Hey Guys! Here is the next update!
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Take Care!
Draco woke to the sound of pecking on his window and turned his head to see his own owl, Zion, along with Hermione's owl, Tara on the outside windowsill. They each had a copy of The Daily Prophet, waiting to deliver them. He wandlessly opened the window, allowing the birds to fly into the room and land on each side of the bed.
Draco sat up, taking the paper from Zion. His eyes landed on the front page as he unrolled it. The headlines read:
Healing Orphans with Quidditch
He grinned, and felt Hermione reach over in her sleep, trying to wrap her arm around him.
She opened her eyes, furrowing her brow when she realized that Draco was sitting up. "Hmm…what are you doing, Love?" She asked in a sleepy voice.
He smiled down at her and reached down, affectionately moving some of her hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind her ear. "Reading the paper." He said, knowing that would ger her attention.
Her eyes widened as her head shot up. "Is it in there?" She asked, leaning on her elbow.
He nodded, "It is. I haven't read the article yet. Just the headlines." He answered.
"It's the headlines?" She asked, grinning in surprise.
He nodded, "It appears that we are Healing Orphans with Quidditch." He said with a proud smile.
Hermione laughed happily and sat up, grabbing the paper Tara had left on the bedside table. She unrolled it and looked at the article.
It was filled with information about the Charity Match, but also told the story of Charlotte and Henry, while leaving their names out of it.
"This is marvelous!" Draco grinned, looking over at her while still holding the paper in his hands.
Hermione beamed and met his eyes, "Yeah it is. It turned out so much better than I could have imagined. Padma did a wonderful job. I love the part that says…'The journey Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy have embarked on is not one for the faint of heart. It is a journey filled with impediments, but they appear to be blazing a path, so that the orphaned children in the St. Mungo's Children's Ward have a life to live…a life worth living'."
Nodding, he said, "Me too." Before leaning over and kissing her lips, "I'm so glad that we've been on this journey together." He muttered as they separated.
She glanced at his lips and nodded, smiling as she met his eyes, "Me too."
"How about I make us some breakfast?" He asked with a grin.
"That sounds wonderful." She said.
The couple kissed once more before getting out of bed.
While Hermione was in the lavatory, Draco pulled on a pair of lounge trousers and a white tee.
"I'll meet you in the kitchen, Love." He said through the door.
"Okay." She replied in a quiet tone.
He nodded and made his way down to the kitchen.
Hermione listened, waiting for Draco to leave before stepping out and grabbing her wand. She inhaled deeply. She had been nauseous since the moment she woke up that morning and it didn't make sense. She aimed her wand at her stomach and performed the spell that she had only ever used on herself once before.
When the words formed in the air in front of her, she nearly fainted.
Pregnant
1 week along
She let out a long unsteady breath, unsure of how she felt about it. The last time she had used that spell, she had pleaded that the results be negative and thanked Merlin when they were.
But now…
The words slowly faded, and her heart pounded. She knew that she needed to tell Draco, but she simply didn't know how. They loved each other, but they had only been together a few months and were still a secret to most of the world.
She swallowed and stepped out of the lavatory, before going down to the kitchen.
Draco was making them each an omelet and heard her footsteps. "I made you a cuppa. It's on the counter." He said, glancing over his shoulder with a smile before looking back at the omelet.
She smiled, "Thank you, Love."
He grinned and flicked his wand, placing the omelets onto two plates before sitting beside Hermione at the tall section of the counter.
As they ate, Hermione began to feel sick to her stomach. She discreetly used an anti-nausea charm on herself and continued to eat. Though the charms weren't nearly as helpful as the potions, it would do for the time being.
"Are you okay, Darling?" Draco asked quietly.
Hermione nodded and bit her bottom lip before saying, "I'm fine."
He furrowed his brow, "Hermione, something seems…off with you." He said, turning to face her, feeling terribly concerned.
She swallowed, knowing that she didn't have a choice but to tell him. She turned to fully face him and took his one of his hands between her smaller ones, "Draco…"
The fireplace burned green and the Greengrass sisters stepped into the lounge.
"Draco!" Daphne said.
He sighed.
Hermione cupped his jaw, "We'll talk later, Darling." She said, before kissing his lips softly.
He nodded, though still concerned.
"The article in the Prophet is spectacular!" Astoria exclaimed, smiling widely.
Daphne nodded, "It is so good!"
Draco smiled, "We're certainly pleased."
