to their two voices.
"We sang a song like that at playgroup yesterday." Max announced.
"Really? How did it go?" Hermione asked him.
"I don't remember all the words, but it was a muggle song about someone called Jesus in a manger." Max said.
"I like Muggle carols. They're so... naïve." Draco remarked.
"Naïve? How do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"Like there really is a Jesus and God and everything." Draco said.
"Maybe there is." Hermione protested.
"Maybe." Draco replied. Hermione could tell what he was thinking. Surely, if there was a god, all the bad things that had ever happened to him wouldn't have happened. There wouldn't be suffering in the world.
"So, Max, what do you want for Christmas?" Hermione asked the little boy.
"Well, a puppy would be nice. But do you know what I really want?" Max asked.
"What?"
"A real Mummy."
Hermione brain went into overload. What if, in a few years' time, her own child wished for a Daddy for Christmas? How would she bear it? She got up from the table and fled to her room. As she was going past Draco, she noticed something that set her nerves even more on edge.
Draco was crying.
******************************************************************
An hour later, there was a knock on her door.
"Come in." She said, wiping away her tears. Draco came in and hovered by the doorway.
"I'm sorry if what Max said upset you." Draco said straightforwardly.
"I'm fine. Mainly hormones." Hermione lied.
"Really, what's wrong?" He asked.
"I was just thinking... what would I do if my baby asked for a father for Christmas?"
"Give it one." Draco replied. And then he left, leaving Hermione to think.
Claimer: I own Jack Harry Arthur Potter, Robert Clegg, Victoria Fitzsimmons, Amy, Maxmillian Xavier Black, and the entire 'de Varci' family.
This story is being used for entertainment purposes only, no money is being made and no violation of copyright intended.
Read, enjoy, and review!!! *****************************************************************
This chapter is dedicated to F. **************************************************************
It was December, and Christmas was coming soon. Hermione was busy organizing hundreds of different things, from the hospital Christmas party to a charity ball in aid of Homeless Wizards and Witches.
In the first week of November, she had told all her friends about her pregnancy. They had all been surprised, but were happy for her and supportive. Ginny in particular had given her loads of advice and was forever stopping by with Clair and Jack to check on her when Lav was out.
Hermione had spoken to the administration at the hospital and gotten extra shifts as a nurse after her usual lab times. She figured she would need more than what she was earning to be able to raise a child. She had also spent hours in front of her laptop, working out account spreadsheets and exactly how much she could spend on what.
She had also spent a lot of time with Draco. He had changed so much from the broken man she had met that summer- he was loosening up and having fun again. Max was mostly recovered from his ordeal with Robert, and was forever talking.
It was a normal Tuesday afternoon. Hermione was at Draco's place, in the library. She had all her spreadsheets and files spread out all over the coffee table and was busy reading them through. Draco was sitting across from her, engrossed in a book about rare potions. Max was sitting on the floor playing with his toy train set.
Hermione checked, then double and triple-checked the final spreadsheet once more, her face falling. She wouldn't have enough money to rent an apartment for longer than two months. That wouldn't even last until the baby came. Draco looked up and saw the dismayed expression on her face.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Nothing." She replied. He was not convinced.
"Is it about where you're going to live?" He asked.
"Sort of." She replied vaguely.
"Listen, Hermione- why don't you move in here?" Draco suggested. Hermione was taken aback.
"What? I couldn't do that-"she began.
"It would be great if you did. We'd be like roommates." Draco said.
"I don't think I could just move in and be in the way all the time. Besides, my baby will most likely cry all night and keep everyone awake-"
"Max sleeps through anything except thunder. And I wouldn't mind."
"I... I just...." Hermione didn't know how to explain it to him. She didn't want to be a burden or be in the way, but there was also another side to it.
She was falling in love with Draco.
She saw him now as the person he had been all along, hidden under his cold mask of Lucius-induced behavior. The fun, loving, laughing Draco that could win anyone's heart if he tried. She loved everything about him- his eyes, his hair, his smile. The way he was around Max. The way he stood, sat, walked, talked. Everything. But she couldn't have him, and that made her more desolate than anything. This baby had to be her priority, and nothing else. It wouldn't be fair to Draco either, to know that she was in love with him. Then he would be obliged to raise a child not his own.
