Trigger Warnings apply for this chapter, please see the end note for them & this chapter's song list.

As always, a huge thank you to my always wonderful alphabet - MissyJAnne85 & Caitlincheri28 - who stand by me, encourage me & help me be a better writer and person. I love you both!

Spotify playlist is available here

Hermione heaved a huge sigh of relief and placed her almost-blunt quill on the desk. She stared at the parchment in front of her, massaging her aching right hand with her left. That was the last N.E.W.T done and dusted. The clock struck the end of the three allotted hours, and her exam paper lifted and flew to the front of the room, collating on Professor Arlidge's desk along with all of the others.

"Well done, everyone," the young American woman said, standing at the front of the class. "If this was your final exam, congratulations! I look forward to celebrating your success and adding what I hope will be pass marks to your exam cards. Now get out of here and enjoy the gorgeous Spring weather!"

The students in the room cheered, almost all of them wearing a relieved grin—finally, finally, the exams were over. Hermione turned in her seat, searching the rows for Draco's alphabetically assigned desk. She met his gaze, his face open and relaxed as he took her in. Slowly he stood from his seat and moved towards her, through the throng of students stampeding for the exit. Hermione felt her heartbeat quicken as desire swooped low through her abdomen. Morgana, he was gorgeous. She stayed seated, watching his approach with hungry eyes. When he reached her, he stopped and leant against the desk next to hers.

"How did you do?" He asked her, crossing his arms over his chest and locking one ankle over the other—the picture of casual indifference.

"How did you do?" Hermione quipped, her eyes dancing.

"Probably not as well as you did," he answered with a half-laugh, uncrossing his arms and holding them open for her.

Hermione abandoned her seat so quickly that her vision turned black for just a moment, and she stumbled into his arms less than gracefully. Draco caught her easily and swept some curls back from her face. His eyes searched hers.

"Are you alright, Granger?"

"Yes, yes," she sighed. "Probably just my body adjusting to the idea of no more exams," she laughed once—quickly. "And I didn't eat much this morning—nerves, I guess," she shrugged, "I'm absolutely ravenous now, though. Shall we get a picnic and sit outside?"

"I know just the place," he told her with a smile, the concern in his eyes not quite disappearing.


Hermione lay back on the picnic blanket, her arms tucked behind her head. They were sitting in front of the Black Lake, right at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The trees blocked most of the light from the sun, but not its warmth. She was full, happy, and tired. Between the exams, studying for the exams, and finding absolutely nothing on the Malfoy marriage curse issue, Hermione had been sleeping badly, eating sparingly and stressed to the point of nausea. The fresh air, warm sun, cool shade worked wonders on her. A full stomach and the love of her life by her side just added to the bliss she was currently feeling.

"Happy?" Draco asked her, lying on his side but propped up on an elbow.

"Hmm," Hermione smiled in response, feeling a cool draught from the lake drift over them. "Happy and relieved. Now we can just wait out the next week of Hogwarts together. The exams are over, and all we have to do now is figure out what's next."

"Not to mention finding a way to break that curse," Draco reminded her—as if she had forgotten.

"Mmmhmmm," she replied, not seeming to be worried at all. Her eyes were closed, and her hair fanned out around her head. Within moments, Hermione's breathing levelled out, and Draco realised with a start that she had fallen asleep.

He thought maybe he would lie down next to her, and pull her to his side—curl around her as he did so often in their bed, but Draco knew he wouldn't sleep. He could stay awake just to hear her breathing, watch her smile while she was sleeping—far away and dreaming. Hermione twitched in her sleep, her fingers curling as if still holding a quill. He could spend his life in this exact same position, in this sweet surrender—because every moment spent with her was one he treasured. Instead, he lay down close to her and placed his hand softly over her heart, feeling it's steady beat beneath his palm. What are you dreaming about, Granger? He thought with a whisper of a smile. Is it me? Is it a good dream? Have we ended up with all we've ever wanted? Merlin, I'm glad that we're together. You make me happier than I ever knew I could be. I just want to stay here with you—in this moment forever. I don't want to close my eyes, I don't want to fall asleep—I'd miss this side of you. This peaceful, calm, blissful side of you. I don't want to miss a thing. Even if I did fall asleep, I'd still dream of you, but even the sweetest dream would never replace the real you. Oh fuck, we need to find a way to stay together. Merlin, help us find a way to break this curse. Banging his head softly against his grassy pillow, Draco willed himself to find a solution.

