"Wait, I still don't understand," Malfoy says as he follows me into my office. "Your Muggle doctor can print a picture of your unborn child, but she can't tell you if you're having a boy or a girl yet? I thought you said you'd find out today."

I roll my eyes as I walk to my desk, my hands cradling my slightly larger stomach. "Today's appointment was the earliest possible date I could find out the gender, but my doctor couldn't make it out based on the way my baby is sitting in the womb. I suspect that I'll figure out the gender at my next appointment. Besides, four months is pretty early to determine the sex. Most women don't figure out what they're having until five or six months along."

"You know, a Healer at St. Mungo's could perform a spell that would tell you right away…"

I turn to meet his silver eyes. "I told you at my three month checkup: I want to approach this pregnancy as magic-free as possible. No unnecessary spells will be cast; I'll wait until my next appointment like a normal woman."

He gives me a lazy grin as he moves toward me, wrapping his arms securely around my waist when he gets close enough. "I know, I know. And I commend you for being so patient. Me on the other hand…" His voice trails off as he tilts my face up so he can kiss me.

I smile into his kiss despite myself and push him away before he can do any damage. "I believe I made the no kissing at work rule over a month ago, Malfoy. You should know better."

Flashing me a wicked smile, he kisses behind my ear before quickly moving away from me so I can't slap his arm. "I wasn't sorted into Slytherin for nothing, Granger."

"You're ridiculous," I say shaking my head in the hopes that I can hide my widening smile.

"I may be ridiculous, but you are positively mad."

"Oh? How am I mad?"

"Poor thing, you really have to ask?" His smirk cuts across his face, his eyes light. "If you have to ask, I'm not sure you want to know the answer."

I move to put my desk between us and lower myself into my chair, grateful to be off my feet before I smile sweetly at him. "Well go on. Tell me why I'm crazy. I'm even sitting down in advance to prepare myself for this revelation."

"Hmm." Malfoy taps his finger to his lips as he glides across my office to sit across from me. "I'll tell you, but on one condition."

"You really are a Slytherin; what's the condition?"

"Have dinner at my place tonight."

"Your place?" I repeat, my surprise clear in my voice. In the past month, Malfoy has never once invited me over to his flat. To be honest, I didn't mind us only hanging out at my place; it saved me having to go anywhere and I felt no guilt over kicking him out whenever it got too late.

As if sensing my hesitation, Malfoy gives me a small smile. "I promise I don't live in a dungeon or anything similar to my parents' manor. Just a perfectly normal flat."

"Are you going to cook for me?"

"I suppose you'll just have to find out, won't you?" He gives me a look when I don't immediately reply. "Come on, Granger. What sort of gentleman would I be if I never had you over at my flat? And since I drove you to your doctor's appointment today, I have my car here. You don't even have to worry about catching a cab."

"Well… okay fine, you win. I'll have dinner at your flat tonight."

"Excellent! What time do you want to leave here then? Six?"

I glance at the pile of work at the corner of my desk. Since I came in late today for my appointment, I was already behind and typically, I'd stay later to make up for it. But, it is Friday and I am allowed to work from home on Saturdays again thanks to my pregnancy…

"No; how about five? I can make up my work this weekend."

"You've been spending too much time with me; you're starting to behave like a normal human being, what with leaving the office at a reasonable hour!" He stands and leans over my desk to press his lips to mine softly before moving toward my door. "I'll see you at five!"

"Hey! You broke the rule again!" I call after him, just before the door closes.

Malfoy catches the door before it latches and leans back in, his characteristic smirk on his face. "Yes, I did. Get used to it."

"You're impossible."

I glance up toward my office door at the sound of the knock. "Come in."

Ginny pokes her head in and gives me a toothy grin. "Hey stranger! How have you been?"

I close my file and stand to meet her half way, giving her a hug. "I've been great! I just had my four month checkup this morning and everything is going well with the baby too."

"Fantastic! Did you happen to find out if you're having a boy or a girl yet? I want to start planning your baby shower."

"Oh, Gin, you don't have to do that-"

"I know, but I want to! I'm going to be an aunt! I mean, I already am one what with my brothers all having kids, but you're my best friend; it's a big deal."

I laugh and shake my head. "Well thank you very much, but I don't know what I'm having yet. My doctor couldn't make out the gender based on the baby's position. And besides, it was a little early to determine the sex anyway."

"I still can't believe you don't want to just go to St. Mungo's and have them tell you."

"Malfoy said the exact same thing this morning."

