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 21

"Wrapped so Pretty"

"Hic-ou told hic-everybody I had the flu?" Hermione said as her husband continued to march her out the front door. It was easier talking about this new small deception than the other big one.

"Yes, you got a problem with that, it was for your own good Hermione."

"For my-hic-own good. I expected to meet your parents at least *hic* once before our divorce. Here I was t-hic-inking all this time that your father didn't care to hic-me. But, that isn't the hic-case is it?"

"You'll meet him. When I decide the timing is right."

His arrogance set a spark to her nerves. Hermione knew this was the result of allowing him to call the shots. He decided everything for her now. Where she would go, where she would live and work. She soon realized that even the daily delivery of groceries was a mild attempt to keep her hidden away from the town's peoples below. She also knew she had to put a stop to it.

"You-hic-'d better decide soon Draco *Hic*-foy, because I'm not going to let you keep me cooped up on that mountain any longer-hic."

"What are you talkin' about, cooped up? Here I am, trying to make sure you're not but a skip away from the biggest break-through in magical studies we've seen since Balthilda Bagshots, and you're complaining."

"How-hic-dare you. Don't you-hic dare act as if you are doing me a favor Malfoy!"

"Oh no! what else would you call it then?"

"How about *hic*-prisonment? Incarceration? Solitary Con-*hic*-ment? And just so that you don't come barging in like a *hic*-heated dragon tomorrow, accusing me of doing things behind your *hic*-back, I'm breaking out of that place again tomorrow to *hic*-elp mother plant begonias for her garden."

"You're what?…she's not your mother, she's mine! And let's get this stra-"

She turned and ignored him. They had now reached the open courtyard, before wrought iron gates. She could see the glowing pattern of the pentagram waiting for them on the grass. She hadn't taken in a word he said as they marched up the path. She heard him yapping alright, but instead she thought of Narcissa's garden, it was easier than letting him upset her, or thinking of the fact that her poor child would be another misfit.

"Well your-*hic* mother wants her bergonias in before the heaviest frost *hic*-sets, or she'll ha-*hic*-have to work twice as hard or the bulbs won't be fit to bloom. And mum said we only *hic*-have a few days to spare. Plus, we have to start on the spring *hic*-lilies and petunia's."

"Stop calling her mum! I mean it Hermione! And…you're not putting in anything for her. If she wants a garden she'll get a house elf to help."

"*Hic* She *hic*doesn't like relying on house elves. She h-*hic*-ates it as a matter-of-fact."

"You, hate the use of house elves. . .she doesn't!"

"Don't you shout at me Draco *Hic*-alfoy!….I'm just repeating what I *hic*-told. And for your information she has never liked house elves around, waiting on her every *hic*and and foot. She says it drives her *hic* and makes her feel useless in her own home."

"Well, that's just too bad because you will not be here to help her with any of it."

Hermione opened her mouth to launch another attack, but before she could get another word out, Draco had pulled her quickly to her knees behind a wall of beautifully rounded green yews. He cupped her mouth, and forced her to her seat as he straddled and squatted behind her.

"What in the hell *hic* are you doing?" He pulled her hard behind a herd of bushes. She tried to get up. But he held her down by her wrist. "You're going to make me piss myself you oaf!" she said twisting to get free, but he plopped her back onto her hinny.

"Sush! for a minute will you, its my father!" Draco couldn't believe that his father would be showing up tonight, of all nights.

Lucius and his wife had come to a sort of agreement allowing each other privacy until the course of the divorce was finalized. Draco saw the older man apparate just beyond the iron gates and he hide silently behind the shadowy hedges. He held her fast, and could feel her cheek against his knee, when he peeped out. She gave another load of her hiccups. He glanced down, he sushed for her to keep it down, and then looked back up to the shadowy figure of his father walking. Hermione's cheek began to touch the tender part of his thigh, and her hair felt soft under his fingertips. She was always so tidy, but lately she would wear her hair down and free-flowing. The length of it was growing very fast, he noticed. Silky autumn tendrils tumbled between his fingers and rubbing against his dark trousers. She nipped at his fabric and his erection struck him like a bolt of lighting when she hiccupped against the rock forming between his legs. Her hair was so pretty, even when it was decorated with dried leaves and tiny twigs.

