"It's my birthday!" Lyra jumped onto Draco's bed, even though it was still dark.
"Your birthday? No, it can't be. You had one last year," he said sleepily as he pulled the comforter over his head.
Lyra yanked off the cover and got face to face with him. "I have a birthday every year, silly!"
"You do?" He grabbed her and started tickling her, then peppered her face with kisses as she giggled. "Well then, happy birthday, Princess. What does the birthday girl want for breakfast?"
"Pancakes!" Lyra declared. "Chocolate chip ones!"
"Chocolate chip pancakes, it is. You get dressed and ready for school while I whip those up for you."
"Can I wear a pretty dress to school?"
"I think it would be illegal not to on your birthday," he said seriously then grinned at her.
Lyra ran into her room as Draco went downstairs to make sure her birthday sign and presents were in full view before going into the kitchen to start mixing up ingredients.
"Presents!" Lyra said as soon as she took the last step and ran over to them.
"You know the rules," Draco reminded her. "Presents are for after school so you can play with them right away."
"Can't I open just one?"
Draco piled pancakes on a plate. "We'll see. Now, do you want syrup, powdered sugar, or whipped cream on these pancakes?"
"Whipped cream, please," Lyra said. She poked at the presents before she sat down at the table.
Draco shook the can then squirted out a large pile on top of her pancakes. He had grown up eating flapjacks, which he found out was called a crepe in the states. However, he had learned to make, and enjoy, the American pancake, especially when adding chocolate chips or blueberries in the batter.
"Eat up," he said and kissed the top of her head.
"Will Miss Hermione come over today for my birthday?" she asked before shoveling food in her mouth.
"She's planning on it. And Grandma Cissy said—"
Draco was interrupted by his cell phone and saw Hermione was calling him.
"Hello," he greeted. "We were just talking about you."
"Hopefully good things. Now, let me talk to the person I was truly calling for."
Draco chuckled as he handed his phone to Lyra.
"Hi Miss Hermione!... Thank you!... Uh-huh….Yes…He made me chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream! Uh-huh…. No, I have to wait until after school…. Uh-huh….uh-huh. Okay, bye!"
Lyra handed the phone back to Draco but when he put it to his ear, he realized Hermione had already hung up.
He pretended to pout as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. "She didn't even say stay on to talk to me."
Lyra giggled. "She told me to tell you bye and she'll talk to you later."
"I suppose that'll do." He took a fork and used it to swipe a piece of her breakfast.
"Hey!" Lyra said indignantly. "These are my birthday pancakes."
"Yeah, well, I'm your dad, so I should get some too," he said, trying to get another bite from her plate.
Lyra moved her plate out of reach and laughed. "Get your own, Daddy. These are mine."
"Fine, fine," Draco conceded.
The two ate breakfast, then Lyra finished getting ready for school. She talked excitedly all the way there, trying to guess what presents she might get.
Draco smiled to himself, knowing his daughter was going to have the best birthday surprise of her life.
He worked in his shop the rest of the day, grateful that the weather was warming up, considering he'd need to start walking a dog regularly. Hermione popped in around lunchtime and the two got some sandwiches while they finalized plans for when Lyra got home from school.
"I was thinking...Why don't I pick her up from school?" Hermione suggested. "This way, when she sees you with Belle, she knows the dog is really for her."
"Sounds good to me. Plus, it will be like a birthday treat being picked by the wonderful Miss Hermione."
"Speaking of treats, I picked one up for her that I think I'll give to her on the way home"
"So I'll have a hyper child with a hyper dog for the rest of the evening. Swell," he said sarcastically.
Hermione lifted on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Don't worry, handsome, I'll be there to help you out."
"Oh, that reminds me," he said. "My, uh, mother is planning on stopping by for dinner tonight. She owled a few days ago but I just received the letter this morning, otherwise I would have given you more than just a few hours of warning."
"Oh. That's fine. Did… did you want me to be there while she's there? I can always leave after I drop Lyra off and—"
Draco cupped her face softly and waited for her to look at him. "I would like it very much if you were there for dinner tonight, as long as you're comfortable."
Hermione nodded. "I'll be there then. Not only for Lyra, but for you too." She wrapped her arms around his middle and leaned into him. "Does she know about me?" she asked into his jumper.