Ginny's red eyebrows shoot skyward at the mention of Malfoy, her lips pulling back into a smirk. "Did he now? And how is Mr. Malfoy?"

I turn so she can't see my face when I reply, "He's fine and still insisting that he drive me to my appointments. Apparition is bad for the baby and since it's getting colder I really shouldn't be walking. If anything he's saving me from having to get a cab."

"What a gentleman!" She pauses and waits for me to look back at her before continuing. "But speaking of gentlemen, my wonderful husband and I were wondering if you had plans for this evening. We want to take you out to a nice dinner and a movie. Harry's even agreed to take us to the cinema. Do you know how long I've been begging him to take me back there?"

"Ever since you threw your popcorn at the screen because you thought the murderer was real and coming to get you?"

"Neither of you are going to let that go, are you?"

"Considering it still makes me laugh, no."

Ginny scowls, but the corners of her lips begin to turn up the longer I hold her gaze. "Well, all that aside, doesn't dinner and a movie sound wonderful? Come on, treat yourself!"

"Sorry, Gin, but I actually already have plans for tonight."

"Plans or plans?"

"You literally just repeated the same word."

"Yes, but I emphasized one. Are you planning on just working all evening, or are you actually going to have fun and got out?"

"I am hanging out with someone, but I'm sure I'll be working too. I don't know."

"Who are you going to be spending this evening with? He must be pretty great if you are willing to pass on a night out with Harry and I."

I shrug noncommittedly and hope my cheeks aren't red. "He is pretty nice. I really like him."

"This is the part of the conversation when you give me his name."

"Miss Granger?" April's voice coming through my intercom is a Godsend. "Mr. Malfoy is here to see you."

"Ah, duty calls. Send him in a second, April." I look to Ginny and shrug. "I'll have to tell you all about him some other time."

"Mark my words, Hermione Granger," Ginny says as Malfoy opens the door. "I will grill you for details on your mystery date this weekend."

I notice how Malfoy's eyebrows shoot up at her comment, but he wisely keeps his mouth shut.

"I believe you, Gin," I say with a laugh. "We'll get lunch on Sunday, I promise."

"Good." She turns to leave and gives Malfoy a smile before punching his arm. "Hey Malfoy! Don't keep her too long; she's got a hot date tonight."

"So I've heard," he replies with a toothy grin. "I'll do my best." He waits until she leaves and door latches behind her before looking to me. "A hot date, huh? Should I be worried?"

I shrug, trying- and failing- to conceal my smirk. "Perhaps…"

Arching an eyebrow, Malfoy stalks toward me and wraps me securely in his arms. "This bloke can't really be better looking than me; I mean, look at me."

I cock my head to the side, my hands trailing up his arms to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. "Hmm," I muse to myself, studying his features. "You really shouldn't be so cocky."

Malfoy moves one hand from my hip to wave it in front of him. "Is your eyesight going, Granger? With a face like mine, I think I'm entitled to some vanity."

"Oh shut up."

"Gladly."

I smile despite myself when he kisses me. Breaking the rules isn't bad all the time. A slow bubble begins to build in my stomach, and at first I am able to pass it off for the normal butterflies Malfoy gives me. But then the bubbles begin to climb.

Shoving Malfoy away from me, and ignoring the confused look on his face, I bolt to my loo. I manage to make it just in time as my lunch makes a surprise visit. My hands clench the side of the toilet as I lurch forward again. Cool hands pull my hair away from my face and hold it behind me. He's silent as my body runs its course; one of his hands moving to hold all of my hair while the other rubs my back.

"I have to say that this is the first time I've caused a girl to vomit," he jokes once I flush and rest my head against the side of the toilet.

I laugh humorlessly, my shoulder slumping. "This has been happening lately; my pregnancy symptoms are finally starting to show up and unfortunately, vomiting is one of them."

He releases my curls and rubs my shoulders comfortingly before he helps me stand. I move to the sink and conjure up a toothbrush. I don't meet his eyes in the mirror as I hurriedly brush my teeth to get the foul taste out of my mouth. I keep my head ducked once I finish, still too embarrassed to look at him. His arms are strong around me as he pulls me to his chest, his chin resting on my shoulder.

"Sorry," I murmur.

"For what?"

I glance up to meet his eyes in the mirror before gesturing to the loo. "For the obvious."

Malfoy turns his head so he can press a kiss to my neck. "It's not a big deal, Granger; you're pregnant, these things are bound to happen. Besides, I've seen you vomit before, remember? After Anderson was released for weekend recess."

