Hey :) so this is kinda a big chapter and posting it has scared me a little! But it's here.
Many thanks as always to tectonictogress for being the original Alpha & to TriDogMom for her endless encouragement and listening to me babble on about how to make the story better.
Hermione was dreaming, her body tossing and turning restlessly as her mind struggled to relax. There was a dull mounting pain above her right eye and every time she managed to settle into a slumber, she was awoken a short time later feeling nauseous.
Pushing her face into the depths of Draco's fluffy pillows, Hermione tried again to settle to sleep. She knew in the back of her mind she could just get up and take a pain potion but didn't have the energy to move from beneath the duvet.
Drifting again between unconsciousness and consciousness, Hermione saw Ron's face; his smile as he read his acceptance letter into the Auror training programme, the pride on his face as she tearfully watched him place her engagement ring upon her finger, and the joy as they recited their wedding vows beneath the beaming sun in the garden of The Burrow.
All too soon for Hermione's liking those images that used to bring her peace, morphed into memories of pain, accentuated by a sharp stabbing in her temple where the dull ache had begun. Unhappy moments from the last year stung Hermione's psyche, each more painful than the last. Ron yelling about how much time she spent at work; flash after flash of Ron's grin— usually reserved for her— becoming present every time he spoke of Olivia; their embrace at the Memorial Gala where Ron's hand lingered in the small of Olivia's back; and the night of her promotion— the night of the argument that led to their separation where Ron came home the following morning and confessed he had stayed at her house all night.
Desperate for some kind of solace, Hermione tried to turn her memories away from Ron, hoping that perhaps, if she thought of Draco, she would be able to chase the pain away. However, even thoughts of Draco weren't strong enough to soothe her frazzled mind. Sometime later Hermione found herself awake gasping for breath as her head madly throbbed.
Perhaps this was her penance for sleeping with Draco during the separation? Hermione thought as she rolled over and tried to get comfortable again, maybe she deserved this pain? It would be easy to rouse Draco and ask for a pain potion but the voice in her head told her not to. She had created this mess and she needed to find a way out of it.
Closing her eyes again, Hermione tried to focus, she needed to find a way back to the happy smiling Ron. In the back of her mind she was aware Ron had left her— that he no longer wanted to be her husband— but that fact didn't change the mission her subconscious mind was on. To get rid of the pain, she needed to get back to happy Ron.
For hours Hermione tossed and turned, her mind eventually coming to the conclusion that there was no way back to the happy Ron she was seeing. He was gone. Their relationship was over. As the realisation struck her, strong arms wrapped around her middle and pulled her into a warm embrace. Draco, disturbed by her chaotic movements and assuming it was one of her usual nightmares, had reached out and cocooned her in his arms, offering her the solace she desperately needed to find sleep at last.
What felt like minutes later, when in actuality it was three hours later, Hermione was roused by Draco gently shaking her as he whispered into her ear, "Hermione, you've got to get up."
"I don't want to," Hermione whined into the pillows, squeezing her eyes shut as she pulled the duvet more securely around herself. She felt confused, her dreams bleeding into her waking mind and whilst she was content snuggled in Draco's bed— his hands smoothing her hair from her head— she couldn't shake the pain of losing Ron. Everything had gotten out of control so quickly.
"What's the matter?" Draco asked softly, lying back against his headboard so he could run his fingers through her hair. He remembered pulling her petite body to his during the night after being kicked in the shin yet, when he had woken this morning she had been sleeping soundly beside him. Looking at her now in the morning sun, Draco could see pain etched into her features and dark circles beneath her eyes as she tried to turn away from the brightness and burrow into the pillows.
"My head hurts, it's making me feel sick," Hermione said grumpily, abandoning her effort to nuzzle into the depths of the pillows in favour of snuggling into Draco's side. Her arm snaking around his waist to pull herself closer as her brain reminded her that after he had snuggled her during the night, she had finally dropped off into a dreamless sleep. "I went to sleep thinking about the divorce and then I dreamt about…" Hermione paused, not wanting to admit she had dreamt specifically of Ron nor having the energy to properly explain a dream she didn't really understand. "Everything," Hermione settled, stifling a yawn so she could continue, "did you know it can take months for the divorce to go through and even then the marriage bonds have to be broken to complete the divorce?"
"I didn't know that. I'm sorry it's going to take so long," Draco replied soothingly as Hermione nuzzled in deeper. "Do you want me to owl the office? Tell them you're not going in?"
