AN: So erm please don't kill me... This chapter has been written on paper since before New Year but my laptop decided to die on me so I had to get it fixed then get this written up, so so so sorry that it took so long, believe me its been torture having it and not being able to post. Not beta'd because now it's written I didn't want to make my loyal readers wait any longer.
Disclaimer: All recognized characters and situations belong to J. K. Rowling. I don't own anything from the Harry Potter Universe and I make no money from this.
A month went by and slowly things began to get back to normal.
Unfortunately Neville was still avoiding Hermione like she was carrying the black plague, barely even acknowledging her during their monthly meeting with the prefects.
However the rest of her friends seemed to finally be getting used to her being with Draco and were even being supportive when they saw how happy she was everyday.
Although Dean and Seamus had still said that they would hold Draco down as Ginny beat on him if he did anything to hurt her.
Draco spent every night in Hermione's dormitory and took the advantage of her fireplace being connected to the school floo network to get him back to the Slytherin common room in the morning.
The advantage only being told to them after Professor McGonagall caught Draco leaving twice, "after all, if I catch you then what's to stop someone else" she had said.
However Draco couldn't floo to Hermione from the common room and still had to be extremely careful when going in for the night.
"It would be so much easier if we had Harry's invisibility cloak or the Marauder's Map" Hermione grumbled one night when they had had a close call with Professor Slughorn.
"What is the Marauder's Map?" Draco asked as he sat on the couch and pulled Hermione onto his lap.
"Oh yes, I forgot you wouldn't know about it. Harry's father James along with Sirius, Remus and that pathetic little cretin Peter Pettigrew created it so they could sneak around the castle without getting caught. It shows where everyone is in the castle at all times" Hermione explained.
"I see, yes that would be incredibly useful" Draco agreed.
Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione and tried to pull her in for a kiss but she resisted. She had been testy all day and Draco was beginning to worry.
Her shoulders felt tense as she began to babble about the map and its magical properties and Draco realised she was hiding something.
"Hermione, what's going on?" Draco asked, interrupting an almost incoherent speech about magical ink.
"Nothing" she mumbled, climbing off his lap.
"Not nothing, tell me" Draco insisted.
Hermione began to pace, wringing her hands, she was pale as a ghost.
"For Circe's sake Hermione will you spit out?" Draco snapped. She was worrying him with her behaviour, and when he was worried he had a short temper.
"Fine" Hermione yelled back. "I'm late" she continued at a quieter tone.
"Late? Late for what?" Draco asked, looking at his watch.
"No, I mean I'm late. My period" Hermione was shaking.
"How late?" Draco asked, his whole body stiffened up.
"A couple of days, but I'm never late"
Draco was silent and Hermione's shoulders dropped as the first tears began to slide down her cheeks. She had been fretting all day about telling Draco and now he was quiet and unmoving.
"Draco, please say something" she begged.
Draco continued to stay silent, only moving to stand up. He seemed to have gone into a complete state of shock and Hermione didn't know what to do.
"I…..I don't know what to say" he whispered.
Hermione's face hardened and she crossed her arms, straightening her back. "I see, well then I suppose that means there is nothing to say. You know where the portrait is" she said before crossing the room and ascending the stairs to her bedroom.
She didn't really know what she had wanted him to say, but she had expected some sort of support, she certainly hadn't expected to feel so alone.
And if she really was pregnant, what was she going to do?
Draco heard the door close and turned towards the portrait to leave, he didn't even look to see if anyone was in the hallway as he left, his mind was so completely consumed.
Without even realising it he made it to back to the dungeons and into the common room, walking straight across and down to the boys dormitory, he didn't even hear Blaise calling his name.
He sat on his bed and put his head in his hands. He knew he could have and should have handled that conversation better, but he had been completely blind-sighted and his mouth and brain hadn't seemed to be able to engage.
He knew that no matter what he wanted to be with Hermione and a baby, although far too soon, would be something he would love more than anything in the world.
Now all her had to do was tell her. But he knew it couldn't be tonight, she would never let him back into her rooms when she was so angry, and she thoroughly deserved to be angry. He would wait until breakfast and give her the night to calm down.
Blaise entered the dorm room and sat on the bed opposite Draco, "What happened?" he asked, pulling Draco from his thoughts.
Draco put his Malfoy mask in place and gave Blaise a cold look, "Why do you think something happened?" he commanded, after all Malfoys kept their business private at all times.
"Cut the bullshit Draco, not only have you not spent a single night in here since Christmas and you didn't heat me call your name just now, but I know you, what happened?"
"She thinks she might be pregnant. I handled it badly" Draco said quickly and concisely before flinging himself back against his pillows.
"Shit, sorry mate" Blaise said. "Is it for certain?"
Draco shook his head. It doesn't even matter. If she is pregnant then I will be happy to be the father of her child, I'm just worried that my stupid reaction means I've lost her forever"
"Whoa Drake, aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself, I mean you've only been together for what, four months. You can't be serious about wanting to be a father" Blaised reasoned.
"It isn't something I would have planned, but if it has happened I would never shirk my responsibilities, and Blaise there is no one I would rather have children with in the future. I am completely in love with her"
"Does she know that?" Blaise asked.
"I tell her everyday. But who knows what she thinks right now"
…
The next morning after not sleeping for even two minutes Draco raced up to the Great Hall and was the first student there, he hoped to catch Hermione before the rest of the Gryffindor twits were sat at the table.