He had to let her up soon, but he kind of liked the idea of her head between his legs this way. Even if she was mad enough to spit daggers. Damn, does she have to be so thick in the head! He knew what was best for them. If this were Pansy he would only have to give the order once. But he remembered, many times, he wished that Pansy wasn't so easy to give into his barking. She was beautiful, but he'd never been able to have a decent argument with her, which meant he couldn't ever relax. He couldn't say what he wanted. But he didn't have to worry about that with Hermione - and she sure could pack a mean punch.

He smiled warmly, as his father knocked on the castle door and entered. Looking down at his own wife, he frowned. Were his feelings towards her softening? Hell no. He was a Malfoy dammit he never forgot when someone pulled a fast on him. And that was just what she had done. Maybe his anger had burned out when she leaned against the tree and started crying, he never seen her cry before.

With the little interactions they did share, he held them with high regards to the kind of woman she really become. She was a decent person. Too damn serious maybe and a little uptight with her work and all, but still, she worked hard. The evidence was seen in the equation she left like little mouse droppings all over the house. And for a muggle-born witch she had made her way into a pureblood wizards world with her dukes up. The fact that she wanted to help his mum even spoke well of her, even thought it made things twice as tough for the ending he knew was coming for the both of them. She sure was hotter than a dressed elf, when she discovered he wasn't just some dumb Quidditch jock. Thinking on it now, Draco had to fight the laughter down. To think that he actually felt guilty when she started crying. Those muggles must have truly done a number on her.

He groaned aloud as he felt the sharp snag of her teeth on his pants, demanding that he release her. He knew she was upset down there, but the sensation of it was so arousing, and he been hard ever since she made that awkward turn and faced his loin, and now the sensation was getting worse. She only needed to turn her head a little more, and she could see that the front of his slacks weren't close to lying flat. There was no doubt about it, fighting with her had turned him on, and he was beginning to think it was time he did something about that.

"Ooooouch Damn it!" He snatched his hand away from her head and cupped his hand over his balls. "That's twice now that you've bitten me!" He crouched down, moaning in pain and tumbled over onto the grass squeezing his crouch. "Don't you know that human saliva is dangerous?"

"No *hic* I wouldn't know that, Mr. Maxima-*hic*-Cum Laude!" She got to her knees and quickly scuttled out of his reach.

"Godamn it Hermione. Did you have to bite me there?" he watched as she stomped from behind the bushes.

"*hic*Yea, well . . .I hope you get gangrene *hic*in it! And they have to do an amputation! Without a numbing hic-potion!

"OOooooo!" He groaned. She was marching further away from him and closer to the path.

"And they have to use a *Hic*chain saw!" She shouted back, and began marching back to the castle.

"What…!What the hell is a chain saw?"

"I JUST BET THAT IF I WERE SOME SOD OFF, PURE-*hic*-BLOOD BRAINLESS QUIDD-*hic*-TCH GROUPIE DRACO MALFOY, YOU'D BE STUFFING WHEZZY*hic* WHIZZBEES IN MY MOUTH SHOWING ME OFF ALL OVER LONDON!"

He couldn't stand up.

"I'M GONNA SEE IF THE HOUSE HAS AN ATTIC, WHERE I CAN LOCK YOU UP! He squeezed his sac against the throbbing pain. "JUST LIKE HUSBANDS USE TO DO IN THE OLD DAYS WHEN THEY FOUND OUT THEY WERE STUCK WITH A LOONEY WITCH, FOR A WIFE!" He staggered to his feet.

"OOOOH REALLY! *hic*YEAH! THEN I'LL SEE *hic*TOO IT THAT ALL OF LONDON KNOWS TH*hic*AT DRACO FANCIES *hic*HOOKERS AS APPOSED TO A REAL, WOMEN! YOU -YOU SOD OFF SLYTHERIN IDIOT!"

