She woke with a start, an uncomfortable stitch shot through her abdomen but within a second it was gone.

She adjuster her position and it seemed to help. Running her hand down over her stomach she groaned, she really was getting bigger by the minute. She wasn't sure how long they'd been asleep but the sky outside the window was dark so she assumed they had slept for most of the day. She felt him breathing behind her and smiled to herself, It had been a wonderful sleep.

She felt the sudden stitch again and shifted her hips, it was an uncomfortable business carrying a child. Her tight skin hurt, it had taken all of Madam pomfrey's lotions and potions to stop it quite literally splitting under the sudden pressure. Urhg…she sighed, she was huge, this was horrible it couldn't go on for much longer.

With that thought in mind she looked around the room sadly, this would probably be their last night here for a while. They had agreed that when the time came close they'd go to the manor, they should have left already really. She felt a twinge in her lower back and groaned, she'd been lying down for too long. Lifting herself from the bed she walked heavily to the living room where she found Fumri quietly tidying.

He jumped when he saw her "Mistress, you alright?" she smiled as she sat heavily down on the sofa, lifting her feet up. "I am thank you Fumri" she looked at the coffee table, expecting to see the daily prophet, It should have arrived not long after Malfoy got here and the little elf always left it in the same spot for her. "

Where is the Daily Prophet?" she asked without thinking much of it. She saw an owl letter waiting on the coffee table and lunged forward to pick it up, from Ginny she suspected, given the hand writing.

Her face fell as she opened It.

Hermione,

I'm so sorry, I had no idea what he'd done, else I never would have sent him back to you.

You know where I am when you need me.

Ginny

She vaguely heard the little elf reply in the background "Mistress not want to read paper today."

She felt tears sting her eyes as another jolt of pain hit her lower back, she shifted her hips again as it subsided. In the sternest voice she could muster she spoke "Fumri, the paper. Now!"

The little elf jumped and disappeared, he came back a moment later, his eyes staying on the floor as he reluctantly handed her the paper.

She gasped as tears began to fall down her cheeks. There it was, the black and white image of Draco, Theodore Nott and two muggle girls laughing as they fell through a Mayfair hotel door, the door shut and the image replayed again. She read the headline.

"Malfoy Industries 'Muggle Enterprises' – Lord Malfoy taking the new initiative too far."

Tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks as she read the article. 'Where is Lady Malfoy? Rumours have recently arisen that the two are expecting a child shortly but these are yet to be confirmed.' She could feel her heart sink into her large stomach.

Anger bubbled inside her as she flew from the sofa to the bedroom door, a horribly bitter taste filling her mouth. "GET OUT!" she screamed throwing the paper at his sleeping head, her cheeks burning with rage.

He woke to the sound of her shouting and the paper suddenly striking him. "What the…?" he couldn't see straight his eyes still blurry he tried to focus. When he did he saw her there in front of him, tears streaming down her face.

He panicked, "What's wrong" he shot out of the bed, standing inches away from her, it looked as though her legs were going to give way beneath her at any moment. He tried to grasp her elbows, to catch her in his arms but he couldn't, she pushed him away. Wincing slightly as she did, she pointed to the paper on the bed as she let out another sob, she wouldn't even look at him.

With a gulp he picked up the paper, cold sickness spread through him as he saw it. His eyes widened as he grimaced at the sight, he couldn't remember being at the hotel, although he vaguely remembered the streets of Mayfair, they'd been there that night.

He hissed to himself, he remembered the days when muggle London meant no chance of being spotted. Clearly those days were no more. He sat on the bed as he read it, he grimaced at the contents of the article, she said nothing, she didn't need to. He could hear her rasping breath heavy, he didn't need to look at her to know how much trouble he was in.

It was clear the moment he'd finished, he placed the article on the bed and she finally snapped, she gasped for breath as she felt her whole body ache in anger.

