Chapter 8

Hermione appeared near Draco's place early in the afternoon on Saturday, stopping and taking in a deep breath of the fresh, crisp air. It was nearing the end of May and already warming up significantly. Hermione was wearing a comfortable skirt and simple blouse, and she stood still for a moment, letting the fragrant air relax her.

She had been to Draco's house before, of course, but today felt more significant than the last few times. This was the first time she was visiting as his legitimate girlfriend, and she smiled to herself as she breathed in the woodsy scent of the air around her.

She released her breath with a smile and approached his house, laughing to herself to see that he was standing on the front stoop waiting for her. He must have known when his wards were breached.

"Hi," she waved, climbing the steps with a grin. He pulled her in easily and planted a comfortable kiss against her lips, smiling as he opened the front door.

"How are you?" he asked as she removed her trainers.

"Great, I'm really excited about this, to be honest."

"I am too," he admitted, red appearing on his cheekbones. Hermione knew that Draco was slowly learning to trust himself with her presence and just say what he wanted to say. His upbringing was so rigid that he sometimes had a hard time speaking his mind about his feelings, but she was patient.

"First, I'll show you the rooms available that would suit the nursery because there are a few options and I want your input."

Hermione nodded and followed along in Draco's wake. She had been to his house before but she hadn't ventured further than the main areas. She was excited to see the rest of the place.

He led her up a large curving staircase, the walls open to the lower level of the house so she could see down into the living room before heading down the wing above the kitchen.

His office was located there, as well as five large bedrooms that each contained an ensuite and balcony, stretching around the top floor of the house and looking over the large acreage in the back.

They then went back past the stairs and into the other side of the house, where she learned a pool was on the ground floor beneath, and showed her another office, this one mostly empty. There were four bedrooms down this wing of the house, including the master suite.

Ava was in the room closest to the stairs in this wing, so they skirted around that bedroom, but Hermione looked at the rest of the bedrooms critically. There were two on this side that didn't contain balconies, and she thought that one of those would be best for the baby, since it was safest. Besides, there was absolutely no reason for it to need access to the outdoors for several years.

Once the baby was older, if he wanted a larger bedroom and a balcony, it would be easy enough to move him to a different area of the house - even if he stayed in the same wing as Draco, he'd still have some options.

They finally settled on the bedroom directly across the hall from Draco's master bedroom.

It was big, but not too big, and while it did contain its own ensuite, Hermione figured Draco could charm the bathroom to ensure nothing bad could happen when he was finally a toddler. She sighed in excitement, turning around in the room while deciding where the best place to put things would be.

"I love it," she said honestly, and looked back to Draco to see he was watching her with a small smile on his face.

He tipped his head toward the door and continued with the tour, showing her his room last, which was at the end of the hall and was bigger than Hermione's entire flat. It had a huge walk-in closet and the ensuite bathroom contained both a soaker tub and glassed-in shower, while the rest of the bedrooms only had a tub/shower combo.

"This is a fantastic house," she informed him. "I know I've said it before but this is the first time I've seen the bedrooms."

Hermione turned to see Draco watching her closely, his eyes burning hungrily as she stood beside his bed. He couldn't help but imagine the time he would finally have her in it, and a vision of her below him, encouraging him to thrust harder, seared through his mind.

He licked his lips.

She reddened and continued to peruse his bedroom, taking her time before she was back at his side.

"What are you thinking about, Draco?" she asked, her knowing voice sliding through him like cool water as she trailed a finger down his chest.

He blinked and cleared his throat nervously, suddenly feeling like a teenager. His breath hitched in his throat as Hermione's finger trailed down his chest and stomach until it rested on his belt buckle.

Draco took her hand and moved it to the bulge of his trousers.

Hermione let out a little breath and met his eyes, her hand pressing against him of her own volition as he groaned aloud.

"You have no idea what you do to me, witch," he gasped, hardly able to stop himself from thrusting forward into her hand.

"You could show me," Hermione responded, feeling a little daring. Draco always made her feel confident in herself in a way no one else ever had.

He waved his wand and the bedroom door snapped shut seconds before he was pressing against her tightly, dipping down so that their lips met in a frenzied kiss.