If she moved in with them, there was a very real possibility that she would crack and tell Draco how she felt about him. But then again, she really needed somewhere to live. Lavender was sorted, she was moving in with Steve. She had been going out with Steve since September and appeared to be happy with him. Ginny had invited Hermione to stay with her for a while, but the only available bed at Ginny's currently was a sofa.
"It's a really generous offer, but I'd have to think about it." She said finally. Draco smiled.
"Just tell me whenever you decide." He said, going back to his book.
******************************************************************
Of course she moved in with him. The next week, she magicked all her stuff into boxes and, with the help of Lavender and Draco, moved into Draco's spare room. There was more than enough room for all her furniture and other items.
She was sorry to leave the flat that she and Lavender had shared for the past couple of years. It held loads of memories. But now Lavender had Steve and she would be having a baby. Things had to change.
****************************************************************
It was Christmas Eve, and she and Draco were busy decorating the house and listening to muggle Christmas carols. Max was dancing around the living room to them, giddy with excitement as small children usually are.
Draco was in the kitchen, checking on the Christmas cookies, and Hermione was on a stepladder in the living room, hanging baubles on the tree and keeping an eye out for Max at the same time. She had always loved decorating the Christmas tree, and this year was no exception. She leant in close to the pine branches to inhale the scent of the needles.
"You could just hang the baubles with magic." Draco suggested, coming in with a plate of cookies. Max ran to him.
"Daddy, can I have one?" He asked.
"Sure Maxy. Tell you what, you can have two." Draco handed them over and Max sat contentedly on the floor, munching away.
"I know I could, but I used to do this with my parents when I was small." Hermione said.
"Do you miss them?" Draco asked.
"Not really." Hermione replied truthfully. "Do you miss yours?"
"Cookie?" Draco changed the subject, holding the plate up to her. As she reached down from the stepladder to get one, she lost her balance and fell. Draco reflexively dropped the plate and caught her.
"Are you okay?" Draco asked Hermione, who had gone very pale. She nodded.
"I'm fine. Just overestimated how far I could lean over with all this baby weight on me." She replied.
"Maybe you should just use magic." Draco said again, putting her down. "You really could get hurt doing that again."
"I know." Hermione sighed. She sat down cross-legged on the floor next to Max and started picking up the fallen cookies.
*******************************************************************
Later that evening they had a big Christmas Eve dinner, consisting of a roast ham. All three of them ate insane amounts, and sat around the table afterwards, unable to move. Hermione subconsciously rested her hand on the faint bulge of her stomach, something she'd recently begun doing. The Christmas Carols were still playing, and Draco began to sing along to 'O Come All Ye Faithful' in his smooth voice. Hermione joined in too. She could have sat there forever, listening to their two voices.
"We sang a song like that at playgroup yesterday." Max announced.
"Really? How did it go?" Hermione asked him.
"I don't remember all the words, but it was a muggle song about someone called Jesus in a manger." Max said.
"I like Muggle carols. They're so... naïve." Draco remarked.
"Naïve? How do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"Like there really is a Jesus and God and everything." Draco said.
"Maybe there is." Hermione protested.
"Maybe." Draco replied. Hermione could tell what he was thinking. Surely, if there was a god, all the bad things that had ever happened to him wouldn't have happened. There wouldn't be suffering in the world.
"So, Max, what do you want for Christmas?" Hermione asked the little boy.
"Well, a puppy would be nice. But do you know what I really want?" Max asked.
"What?"
"A real Mummy."
Hermione brain went into overload. What if, in a few years' time, her own child wished for a Daddy for Christmas? How would she bear it? She got up from the table and fled to her room. As she was going past Draco, she noticed something that set her nerves even more on edge.
Draco was crying.
******************************************************************
An hour later, there was a knock on her door.
"Come in." She said, wiping away her tears. Draco came in and hovered by the doorway.
"I'm sorry if what Max said upset you." Draco said straightforwardly.
"I'm fine. Mainly hormones." Hermione lied.
"Really, what's wrong?" He asked.
"I was just thinking... what would I do if my baby asked for a father for Christmas?"
"Give it one." Draco replied. And then he left, leaving Hermione to think.