Hermione sighed deeply, the offer was so tempting. "No," Hermione answered sadly, thinking of all the work she had to do. "I'll get up in a minute."
"Did the lawyer tell you much else?" Draco asked, scooting himself down so he could pull Hermione properly against him, his hand moving in slow steady circles against her lower back.
Scooting herself closer to Draco's prone body, she nestled her head against his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat beneath her ear as she relaxed into him and spoke slowly. "Ron and I are to divide up the marital assets, sign the paperwork and then agree on a time and place to break the bonds with a Ministry official," Hermione answered, yawning deeply. The hand on her back was reliving the tension within her body and she felt herself growing heavy with sleep. "Those marriage bonds are dangerous," she added sleepily, moving closer to him and hooking a leg over one of his.
"Yes, they are, Granger," Draco replied thoughtfully.
From what his parents had told him, the marriage bonds tied you to your spouse. The strength of that tie varied person to person but reflected the love they had for one another at the time the bond was made. The danger of breaking the bonds was the main reason divorce rates were so low in the wizarding world, not many people wanted to go through the painful process, so most worked through their issues or came to some other arrangement.
Draco's train of thought was interrupted by a soft snore from Hermione. Smiling to himself, Draco reached for his wand. He summoned over a piece of parchment and dictated his message before banishing it with a flick of his wand. Now the office knew not to expect Hermione, he could snuggle down with her. He would catch up with Blaise later.
Now on eye level with Hermione— not that hers were open— Draco took the time to study her face. It had been so long since Draco had been able to just look at her. Hermione's long lashes rested delicately against her cheeks. This close, Draco could see the faint smattering of freckles trailing across her nose and under her eyes. Gods, he loved her eyes. Draco could get lost staring into their warm, open depths.
Breathing in her scent, Draco's gaze moved to Hermione's slightly parted lips as she breathed deeply. Draco's lips tingled as he recalled the last time they kissed. It had been all-consuming and raw, driven by their desires alone. Draco ached to do it again. Closing his eyes, Draco allowed the memories to wash over him. It wasn't often Draco thought of their night together, but having Hermione wrapped around him and feeling the slight curve of her stomach against his side, where his potential child rested in her womb, Draco indulged.
His heart was pounding and his mouth was dry as his mind reeled from having just kissed Hermione. The moment was surreal and Draco could tell they were far from done. As he licked his lips, searching for her taste— he was almost certain he could taste salted caramel on his tongue— Hermione wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him closer. Her grip in his hair bringing him back to the here and now.
The energy in the cave was tangible. Magic danced across their skin, drawing them together like a moth to a flame and Draco was loathe to try and resist the pull he felt towards Hermione. With her legs now securely locked around him, Draco's hands were free to roam. Releasing his firm grasp upon her hips, one hand smoothed it's way up to her waist; tracing small circles upon her bare skin as the other trailed up her back and into her hair, grabbing a fistful of her riotous curls before he nipped and sucked at Hermione's lower lip.
Feeling her body ripple with pleasure as she surrendered herself to his touch, Draco had to remind himself to savour the moment. It was no good to get caught up in his head and have the experience end prematurely because he couldn't control his desires. However, having a scantily clad Hermione writhing against him, responding to his every touch was proving to be quite stimulating.
Draco was promptly jerked out of his trance by a jolt of pain to his lower lip. Blinking rapidly as a moan escaped his mouth he realised that Hermione had mirrored his biting and was now sucking on said lip. Peering over Hermione's shoulder as she continued to bite, suck and kiss his lips, Draco searched for something to pin her to. His hands were itching to explore every delicious curve of her body and learn exactly what drove her wild.
Spying a smooth expanse of rock, Draco surged through the water and pressed Hermione back into it, smirking when her eyes popped open at the sudden temperature change. Seizing the opportunity, Draco pushed himself against her, effectively pinning her in place with his hips as he returned his lips to hers and kissed her deeply, earning himself a low moan of satisfaction as he did so. With her body now firmly held in place by his, and their tongues sparring for dominance, Draco's hands moved to continue his exploration of her body.
Every inch had to be touched, every curve cherished and committed to memory before the evening was over and it was a challenge Draco was very much looking forward to. He needed to learn her, intimately, so he could perfect the art of bringing her undone, so he could know when she screamed his name later in the height of their passion that he had earned every whimper and every moan. His journey began as his hand moved from the dip of her waist, up, to the swell of her breast, palming it gently through the wet fabric of her bikini top. As Hermione shuddered and grinded down against him, Draco grazed his nails just beneath the fabric against her ribs, teasing lightly under the material before cupping her breast fully again and caressing her firm nipple with the pad of his thumb.
