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**** HERMIONE ****

"Seriously, there's only one fucking way out, and this kid can't find it!?" Ginny eased herself into the arm chair, looking completely flustered.

"Maybe you should shove a map up there." Draco suggested and earned himself a death glare.

"Are you trying to be funny Malfoy?" She snapped, "Because you're not. You're not even close. You're an arse. Just like every other man on the planet who thinks it's perfectly okay to get women pregnant with their stupid, giant spawn."

I looked at Harry, who was grinning. Ginny was almost a week past her due date and she was holding Harry to blame. But he could have cared less, taking her feisty temper in his stride.

They had taken up residence in the small cottage that was once my home. Speculation as to just when Harry Potter's first born would arrive had reached boiling point, and they had decided to hide until the baby arrived. Of course, it had made for a couple of interesting weeks for Draco and me.

We had become accustomed to the solitude of our house on the cliffs. I had moved in permanently with Draco after months of him insisting that since I spent most nights with him, I may as well stay every night with him, and we had settled into a comfortable, quiet, easy existence. Pansy and Blaise were regular visitors, as were Ginny and Harry. As was Neville, with Luna when he wasn't teaching, and Theo Nott, who had been a hilarious addition to the group, with a wit that was quicker and snarkier than even Blaise's.

But most surprising of all was when Charlie Weasley started dropping by.

Usually with Pansy.

My bringing Charlie on board to supply dragon scales and blood had had a ripple effect. He had gotten to know both Draco and Blaise, both of who had found Charlie to be extremely interesting, and they both scoffed at my suggestion that they were both mildly jealous that Charlie chased dragons while they wore suits. And in turn, Charlie had, after several visits, become extremely interested in the potions lab.

Pansy had been oddly quiet when he had first started supplying for us. She had shown him the lab, had been overly professional when talking with him, and had not been her normal, smart-mouthed self. My initial concerns had been that she was blaming Charlie for Ron's behaviour, but I realised just how ridiculous that notion was since Pansy and Ginny had become the very best of friends.

But after a string of weekly visits from Charlie, I realised that I had never seen Pansy in a situation that she couldn't control, and feelings were something that fucked you over royally, especially when you weren't prepared.

And it wasn't hard to see why she was struggling to control her feelings. Charlie was muscular and tanned, and handsomely rugged from his time working outdoors. His hands were rough and calloused, and he had a large scar on his arm from a dragon burn. His smile was infectious and his pleasant, friendly nature was hard to ignore.

We'd of course teased her relentlessly – wondering just how those rough hands felt – and in typical Pansy style, she told us all to fuck off. And when she said this, we knew.

Pansy was completely smitten.

Charlie had managed to do the impossible; he'd gotten under Pansy Parkinson's skin, had broken through the tough exterior and discovered a heart that was willing to let someone in.

"Please tell me it's only us tonight." Ginny whined, "I can't cope with anyone right now."

"It's only us." I smiled as she rubbed her enormous belly, "You okay?"

"No. I'm hot and uncomfortable and I have to pee every two minutes. I don't hate this baby, but I hate that it's still in me." she shifted, looking, as she had said, decidedly uncomfortable, "Distract me. Please? Tell me something that's not baby related."

"Blaise is entertaining Katie Bell tonight." I told her and laughed when she looked at me with wide eyes.

"Seriously?" She was looking excitedly between Draco and me, and then her face turned serious. "He does know if he fucks her over I'll kill him?"

I glanced at Draco, "Oh, I think he's well aware of it. But I don't think you have anything to be worried about. Apparently they've been seeing each other longer than Draco and I have."

"What!?" she cried, "How the hell did they hide it?"

"Well," Draco said with a smirk, "They haven't had people just dropping in on them unannounced."

She scowled at him and told him to shut up, and then rubbed her hands together, a sly look crawling across her face, "So now it's a race to see who hands out a ring first."

"Ginny really? This again?" Draco shook his head, "I told you to stop pressuring Hermione into asking me to marry her."

Harry chuckled, "Don't tempt her, Malfoy. You know she'll do it."

Draco grinned at me. Little did they know that we had discussed our future and we were pretty much on the same page; we wanted to be together indefinitely, but were happy where we were, and neither of us was ready to take that next step just yet.

