The sun was setting, the colors were changing against the golden trees that were shifting due to the weather. She didn't say much after the test. She felt numb. She did everything correctly, how could this have happened? She never missed a pill. Could magic affect birth control? The nurses at Hogwarts never made it sound like magic could affect anything like that, but maybe it did.
Light footsteps could be heard just outside her door. Malfoy walked into her room and sat on the edge of the bed. She didn't roll over to face him. She felt him rest his left hand on her side. "If you want to leave you can, but I won't be able to protect you or my child."
'My child.' She thought to herself. She took a deep breath in as she felt him move to brush some of her brown locks behind her ear. "Malfoy, at some point whatever you're doing will kill me and this child." She lowered her honey-colored eyes halfway. "You are leading the next generation of Death Eaters, aren't you?"
He hesitated before he pulled his hand back from her. "I can't tell you what I'm doing." She rolled over onto her back looking at him sadly. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't find the words. She had put him in a bad position. He looked away from her as he got up. "I better go, I'll be home on Sunday, just stay put unless you are with those two."
Hermione reached out and took his hand into hers. She didn't realize what she had done and quickly withdrew. "I'm sorry."
Malfoy shook his head; he didn't look at her as he walked out of the room, he almost didn't seem phased by her reaching out to him. She listened to his footsteps fade as he walked down the steps. She laid quietly and thought to herself now. She would be alone for the next few days unless Luna or Neville came by, she knew they would be curious about what the results were.
Malfoy didn't mind the two coming over and joining Hermione for tea, he almost seemed relieved that she had a friendship that wasn't toxic, that didn't ask her to do everything for them, where she didn't have to be the mother, a maid, a nurse, and servant. Harry and Ron relied on her too heavily to do what they asked. In the end, she faced a cruel fate for wanting to do something she wanted. For two of her friends, whom she looked to as saviors forced her into roles she never asked to be in.
But now she was forced into the mother role by an accident. Malfoy truly felt like she wouldn't have done this on purpose. Something happened, but he didn't know what it could have been. Now, he watched her unsure if she carried his child or that of her attacker.
He knew who attacked her, he wanted to unleash his fury much like his dark aunt, but he couldn't openly attack him without all eyes falling on him as to why he attacked Ron. He knew that everyone would believe Ron over him. That a former Death Eater had some kind of hidden vendetta against Ron.
He couldn't afford to risk his position within his group. He couldn't show that he would move Heaven and Hell for a muggleborn. If he lost his position, he wouldn't be able to protect her. He had to let the others think she was a mere pet to keep around to hide the fact he was moving things in the dark with the other Death Eaters. He couldn't let his group know she was pregnant.
But in the end, there would be a point where he would not be able to protect her unless he forced her into a role that would surely kill her to be in. Everything she was working and striving to do by finishing school would go to waste. For now, he had to move his chest pieces more carefully for her and for his child.
Luna brought the kettle over as Hermione sat in her normal seat, and Neville sat across the way. Luna poured the hot water into Hermione's white teacup before she poured hot water into Neville's baby blue teacup. "Did he seem upset when you told him the result of the test?" Luna asked curiously as she poured hot water into her light pink teacup.
"No, well he didn't seem like he was upset or happy. He did refer to the baby as his." Hermione spoke softly as she took a little bit of sugar from the bowl in the middle of the table.
"But that's a good thing," Luna spoke in an aloof tone. "He sounds like he's accepting of everything."
Neville frowned as he tinkered with his spoon. "Do you think he is Hermione?"
"He said I could leave if I wanted, but he wouldn't be able to protect me or the baby." She looked tired and out of sorts. She was enjoying the company, but she wanted Malfoy home. She felt abandoned by him. He didn't understand that when she reached for him, she just really wanted him to stay with her even if they didn't talk or say anything. She just needed some kind of reassurance.
"But if he really is trying to get the Death Eaters up and going, what will that mean if they find out you are pregnant?" Neville was a little bit concerned.
Luna took a seat next to Hermione and rested her hand on hers as she gripped her hand. "I'm sure that this weighs heavily on him, he really does care for you, if he didn't he wouldn't have put wards up on the house, but now he's got more of a reason to protect you."
"I really don't know how this happened, I've been so careful," Hermione spoke as she rested her head on her hand looking down at her tea.
"You have us, we won't tell anyone about this," Luna spoke trying to reassure her once more.
Neville nodded. "You still plan on finishing the year out at Hogwarts, right?"
Hermione nodded. "Yes, I think though, Malfoy and I probably need to tone down a few things and I probably need to get some baggy clothing to hide this once I start to show." Hermione never thought this would be her newest problem, she didn't know one little mistake could affect her life and the life of someone who didn't plan on being with her after school ended. She was just his cover, but now she carried his child. A child she wasn't sure he would openly claim as his. He would be one of the first to have a child that wasn't a true pureblood. She didn't blame him if he chose to ignore the child. She didn't want him to, but if a third war was on its way her and the child would more than likely be the first ones. "Once school ends, I'll figure out where the baby and I will go."
Neville sat his cup down on the saucer. "You don't plan on staying with Malfoy?"
"No, he doesn't love me like that." Hermione chuckled sadly. "Could you imagine me walking around the house with a baby on my hip and Malfoy doting on me."
