Author's Note:Thanks for all the reviews everyone, and I hope everbody is having a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my imagination and whatever else is in this story that doesn't make sense. I was inspired by another romance novel i read and J.K. Rowlings wonderful world. Enjoy!
Chapter 20
"Wrapped so Pretty"
She crossed her arms against the nearest tree, and rested her forehead there against her wrist. A strong wind was kicking from the north, something she had not noticed before now because the magic surrounding Narcissa echanted castle had kept the obvious signs of winter far at bay all morning.
Moments passed and Hermione was so overwhelmed by a gust of wind that her body gave a shivering reaction to the bitter coldness that had been quickly building all around her. Half a heart beat later she collapsed her weight against a tree where she broke into a deep cry, her breathing came in short pants. Another bitter breeze came whipping down from the mountains.
She was bone weary after her faffle about with Draco.
~
A muscle twitched in his jaw as he watched her crying, the sight of it making him feel a out of sorts.
The sudden drop in temperature hadn't bothered him much, in fact nothing bothered him much anymore like she did, he knew to expect mood swings from her eventually; Mums-to-be did experience dramatic changes in their emotions didn't they? Getting their knickers all in a bunch for not.
It only took a moment for him to remember that this could be exactly what was happening to Hermione. He bushed more grass and small twigs off from his shirt and several more prigs from his hair. He came up next to his wife but he didn't touch her. The vapors from his breathing nearly freezing as they became exposed to the drop in temperature.
He looked up to witness the tiny flurs of snowflakes coming down around the two of them. Soon the ground would be coated in a thin blanket of newborn delicate white.
"That was purely luck really," He finally said to her. "In fact, that's a low score compared to yours I'm sure."
She crossed her arms and turned her back to him.
"Buttercup, you should really settle down a bit. How I can take you apart if you're off crying your eyes out."
A screech from the treetop collected her attention and she gazed up at the brown owl. Its calling came down more like a warning for the other creatures of the forest. Each cry said that winter was on its way.
Then, surprisingly a gentle hand settled over the small of her back and began to rub and sooth her as she cried. Everything in her went still. She slowly pulled away from him, when the oddest sound came from behind them.
She and Draco turned to spot a house elf with extremely pointy ears staring at them. The elf was wearing a blue shabby dress. Hermione did not ask, she took for granted that Draco's mother had summoned the elf.
Hermione nodded when the little elf asked if she had eaten and addressed her as Mrs. Malfoy with each sentence she spoke to her.
Hermione accepted her tiny basket of food as she held out for her. The refreshing smell of a warm pigeon and swiss sandwiches made her stomach rumble with even more hunger.
She had eaten only a short while ago and not only that, but she had polished off an entire banch of dark grapes all by herself. Yet, she was starving again.
There was a flash upon the ground between the nearby trees. Draco had started a fire for the two of them to keep warm. He then took her arm and began steering her towards the warmth of the flames.
Somehow his simple touch forced tears to fall again. Wiping her eyes she tried to regain her self control and did as he asked this time without much protest. For a moment there was no more arguing or shouting as Draco produced a white handkerchief with his wand and passed it to her. He then took it upon himself to carry the basket of food for her. She took her time blowing her nose, once settle by the crackling fire then it struck her, that these woods would soon become wrapped in the arms of winter's peaceful sleep. The falling snow itself seemed alive around them now... falling, falling as if there was a great battle in the sky and angels were tearing out each others wings. She then realized that the gray sky matched the grayness of his eyes and for the longest time she lost herself there in his gaze.
She withdrew her own wand and cast a charm to repel the snowfall from around their fire before turning to see him poking at the fire with a stick he found nearby.The blazing structure grew larger. How could she let herself fall apart like this? She gave her nose another final blow."I'm sorry for causing such a scene. I don't know what came over me." She releases a tiny hiccup, took a seat right beside him as he tended to the flames and she took a large bite into her sandwich.
He smiled as he watched her chewing, thankful she'd come to her senses and again she gave another hiccup before swallowing a meal. To her amazement, a dimple popped into the hardness of his cheek. She gazed at him for several more moments, random thoughts racing through her memory of their past and of their future. She took another bite.
"Feels good doesn't it releasing anger from time to time?" he asked with a bit of laughter.
"No, violence-hic doesn't solve anything, I could hic-ave hic-urt you badly….I'm sorry."
Her apology was sincere he could tell.
"This is my fault," she said" Everything's been my f-fault from the very hic-ginning. If I hadn't allowed myself to buy into my old rid-hic-ulous belief of quidditch and of Sl-hic-therins. I would have judged you more fairly Draco an-hic-and—."
And then she was crying again he realized.
"I'm not trying to get you worked up again Buttercup, so we'll let it go for now. Deal? Besides, its not the first time I've fallen victim to one of your sucker punches…I'll live."
They ate together and she told him how she'd given some thought to the baby's name. The two of them began to head back to the castle. She nearly stumbled on a limb, but his hand on her arm was there and it steadied her.
"Tell me about your hic-father, he's not around ver-hic often, I can some-hic-times sense sadness *hic* in your mother's hic-eyes hic-eyes when she mentions his name. T-hic-is whole divorce hic-thing must be diff-hic-ult for them both; why won't they reconsider?"
"There's nothing to say about father," he replied. "and no use speaking to either of them about it. Believe me Hermione, I've tired, more than you know."
Hermione have him her warmest smile. She could relate to the lost of what was once a close family bond. Her parents had never regain their memory of her and she was too afraid to try too often or with too much magic. The mind can be a fragile thing.
