Chapter 17

It had been several long, painful minutes of silence as Hermione waited for Malfoy to say something. He had opened his mouth, but closed it again, his pale lips set in a straight line as he only blinked at her. She carefully leaned back to assess his face, her brown eyes peering at him. His mouth was now a little open, his eyes showing complete confusion.

"Draco?" Hermione murmured, her eyebrow rising a little.

"You…" Malfoy cleared his throat and blinked several times, as if trying to come back from his daze. "You're… pregnant."

"Yes," Hermione stroked his high cheek-bone with her trembling finger, biting her lip a little worriedly. Was he not pleased?

"So right now," He turned his attention to her stomach, his eyes staring hard at it as if trying to laser into its depths. "There is a baby growing inside of you?"

"Yes," Hermione was now frowning. "Draco, are you alright-

"-Be right back," He told her briskly, picking her up in his arms as he stood to put her back down on the loveseat again and disappear between some shelves in the library. Poor Hermione, now extremely baffled, was left to stare after him, trying to figure out what the hell he was doing.

Before she could ask him exactly that, Malfoy returned, hurrying towards her with a large book in his hands. Hermione, now more amused than anything, only watched as he kneeled in front of her on the floor and pushed the book in her lap.

She raised her eyebrow at him again but he only opened the book to the page he required. Leaning over, Hermione started to read it.

"Hermione," Malfoy said to her seriously as his finger traced down the page. "Look. See. This can't be possible. We used a contraceptive charm. The book confirms its effectivity. You haven't been showing the signs, like throwing up-

"Not everyone throws up, Draco-

"-I suppose you have been emotional, but I thought that was just you-

"-Draco," Hermione was now trying to hold back a laugh as she pushed the book aside and cupped his face with her hands again. "I'm pregnant. You haven't always used the contraceptive charm."

His mouth dropped open again as he stared up at her. "So you're… you're really… you… with my… you. Right..."

"Yes," Hermione laughed, shaking her head. "Yes, I'm really pregnant."

Moments passed again, causing Hermione to now feel a little anxious. She bit on her bottom lip anxiously, not quite comprehending the expression on his face.

"Are you not pleased?" Hermione asked sadly.

Malfoy blinked several times again as he looked at her confusedly. "What?"

"Are you not pleased?" Hermione repeated. This was not the way she expected him to react at all. She was trying her hardest not to cry. Malfoy only looked at her again.

"Granger." He now took her hands in his and kissed both of her palms. "Don't say something so ridiculous. It doesn't suit you."

"So you're… you're saying…"

"I'm saying," Malfoy now brought her face down to kiss her fully before kissing her forehead. "That of course I'm pleased. I'm better than pleased. We're going to have a baby." He was smiling widely, causing Hermione to return his smile. "We're going to have a baby!" He repeated happily, pulling her back down for another kiss.

"You're pregnant?" Harry's mouth dropped open as he stared at Hermione. "You… You're-

"-For goodness sake," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Why do men always react like that? I'm not lying!"

"Sorry," Harry mumbled, immediately moving to pull her into a hug. "I just can't believe it…Wow…Well congratulations Hermione. That's amazing. I'm going to be an Uncle!"

She kissed his cheek and hugged him tighter. "Thanks Harry."

He pulled back a little to assess her face carefully. "So you're alright?"

"Yes of course." She smiled at him in assurance. "I'm completely fine. I've never been better."

"And Malfoy?"

"He's more excited than I am," Hermione admitted with a roll of her eyes. "I've already been made to go baby shopping with him."

"But you're only a few months along."

"Yes I know, Harry, but it's Draco."

Harry wrinkled his nose a little. "I still can't believe it. You're having a baby with Draco Malfoy, old arch enemy."

"Watch it, Potty." Came Malfoy's drawl as he entered the room, bending to kiss Hermione's cheek before sitting next to her and opening his newspaper. "I feel very happy for her, as you should do."

Harry and Hermione both rolled their eyes as Malfoy smirked at them before starting to read. With a yawn, Harry rubbed his eyes before announcing that he should leave.

"Ginny would of come, but Ethan fell asleep." Harry explained as he bent down to kiss Hermione's cheek in farewell. "Take care of yourself, alright? I'll see you at work tomorrow."

Hermione nodded. "Take care of yourself too. You've only just been discharged."

"Couldn't miss this news, could I?" Harry grinned at her before squeezing her hand, nodding at Malfoy and leaving to floo home.

Hermione turned to Malfoy, sighing as she closed her eyes and laid back. He immediately turned his attention towards her.

"Are you tired?" He asked with concern.

"A little. But don't," She added as he opened his mouth, rolling her eyes. "Insist that I 'rest'. I'm pregnant, not ill."

"Fine. At least let me cook you dinner."

"Let me help."

Malfoy stood up, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at her. Finally, he heaved a sigh and held his hand out to her. "Deal."

"Oh Merlin. Draco, what is that supposed to be?"

Malfoy glared at Hermione, turning back to the stove to carry on stirring the contents within the pot. "Soup."