Hermione chose that moment to snore—just once, and softly, but it was enough to break through Draco's inner musings and make him chuckle quietly. Carefully, he fit himself around her and lay his head next to hers and closed his eyes, letting the warm afternoon drift around him, the shouts and hollers of his exuberant classmates sounding in the distance.


Two days later and Hermione was feeling distinctly unwell. Her appetite had not returned, and the nausea was ever-present. She had been so sure that once the exams had finished, her body would be relieved; take advantage of the extra sleep, her more relaxed mood and the ability to spend all day in her pyjamas if she wished. Sadly, this was not the case. The stress from the last several weeks had finally caught up with her now that she had given herself a moment of rest. She was groggy, and tired, and sore in the strangest places. Her mood had also been hit and miss. Draco wanted to suggest that she go and see Madam Pomfrey, but the last time he had done so, she had snapped at him so fiercely, he thought he'd abstain on this occasion. Instead, he delivered a sandwich and a glass of water to her bedside table and made a hasty retreat back to the books and Theo who was waiting in the common room.

"How's she feeling?" Theo asked him when he came back.

Draco shrugged. "She was asleep for once, so I got out of there as quietly as possible. I wish she'd go to the hospital wing, but she won't hear of it. Says the beds are far too uncomfortable and all Pomfrey will tell her is that she needs to rest. So I'm stocking up on some Dreamless Sleep in between all of this," Draco gestured to the mess of books, notes and quills scattered around them.

"I mean, she's probably right, right?" Theo looked at Draco, his posture and attitude nonchalant. "Hermione is fucking brilliant. If it were something serious, I'm sure she'd get herself to the hospital wing quickly enough. Trust her, trust that she knows her body and this will all be over before you know it," he said in a comforting way.

Draco nodded, wishing he could agree, sipped at his almost cold coffee and opened up his book where he left off. Within a few moments, he snapped it shut again.

"Fuck this," he said. "I can't concentrate. She won't speak to me, but maybe she will speak to the She-Weasel? I'll send her a memo. Yes, I'll send one to Lovegood, too."

Theo watched curiously as Draco searched for two small scraps of blank parchment and scribbled a note on each, charming them into paper aeroplanes and sending them off to their recipients.

"And? Did it help?" Theo asked, his brows raised as Draco turned back to his book.

Draco chose not to dignify his friend's humour with a response, turning the page of his book without even glancing up. Theo shook his head and rolled his eyes. He knew that the messages to the girls had done absolutely nothing to lessen Draco's stress over Hermione, and went back to his notes.

Minutes or hours later, Anne Boleyn announced that "a Miss Weasley and a Miss Lovegood were requesting entry to the dormitory". Draco bounded to his feet and all but ran for the door to let the two girls in. Ginny was carrying what looked suspiciously like a hot water bottle wrapped in something fluffy, and Luna was holding a tray of oddly coloured potion bottles. They looked at him expectantly as he took in their offerings.

"Well," Ginny prompted. "Where is she?"

"Oh, err, in her room. But she was sleeping the last time I checked in. She might be awake now. Come on, I'll show you to her."

"We've got it from here, Malfoy. Move aside," Ginny told him with more than a little sass.

"What a lovely thought, Draco—but completely unnecessary," Luna added. "We know the way. Here," she said, handing him a bright pink potion, "for the Wrackspurts," she smiled at him in her dreamy way.

Draco took the potion from Luna, his face curious as he watched her ascend Hermione's staircase with Ginny. With a shrug, he flopped back onto the couch where Theo was staring after the girls.

"Reckon they'll get her back on her feet?" He asked.

"It's worth a try," Draco replied.


"'Mione?" Ginny called as she knocked softly on Hermione's bedroom door.

"Ginny?" Came the response.

Ginny pushed the door open to reveal herself and Luna, arms laden with items to help Hermione feel better. Hermione smiled genuinely at her friends.

"What are you two doing here?" She asked, watching them deposit their goods on her desk.

