Disclaimer: Anything you recognize I do not own.

Well, it's been a while. I've been busy with work and since I work at a library I've been reading books like crazy which doesn't leave much time for writing. I also didn't get a chance to reply to every review, so thank you to those of you who did review and did not get a reply. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter. And a early Happy 4th of July to all of the Americans out there who celebrate.

Wednesday February 14, 2007

After packing overnight bags Draco took Hermione by the hand and apparated them away to Italy. Thankfully he had known just the place to bring Hermione for the night. He'd stayed at this hotel before and knew their service to be exceptional. And he knew that they would take him without a reservation.

"Mr. Malfoy! A pleasure to see you!" The man behind the desk gushed in his heavy accented English.

"Thank you, Antonio."

"What can Antonio do for you and this lovely lady tonight?"

"We need a room for the night. We just got married today and decided to go away on short notice."

"No! Married! How wonderful! Antonio will set you two up in the honeymoon suite for the night!"

"Antonio, we really don't need the honey-" Hermione began only to be cut off abruptly by Antonio.

"Antonio insists, Mrs. Malfoy. Now here is the key to the honeymoon suite on the top floor. Antonio will also have a bottle of our finest champagne laid out for the two of you. Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you, Antonio." Draco replied, grabbing the key before Hermione could protest again.

Draco had never seen the honeymoon suite before, but after staying in one of their luxurious regular rooms, he knew the suite had to be absolutely brilliant. And while this may not be a typical honeymoon for the two of them, there was no reason for them not to enjoy some luxury.

Sure enough when they entered the suite they were greeted by the sight of champagne chilling in a bucket on the table. The room was dominated by the large bed in the middle, covered in the best silks, and promising a wonderful night sleep.

"This is amazing." Hermione breathed as she went and plopped down on the bed. "And this bed is heavenly."

Draco joined her and lay down on his back staring up at the ceiling above the bed. What he saw surprised him-for it was the image of he and Hermione reflected back at him. Kinky. He decided it was best not to alert Hermione to its presence and stood up again before his mind was assaulted with images of watching Hermione ride him in the mirror above their heads.

"Well, are you hungry?" Draco asked.

"Starving."

"Good, I know the perfect restaurant."

While he wasn't known by name at the family owned restaurant a block away, they still received excellent service. They had been able to get seated with no problem and had only to wait a few minutes before a waiter walked over to their table.

"What can I get for the sir and madam tonight?" He asked pleasantly. "I highly recommend the 1997 Merlot."

"My wife is pregnant so no wine for us tonight." Draco replied.

Hermione started at the words that came out of his mouth. While both things were now true, it was strange to hear them coming from his mouth in relation to her. But she was going to have to get used to it, because she was going to be Draco's wife for a long time.

"My congratulations."

"Thank you." Hermione smiled, her gaze dropping to her left hand where the white gold diamond studded band sat on her finger where Draco had placed it earlier today. Looking up from her own she looked over at Draco's own hand and saw his matching band sparkle in the light from over their table. Initially the bands had been more than Hermione had wanted; she'd just wanted a band and nothing more, but Draco had insisted that they needed some sparkle. So they had compromised with the small diamonds set within the bands. She had had her diamond ring with Ron and since this was an entirely different marriage it didn't seem right to have another big diamond.

"Well then what can I get for you madam?"

"Just a glass of water and the chicken fettechini alfredo."

"Excellent choice, and for you sir?"

"I'll have a glass of lemonade and chicken carbonara."

"Excellent as well. I will be back with your drinks shortly."

Hermione and Draco sat in silence for a bit after the waiter left, and took the time to check out their surroundings. The restaurant was small but with a very nice atmosphere that invited warmth and a good time for all there. Both promises seemed to be true as laughter surrounded the couple, and even though both were feeling slightly awkward, they were both happy to be where they were at the moment.

"Do you think Rose will like the house?" Draco asked, breaking the silence.

Hermione nodded her head, "Oh yes, especially the play room in the basement. I was thinking about a change for her room though. I picked out the colors of her room when she was a baby and I think tomorrow I will let her choose what she wants."

"That's a good idea; I did the same with Scorpius. Maybe I should let him decide."

"You should! I'm sure Rose will help him choose. And they should decide what the playroom looks like together."

"What about the master bedroom? Did you want to change that?"

"No, I liked the shade of purple it was. And that bathroom was brilliant the way it is. In fact, the only thing I really want to change besides the kids' rooms is the color of the living room. It's rather plain."

"My Mother likes beige." Draco smirked. "What color were you thinking?"

"A pleasant light yellow."

"Hufflepuff colors!" Draco scoffed.

Hermione rolled her eyes at her husband, "The shade I am thinking of is nothing like Hufflepuff, and besides you never know if one of your children will be sorted in that house, so watch what you say!"

"Malfoys are always Slytherin, Hermione."

It was Hermione's turn to smirk, "Yes, so maybe Scorpius will be a Slytherin, but our child will be half me."

