Chapter 11
"Still just milk in your tea?" Astoria asked picking up the kettle from the stove as it whistled steam out indicating it was ready. Hermione nodded to the other witch who poured the boiling water into two cups before heading to the fridge and pouring milk into both cups, she strained the teabags before placing the mug in front of the brunette.
"Hungry?"
Hermione shook her head, knowing what was happening at that moment in time had promptly allowed the brunette to lose any appetite. She continued to sit quiet, taking a sip from her tea as she watched Astoria make herself a snack, the brunette frowning slightly when she noticed the ingredients of said snack, and repulsed slightly as Astoria sat down taking a large bite into her pickled gherkin and Nutella spread sandwich.
"Cravings?" Hermione asked looking at her friend munched on the obscure sandwich filler.
"Hmm?" Astoria looked up her attention completely on her food. Hermione nodded towards the sandwich.
"Oh, Yeh they seem to have started, Draco insisted I re-brush my teeth last night after the half jar of pickled eggs I devoured". She muttered licking her fingers as she finished her food. Hermione took another sip of her drink. She watched as the other witch stood up with her now empty plate placing it by the sink.
"DAMMIT" Astoria shouted as a tell-tale pop echoed as a button pinged across the room. Hermione tried to hold her snigger as she stood up retrieving the button from the floor. She knew Astoria was proud of her slim figure and had embraced muggle fashion of fitted figure hugging clothes. So to see her frustration rise as her jean button popped off, Hermione knew the hormonal emotion of pregnancy would catch up very soon.
"Ugh more of my things are struggling to fit" she huffed holding the two edges of her jeans together as she tried to zip them up fully. Hermione stood in front of her smiling, she charmed the button back onto the pants moved slightly so the pants would allow more room than previously. She patted the girl's stomach.
"it's only going to grow as your child does, don't let it get to you, in fact there's all sorts of maternity specialist fashion shops in London"
"Really?" Astoria smiled her eyes watery. The moment was broken as they heard a door down the hall open. Sharp heavy footsteps echoed through as someone marched towards the kitchen.
"GRANGER" Draco's voice ricocheted off the walls, Hermione stepped back abruptly removing her hand from her friends stomach as Draco entered the room. She held her head high looking him straight in the eye hoping her worry didn't show on her composed face. She could hear the faint tap of Narcissa's heels following up the corridor.
"Is there something you want to explain to me granger?" Draco spoke coolly, his face stern but neutral, arms crossed as he stared into her eyes.
"Draco don't make a scene" Narcissa exclaimed as she reached them in the kitchen. Draco raised his hand behind him to silence her. His eyes never leaving Hermione's.
"Well"
Hermione swallowed loudly. "What else needs to be explained Draco?" Hermione asked rhetorically.
"I want to know how this started" he demanded still holding his cool.
"What does it matter how we got together Draco" Narcissa commanded slightly losing her cool.
"It matters to me I want to know how the hell this happened!" he barked looking between the two women waiting for one of them to speak up.
"TELL ME!"
"OH FOR MERLIN SAKE DRACO, THEY MET AT A BLOODY PARTY ALRIGHT" Astoria shouted. Everybody turned to the young witch, shocked at her sudden outburst. She grunted as she tried to unscrew the jar top of her pickles.
"You knew?" Draco whispered incredulously. Astoria looked at his shocked face.
"yes Draco I knew, you were so busy obsessing over your mum you hadn't even noticed how different Hermione was, I actually figured it out, Hermione couldn't deny it if she tried"
Draco leaned against the counter to steady himself.
"What party?" he suddenly asked looking at his mother. Narcissa looked away indicating he wasn't getting an answer, he turned further to her. "Mother?"
"The Party Draco, the one in Prague where Blaise met Anita" Astoria explained. Draco rubbed his hands over his face struggling as more was unveiled beginning to understand why his mother insisted he didn't need to know.
"What the hell were you doing at one of those parties mother, you were a married woman" Draco hissed angrily.
