A/N: I usually like to reply to everyone individually, but you all made me laugh with your similar declarations of trying to murder Pansy. But I will still give a shout out to: Jade2099, nature love 95, BellasBeingBad, Celeen, , IAmUndead, bbspoke1017, Epixie, fiest002, Amusant, Dianna, rec2527, BeneHime1124, CheshireCat23, JC1988, emb56: thank you all so, so so so much. Your reviews mean everything and I can only hope you keep sending them. So this chapter is for all of you, enjoy!
Chapter 6
"There's... Not a problem."
"Oh. Well, what is it?"
"A blessing. I'm pregnant with my husband's baby. I want you to take charge of me."
"You… You want me to take charge of your pregnancy?" Hermione was trying hard to remain calm as she spoke, keeping the shake out of her voice whilst taking deep breaths through her nose. "Why?"
Pansy was starting to smile. "I need the best Healer for my baby, of course. It's a compliment to you, Miss Granger."
Stupid bitch. "Of course," Hermione swiftly put on a bright smile whilst trying not to reach over and smack her senselessly. "Have you told your…your husband?" At this she had turned her back, pretending to be reading her notes, but sure enough a tear rolled down her face as her hands started to shake. She quickly wiped away her tear and turned back to Pansy, lifting her face to meet her gaze. Hermione Granger was a strong woman. She would not let Pansy needle her like this.
"No I haven't," Pansy's smirk started to widen as she spoke. "But I trust that you, as a professional, will keep it strictly confidential."
"May I ask whether you are sure it is his child?"
"Oh, of course it is." Pansy now started to rise, covering her stomach as she did so. "May I go?"
"No." Hermione did not like Pansy's careful control of her. She walked over and indicated for her to lie down on the bed. "I need to examine you."
"Oh, sorry. I forgot." Pansy smiled at her sweetly, lying down and waiting. Hermione gritted her teeth, not saying anything.
"Hermione, please-
"-I can't say anything, Draco, you know I can't." Hermione sighed, both of them watching as Pansy chatted to the nurse animatedly. Draco leaned down to kiss Hermione's forehead gently, causing her to look up at him a little in surprise.
"Come back to mine," He told her quietly, his hand squeezing hers. "Please?"
She felt herself nodding, not able to think of an excuse and in truth: not wanting to. He smiled and she returned it before walking over to Pansy and Sister Brown.
"Mrs… Malfoy. You should go home. And I suggest," Hermione added in an undertone. "That you tell the father, as he deserves to know. Goodnight."
With that, she walked away, leaving Pansy to look over at Malfoy, who stared back at her with narrowed, cold eyes. He walked over to her, no warmth in his expression.
"Pansy, you'll tell me everything, and you'll tell me now." He told her shortly, before walking down the corridor. She followed him, her hand resting on her stomach as Hermione watched, dread biting at her in the pit of her stomach.
"Tell me you're joking."
"Draco," Pansy laid a hand on his upper arm, flinching as he shrugged it off roughly. "Of course I'm not joking. Why would I joke of something like this?"
"But-But how?" He spluttered, running his hand over his hair. Pansy only raised an eyebrow at him, causing him to glare. "Look, you know what I mean. We haven't slept together since…" He faltered off, blinking rapidly as he thought of it carefully. They hadn't had sex recently, but they did some months ago, when Malfoy was drunk and Pansy a desperate option back at home. That was no way he wanted to conceive a baby, but when he looked down at her small bump, he knew there was nothing he could do now.
"Pansy, I need absolute proof that baby is mine. D'you hear? Absolute, solid proof."
"Draco-
"-Oh cut the act. You've been with too many men to count, there's no way-
"-I used protection with all of them, we didn't that night! Face it, the baby is yours. Ours." She cupped his face and looked up at him, a soft smile on her lips. "We're going to have a baby. We're providing an heir for our parents. A gift to the World to bring back what they worked for."
Draco felt sick at these words. "This doesn't change anything," He pulled away, his eyes narrowed at her. "I'll support my baby- if it is my baby- but you and I are over still."
Pansy gasped with horror as she stepped back, shaking her head. "No…"
"Yes," he corrected her firmly. "Yes, Pansy. Hermione is the woman I want. You're not. I'll support my child, you know I will. But not our marriage. If you thought this would change anything you were sadly mistaken. We'll discuss this later. I need to go home and… clear my head."
She let him go, her eyes nearly slits as she felt fury surge through her, thinking hard of her next move.
"Something isn't right," Draco murmured as he paced up and down in front of Hermione, closing his eyes as if they hurt him. "Something just isn't right."
"She's three months pregnant. I gave her the all clear today. The baby is perfectly healthy… I suppose I should offer you my congratulations." Hermione added, putting on a brave smile.
"But did you check who the father was?" He demanded, watching as Hermione's lids lowered to the floor discreetly.
"No."
"Exactly," He resumed his pacing, biting his lip. "Look. It's just strange. That she wants you to know first-
"-She was trying to ward me off, Draco-
"-Yes I know. But if it was her plan to try and keep us together with this baby, and she is three months pregnant, why didn't she tell me before?"