Hermione's hands strayed from his erection back to his belt buckle, making short work of getting it undone and his trousers opened, her small hand pushing beneath his clothing and grasping him firmly.

He moaned again as she touched him for the first time, hardly able to believe this was finally happening. They had been dancing around each other for months and he couldn't take it anymore.

"You make me so hard, Hermione," he whispered as her hand moved steadily between them. "You're so fucking gorgeous and perfect and you know what you do to me."

"Yes," Hermione agreed. And she did know, for the most part. Ever since they were in South Africa she understood the way he looked at her.

She removed her hand, causing a slight whine to peel from Draco's throat, as she urged him to move to one of the chairs in the bedroom near the fireplace. Before he could sit she was pushing his trousers and boxers down and dropping to her knees as he fell heavily into the chair behind him.

She got a good look at him for the first time and was suddenly a little worried, he was big, both in length and girth, and she was slightly intimidated. She had messed around with other wizards before, mostly in a drunken haze following the war, but she had never been serious about any of them, and it felt different, somehow. She wanted to make sure she pleased him.

His hands gripped her hair as she took him into her mouth slowly, trying to get used to the size of him. His moan rumbled deep in his chest and the sound shot through her, directly to her core.

She held his cock at the base and slowly worked her mouth over him, letting her tongue swirl around his head and then shaft as she pushed him into her mouth deeper and deeper.

His guttural groan when he touched the back of her throat had her stomach clenching with need, and when she ignored her gag reflex and forced him even deeper he gripped her hair so tightly she could hardly move.

"Fuck, fuck, Hermione," he whispered. He was going to embarrass himself, he knew it. There was no way he was going to last when his cock was shoved down her throat and she was making those little whimpering sounds that jolted directly through him.

He clutched her hair in trembling hands as he tried to hold himself from forcing his way down her throat even more, but she backed away for a moment, taking in shuddering breaths as she looked up at him with bright eyes. She held eye contact for a moment before licking her lips and leaning back in, a small delighted little laugh vibrating around him before she had him in her mouth again.

"Fuck, Hermione," he moaned, as he sunk deep into her mouth again, his hands buried in her soft curls. "Can you take more?" He asked in a low voice, and she nodded as she fit more of him into her mouth.

"All of it?" He asked, his grip on her hair tight enough to sting. She nodded again and shrugged her shoulders at the same time, trying her best to take as much of his cock as she possibly could. His breath hitched as a few choice curses rumbled from his lips.

"You're such a good girl, Hermione. You're so fucking perfect," he whispered with a slight groan as her tongue worked across his shaft.

Hermione's pussy throbbed at that and she pulled back again, gasping for air rapidly.

"Are you ok-" Draco started, but Hermione immediately had him in her mouth again, breathing rapidly through her nose as her tongue rubbed patterns against his skin.

Draco was panting heavily, her tongue swirling across his shaft felt heavenly, but when she regained steady breathing again and pushed him as deeply as she possibly could into her throat, his stomach clenched tightly and he groaned loudly.

Then she swallowed, the muscles in her throat contracting tightly around his length. She moaned when his fingers flexed tightly in her hair and the vibration shot through him, directly to his balls. He could feel himself tightening up as she started to slowly back away, withdrawing him from the tight tunnel of her throat painfully slowly.

"Fuck, I'm going to come, Hermione. You're so - fuck - swallow, please, please."

She hummed in agreement and looked up at him with wide eyes that were watering from lack of oxygen, and held him only slightly in her throat, doing her best to drive him wild.

She swallowed again and Draco almost blacked out when he came, holding her in place tightly by the hair as his seed emptied into her throat.

He released her after a long moment and she pulled him from her mouth with gasping breaths, kneeling on the floor in front of him as her eyes streamed tears down her cheeks.

Her hair was huge from his hands pulling it, ruining the natural curls and pulling some free. He thought she had never looked more beautiful.

She rested her head on his thigh as she frantically pulled air in and out of her lungs, but he didn't give her a long reprieve.

He picked her up off the floor easily and carried her to his bed, where he threw her down onto her back. She bounced on the mattress and looked up at him with her large doe eyes, her lips were red, wet, and slightly swollen, and he felt like he was on fire as his fingers teased their way down her thighs.