"Yes, she does. She's known about you since Christmas, actually."
Hermione lifted her head and looked at him curiously. "Christmas? You told her about me before we even started seeing each other?"
Draco rubbed the back of his head. "She wanted to set me up on a few dates when I go visit her in France over the summer and complained about how there are no witches in Maine. Lyra overheard and said something about you being a witch and my mother recognized your name right away."
"Oh! And was she…" Hermione swallowed thickly. "Was she okay with the idea of us being in a relationship?"
"Even if she wasn't, it's not up to her," Draco said seriously. "But, yes, she's okay with it."
Hermione's body relaxed. "That's good. So, you'll be by around two to get Belle and I'll pick up Lyra at two-thirty?"
"Sounds like a plan."
At two o'clock, Draco unlocked Hermione's door to find a very excited pup waiting for him. The dog jumped and barked as Draco gathered her things and shrunk them down in his pocket.
"Hello to you too, Belle. Are you ready to come home now?" He stroked her ears.
Hermione had mentioned how well-behaved the dog was. She hadn't had an accident in the house and took to using the charmed dog door with ease. It made him feel better knowing he picked the right dog.
He looked around for Berlioz and found him curled up on Hermione's bed.
"Lucky little bastard," he said warmly and he scratched under the kitten's chin, earning him a soft purr in response.
While Hermione had spent numerous nights at his place, he still hadn't had a chance to stay the night at hers. He vowed that the next time Lyra had a sleepover he would stay the night at Hermione's, and bring Belle along, too, knowing Hermione wouldn't mind.
He said goodbye to the cat, picked up the dog, and apparated back to his house.
He had just enough time to attach a large bow to Belle when Hermione texted that they were nearly there.
He waited inside, starting to feel nervous about how Lyra might react. She had been asking for a dog for so long. He only hoped she wouldn't be too upset that they went without her to the shelter.
He heard Lyra before the door opened as she talked happily to Hermione on her way up the steps.
As she opened the door, she called out, "Daddy! Miss Hermione picked—" and froze.
With wide eyes, she looked at the dog, then to Draco, then back to the dog before she let out the loudest squeal he had ever heard.
"Ohmygod ohmygod!" Lyra gasped, covering her mouth with her hands in surprise. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Is she mine?"
"Yes," Draco said, his voice cracking with emotion.
Lyra ran over and the dog licked his daughter's face. "Oh I love her! What's her name?"
He cleared his throat. "Her name is Belle."
"Just like the princess!" Lyra said and hugged the dog again.
Hermione walked around the pair on the floor and slipped her arm around Draco's waist. He noticed tears in her eyes as well.
He kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer as they watched the child and dog get to know each other.
Draco knew, without a doubt, that this was going to be a birthday that none of them would forget.
Later, while Draco and Hermione worked on dinner together—spaghetti and meatballs, per Lyra's request—they heard a soft pop followed by Lyra calling out "Gramma Cissy!"
Draco glanced at Hermione who gave him a nervous smile.
"Ready?" he asked as he extended his hand.
She gave a nod and slipped her hand into his. "Ready."
They walked into the living room and Draco found his mother on the couch with Lyra. Belle had her paws on his mother's knees as the elder woman rubbed the dog's face.
"You have a very sweet dog," his mother said to Lyra.
Draco cleared his throat to gain his mother's attention. When she glanced up and saw who was with him, she offered a smile before she stood up and walked over to the couple.
"Hello, Draco darling," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Mother," he said in greeting before turning to Hermione. "I'd like to formally introduce you to Hermione Granger."
Hermione gave his mother a smile. "Hello, Mrs. Malfoy. It's nice to meet you properly," she said, extending her hand.
His mother looked at Hermione, then her hand, before accepting it with a genuine smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my dear. Lyra talks about you all the time. My son, however, has been quite tight lipped," she said with one delicate eyebrow raised in his direction.
"Yes, well, I want to keep my personal life and relationships private," he said. "At least until I feel it's time to introduce someone to my family."
"I see," his Mother said, looking between the two with a gleam in her eye. "Well, why don't we go into the sitting room so I can give my one and only grandchild her birthday presents."
"Presents?" Lyra said, popping up from the floor where she was playing with Belle.
