Chapter 18

Draco walked into Hermione's room the next day after breakfast.

"Don't you knock?" Hermione demanded.

"No, its my house."

"But this is my room."

"We are going to Diagon Alley." He said with an annoyed sigh, "Mother insists."

"Why for heaven's sake?"

"You said you wanted some new clothes, now is your chance."

"I can buy clothes anytime." Hermione said.

"You will never buy clothes on your own." He said. "I recall well the train wreck you called a wardrobe."

"Just because I don't dressing like a harlot."

"There is a vast world between harlot and asexual ministry stalwart."

"I do not dress like a ministry stalwart."

"And those muggle clothes you wore, they didn't even fit, were you actually trying to make yourself unattractive?"

"They are comfortable and practical, I refuse to suffer so men will have something to ogle at."

"And that is blatantly obvious, but you're a Malfoy now, suffering is mandatory."

"I don't want to go." Hermione said.

"It would be nice to think that was relevant, wouldn't it." He said. "You have two minutes to get ready, or you will go as you are."

Hermione crossed her arms and gave him a death look.

"Actually on second thought, I don't think that would have any effect at all, it would on Astoria, but you would probably be happy to go out in public in your PJs. Get dressed in something more appropriate or I will dress you." He pulled out his wand.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me. And don't bother trying to hex me, you can't, part of the marriage contract."

Hermione screamed in frustration. Then threw down the book she was wearing and stomped towards the wardrobe. She put on one of Astoria's more slutty dresses.

"That is an evening dress."

"Really, how can you tell?"

He walked over, and looked through the wardrobe.

"Here, this one." He said.

"I don't see the difference."

"You wouldn't."

Draco waited outside her room until she was ready, before walking her down the stairs to the foyer.

"Why are we going again?" Hermione asked.

"Mother thinks we need to spend time together."

"Your mother is a sadist."

Draco laughed as he took her wrist to apparate.

The weather was pretty brisk that morning, there were some shoppers around even at this early time in the morning.

Draco walked towards Madam Maulkin.

"The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get out of here." Draco said.

Hermione tried on a procession of dresses, she and Draco had different tastes, and her opinion didn't seem to matter.

"Did you do this to Astoria too?" She asked.

"Astoria was a master shopper, her tastes ran to one direction, but she was in keeping with the image she had established for herself. Have you even brushed your hair today? I thought your hair was just a mess by nature, but I am starting to wonder if you nurtured that mess all this time."

"I brush." Hermione defended herself.

"You're actually starting to look more like you." He said more quietly.

"This looks nothing like me." Hermione said.

"You constantly have that sour puss face." He said.

"Sour puss? What are you, five?"

"Speaking of children." He said. "Your time is coming up."

Hermione knew he was talking about her ovulation. She had spent the whole morning thinking about it. Thinking about what he'd said before about an heir. It is what he wanted, and it is what she wanted, but it was just wrong. Although she had not thought it so back before, she had thought it was the best possible plan before. Before he knew it was her. Now it was just weird.

But she couldn't hide that it was still the thing she wanted more than anything. The sole true purpose of her life at this point. She guessed she just needed to get over the weirdness of it.

She looked down at Draco through the mirror as he sat on the sofa behind her. So confident. Did it not bother him at all? He wasn't jeering or anything, just accepting of the situation. Was he just fine with being used for breeding? It was what his marriage had been about from the very start, but why wasn't he straining against it?

"You know, as a mother, I would hardly promote pureblood ideals." Hermione said.

"Well it would be three against one, how much damage can you do?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow at the challenge.

"My children will be able to move through the muggle world." She said.

"I only need one." He said.

"And if its a girl?"

"Then two."

"Girls are less than?"

"Girls are a joy, but they are not heirs to the family name." He said.

"That is so old fashioned."

"Tradition is at the heart of this society."

"Girls are just as good as boys." Hermione said.

"You've been trying your best to prove that, haven't you?" He said.

"Nothing about your ideals hold." She said, trying on another dress. As she had lost count of the number of changes, she had also gotten over trying them on in front of Draco because he made it clear he wasn't leaving.

"That is immaterial."

"How can you say that's immaterial?" She said. "It disproves your whole pureblood theory."

"Tradition has validity on its own."

"But its wrong."

"Its respect to the past, to our history. Its not something you can chuck out because there are exceptions to the rule."

"Really, what about when the exceptions start outweighing the rules." Hermione said.

"That's hardly the situation."

"Not from where I'm sitting." She said.

"You are hardly typical."

"Are you saying I'm an exception to the rule?"

Draco picked some lint off the side of the sofa he was sitting on.

"You know you are." He said quietly. "You're... You are different."

"No I'm not."

"You don't see it, but you are."

