Here is the next chapter which is again patched together from the previous story. Please bear with me while I build up the foundations of this story.
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Hermione went to the office early the following Monday. Her love-life had taken up a lot of time that should have been dedicated to her role as Minister of Magic. She told herself she wouldn't let the people come second again.
"Have a nice weekend?" She asked her staff, each of them murmuring a reply that told her it was packed with late night partying and a bit too much firewhisky.
Once in her office, she found a reasonable pile of papers and a copy of the Daily Prophet sitting on the top.
As she flipped through the pages and past the flickering images, she saw less than a handful of articles on herself and Draco which comforted her somewhat. It was about time they got some privacy of their own. There were certain things that remained private.
Private. The word echoed oddly in her head. She frowned and a tight ball of guilt began to form in the pit of her stomach. Stomach. She held her head in her hands and breathed deeply. This wasn't the time to be loosing the plot, she told herself sternly.
"I do want children." She remembered Draco's words very well, she had thought over the conversation thoroughly that night while lying beside his sleeping form. "But I just don't know if I want them right now." She felt that deep empty feeling again, just like when you suddenly fall in a ride at a theme park and had left your stomach behind.
A knock at her door brought her thoughts crashing to the present, in a flash she had composed herself and looked up calmly to meet the eyes of the Minister of Trade. He smiled in greeting, "good morning Mrs Malfoy."
"Good Morning Mr Frey, what can I do for you?" She shook his hand and sat down, clearing her mind to try and focus on her work.
"Just a few matters Mrs Malfoy, I will try to be brief." He opened a file and Hermione resisted cringing at how empty his promise to keep it brief was.
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It wasn't until late that night that Hermione went back to the Manor. She was tired and wanting nothing more than a long warm bath. As she lay soaking in one of the many large bathrooms, she thought that maybe she had come home later for another reason other than work. Since she had got back, she had yet to see Draco. Though she hadn't exactly gone looking for him.
Draco was in fact on the other side of the Manor in his study, feeling very much like hitting something…perhaps someone's head. He settled for snapping his quill but cursed loudly once he did so, realising it was a very expensive quill. With a sigh he sat back in his chair, wondering when Hermione would be home.
"What is it with people and money?" He murmured, though he knew very well the lure of glittering galleons.
After an unfathomable amount of time, Hermione stepped into his study after knocking softly. Her hair was slightly damp and she was dressed in sky blue robes over a white night gown. He smiled "hey there."
She shut the door softly and sat in the chair opposite him. "Hello, how's your day been?"
"Stressful, busy." He said, "yours?"
Hermione shrugged, "pretty similar."
They sat in silence after Draco conjured two cups of tea. The air was warm with the fire crackling on one side. Draco mentally tidied his day away and focused on the woman before him. It amazed him sometimes, that they had come together. The very thought of marrying Hermione Granger when he was younger wasn't possible in his wildest dreams. But here he was, sharing tea with his wife; Hermione Malfoy.
"Do you really not want children now?" She blurted, frowning.
He was startled by her question, "what?"
"I just asked-"
"Yes I know what you asked." Draco interrupted. "Is it bothering you that I don't want them now?"
She bit her bottom lip and looked down at the cup of tea in her hands, "I just…wanted to know if you really meant it."
There was so much she was hiding from him, he could tell. But she could guard her thoughts almost as well as he can now – something she must have learnt from him. "What's the problem?"
"Nothing." Hermione answered, a little too quickly for Draco's liking. She breathed deeply "I'm sorry Draco."
She put her cup down and stood up, "I should get some work done." And before Draco could say any word of protest, the door was closing softly behind her. This sudden emotional distance between them only fuelled his suspicions that something was wrong. It took him a few minutes to tidy up the study, he waved his wand and the candles flickered out. For a moment, he stood in the dark room; hand on the doorknob, hoping with all he had that this wasn't the beginning of the end for them.
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Their bedroom smelt of lavender soap with an underlying sense of the sun that had been shining in earlier. There were only a few candles lit, casting much of the room in shadow. Draco was quiet as he changed and hung his robes within the large wooden closet.
