A/N: Love to reviewers and Countess Black

Sorry it took so long, guys. Real life has this absurd notion I should pay attention to it.

NB: I'm assuming that the rules about muggles and magical objects are as follows:

If it's going to attract attention or be unsafe, it's forbidden. If it's not likely to be noticed and can't reasonably cause harm, it's probably all right.

So a floating tea pot that poured the tea independently would be forbidden , but a tea pot charmed to keep tea warm and nothing else would be fine, as it would attract no notice even on close inspection.

'So you see' said Lucius, as he took let the elf put a few more whelks on his plate 'it was simply some random maniac.'

Draco and Hermione both nodded. 'Good to know, Father.'

'Poor man.' Hermione ate a whelk of her own and frowned thoughtfully, moved with pity at the man's plight. The Malfoys got quiet and looked at her in surprise. The elves, too, were surprised, and added this to their growing list of things about Madam which called for gentle elven correction.

'Darling, he threw pig's blood on you.'

She looked wry. 'I hadn't noticed, Draco.'

'Aren't you angry?'

Hermione shrugged and ate a little of her supper. 'I didn't like it, but one expects these things when one writes something people feel strongly about.'

'Hmph. Father, Hermione is being inappropriately cheerful about something awful that happened.'

'No one likes a carry tale, Draco. Hermione, dear, do try not to be so upbeat and forgiving, would you?'

She shook her head. 'I can't do vengeful. It isn't me.'

'Could you try sulky petulance? For me, darling?' Draco looked pleading and Hermione had to turn her eyes elsewhere, lest she laugh with a mouthful of fish stew.

'I suppose I could have hysterics later. Perhaps even take to bed for a week or so.'

'No! You'll want to do runes or something else virtuous and terribly dull.' Draco gave his mother a wink, and Narcissa disguised an unladylike snort as a cough. 'Honestly, all of you.'

'We could do Arithmancy problems or something.'

'That sounds diverting, love.' Lucius gave his only son and heir a distinctly predatory look. 'I seem to recall someone getting an E on his last exam. Would you happen to remember the details, Draco?'

'No, Father. I'm too busy remembering who it was that sneaked out of bed-in direct defiance of the medi-wizard, incidentally-and walked round the ramparts a few months ago.'

Hermione would never have believed all this had she not heard it. She covered her mouth and tried to restrain her giggles. A darted look at Narcissa told her that the woman was doing exactly the same.

Lucius pretended not to hear. 'Narcissa, it seems to me as we used to have an obedient child. Do you recall? Wherever has he gone, I wonder? I rather liked that one.'

'Now, darling, you liked to tease your father, as I remember it.'

'Hmph. It was wholly different in those days.'

Draco grinned and gave Hermione a poke with his foot under the table. She poked back and then said, very sweetly and innocently 'Father, perhaps you'd like to tell a story to illustrate what you mean?'

Both parents laughed. 'Well done, love.'

Draco was looking outraged. 'Oh, oh, I see how it is. I shall owl your parents directly and ask them for stories about you.'

'There aren't many, I was a very obedient child by muggle lights.'

'I find that hard to believe.' Draco gave her a friendly smirk and Hermione pretended not to see.

'Hmm, a good story. Have I ever told you about Draco's third birthday?'

Draco groaned. 'Father, be kind. I shan't ever tease you again.'

'He was adorable.'

'Or ste-borrow your cologne.'

'It was early June, and we had just...'

Draco rather inadvertently got his own the next morning. He was woken up by Hermione's voice, raised in protest. Awake instantly, he came out the bedclothes, wand at the ready, in time to see Hermione, attempting to pry herself free of a flailing, sobbing coat of elves.

'Draco, help!'

His heartbeat slowing, Draco stretched lazily for effect. 'Morning, darling.'

'Draco!'

'What seems to be the problem?'

'The elves won't let me up!'

Draco nodded thoughtfully. 'And there's rather a lot of them, isn't there?' He laid back against the pillow and studied the dancers on the ceiling. 'Chilly, isn't it? Shall definitely wear my fur lined robes this morning.'

'Draco!'

'Oh, love, are the elves still there? How strange.' He let her suffer another moment and then raised himself up to address Leesy. 'What is this all about, Leesy?'

'We is failing Madam! We is letting bad man throw pig on her!'

'Blood, Leesy, just the blood.'

'Ohhh! Poor Madam!' The elves wailed as one and clung tighter, and Hermione fell backwards with an 'oof!' As it happened, Crookshanks had decided to come in for his morning praise and belly rub, and the sight of so many squeaking, flailing limbs was too much for his prey instincts.

To Draco's amusement, an orange blur flew through the air and landed directly on Minky, grasping the back of his tea towel in sharp little teeth and tugging. The elf yelped indignantly and tried to throw the cat off, causing Crookshanks to grasp tighter.