"Bloody hell. Well, Gryffindor is better than Hufflepuff any day. But if our child is not a Slytherin I'd rather they be in Ravenclaw; at least then they'll be brilliant."

Hermione didn't get a chance to reply to that last statement as the waiter arrived with their drinks and a breadbasket. Once he was gone again, Hermione dove into the bread, starving after what had been a long day.

"Have you had any negative effects from the pregnancy yet?" Draco asked curiously as he watched Hermione chow down on a piece of buttered bread.

Hermione shook her head, "I'm not that far along, but every witch is different with their pregnancies. I did have some morning sickness with Rose, but that doesn't mean I will with this one. Molly Weasley had terrible morning sickness with Ron, but never to that degree with any of her other children."

Hermione had just provided the perfect opportunity for him to make a comment about Weasley, but he bit his tongue. As her husband and Rose's step father it would not be right to make comments about her first husband and Rose's father.

"I don't know much about pregnancy." Draco confessed instead. "Astoria didn't let me be a part of it."

"What? Why?" Hermione asked her brow wrinkled in confusion.

"I have no idea why, but as soon as she found out she was pregnant she went and lived with her parents. I didn't see her again until after Scorpius was born. I didn't even see Scorpius until a day after he was born. And even after that Astoria stayed with her parents for another whole month!"

"That's horrible!" Hermione gasped. "Ron loved being a part of every step of the pregnancy, even the nastier bits. And you didn't even get to be there to see his birth? I already thought she was selfish for abandoning her son like that, but this only proves how much more selfish she is than I thought."

Draco just nodded his head in agreement; Hermione had basically summed up everything he felt about his ex wife in those lost few sentences. She was selfish and had always been. Thankfully she was no longer a concern for him or his son. He wouldn't be missing any other milestones with his son.

Xxx

Dinner had been delicious and now they found themselves back in their hotel room staring at each other as they stood on opposite ends of the bed.

"We have to get used to this." Draco stated practically taking in the sight of Hermione in her modest pajamas. They certainly were not lingerie and didn't show much, but in their modesty they were a turn on for him. Even if there were cartoon cats on the pants.

"Yes, of course. I haven't shared a bed in a while."

"Me either."

With that said they both pulled back the covers and climbed into bed.

"Just a warning, I may cuddle up to you in the night." Hermione whispered.

"I like to cuddle too, so don't be surprised if I cuddle up to you first."

"Right."

"Right."

"Good night."

"'Night."

They laid there stiffly for a few minutes before Hermione flipped over and settled in to a more comfortable position. A few minutes later she flipped over again. And a few minutes after that she flipped again.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked.

"I can't get comfortable."

"Come here." Draco insisted. "We're going to end up cuddled anyway, so we might as well start now."

Hermione nodded and moved closer to him. He held up his arm for her and laid there as Hermione nestled against him, her arm lying across his chest. He brought his arm down on her side and sighed in contentment as her warmth enfolded him. Hermione snuggled down deeper into him and soon both of them were asleep.

Xxx

Saturday February 17, 2007

The kids had been absolutely thrilled to pick out their new bedroom themes the day before, and now on Saturday all of their belongings were unpacked and situated in new places in the house.

The living room was now the pale yellow color Hermione had mentioned to Draco the night in Italy and after changing Draco's black leather couch into a much more inviting sand color, everything within the room worked together nicely.

Pictures of the kids lined the mantle place, with plenty of room for their new addition. And Draco had insisted that the space above the mantle be kept saved for a family portrait they would have done after the baby was born. Hermione had been quick to agree on that, although a part of her missed her family portrait from her old house. While packing, she had had her parents keep it in storage in their attic for Rose if she ever wanted it someday, but she would never have been able to get rid of it.

Any other pictures Hermione had of Ron she had given to Rose to be placed in her room. It didn't seem right to bring her first husband into her new marriage and she knew that seeing him in her daughter's room would be enough for her. So after Rose had decided on light blue walls, Hermione had hung up the pictures of Ron on Rose's walls. Her room had come together quite nicely. Her white bedroom set worked well with the new blue color and after taking a trip to the store, they had returned with new bed linens to match Rose's new look. Gone were the pink and purple flowers of Rose's toddler years and they were now replaced with lime green and blue polka dots.

As for Scorpius; he hadn't strayed that far away from what his old room had been like. Draco had decorated his room in Quidditch themed wall paper at their old flat, and Scorpius insisted that he wanted his Quidditch wall paper in this room too. However, he had insisted on a bunk bed and while they were at the store they picked up matching bed linens for his new bunk bed that were dark green with golden snitches flying around on them.

However, they left the nursery alone. They had both decided to wait and see what the baby was before they started any designs. Although, each of them had ideas for when the time came.

But despite finally getting all settled into their house, today marked another special occasion. Today was the night that Hermione and Draco invited their best friends over. For Hermione that meant that Ginny, Harry, and the kids were coming. And for Draco that meant that Blaise was coming over. Blaise had decided it was best not to bring Jackie along for what was guaranteed to be a tiring night with all of the children and Potter.

