A/N: Pardon the lateness in posting, but FFnet wouldn't let me log in for over 24 hours!
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About a week after Draco's wedding, Hermione had been awakened early by Lucius' amorous advances. She had yet another appointment with the midwife later that morning, so Lucius had decided to get their day off to the right start. He'd started by placing gentle kisses on the back of her neck, as he reached around the stroke her breasts from behind. Once Hermione had completely awakened, he urged her up onto her hands and knees, giving her little kisses on her neck and down her back as he did so.
She felt awkward and ungainly as she perched naked on top of the bed on her hands and knees as Lucius pounded into her from behind, releasing an unladylike "umph" with each thrust. Despite her decreased agility, however, her libido remained strong and steady the further she got into her pregnancy, much to Lucius' delight. Because of her expanding waistline, the couple most often employed the rear-entry position, which spared Hermione's stomach and allowed Lucius more control.
Finally, Lucius began emitting a low growl, which signaled his impending climax, which came a short time later, punctuated by a satisfied grunt. Lucius rolled back onto the bed, pulling Hermione down with him. She rested with her head on his chest for a long moment, as she felt his heart rate slow down to normal.
After a long interval, Hermione reluctantly rose to sit on the side of the bed. "I suppose I should go get ready," she said. "I'll be glad when this is all over."
"I'm of two minds on that," Lucius replied. "I'll be glad to see our baby, but I'm not looking forward to the six weeks we'll have to do without."
"It shouldn't be all that hard on you," Hermione told him, somewhat impatiently. "After all, you'll still have Narcissa to accommodate you during that time.
"That's quite true," Lucius said. "But I'll certainly miss making love to you during that time, all the same."
Hermione leaned over and kissed him on the cheek,feeling ashamed of her peevish response to him. "I suppose I'd better go into the bathroom and start getting ready," she said softly.
A short time later, after she and Lucius had showered, Hermione sighed loudly as she arranged her hair in front of the mirror, feeling dumpy and unattractive
"Don't worry," the mirror said sympathetically. "It won't be too long. Soon, you'll have your girlish figure back."
"I certainly hope so," Hermione replied, still marveling at the mirror Lucius has installed for her. It was the first one she'd ever encountered that wasn't prone to making wisecracks. "I'm dearly sick of being pregnant."
Finally satisfied with her hair, she went into the breakfast room, where Lucius was waiting for her. Now that Hermione was in the last stages of pregnancy, he'd been going with her to the more frequent visits she'd had with the midwife.
"Ah, there you are," Lucius said smiling. "Looking lovely, as always." He knew that Hermione was feeling less confident about her appearance, just as Narcissa had in late pregnancy with Draco, so he found it essential to encourage Hermione, assuring her at frequent intervals how attractive he still found her. Indeed, her heavily pregnant form turned him on even more, as it was visual proof of his own virility.
"Why don't you sit down and have some breakfast before we go," Lucius suggested. "We're in no hurry."
"All right," Hermione agreed. "I am pretty hungry."
Half an hour later, the expectant couple arrived at St Mungo's for Hermione's appointment. As they walked into the midwife's waiting room, the receptionist called out to Lucius, "Oh, Mr Malfoy. An owl message arrived for you a short time ago."
Taking the message from the young woman, Lucius quickly scanned the contents.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, noting the concerned expression that came over his face after he'd read the note.
"Nothing serious, I hope," he replied, frowning. "It's from Narcissa. She wants me to return to Malfoy Manor right away."
"I hope nothing is wrong," Hermione said with concern.
"It's not like her to sound quite so urgent," he said. "She usually prefers to handle things independently. But the note doesn't give a clue as to what the matter is."
"You'd better go," Hermione urged him. "I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Very," Hermione said, with a wave of her hand. "Now, go!"
"I'll be back as quick as I can," Lucius promised her.
"Take your time," Hermione told him. "There's no hurry."
Lucius gave her a quick kiss, before hurrying off to apparate to Malfoy Manor, hoping that nothing was amiss at home.
Hermione picked up a copy of Witch Weekly from the table next to her seat and settled in to read while she waited her turn to see the midwife. Her eyes immediately caught the headline:
Malfoy Heir Quietly Marries Quibbler Heir in a Private Ceremony
Before she could read more than a few lines of the article, the receptionist called her name. She was surprised her name was called that quickly, even though the waiting room contained only a few expectant mothers.
