Chapter Thirty-Four
Hermione spent all of the following morning packing for Hogwarts. With only a day left until her last trip to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, she was surprised she wasn't feeling more anxious. In fact, she wasn't excited at all – she was mostly just feeling nervous. This last year would be so important… yet, how was she supposed to do it pregnant? School had been difficult enough WITHOUT the raging hormones that were sure to come. Besides that, she'd wracked her brains for anyone at Hogwarts who had ever been pregnant in school, and came up blank; The idea embarrassed her completely.
More importantly, though; She was going to have to tell Harry, Ron and Ginny at some point. Well, maybe not Ron – but she might as well, since Harry and Ginny probably couldn't keep a secret of that magnitude from him for very long. Hermione didn't even want to THINK of Ron's reaction when she told him she was pregnant with Draco's child… even if they HADN'T ever had sex…
She shook the thought from her head as she neatly packed the last of her robes and schoolbooks into her trunk. Instinctively, she touched her stomach gently. Although she knew the spell Narcissa had cast wouldn't be faulty, she still had a difficult time realizing the reality of the situation that there was life inside of her. She hadn't spent enough time with her own mother to be able to take on that role yet – she wasn't done growing, either.
Perhaps it would have been easier to accept there was a child inside her stomach if the rain had let up. At the moment, it was still steadily drizzling outside. The nearby lake was swollen with all the extra water from the past five days and seeping up the hillside. It was beautiful in its own way, but destructively so.
"What's on your mind?"
Hermione looked over her shoulder at the young man who'd just entered the room. She and Draco got on a little better, as if they'd signed some sort of unspoken treaty – though they still were far from friends.
"I'm just looking outside," she answered quietly. She was seated by the window in a parlor that looked like it hadn't been entered in years, "The rain hasn't let up."
Draco was silent, though his lack of reply spoke enough words for him. Hermione knew he was beginning to realize the enormity of the situation.
"Are you nervous?" Hermione whispered, not tearing her eyes away from the window.
She expected him to reply, "To what?" or maybe "Not me". But again, he was silent for a time before he whispered, "Yes."
"Me too," she admitted.
"I think there has been a mistake."
She turned. He was still looking out the window, not at her. "A mistake with what?"
"The spell."
She turned back to the window, "Your mother wouldn't have messed it up."
"No," he mused, "she wouldn't. But the rain hasn't stopped falling. I looked up some information in the library – you should be… well… you know… at this point…"
Hermione shook a little with repressed laughter at the thought of Draco looking through books on the reproductive system, bit the laughter passed quickly. "How long are you planning on entertaining your father?" she asked, changing the subject quickly.
"He'll only be here for an hour or so; That's why it's critical that you're here."
Hermione was disappointed: She knew he was right. In the short time she lived with Dora, she knew that her absence in a visit that was to only last an hour would be inexcusable to her new in-laws. "Just when I thought this day wouldn't be so bad, too…"
Draco snorted, which Hermione realized was his way of chuckling. Imagine – Draco Malfoy with a sense of humor! Who knew…?
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," he shrugged.
"Are you talking to Adrian?"
"I am."
"I thought you hated him...?"
"He's my brother."
"He is? He really is? He wasn't lying?"
"He is. Why do you ask?"
She smiled maliciously, "I just wonder what your father would say if you told him you knew…"
.
.
By the time Lucius arrived that evening, Hermione had completely transfigured the parlor. She was quite proud of it – she'd refused all help the house elves had offered, ignoring even their pleas to assist, or fetch her something to eat while she worked. It was now transformed into something resembling home much better.
Perhaps, she thought I can do this to the whole mansion: What a welcoming change that would be, rather than all this dreariness…
She had done away with all the dark colors, the dreary wallpaper, the uncomfortable chairs. The room now resembled her old living room more than anything: A comforting thought, but with painful emotions behind them.
Lucius insisted upon meeting in the main parlor; Hermione was glad, as she was feeling protective over her transfigured one. It was a connection to her old life – the last person she wanted to share her sanctuary with was Lucius Malfoy.
"I've heard the news," Lucius announced once they were all seated in the primary parlor. "For two people who were so resistant to any kind of relations, you seem to have decided fairly quickly to fuck like little rabbits."
