Disclaimer: I don't own anything but I would love to privately on Severus Snape. I was inspired by another romance novel I read and J.K. Rowlings wonderful world. Read, Enjoy and Review!

Author's Note: For theme song chosen for this story please visit my profile. Song chosen by a Fanfiction reviewer that I'm desperately seeking to tell her thanks for the addition.

Chapter 31

"Wrapped so Pretty"

I have every right to own a car if I wanted one and besides, it was his mother's idea of a present to me! and I've always secretly loved sports cars Draco Malfoy... Now I owned one…Secretly! So there!

She sat on the couch next to Draco. He was mulling over a few of his Quidditch programs for the approaching new season and she pretended to be completely absorbed into a novel that she had chosen from their study. - And then there is the little fact that I-am- muggle-born after all, and this flying on the broom thing is not for me! Just because you enjoy hanging out on brooms, doesn't mean it for everyone…! And if you only gave it a chance you'd learn to love it too….

No, that wasn't going to happen. In fact, she had a pretty, good feeling that Draco would rather transfigure her corvette into a pocket size sneakoscope, than allow her to keep it.

She rubbed the side of her stomach and released a breath of air. She was really picking up size now, her hiccups were coming each morning like clock work, she was always eating, and her feet were looking a little odd peeping from under her expanding belly now.

She rose from the couch. "I'm tired. I think I'll turn in for the night."

"All right love." he said, and she leaned over to give him a kiss goodnight. He seemed to be really into this Quidditch programming, with his plays and stuff. Not that she liked recalling her old relationship with Ron, but she knew with Ronald whenever he was preoccupied with anything that circled around a quaffle or snitch, nothing else seemed to grasp his attention, including her.

She decided that this would be a good a time as any to let the cat out of the bag. He was in a fairly good mood, so maybe he'd handle the news better. "Baby, by the way, Draco sweetie I wanted to talk to you about something." she started. Being sure to add in those cute little pet names he loved for her to call him.

"Yes, Love." he mumbled, not looking away from his training copy.

Great she thought, wonderful! He's mumbling... that's good…really good. Hermione started from the beginning. The beginning was always a good place to start. She made sure to include the fact that she had no idea that Mum was planning on something so grand. It wasn't anything fancy she said to him, making sure to leave out the part about it being a sports car. It was just basic transportation, that's it. She didn't want to confuse him. He had a pretty good idea of what a car was and that's all she really cared about. She rambled on about the super-colossal-christmas gift from Mum four minutes straight.

He stood up from the couch, and just like that his easy-going nature went flying out the window.

"Hell no Hermione! If you need somewhere to go then I'll take you."

"You'll take me. So I'm suppose to just sit around until you come home from chasing bluggers all day it that where you're going with this….are you barking mad."

"NO! that's it Hermione." he walked out into the kitchen, but she wasn't done by a long shot and she followed him across the foyer, and into the kitchen fast on his heels. "I can't travel by floo for a while and you know that! The pentagram is just as bad. It makes me sick to my stomach now to be that high up and looking down, and mothers-to-be should never apparate until after the baby is born...I could risk splinching both me and the baby. You don't want that to happen do you!

"You know I don't, and don't try to use the baby to win your way with this Granger!"

He should have just punched her in the stomach. That was a low one, she thought and it brought red to her eyes. "*Hic*-Granger-*hic*-Granger! How dare you...*Hic*You said that ju*hic* just to *hic*urt me Draco!" She was standing beside the table and scooped up a glass, flinging it directly at him. He ducked and it shattered against the kitchen counter.

"Hey! Dammit that nearly hit me!"

"Good you miserable, *hic*-stubborn, *hic*-heartless snake!" She looked around for something more to throw. Her hiccups were going out of control. She was really upset, and she knew why. But it wasn't as if he called her some horrid thing. Granger was her name after all. Still her tears could not be helped, and poured down her face. "I'm use to *hic*aving my own damn in *hic*dependence. I'm keeping my car! And I don't give a damn what you *hic* think! This is one Granger….!" Hermione snatched off her wedding ring and flung it towards his head. He ducked again. "..That's not gonna stand by and just*hic* let you order her around for the rest of her life!*Hic* *hic*"

He spotted the sparkling jewelry as it clunked into the sink. "Fine then, Hermione Malfoy. No Car! Happy now!" he pushed her ring on his forefinger, and once again he walked away from her ranting and pulled out his usual box of cereal from the pantry, and then a serving bowl. He walked out, and into their dining room, where he took a seat at the head of the table, and shoved a spoon filled with oats into his mouth.

