"You look tired, dear," Jane Granger told her daughter not long after Hermione, Lucius, and Lucia had arrived home. "Why don't you get a little nap before dinner? Breezy and I will be glad to take care of Lucia for you."
The small elf nodded vigorously to emphasize the muggle woman's offer.
"I don't know..." Hermione said hesitantly.
"That's an excellent idea, my dear," Lucius said smiling. "I believe I'll take a nap with you."
"I did just feed her before we left the hospital, so she should be good for an hour or two," Hermione said. "And the doctor taught me a spell for putting some of my own milk into a bottle using magic, so that Mum could feed her if she gets hungry."
"There, you see?" Lucius said smiling. "Lucia will be in quite capable hands with your Mum and Breezy to fuss over her."
"All right, then, you've convinced me." Hermione conceded. "Just let me change my clothes and make a bottle for Lucia just in case." Looking at Breezy, she added, "I'll call you when the bottle is ready." She then turned to her mother. "I'll see you a dinner, Mum."
"Have a nice nap," Jane Granger said. "Lucia and I will just spend some time getting better acquainted."
Lucius followed Hermione as she left to go change in the bedroom. As soon as the door had closed behind them, he waved his wand and said, "Aufero Vestitus!" Hermione's outer clothing disappeared, leaving her clad only in her bra and knickers. He waved his wand again, chanting another spell, and Hermione was now in comfortable night clothes.
Noting Hermione's look of surprise, he said smoothly, "I thought I'd make it easier for you."
"Thanks, love," she said, moving to gingerly sit on the side of the bed. Rambling through her bottomless purse, she pulled out the bottles the hospital had given her to use for supplemental feedings.
Taking her wand, she pointed it at her breasts, then muttered the spell Calandra Jones had taught her. Instantly, one bottle was filled with breast milk, which Hermione set on the night stand.
"Nothing to it!" she said, pleased with the results. "That was easy."
Lucius smiled at her, then said, "Breezy!"
Instantly the house elf apparated. "Master Lucius called Breezy?"
Pointing to the bottle that Hermione had set down, he said, "There is the extra bottle for Lucia."
Breezy retrieved the bottle, then looked up at the haughty blond wizard and asked, "Is there anything else Breezy can do for Master Lucius?"
"No, that's all," he told her. "We will be indisposed until dinner, so that will be all for now."
After Breezy had left, Lucius quickly stripped down to his boxers, then slipped into bed next to Hermione.
Leaning over to give her a kiss, he said, "Ah, that's better. I missed you here beside me."
Hermione laughed softly. "I was only gone for two days! And you were at the hospital with me for most of that time."
"I know," he murmured, drawing her close. "But you know what I mean."
"It's a shame we can't be intimate right now," Hermione sighed, snuggling up to Lucius. "I don't know if I can stand to wait six weeks to make love to you again."
"I'm happy just to hold the mother of my child at the moment," Lucius said. "We certainly made a beautiful little girl, I'm thinking."
"I've never seen a baby more beautiful," Hermione agreed happily. "But perhaps I'm a wee bit prejudiced?
"Just a little," Lucius chuckled. "But in this case, it just happens to be true."
"I love you so much," Hermione told him, feeling suddenly shy.
"I love you, too," Lucius replied quietly. "And I'll love you just a little more with each passing day."
Hermione yawned loudly at this point, so Lucius said, "Why don't you turn on your side? I'll rub your back until you fall asleep."
"That sounds heavenly," Hermione said lazily., as she assumed the proper position. "Mmm, that feels wonderful," she moaned a few seconds later, "You're hitting all the right spots."
"I aim to please," Lucius purred seductively.
Hermione sighed again in frustration that she could not let Lucius just go ahead and really please her for the next six weeks. But within minutes, she'd dropped off to sleep.
After he was certain she was asleep, Lucius relaxed and fell asleep beside her and was soon snoring softly.
Shortly before lunch the next day, as Hermione changed Lucia, over Breezy's protests, she reminded Lucius, "My father will be coming for lunch today to spend a little time with Lucia. He's in London for other business, so we'll not need to have him apparated here."
"You do know that Norbert Terwilliger will be coming by directly after lunch for the interview I mentioned," he told her. After a moment, he added, "But that should work out well, as I'd imagine he might want words with the happy grandparents as well."
Hermione was finished at this point, so Lucius held out his hands for Lucia and said, "There's my clean and tidy little girl. Come to Daddy." After he picked his daughter up, he held her close, crooning, "Who's a sweet baby? Daddy's little girl is such a sweet baby."