"Very much so." Hermione said, grinning.
"So, what happened with Chang?" Draco asked, taking the last bite of his food while Hermione set her food aside, unable to finish it.
"I had a marvelous night with Cho." Astoria said with a beaming smile. "It was incredible! She did this..."
"We don't need all the details." Draco said chuckling, "But I'm happy for you."
Hermione nodded, "Me too."
For a few hours, the sisters helped them send out tickets.
Later that afternoon, after Daphne and Astoria had left, Hermione noticed how late it was and sighed, "Draco, I need to get to my flat so that I can get changed for tonight."
He nodded, "Okay…" He said, "Erm…about this morning, what was going on?"
She swallowed, knowing that she needed to tell him but also knowing that they didn't have time to fully get into it. "We'll talk about it later. Is that okay with you?" She asked.
He nodded, "Of course. I'm just concerned, Love."
She cupped his jaw, "I promise that we'll talk about it later, Darling. When I get back from Harry's house, okay?"
He swallowed and nodded, "Okay."
"Don't worry about me going over to Harry's. I won't be there long and nothing's going to happen. I'll tell him that I am madly in love with you. I hope he understands but either way, I'm coming back here and getting into bed with you." She said with a smile.
Draco smiled, "Madly in love, eh?"
She nodded, feeling emotional, "Yes. Madly in love."
"Me too." He muttered before kissing her deeply.
As they separated, Hermione felt a tear slip from her eye, and Draco furrowed his brow.
"Hermione…" He said, the concern in his gut magnifying as he tenderly wiped her tear away with his thumb.
She shook her head, "I'm sorry, I just…I really, truly love you, Draco."
He nodded, "Me too, love." He whispered. "But why are you sad?"
"Oh, Darling…" She said, shaking her head, "I'm not. At all. I am the absolute happiest I've ever been in my life."
He smiled and nodded, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, "Me too." He said against her skin.
"I need to go change my clothes, then I'll come back here for a moment."
He nodded and watched as she Apparated to her flat.
When she arrived at her flat, she went to her lavatory and dug into one of the baskets underneath the sink, searching for the muggle pregnancy test she had purchased a while back while she was with Ron.
She spotted it and inhaled deeply, wanting it to be certain, both in magical and muggle terms. She took the test and waited the 4 minutes for it to return he results.
As she waited, Hermione attempted to do her makeup for that evening. She couldn't believe this was actually happening and she couldn't explain how she felt about it.
When the timer she had set with her wand went off, Hermione inhaled deeply and looked at the test.
Pregnant
She swallowed and nodded, before hiding the test in the bottom of her bedside table.
It was real. She was pregnant. She and Draco were going to have a baby. She was happy. She was scared. She was unsure.
She slipped her black dress on and fixed her hair before adjusting her makeup one last time. She Apparated to Draco's townhouse and found him in the lounge. Her breath was taking away upon seeing him.
His back was to her but he was wearing black trousers, and a light grey collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up a bit.
"You look so very dashing, Draco Malfoy." She said with a wide smile. "Completely dashing."
He grinned as he turned around, his eyes widened, landing on her, "Blimey, Love. You look…you look stunning." He breathed.
She blushed, smiling, "Thank you, Darling."
He nodded, "I'm so glad that I got to see you before the dinner, otherwise everyone would know about us because I'd be staring at you all evening."
"And now you won't?" She asked with a smirk.
He chuckled, "Oh, I still will, but more discreetly. I cannot wait until you get back here tonight."
She blushed and nodded, pressing a kiss to his lips, "Me too." She said, "Well, I should go now, and you can go in about 5 or 10 minutes, yeah?"
Smiling, Draco leaned down and kissed her lips again, "Okay." He whispered against them. "I love you so much."
She swallowed, her emotions building once again, "I love you too, Draco." She said in a slightly broken voice, "So much."
They kissed once more before she Apparated to the Longbottom house.
She appeared in the back garden and saw Henry, Charlotte and Teddy playing, chasing a low-flying Snitch around the garden.
She noticed Harry, Neville, Theo, and Blaise up by the magical grill on the patio, chatting while Neville grilled the food.
Pansy, Ginny, and Luna were sitting at the lawn table while Luna held Flynn.
"Hermione!" Luna smiled, waving the brunette over to the table.
Hermione smiled and made her way over, sitting with them at the table, "How are you all doing?" She asked.