"We're here to help you feel better," Luna told her. "What exactly is the matter?"

Hermione waved her hand in the air carelessly. "Malfoy is being ridiculous. My body is just responding to the relief from study stress. You know how it is—you're fine all term, and then the moment you have a holiday planned, you come down with a cold. That's all this is."

"Hmmm," pondered Luna, sorting through her potions. "We really should run a diagnostic charm before administering anything to counter the effects."

Hermione waved her off. "I'm fine, Luna, really. Look, I even just finished this sandwich—and I don't feel like throwing up, so it looks like I'm on the mend! I'm so happy you girls are here, though. I could use some girl talk. Tell me what's happening in your lives." Hermione sat up against her pillows and patted the covers on the bed, inviting the girls to join her.


After two hours of chatting with Luna and Ginny, Hermione felt her energy flagging, and when her eyelids began to droop, her friends started to make their excuses. Their company had been a balm for Hermione's boredom. Mostly, she felt fine, but the moment she thought to get out of bed, the nausea would come for her again. Sleep was intermittent and never long enough, so she felt constantly drained. As a result, she was asleep before Ginny and Luna had even left the room.

Sometime later, when she woke up and decided that the sandwich wasn't sitting so well, after all, Hermione conceded to the idea of a diagnostic charm. She sat up, took her wand from the bedside table and waved it back and forth over herself in a complex manoeuver that left her wrist aching. A ghost-like version of her body wisped out of her wand and hovered next to what appeared to be a medical chart. Hermione studied the image of her body, all appeared to be in order, so she scanned the notes on the chart. Satisfied to see that everything was how it should be, she had been just about to vanish the projection when she saw it—reaching for the bucket beside her bed, she relieved her stomach of its contents.

A few moments later, Hermione felt in desperate need of a hot cup of tea and the company of her boyfriend. Wrapping herself in her most comfortable bathrobe, she left her claustrophobic bedroom and padded downstairs to the common room.

"Granger," Draco's face brightened as she walked into the room. "You're up—are you feeling better?"

Hermione winced. "Not really. Fancy a cuppa?"

"Sure," he said, dropping his book to the table and making his way over to their little kitchenette.

"No, no. I'll get it—you finish up what you were doing. One of us should be working."

Hermione shuffled over and retrieved two cups from the cupboard and set the water in the teapot to boiling with a wave of her wand. As the tea leaves steeped in the hot water, Hermione found herself staring into the deep red liquid, her mind wandering.

"Hermione—are you alright? Hermione?"

"Hmm?" She came to, still staring into the now dark teapot. She quickly removed the tea leaves before it turned too bitter. Draco was standing right behind her, one of his hands gently placed on the small of her back as he tried to study her face from the side.

"Yes, it's just that I think I've had an idea. A way to convince your mother to help us break the curse." Hermione smiled in a way that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Well then, I'm all ears," Draco responded, taking the teapot from her and fixing a cup for each of them. Hermione took a seat in the corner of their sofa, and gratefully accepted the tea he offered her.

"So what's this idea, then?" Draco prompted, settling into the other corner of the couch.

Hermione licked her lips nervously and cradled her teacup with both hands.

"Well," she started, "I was wondering if your mother might be willing to help us if we gave her some incentive?" She sipped from her too-hot tea and tucked a curl behind her ear nervously.

"That would have to be one hell of an incentive, Granger. What did you have in mind?"

Hermione took her time in replying, her throat catching on the words, her tongue felt twice it's normal size, and her lips had suddenly rendered themselves numb. Draco watched on expectantly. Somehow, she managed to stutter out the words, "What if there were to be a Malfoy heir?"

Draco's first reaction was to laugh. "Yes, that'd work, I imagine. Merlin, you're brilliant, Granger! But I don't think we'd get away with it for very long. I'm sure that there are spells to confirm these sorts of things," he waved his hand through the air.

"Yes," Hermione said, still clutching her cup, leaching the warmth that it offered. "There are spells for it—I've just performed one."

Draco had been retrieving his tea from where it sat on the coffee table. It slipped from his hands and cluttered to the floor.