A short time later, she was on Calandra Jones' examination table, her feet up in the stirrups. At first embarrassed by having to assume this undignified position, she was now used to it, no longer quite so bashful doing so.
Nevertheless, she stared at the ceiling as the midwife poked and prodded between her legs. "Is everything all right?" she asked, wondering why the woman was taking so long.
"Just fine," the other woman assured her. "Everything is as it should be. I predict that you will deliver right on time."
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After leaving Hermione, Lucius apparated directly to Malfoy Manor. No sooner had his body completely materialized on the grounds near the library entrance than he was taking long strides toward the mansion.
Since he'd bonded with Hermione, Narcissa had never owled him requesting his immediate return home, as she'd made a point of respecting the boundaries Lucius had created so that the two relationships functioned smoothly. Draco and Luna were on their honeymoon in Italy; he hoped nothing had gone amiss with them.
He found the library empty and quiet when he entered from the French doors a moment later.
"Narcissa!" he called out into the silence.
There was no reply, but a moment later, there was a loud crack as a house elf apparated into the room.
"Mistress Narcissa is upstairs in her bedroom," the elf supplied helpfully.
Lucius pushed past the small creature without a word, taking the stairs quickly. His mind raced through the possibilities of what could be wrong as he tore up the steps, two at a time. Was she sick? Was she hurt?
As he burst into their bedroom, he found his wife sitting at her vanity table, calmly brushing out her hair.
Realizing that Narcissa was apparently fine, he looked at her in confusion "I'm here," he announced. "What's wrong? Is it Draco or Luna?"
"Nothing is wrong, Lucius," Narcissa said, turning to face him with a big smile on her face. "In fact, everything is so right." She rose from her chair and moved to embrace her husband. "I'm pregnant, Lucius!" she said breathlessly. "We're finally going to have another baby!"
Lucius was gobsmacked, unable to say a word.
"Did you hear me, Lucius?" Narcissa prodded. "I'm going to have a baby!"
The normally smooth-tongued wizard finally found his voice and croaked, "Are you sure?"
"Reasonably sure," Narcissa told him. "I've been feeling the symptoms of pregnancy and I've not had a period in two months. At first, I thought I might be starting the change, even though it's rather early for that. But I thought that the healers might possibly have been wrong all those years ago when they told me I couldn't have any more children. So I did the pregnancy testing charm and it came out positive. But I was so nervous when I did it, that I might not have gotten it right." Taking his hand, she said, "Why don't you give it a try?"
"I'm so shocked right now that I might not do it right, either," he confessed. After a moment, he added, "Put your clothes on and let's go. Hermione is at the midwife's right now; we'll go there and find out for certain."
"That's a good idea," she said. Giving her husband a tight squeeze, she continued, "But I know in my heart, I'm pregnant, Lucius. This will just be a formality."
"Formality or not, I still want you to be examined," Lucius said firmly.
"Give me a moment, then, and I'll be ready to go," Narcissa told him. "I've already done my hair, so all I need to do is get dressed.
Impatient to leave, Lucius waved his wand in front of his wife and she was dressed in her favorite outfit. "There," Lucius said. "Now we can leave."
A few minutes later, they entered the midwife's office. After escorting Narcissa to a seat, Lucius went to the receptionist.
"My wife needs to see the midwife as soon as possible," Lucius briefly told the young woman, indicating Narcissa with a wave of the hand.
After having seen Lucius for the last several months escorting Hermione to her appointments, the young woman had assumed that she was his wife. But now glancing in the direction he'd indicated, she realized her mistake; Hermione was obviously his mistress. And it seemed that now he'd gotten his wife pregnant as well. She looked up at the arrogant, imperious wizard, barely able to conceal a grin as she imagined what it would be like to go to bed with this obviously virile man.
Clearing her throat to return her attention to the matter at hand, she told Lucius, "I'll try to get her in as quickly as possible."
Shortly after the young woman had disappeared through a door to let the midwife know that Narcissa was waiting, Hermione re-entered the waiting room, having just finished her appointment.