Ginny groaned and pressed her hand to her belly, "Hey kid, my bladder is not a trampoline." She held her hands out to Harry and he pulled her from the chair. She gave him a tight smile, "I hate you."

"I know." He kissed her cheek, and watched her walk down the hallway towards the bathroom.

"How are you really, Potter?" Draco asked when she was out of earshot.

"I'd rather fight another war," He grimaced, "That was way less terrifying than this."

"You'll be fine," I assured him, "You've been brilliant all the way through this."

"Maybe, but we'll have a baby any day now, and I have no idea what to do." He said glancing down the hallway. "And I can't ask you, like I usually do."

"Sorry," I offered and patted his arm. It was a feeble response, but he was right; other than the basics, I had no idea about any of this.

He waved off my response and leaned back in the chair, "So, I do have some good news." he started and looked between us both, "Demetrius Brach has been caught."

Draco sat up straight, "What!? When?"

"Two days ago. We finally caught up with him hiding in a small shed in a field in the middle of nowhere in Ireland. He hadn't stayed anywhere for longer than a day, two at the most, but I guess he got tired of running."

"Two days ago? And you're only telling us now?"

I touched his arm, "Draco," I said gently, "I'm sure there's a reason."

Harry nodded, "Yeah, it took two days to get a confession out of him. We had him on the counterfeit charges, but we wanted him on the harassment ones as well."

"And...?" I asked, a little too hopeful.

"He confessed." Harry said, "Called you both every name under the sun, but you won't have to worry about him again."

Draco let out a long exhale, the weight of the last few months had been weighing heavily on him, and he had hardly left my side, despite the reassurances the Aurors had given us regarding our safety.

The letters had continued to arrive for a couple even after we knew that Lucius had nothing to do with them.

We'd learned to ignore them, but the nasty, derogatory comments still bit hard. And they were arriving at least once a week. Harry had been certain that they were coming from Demetrius, but with very little proof, he had struggled to get The Ministry to allow a trace to be put on him.

Finally they had relented, but as Harry said, Demetrius was jumping from place to place quicker than they could apparate. But clearly he had run out of hiding places, and my relief at his capture equalled Draco's.

"Thank you, Potter." Draco said with a nod.

Ginny returned, and seeing the look on her face, I shot up out of my chair. "Gin?"

She gripped the door frame, her eyes were wide and she was taking deep breaths, "I think it might be time."

Harry was by her side in an instant and Draco's face had gone pale, but her eyes never left mine. She reached for my hand and I smiled.

"What do you need?" I asked, and she shook her head frantically, clearly unsure. I squeezed her hand gently, "Do you need to go to the hospital now?"

"I don't know," she whispered, "I think my water broke when I was in the bathroom."

"Okay," I said, really not sure if that was particularly urgent, but something in her tone led me to assume it was.

I looked at Harry, his face had drained of all its colour and I was slightly concerned that he was about to pass out. Draco had managed to get himself under control and gripped Harry's shoulder.

"Maybe you could go and get her bag, and I'll stay here with her."

"Yeah, okay," Harry said but remained rooted to the spot.

I shot Draco a "please help" look, and nodded towards the cottage, indicating that he should go with him. He clapped Harry on the back, startling him out of his stupor.

"Come on, Potter. Let's get what she needs and get her to the hospital."

"You have to stay with me," Ginny said to me the second they apparated, "You can't leave me alone."

I patted her hand and winced as what I assumed was a contraction hit her. She gritted her teeth and breathed in and out in a focused rhythm.

"Harry is terrified," she said when the pain subsided, "He'll pass out and I'll be on my own."

"I'm sure he won't be that bad."

"He's not hiding anything." She said and began pacing, telling me that it was perfectly fine to do when I insisted that she sit down. "He's read more books, and asked more questions than I have, and he's still in a blind panic. He thinks he's hidden how scared he is. He hasn't."

"Ginny—"

"No," She said through gritted teeth, "I need you with me, and you will not say no."

"Ah, okay then." I said and took a step back from her and held my hands up. "I'll come with you."

"Hermione?" Harry looked confused, "You're coming with us?"

I nodded, "Apparently Ginny wants me to stay with her. I hope that's okay?"