Hermione was currently in the kitchen pulling dinner from the oven when she heard the floo ignite. Draco was over in the formal dining room setting the table, the muggle way, which had been as much as a surprise to him as it had been to Hermione. After watching her prepare dinner entirely the muggle way, it had only seemed natural to set the table the same way.

"Aunt Ginny! Uncle Harry!" Rose yelled excitedly, effectively informing Hermione and Draco of who their first guests were.

After Rose's shout they heard the sound of pounding feet as all of the children, minus baby Lily, ran into the kitchen and to the basement door, where Rose and Scorpius were presumably about to show off their play room to the Potter boys.

"Dinner is almost ready, Rose, so show the boys real quick and come back up for dinner." Hermione called as Rose led the boys downstairs.

With that said, she moved into the living room to greet Harry and Ginny. Both were looking around the new room curiously when she walked in and both looked up at her arrival.

"This is a nice place, Hermione." Ginny smiled.

"Thank you, we'll have to give a full tour after dinner." Hermione replied and then reached out to hug her best friend.

When she and Ginny pulled apart Harry was waiting for her with open arms.

"If he ever does anything to you, just tell me and I'll take care of him." Harry whispered as the two best friends clung to each other.

Telling their friends had been even harder than their parents surprisingly. Well, at least her telling Harry had been. At first he had been very angry and insisting that Draco had taken advantage of her in a nefarious scheme. But after she had calmly explained to him the exact details, his anger had dissipated and instead he had tried to talk her out of their plan to marry. Harry insisted she was in for an unhappy life, but she told him that she had her children's happiness to worry about first. He hadn't been pleased with that explanation, but he knew that there was no changing her mind.

"He's not that bad anymore, Harry. He's changed. While I don't know exactly what kind of husband he'll be, he is a good Father and that's the most important thing to me."

With that said the two pulled away just as Draco walked into the room and the floo ignited again with Blaise Zabini inside. He stepped out, carrying a bottle of sparkling grape juice, in deference to pregnant Hermione, and grinned at his best friend.

"Something smells delicious." Blaise stated handing the bottle over to Draco.

"Thank you, we're about to eat. So why don't the three of you go pick your seats in the dining room while we round up the children?"

After the children had been pulled from their play and seated around the table, the group had eagerly began their meal of lasagna, salad, and garlic bread that Hermione had spent the afternoon preparing for her guests.

Fortunately, the conversation flowed nicely between the adults despite their marked differences. Of course the Slytherins at the table were outnumbered by the Gryffindors, but there were no barbed comments or nasty looks.

With the children to consider the Potters couldn't stay long after dinner had been eaten. Lily was cranky and ready for bed, and so were the rest of the children for that matter. So, the Potters gathered their children and left after a round of goodbyes and Hermione hustled Rose and Scorpius upstairs, while Blaise and Draco slipped into the library under the stairs.

"I received a letter from my Father." Draco stated suddenly as he walked over to his desk where he had left the letter that had arrived hours ago. He had yet to touch it again and hadn't told anyone about it until this very moment. He already had a good idea what it contained and really didn't want it to poison his good day.

"Well, let's see it then." Blaise said, holding out a hand to take the letter.

Draco handed it over without question and watched as Blaise broke the wax seal and pulled the letter from the envelope. At first Draco thought he would read it to him, but after a moment's hesitation his best friend silently read the letter and then handed it back to him with a shrug.

"Nothing in there too surprising from good ole Lucius Malfoy."

Draco,

You ignorant fool. Marry a mudblood? How you could even conceive to sully our bloodline by bringing that mudblood into our family is beyond my comprehension. But worse...you did conceive: a halfblooded bastard onto that mudblood! You better believe that were I not in this deplorable prison cell I would handle the matter to my satisfaction. But alas, I am not free and instead am mocked by my fellow inmates because my son has made the family name a laughing stock. I can only be grateful that you have a legal and pureblooded heir in my grandson, Scorpius, the only child of yours I will ever acknowledge.

Sincerely,

Father

By the time Draco finished reading he noticed that Blaise was chuckling. Throwing the letter down back onto the desk he quirked a brow at his best friend.

"As if writing you a letter is actually going to do anything. Like you care what he or his inmates think." Blaise laughed. "It still blows my mind to think how brainwashed we were as children by our parents."

Draco sighed, "You were never as bad as I was, Blaise."

Blaise nodded in agreement, "Well, I say you go about wooing Hermione so well that the two of you will be madly in love and continue to pop out halfblooded babies. And when you get the irate letters from your father after each and every birth I want to be there to laugh and drink a shot of celebratory firewhiskey."

Draco couldn't help the smile that graced his lips at his friends words, "You know Blaise, sometimes I ask myself 'why am I friends with Zabini?' and its statements such as those that sufficiently remind me why I am."

Blaise grinned, "Is that a roundabout way of saying you love me?"

Draco rolled his eyes, "I promise I'll invite you over anytime I get an irate letter from my Father. Now get the hell out of my house."

"I love you too, mate."