"We are doing great!" Pansy said, "The adoption went through. Henry and Charlotte are officially our children."
Hermione beamed, "Pansy, that is fantastic! You all make a beautiful family."
Pansy smiled, "Thank you, Hermione." She said as Draco appeared in the back garden.
"Draco!" Pansy said, excitedly jumping up and running over to tell one of her closest friends about her latest news.
Hermione watched as Draco beamed and hugged Pansy tightly, she smiled, loving that everyone seemed so happy but also feeling the weight of her own news.
"So, how are you doing Hermione?" Luna asked, "You look fantastic."
Hermione smiled, "Thank you. I'm wonderful. How are you and Theo?"
"We're splendid!" Luna beamed.
Ginny looked at Hermione curiously, "What are you doing after this, Mione? You look rather lush for a simple dinner with friends."
Hermione shook her head, "Nothing special. I'm having tea with Harry but that's all."
Luna and Ginny both raised their brows.
"With Harry?" Ginny said, "I thought…"
Hermione shook her head, "It's simply two friends having a cuppa. That's all, Ginny."
Luna nodded, believing the brunette, but Ginny pinched her lips to the side with a doubtful expression.
Draco and Pansy made their way over to the table. Pansy sat back down, looking happier than ever.
"Hello ladies." Draco nodded to Hermione, Luna, and Ginny. "I'll see you all in a bit. I'm going to go see the blokes."
"It's good to see you, Draco." Luna smiled.
He smiled before heading up toward the patio where the blokes were. He stopped on the way as Charlotte and Henry rushed over to hug him. He lifted Charlotte into the air, "You have the best mum and dad, you know." He said.
Henry grinned and nodded, "Yeah! They said we get to call them that now."
Draco grinned and set Charlotte down, "That's wonderful."
Hermione's eyes followed him for a moment, fully realizing that she was going to have a baby with that man…even if he didn't know it just yet. He was going to be a marvelous father.
Pansy noticed Hermione watching Draco with a small smile on her lips. The raven-haired witch tilted her head in curiosity while Luna and Ginny chatted amongst themselves, but the Slytherin didn't say anything; she remained simply observing.
While the group ate together, Pansy took note of Draco repeatedly glancing at Hermione.
When they finished eating, Harry walked over to Hermione, "So, when would you like to leave?" He asked. "Teddy is staying the night here so I don't need to take him home, which means we can leave whenever."
Hermoine swallowed, practically feeling Draco's eyes on them, "Oh, well, I'd like to stay a while longer."
Harry nodded, "Okay. Just let me know." He smiled.
She nodded and turned away, walking toward Neville, who was talking with Charlotte.
Pansy asked Draco if he'd like to see her new piece of art in her studio.
"Sure." The wizard replied.
The two friends made their way to Pansy's art studio and entered the room. Pansy shut the door behind her and exhaled quietly.
"Which one is the latest?" He asked, looking at all of the beautiful pieces of art.
Pansy looked at him, "Draco…"
He turned and met her piercing eyes, "What?" He asked, confused.
"What's going on with you and Hermione?"
He froze for a moment before shaking his head, "Nothing."
"Draco Lucius Malfoy." She whispered, though her studio had a Silencing Charm around it. "Do not lie to me."
He sighed and turned away, rubbing his forehead, "Pans…" He muttered, realizing that he had to tell her the truth. "Listen…"
"Bloody hell." She grinned. "You're shagging her, aren't you?"
Draco huffed, shaking his head, "Pansy, she's my girlfriend and I am madly in love with her."
Pansy beamed, stunned. "Draco!" She exclaimed before jumping into his arms, "I am so happy for you!"
He chuckled as they separated, "Thank you, but listen, no one can know until after the Charity Match is over. We don't want to take any attention away from the Match. It's far too important."
She nodded, "I understand. But look, I am absolutely thrilled for you two, Draco. If either of you need anything at all, just let me know. Neville too. He'd do anything you need and wouldn't say a word. But I won't tell him until you say it's okay to do so."
He smiled and thanked her before they began to make their way toward the back garden.
As they walked through the house, Hermione entered, rushing to the lavatory.
Draco glanced at Pansy before following the brunette. Pansy stayed inside so that there weren't any questions about Draco and Hermione being alone. She waited in the lounge.
Draco softly knocked on the lavatory door, "Hermione…" He said quietly.
He couldn't hear anything, so he pulled out his wand and unlocked the door before entering.
