Hey Lovelies! Here is the next chapter in our story, this one is one of my favorites! I love Draco and Hermione just as much as I love Harry and Cissa, and even though Hermione never makes an actual appearance this chapter she and Cissa are equal shareholders of the title. "She's Got It All" by Kenny Chesney definitely applies to both of these couples!
Chapter 4 – She's Got It All
It was about a week later that their perfect little bubble burst. Since Harry's birthday they had seemed to exist in their own world. No one came or went, and their only interaction with the outside world was through the letters that they were sending out to various entities regarding Cissa's charity work or Harry's defense system.
Harry left early one morning, right after breakfast, for a meeting with Minerva. He was trying to get her to help him convince her Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to implement some of his work into the curriculum. He pecked his wife on the cheek as he headed for the fire that would drop him directly into the Headmistress's office.
Cissa was sitting in the kitchen; still nibbling at the remains of her toast when the fire lit up behind her and Draco came tumbling out of it. "Dragon! What are you doing here? You scared me!"
"I'm sorry Mother." He looked up at her from where he had landed on his knees. "That wasn't one of my most graceful entrances." He chuckled as he righted himself and kissed her cheek. "I haven't seen you since Harry's birthday, how have you been?"
"Oh, I'm fine." She smiled at him. She didn't want to tell him about the baby without Harry being there. It was something that they wanted to do together. She stood and moved around to the stovetop where Kreacher had left the teakettle from breakfast. "Would you care for some tea darling?"
"Tea would be wonderful, thank you." He watched her as she moved around the kitchen. He didn't know quite what it was, but there was something different about her. "Mother?"
"Yes?" She looked back over her shoulder at him.
"I want to ask you something." He seemed nervous, so she smiled warmly at him as she brought the reheated kettle over from the stove.
"Darling," she rested her hand over his, "whatever is eating at you, you can talk to me."
He looked up down at her hand for a moment, his eyes resting on the set of rings that sat nestled gently together on her finger. Slowly he dragged his eyes back up to meet hers. The warmth that he saw emanating from the icy orbs was rather ironic, and he suppressed a chuckle. It was a look that, until Harry had come along, she reserved only for him.
"I know Mother. Thank you for that, for always being there for me to talk to." He gave her a shy smile. "I want to talk to you about Hermione."
"Oh?" Her warm smile turned into a knowing one. "What about Hermione?"
He watched her smile change and he knew that she was going to give him the answer that he was looking for. "I think I'm going to ask her to marry me."
"Draco." He reached her free hand up and cupped his cheek. "I think that's wonderful. She has become a cherished friend, and I would love nothing more than for her to be family, and you to be happy."
He sighed, he had known that she loved Hermione, but hearing her say it out loud was the last bit of reassurance that he needed. "Thank you Mother." He smiled into her hand and pressed his lips to her palm before he pulled her hand away from his cheek. "I'm glad that you approve. I never could have imagined this all those years ago when I first met her, but now. Now I don't think that my life would be the same without her. She really is something."
"That she is. I think that she will make a wonderful Lady Malfoy. A fair step up from the last one at least." She smiled at him as she made fun of herself. "Hopefully this time around the Lady Malfoy will be able to exert some positive influence over her Lord."
"Mother." Draco sighed, he knew that she still considered her time as the Lady Malfoy as a failure. "It is not your fault that that man was a coward, and a bastard. You were braver than anyone should have had to be in that situation, and look how well you came out of that. Look at you now," he reached for her hand and brought the back of it to his lips, "Lady Potter-Black."
"Thank you." Her voice was soft, tears were welling up in her eyes, and she was doing her very best not to let them fall.
"Of course." He finished off his tea and then he stood from the table. "I have a ring to collect, and then I have arranged to have lunch with the Grangers."
"By yourself?" She looked up at him curiously.
"Yes." He teased back. "Someone raised me with all of these manners that I can't seem to ignore. It's only right that I ask for permission before I ask for her hand." He bent and kissed her cheek. When he righted himself he looked at the rings on her left hand again. "There's one more thing."
"Yes?"