"That," Hermione began as she looked down at the squashed tomatoes that were slowly releasing some of their juices. "Is not soup."

"Yes it is," Malfoy insisted childishly as he carried on stirring it. "You're just jealous of my superior- Oh."

Hermione giggled. "Oh look: they're burning."

Malfoy cursed before swiftly flicking his wand so the stove switched off. He threw down his spoon and crossed his arms, glaring down at the pot. "Bad luck."

"I thought you had 'superior skills'?"

"Shut it, Granger." He bent to bite at her ear lobe gently before flicking his wand so the pot was levitated into the sink. "Right, let's start again."

"Or," Hermione rolled her eyes, rolling up her sleeves. "I can cook."

"No no, sit down." Malfoy ushered her to the kitchen table to sit in one of the wooden chairs, frowning down at it. "Shall I get you a cushion?"

"For goodness sake," Hermione pushed him away, only standing up again. "No! I'm going to cook Malfoy! Now you can help, but stop treating me like I can't do anything just because I'm carrying a baby! It's only been three months!"

"Exactly, you need to rest- ow!"

"Move out of my way," Hermione moved to start chopping up some fresh tomatoes. "You're going to drive me crazy."

Malfoy shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, well I suppose that I can do… this." He flicked some flour at her and her mouth dropped open as she turned to him.

"Did you just- hey!"

Malfoy laughed as Hermione's hair was now full of flour, backing away with a glint in his eye. "Bring it on Granger."

"Stay away," Hermione warned, now backing away from him as he dipped his hands into the flour bag, scooped some in his hands and started to move towards her, the spitting image of a dark predator. "Draco Mal-

He threw it at her again, laughing when she spluttered in protest. She raised her hands to wipe away the flour from her eyes before opening them, her smoky brown eyes darkening as she gazed at him. Malfoy, suddenly entranced, didn't notice as she grabbed an egg next to her and threw it at him.

His mouth dropped open, the gooey liquid falling slowly from his chin. He stared at her in protest whilst she let out a burst of happy giggles.

"That's it." He stalked over to her and easily lifting her from her feet to drape her over his shoulder as she screamed, kicking against it. "Bath."

An hour on and being bathed, content and thoroughly tired, Hermione closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the large pillow, sighing happily. "That was lovely."

Malfoy, who had casually been drying his hair with a fluffy towel, looked over at her, standing in only a pair of boxers.

"I know," He replied smugly, winking when she opened one eye and poked her tongue out at him. He threw the towel carefully into a chair before crawling next to her on the bed, pushing her thin vest up gently to press a kiss to her belly. Hermione's hand instinctively moved to stroke his damp hair as she turned her head and soon enough, fell asleep. Malfoy looked up and watched her for a moment, before settling his head back down onto her stomach and closing his own eyes.

"Father? Father, I know you're in there."

Malfoy heard a small grunt and the shuffling of feet, stepping back to wait before, as expected, the large oak door swung open, revealing a very calm but irritated looking Lucius Malfoy.

"Yes?" He enquired with a delicate white-blonde eyebrow raised, not waiting for an answer as he turned around and swiftly walked back to his desk, seating himself in his large chair and turning his attention back to his business papers. Malfoy gritted his teeth but followed obediently, closing the door quietly behind him and sitting himself down before the desk.

"I came to tell you the news."

"And what news is that?" Lucius asked distractedly, the scratching of his quill loud as he wrote in his elegant, neat handwriting on a piece of parchment. He removed his spectacles when Malfoy heaved a sigh, now looking up at his son expectedly.

Malfoy returned his gaze, steeling himself to get it out of the way. "Hermione is pregnant. With my child."

A brief, momentarily look of surprise fleeted across Lucius's usual composed facial expression, before he masked it with a cold, neutral gaze.

"Ah," Was all he replied with.

Malfoy pursed his lips, holding back another sigh before forcing himself to remain civil. "I expected more of a reply, Father. It will be your grandchild."

Lucius narrowed his eyes and with the same, careful tone but with a very low, cold voice replied: "A wedlock grandchild that will not be carrying on a suitable bloodline, I believe."

Malfoy couldn't take it. He stood up abruptly, glaring angrily down at his father before speaking to shoot at him: "No, father, I'm afraid it won't be a pureblood. And this child will not become a little prat that I became, indeed it will learn the traits that Hermione carries that I admire: love, loyalty and intelligence. Now I came here to tell you of this child in the hope you would not neglect it. The choice is entirely yours."

Before he made to move, Lucius stood up, looking at his son with a hard, cold look.

"What happened to you, son?" Lucius asked softly, now walking slowly around the desk to face Malfoy properly. "Hm? I thought your mother and I taught you better than that."

"You taught me nothing but to hate, and therefore be hated." Malfoy spat harshly. "And I grew up, father. I knew from the moment that the War was over that I would never go back to what I was put through. How many times must I say it? The World has changed. Now you can carry on pretending to adapt, or you can actually do so, and learn how to smile for once in your life. You will either change, or keep away from me and my family: Hermione and our child."