Hermione held back a giggle to hear Lucius speaking in such an undignified, un-Malfoylike fashion. And she loved him just a little bit more when she heard it.
"Oh, you're such an old softy, Lucius," Hermione told him. "And I love you for it."
"Who are you calling old, my dear," he retorted, smiling down at her. "I just happen to be in the prime of my life."
"I know," she said, laughing, "You've proven that to me many times over. I was just teasing you a bit."
They were both still chuckling a moment later when the door chimes sounded. As they left the nursery, they met Jane coming from the entryway, followed by her husband, who'd just arrived.
"There she is!" Kenneth called out as he spotted his new granddaughter, still in Lucius' arms. Lucia, still awake from having her nappy changed, began to whimper softly from all the commotion.
"Would you like to hold her?" Lucius asked Kenneth. "She's just been changed, so I assure you that she's perfectly clean."
"Need you ask?" the muggle responded, reaching out for Lucia. "And it would have been fine if she'd been dirty. I changed more of Hermione's nappies than I care to count."
The group headed to the library to visit with Lucia, while they waited for Breezy to get lunch ready. Kenneth seated himself in a rocking chair that had been recently placed in the library, meant expressly for holding and soothing the newest addition to the Malfoy family. Lucius stood protectively nearby, while Hermione and her mother sat on the couch opposite him.
Kenneth didn't say much, but merely gazed down with loving eyes at the granddaughter he'd never expected to have so soon, memorizing every one of her tiny features. A tear came unbidden to his eyes, as he thought of how much he'd worried about Hermione since she'd entered the wizarding world and had been in harm's way so many times in the course of fighting Voldemort. That she'd end up partnered with one of Voldemort's right hand men, let alone bearing him a child, would have never entered his wildest imagination only two years ago. Yet, now as he gazed down at the beautiful baby in his arms, he'd not have had it any other way. He'd always believed that things happened for a reason and he saw no reason to think differently now.
"I simply must take a picture," Jane said, watching her husband with the baby. "We need a few taken with a regular camera to show the family." She rose from her seat and bustled out of the room to get her camera.
A moment later, she returned and took several photos of her husband with their granddaughter. Turning to Lucius, she asked, "Could you take a few of us two together with Lucia?"
"I'm afraid I've never used a muggle camera," Lucius demurred, though not unwilling to fulfill her request.
"It's easy," Jane insisted. "It's just a throwaway camera; it's practically idiot-proof." Moving closer to the handsome blond wizard, she indicated the proper button and said, "Just look through the little window when you point it at us and when you're satisfied with what you see, just press that red button there. That's all there is to it!"
"All right," Lucius said slowly. "How hard could it be?"
"I can do it if you like," Hermione offered.
"I can manage, I'm sure," Lucius told her, not wishing to be defeated by anything of muggle origin. Turning to Hermione's parents he added, "Why don't you both sit on the couch with Hermione and I'll get a shot of the three of you together with Lucia."
Lucius managed the camera with little difficulty and took a few pictures of the Grangers, both with and without Hermione.
"I think that will do," he said, handing the camera back to Jane after he'd taken the pictures.
"Oh, we need some of you and Hermione to show the family," Jane decided. "Hermione's grandmother asks about you all the time." Gesturing to the couch she'd just vacated, she said, "Sit here with Hermione and Lucia and I'll get a few pictures." Looking critically at Lucius' robe, she said, "You'd better take off that robe, so the family doesn't question me about how you're dressed."
Lucius obligingly removed his lightweight indoor robe to reveal a white dress shirt and expensive black wool trousers underneath. Though both items of clothing were of wizarding make and cut, they were close enough to their muggle counterparts so they'd not evoke any unwanted questions from family members.
Jane took a few pictures, then said, "Well, that's the end of the roll; I can't take any more pictures for now." Turning to her husband, she said, "Take the camera with you when you go, so you can get the pictures developed right away!"
"Yes, dear," he said, chuckling. "Your wish is my command."
After Kenneth took the camera from his wife, Breezy entered the room to let everyone know that lunch was served. As the group left for the dining room, Lucius paused to have a word with the small elf. "After you've served dinner, please take Lucia and get her settled for a nap. Stay with her until we're finished."
"Yes, Master Lucius," Breezy said, clearly delighted for a chance to spend time taking care of the little girl.
---
A/N Well over a thousand reviews now! I really appreciate everyone who has stuck with my story for an entire year. As of Wednesday, I will have a complete year of posting chapters.
A/N Next chapter yet to be named.