Chapter 15 Hop skip and a week

"What was that?" said Ron, rubbed his eyes and hopped out of bed.

"I - I don't know" Hermione tried to steady her voice to keep him from knowing that she was crying. Before she could say anything else or even wipe her face nice and dry, Ron was already out the door and halfway down the stairs. She could hear a commotion down below and several voices talking at once, interrupting one another.

After a moment's thought, Hermione decided not to come down at all. She pulled the covers back over herself and laying her head on the pillow stared out into the hall. A bright light was hanging from the low ceiling right outside Ron's bedroom and not that the door was open she couldn't really look at anything else, for it drew all focus onto itself. The mumbled screaming voices slowly grew into a soft background noise and Hermione successfully blocked them out. She kept staring at the light, as if it held some sort of answer for her, some of comfort and advice. She didn't know what to do, but she felt like she did not possess a lot of choice. What would she do if she Didn't marry Ron? Where would she go, where would she live? Hogwarts was almost over and she would be making that decision all too soon. She had serious doubts about being to make it as a career woman at the ministry, being muggle-born and all. She felt the prejudices growing and falling on her from all sides. All sides but Ron's family. They still seemed to love her and accept her just as she was. Not purer, not smarter, not more beautiful, but just as she was. She looked at his empty side of the bed and stroked the other pillow gently. She needed this after all. Whether she wanted it or not was not a valid question.

Thus thinking, Hermione didn't even notice how she drifted off to sleep, and when Ron finally clambered back into bed twenty minutes later, after having found out that Fred and George managed to blow something up in their house without even being there, she did not wake up.

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Narcissa waited in the drawing room for her husband to arrive. When she finally heard the crack of his apparition just outside their front door, she ran out of the room and clumsily hit the little table in the entrance hall. Cursing in pain, she limped to the window and waved heartily at Lucius from behind the lacy curtain.

He was already opening the door when she turned back to look at the spacious front hall – his gloved hand was clicking the lock shut and he was shaking off the snow which had the indecency to fall on his elegant hat.

"My dear, Narcissa, what are you doing at home in the middle of the day?" Lucius cried in surprise as he walked over to where she stood and embraced her.

"Hi darling." Narcissa whispered. Her breathing was rather sporadic and her voice was strained with a mystifying undertone. She was nervous. It has been a good seventeen years since the last time they had a conversation like the one they were about to have.

"Is something wrong, Narcissa?"

"No. Not exactly." She wanted to spit it out and get it over with. So without a preamble, she gushed - "I have news."

"Oh? Good, I hope?"- her husband perked up as he heard a note of tiniest excitement in the word 'news'.

Narcissa blushed and grabbed his hand. "I'm going to have a baby," she blurted out without thinking and without knowing what he was going to say.

Her husband froze, her hand still in his, and her blue, almond shaped eyes alive with tingling expectation. She wasn't smiling, but her lips were forming a very subtle shape of letter O as her blue eyes stared into his gray ones.

And then just as suddenly, they both relaxed, as Lucius released her and drawled in his bored voice -"How long have you known?"

"I found out today. Last night, I mean. And I just couldn't wait to tell you!" Narcissa sighed with relief, as her husband walked into the next room to pour himself a glass of brandy. The worst was over. She did what she had to do. Now that Mr. Malfoy knew about the baby, and mind you – knew about it before anyone else,no witch or wizard would dare suggest that the baby wasn't his.

"I hope it's a boy." He said and kissed Narcissa on the forehead. "We should throw a little party to announce it. Next Friday perhaps?"

"Sure, Lucius." She nodded happily and smoothed his hair subtly off his face. He winced and walked away from her toward the crackling fire.

"Have you told Draco yet?"

"No. I wanted you to be the first to know."How could she not, when he was the only person in the world who could make sure that her baby was a Malfoy, not a bastard." Darling?," she went on, tentatively.

"Hmm?" Lucius was staring into the fireplace and did not consent to turn around.

"Darling, promise that you'll be around more now that I'm pregnant? I've missed you.."

"Of course. We will need to take good care of you and the baby. Now, can you give me a moment, I have some business matters to go over in my office, and then we could apparate somewhere and have a celebratory lunch?"

"I'd love that. I'll go change. Let me know when you are ready to go."

Upstairs in her room, Narcissa barely made it to the window before she collapsed on the king-sized bed, wearing a pained smile on her tired face. No, not hers, it was not her room. It was still theirroom, hers and her husband's. She had done what she had to and now she was left with the guilt of it. She somehow felt deep inside that it was Anton's baby, but she would never ever check. She was not that stupid. Let the world think that her little girl was a Malfoy; for she hoped for a baby daughter, not a second son as Lucius suggested. And she was going to name her Dahlia no matter what her husband said on that point. It would be just like the first time. Just like with Draco, back when they were happy and young. Could they be like newlyweds again? Could they survive the affair and leave the past behind? It wasn't just for Draco's sake anymore. She had another child to think about now. She could never throw her life away for Anton now. Not with two kids to care for. She finally told him that it was over, but he didn't accept it as easily as she had hoped. She knew that he'd be back and she would have to deal with him later, but she had other things to think about for now.

Besides, she still believed that she could possibly care for Lucius. She could resurrect her feelings… She wanted to believe that they could still salvage their marriage. They could… if they really, really tried.

She really hoped that he would try.

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A/N Hi those of you who are reading this story on this site. This one is actually posted first on so if you want to read it there, youre welcome to it. But if you want me to keep posting here, please let me know that you Are reading it and comment at least once. Thanks guys!! Here is a new chapter, took a long time coming.