Hermione watched the fine china shatter over the hard stone floor, the tea seeping into the stone, and thought that it was fitting. Her mind hadn't been able to form one coherent thought since she saw the little pink dot in her midsection on the projection of her body.

Draco stared at her, speechless for the first time that Hermione could remember. His gaze only left her face to trail briefly down to her stomach, as if he expected to see her belly round and full already, before trailing back up to her face. His adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed; shock, joy, horror, confusion, and a sudden understanding all jostling for first place in his mind. It was an eternity before he spoke again.

"I'm sorry? I think I need you to say that again. More plainly, Granger. My thoughts are running, and I can't seem to catch any of them."

"I'm pregnant, Draco. I don't know how, well—I know how, but I don't know HOW!"

"Brussels," he trailed off, as a sudden rush of understanding gripped his body. "You weren't eating the food from Hogwarts for a whole week... I didn't think about it. How could we not have thought about it?"

There was no colour left in Hermione's face to drain, but she felt a sudden wave of nausea at the realisation. She groaned in frustration.

"You're right. Of course, you're right. How could I have been so stupid?"

Distantly, Draco knew he ought to reach out to her, to comfort her, to tell her she wasn't stupid, that she was the most brilliant person he knew, but it was like his thought process was lagging. He was barely functioning. Hermione was pregnant. She was pregnant with his child. He was going to be a father. Holy fucking hell, he was going to be an unwed, teenage father—and if he was feeling all of this, how must Hermione be feeling? The realisation snapped him out of his reverie. He took her tea from her and pulled her close, settling her on his lap and resting his forehead against hers.

After several precious moments, he spoke. "How are you feeling?"

Hermione felt the bubble of nervous laughter escape her before she could stop it. "Like shit," she answered honestly. "Fucking hell, I thought I was just stressed over the exams, but a baby is growing inside of me. A real-life, honest to goodness baby, draining all my energy and making me want to vomit—all the fucking time!"

Draco took her face in his hands and swept the hair from her face, tilting her head so that he could look her in the eyes. Hermione refused to meet his gaze at first, reluctant to see what was written in them. She had no idea how she felt about this... predicament, and she sure as shit had no idea how he was feeling. Looking into his eyes felt like a dangerous trap—a trap for feeling something other than complete and utter shock over this happening. As little as she had considered marriage, she had considered children even less. Children were something for the future, something for when she had left school, had a dream career and was financially independent. Children were not for now. Losing herself in Draco's eyes was a trap that she couldn't resist, and she felt herself meet his gaze. He searched her soul, found what was lying there, picked it up, and carried it home. Hermione burst into tears.

Draco held her while she cried, understanding that she needed time—hell, he needed time, but he wasn't the person growing a whole other human inside their body. As he held her, he began to whisper in her ear— things he felt, things he thought, things that were soon to come.

"This might feel impossible, but it isn't. Everything seems to matter so much more now—the two of us, all used and beaten up after the war. Well, look at us now—is this fate giving us a way to follow the path that we have chosen? It won't be easy—my father will try to pick and pull things apart, but Hermione, this could be great. Now we have even more to fight for." Draco paused to hold her as she sobbed against his shoulder. He smoothed the hair back on her head as he felt her chest wracking and heaving against him. "You and me, we're in this together now—none of them can stop us now, and we will make it through somehow. It's you and me, Granger. You, me, and this baby. If the world should break in two, it will still be me fighting for you." He rested his hand gently against her abdomen.

The farther he fell, he was beside her. As lost as he was, he would find her, the deeper the wound, he would heal her. Forever and ever, Draco Malfoy was now a part of Hermione Granger.

Hermione sniffed against his shoulder—his words impacting her just as much as their situation. She clung to him, unsure what she was feeling, other than despair. Could this pregnancy somehow be a blessing in disguise? Could the way that she had told him actually be an avenue that they explored? Could she have a baby and feel something other than resentment towards it? She pulled back and studied his face, wishing she could feel some of the positivity he was radiating. She looked at him, running her fingers over his fine cheekbones, and considered how much she loved him. This baby was as much him as it was her, and if it was even fifty percent of him, she knew she could love it unconditionally. Suddenly, things didn't seem so bleak, and she found herself peppering kisses all over his face before meeting his lips desperately. Draco responded in kind, wishing to convey to her how much she meant to him, what creating a family could mean for them. He had been shocked in the moment, but his overriding emotion was pure ecstasy. He would make this work. He would make it all work for his family. He would take care of Hermione, and he would take care of their child, and he would be a better father than Lucius had ever been.