"WHAT!" Still bent over, he took a small step. "I don't fancy hookers!" he said beneath his breath, He took two more steps and fell over into a bush.

"And since*hic* you're such an intell-hic-gent wizard, your attraction to a scarlet's is down right...HUMILI*hic*ATING!

"I swear, Hermione - Damn it! . . . .COME BACK HERE!"

She slammed the front door to the castle closed behind her and twisted the lock behind her.

Great, he thought with disgust. This was just great! Slowly he managed to waddle his way to the mother's front door and began banging loudly.

"What on earth is all the commotion?" Narcissa had entered the foyer with her soon to be ex-husband clinging to her skirt tail. Hermione could hear him cursing from the other side of the door and knew he was hotter than a firing spell. Good! He deserves to be upset. Biting her lips she swept past the senior Mr. Malfoy and made her way into the kitchen. When she got there, she felt a peculiar felling in her lower swell of her belly, she pressed her hand over her waist, craving to feel the flutter again. She smiled down, but it was short lived, and followed with tears. I'm sorry, little one. I so sorry, I don't know what will become of all this madness. She plucked a few shreds of dried leaves out of her messy hair. She wanted to straighten herself up properly before meeting Lucius as his new daughter-in-law. But she couldn't seem to find her wand. She must have dropped it. Mrs. Malfoy walked in. She turned away from her and wiped her tears. She couldn't even summon a decent first encounter with her baby's grandfather. She couldn't seem to manage anything any more, not even the matters of her own heart, not her marriage, the embarrasing lies Draco kept using to hide her away.

Narcissa saw. . . she hurried over and told her that it would be alright. She handed her a clear glass filled with gilly water from the counter. Hermione began to sip it slowly, and again she heard Draco's voice, it was coming closer, he still sounded to be in pain, but calmer at least.

"….and since Hermione was feeling better today, we decided to pay a visit to mother."

"Seems to me son that if she was feeling better, as you've stated more than once. That you would have posed a more suitable arrangement. Dinner perhaps."

She dropped the towel that Narcissa had been using from the counter to wipe the smudge from her face. She swallowed the last of the tonic to rid her hiccups, and turned to face the men coming into the kitchen.

"Dad, I went over this with you. I explained it in the letter…" his voice became a low whisper.

"Never mind that now Draco." Lucius gave a smile, a smile that revealed the fact that he already knew every detail, and that it was a total waste of his time trying to explain it now. The smile that unkind people so often used when they were trying to be sociable. He stopped as he caught sight of her.

Her mental image of him was not far from the Lucius Malfoy she recalled just a few years ago. Strange, she felt as if she were staring at an older, more mature version of Draco. Lucius was very imposing, tall, handsomely breathtaking, no doubt, very clean and he looked prefectly-pressed in his pricey black cloak and silver cane. He placed the cane down on the countertop. His thick platinum-blonde hair, worn longer than his son's was drawn into a neat black hair-bow, he looked refined, and no greater than his mid fifties.

Lucius took the time to assess her fully and she didn't have any trouble recognizing that straight-on glare. She'd seen him cast that same look many times towards the Weasley's. As if he were grading them for approval. Her conscience told her that she failed his examination. Never the less, she stood her ground, and returned his scrutinizing eyes with a proud chin that was so very appropriate of the Hermione that she wanted to be at that precise moment. Even with all this stuff in her hair. But she knew, that he would see her as unworthy, no matter how she presented herself to him. His cold approaching eyes did not waver, and seemed to sealed the doom of her divorce. Still, he gave her that hidious warm smile as he came closer. "So this—is—our—new—bride?"

She wasn't about to be trick into any more hopeless vows for that moron of a husband she had. "I perfer Miss Granger, if not to much to ask."

His smile faded and his brows became crossed. He released her gaze slowly. "Most witches proudly take their husband's name once they are wed."