"The ring. I was wondering, I know that you wore it last when you were married to him, but I,"
"Draco," she raised a hand to stop him. "If she is to be the new Lady Malfoy it is her right to wear that ring. Don't break tradition on my account. As long as you treat her better than he treated me I don't see why there would be any reason for her not to have it."
"You're sure? I didn't know if you would want to see it on her finger all the time. I didn't want the reminder there, staring you in the face every time we are all together."
"Thank you." She couldn't help the tear that escaped down her cheek. "Thank you, for being so caring and considerate, but I believe it will be just fine. Give her the family ring Draco, just by wearing it proudly she will have changed everything that it has ever stood for."
He reached for her outstretched hand and took it in his own. Planting a kiss on the back of it before heading for the fireplace. "Goodbye Mother." He released her with a smile.
"Draco?" He turned back to look at her. "Congratulations." He nodded once before stepping into the flames.
When Harry returned from the castle after lunch she was having a hard time keeping the grin off of her lips. Finally he called her on it. "Cissa?" He threw down the manuscript he was going over and focused instead on his wife.
"Hmm?" She didn't look up from the book on her lap. She wasn't reading it; her mind was wandering to other aspects of their lives. One hand unconsciously resting across her abdomen as she absentmindedly flipped the pages.
"What are you grinning about?" His own smirk playing on his lips as he watched her try and decide what she was going to say. Internally debating with herself about whether or not to tell him what she knew. "Don't you dare lie to me woman."
She looked up suddenly to see him grinning at her and she laughed, "I was thinking about Draco. He came to see me this morning."
"Oh yeah?" He raised an eyebrow, that wasn't what he had assumed she was thinking about, but it wasn't entirely unexpected either. "When?"
"Not long after you left." I was still in the kitchen when he got here. "He came to tell me that he was having lunch with the Grangers." She saw the recognition in Harry's eyes.
"He's going to propose to 'Mione then?" He asked the question with a smile. Harry was just as supportive of his best friend and his stepson as she had been of him and Cissa. If not even more so, he was thrilled to see her so happy after everything that they had gone through in their lives.
Narcissa got up from where she was sitting, leaving her book behind, and made her way over to him, settling on his lap before answering. "He is." She grinned broadly. "It seems we will be adding more than one new family member in the next year. Maybe a few more if Kingsley ever gets around to asking Andi."
Harry's hand rested across her stomach and he was surprised to find that the once flat, and toned plane was home to a slight swell. He ran his fingers over her almost imperceptible bump as his smile widened. "Did you tell him about the baby?"
She shook her head before leaning down to kiss him. When the broke apart she answered him, "No, we had said that we wanted to tell them together. I thought maybe we could invite them for dinner in the next day or so. Once we know that they are officially engaged, we can make a night of it."
"Sounds perfect." He leaned up to kiss her once more before she could climb off of his lap and go back to pretending to read her book.
The next morning Lotty woke them when she popped into their bedroom. The noise caused Cissa to sit straight up in bed, and then the wave of nausea washed over her from the sudden motion. As she ran for the bathroom Harry turned to the elf, "What is it Lotty?"
"Mistress Granger and Master Malfoy is in the kitchen Sir. They is wanting to see Mistress and yourself Sir."
"Thank you Lotty." Narcissa reappeared back out of the bathroom, drying her hands on a small towel. "Can you tell them that we will be down in a minute?"
"Yes Mistress." With a bow the tiny elf disappeared and they were left alone once again.
Harry smiled at her as she made her way back over to the bed and sat down next to him. "Are you alright?" He grazed a hand over her hip and she nodded.
"One of the perks of being pregnant." She chuckled, "This time it's not as bad as it was the first time. I was sick morning, noon and night with Draco. At least this one seems to understand that it's called morning sickness."
He laughed along with her and got dressed while she braided her hair over her shoulder. They made their way down the stairs together. Stopping short when they reached the door to the kitchen. Harry wrapped his arms around her and looked down into her eyes. "Are you ready to greet your soon to be daughter in law?"
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed the end of his nose. "You do realize that she is our soon to be daughter in law right? Technically you are going to be just as much her in law as I am."
He groaned as he linked his fingers with hers and pushed the door open to face the other couple. "Good morning you guys."