He looked at Ginny and then back to me, and I noted the look of relief on his face, "If that's what she wants."

Draco chuckled and I glared at him. He knew that the last place I wanted to be was with Ginny and Harry when this baby was being born. But right at that moment, Ginny looked as scary as all hell, and I wasn't going to tell her no.

"You can stay here, Malfoy," Ginny said.

"Whatever you need, Gin." He said too sweetly and I glared at him again. "Best you all be off then."

I watched as Harry and Ginny stepped into the floo and disappeared. I turned on Draco and shoved my finger in his chest, "You will come and rescue me. One hour. And if you're not there, I will come home and punch your stupid face."

"One hour. Got it." He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

I stepped into the floo and called out my destination, scowling as I heard him yell 'have fun!' as I disappeared.

"Breathe, Ginny. Breathe."

Harry's voice was calm and soothing. It was as if the hospital had magically changed him from a complete jabbering mess to the sensible man I knew him to be. As Ginny's labour progressed, he became less and less nervous and more in control. And thankfully, I could take a step back, and not have to witness the events close up.

Ginny's focus had shifted from me and back to Harry. Her eyes had barely left his for the last hour, and I wondered if I could sneak out and not be noticed doing so.

I did, however, love watching them together during this moment. The quiet whispers, Harry's gentle touches, the way he rubbed her back and reassured her she was doing an amazing job. And I'd had to hold back my laughter at his grimaces of pain when Ginny squeezed his hand with each contraction.

My heart skipped a beat and a flood of emotion wormed its way through my chest. I swallowed hard and took several deep breaths. My thoughts were suddenly not about Harry and how perfect he was being. Instead they had turned to Draco, and I wondered if this was what he would be like with me.

Would he be sweet and reassuring? Would he hold my hand like Harry was doing? Would he kiss my forehead and tell me I was amazing?

My hand slipped instinctively to my stomach, and I took a deep breath. I was adamant that I was not ready for any of this yet, but watching my two friends as they brought their baby into the world together left me with an ache that I hadn't experienced before. I tried to tamp down the flood of emotions, but found it impossible to do, and I was filled with the need to see him, to be close to him, to have his arms wrapped around me, comforting me like Harry was doing.

Suddenly the room felt too small, to constricting, and I needed to be anywhere but here. I kissed Ginny's forehead, "I'll just be outside," I said quietly and she nodded.

"You can stay," Harry told me but I shook my head.

"This should be just the two of you." I squeezed his shoulder, "You'll be fine. Both of you."

I leaned on the wall outside the room, trying to slow my racing heart. I was clueless as to where all these new thoughts had come from. Was it just a surge of emotion of having seen Ginny so happy being pregnant? And now, despite the pain she was currently experiencing, so obviously delighted that very soon her baby would welcomed with so much love and excitement?

Why the hell had I agreed to go into that room with them? It was stupid of me. Just hours ago, these thoughts were only an occasional blip in my mind and usually only occurred when Draco brought up the subject of marriage and children. But this time, as hard as I tried, I couldn't stop the feelings that I had once given very little thought to.

But the more I thought about it, the more the emotions built. I sighed, knowing that he would be out there, waiting for me. I schooled my features, not wanting him to see the insanity that was building inside me. I walked down the hall to the small waiting room and was surprised to find not only Draco there waiting for me, but Molly and Arthur sitting opposite him. I wondered how long they had all been there, and just how awkward it had been.

"Hermione," Molly stood and engulfed me, "How are you, dear?"

I looked over her shoulder at Arthur who was smiling nervously at me. I hadn't seen either of them since Ron and I split. It wasn't that I hadn't wanted to see them, but it had been easier to stay away, and in truth, I had been as nervous about seeing them as Arthur looked right now. I wasn't sure how they would react. I assumed that they would both be horrified at their son's behaviour, but he was still their son.

"I'm well, Molly," I said hugging her back, "It's lovely to see you."

She stepped back and held me at arm's length, "You look radiant."

My eyes flicked quickly to Draco, "Thank you. How are you?"

"Couldn't be better, my dear," Her face twitched, "And I'm sorry—"

I held up my hand, "No. Can we not? Not here, not today."

She nodded, her face flushing, and she gave me another quick hug before stepping back and allowing Arthur to give me a hug.