"I am just like everyone else." Hermione said with an air of indignity. "Ok, maybe, I'm not quite as vacant as Astoria, or caught up in running stupid little campaigns like Pansy. Obviously there are more important things you can focus your time on. Things other than ridiculous shopping. I would never, ever wear this. This looks like a tea doily with ambition."

"You're relentlessly idealistic."

"What is wrong with that? What is wrong with wanting the world to be a better place."

"Because you're wasting your time."

"So don't bother trying?"

"You'll wreck yourself trying. Nothing is going to change. It never will. If you can find some kind of happiness in this world be grateful for it. Its rare."

"I can't believe that."

"Maybe that is why you're different." He said more to himself. "Enough of this. We have enough."

"What do you mean, I haven't found anything I like yet." She said, but it was obvious that he was not prepared to keep looking.

Hermione's new wardrobe got delivered the next day. None of it was stuff she would choose. They were marginally better than the existing wardrobe. A little less tight, a little less revealing. Still no-where near right on the comfy scale.

The next day, she felt the typical tightness of her mid cycle point. She felt a bit panicked, she didn't know what to do. Telling him seemed wrong and impossibly embarrassing. It was like asking for sex, which at this point was just...

Which is funny because she went all out to seduce him before, but now that he knows she was in here, she just couldn't. For some reason, it seemed alright when she was deceiving him, but now the idea of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy having sex was just unnatural.

And she couldn't quite pinpoint why, other than the fact that he was Draco Malfoy. He had some good qualities, he was smart, he was attractive. But he was also a pureblood git who had unendingly made the distinction clear throughout their time at Hogwarts.

Her hands felt sweaty and she felt like she couldn't catch her breath properly. Some of that was a consequence of her hormonal state, but she was feeling extremely uneasy. Telling him seemed a concept that just floated under the surface, but never quite made it up. So she didn't.

She was still debating with herself about it when she retired for the evening. After all, if she was going to have the baby she wanted, she would have to bit the bullet eventually.

Her contemplation was interrupted by a brief knock before he entered her room and closed the room.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Its time."

"How... how do you know?"

"Your ring informs of the optimal time."

"Oh." Hermione said and looked down at the opal ring on her middle finger.

"It is required for thing to progress." He said from across the room.

Hermione's throat had gone completely dry. Biting the bullet was necessary, she reminded herself and she gave a quick nod.

He turned around and started to take his jacket off. Hermione stood frozen in her flannel PJs. After staring for what seemed like ages, she snuck under her sheets. This felt completely surreal. Maybe she shouldn't be in these extraordinarily unattractive PJs, she recognised and started to undress under the sheets.

She was trying really hard not to gawk at him as he was increasingly undressing. She was too embarrassed to look. And she felt that embarrassment keenly as she felt his weight on the mattress.

There is always IVF, she said to herself, but chided herself for being ridiculous, she had already had sex with him three times. One of them counting as the best sex she'd ever had.

"I will be as quick as I can." He said and she nodded. "Could you just shift a bit."

Somehow she managed to elbow him in the rib as they were awkwardly navigating around. After grazing knees and an unintentional hair pulling incident, they managed to get in the right position.

"Ready?" He asked and again she nodded awkwardly.

He entered her really slowly. He had obviously brought some lubrication, because her body was not helping at all.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine." She said, completely aware of how close he was.

"Nice tits by the way."

"Can't claim any credit, I'm afraid." She said. "Although I did point them out to Harry."

"Let's not mention other people, especially him, it really isn't helping."

"Sorry." She said. "Go ahead."

He withdrew and pushed in, then seemed to stop to see if she'd complain. He continued when she didn't. Hermione tried to relax, the sensation seemed to skirt around her brain, but was refused entry due to the awkwardness of the whole thing.

He picked up pace a bit and Hermione focused her thoughts on him. His skin really was beautiful, pale and dewy. He did smell lovely. And the weight of him on her was kind of delicious. The more she focused her mind of him, the more the sensations seemed to flood her. A moan seeped into her mind and lit a little fire.

His breathing was getting heavy and he was clasping her thigh. He was getting close. No-where near close for her, but she didn't mind. She was just happy there was something there.

He tensed as he came and he stifled some groans before collapsing on her. He was breathing heavily in her ear and she felt a kiss on her neck in the middle of it.

The next minute she felt cold air as he pulled away from her. He was still recovering his breath as he walked over to his clothes and started to dress.

"So you recommend that we do this every day?" He said as he was tucking his shirt into his pants.

Hermione cleared her breath. "It is recommended for optimal chance of conception." She stated matter of factly.

"You just want to get in my pants." He teased.

"A doctor recommended it." She said clearly so there was no confusion.

"Sure." He said with a sly smile. "See you tomorrow."