'No, nasty cat! Leave Minky alone!'

The others clung undeterred. 'Madam is resting today!'

'I feel fine! It washed off!'

'Madam is getting attacked! Bad elves!'

'It was no one's fault! Just let go and we'll discuss it!'

'OH POOR MADAM! BAD ELVES!' Draco wasn't sure whether the elves could howl in unison because they had some sort of hive mind or because they'd practiced, but it was actually rather impressive.

'No, nasty cat! Let go of MInky's towel!' The cat and elf continued the pitched battle between them, neither gaining advantage. The Malfoys, finally roused from their room by the commotion, came in, dressed in nightclothes.

'Darlings, what-?'

'ELVES NEVER FAIL MADAM AGAIN!'

'No, nasty cat! Don't bite Minky's ear!'

'Malfoy, if you don't stop laughing, you'll never see me nak-oh!'

It was all too much. Lucius and Narcissa took a single look and collapsed laughing, clinging to one another for support. Draco couldn't keep it in any more, and joined them. Finally, Hermione did too, after spelling Crookshanks free of poor Minky.

The four of them laughed a long time, until Narcissa wiped her streaming eyes and said 'Now, darlings, what was that all about?'

'The elves want me to stay in bed, Mother.'

'Oh? Are you unwell?'

'Not at all. I'd like to start on Snape's papers today, and so I wanted to get ready.'

'Of course. Leesy, you object?'

'Madam is having stressful day, Mistress. Is needing rest for a while. Not good for baby.'

'Mmm. Draco, how do you feel?'

Draco sat up, still snorting with laughter. 'Mother, if Hermione wishes to sort papers, I'll help her.'

'I was rather thinking' Narcissa looked as though she was stepping carefully 'that we should go to Diagon Alley. Partly to show people that we are not afraid, and partly because we need some things.'

Draco could tell they were waiting for his reaction. He inhaled. 'May Hermione and I have a moment?'

The Malfoys went to get dressed, and Draco cupped his wife's face. 'Precious, would you like to go?'

Hermione shook her head. 'I hate to shop, but it might be a good idea to show people we won't be bullied.'

Draco sighed. 'You are quite the strangest woman I know.' He kissed her cheeks. 'But it would make Mother happy, and I think they'd help us sort when we got back.'

And so that's what they did. All rugged up, ignoring the way the elves were sulking, they embarked for the trip to London. 'We really should get a Floo put in.'

'Oh, I don't know, it's sort of quaint, travelling like this. And it keeps annoying people at bay.'

'What about the annoying people one lives with?' Lucius gave his son a companionable poke on the arm as he said it, to let him know he was playing.

'Father, the elves try their hardest. And technically, they're beings.'

Diagon Alley was crowded, this close to Christmas. The four left the carriage near the Ministry and walked toward the shops. A few people stared and pointed, but mostly they were left alone.

Narcissa had made a list, and she promptly set out ticking things off of it. They were to get some socks and underwear for the gentlemen, presents for Hermione's parents, more quills, and holiday ink for writing letters.

Hermione bent and murmured something in Narcissa's ear, and the woman nodded. 'Yes, of course. We'll simply have to leave the gentlemen somewhere.'

Draco raised an eyebrow, and Hermione smiled enigmatically. 'Christmas is coming, Draco.'

'And you've still not told me what you'd like.'

'I did, you just didn't like what I told you.'

Draco looked grumpy. 'Hermione's asked me for bedroom slippers and new quills.'

Lucius raised an eyebrow. 'Truly?'

'I'm a very practical person, is all.'

Lucius nodded and they went to the first place on the list. Socks and underclothes were easily obtained, as were quills, and special ink. 'What is holiday ink?'

'It changes colour. Looks very elegant on formal stationary.'

Narcissa murmured to Lucius, and he nodded gravely. 'Draco, the ladies are going to pick things out for the both of us, so we'll wait nearby, all right?'

Draco nodded. He snapped his fingers and Leesy, not at all bothered by the cold, appeared. 'Go with them and protect them, Leesy.'

The ladies chose a store catering to those who knit and sew, while the men took up places on benches near enough to hear should there be a problem. Lucius was glad that Draco had allowed Hermione out of his site for even five minutes, and attempted to distract him by asking questions.

'What did you want to get Hermione, Draco?'

'Don't know.'

'And you say she doesn't care for jewellery?'

Draco huffed. 'Swears up and down she doesn't. Leesy asks her to wear some of the things we found from time to time, but I think she does it to please the elf.'

'How very odd.' Lucius turned his head to look at his child, feeling enormous love for the boy, the sort that parents don't tell anyone about, wanting to hoard it. He sighed, tugging his cloak tighter.

'You know, I was far from pleased with all this initially. But the longer it goes, the more I think things fell right in the end. Mostly right.'

'Mostly?'

'Mostly. Old habits die slowly, Draco.'