Hermione was sitting on the edge of the tub. She was feeling ill but hadn't vomited.
He shut and locked the door before going to sit beside her on the tub. "Are you okay?" He asked.
She nodded, "I'm fine." She said, not looking at him.
He looked over at her with a furrowed brow, "You've said that quite a bit today, Love, but I'm not sure I believe it."
She licked her lips and looked over at him, "Draco…" She said, "this is not exactly the place or time that I wanted to tell you. Though I haven't got a clue what I thought would be the best time to do so…" She said thoughtfully.
He swallowed, anxiety filling his chest.
She sighed, "But, there's something that I must tell you."
He nodded, beginning to feel ill himself.
She inhaled deeply, "I…I'm pregnant."
Draco blinked a few times, trying to fully comprehend her words. "You're…you're pregnant…" He repeated quietly. "Are you certain?" He asked.
She nodded, "I did the spell test and a muggle test. I'm not far along but I…I am…pregnant."
He nodded and licked his lips, "Well…how do you feel about it?" he asked, feeling stupid for asking that question but wanting to know her thoughts.
She shrugged, "I don't know." She exhaled, looking at the floor before meeting his eyes once more, "I'm scared. I'm confused. I'm concerned. I'm…I'm happy." She said, looking into his slate-grey eyes.
The last part of her statement made a smile begin to form on his lips, "Happy?"
She nodded, "Ye…yeah. I mean, I know we've only been together a short time, but Draco, I love you. I love you so much. Honestly, ever since that night in the gazebo, when you showed me the castle and told me what you wanted for your life…I've known since then that I wanted a family with you. I didn't expect it to be quite so soon but…"
He cut her off with a deep kiss, pulling her to her feet as he cupped her jaw. He kissed her with such intensity, she felt it in her toes.
She moaned against his mouth, gripping his shirt to steady herself as she kissed him back with equal enthusiasm.
When their lips separated, he pressed his forehead against hers, while smiling, "We're having a baby."
She laughed, nodding, "Yeah. We are."
There was a knock on the lavatory door, and Pansy quietly said, "I'm sorry to disturb you two, but Harry's looking for Hermione."
Hermione sighed, and cupped Draco's cheeks, kissing him again before pulling back, realizing what Pansy had said.
Draco chuckled, "Pansy knows we're together. She won't tell anyone, but she thought we were shagging…so I told her."
She nodded, still smiling as she exhaled, "I should go get this night over with at Harry's, but I swear, Draco, I'll be home soon."
His smile widened, "Home…"
She blushed and nodded, "Yes. You're my home. Wherever you are…"
"I love you." He muttered, "And I'll be waiting for you…at home."
She nodded and kissed him once more. When they separated, they made sure that they looked decent before exiting the lavatory.
When Hermione found Harry, she asked, "Are you ready?"
He smiled, "Yeah. I'll meet you at #12?"
She nodded before he Apparated.
Hermione glanced over at Draco and smiled before Apparating away.
She arrived at #12 Grimmauld Place and went down to the kitchen in the basement. Harry was down there putting together a tray of tea and Firewhiskey. She figured the Firewhiskey was for him, knowing that she couldn't have any, and he appeared rather anxious.
He smiled, "Would you like to sit in the Lounge or in here?" He asked, "The Lounge would be a bit more comfortable."
She nodded with a shrug and followed him to the Lounge. He sat on the sofa, but Hermione sat in one of the lounge chairs, trying to keep some space between them.
"So…" She said as Harry poured himself a glass of Firewhiskey.
She waved her wand and got the teapot to pour some hot tea into a cup for her, before adding some milk and sugar. Flicking her wand, the steaming cup hovered over to her.
Harry bit his bottom lip nervously, "Mione, erm…I know that you're with Malfoy. I know that you said that you're in love with him, but…but I was wondering if you'd consider…"
"Harry…" She said, stopping him, "Harry, I do love you…"
"That's the thing." He cut in, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I love you too, Hermione. I have for a long time. But this is not a small 'fancying' type of love, or a brotherly love, Hermione. I'm in love with you."
"Oh Harry…" She said quietly, setting her tea down on the coffee table, "Harry, you are one of my very best friends, but…that's all you'll ever be to me." She said, hating to see the anguish in his emerald eyes. "I love you, but only as a brother or a friend. I'm so, terribly sorry if I ever did anything to lead you on."