Hermione rolled her hips against Draco's and he felt his cock twitch in response to her brazen action. He was already painfully hard and her action had brought friction where he desperately craved it. Keeping one hand massaging her breast, Draco released the other from her hair and tickled his way down across her back to grip on her hip so he could thrust against her each time she ground down against him.
Bringing their bodies together was sweet ecstasy. As Draco rutted against Hermione he felt her nails rake down his back, the power of her hold breaking the skin. The anticipation of there being nothing between them was tantalising, driving Draco to hold Hermione tighter, kiss her harder.
"Draco," Hermione said quietly, still half asleep herself as she looked at Draco's peaceful face. "Draco, wake up, we've overslept."
Opening his eyes slowly Draco jumped, his heart pounding at finding himself nose to nose with Hermione. "Merlin, Hermione!" He said, using his free hand to pat his chest. "You scared me."
"You let me oversleep!" Hermione countered quickly, smirking as a pink blush crept across Draco's cheeks.
"Yes, I did," Draco replied, slowly coming to his senses and realising the excitement he felt in his dream had transitioned into wakefulness. Conscious of the way Hermione was pressed against him, her leg dangerously close to his engorged appendage, Draco hastily rearranged himself around Hermione and held her tightly, not wanting her to see his current predicament nor the blush staining his cheeks. "You needed it," he mumbled into her hair, trying to calm himself, "and I let your boss know, so relax. How are you feeling, anyway?"
"Much better," Hermione said earnestly, thinking nothing of Draco's behaviour and feeling as if the extra sleep had done her the world of good. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Draco responded, carefully moving so he was slightly more comfortable.
Running her fingers across Draco's chest, Hermione spoke again, "I was thinking actually…" she began before pausing, her fingers tapping against Draco's sternum as she pondered how to word her request.
"Yes?" Draco inquired, not bothering to keep the curiosity out of his tone as he looked down at her, wondering what had her struggling to put a sentence together.
"I was thinking about the scan," Hermione started nervously biting her lip. "I think I want to know, sooner rather than later, who the father is. I don't want all three of us to be in the dark. If it's Ron's, I want to be able to make a plan so we can discuss it with the lawyer."
"Hermione," Draco said, his hand coming to rest at her hip so he could look at her fully. This felt like an important moment, one that needed consideration, as Draco spoke he carefully weighed each word before they passed his lips. "I am with you 100% of the way. You want the scan today, we have it today. You want me to go, I'll go. You want me to stay, I'll stay. I'm right here, every step of the way, I promise you. I'm with you and the baby."
Tears welled in Hermione's eyes, Draco's dedication, not only to her, but to her baby astounded her. Totally lost for words, Hermione nodded into his chest, trying and failing miserably to hold her tears back. Sniffling into another one of his jumpers, Hermione felt Draco's warm hand rubbing consoling circles on her back until she drifted off to sleep again.
The following Friday, Hermione found herself in Healer Bradstone's office with her stomach on show as Draco stood beside her holding her hand. Looking down where her once flat stomach had been, Hermione studied the slight curve as Healer Bradstone traced the same complicated wand movements as before. After a few minutes, Healer Bradstone stood back to assess the apparition now hovering above Hermione's stomach, jotting down various bits of information before looking up happily at the pair.
"So," Healer Bradstone said, clapping her hands together, "looking at the size of the fetus, gestational sac and the cardiac activity, I would say you are a very healthy ten weeks pregnant. This is your baby right here," Healer Bradstone explained, pointing to the tiny image above Hermione. "This is the head," she continued, circling the larger solid gold area as it shone against the pale gold background. "This is the rest of the body, and here's a little hand and a little foot!" Healer Bradstone finished, tracing the curve of the baby's spine with her pinky, pointing out the tiny flicks for hands and feet.
Hermione gasped and gripped Draco's hand tighter, trying very quickly to do the maths in her head. Her concentration was broken by Draco's cracked voice asking, "Does that mean I'm the Father?" The words hung in the air between them as they waited with bated breath for Healer Bradstone's answer.
"As the date coincides with the date you had intercourse there is a higher chance that you are the Father, Mr Malfoy." Healer Bradstone said seriously. "However, as Hermione was still using the potion at the time and scans can be wrong there is still the chance that you are not."