She pressed her lips together and marched after him, holding the base of her swollen belly. All this shouting was causing her to have sharp pains. "I don't *hic* need your permission to keep my *hic*car. This is why I didn't bother telling you in the beginning, look at how your be*hic*having. You seemed to have forgotten that this is this a new age, and that I am still part *hic*muggle….its perfectly-hic normal for me to own a car!"

"This conversation is wearing thin." he said chewing and dropped her wedding band onto the dining table, the metal of it clattered against the glass top and he scooted it towards her. "Put your ring back on would you please Mrs. Malfoy! I don't want to talk about this anymore, you don't need a car…those things kill people."

"They do not! You have know idea what your talking about." she said and stepped forward. He was just making stupid excuses, well it wasn't going to work. For a moment Draco thought she was about to retrieve her ring as he asked, but no, she took his arm and stretched it out, turning his Death Eater's mark up to face them. "This Draco Malfoy…this kills …but I'm with you regardless of your past, and I love a man that was once part of it, because he now part of me everyday."

He snatched his arm from her hold and was quiet as he ate his cereal. He didn't even look up at her.

She regarded him thoughtfully. "Are you sure this is hic-about the fact that you feel muggle cars are dangerous. Because, I th-hic-ink it more of the fact that your probably hic-worried I'll be seen doing any-hic-thing muggle at all. Your mother is right, you never take me anywhere, you only keep me locked away on this mountain hic-top. I'm here because I fell in love with you. A Slytherin, a former-death eater, and because I wanted to do what was best for our baby. I didn't have to come here. I have my own family, my own friends. I have my own money Draco, and I make my own name. I'm a part of something so enormous at Grindelwald on so many levels…."

"Put your ring back on please…." was all he said.

"I'm wrong in every aspect of your life. I'm like your big joke that went bad. The Daily Prophet says that I'm surely not pretty enough to be the wife of a Falcon-star. Big embarrassment... poor Malfoy had to marry that plain muggle witch."

He picked up her ring and flipped it between his thumb and forefinger, she continued to talk…..and he said nothing more... "I intend to keep my car whether if you like it or not."

He hit her dead on with those icy gray eyes. "Like bloody hell you will, no wife of mine will be caught dead riding some ruddy mud-mobile."

"What did you say? Mud-mobile… as in mudblood ...right?"

NO! he thought...He was only speaking out of anger, that's all. But it was too late to stop the word that spilled from his thoughts. Her temper flared. He reached up to touch her, but never got the chance, she pulled away, as if he were venom.

"I was talking about the damn car thing Hermione….I would never call you that, not now come on!"

"You have before, even before our wedding." She was really starting too cry now.

"Many times?…But...I was a fucking kid. I was fucking stupid. And before or marriage I was so fucking made at you about the baby."

Seconds ticked by, and the silent tension growing between them wasn't fading. His forehead crinkled from confusion and he rubbed his hands through his hair. To her it was an astonishing thing he could love her as much as she believed he did, but could not admit to the world that he loved her. Everything about her, who she was, her sometimes muggle way of doing things. Her parents lived like muggles everyday of their lives. Draco was yet to meet them, how would he view them when the time came.

A top of the line, spanking brand new corvette and he just called her fiery, little, red baby a mud-mobile. She was completely exhausted now, and in no mood to continue this battle with him. She turned to walk out the door. Tomorrow she was going to do whatever she liked. "I've had all I can deal with right now. Good night." she said.

He reached for her, before she could turn away to leave. Her skin tighten and she bite away the sensation of wanting to kiss him goodnight. She hated that she reacted this way to his touch, and she hated it even more that it was obvious to him how much she really wanted to please him and how badly this was hurting her.

"Hey." he said when she continued walking "Aren't you forgetting something." He held it up for her to see. Firmly wrapped around the tip of his finger. It was dazzled with finely cut diamonds, embedded in a polished silver metal. The chandelier lights above them caught each gem and they sparkled with laugher. Her wedding band. Their symbol of unity. But he told her that he had never seen the ring before their bashed up, wedding-ceremony. He told her that the family barrister had chosen the piece. They didn't even share matching bands, thought Hermione. His ring was a simple clump of partial-pewter and nickel, had he chosen the dull piece simply to push the point of his dislike of her at the time.

"Don't worry it's a lovely piece." she said. "I'm sure you'll find a some perfectly obedient witch willing to accept it. Give it to her. . . along with your rules, and demands, I'm ok with simply being Granger at least then I had the freedom to do as I saw fit." she pulled away and left.

His heart was pounding, and his ears ringing as he took in her words, and he dropped his hand and couldn't believe that she'd just refused to take her ring back. Why was she so pissed? What he had done? He pushed a bit too far, that's what he done and now she was going to make him suffer for it. Merlin! It was just a car.