All magic belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter Twelve: Magical Parenting
Hermione flooed back to the Burrow to pick up the children. Gemmie was just starting to fuss, and her cries were gaining in pitch and volume. Hermione thanked Molly profusely and rushed everyone back to the Manor. The children ate lunch with the grandparents while Hermione tried nursing the baby upstairs. Hermione wondered if she should mention Draco's new secretary to Narcissa. No. Hermione just couldn't talk about Draco right now. Or his secretary. She kept silent.
After lunch, Hermione joined the children in the schoolroom, half-heartedly helping them with their schoolwork, stroking their shiny hair, and holding each one close before slipping out with the baby in her arms to research books in the Malfoy library on potions, charms, or spells that could alter one's affections. Hermione remembered Draco cruelly rejecting Astoria when Hermione first found herself in Astoria's body, but he had always treated Hermione with respect even when he was angry. In fact, Hermione was never alarmed by arguments with Draco because they usually ended well. Very well.
Hermione levitated the books she had selected back to the nursery and paused to look again at the most recent family portraits Jane Creevey had sent. The photo shoot had been four weeks after Gemmie's birth, and things had been fine with Draco at that time, she thought. The first moving picture was a formal portrait of the Malfoy family posed on the steps of the Manor, dressed alike in black and gray, blond hair shining in the muted light of the grim and cloudy day. The Manor behind them looked dark and impressive. The family appeared serious and sophisticated, even the baby, for goodness sake.
The next picture showed the children playing in the blanket fort with a silly looking Draco. Hermione smiled. Scorpius would love the one of himself on a broomstick. One sweet picture showed Draco holding baby Gemini, eyes looking downward toward her little face. There was Astoria reading to the children in their nursery library; the children cuddled around her were looking either into her face or into the pages of the book. Finally, Hermione picked up the picture of Draco and Astoria. Her eyes couldn't leave it, but her mind couldn't assess it at all. What did she see in Draco's eyes, hands, stance? She didn't know. Her mind was still fuzzy and tired, whirling with uncertainty and pain.
Gemini fussed loudly again, so Hermione fed the baby as she levitated a book, turning pages with her wand to read. She paused in her research to burp Gemmie and then had to change all of the baby's clothes and her own after Gemmie threw up her milk. Hermione rocked the baby to sleep, staring at the starry ceiling, thinking about possible spells Draco could be under. After awhile, she noticed Cassie standing hesitantly in the doorway. Hermione held her fingers to her lips and laid the baby down in her crib before tiptoeing out to Cassie.
"What's the matter, sweetheart?" Hermione whispered.
"I miss you, Mummy. I miss Papa too." Cassie's lips trembled.
"Oh, sweetheart, I've been so tired and cranky lately. I'm sorry." Hermione enveloped her daughter in a hug, stroking her long silvery blond hair. "Would you like a story?"
"Yes! Let me get the boys!"
The four children gathered inside the blanket fort. It was a creative, homey place made of blankets and magic, big enough for the entire family to fit, with one cozy room on the side and a ladder leading to an upstairs blanket loft. The floors were covered with pillows, perfect for reading books or having pillow fights. The children snuggled around their mum while Hermione read A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh. They laughed at Pooh's antics and funny poems. The charms on each page made the illustrations of Pooh gaze at the sky and then turn his head toward Piglet. It would have been pure bliss if it weren't for the agony at the periphery of Hermione's mind or the tears at the edge of her voice.
Draco found the five of them there inside the blanket fort when he arrived home and listened from a distance. He turned his head away from the sounds of Hermione's voice reading Winnie the Pooh and was about to step out when the baby awoke and cried. Draco turned back to the starry night nursery and picked up Gemini. Instead of arching her back and screaming like she often did, Gemmie nestled in close to her papa. He was trapped. Trapped in the nursery. Trapped by his enchanting children. Caught in the net of the people he loved most.
Hermione wriggled out of their blanket fort, leaving the children to pretend they were inside Rabbit's house visiting with Pooh. Cassie wanted to be Rabbit, Orion Pooh, and Leo Piglet. She didn't hear what Scorpius's role was, because she needed to leave quickly before tears fell. When she rose to her feet, Hermione noticed Draco rocking Gemmie and stood very still. Draco tightened his lips and stared unkindly at Hermione. She shivered.
"Shall I take her for you?" asked Hermione calmly.