It bubbled through her veins as she screamed at him "How could you? How could you? Whilst I was here, with.." she gestured down to her stomach "This?"

She winced again slightly as she felt yet another stich run through her lower back, ending in her stomach, clearly the baby was as disgusted with its father as she was. She watched his eyes fill with guilt and sorrow as he stood, he tried to take her in his arms but she pushed him away violently, too violently, another pain shot through her lower stomach and she shook with discomfort as she tried to ignore it. "Don't you dare, Don't you dare touch me" he recoiled in dismay watching her.

Her eyes filled with hurt as she starred at him, she grimaced "You went there and did that, then came here and…" she looked at the bed before wrapping her arms protectively around her stomach.

She didn't think it possible but he looked almost as disgusted as she felt. How could he do that and then come back there and make love to her like that. The thought of him touching her after being with someone else made her sick.

"Well, aren't you going to explain yourself, are you even going to have the decency to tell me what happened?" he shook his head and she felt another rush of tears spread down her face.

"I don't remember being there, I don't remember that happening at all" he looked utterly dismayed as she felt bile raising in the back of her throat "If anything had happened Hermione, I would remember, I've been in some states in my time and I always remember that." He tried to pull her to him once again but she pushed him away with a shudder "Get out!" she screamed it at him furiously but he didn't flinch "Just get out, please!" her voice broke as she erupted into sobs again.

Another sharper pain hit her as she heard his voice "Hermione, please, I will get to the bottom of.."

She couldn't take it anymore the pain was awful she hunched over her hand moving to her stomach, pressing on the pain as she yelped, tears still streaming down her face he eyes filled with fear. Another wave hit her and she felt her legs give way. She didn't fall, she felt him holding her as she doubled over in agony.

She could smell his cologne, feel the skin of his bare chest against her "It hurts" she whimpered through her tears as he scraped her hair out of her face.

It subsided for a moment as she tried to get back to her feet, she looked up into his terrified eyes.

"Get out!" she shouted, not quite as loudly as before but with just as much conviction. He simply smirked, god she wanted to hit him.

"I can never apologise enough for...that" he pointed to the paper "I don't deserve your forgiveness right now, you are right to be angry and I promise you I will get to the bottom of it, I know that nothing happened… but if you think I'm leaving, when you're about to have my child then you're certifiably insane."

She felt rage building back up as she glared at him still holding her stomach "It hurts because he's as disgusted with you as I am… not because…" it hit her again, stronger than before, her legs gave way as she screamed in agony, he caught her, lowering them both slowly to the floor, pulling her to his lap he took her weight. She couldn't think the pain was so horrific and suddenly a gush of hot liquid erupted from between her legs, covering her nightie and Draco's thighs beneath her, holding her gently he lifted her drenched nightie over her head as he pushed his chest close to her back, resting his chin to her neck, letting her relax into him like a chair.

She felt him start to rub soothing little circles into her lower stomach as the pain subsided. His voice calmer than she had expected he spoke, finishing her interrupted sentence "…not because you're about to give birth to my child on our bedroom floor?" She sensed a smirk but she didn't look.

"I hate you" she seethed, it was true, in that moment she did but as he began to scrape her hair back off her face and carried on rubbing soothing circles into her large stomach she couldn't help but be grateful he was there. "You're wet" she muttered her hand brushing across his soaking black boxers beneath her, she knew what it was "I don't care" he whispered gently, he really didn't care in the slightest.

He gently placed a kiss to her shoulder, had another wave of pain not hit her she would have batted him away but instead she whimpered and writhed backwards against his chest as he spoke as soothingly as possible, holding her firmly through it.

"Well I love you," he broke from the circles for a moment to gently tap her stomach "..and we both love you" he felt her relax into him at it passed. "I don't love this" she yelped as another strong twinge followed, he smirked "…They wouldn't be a Malfoy if they didn't make a dramatic entrance at the most inconvenient moment."