He smirked at her before his hands were beneath her skirt, feeling her soft skin beneath his fingertips as he edged higher.

"I'm going to eat this cunt, Hermione," he said, his fingers finding the elastic of her knickers before pulling them off of her quickly.

She was watching him, her eyes wide and startled, and it looked like she was having an internal battle for a few moments before she nodded. He didn't think he had ever experienced a time where words had failed her before, but he was relishing in his ability to leave her speechless.

He flung her knickers to the side before he flipped her skirt up, gazing down at her pussy in admiration.

"Your pussy is beautiful," he whispered in reverence before getting to his own knees beside the bed, her butt on the edge and her legs lifting to his shoulders.

He ran his finger from her clit down to her opening, groaning at the moisture that was already gathering there.

"You're fucking soaked for me," he breathed in wonder. He had been with his fair share of women, usually drunken one night stands in France were all he could manage, but he had never had this sort of reaction from anyone.

"Having my cock in your throat really turned you on, didn't it?" he asked her, slipping a long finger into her. She whined and shimmied her hips as he pushed his finger as deep as he could.

"Didn't it?" he asked roughly, unable to take his eyes off of what he was doing to her.

He wasn't in the best position to see last time he had touched her, and she'd had her pants on whilst he got her off with his fingers, so he was determined to take in everything he could this time.

"Yes," she whimpered.

He pulled his finger out, swallowing when he saw how slick it was before adding another and pressing them into her. She whimpered again as Draco leaned forward and pulled her clit between his lips. He sucked for a moment and her hips pressed forward into his face, his fingers pushing into her even deeper.

"Draco," she moaned, knowing this was not going to take long. No one had ever gone down on her before; she had never had anyone's mouth on her like this. The sensation was indescribable, and Draco seemed to be enjoying it, considering the groans that were vibrating through her.

He let go of her clit before pressing his tongue against it and running it around in languid circles.

"Do you like this, Hermione?" he asked, curling his fingers inside of her.

"Yes, yes," she gasped. "Please don't stop."

He curled his fingers again and continued circling her clit with his tongue before he pressed flat against her and swiped some broad strokes across her clit.

She gasped loudly again, his changing strokes undoing her, and he gently scraped his teeth on her.

Her hands shot out and gripped his hair, holding his face to her cunt as tightly as she could. He pulled his fingers free and lowered his face even more, shoving his tongue into her as far as he could and using his nose to stimulate her clit. He could feel her muscles contracting around his tongue as he shoved it in and out of her body, sweeping it around inside her as his fingers gripped her thighs tightly.

She was squirming beneath him and he moved back up again, sucking her clit in between his lips and rolling it around as his fingers entered her again.

The feelings were overwhelming her; his fingers deep inside of her, curling into a spot that made her grip him harder and harder as his hot breath and slick tongue worked her clit.

"Don't stop," she moaned again as the coil of her lust continued getting tighter and tighter. He moaned aloud, sending shocks through her body, and the coil snapped, causing her to cry out as her body shuddered against him, her muscles contracting and pulling his fingers deeper into her.

Draco gently worked her through her orgasm before he removed his fingers and sat back on his haunches, grinning. He met her eyes and smirked before he popped his fingers into his mouth, groaning at the taste of her in a way he was unable to the last time.

"Fucking perfect," he whispered again as she sat forward and watched him with wide eyes. He lifted his shirt at the hem and wiped his face as she caught her breath on the bed.

"That was amazing," she said after a few deep breaths. Her hair had expanded even more from her writhing around on his bed and he couldn't help but smile.

He realised how hard he was falling.

He got to his feet and gripped her hand, pulling her up before he wandered to where he left his pants and slowly started stepping into them. He saw her knickers hanging off the knob of his dresser and couldn't suppress a laugh.

"I couldn't have actually landed them there if I tried," he said with a smile, Hermione chuckling behind him as she made her way to the bathroom to clean herself up a bit.

He wandered over and snatched up her damp knickers, wondering if he would be able to keep them, but a small hand entered his peripheral's before grasping them.

"I'd consider it if I wasn't wearing a skirt," she said with a blush.