"We are sorry," He whispered and I nodded.

"I know." I assured him.

I took a seat next to Draco and leaned my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me and pressed his cheek to the top of my head.

"Okay?" he whispered and I simply nodded.

But I wasn't. I was so far from okay it scared me. I thought that stepping out of the room would have rid me of my thoughts, made me less sentimental, but having his arms around me just seemed to make things worse. I wanted to run, wanted to be back in my cottage, hidden away and safe from the insane thoughts that were making my heart race and my palms sweat.

But I couldn't run. Not with Molly and Arthur here, not with a baby being born just down the hall. And I knew that if I did run, Draco would be right behind me, and a conversation that I wasn't ready to have would occur.

I closed my eyes, hoping that they would all assume I was exhausted, which wasn't far from the truth. Three hours watching Ginny and trying to reassure her was exhausting. Of course it was nothing compared to what she was currently experiencing, and I felt guilty for even comparing. But my nerves were so frayed that I was struggling to keep my tears at bay.

I felt his lips on the top of my head and his arm tighten around me. He knew something was wrong, but with Molly and Arthur sitting just a few feet away, there was no way he could ask me.

I was surprised when Arthur and Draco began conversing quietly, seeming to pick up the conversation that I had apparently interrupted. They chatted idly about Draco's work, and Molly's chuckles at Arthur's latest muggle artefact problems made me smile. I missed them both more than I had realised.

But while they chatted easily, for me time seemed to stand still. I couldn't seem to wrap my brain around the fact that in such a short span of time I had gone from not wanting to be married and have children, to it suddenly being the only thing I did want.

I squeezed my eyes closed tighter and exhaled slowly. I knew I was being terribly rude, but I also knew that if I attempted to talk, the tears I was struggling to hold at bay would definitely fall.

"Hey," Draco said quietly, "This might take a while, did you want to get some coffee?"

I nodded, it was all I could do. It was the perfect escape for him to find out what was bothering me. I stood, and saw the looks of concern on Molly and Arthur's faces, but I simply smiled and began to move away. Draco told Molly and Arthur that we wouldn't be long, and then followed beside me, taking my hand in his and squeezing gently.

"Can we go home?" I asked quietly.

"Is that what you need?"

I nodded, "It is."

He lifted our linked hands to his lips and placed a kiss on my fingers, then led us towards the floo. "You go first."

I stepped into the fireplace and turned to look at him. He was smiling, but his eyes were full of concern. I called out my destination and watched his face as I disappeared, dreading the conversation that we were about to have.

**** DRACO ****

I watched as she stepped into the floo, watched as she turned to face me, her face distraught, her eyes blinking back tears.

The instant she had walked into the waiting room, I knew there was something wrong. I had mistakenly assumed that she would have been delighted that Ginny wanted her with them, but either it had been all too much for her in the delivery room, or it was something else entirely.

She had managed to hold herself together for Molly and Arthur's sake, but I knew that if they had not been there, we would have left instantly.

I waited half a minute – steadying my nerves and wondering what was going on in her head – before stepping into the floo.

I wasn't expecting her to be waiting for me, I knew her all too well. So I climbed the stairs to the third floor, and found her staring out the windows at the ocean that she was so enamoured with.

"Hermione?"

She turned to face me, "I can't do this Draco. I can't." Her words were choked. Tears streamed down her face and nose was running. Her face was splotchy and she was a mess, and I hadn't seen her looking so vulnerable since our first meeting in the sand a year ago. "I can't have a baby. It's not..."

I stopped short. I wasn't expecting that. Adrenaline surged through me, was she...?

I watched as her knees buckled and she crumpled to the floor, covering her face with her hands. I crouched down in front of her, resting my hands on her knees.

"It's not, what?" I asked her gently, despite the fact that my heart was racing. I knew she wasn't ready for this, she had told me repeatedly, but I was more than ready. I wanted her carrying my baby, wanted my ring on her finger, wanted her with me until the day we took our last breaths.

She leaned her head back on the window and closed her eyes. I simply waited while she tried to control her breathing, her hiccups slowing. After what seemed like forever, she finally opened her eyes. I smiled at her. But she exploded.