She never gave any thought to Draco's father before she allowed herself to go fourth with her big baby plans. Lucius was a very clever warlock indeed, yes he was a dark wizard and not very considerate of others, but he was without a doubt highly feared and respected because she realized earlier in her years fighting against destheaters that Lucius was extraordinarily knowledgeable in defensive spells, dark magic, and counter curses as much as he was when it came to business matters throughout their entire magical world both in London and abroad. 'Bu-hic he such an intell-hic-gent man, I can't believe that I never cons-hic-dered that factor before.'
She confessed silently to herself going Draco hadn't heard.
All of Mr. Malfoy's fortune in Hermione's opinion was partly do to a long line of inherited wealth. But she was wrong. Lucius had been an intensely powerful man, even if he was not a deatheater. She knew he held so many connection, too many in fact.
"He's an intelligent man, but not brilliant." said Draco after he noticed she had gone silent.
"I-hic-don't see….Ooo-hic-oh! Intelligent, with all hic-t-hic-ngs but matters of the heart." she answered in return, now fully able to see the connection Narcissa had made between Draco and his father.
She picked up her pace, the warmness of the castle looked inviting against the snowy drift. The flurs were growing thicker. Draco decided to change the subject away from his parents. "Did it ever occur to you that your problem as a child might have had more to do with the fact that you were locked in world filled with muggles. It's not the size of your smarts or your intelligence level Hermione. Loads of wizards and witches are born with keen knowledge some maybe more so than others."
"No, you have no idea what it was like growing up back home. For nearly eleven years I never gained not one friend, until I came to Hogwarts."
"And then once you where there, you felt put aside as well too right?"
She nodded yes.
"Its was because, it's difficult to explain why a witch born of muggle blood, held more knowledge than most purebloods. There were other purebloods students around who couldn't absorb the understanding of wandwork and magical incantations the way you did... you were a blinding natural and then you did gloat a bit on the fact that you were one of the brightest witches among our houses. Try to look at it this way, many wizards and witches are born with the ability to gain and obtain more knowledge than your most brainiest muggle. Ingenous possiblties among mere muggles isn't normal behavior. But, over the decades and generations, pureblood wizarding families have produced more squibs. And turned them out into your world creating the illusion that a babe was born with exceptional understandings of extraordinary things. But really they were castoff's—"
Hermione Interrupted him "—Squibs, they were Squibs, non-magical offsprings turned into orphans to prevent shame." she frowned at the reality of what he was telling her.
"Basically, yes. This is also why there is now a battle over what was once considered magically-born knowledge, and purebloods families don't like it when their imperfections are rubbed in their faces, plus its a threat to the very fiber of many long-standing wealthy families."
He stopped and looked directly at her. Draco pointed his finger back and forth between her and himself as if including her into something... some deep secret. "I'm not going to pretend the concept isn't as malodorous as it appears Hermione, because it is the most repulsive act for any mother to cast off her child. Squibs live sad and indifferent lives, because they too are born knowing unnatural things that they are unable to explain away. A world many know of but can never be a part of. But now more and more magical children are being born non-magical. Which for us, is not very common at all not at this level. Your gift of being born aware is what set you apart from any ordinary muggle."
Hermione listened to him, but could not respond because they had reached the back archway of the castle's path so quickly and Narcissa was pouncing on them as soonsoon as they were in sight. She was glaring at her son with heinous eyes and shouting.
"What is wrong with you? You can't go upsetting her like that, it'll mark the baby…for Merlin's sake! Do you want a nutter for a child Draco Malfoy? The day you disrupt my grandchild's magic with your poppycock I'll obliviate you both the day of."
Hermione retained a laughter. But another hiccup escaped and Narcissa turned her rant onto her as well. "AND YOU! What was in your head carrying on in such a way? If you go yumpin about every time this son of mines upsets you Hermione Malfoy, that baby will strangle on it's own magic before it has a chance to catch a first breath!"
Hermione thought about addressing the improbabilities of that truly happening, but the look of outright anger on her mother-in-law's face told her to reconsidered for now. "I'll be more careful." was the only thing Hermione would dare say.
"Next time he makes you madder than a hatter, just take your wand to his arse!"
Draco growled. "Thanks mum but she has enough ideas as to how she plans to do me in."
Narcissa looked from Hermione to her son's, and tilted her head down as a sadness came over her. " You listen to me Hermione Malfoy, I don't know what has happened between you and Draco so that he ended up marrying you in such an informal manner. But from what I've seen these past few months, is that you don't seem to have much love flowing between the two of you. But you are a part of this family now and I'm glad of that. But I'm warning you, that if you've done Draco any true injustice, you had better hope Lucius never finds out about it."
She then step between the couple and spoke directly to the young witch. "You know he's likely not to be as forgiving about such things as I am. He treasures Draco, and if he even suspects your out to hurt his only son, he'll cut you off at the knees. Do you understand what I'm saying child?" There was a warning in her eyes she couldn't miss.
Hermione swallowed with a hard hiccup and nodded.
"Good." Narcissa turned to Draco, and gave him a smile. But it was instantly replace with angry old eyes. "I'm surprised someone with such a dreadful case of the flu, has the ability of flight…wouldn't you say Draco?"
He cursed softly under his breath. There's was no denying that his mother had been speaking with the Blaise's. Hermione stared at his mother and then back at Draco. "What do-hic-es she mean, I don't hic-ave the flu?"
Draco grabbed Hermione by the arm at once and began to marching her inside the castle. "Come on Hermione, we're going home."
"Hic-hic-wait-hic a minute! I want to know w-hic-at does she hic-mean by that." she protested as her husband dragging her into the grandsized hearth of the kitchen.
Draco drew her into the roaring emerald flames destine for their home in Grindlewald, but not before he heard his mother's cackling laughter as she watch them depart. "You just remember what I've told you about that baby Hermione Malfoy," Narcissa told her. "because I think Draco's about to upset you again…. Get your wand out girl!"