He drank three glasses of pumpkin juice; he was so nervous that she would not listen that his mouth was parched. He couldn't stomach the thought of food.
His head shot up each time the door opened but each time he was disappointed. Eventually the hall was filled with students and the was no Hermione in sight.
Draco was about to leave his seat and make his way to her quarters when the post came and his own owl dropped and envelope in front of him.
He saw his name in Hermione's handwriting and quickly snatched the envelope from the table and ripped it open.
Inside there was no parchment. He felt something small and hard in the corner of the envelope, and pushed his long fingers inside, pulling out something round.
Hermione's promise ring.
Devestation coursed through Draco as he looked at the delicate sapphire and diamond ring in his hand. For Hermione to take off the ring, he had really lost her.
Draco immediately got up from his seat and put the ring in his pocket. One thing was for sure, he would not let her go without a fight, and in turn the child that she may at that very moment be carrying in her belly. There was no way he would lose that.
He left the hall, ignoring Blaise as he called after him and went straight up to Hermione's quarters. He bashed his fist against the portrait for a full five minutes before deciding to search in the other parts of the castle that Hermione frequented.
He went straight to the Library and to her usual table before searching the rest of the study area. Madame Pince informed him she seen Hermione at all that morning.
He ran back down to the main entrance and out into the grounds, he went to the tree line by the lake where that first kissed and found nothing.
It was getting late in the morning and he had to go back to the castle. He made his way to Defence Against the Dark Arts, knowing at least that he would see her in the lesson, but he wouldn't be able to speak to her and that was his main goal.
When he got to his classroom she was not in the queue of students waiting to go in. He was getting worried that something might actually be wrong and was about ready to go looking for her again when the Professor came out of the classroom and called them all in.
Just as Draco got settled in his seat, Hermione entered the classroom and took a seat at the front of the class, as far away as she could from his seat at the back.
Drac was completely distracted throughout the entire lesson and barely took in a word the teacher said or made any notes. His sole focus was on Hermione.
At the end of the lesson Hermione left before Draco had even got his books in his bag and he knew he wouldn't see her in the next lesson or after the way the morning had gone at lunch.
….
Three Days Later
Hermione did her best to avoid Draco since the night she told him that she might be pregnant. She did her lessons and her Head Girl duties and spent the rest of the time in her rooms.
She got the house elves to bring her meals and every night when she would hear Draco knocking on the portrait she would go up to her room and silence the area so that she didn't have to listen to him pleading to come in and speak to her.
She knew eventually she would have to face him but she just couldn't yet, at least not until she knew if she was in fact pregnant or not, and if she was what she would do about it.
The next day Gryffindor would be playing Ravenclaw in the school Quidditch cup and Hermione was determined that she was going to go and enjoy the game and just for a few hours not think about the predicament she was in.
The next day Hermione got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to get ready for the match. She decided to do her business, have a relaxing shower and go down to the Quidditch pitch with the main body of students, at least that way she might be able to avoid Draco for a little longer.
When she entered the shower she almost squealed at the top of her voice, her period had finally come and she was definitely not pregnant.
She quickly got showered and ready for the match, joining the rest of the student body to walk down to the Quidditch Pitch.
She took her seat next to Ginny at the front of the Gryffindor stand and waited for the match to begin.
She jumped around and cheered as the teams flew out of the changing rooms and the match started.
Before she knew it Gryffindor were winning 70-10, she was so happy to just be having fun and not so completely stuck inside her own head that she didn't even notice the new presence beside her.
"The Gryffindor Seeker looks good" Draco remarked, making her jump.
She ignored him and cheered as Gryffindor scored another goal.
"Hermione please, just listen to me" Draco asked, he didn't want to beg with Ginny sitting just next to Hermione. He assumed since he hadn't been hexed into the next century yet that the nosey Gryffindor twits didn't know what had happened.
"Sweetheart I know I reacted badly the other day, I was just so shocked, I mean we've been so careful" Draco tried to explain, Hermione just continued to watch the match.
Draco realised that he was going to have to take drastic measures to make her listen.
He grabbed both of her hands and turned her to face him "For Merlin's sake Hermione, how are we supposed to have a baby together if you won't even look at me?" he whispered.
Hermione just looked at him.
"Hermione if you really are pregnant I want to be there every step of the way, I don't want to lose you, and I would be proud to be the father of your children even if it is a little early. I love you"
Tears welled in Hermione's eyes, this was what she wanted the night she told him her period was late, this overwhelming feeling of support was all she had needed.
"I love you too" she whispered back, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his lips.
"Thank heaven, now hold out your hand" Draco softly commanded, pulling her ring from his pocket.
He slipped it back on her finger, "don't you ever take this off again"
Hermione smiled and moved her mouth close to his ear, "I won't and I'm not pregnant"
Draco grabbed Hermione and swung her around in the small space they were standing in.
"Oh sweetheart, that's wonderful" Draco exclaimed.
Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.
"Not that I didn't mean everything I just said, but I think children need to be a little further in the future" Draco quickly explained.
Hermione just held the look a little longer before the smile cracked on her face and she kissed him again.
Just as Draco put her down, the Gryffindor Seeker caught the Snitch and ended the game to loud cheering from the Gryffindor stand.
AN: So I hope it was worth the wait, I hope I see some reviews telling me your thoughts and again I'm so sorry it took so long