Hermione stared at him incredulously. "How can you just SAY something so vulgar as that?"
Draco sunk back into his seat a little, not having anticipated an argument to break out.
"I may be free to speak my mind in front of my son and daughter-in-law."
Hermione huffed for a moment, "You are not any kind of father to me, besides what is written in law."
"I assure you I never intended to be anything else," Lucius answered, smirking.
There was a long silence in which Hermione glared at Lucius, who stared back, completely unconcerned. Draco finally found his voice, "What brings you here, father?"
Lucius turned for the first time to his son, "I merely wanted to discuss your news."
Hermione huffed again to herself.
"What about?" Draco queried, deciding to play it safe for the conversation.
"It has come to my attention," Lucius answered, gray eyes boring holes into the identical ones of his son, "that such marital relations could possibly not have taken place."
Draco stared at his father, sudden apprehension manifesting itself in the pit of his stomach, "What do you mean?"
Hermione was frozen in her seat: He knew about the spell. She KNEW he knew.
"You know very well what I'm talking about."
Lucius held up a wand, which Draco immediately recognized. Springing out of his chair, Draco took out his wand with one fluid motion and pointed directly at his father, "What did you do to her?"
Hermione stared at Draco, comprehending his meaning completely: Lucius was holding Narcissa's wand in his hand.
"Calm down, Draco. Your mother sits at home, happy and unaware I am discussing this with you."
Draco's eyes narrowed; He lowered his wand, but did not sit back down. "She knows you're here," he accused.
"Sit down."
"Tell me."
"Yes, she knows I am here. Sit down."
Draco sat.
"What do you want?" Hermione demanded.
"I want you to know the enormity of what you've done," Lucius answered, twirling his wife's wand in his fingers. "Piori Incantatem." A number of spells appeared, including a levitating spell, two or three transfigurations and charm required for a potion happened in backward sequence. A manifestation of a child sleeping arose from the tip of the wand and then vanished. Lucius uttered the countercurse and the wand stopped producing spells. "Well, that was quite telling, wasn't it?" he murmured silkily.
"So what?" Draco demanded, "you wanted a goddamn kid, you got one."
Lucius laughed quietly, the sound of it reverberating sinisterly around the room, "That's just the problem, Draco. Yes, your wife is successfully pregnant. Congratulations. But have you noticed the rain hasn't stopped?"
Hermione and Draco both accidentally glanced at one another, knowing exactly what was coming. Hermione gripped her wand tightly.
"No, the rain hasn't stopped," Lucius continued, "which means the prophecy has not been fulfilled. When are you going to learn that magic can never be substitute to something of this magnitude?"
Hermione stared hard at Lucius, pondering his next move.
"I think you should leave," Draco insisted, walking to the fireplace and gesturing to the pot of Floo Powder by the mantle. "This conversation is over."
Lucius raised an eyebrow, "I applaud your attempt to be assertive, but I'm not leaving just yet. Don't worry, I'll leave soon – I'm just not quite done here."
"I insist."
Lucius stared at his son; Hermione prepared her wand, just in case. Finally, it seemed Draco had won the stare-down because Lucius rose from his seat. "Very well."
He made his way over to the fireplace, as if to take the Floo Powder and leave. At the last second, he disapparated and reappeared behind Hermione, his wand pointed directly at her throat.
.
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Author's Note: Ooh, suspense!
Thanks to MyLookOfDenial., tfobmv18, margaritama, sureynot, InvisibleLilacNights, gitgit, Xx. Shaiya Star-Gazer .xX, ebbe04, and RIPJameSiriusLupin for the reviews! I really appreciate them, especially since you guys have been around for quite a few chapters now. I hope it means I'm doing something right here!
There is also something else I wanted to address here. I've made a sticky note on my desktop with all the suggestions you guys made on how to improve this story. Yes, I'm still taking them into consideration! They've been very helpful. But someone mentioned they wanted longer chapters. Now, this is up to you guys... I can post longer chapters, but it would mean that it would take me longer to complete them. So instead of 5-6 days (I think that's my average between posts, right?), it'd be more like 9-10. What do you think?
My best to all of you!
-Kyra