"It's not what I want! I'm not an oven for you to plant your seed and make a thousand babies in! I'm not that and won't be that. I won't give up my job just to satisfy your need to continue your precious name!" she clenched her jaw and I saw the anguish flicker across her face. This wasn't anger at me. It was anger at Weasley. It was clear that he saw her in only one way, and that was as the mother of his children.

I wanted to pull her to me. Wanted to hold her, wanted to touch her. But I resisted. It wasn't what she needed. She needed to be angry, she needed to be a crying mess. I left my hands on her knees, "Hermione. Look at me."

She sniffed and wiped her hand across her face, but her eyes remained trained on the floor.

So as not to startle her, I slowly moved one hand to her chin, lifting it gently and making her look at me. Her eyes were glazed over, unfocused, but she was at least looking in my direction. I kept my voice steady and told her, "You're not an oven, and my name isn't as precious to me as you think. I know how much you love your job. Of course you can keep working, you don't have to give up anything for me. I would never ask you to. You know that."

She looked at me, wide-eyed, and nodded. I stood and helped her up off the floor, pulling her close when she steadied on her feet.

My heart was still racing, but I had to know, I needed to ask her. "Hermione, are you pregnant?"

She shook her head against my chest and then looked up at me, her face a mixture of disappointment and apology, "No. I'm not."

She closed her eyes and I heard the click of her throat as she swallowed, saw the clench of her jaw. And my heart almost shattered as I saw the tear slip through her lashes.

My chest constricted and my jaw clenched. I wasn't sure how to react, how she wanted me to react. "Oh-kay," I said slowly, "So what brought this on?"

She stepped out of my arms and turned back to the window. "Nothing, it's just...stupid," she whispered.

I pressed my hand against her back and her breath shuddered, "It's not nothing if you're this upset. And I'm sure it's not stupid. Did something happen with Ginny?"

"No, it's all me." She looked at me with watery eyes and shook her head, a tiny smile curling her lips, "I was in that room with them, watching Harry. He was so perfect, holding her hand and telling her she was amazing. And all I could think about was if that was me, what you would do, how would you be?"

"And how did you imagine me being?"

"Perfect," she said, "You're always so perfect, and you watching me giving birth to our baby would be no different."

I smiled at her. Our baby. I loved hearing her say the words.

I watched as her temper flared again, her face annoyed at my simple reaction. "Why are you being so calm about this?"

I took her hands in mine, looking her directly in the eyes.

"When I was eleven, I saw a girl on a train and I instantly fell in love with her. But imagine my distress when I discovered that she was a mudblood." I looped a strand of hair behind her ear, hoping that she understood that my use of the derogatory term was tender and sweet, not out of anger. "I taunted her and teased her and said some truly awful things to her for the next seven years, but it was only to disguise my complete love and adoration for her. And now, standing in front of her while she has a meltdown, I just want her to understand that since I repressed those feelings for so long, I now just want to be kind, and patient, and show her that she is my everything."

I moved my hands to cup her face as she struggled to hold back her tears.

"Hermione," I whispered, "You keep telling me I'm too perfect, but I'm not, not by a long shot. But please let me try to be the man I should have been, the man who isn't an arsehole, the man who gets a second chance to tell you all those things I wanted to tell you all those years ago. The man who just wants you."

She paused momentarily, searching my face, and then threw her arms around my neck, and I felt her hot tears soak into my shirt. I wrapped my arms tightly around her and rubbed my hand in soothing circles across her back, rocking her gently. She shivered, and I dropped a kiss to her crown. She tilted her head back, tears were dancing in her eyes, but she was smiling.

"I'm not pregnant, Draco." She whispered, "But I want to be."

My heart stopped, and the room suddenly became a tiny world that held just me and her. "Hermione, Do you mean...?"

She nodded, biting her bottom lip, "Yes."

"Are you sure?" I whispered, and then kissed her when she nodded again. "Hermione, are you really sure? You have to give up a lot more than me, and I don't want to push—"

She pressed her finger to my lips and smiled up at me. Her face was calm, her eyes were bright.

"I'm ready, Draco." She cupped my cheek and I closed my eyes hardly able to believe what she was saying. "I want to have your baby."

A/N:

You guys are truly amazing and I cant thank you enough for reading and loving this story xx