It was the middle of winter. A snowstorm was throwing its full weight around, which made it next to impossible to leave the house. All the inhabitants cowered indoors.
But there were few inhabitants, for this was Malfoy Manor. This was the home of Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy, and their son Draco and his family.
The household was not always happy. Draco had refused to become a Death Eater before Harry Potter finished him off in his last year at Hogwarts, which made Draco and Lucius very distant. Even though they shared the same house, they hardly ever bumped into each other. They avoided each other constantly.
They only shared a house because of the ancient rules of Malfoy Manor, which stated that if an heir was over twenty years of age, was starting a family, and also needing of a house, the father of the heir would have to move out, while the heir moved in. They also stated that if the older generation had nowhere to go, they would have to share the house. Which was what they were doing.
Draco met Svetlana at the Hogsmeade Christmas Ball. Svetlana's date had failed to turn up, and Draco felt sorry for her and asked her to dance. They danced all night, and got married a month later.
They lived in a flat with one of Svetlana's friends for a while, but they couldn't stay forever.
Svetlana was eight months pregnant when Draco laid claim to Malfoy Manor. Lucius was all for turning them away, but the laws prevented him. Also, Narcissa loved her son.
A few weeks after, Svetlana had a son. They named him Matthias, much to the displeasure of Lucius. Three years later, Svetlana had a girl, Nicoleta. This made Lucius really angry with Svetlana, because he wanted her to have a son.
Draco, however, loved his family, and he loved Svetlana.
So, three years into the future, the snow was still beating down outside, the wind was still howling, and it was very late at night.
Draco and Svetlana were alone in the drawing room. A warm fire was blazing in the fireplace, and the couple were sitting on the sofa, staring into the fire.
'I'm sorry about my father, love. He's always finding reasons to hate me, as he's always done...' Draco said, resting a hand on her shoulder.
'It's ok, Draco. I know he loves us really...I mean, we love our children, right?' Draco gave a hollow laugh.
'My father? He has never loved anyone. Not even my mother. I am nothing like him, which gives him more reason to hate me. I love you, Svetlana, and I love our babies. Very much. Never doubt that, my love.'
There was a flicker in Svetlana's eyes, as if there was something she had been waiting to say.
'What shall we call the next one, then?' she replied happily, putting an arm round him.
'The next one? Svetlana, there isn't going to be a 'next one'. We have two beautiful children, Matthias and Nicoleta. We don't need any more.'
Svetlana suddenly looked away, and withdrew her arm, and Draco got up from the sofa, and bent down to stoke the fire.
Svetlana began rubbing her eyes and breathing deeply, as if she were holding back tears.
'Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god.' She whispered over and over again. 'Draco, I'm – '
Draco got up off the floor and turned to look at her.
'I'm pregnant.' Svetlana whispered, and covered her eyes. Draco turned away, taking this in.
'Oh, god, what have I done? Oh, Draco, I'm so sorry. I'm having a baby, Draco. I took the test three times. Three times. They all were positive.'
Draco paced in front of the fireplace. He knew he didn't mean what he had said. He turned to look at her again. Svetlana looked away.
'What sort of man am I?' he asked. Svetlana looked up.
'What sort of man gets his pregnant wife in a state like this? I just told my pregnant wife that I didn't want any more children. Of course I want this baby, Svetlana. I love you to the ends of the earth, love, and I love our children. If I had known, I wouldn't have said that. I just assumed that –'
Tears rolled silently down her cheeks. Draco felt like crying himself. How could he have been so stupid?
He walked over to her and knelt on the floor in front of her and took her hands, making her laugh.
'Love, please forgive me. Anyway, you shouldn't be getting in this state...God, I'm a bastard...please forgive me...'
She was beginning to be won round, Draco could see that. He placed a hand on her (flat) stomach. She smiled, and eased herself off the sofa and sat down next to him on the rug.
'You may be a bastard, but you care. I admire that, Draco.' She said, and looked him full in the face.
Draco didn't know what was happening. Svetlana had cupped his chin in her hands and had given him a long kiss. He had fallen backwards and she had landed on top of him, laughing.
Just then, Svetlana grew silent. Draco looked up and saw his father standing over him. Draco immediately got off the floor, stood up, and pulled Svetlana to her feet. He looked his father in the eye.
'Svetlana's pregnant.' Draco said coldly to his father, putting an arm round his wife.
'Obviously...' he drawled in reply '...what else would you have been doing?'
Draco's stare hardened.
'Of course, I suppose I shouldn't be talking like this in front of a lady...even though she's had her life's worth of it...'
That did it. Svetlana suddenly went tense. She gave her father-in-law a shocked look, and left the room. Draco reached out to take her hand, but she had left. Draco turned on his father.
'What is it with you? You're always putting us down, putting her down. Is there any point in your existence apart from making other people's lives a misery? She's having a baby, for goodness' sake! My child, your grandchild. You should be pleased for us!' Draco shouted, and ran off to find Svetlana.
Thunder and lightning had joined the kafuffle outside. Draco still, however, heard his wife's sobbing over the noise as he ran up the stairs to their bedroom.
Svetlana was lying face down on the four-poster. Draco rushed to her side and sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her hair, trying to comfort her. When that didn't work, he lay down beside her and pulled her close. She stopped sobbing then, and looked at him.
'Why does he have to say those things about me? Why? What have I done?'
'He is cruel, love. If he says something like that to you ever again, I'll hurt him. Hard. So he'll never forget it.'
Svetlana smiled, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
'So, what shall we call our baby, then?' she asked, grinning.
Draco thought for a while.
'Actually, I haven't given it much thought. Do you have any ideas?'
'Well...we went for unique names with Matthias and Nicoleta...how about...Hermia?' Svetlana replied.
'Yeah...Hermia Malfoy...I like that. But what id we had another son?'
'Oh, Marmejuke.' Svetlana teased, laughing at the look on her husband's face.
There was a silence, while they thought hard.
'Arran? Darien? I like those.' Svetlana said eventually.
'Er, ok...'
'You don't like, do you?'
'Well...I'll let you choose this time.'
'Really?'
'But it's my choice next time.'
'I don't believe you.' Svetlana replied, shocked.
'Well, sometimes I don't believe me either.' Draco said, and laughed.