Draco nodded. 'Yes.' He thought of Hermione's anguish whenever the Weasel came up, and knew precisely what Father meant. 'I think, now, that I wouldn't have been as happy with Pansy.'

'No. And Hermione is a deeply kind girl.'

'Father?'

'Hmm?'

'Do you suppose Hermione will ever love me back?' Draco said it casually, almost indifferently, like he was talking about the weather. Lucius' stomach cramped with sadness, wishing he could tell his son that yes, of course she would.

'I don't know, love.' It struck him how far they were from where they'd been even a year earlier. Draco looked into some inner distance.

'All I can do is make it easy for her to. Love me, I mean, and then maybe it'll come.'

'You're taking a very good stance with this.'

Draco shrugged. 'Trying to make her didn't help.'

Lucius nodded. 'No, but time dulls pain, I find. Perhaps it's dulled hers a bit.'

'She still cares about Weasley.'

'Oh? Did Hermione tell you that?'

'She didn't have to. She can't bear to talk about him.'

'No?'

Draco shook his head, face freckled with the falling snow. 'I've not asked very much. And the baby will help things.' He thought about their having a baby, and playing with it, and snow witches, and broom rides in the softly falling clouds of white.

Or, thought Lucius, it willmake it worse. He sometimes wondered whether Hermione would be fine until the baby came, at which point she would crack apart entirely. It worried him.

The ladies exited the shop, parcel wrapped in twine. Hermione handed it to the elf and gave Draco a smile. 'No, you don't. You'll want to peek.'

'As though I would!'

'Father?'

'Hermione, dear, if he's my son-and he is-then he'd certainly try to peek. It's a Malfoy trait.'

Narcissa huffed. 'As though the Blacks never did? Pooh.'

'I was simply too polite to say that, Cissy.'

'Hmph.' But she laughed, and they continued on their way. The subject of Hermione's parents came up, and what to get them for the holiday.

'What do they like, love?'

'Don't ask Hermione, Father. She'll want to give them something utterly dull, like a vase.'

'They're practical people, too. They might like a nice fruit basket.'

'Fruit?' All three Malfoys looked confused, and Hermione explained the whole idea, twice.

'Oh. That's...unusual. How about a painting?'

'Or some charmed plant trays? Dad likes to garden.'

'Plant trays? See what I mean, Father?'

'What about your mother, love?'

Hermione considered. 'Mum likes to cook. Maybe some charmed pots and pans? Or a teapot?'

Narcissa thought that sounded ghastly. 'Why don't we just hire a servant for them?'

Hermione shook her head. 'They wouldn't like that. And it would attract notice.'

The Malfoys decided to give this some thought, stepping up into the carriage. It juddered into the sky, and Hermione snuggled a bit closer to Draco, relaxing a bit into his heat.

'Well, shall we sort some papers, Draco?'

'Love' he sighed 'couldn't we just relax a bit? Play a game?' He moved closer and started to gently massage her neck. 'Or perhaps we could study that scroll a bit more?' He'd told her about the scroll he'd found, and she'd been suitably impressed and pleased.

Hermione sat up and stripped off her outer clothes by way of answer. She smelt, he thought, like cold air and lavender and soap. And something else, sort of animal like underneath it all.

Draco shucked his own outerwear, helping to guide down her drawers and stripped the rest of the way, tugging her chemise up and gently patting her legs to get her to splay for him.

Hermione did him one better, resting her calves on his shoulders. Draco went with it, easing himself in and finding her sort of sticky-damp on the inside. He liked it. It made it easier to move, and it seemed to feel better for his darling, too.

He finished and then collapsed on her, breathing hard. Hermione was flushed, smiling a bit. She looked glorious. He kissed her neck and collarbones, and all the way down her belly.

'This is nice, love. Something happen?'

Hermione shrugged. 'Don't know. Just felt good, I suppose.' She stretched, a fine layer of perspiration added to her other smells, and Draco nuzzled closer, gently rubbing her belly before he scourgified them clean.

'Well, what can I do to help this happen more often?'

Hermione was still smiling. 'I don't know. We just had a nice day. Did you think?'

'I did.'

Hermione had had a good day, but more than that, she'd had a normal day. They'd woken and gone about something normal and routine, Christmas shopping and spending time as a family.

For the first time in a long while, Hermione felt as though the veela thing did not rule her life intractable as a stone idol. It was something to think about, definitely, but it had ceased, for a few hours, to be the sun round which her world revolved.

And the next night was her parents' night to come. Her life was pleasant, for the moment, and that was enough for her. She stripped her chemise off completely and laid down, pulling the furs over them both.

'Love?'

'Draco?'

'Suppose we should invite the Weasley woman and the She-Weasel-and only them-to tea sometime? If you'd like to talk about babies or something.'

And Hermione was so happy that they ended up going again.