And with that, he left the cold room, his head held up slightly higher than it had been held when he entered- and a satisfied look etching into his handsome features.

A week later

"Draco… isn't that all a little… excessive?"

Malfoy stared at Hermione confusedly before both turned their heads to look at the five very full shopping bags of baby items on the floor. They met each other's gazes again before Malfoy shortly answered her with a flat: "No."

"Seriously," Hermione moved to bend down and retrieve one bag, rummaging through it to pull out a few objects and examine them with an uneasy expression. "The baby does not need a baby wizard's hat."

"It's a custom," Malfoy insisted as he snatched the tiny green hat back, before tucking it into his pocket. He watched as Hermione rummaged through more baby purchases murmuring the items as she spotted them.

"-Clothes… Shoes…Toy wand… Goodness, you bought him a toy broomstick? He'll be a newborn baby, for Merlin's sake… Oh Draco, you didn't buy him all of these little cloaks did you? I mean they're very sweet, but this is an awful lot you have spent on unnecessary things- and why are they all green? This doesn't have anything to do with your insistence that the baby will be in Slytherin, is it?"

"No," Malfoy replied indignantly, crossing his fingers behind his back. "Of course not. I can't believe you thought that of me."

Hermione only rolled her eyes.

"Apparently the baby is soothed by the voice of its parents, particularly the mother."

Malfoy looked at Hermione sat next to him, both comfortable in the plushy armchair in the library, peering down at her now slightly swollen belly. "It can hear us?"

"Well, yes. His external ears have grown."

"Really?" Malfoy sat up a little, now interested. Noticing this, Hermione laid her book to the side and took his hand, gently placing it on her stomach.

"Talk to him," She insisted with a small smile.

Malfoy frowned a little. "Well... I-

"It's okay," Hermione stroked the back of his neck lightly with one finger assuringly, before adjusting herself so she lay back a little more. "It'll come naturally to you."

Malfoy was uncomfortable. Of course, he was thrilled that he was going to have a child: but he had done what he knows to do. He's always been used to buying and purchasing- but this was different. The only times he had interacted with her stomach was when she was fast asleep and he didn't feel so pressured. His parents had not exactly shown him affection emotionally, rather physically by buying him gifts and dressing him in suits- something to proudly show off to their friends.

Taking a deep breath, he laid aside his own book before bending to kneel onto the floor in front of her, his hands now cautiously resting on Hermiones' belly. He met her eyes again before biting his lip and leaning forwards.

"Er..." At another assuring look from her, he cleared his throat and tried again. "...Hi there."

Hermione bit her lip hard to stop herself to bursting into peals of laughter. But Malfoy wasn't fooled. He shot Hermione a glare before clearing his throat and leaning forwards again.

"So. I'm your dad," Malfoy spoke softly at the stomach as Hermione stroked his hair gently. "And I can't wait until... until I meet you."

Finished with his speech with a small nod of approval to himself, he looked up at Hermione to smile at her, only taken completely by surprise when he noticed a small tear rolling down her cheek. He felt himself return her shaky smile and felt her hands slide on top of his, both now almost cradling the fetus inside of her before leaning towards each other and pouring all of their emotions, feelings and words into one simple kiss.

A/N: A very contrasting chapter- it's actually very nice to finally be reaching towards the end. Of course, there are still a few things to wrap up- such as where Ron stands, Ethan's situation, the baby that'll arrive, whether Lucius changes for the better... Hermione and Malfoy becoming parents.

Thank you very much for all of the reviews, flower123, CheshireCat23, Stargoddess400, HarryPGinnyW4eva, Saorise Driscoll, 27, Sarah Liz B, Ulquishinee, LoganLover8128, marana1- You are all stars, and I always love to read your positive feedback

Few notes:

- Ulquishinee- I totally agree, 4 years doesn't seem enough. But I did think about it carefully and decided that realistically, prison sentences aren't always what we expect or want and can be highly unfair. Be assured Tim, with the help he'll receive, will probably need 4 years.

-I adored writing Malfoy in this chapter, and his awkwardness with the idea of being a father. I certainly believe Lucius and Narcissa loved him, but didn't show it in the way we usually recognise- affectionate hugs, kisses etc. Instead, they bought him things to keep him happy, and being a high-classed family I can picture they rarely spent time together apart from meal times and so on.

-I have published a new fic- Wizards of the Caribbean- which is a Hermione/Draco fic. Please check it out! As you can probably tell, it is based on the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. More details are within, and i have a lovely beta, Sarah Liz B (Sarah I have recieved your emails and will reply, but not yet- as you will find out if you read below)

-Lastly, I will be away for a week, so will have no opportunity to update this fic, or any others until next week. I'm sorry! But please leave me lots of lovely reviews to read when i get back. Thank you also to the vast majority of people who put this on alert- please do drop a comment, it always gives an author a nice happy feeling!

See you all for chapter 18 lovelies! And please review, please please please, with a cherry on top...