Hermione felt her heart stop momentarily. There is a higher chance. Her brain repeated, over and over again. But the question was, did she want it to be Draco's? There was a small part of her that was relieved, having a child with Ron was not part of her plan. Then again, having a baby with Draco certainly wasn't either. Subconsciously, her grip tightened on Draco's hand and he looked at her in surprise with a small smile. It was at that moment, Hermione realised there was still the option of a paternity test to give them answers.
"Ok," Draco replied as he moved closer to study the image, fascinated to be able to see the tiny person growing inside of Hermione. His heart beat erratically as he thought of how that tiny person could be his, theirs. Was he ready for this? Could he really be someone's father? As much as he was excited to be with Hermione throughout this, he was also terrified. Seeking some reassurance, Draco looked away momentarily and smiled at Hermione before turning and asking, "What's this area here?" pointing to a smaller golden circle which sat just next to the baby's head.
Puzzled, Hermione tried to sit up a bit straighter so she could see what Draco was pointing at, her brows creasing together as she tried to figure it out.
"I don't believe it," Healer Bradstone muttered as she drew closer to the pair, pulling her wand out to dim the lights further and cast another spell.
"You don't believe what?" Hermione asked, panicking as the Healer stayed silent, her hand grasping Draco's even tighter.
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the baby?" Draco demanded as his stomach fluttered. The whole point of Hermione having regular scans at work was to ensure the cave didn't have any adverse effects to her health. If that Healer had missed something, and his potential child was now in danger, there would be hell to pay.
"No," Healer Bradstone answered softly as the sound of a heartbeat filled the room, freezing Hermione and Draco in place. "This is your baby's heartbeat and if you listen carefully, there is a second one."
Draco's jaw dropped as he stood listening to what was quickly becoming two very defined heartbeats. Surely Healer Bradstone couldn't be telling them Hermione was carrying twins? They were so rare. Despite being the one to question the second, smaller golden circle, Draco couldn't believe it, there was no way Hermione was having twins. It couldn't be happening. There had never been twins in the Malfoy line, ever, but the Weasley line? He didn't know anything about their bloodline except they bred like rabbits and Molly bloody Weasley had twin sons.
"Are you sure?" Hermione questioned quietly, bringing Draco back to the here and now. "Is that not my heartbeat?" Unsure of how she felt, Hermione did the only thing she knew how to do, ask questions.
"You're having twins, Hermione," Healer Bradstone confirmed with a smile, leaning forward to point at the smaller circle Draco had noticed. "If you'll watch here as I rotate the image, you'll see this is the top of the other babies head. I'm sorry I didn't notice it, twins are so rare in the magical world."
"I… I don't know what to say," Hermione mumbled as she looked at the image before her. The world seemed to have stopped turning as Hermione sat there, staring at the apparition. Part of her was aware that she was probably squeezing Draco's hand a bit too hard, but she couldn't feel it, it was outside of her body. The revelation of twins didn't seem real, she couldn't be carrying twins. She was barely prepared to deal with one baby, but two!? That was a whole different concept to get her head around.
"That's ok," Healer Bradstone replied, hoping to reassure the future mother. "It's a lot to take in and can take some time to adjust to so don't worry. Would you like a picture?"
Bemused, Hermione managed to get a, "Yes please," out before lying back fully on the examination table to close her eyes. She was going to have twins, twins! Did this mean the babies were Ron's? "Actually, I do have one question." Hermione began, biting her lip as Healer Bradstone turned back to her, the sonogram picture in hand. "Do twins carry in the paternal line? Or the maternal line? My um, husband, has a history of twins in his family."
Sensing her patient's discomfort, Healer Bradstone belatedly realised why the news of twins would serve as such a shock, with the uncertainty of the babies father, twins in the paternal line would be a strong indication of the paternity. "It's all to do with the mother," she answered softly, watching some of the tension vanish from Hermione's face, "the father has no impact, so to speak. Do you have a history of twins, Hermione?"
Hermione pondered it for a minute before shaking her head, as far as she knew there were no twins in the Granger line.
"How interesting," Healer Bradstone pondered before turning to Draco who had been awfully quiet since his discovery. "Mr Malfoy," Healer Bradstone asked, making Draco snap his bewildered eyes to hers. "Do you need a glass of water?"
It was then Draco realised he'd been silent the entire time, he swallowed, trying to wet the dry desert that was now his throat before coughing to clear it before answering, "No— thank you." Maybe he was still in with a chance to be a father to Hermione's baby— babies— after all.