Neville looked at her sadly. "Where will you go back with your parents?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, I never removed the spell, I thought about it, but to be honest I didn't want to put them in harms way again."
"Hermione." Luna spoke. "Where would you go then?"
"I'll probably be able to get a job in the ministry, get a small flat someplace. I'll make it work, I have to right?" Hermione finally took a sip of her tea.
"Hermione, I don't think you understand how far Malfoy will go for you," Neville spoke as he looked at Luna, Hermione could see how in love he was with the goofy little Ravenclaw. He remembered hearing him shout during the battle that he needed to find her and tell her how much he loved her if these were their final moments alive. He looked back to Hermione. "You know he asked me to look after you when he was away. I mean regardless I would look out for you, but do you know how much it probably took a man like Malfoy to ask for help? For me of all people to help look after you."
Hermione looked a little shocked at his words. "Did he really ask you to look after me?"
"I won't go into detail, about the conversation that we had, but he cares about you. I know it's hard for him to show it, and I know the way he acts with you in school seems rough and I can only imagine how it is at home, but I think you should be open to the idea that he might want you and the baby around." Neville spoke softly.
"Everything falls into place, sometimes things come together even in ways we don't expect." Luna smiled kindly. "We know that things haven't been easier on you since school started, but I think with time, this thing you both say is alliance might be something more."
Hermione never thought of this going any further than what they had agreed on, but this might be something that she and Malfoy needed to talk about and discuss. Maybe it wouldn't be good for her to run as soon as school ended. They would need to figure out what would be the best route for this. Hermione took a deep breath. "What happens if the baby isn't his?"
Neville froze at her words and Luna looked at him sadly before Luna spoke. "I don't think he would treat the baby any different, he did say that he couldn't protect his baby. I think that implies that he looks at the baby as his no matter what. Don't you think?"
"If anything, you can always stay with us when school ends," Neville spoke.
Luna nodded as she smiled. "It'll be nice, like a big family of misfits." She chuckled.
Hermione couldn't help, but smile. They were an odd bunch, but they did work well together. They finished up their tea and the two were off back to their home across the street. She was left alone again with her thoughts.
She fell asleep again in the study in the large chair covered in one of his green blankets, a book resting on her chest. This was the first time in weeks that she fell asleep studying in the study. She woke to the fire crackling and turning green as he stepped out into the open room, she watched as he clutched his side, much like he had over a month ago. He saw her before he moved his arm away. "You shouldn't be sleeping down here like that, it's not good for the baby." He took a few steps before he stopped clutching his side again.
Hermione got up from the chair quickly, the blanket falling to the ground as she moved over to him. "You're hurt." She spoke as she tried to move his hand from his side. "Let me see."
"Stop, I'm fine." He hissed out as he tried to keep her back. "I want you to go upstairs and go to your bed."
"Are you going to be joining me?" Hermione spoke as she took a step back.
"No, I need to sleep in my bed tonight." He wouldn't look at her as he walked out of the study. She noticed a noticeable limp. Hermione could tell he was in a lot of pain. Was he doing training or was there some kind of attack? She followed after him as he headed upstairs. She headed into her room while he went to the bathroom. She heard the pipes rattle as she took a seat on her bed. Malfoy really didn't want Hermione to know what was going on, but at what cost, the stress of him leaving her was already overwhelming, but if he was going to keep coming back injured. What happens when he doesn't return? That would mean that she would be on her own trying to protect the baby and hide who the father truly was. If fellow Death Eaters knew about the child there was one of two ways it could play out. They spare the child as Malfoy's child or would they have a reason to end the child's life just because of who his father was. She sat on the edge of the bed looking down at her stomach. She didn't feel any different, she didn't look any different, but she knew there was a small child growing inside of her.
She crawled beneath her warm blankets and started to nod off. She opened her eyes when she felt Malfoy sit on her bed.
"You were ok this weekend?" He asked.
Hermione nodded. "Luna and Neville came over and kept me company."
"I see." He spoke pushing her bangs back. "So they know everything?"
Hermione nodded again as she let out a tired yawn, her eyes closing halfway. "They said if anything happens when school ends, I can live with them. The alliance is only good for the school year."
Malfoy frowned as he nodded. "Yeah, just for the school year, but this changes things." He was hesitant, but he placed his left hand on her stomach.
"But if you're going to start another war, you can't have both." She frowned. "Don't lie to me Malfoy."
Malfoy pulled his hand away as he looked down at his hands. He didn't dare look at her as she sat up in bed. "Granger, I can't talk about it, but I promise you, I have a reason to live now so can we just stop bickering."
Her heart sank, a reason to live? Had he been at odds with himself ever since the second war ended that he only started to bring the Death Eaters back together to feel some kind of control of his life? She knew he always lived in his father's shadow, always trying to please him. Going so far as to be the next leader. But what would they do once they learn that their leader has a mudblood child with one who fought triumphantly against Voldemort? She fell silent, she couldn't really say much, she was already pressing him too hard for change. He wasn't going to give up his power, not even for the child she now carried it would be far too dangerous for him to back out now. Hermione sat up and moved to her knees, she rested her head against his back. "Malfoy." She whispered out. "What if the baby isn't yours?"
There was a short pause. "That child is mine."
"But if it isn't?" She asked.