Great, now he had to think about her wearing a skirt with no knickers on. He watched as she cast cleansing and drying charms, then pulled them on and situated her skirt around her legs before a hair tie appeared out of nowhere and she started bunching up her loose curls on top of her head.

"Well, shall we begin shopping?" she asked, her face glowing with happiness.

—-

They were sitting close together on one of his comfortable couches, an open catalogue perched against Draco's knee as they slowly turned pages and chose different items that would belong to the baby when it made an appearance.

Ava stopped in the entrance to the living room and stared at the two of them, catching Hermione's attention. Her breath caught when she met the celery green eyes of the gorgeous witch before her; she didn't know that Ava was so beautiful.

Thoughts pounded through her brain, instantly comparing herself to the svelte, elegant witch standing before them. She had shiny honey blonde hair that was pulled into a side braid, delicate features, was tall and leggy, and her swollen belly was the only giveaway that she was over five months pregnant. Hermione felt positively dowdy in comparison.

But then Ava met Draco's eyes and she suddenly wasn't so beautiful anymore, her mouth pursed and a look of utter loathing crossed her features.

"I'm hungry," she said flatly, staring toward Draco expectantly with narrowed eyes. The look on her face seemed to be almost challenging, and the longer it took for Draco to move to her, the more her eyes tightened in anger.

Hermione was expecting Draco to snarl something awful at the pregnant witch, but after a moment of hesitation he dislodged himself from the couch with a heavy sigh, setting the catalogue down on the armrest. He hadn't been planning on starting dinner so early, but he knew not to anger Ava, she was vengeful and bitter, and Draco was worried she'd do something to his baby.

"I guess I can get started on dinner now, but it'll be a while. Do you want a snack in the meantime?"

Ava didn't even respond, and Hermione followed them into the kitchen and perched on one of the stools at the island. Ava took the stool beside her and sat up proudly, eyeing Hermione in curiosity as Draco deposited glasses of water in front of the two witches.

Hermione stayed silent, feeling a little bit awkward as the blonde witch continued to look at her.

"What?" Hermione finally asked, turning to Ava and catching her eyes.

"Aren't you Hermione Granger?" the other witch asked, the angry look melting off of her face as curiosity began to take over.

"Yes," she muttered, eyeing her glass of water before she tried to discreetly wave her wand over it while Draco's back was turned. He was rummaging in the refrigerator and pulled out a tray of cut vegetables, setting it on the island between them, but the way he eyed her for a moment let her know that he'd noticed.

Ava reached for a pepper slice immediately. Hermione had to wonder why Ava couldn't have just gotten the tray of food for herself since it was already prepared.

The blonde witch popped a cherry tomato in her mouth, an eyebrow arched in clear expectation that Hermione would elaborate on her presence. Is it weird to tell the mother of his child about our relationship? Hermione wondered. Does Draco want her to know?

"Draco and I are dating," Hermione said shortly, knowing it wasn't any of Ava's business. The other witch looked confused as she took a carrot stick and munched on it, still eyeing Hermione closely before a look of understanding crossed her features.

"Ah, I see. A walk on the wild side for Miss Hermione Granger herself. Be smarter than I was, yes? I was also in it for the thrill of shagging a Death Eater and now look at me."

Hermione was flabbergasted.

"Excuse me?" She said, her hackles rising. "I'm not with Draco because he was a Death Eater, I'm with him in spite of that and because he's a good person. It's not some cheap thrill."

Ava snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Perhaps, with your…heritage…you don't understand the implications," Ava said sweetly, dripping poison. "Such a great man. You think he's some pity case? Please. He's a coward. Didn't mind watching his people torture and rape innocents on the floor of his manor. Then he jumped at an opportunity to avoid a prison sentence, pretending he was a victim instead of a fucking murderer."

Hermione felt her blood pressure spike, her heart slamming in her chest. She could ignore the slight about being a muggleborn, but she wouldn't stand by and let this complete bitch disparage her boyfriend, who was oddly silent on the other side of the island.

"And what was it, exactly, that you were doing during the war?" Hermione asked, her tone sickeningly sweet to match Ava's.

Ava, who seemed to feel she had an ally in Hermione for some reason, responded with a smile. "I was in Italy, at one of our family homes."