"Don't you dare be hypocritical Draco" Astoria growled.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he shouted back angrily.
"I mean the fact that you attended one of those parties as well!"
Draco looked affronted. "That's not true" he argued defensively.
"Oh really, a lie is it that half the boys in slytherin attended such a party after graduation and you hooked up unbeknownst to you with Millicent Bulstrode?" Astoria asked mockingly. The colour drained from Draco's face at the realisation. He weakly tried to defend against his fiancée.
"Who told you these rumours?" he demanded.
"Rumours? I overheard the tale being told during a girl sleepover with Daphne's friends playing truth or dare, it was straight from the horse's mouth since Millicent practically boasted about it"
Draco hung his head in shame.
"I think we can see there serious enough about a relationship if they actually told us Draco" Astoria concluded.
"I don't want my mother getting hurt" Draco admitted looking over to his mother.
"I won't hurt her" Hermione whispered her eyes were locked with Narcissa's, the blonde had remained silent in her anguish as her son demanded answers.
"How do you know that?" he pleaded sounding defeated. Hermione seemed unsure how to answer. Three heads looked at her for some confirmation.
"Do you love her Hermione?" Astoria asked. Narcissa held her breath. Hermione had been looking down but her head lifted abruptly to Astoria who in turn looked back at the brunette trying to coax an answer from her. She could see the brunette turn looking at Draco and finally locking with her own eyed as she whispered.
"Yes"
Narcissa let out a long breath that she had been holding in waiting for Hermione's answer, she felt her heart swell at the confirmation of words. Hermione loved her. Despite all the woes of the years gone, the circumstances in which their relationship had begun and how they had come to this point in time, because for the first time in her life Narcissa black had fallen in love and that special person loved her back and with such an emotional revelation she turned on her heal and fled.
"Cissy"
"Mum!"
Narcissa heard the calls as she rushed up the stairs, she needed a moment to compose herself and she was determined to do it in privacy. Despite all the changes in her life, her schooled upbringing was something she would never change. She bolted into her bedroom and warded the door. Slumping onto the bed as she heaved oxygen, coming down from her emotional high.
"Mother" Draco called thumping on the door, the three had followed her up the stairs but were confronted with a heavily warded door no one had a chance of breaking. Hermione panicked, had she scared Narcissa with a declaration of love? Maybe her insecurities had been right all along and it was too soon.
"I don't think she's going to come out till she's ready" Astoria summarized.
"You best go Hermione" Draco muttered. Hermione looked at him annoyed and replied sharply. "I'm not going anywhere until I see her and make sure she's ok"
"Fine" Draco muttered turning on his heel and leaving. Astoria stalled looking at Hermione before deciding to follow her fiancé.
Hermione looked at the door dreading the thought her witch was upset on the other side, she debated sending her patronus through asking her to open up when another thought crossed her. She walked down the corridor into the room she was meant to stay in on her last visit to the house and opened the door to the joining bathroom. She hesitantly touched the adjoining door pushing the handle down to find it opened fluently. Stepping through fluidly and shutting the door behind her.
Narcissa sat up abruptly from her laying position on the bed as she heard the sound of the door shut. She looked at Hermione who was staring at her with a face of concern, before she rushed over to kneel by Narcissa's feet taking the blondes face into her hands.
"I'm sorry" Hermione whispered.
"Sorry for what exactly" Narcissa spoke softly.
"For scaring you, I know what I said was soon but I couldn't help it"
Narcissa reached up, pushing a tendril of hair behind Hermione's ear, stroking her thumb across the brunette cheek.
"You're mistaken Hermione, you didn't scare me, quite the opposite really" Narcissa replied lovingly. Hermione looked up at her slightly confused as Narcissa continued.
"You must understand I have had a lifetime of being trained to be composed. One does not show emotion in society"
"Purebloods and their ways . . ." Hermione mocked as she laughed in relief ". . . I meant it though" she finished.
"Good . . . because I meant it too" Narcissa concluded before leaning forward to kiss the woman she loved.
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