Hermione hesitated. "Draco, I think it's a little more complex than that. Lots of women don't recognise they're pregnant until… well, they miss their course several times. I understand you're upset, but please just sit down."
Draco sighed but obliged her, shuffling over to sit next to her on the sofa, burying his face in his hands. Her hand came to stroke the back of his heads, feeling the soft feathery hair between her fingers and, unable to help herself, she leaned forwards and planted a small kiss on the back of his neck soothingly.
He pulled from his hands to turn around and cup her face gently, watching as she turned her head and nuzzled her nose against his palm before kissing it. Touched, he pulled her towards him and enveloped her into his arms before lying back on the sofa with her on top of him. They lay there together peacefully, listening to the gentle calls of the late night owls. Hermione closed her eyes, so comfortable on his chest, moulding well into his form. His thumb stroked her back and he breathed in shampooed hair with silent delight, mimicking her eventually and closing his eyes, drifting off to sleep.
"Draco. Draco."
Malfoy grunted as he rolled over, kissing Hermione's wrist as her hand was curled around his face. Hermione sighed before trying to pull her hand out; he had it trapped between his cheek and the sofa. Eventually, she pulled it out before poking him in the chest.
"Draco!" She hissed desperately. "Wake up!"
He chuckled before opening his eyes and winking at her. "Good morning, beautiful."
"Draco," She ignored his affectionate greeting, even though her cheeks warmed considerably at it. "Pansy's here."
He sat up immediately, blinking rapidly whilst suppressing a yawn. "What?"
"What I said: Pansy is here, waiting outside!"
"Has she seen you? Not that it matters, of course, but-
"-No, but I'll hide now. And I know, it saves her having a go," She quickly kissed him before moving away to hide behind the curtain, causing him to chuckle at her before getting up, lazily ruffling his hair and opening the door.
"Pansy," He greeted shortly, stepping aside. "Have you got the-
"-The results are here," She thrust a piece of paper towards him, looking away coldly. "The baby is yours, as I told you."
"What test did you take?"
"I visited this morning. Sister Brown cast a DNA spell. She gave me these results. So there they are."
Malfoy looked at the piece of paper: it was confirmed. The baby was his. He felt his insides shudder before he forced them to calm. It was done. His night with Hermione had relaxed him and forced him to come to term with his gut instinct: that Pansy and he were going to have a baby.
"I'll speak to my lawyer again," Draco informed her calmly, tucking away the piece of paper. "And contact you in due course."
"Your lawyer?"
"Yes. To sort out when I get to see the baby, financial support-
"-Oh no," Pansy started to smile in her familiar cruel manner, causing Malfoy's eyes to narrow. "Oh no. You see, I'm not having my child raised by a mudblood. I'm fighting for custody. So I suggest you need to tell your lawyer that too."
"You-
"-I also suggest," She interrupted loudly, her eyes flashing. "That you think very carefully. You see, it's easily fixed. You call off the divorce, and we can be a family. But if you fight me, I will do everything in my power to make sure you regret it, Draco. You and that little mudblood. I have a powerful network and you won't escape it. Bye bye now."
With that, she left, leaving a shaking Draco Malfoy, his eyes wide with anger. A hand brushed his arm, trying to comfort him, but he ignored it. He only watched Pansy go, feeling the room spin a little and his feet lifting off of the floor.
"Draco, you need to calm down-
"-How the fuck am I going to calm down!" He roared, moving to snatch up his cloak before swinging it over his shoulders, waving his hand to signal to the House elves to scurry away and not help him. Hermione moved in front of him in an attempt to stop him.
"If you go now, in this state, you'll do something you'll regret," She told him quietly, cupping his face with her hands. "Please, just think about this for a minute. She can't just take your baby away from you. They're just words, Draco."
"Hermione," He tried to pull away and move past but she swiftly moved in front again, blocking his way. His eyes narrowed as he clasped his hands over her upper arms and tried to steer her off of him by lifting her, but she only wrapped her legs around his waist. With a growl he pushed her against the wall and seized her hands before pinning them above her head and smashing his mouth against hers roughly. She groaned as he pulled away to kiss his way down her long neck, his hand sliding under her top before yanking at her bra and cupping her soft breast. She murmured something and he pulled away, his eyes heavily coated with desire.
"What?" He purred as she tried to move but was stopped by him pushing her into the wall again. "What do you want?"
"Draco..."
"Tell me."
"B-Bedroom."
Satisfied, he wrapped his arms around her to lift her easily into them, moving quickly up the steps and down the hallway until finally, he thrust her down onto his large bed. She lay back, before slowly closing her eyes and Draco could only watch her with fascination. Her hands blindly sought him and he bent his head to kiss one before climbing over her. She opened her eyes to look up at him and he stroked her cheek.
"How do you do this to me?" He murmured almost to himself, gently moving his finger over her nose, skimming her eyebrows and then pressing her lids to a close before he kissed her.
When he moved away, she opened her eyes again and, slowly: they smiled at each other.
A/N: ...I take it you're all still going to be very unsatisfied? I understand this chapter is brief and has unanswered questions and a list of possibilities. But we'll get there... don't be too angry at me, I promise to make it up to you!
Please review!