"And rightfully so, but I am not most witches, in fact I am a one-hundred percent, muggle-born witch, and the name is Hermione Jean Granger—M-Malfoy." She decided to add the last attachement suddenly.

Behind his back Hermione heard a coughing sound. It was Draco.

"You don't say!" Lucius responded and eyed his son with curiosity.

"Yes I certainly do. I am twenty-four, expecting your foolish son's child and turning more muggle by the second." she made an evil eye towards her husband. Draco scowled back.

"That's enough, Hermione." There was a warning note in Draco tone.

"Did you say that you- are with child? How. . .interesting. . . so I take it that I have been misinformed, you haven't come down with a winter flu then I assume."

"No, I haven't." Tears stung her eyes and she felt something brush her back and realized that Narcissa was fluffy out her hair and removing tiny pieces of debris from her sweater. Her mothering touch was a great comfort and gave her some sense of welcoming.

"She started feeling better a couple of hours ago father" Draco interjected quickly with a laugh. ". . .must not have been the flu after all."

Lucius held up a hand to silence his son. Both witches stopped, and looked at him in disbelief. Hermione refused to support his lies. His mother told him that was enough. Lucius then turned and raised one eyebrow, staring directly at Draco. "We'll have a chat about this later Draco. There's no need to upset our Miss Granger any further."

He then turned his attention back to her. "How fortunate for you to be here today of all evenings. You see, I am on my way to the Ministry for a meeting, it seems there maybe some concern surrounding you, Miss. Um…Granger ...you seem to have a foe from your past. Rita Skeeter has caught wind of some sort of research being conducted, by a lead of healers here at Grindelwald. Sources have lead her to believe that your intentions are to sabotage their research, a personal lesson to all so-called overly righteous purebloods. Is this true?"

"That's a load of trash, I would never do that! I'm-I'm part of that team."

"Of course not. I didn't think so. I dare say, isn't it simply awful the way people believe the most outlandish lies and rumors. I'll be sure to deliver your oath of devotion during our meeting tonight."

He made her feel that she was at his mercy—or rather at the mercy of her very own next selection of words. He could see that Hermione was aware of this. It was obvious that his presence made her uncomfortable, perhaps she was a cleaver as he once thought.

Draco shot forward. "You've got some more dirt on your cheek, sweetheart, from the um...from earlier in the garden. Maybe you should go upstairs and freshen up."

"There's no need for secrecy Draco," said Lucius instantly. "if your mother feels she can trust Miss. . .er. . . your wife, that speaks well enough for the rest of us." He looked directly at Hermione and studied her and then his own son. "If she is indeed a Malfoy and plans to be bring forth an addition to our family, then I'm sure there will be no secrets between us or any desire to disgrace our family. After all what is family if you cannot trust one another. I should know, I myself hold a seat on the High-Level of Magical Scholars." he boasted. "And trust builds a powerful bond. But there are many factors that can shatter that bond."

For a moment she couldn't move as his statement drove full force into her ears. Not the jibberish, just the part about him being a Magical Scholar. The weight of it could have very well killed her dead. She had no idea Lucius Malfoy was a Scholar. She whirled around staring at Draco. Her look said Bloody fantastic! so your father's a freaking Magical Scholar. . . how much more did you keep from me?

"Magical Scholar. . .your father is a-"

"Er…yeah sorry about that one too. I know you were looking for the usual, bone-crushing, gory, muggle-slasher, barn fires and all. but I guess it's just not your lucky day. And come to think of it, might as well let you know that my mother holds eighty percent of the Daily Prophet's investing shares. And since we're airing out my old broom closet, you're standing next to the author of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle."

Hermione followed Draco's hand as he pointed in the direction of his mother. He didn't let her reply, which was a good thing, because the lump in her throat was beginning to cut off her air supply.

"You see dad, Hermione sort of has a thing for jocks without a brains. In fact she was real disappointed to learn that Slytherins could read at all."

"You can read son?"He spoke with a sarcastic intonation in his voice.

Narcissa coughed a faint laughe, but other than that gave no reaction. To the two foolish men.