He shook his head and took a large gulp of his drink before saying, "You didn't. I just…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I want you to be happy, Mione. I do." He said, "I just…I desperately wish it was with me."
Sighing, she asked, "Are we still friends?"
He quickly nodded, "Of course. I want you in my life. Even if it breaks my heart." He replied in a quiet tone.
She felt a sharp pang in her heart upon hearing that remark. "You'll find someone, Harry. I'm sure of it. You're a wonderful man with a beautiful heart."
He huffed and nodded, "Thanks but I'm not really…"
"I know." She said, "But someday. Sometime. Probably when you least expect it. Someone will find you."
He swallowed and nodded, "Well, I've erm…I've got quite a bit of drinking to do tonight. And I'm sure Malfoy is waiting for you."
She nodded, recognizing the dismissal. She stood up and made her way toward the foyer to have space to Apparate safely before turning back to Harry.
He was watching her with the saddest eyes she had ever seen. She wanted to hug him but figured that would make things more difficult for him, so she simply said, "I'll see you soon, Harry."
He nodded, "Okay, Mione. Soon."
She apparated back to the Longbottom house, finding that Draco had already left, along with Ginny and Blaise.
Hermione nodded to Pansy, "Could I speak with you for a moment?"
Pansy nodded and led the brunette to her art studio before shutting the door. "Is everything okay?"
"No." Hermione said, "I'm terribly concerned about Harry. So…firstly, thank you for keeping our secret." She said., referring to her and Draco.
Pansy nodded, "Of course."
Hermione smiled before sighing, "Now…Harry is in love with me."
Pansy's eyes widened, "Oh."
Hermione nodded, "Yeah. Obviously, I do not return those feelings, but I do love him as a friend. I spoke with him tonight and he is a mess. I was hoping that you could check in on him some throughout the evening. He's going to be drinking a lot." She sighed, "If I ask Ginny to check in on him, he's likely to tell her about me and Draco, because he knows, and he'll be sloshed."
Pansy nodded, "I'll check in on him a few times tonight. Is it alright if Neville goes with me? In other words, can Neville know all of this?"
Hermione nodded, "Sure."
Nodding, Pansy said, "On a side note, I am so absolutely thrilled for you and Draco. You two make an adorable couple."
Hermione smiled, "Thank you. I love him…so very much."
The raven-haired witch smiled. They spoke for another moment before Hermione Apparated to Draco's townhouse.
He was sitting on the sofa, waiting for her while sipping a Firewhiskey. His shirt was untucked and unbuttoned, and he was clearly thinking over everything.
He stood up when he heard her, "Hey."
She smiled, "Hey."
"How'd it go?" He asked.
She sighed, "Well, I wish I could have some of your drink there." She said before telling him what had occurred at Harry's house.
They sat on the sofa, and she curled into his side as she spoke.
"So, he's also madly in love with you?" Draco said.
She sighed, "Well…Draco, I'm going to sound like a bit of a bitch here, but it doesn't matter, because I am taken. I am in love with you. I'm in love with…" She paused and cupped his jaw, turning his face to look at her, "I'm in love with the father of my child."
He smiled, unable to hide it, "Yeah." He breathed, "Yeah" He repeated as he affectionately placed his hand on her flat stomach, "Our child."
She smiled, "So…" She said, placing her hand on top of his, "You're happy about this then?"
He nodded, and met her eyes, "I am. It's completely unexpected…but I'm thrilled."
She leaned in and kissed his lips, raising her hand to cup his jaw.
As they separated, Draco bit his bottom lip, "Today you mentioned the castle…"
She smiled, "I did."
"And seeing as you're already moving in with me…" He said nervously. "How would you feel about us moving into the castle rather than having you move in here?"
She smiled and nodded, inhaling deeply, "That sounds like a marvelous plan."
"It's completely move in ready." He said.
She nodded, "When should we do it?"
"How about Sunday, before the Nott Anniversary Bash?" He asked.
She nodded, "That works. That's one of the many things I love about magic. Moving takes only a few hours, while in the muggle world, it can take days…sometimes weeks."
He smiled and Hermione looked at him, seeing that he was feeling emotional.
"Darling, what's the matter?" She asked, cupping his jaw.
He shook his head, "It's just…my dream is coming true. I bought that castle to have a family in it one day and know you and I are moving in and we're going to have a baby."
She nodded, "It's a dream come true."
"You're my dream come true." He said before kissing her lips softly.