As Hermione nuzzled against his neck, she felt herself fading, exhaustion taking over. "What are we going to do?" She whimpered, as sleep started to take hold.

"I'll figure it out," he told her. "I won't let you down."


Graduation would be held on the Hogwarts grounds just before dinner the following evening. The results from their N.E. were impending—to be revealed to each witch or wizard just before the ceremony. However, Hermione was completely preoccupied with the little life growing inside her. The shock had worn off, and while she could admit that the situation wouldn't normally be ideal, she was happy—when she wasn't vomiting. Hermione thought about the timeline and realised that she must have been about six weeks along. She really should be seeking some sort of medical attention, but the thought of going to Madam Pomfrey or even to St Mungo's brought on another bout of nausea and a round of dizziness. She'd need to find a muggle midwife or obstetrician to help—she'd need to tell her parents. Oh, Morgana help her. She would sort all of this out as soon as they graduated.

Hermione and Draco had settled on a plan. They would finish out their time at Hogwarts without telling a single soul about the baby, graduate and meet with Narcissa at Florean Fortescue's Icecream Parlour in Diagon Alley. Draco had sent an owl to his mother just yesterday to arrange the time and place. They'd disembark from the Hogwarts Express for the last time and make their way straight there. Unwilling to Disapparate in Hermione's condition, they would be making the trip via muggle taxi and on foot. They had hope that Narcissa would be able to assist them, and happily so when she learned that she would be a Grandmother—maybe it wasn't happening in the way she would prefer, but Draco felt confident that Narcissa would feel an instant connection and willingness to protect her own blood.

It was the best, most solid plan that they had to date, and Hermione couldn't help the bubble of hope that she seemed to be living in for the last few days. The situation wasn't perfect, but she was choosing to look on the bright side of everything. As Draco was over the legal wizarding age of seventeen, he had already been given a certain amount of control over the Malfoy fortune. He would be able to find them a suitable place to live on their own; giving them their best chance of a happy life together with their baby. Marriage was something they had decided to discuss at a later date—though Draco was hoping he could convince Hermione to have a ceremony before the baby was born. All of this depended, of course, on the curse being broken. All plans hinged on Narcissa being happy about their situation. A big risk in Hermione's point of view, but one that they had to take.

"What are you thinking, Granger?" Draco asked, approaching her from behind and wrapping his arms around her. He rested his palms on her still flat stomach as if he'd be able to feel something there already. Hermione thought him adorable and sweet as she leaned back into his embrace.

"I'm thinking about our graduation tomorrow and all that comes after," she told him with a smile on her face.

"We have a bright future ahead of us, I'm sure of it," he responded, a smile of his own gracing his handsome face. Hermione had been seeing a lot more smiling instead of smirking this last week. It was a change she could get used to.

"Just a few weeks ago, I was worried about what would happen to us after graduation. How would we be able to continue our relationship outside of this castle? Now we have a plan, and I'm so hopeful that this could all work out," Hermione confessed in a rush, turning in his arms and locking her hands around his neck. She tilted her head back to better look in his eyes. Draco rubbed her nose with his—once, twice—in an affectionate gesture, before leaning down to catch her lips in a sweet and soft kiss.

"Granger, If I could, then I would—I'd go wherever you'd go. You've run away with my heart. You are my hope, and you have my love. All of my love. Now I know how my life and love might still go on. It will live in your heart, in your mind. So I'll stay with you for all of time."

"And I'll stay with you for all of time," she promised in return, dropping her arms from his neck to pull him closer and nuzzle into his chest.

TW - unexpected teenage pregnancy.

Songs this chapter are:

Don't Wanna Miss a Thing - Aerosmith (only a cover by Chris Klafford is available on Spotify)

We're in This Together - Nine Inch Nails (available on Spotify) but Tara Rice does a lovely cover if you would prefer something softer

Wherever You Will Go - The Calling