I scowl and fold my arms. "Way to ruin a sweet moment."

"Ruin? How so?"

"I'd rather not think about a convicted murderer while my boyfriend is holding me, thanks." It takes me a moment to realize what I'v called him. A deep red blush spreads across my cheeks; I instantly cover my face and attempt to move away from him, just to have him tighten his hold on me.

"Sorry Granger, I don't think I caught that. What did you call me?"

"Nothing; I didn't call you anything."

Malfoy spins me so we are pressed together chest-to-chest, his hands holding onto my hips so I can't escape. "Lying is more of a Slytherin trait, wouldn't you agree?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, really? Because, I believe I heard you say I was your boyfriend, and judging by that blush on your face, I'd say I heard you correctly."

"Well, are you?" I say, deciding to be bold.

His lips turn up into his trademark smirk before he leans in and kisses me hungrily. His mouth ravishes mine, his hands pulling my body closer to his, completely disregarding my baby bump. I return his kiss with the same level of passion, smiling when his tongue traces my lower lip and granting him the access he craves. I tangle one hand in his blond hair, the other gripping the side of his shirt tightly to keep him close.

"You are most definitely my girlfriend," he murmurs softly against my lips, completely changing our kiss from hungry and desperate to soft and gentle.

Our kisses slow and our grip on the other loosens. Malfoy presses a soft kiss to my forehead before stepping away from me slightly so he is no longer pressed up against me.

"Does that answer your question?" he asks cockily.

"Yes, you impossible over-achiever."

"Over-achiever, huh? That's a new one."

I roll my eyes and exit the bathroom, making my way to the closet in my office where my coat is hanging. Malfoy watches me as I pull it on and gather up some files I need to continue reading over the weekend, shoving them into my purse. When I glance up at him once I've got everything, I am not surprised to see he simply summoned his jacket from his office.

We exit my office, making our way to the lifts and then outside to Muggle London. The winter air blows softly against my face once we exit the Ministry and I pull my coat tighter around myself as Malfoy leads the way to the parking garage where he's stowed his car for the day.

"Oh thank Merlin," I breathe in relief when his shiny black BMW comes into view. "I am freezing."

Malfoy chuckles under his breath as we slide into the car. His hand comes to rest lightly on my thigh as he pulls out of the parking spot and begins to drive. His fingers draw absentminded patterns on the fabric of my trousers as we drive through London and I do my best not to let his touch distract me too much.

"You mentioned that I was crazy earlier today," I say, suddenly remembering. "I believe an explanation is in order."

"I thought we had figured all that out before we left your office." His silver eyes glance away from the road briefly so he can look at me and smile. "You are crazy because you are dating me."

I laugh, my hand moving to lace my fingers through his. "That's what makes me crazy? I'm pretty sure every girl at Hogwarts would have disagreed with you. They probably are all jealous. Or, they would be if they knew."

Malfoy squeezes my fingers softly. "I meant, that you are crazy for dating me in the sense that you are the Golden Girl of Gryffindor, best friend to the Boy-Who-Lived and I am a former Death Eater. To be honest Granger, I'm starting to worry that your pregnancy is messing with your common sense."

I laugh and shake my head. "My common sense is perfectly fine, Malfoy. I know exactly what I'm doing."

He gives me a look as he pulls up to his apartment complex. "Like I said, I worry about your sense of judgement."

I smirk and step out of the car, glancing up at the building. It's massive and elegant; as if I expected anything less than the Malfoy heir. There's even a valet like at a hotel for Merlin's sake! I watch as Malfoy speaks to the Muggle boy and hands him the keys to the car, my eyes drifting past them to the shrubs planted on either side of the building. I recognize the camera of a Prophet reporter immediately and my stomach clenches.

"Granger? You all right?" Malfoy is giving me a slightly concerned look as the valet drives away, momentarily blocking my view of the reporter.

"There's a Prophet reporter hiding out in the shrubs."

"Fuck," Malfoy hisses under his breath. "That'd be Mario. He has been my own personal annoyance for years now. If any reporter manages to get a picture of me, it's him. I'm sorry, I've gotten so used to him and just Flooing to avoid him that I'd completely forgot about him. What do you want to do?"

I bite my lower lip in concentration. "Well, I mean… he's probably already got pictures of us together. And Harry and Ginny aren't with us, so they can spin the story however they want to at this point…"

Malfoy's eyebrows shoot skyward. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

I don't answer.