"But, of course. A grandmother does not visit without bringing gifts, especially when it's someone's birthday. Now," she sat down primly on the sofa as she enlarged the gifts she'd brought and set them on the coffee table. "Which do you think you should open first?"
Draco pulled Hermione to the side and into a side chair so they could watch Lyra open up her gifts from her grandmother.
Dinner went well, even if Lyra did try to sneak Belle a meatball from her plate. After a quick lecture on appropriate table scraps for dogs, Hermione brought out a small chocolate cake that she made—the same cake she made for them when they first had dinner together, but with an added strawberry for his mother.
Later that night, when the house was dark and quiet, his mother back in France, and his daughter sound asleep with her dog in her bed, Hermione sat in his lap, naked, and rode him in front of the fire.
His fingers dug into her hips and they both bit back moans as they went over the edge together.
Lyra's princess-themed slumber party was a success, if the sound of six giggling little girls in the living room was evidence enough. They'd started with a dance party, then ate pizza before devouring cupcakes and ice cream.
They'd played dress up, complete with princess dresses, jewelry, and makeup. Hermione then gave each little girl a manicure and pedicure with a variety of nail polish colors that she'd brought over just for the occasion. Draco even let them put makeup on him and paint his nails as well.
With the living room furniture pushed back to make room for each of their sleeping bags, the girls ate popcorn and watched Beauty and the Beast, in honor of Lyra's new dog, as they wound down for the night.
"I'm exhausted," Draco said as he sat on the kitchen counter and ate a spoonful of ice cream straight from the carton, all evidence of makeup and nail polish finally removed. "Remind me next time she wants a sleepover that she can only have two or three friends. Six little girls is just too many."
Hermione chuckled as she grabbed a spoon from the cutlery drawer and joined him on the counter, taking a spoonful of ice cream for herself.
"They'll pass out soon enough," she reassured him. She rested her head on his shoulder as they sat there and quietly finished off the last of the creamy dessert. "It was a really great party, though. I know Lyra had the time of her life."
"Thanks to you," Draco said as hung an arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. "Honestly, I don't know what I would have done without you helping out."
"I think you would have managed just fine." She nudged him playfully. "You're great with kids."
He tugged on one of her curls. "So are you."
When they checked on the girls a few moments later, nearly half of them were passed out in their sleeping bags while the others would soon be on their way.
"See," Hermione whispered. "Give it another ten minutes then we can head to bed as well."
"And you're sure you want to sleep out here on the couch?" he asked as he pulled her close and kissed her neck, a spot he knew made her weak in the knees. "My bed is much more comfortable."
Hermione rolled her eyes good naturedly as she playfully shoved him away. "One night won't kill you, Mr. Malfoy."
Draco clutched his heart dramatically. "Are you sure? Maybe we shouldn't test the gods."
"You're ridiculous." She gave him a quick kiss. "And a complete spoiled prat who won't take no for an answer."
Draco shrugged. "Guilty."
Hermione chuckled as she shook her head. "I told you, someone should be down here with the girls in case something happens. You never know if one of them might wake up confused as to where they are, or if someone gets a stomach ache, or if one of them needs to use the loo and forgets where it is."
"I suppose you have a point," he conceded with a sulk. "But tomorrow?"
"I'm all yours, I promise," she said and she kissed him again. "Now, go upstairs and get some sleep, because I have a feeling these girls will be up at the crack of dawn, ready for breakfast."
"Fine, I'll go," he said and walked towards the stairs. "But remember, if you get scared and need someone big and strong to help you feel safe, you know where to find me."
"I'll keep that in mind," she said with a soft chuckle. "Goodnight, Draco."
When Draco finally went upstairs, he couldn't help but think how Lyra's seventh birthday was one she would never forget.
And neither would he—not when he could finally admit to himself that he was in love with Hermione Granger.
I know I'm cutting it close for this weeks update, but it's still Sunday in my time zone for another half hour lol
It's been a busy and eventful weekend... not only was Mother's Day today (btw Happy Mothers Day to all my mommy readers out there!) but yesterday my youngest fell off her bike and injured herself... she ended the day with 5 stitches on her leg :(
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this longer chapter full of birthday goodness!
I also wanted to give a fair warning that my family and I will be moving soon. I still plan on updating weekly, but they may be late posts like today. Thank you all for your patience 3
Until next week... xoxoHufflepuffMommy