Surprised to see Narcissa sitting with Lucius, she gave Lucius a questioning glance, then asked, "Is everything all right?"
Lucius looked first at Narcissa, exchanging a tight grin, then replied, "Everything is fine. More than fine, actually." Glancing again at Narcissa, he paused to allow her to share her news with Hermione.
"I think I might actually be pregnant, after all these years," the older witch said in an almost giddy tone of voice.
"Oh, that's wonderful," Hermione said. "Lucinda will have a sibling to attend Hogwarts with!"
"That's true, but you'll certainly have more children of your own to join them," Narcissa pointed out reasonably.
"Between the three of us, we'll overrun Hogwarts with Malfoys," Lucius said with a wicked grin.
The two women exchanged amused glances, both knowing how proud Lucius was of himself.
Turning to Hermione, who had by now taken a seat by Lucius on the other side from Narcissa, he asked, "I trust that all was well with your examination?"
"Everything is fine," Hermione assured him. "It shouldn't be too much longer now."
"Excellent," Lucius replied, giving her hand a squeeze.
At that moment, the receptionist returned to the room. "The midwife will see you now, Mrs Malfoy."
As Lucius rose to follow his wife, Hermione said, "I'll wait here for you. I can't wait to hear if Narcissa's suspicions are correct."
"All right," Lucius said, leaning down to give her a kiss. "We shouldn't be too long."
A moment later, Lucius and Narcissa entered Calandra Jones' office, where the midwife sat waiting for them.
"Mrs Malfoy!" Calandra said. "What a pleasant suprise to see you today. How can I be of assistance?"
"I think I might be pregnant," Narcissa told her. "I didn't think it possible considering I'd been told that I could never have more children, but all the signs are there."
"Did you perform a pregnancy testing spell on yourself?" the other woman asked.
"Yes, but I was so nervous, that I didn't trust the results," Narcissa told her. "Lucius insisted I visit you to make sure."
"And to make sure that Narcissa is perfectly healthy," Lucius added.
"A wise precaution," the midwife told Narcissa. "Now, why don't you and I go into the examination room and we'll see what's going on."
A few minutes later, the two women returned to the office where Lucius waited, both with wide smiles on their faces.
"I take it from the looks on your faces that there's good news?" Lucius asked.
"Oh, yes, Lucius," Narcissa said, smiling in happiness. "I'm most definitely pregnant."
"And she's in perfect health," Calandra Jones said, beaming. "There should be no trouble in bringing the baby to term."
Narcissa rushed to Lucius' arms, where they hugged and kissed for a long moment, belatedly remembering that they were not alone in the room.
After the three took their seats once again, the midwife said, "Now, I'll write you a prescription for some prenatal potions, then we'll be done until the next visit. Do you have any more questions?"
"Thank you," Narcissa said. "I have one question. How could I be pregnant after so many years of unsuccessful trying?"
Looking at both Malfoys, Calandra asked, "May I be completely frank?"
"Of course," Lucius said. "Do go on."
"My theory is that Narcissa was unable to conceive for so long because of all the stress and pressure she was under as the wife of a Death Eater," the midwife told them. "Worrying about her family no doubt created sufficient stress to prevent her from conceiving. Now that You Know Who is gone and the pressure has been removed, her body has now returned to its normal state, thus allowing her to become pregnant."
"That seems reasonable," Lucius said slowly, feeling ashamed that he was indirectly responsible for his wife's inability to become pregnant for so long.
Narcissa, sensing where her husband's thoughts had gone, reached over and gave him a kiss, adding, "It's all over now, love. What matters is that I'm pregnant now."
Sparing his wife a grateful glance, he asked the midwife, "So. Is it a boy or girl?"
"It's going to be a girl," Calandra told him.
"What would you like to name her, Lucius?" Narcissa asked. "You did so well with Draco, I thought you'd like to choose again."
"I think you should name her," Lucius said firmly. "It's your turn."
"All right," Narcissa said slowly "I'd like to name her Nymphadora Andromeda. I think it would make my sister very happy."
"Yes, I'm sure she'll feel honored," Lucius agreed. "Nymphadora Andromeda Malfoy. It has a nice ring to it."
Taking Narcissa's hand, he said, "Let's go tell Hermione. I know she'll be thrilled for Lucinda to have a little sister."
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