"This is what you want? There's no going back after it, you know that, right? We're going to be hounded everywhere we go now. Well, not that we weren't already, but you get the idea."

"I'm not ashamed of you if that's what you're worried about," I say looking up at him. "My one concern is that the two of us just officially decided we were dating less than half an hour ago. Is it too fast to let the rest of the world know?"

"Maybe, but they were bound to find out eventually," Malfoy reasons. "Besides, think about all the girls from our Hogwarts class who are going to be even more jealous of you than usual now."

"More jealous than usual?" I repeat. "Why are they jealous now?"

Malfoy's arms come up around my hips to draw me toward him, his eyes soft. "Granger, they should be jealous of everything about you."

My eyes flutter shut as he kisses me gently. My arms snake around his neck as an automatic response, my body pressed up against his. The rest of the world seems to melt away whenever Malfoy kisses me, and this time is no exception. When he pulls away, he kisses my forehead before taking my hand in his and leading me into the apartment complex.

"Delivery?" I ask in surprise when the doorbell to Malfoy's flat rings. "I thought you'd be cooking for me."

He laughs as he untangles his arms from me and pulls himself off the couch to go to the door. "I'll cook for you another time, I promise. But I've wanted pizza since about eight this morning. Do you mind?"

"I always want pizza," I call to him as he opens the door to accept the food.

He returns a short while later with the pizza, plates and two drinks. Setting everything on the coffee table, Malfoy returns to his seat beside me, scooping up the remote and pointing it at the telly I was surprised to see he owned.

"What do you want to watch?" he asks, flipping through the channels.

I hesitate for a moment. "Actually, would you mind if we don't watch anything?" The telly goes black the moment I asked and I smile at him. "Thanks; my parents never let me watch TV while eating dinner, so some habits just die hard I guess."

"It's quite all right, I understand." He gives me a dashing smile. "Now you just get to stare at me, and let's be honest, I'm much better than some Muggle movie or show."

"I'm surprised you actually own a TV," I say thoughtfully, plucking a slice of the pizza out of the box.

"I blame you for it."

"Me?"

"Yes. Ever since you convinced the Ministry to allow phones however many years back it was, I have been drawn to Muggle technology. It's weird and I don't like it. I have a car, Granger. A car."

I laugh. "I am aware, Malfoy. I've been in it several times."

"I will never repeat what I am about to say," he warns, "but Muggle inventions are actually pretty fascinating. Although, I will admit that my telly is a relatively new purchase. I got it after seeing yours."

"You are a bit impulsive, aren't you?"

"And here I thought I was going such a good job at keeping myself reigned in."

I roll my eyes and continue to eat my pizza.

Our conversation flows throughout our dinner, and continues going so well that the TV never comes back on; something I am quite proud of. As the hours tick by, I find myself snuggled up against Malfoy on his couch, a blanket thrown around our legs, his hand gently playing with my hair.

"That's your third yawn in five minutes," he observes causally. "Are you tried?"

"I'm exhausted," I admit. "I should go home."

Malfoy looks down at me. His legs are intertwined with mine, my head resting on his chest with one hand holding onto his. Neither one of us show any signs of moving any time soon.

"You can stay if you want do," he says quietly. "I'll even promise to keep my hands to myself."

"But what will the neighbors think?" I tease sleepily.

He snorts. "Granger, the entirety of the British Wizarding World is going to know by this morning that we are together, who cares about my Muggle neighbors?"

I laugh, tightening my grip on his shirt. The idea of staying here with him is horribly tempting and I am so tired…

"Sorry, I didn't catch that," Malfoy says in response to my mumble against his chest.

"You're sure you're okay with me staying?"

His arms tighten around me. "Of course I am."

"In that case then," I yawn again. "Good night."

Malfoy laughs softly and somehow manages to pull me into his arms and stand without getting his legs tangled up the in the blanket. I'm not even that surprised by the sudden feeling of being entirely in his arms as he carries to me to his room, lowering me gently to his bed.

"You might want to change out of your dress clothes," he observes. "I should have some old shirts if you want to wear one of those in my dresser. I'm going to shower so help yourself."

I wait until the bathroom door clicks shut and the water starts before I climb off the bed and dig through his dresser for his shirts. I find a nice black one and fumble out of my clothes before slipping it on. I open another drawer and find pajama pants. They are too big and I have to tie the string around the waist in a tight knot to get them to stay on, even with my bump, but I feel much better.

Crossing the room, I pull back the covers and crawl into the bed, falling asleep the moment my head hits the pillow.