"Now," Healer Bradstone spoke again, looking at both of them to check they were paying attention. "As you are both aware, there is a test we can do at ten weeks to confirm the paternity. I made the appointment long enough to do this today if you require."
Hermione sat up and looked at Draco, his face working hard to conceal his conflicting emotions. "How do you do this test?" Hermione asked delicately, sensing that Draco wasn't going to push her either way.
"It's relatively simple and safer than the Muggle alternative, however, it does come with some risks," Healer Bradstone spoke clearly, making sure both Hermione and Draco were following her every word. "I take a sample of the placental tissue through your abdominal wall, then analyse the DNA in that sample with samples from yourself and Mr Malfoy. At conception, the DNA from the fetus is randomly derived of equal amounts from the mother and father, so if you're both equally represented in the fetus's DNA, then Mr Malfoy is the father."
"Is that where the risk is?" Hermione questioned, propping herself up on her elbows as Draco leaned in to listen carefully. "Withdrawing the tissue from the placental wall?"
"Yes," Hermione Bradstone answered simply. "Taking tissue from there could cause you to miscarry. The chances are lower in the wizarding world, but they are still there."
"Absolutely not," Draco said quickly, thinking only of how Hermione could be carrying two of his children.
Hermione shook her head. "No, I'm not comfortable with that."
"I understand," Healer Bradstone said consolingly, passing them a leaflet. "It's a lot to take in. Here, take this for reference in case you wish to discuss it later."
"Thank you, Healer Bradstone," Hermione replied, passing the leaflet to Draco for safe keeping.
Healer Bradstone removed the enchantment on Hermione's stomach and spoke to the couple. "Since you're carrying twins, I will need to see a lot more of you. I'll be prescribing you extra potions to ensure you and the babies get all the vitamins needed, and you will need to make sure you don't overdo it. Is there anything else you want to know?"
"I'm sure there is," Hermione answered quietly, struggling to absorb all the information. "I'm just a little overwhelmed."
"That's understandable, we've discovered a lot today," Healer Bradstone said soothingly. "Right now, I have no concerns, just keep yourself and the babies healthy and we'll be fine. I'll see you in two weeks."
"Yes, thank you. We'll be in touch Healer Bradstone," Draco nodded curtly, reaching out to take Hermione's hand as she stood slowly, pulling her t-shirt back down across her stomach and re-adjusting the waistband of her jeans.
"Any questions or concerns, night or day, you know how to reach me," Healer Bradstone replied as she showed Hermione and Draco from her office.
"Thank you," Hermione said again as Draco nodded, his eyes guarded. Hermione felt his hand slip around her waist and hold her tightly as he led them from the office and onto the street.
"Are you ok?" Draco asked Hermione in a low voice as they walked slowly, dodging the other pedestrians. His mind was reeling. Since he had found out about Hermione's pregnancy, he had been researching little bits and pieces to help him prepare, just in case. But he hadn't wanted to get his hopes up, so had kept it to the immediate stuff, like how to help her deal with morning sickness. Now, however, there was a higher chance that he was the father to not one, but two babies. Two! The neurons in his brain seemed to keep misfiring every time he came back to the fact that Hermione was expecting twins.
"Yeah," Hermione muttered, her eyes vacant as they walked. "I'm just in shock, I think." If it wasn't for Draco holding her up, Hermione was sure she would have stumbled by now. Every step felt heavy and disjointed, much like every thought in her mind. Her breath was coming in short, uneven gasps and she struggled to put a more coherent sentence together. There was a small part of her that was thrilled that Draco had the higher chance, but how on earth could they do this? They weren't even a couple! They were friends that slept together. Just that one time. Hermione swallowed the sigh that threatened to escape her lips and started rubbing her palm up and down her forearm as they walked.
"I am too," Draco said softly, his hands holding Hermione lightly by the shoulders so he could turn her and look into her bewildered eyes. "I'll take that higher chance though."
Feeling light on his feet, Draco planted a chaste kiss on Hermione's cheek, smiling as she focused in on him. In that moment Draco could see everything he wanted; Hermione barefoot and pregnant again, their blonde haired twins racing back inside after playing in the meadow of their family home, endless days and nights full of laughter and love… but no, he couldn't get his hopes up, it wouldn't do to dwell on dreams and forget to live. Draco shook his head, clearing the image before snaking his arm back around Hermione's waist. Giving her a reassuring squeeze, Draco gave her what he was sure was a soppy smile before leading them both down the road for a spot of dinner at his favourite restaurant.