"No, she's happy," answered Draco coldly. Hermione looked curiously at Draco. Would his eyes meet hers? Could she read them? Argh! What is wrong with him? Hermione felt like screaming. Instead she drew a calming breath, rubbed her tired eyes, and stepped over to the photos she had been looking at earlier.
"Have you seen Jane's latest photos?" Hermione asked pleasantly.
"Why, yes, I have," drawled Draco grimly.
"Really?" Hermione replied in disbelief. "Did Jane send you copies too? I thought they were very good."
Draco pulled out his wand and summoned something from his briefcase. It floated over to Hermione. She reached for it and gasped. It was a glossy magazine titled Magical Parenting Today.
"What is this?" she gasped. "How could you have a copy before me? Did they publish it without my approval? Oh, Godric, no," Hermione moaned.
The cover of Magical Parenting Today featured the Malfoy family regally arranged on the steps of the Malfoy Manor. Jane Creevey's photos. The Malfoys at Home was the title on the cover. Hermione glanced at Draco nervously and turned a page. Astoria Malfoy was the name of the editor-in-chief. Astoria Malfoy also was given credit for the articles on Day Trips to Muggle England, Muggle Books Your Children Will Love, and Getting Ready for Hogwarts. Hermione flipped through the pages, skipping Magical Fashions, the Ask Molly column, and an article titled Safe Spells for Young Children until she reached the Malfoy feature.
The recent Malfoy family portraits were spread throughout the article. It did make a pleasing contrast, Hermione had to admit. The formal portrait of Malfoys on the steps of the Malfoy Manor was a bit intimidating. Turn the page and the Malfoys became silly and fun in their magical blanket fort. Jane was a genius at capturing the personalities of the children and their parents. A wry smile here, a smirk there, a grin from the littlest boys, a wistful glance from Cassie. It was evident that the family loved each other.
Turn another page and one could view the children's library and the kids curled around Astoria as she read Peter Rabbit. The playroom, schoolroom, library, and starry night nursery were featured more prominently than the children here, Hermione thought with a sigh of relief. It was Jane Creevey's terrific eye, Anna McGuire's fashion sense, and Roy Thomas' page design, of course. She turned the page to see an intimate photo of Astoria and Draco gazing at each other. Her stomach began to sink.
Near the husband and wife photo was a column by Gloria Van Duzen articulating Astoria's vision for the magazine. Education for parents was her primary goal, but Astoria also shared her hopes for a future in which witches and wizards of all backgrounds esteemed one another, learned from one another, and worked together for tolerance and respect. Her views of equality for women were stated. An entire paragraph was devoted to her furious rejection of arranged marriages in which children were pledged to one another in order to strengthen bloodlines or businesses. Hermione Granger would have been proud, but it was certainly not anything Astoria Malfoy would have approved. She lifted her eyes to Draco's accusing glare.
"Oh," she said simply as she sank to a chair.
"Right. Not exactly what we had talked about, is it? Imagine my delight to see the Malfoy family front and center, with Astoria Malfoy preaching Muggle love to the masses."
"We were supposed to start without any mention of Muggles. I was going to challenge arranged marriages gently. I never intended for our family to be featured. Astoria's name wasn't going to be listed as editor or writer." Hermione swallowed, but the lump was still there.
Draco said not a word, but narrowed his eyes.
The truth was that this mess was her responsibility. She had put the team together, urged them to fly without her, and then abandoned the project when things got overwhelming at home. They might have even thought they were honoring Astoria Malfoy with a tribute.
"I'm so sorry, Draco."
"Tonight I'll be attending Theo Nott's dinner party. I'll try to repair the damage you've caused the Malfoy name if I can. This should be fun," he said bitterly. "Tomorrow night I'll attend the Parkinson party."
"I'll join you," Hermione decided and hoped there was a formal dress in her closet that she could squeeze into.
"Bad idea. No one will want you there. I frankly do not want to be seen with you."
Hermione winced. "Not everyone will have read the magazine. I hadn't even seen it before now."
"They will have seen it," Draco replied knowingly, "And it won't be pretty. This will mean war. You may want to start packing for your parents' house tonight."
Astoria's lovely face was distorted by Hermione's furrowed brow and stubborn chin. She was a Gryffindor; she wasn't about to give up her marriage or her magazine without a fight. And she certainly wasn't going to run away.