When he lay down on the bed, he saw Hermione's still form with her back to him. In the darkness he couldn't tell if she was really asleep or not. So, sliding between the sheets, he lay very still and listened to her breathing. It was deep and even, perhaps she was asleep.
He contemplated how he was going to try and find out what was bothering her, and while doing so, she turned to face him. He saw the dim flickering of candles reflected in her amber orbs. The silence that stretched between them was full of questions and a sense of fear.
"I thought you were asleep." He whispered. Once uttered, he felt it was the most irrelevant thing he had ever said in any situation.
Hermione shrugged, "I was trying to sleep." Came the equally quiet reply.
"So will you tell me what's wrong?" Oh very tactical Draco. He cringed inwardly, suddenly feeling very awkward and tense.
She seemed to pick up on his mood and wore a slightly guarded expression, "there's nothing wrong."
"Why are you hiding from me?" He asked, louder this time and slightly accusatory. She seemed startled and he felt a little guilty.
"I'm…" she looked away for a second then turned once more to meet his eyes "I'm not hiding."
They lay in silence again, eyes averted to other aspects of the room that seemed suddenly interesting. After a while, neither knew how long, Draco took his wand from his bedside table and the candles gathered on a table by the window and were blown out by some imaginary wind. The darkness engulfed them, hugging tighter where they were afraid to now.
Soon Draco's eyes became heavy and he drifted into a light slumber, always aware of Hermione's presence beside him. It was in one of the moments when he was awake and lying very still when he heard her voice, a soft confession that was filled with apology and fear.
"Draco, I'm pregnant."
Pregnant.
The word didn't linger like he would have expected it to. Instead, it dissipated into the air and they lay in suffocating silence.
He must have stayed silent for a long time because he heard her voice, "Draco?" a small sound that slid through the air to reach him. It was a voice he loved, but when had it ever been filled with such fear? There was so much to be said and yet he could think of no way to literate them.
The slight movement of his head let her know he was still awake and had certainly heard her. Hermione had no idea what made her say that; why now of all times. A part of her knew it was because of the darkness, it meant she didn't have to look into his silver eyes and see…anger? Disappointment? She didn't want to know.
But now that the moment was here and there was nothing being said or done, she wanted to look into his eyes, at his face and see what he was thinking. Though it probably wouldn't have been any good seeing as he usually hid his feelings so well. But seeing, it would have helped rid her of the vulnerability she felt now which somewhat resembled hanging in the air, just waiting to be dropped onto the sharp rocks at the base of the cliff.
"How long have you known?" he said eventually, his voice calm and rational.
She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "nearly a month."
She heard him breathe deeply and look away out the window. The night was a clear one, half moon with stars glittering all around.
"Are you feeling alright?" he asked, startling her.
"Yes…I feel fine."
A moment passed before he turned and gathered her into his arms. His chin rested gently on the top of her head, creating a warm hollow in him in which she could rest.
Draco waited until he felt the tension ebb from her body before he lifted his head to look at her, this beautiful woman that was his wife. Her eyes were wide and glittered in the moonlight, her hair spread out against the pillow in its bushy ways. She was pregnant, a new life was growing inside her. If he had of known he wouldn't have said what he did about children. But then isn't that why she asked? To get an honest answer?
But if he cared to contemplate the real truth, he was afraid. It was hard to learn to care for Hermione, he had never had to care for someone else before. It felt right though, just perfect to be her protector and supporter. Together they had made a successful couple so why should he be afraid of having children?
"It's yours." Hermione said, not knowing if that was why he was not saying anything. Her words only seemed to shock him.
"How could I think anything else?" Pause.
She made a small movement with her head that could be translated as many things. "I didn't know what you were thinking."
"Hermione, I don't doubt your loyalty." He reassured her.
She smiled in the darkness though he felt in somewhere in the air between them, "thank you."
The silence was more comfortable now, as they settled into each other and allowed the night to claim them.
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it. Please leave a review to let me know what you think, I really appreciate it.