"I see," Hermione responded, reaching forward casually and gripping a carrot stick in her fingers tightly, hiding the fact that she was quite literally shaking with rage. "Perhaps I've confused the definition of cowardice. Only one of you ran away from the war, and only one of you stayed to try and right your wrongs."

Ava's cheeks flushed as Hermione called her out, and she swiftly decided to change the subject.

"Your relationship must be new, then," she said after a moment of floundering. "I've never seen anyone else in this prison before."

"Not really, no. I've been here before, but we do enjoy spending time elsewhere." Away from you was left unspoken.

Ava scoffed, clearly understanding the tacit insult.

"It's not like I want to be here," she said angrily, turning on her stool to face Hermione after glaring at Draco. "I got trapped because I was stupid and drunk and made the worst mistake of my life. The sooner this torture is over with, the better."

Hermione narrowed her eyes again. Draco swallowed from across the island, obviously trying to pretend that he wasn't listening and that her words had no effect on him as he expertly seasoned a side of beef.

Oh, this witch was definitely going to test her patience, she could tell.

"I'm sure the feeling is mutual," Hermione muttered, abandoning her uneaten carrot stick and reaching for her glass.

"Oh please," Ava scoffed. "He should be worshipping the ground I walk on for incubating his damned Deater Eater spawn. If he wasn't giving me such a hefty sum of galleons I would have simply terminated. I had an appointment scheduled before that pitiful trash realised that this bastard was the only heir he'd be able to make."

Hermione looked up at Draco, dismayed to see his cheeks reddening in shame and dismay.

"Just because you're a heartless bitch who doesn't want this baby doesn't mean everyone else feels the same," she replied coldly.

"Heartless?" Ava laughed, but the sound was brittle. "I'm not heartless just because I don't want this parasitic sprog in my body, making me sick and uncomfortable, unable to see any of my own friends and family. I'd die of embarrassment if they knew where I was, what was growing inside of me." She looked Hermione up and down. "Seriously, if it's not for the thrill and it's not for the money, what are you doing here with him? I promise his cock's not worth the trouble."

Hermione wanted the floor to open up and swallow Ava whole for the humiliation she was causing Draco.

"I told you, Draco's my boyfriend. My actual boyfriend, not some fucked-up fantasy I'm trying to live out."

"That makes absolutely no sense," Ava continued, her voice acidic in the quiet kitchen. "You're a somebody, a good girl; you could have anyone under the sun, so why would you choose a violent criminal?"

"That's enough," Hermione said sharply, leaving her stool and crossing to the other side of the island near Draco, desperate to put space between herself and the hostile witch. "Maybe you can't see the good in him, but I can, and I don't owe you an explanation. You should go wait elsewhere until dinner is ready."

Hermione was surprised when Ava cocked her head, picked up the platter of vegetables, and stalked out of the kitchen. She let out a breath, having thought she was going to need to put up more of a fight, and turned to Draco, who was clearly flustered.

"I am so sorry," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his chest.

He shrugged, trying to act casual and like he wasn't hurt, but she could feel his hands shaking against her. He was used to the pregnant witch's outbursts of anger; she hadn't said anything new. It was just embarrassing that she'd say them to his girlfriend while he was right there.

"That's not okay, Draco. Why don't you call Gus to come in and cook for her? We can go get a hotel for a couple nights or something? I'll stay with you."

He met her eyes then and she could tell that he wanted to shrink into himself. "You would do that? For me?"

"Of course," she assured, reaching up and rubbing a hand down his back. "I don't think you need to be in your own home, listening to that vile bitch talk about you that way."

"I know," he said slowly. "I just try to keep her happy since she's carrying my baby. I don't want anything to happen to him or her."

"I don't either, but you definitely don't need to let her treat you like that. You're an amazing man and I care for you very much, please remember that."

Draco nodded and turned on his heel.

"I'm going to pack and call Gus in," he said, his mood starting to lift.

"I'll leave Ava a note," Hermione grinned.

Hermione wrote a quick note informing Ava her meals were to be prepared by Gus and Draco wouldn't be back for a couple nights before she gathered up all the baby catalogues and stuffed them into her ever present beaded bag. They could shop for baby things at the hotel.